1925 research outputs found
Sort by
Exploring the “edge”: re-imagining the potential of permaculture’s third ethic
Get PDFPermaculture with its guiding ethics and principles is a social and ecological grassroots movement that has the potential to transform how people design and engage with the world around them. Permaculture, despite its many social applications, has been widely understood as an ecological-based movement. Using a resilience and cultural change theory lens consisting of nine interviews and a focus group, this research aims to broaden the social implications of permaculture as a transformative movement towards positive change. To expand this discussion this research asked: How are permaculture practitioners interpreting the third ethic of permaculture and putting it into practice? And how are these interpretations impacting how people engage in their communities? Diving into the third ethic and its applications demonstrates a potential “edge” by exploring the varying ways that the ethic and permaculture can be understood and utilized. Some major themes found in this study include: the concept of giving back, discussions of consumption, future-care and legacy, importance of building strong relationships, discussions around reparations, transformative justice and equity, and varying opinions around the concept of fair-share. Additional findings in this study have revealed concerns within the movement, insight surrounding the current role and future of permaculture as a movement, and permaculture ideologies’ potential to shift people's beliefs, mindset, and capability of contributing to an increase in community resilience and alternative way of existing in the world
The power is in the tale: Integrating digital stories in medical training on patient-relationship-centered care
Get PDFThe paradigm shift in healthcare from “sick care” to a disease prevention model is driven by the need to address health inequities. The new paradigm requires a change from the current “distant yet concerned” attitude to patient-relationship-centered approaches. Two questions drive this study: (a) How we can prepare physicians during residency to practice under
the new model, and (b) What role can digital stories play in the process? The results of this hermeneutic phenomenological study offer a view into the lived experiences of eight medical residents (family medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and emergency medicine), each participating in three interviews. The content of the conversations leads to an appreciation and understanding of their perspectives on patient centeredness, factors influencing patient encounters, and their emerging professional identities. The substance of these conversations result in an unanticipated switch in the role of digital stories from an “experience” to a tool or catalyst encouraging the residents to reflect on their path to medicine, clinical practice, and professional identities. The digital stories, coupled with the study design, provide the residents with an opportunity to assess their sources of inspiration, capacity, and resilience to be empathetic and engage in advocacy. The study results have implications for the use of digital stories in health education professional training, as well as integrating hermeneutic phenomenology to promote reflection and self-assessment at critical junctures in medical residency
Adverb placement in learner writing: the effect of linguistic features, cross-linguistic transfer, and register
Get PDFDue to their syntactic mobility, adverbs lend themselves well to first-language (L1)-related syntactic transfer studies (Hasselgård, 2015); however, there is a limited body of research looking into what other factors may influence adverb placement. Moreover, very few studies go beyond the realm of well-known Germanic and Romance languages. The present study is a partial replication of Larsson et al.’s (2020) work and revisits the question of whether adverb placement can help us detect L1 transfer; it also looks at the possible effect of linguistic variables (e.g., presence/absence of an auxiliary), extralinguistic variables (e.g., native-speaker (NS) status, L1 background), and register. The study looks at L1 German, L1 Turkish, and NS data with the aim of seeing whether the findings from Larsson et al. (2020) can be replicated with German and native-speaking students from a different register; it also extends our knowledge by looking at L1 Turkish use, a language that is very different from English typologically.The data were obtained from two different corpora; the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE), the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays (LOCNESS) and were coded manually based on the coding scheme from Larsson et al. (2020). The study looks at the following 15 epistemic adverbs (Granath, 2005): maybe, probably, possibly, really, simply, actually, apparently, certainly, clearly, definitely, evidently, obviously, perhaps, surely, and of course.
The results show that German learners behaved more native-like compared to their Turkish counterparts who overused the clause initial position (e.g., probably she is here) and underused the clause-medial positions. Similar to Larsson et al.’s (2020) findings, the main predictors of adverb placement are linguistic rather than extralinguistic; although some traces of L1 transfer were detected with the Turkish data. Moreover, register seems to have a moderate effect when the German and NS use are compared with those of the original study
Electrospun scaffolds with rhamnolipids to treat depleted-uranium contaminated wounds
Get PDFDepleted uranium (DU) is a metal by-product produced after the enrichment of natural uranium (U) to lower its radioactivity for military use. Although most radioactive isotopes have decayed, DU remains toxic and a radioactive health hazard when ingested or inhaled into the body. Currently, there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines located in the American Southwest that pose a threat to the surrounding environment and to the population’s health through the ingestion of contaminated water. Previous publications from our lab demonstrate that exposure to DU has negative effects on the natural wound healing process through a variety of cytotoxic mechanisms; however, current literature lacks a healing therapeutic to counteract this issue. Therapeutics, such as novel wound coverings, have been developed to promote the wound-healing process by treating wounds with three-dimensional biomaterials made to mimic the extracellular matrix. These biomaterials are often applied to effectively promote cellular migration and proliferation. In the current study, we propose that these novel electrospun wound healing scaffolds can be impregnated with unique chemical agents to facilitate delivery into the wound bed in an effort to neutralize or de-contaminate the tissue from DU exposure. First, an in vitro wound model was prepared using human dermal neonatal fibroblasts (hDFn) in combination with rhamnolipids, a ‘green’ biosurfactant with known environmental contaminant binding properties. Using this in vitro wound model, cells exposed to DU and treated with rhamnolipids had an increased percent closure rate over cells only exposed to DU. These preliminary findings provide proof of concept for the continued exploration of using rhamnolipids as a treatment for DU-contaminated wounds. Subsequently, this work focused on incorporating rhamnolipids into novel electrospun wound healing scaffolds cellularized with fibroblast cells to assess biocompatibility utilizing the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cytocompatibility assays were also conducted to measure the effects on hDFn cells' metabolism and viability when inoculated with rhamnolipids in growth media. These rhamnolipids are of particular interest due to their non-toxic nature, antimicrobial properties, and affinity to bind to metals of environmental concern, like uranium. This study is among the first to explore the effects of rhamnolipids as a treatment against internal DU exposure by using electrospun scaffolds as a healing therapeutic to treat those individuals affected by chronic exposure to U-contaminated water throughout the American Southwest
Impact of Covid-19 related changes in employment status, depression, and alcohol use in a sample of unionized leisure & hospitality industry workers
Get PDFCOVID-19 devastated the US economy in March and April of 2020, decimating the workforce in the leisure and hospitality industries. Change in employment status, such as loss of employment, has previously been found to be associated with negative outcomes such as depression and hazardous alcohol use. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between current employment status (e.g., currently employed, or unemployed), current depression, and current hazardous alcohol use in a sample of employees from the leisure and hospitality industries. Participants included 1,106 individuals (58.8% female, Mage 49.58, SD = 10.96) with complete data on depression, binge drinking, heavy drinking, employment status, and gender. The prevalence of current major depression (29.2%) and binge drinking (26%) were substantial. As hypothesized, a significantly greater proportion of individuals who were currently unemployed (51.7%) were currently depressed compared to their employed counterparts (28%), z = 3.87, p < 0.001, (95% CI: [0.12, 0.36]). However, there were no differences between unemployed and employed participants on heavy drinking (p = 0.62) or binge drinking, z = 1.57, p = 0.74, (95% CI: [-0.21, 0.02]). Results are discussed, including limitations of the employment cell size for hazardous drinking analyses, which appears to be a function of the high rate of employment in the sample at the time of data collection in 2022. Ongoing survey research on mental health outcomes in hospitality industry employees, especially given high proportion of underrepresented and unempowered individuals, appears warranted. Keywords: Leisure, hospitality, COVID-19, labor union, depression, alcohol, duration of unemploymen
Investigating preclassic occupation in the site core of Xunantunich
Get PDFPrevious studies in the Maya area indicate many lowland Maya site cores developed gradually with continuous construction and modifications extending back to the Preclassic era (1200 B.C. – A.D. 300). In spite of this developmental sequence, few sites exhibiting Preclassic transition phases have been intensively investigated. One example is the Belize Valley site of Xunantunich, where more than a century’s worth of research in the site core has been dedicated primarily to interpreting the political and socio-economic role of the site during the Late to Terminal Classic period. Because of these previous research biases, little is known of the Preclassic occupational component of the site core. In an effort to address this omission, we conducted a series of excavations within the site core during the 2022 field season of the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance (BVAR) Project. These investigations revealed Preclassic architecture and Jenney Creek Phase (900-300 BC) ceramics, as well as Preclassic ceramic figurines. In this thesis, we review evidence of Preclassic occupation in Xunantunich’s site core and provide results of our recent investigations in Plazas A-I, A-II, and A-III. Our findings help enhance the understanding of the construction and development of the site core of Xunantunich during Preclassic times
How will global warming affect decomposition and element cycling of native and invasive leaf litter in streams?
No full textGlobal warming and introduced species have the potential to alter the functioning and structure of headwater streams. Testing how temperature affects detrital food webs is challenging because it is difficult to manipulate temperature in a field setting. Here, we evaluate how microbes and shredders decompose two morphologically distinct, riparian tree species, Populus fremontii (native) and Tamarix sp. (nonnative). We built an artificial stream facility to manipulate temperature while maintaining natural diurnal and seasonal patterns of most stream variables (light, nutrients, dissolved oxygen). We employed a factorial design that included 3 temperature treatments (ambient, + 3.7°C, and + 6.6°C), 2 leaf types and 2 decomposition mediators (microbes and shredders + microbes). Decomposition rate and microbial biomass were influenced by leaf type and temperature, with P. fremontii decomposing more rapidly and supporting almost twice the microbial biomass found in Tamarix sp. Temperature increased decomposition rate by 9.1 to 16.5% in the +3.7°C treatments relative to ambient temperatures. Additional increases in temperature did not accelerate decomposition rate for either species. Litter packs containing shredders decomposed more rapidly than litter packs with only microbes. However, shredder contribution to leaf litter decomposition was relatively low in both leaf types, ranging from 1.97% to 10.45%. A laboratory experiment measured leaching rates with 2 temperatures and 2 time periods (24h and 48h). P. fremontii leached significantly more DOC than Tamarix sp. and Tamarix sp. leached significantly more TN than P. fremontii. In both litter types, approximately 43% to 48% of initial mass was lost after 48 hours of leaching. Temperature did not affect mass loss due to leaching. These results show that increases in water temperature may lead to rapid depletion of labile leaf litter resources and that the disproportionately high leaching of TN found in Tamarix sp. leaf litter may prevent microbes and shredders from accessing compounds containing nitrogen
Fire effects on cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park
No full textFire archaeology is a relatively new discipline that is underrepresented in anthropological literature. The purpose of this study is to quantify how fire affects cultural resources found on the north and south rims of Grand Canyon National Park. The primary objective of this analysis is to determine whether certain fire or archaeological variables indicate more severe impact on cultural resources from fire events. Twenty-eight pre-contact, multi-component, and historical archaeological sites from both the north rim and south rim of Grand Canyon National Park were visited over the course of the summer and fall of 2022. Standardized post-fire assessment forms and post-fire monitoring forms make up the dataset for this study, producing variables including fire type, site type, fire severity, and level of impact to site integrity. Each of these 28 sites were burned over by either wildland fires or prescribed fires of differing severities over the past several decades. Results produced using IBM SPSS statistics software suggest no statistically significant correlations between fire type, site type, fire severity, and impact to site. These results imply a sense of resilience that certain archaeological artifacts can have in response to fire. It is important for fire managers and fireline resource advisors (READs) to understand these implications, as fire personnel can be assigned to areas they are needed most when there is an understanding of what resources can burn during an incident, and which cannot. Keywords: fire archaeology, IBM SPSS Statistics, cultural resources and fire, Grand Canyon National Par
K-1 discipline support since the enactment of Arizona House Bill 2123
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Arizona Revised Statues 15-843(K) with Arizona elementary administrators, since the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, this research investigated the Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions administrators have found to be effective and ineffective to support K-1 students who have behavioral needs. Participants included 12 elementary administrators from two suburban school districts. The design of this study was a case study with a focus on qualitative data collected, analyzed, and summarized. No additional data were collected.
Research Question 1 addressed how administrators’ discipline practices have changed since the revised law. Even though half of the administrators discussed no change has occurred, there was an equal number of participants who explained they had to be creative with their practices. Additionally, they expressed how they had to formalize their MTSS process and focus on early interventions and student relationships.
Research Question 2 addressed what Tier 1 behavioral supports were being utilized for K-1 students. Administrators expressed having their teachers utilize a Social Emotional Curriculum to teach daily social skills as a support for K-1 students. They shared having school-wide expectations in place was supportive for the students. Additionally, having the expectations visible around campus, explicitly taught, and using positive tickets helped to support students with behavioral needs.
Research Question 3 addressed identifying effective Tier 2 interventions. Administrators identified having extra staff members pull small groups of students in order to provide them with instruction on social skills. In addition, Check-in, Check-out was explained to be effective because it was a staff member, other than the teacher, who did the check-in and reflect on behavior goals with the student. When a student reaches their goal, an incentive is given.
Research Question 4 asked administrators to identify ineffective Tier 2 interventions. Because there were none share by participants, there was no conclusion drawn as there was an insufficiency of data
Understanding limited food access in Mohave County, Arizona: influencing factors, current realities, and potential solutions
No full textFood insecurity is prevalent across the United States, but it occurs at a particularly high level within Mohave County, Arizona. Mohave County is mostly rural; prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 20% of the population was food insecure. Anecdotal reports from food bank staff indicate that food insecurity has likely increased with the current state of the economy and the aftermath of the pandemic. The number of people receiving food boxes has certainly increased in recent years. However, little is known about how food box recipients perceive the assistance they receive, or how they think food access could be improved. This study represents an effort to understand these attitudes among an understudied population, namely rural food box recipients of geographically dispersed communities in Arizona. I interviewed fifteen food box recipients across the county in 2022-23, and conducted a mini-focus group, to understand their perspectives of food insecurity, thoughts on the causes of food insecurity, realities of being food insecure while living in a rural food desert, and what potential solutions recipients think could change those causes and realities. To get a more well-rounded understanding of how people are navigating food access in this county, I also interviewed food system professionals from government agencies and advocacy organizations. I then analyzed the interviews using a political ecology framework and separated my results by research question