28729 research outputs found
Sort by
Quality of Life Disparities for the Rural Economically Disadvantaged
No full textFamilies who reside in rural communities and live in poverty often experience a lack of quality of life supports, which impacts their mental health and exasperates any special needs they may have. Research in regards to these concerns, has historically focused on southern states and or the impacts of poverty in urban settings. This phenomenological qualitative research study reveals quality of life supports that impoverished families living in rural communities in Central Illinois often do without. This study further examines the families’ perceived barriers to those supports. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What quality-of-life supports (employment, food assistance, mental health services, special education) do impoverished families living in rural Central Illinois believe they lack? (2) What do rural families identify as perceived barriers to receiving quality-of-life supports? (3) How are rural families impacted by lack of access to quality-of-life supports? (4) How are the children in rural families impacted by lack of access to quality-of-life supports? Data analysis of interviews and questionnaire responses from eight families living in rural communities in Central Illinois explained a need for mental and physical health supports, food assistance, quality special education services, and local employment opportunities. In turn, the research yielded the following barriers to these supports: lack of transportation services, community resources (including food banks and service agencies), stigma, specialized educational programming/training, and acceptance of state funded insurance. Recommendations for further research include, longer, longitudinal study, larger interview pool, and children specific interviews
Analysis of Botulinum Toxin A and Interacting Proteins in Skeletal Muscle Cells: An Investigation into the Mechanisms Behind Botulinum Toxin A as a Treatment for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome
No full textBackground: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a condition in which muscle tissue expands against the surrounding fascia during activity and is compressed along with the nerves and blood vessels within the muscle compartment, leading to abnormally high intracompartmental pressure (ICP) and debilitating pain. Treatment typically includes fasciotomy, which results in significant levels of CECS recurrence; however, botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection has recently been seen to decrease both ICP and pain through an unknown mechanism with little to no recurrence.
Methods: In this study, cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 receptor 4 (EP4), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were analyzed with either BoNT-A light chain or heavy chain through docking models via PyRosetta. These studies were performed in order to determine their probability of interaction.
Results: The EP4/BoNT-A heavy chain combination was found to have reaction scores most comparable to known interactions of BoNT-A in neural cells. In accordance with this finding, levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a downstream effector of EP4, consistently increased in myoblasts treated with BoNT-A.
Conclusion: Altogether, these data uncover an area of future research in determining the interaction of BoNT-A and the EP4 pathway in muscle cells, as well as the implications this may have on CECS and its treatment
Freckles
Get PDFThis piece focuses on common insecurity. The goal is to make this insecurity beautiful to every eye
Spiritual Mysteries That Matter When Leading
No full textWe need a God who guides, right now, in real time, through the projects and ambitions of our lives. The Apostle Paul did too. Like us, he never met the material Jesus and had to cultivate what he called a “competence” for being guided by God in the Spirit. This identity became so central to his life, he told the Church in Corinth his reputation should be as a “steward of mysteries.” We can be that too. We must. We lead in a world fixated on, believe it when you see it, yet God provides more to us than sight. He offers insight, to exceed the talent of a marksman who can strike a target every time, and become Spirit led to hit targets others don\u27t see. But many Christians are inexperienced with, or suspicious of, discerning God’s direction. There is remarkable guidance available even in mundane leadership experiences. We will learn from the Apostle Paul and apply spiritual mysteries in domains we also face
A Ribbon of Quicksilver: Art and Environment on the Kankakee River
No full textThere is an alarming rise in sand and silt content being deposited from Indiana into the Illinois side of the Kankakee River. This is caused by Indiana’s manipulation of the natural path of the river. This dangerous condition is made worse by the consequences of climate change. These grave realities are at times overwhelming and it can be difficult to know how to respond. Through artistic production including photography and mixed-media works, together with scientific field research, artists, scientists, and scholars have selected the Kankakee River as a case study in how art and science might provide a response. This interdisciplinary project seeks to re-imagine natural materials in fresh ways with hope that viewers engage the world around them with renewed reverence and care.
This 2022 Scholar Week presentation completes a roughly two and half year collaborative project funded by the Craighton T. and Linda G. Hippenhammer Faculty Scholarship Fund.
Faculty titles:
Jon Seals, Associate Professor, Chair, Galleries Director, Department of Art & Digital Media
Scott Aaron Dombrowski, Associate Professor, Department Art & Digital Media Brianna Munnich, Adjunct Professor, Department of Biological Science
Religiosity and Relational Anxiety: A Cross-Denominational Study
Get PDFBackground: Prior research has provided evidence for a correlation between religiosity and anxiety, quantifiable differences between denominations, and a somewhat equivocal link between religiosity and social trust. Methods: This present study seeks to extend the existing body of knowledge by assessing the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and both trait and relational anxiety across denominational groups and by measuring the relationship between relational anxiety and social trust. Participants (N = 1,905) were asked to provide their informed consent as well as basic demographic information and answers to four surveys. Results: Analysis revealed a modest negative relationship between intrinsic religiosity and trait anxiety. Overall, a weak, positive relationship between intrinsic religiosity and relational anxiety was indicated, but a negative relationship was found for several denominations. Significant differences were observed in these correlations between Protestant Christians and Catholic Christians. Lastly, it was found that social trust and relational anxiety were not related. Conclusion: Two of the hypotheses were supported by the data, whereas two were not. One significant finding is that the relationships between intrinsic religiosity and trait and relational anxiety differed depending on participants’ denominational affiliation