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William Gibson, Neuromancer and the Making of a Reluctant Cyberpunk
No full textWhile Neuromancer cemented Gibson’s place as a commanding presence in SF, he has consistently sought to position his work beyond the parameters of limiting genre categories
Suicidality Among Black Women: Considering Resiliency Within the Historic and Societal Context of Risk
Get PDFSuicide is a global health challenge that has been historically understudied among Black women. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidality (IPTS) is a primary theory examined in suicidality; however, the three factors within the theory (lack of belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability to die) focus on the individual. The purpose of the current study was to examine these factors in an expanded context of the historical and societal impact of oppression. A mixed methods Qualtrics study was administered to Black women who voluntarily completed the survey anonymously. Quantitatively, the study found significant differences between the impact of the IPTS factors on different ecological systems (self, immediate environment, community, larger culture) within participants’ lives. The study also revealed significant differences between the assessed factors that impacted participants in general, and more specifically contributed to their suicidality. Qualitatively, there were also differences across ecological systems. Themes emerged around financial stressors and trauma related to risk, and family, jobs, and comradery of experience amongst protective factors. Moving forward, prevention and intervention efforts should take the lived experiences of Black women into account
Investigating Chronic Post-Infection and Post-Injury Symptom Syndromes: Clinical Outcomes, Biological Pathways, and Potential Links to Neurodegenerative Disease
No full textDespite recent advances in our knowledge of COVID-19 and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), their combined effects remain incompletely understood. Recent studies have shed light on the complex interplay between these conditions. While initial research, including our own, focused on developing reliable antibody detection tests, subsequent investigations have focused on understanding the etiology of Long COVID, a chronic post-infection symptom syndrome affecting ~6% of US adults (Ford ND, 2023). COVID- 19 causes a state of heightened neuroinflammation in astrocytes and microglia, like the neuroinflammatory state observed after mTBI.
Parallel research on Lyme disease, the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States, is also associated with several complex and controversial post-infection symptom syndromes that are likely caused by immune dysfunction, inflammation, and/or auto-immunity. Here we report the results of a retrospective study that showed individuals with a combined history of Lyme disease and mTBI experienced more severe chronic neurological symptoms compared to those with either condition alone or healthy controls. This synergistic effect was associated with significant alterations in immune markers, energy metabolism markers, and hormones.
We also report the results of a prospective study on the combined effects of COVID-19 and mTBI. This study demonstrated that individuals with a combined history of infection and brain injury have worsened neurological and psychological symptoms, reduced quality of life, poorer self-reported cognitive performance, and changes in biomarkers related to immune function and neurodegeneration. Notably, astrocyte-derived exosomes (ADEs) from these patients induced inflammation in vitro, leading to reactive astrogliosis when injected into the brains of naïve mice. Additionally, bulk-proteomics analysis of primary human astrocytes incubated with patient ADEs from individuals with COVID-19 and mTBI cause changes in cellular pathways related to all major neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that these individuals may have an increased risk.
Collectively, these studies highlight the profound impact of combined infection and injury on neurological health and provide important mechanistic and clinical insights that might lead to the development of new and critically needed targeted therapies and diagnostic treatments
A Realist Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Study: Investigating Occupational Well-Being in Early Childhood Education Settings Using Structural Equation Modeling and Causation Coding
No full textEarly childhood education (ECE) professionals are a critical workforce entrusted with the education and development of young children. Alarming rates of burnout within this profession substantially impact the academic and social development of children under their care. To enhance occupational well-being, it is imperative to understand the job demands experienced by this workforce, the resources at their disposal, and how these factors contribute to burnout. Realist inquiry, a methodological approach that applies context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations, offers a valuable framework for conducting an in-depth examination of this issue. This study examines job demands and resources that lead to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among the ECE workforce through an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. In my quantitative study, I leveraged secondary survey data from the WELL study to construct a structural equation model that distinguishes job demands, multi-level resources, and Head Start staff burnout experiences (n=359). Quantitative data found that job demands increase emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but do not affect personal accomplishment, while multi-level resources increase personal accomplishment. In my qualitative study, I conducted two semi-structured realist interviews with seven participants exhibiting high and low burnout to explore these constructs more thoroughly. Qualitative data were analyzed via thematic analysis and causation coding to develop CMO configurations. Qualitative findings highlight the complex nature of burnout, with ECE and organizational context shaping burnout mechanisms. In the final stage, data was integrated and then re-analyzed to describe the methodological procedures employed when combining SEM and causation coding to benefit future mixed methods studies. Findings provide ECE researchers and stakeholders with recommended strategies to reduce job demands and strengthen organizational, interpersonal, and personal resources to reduce burnout in this crucial workforce
Guns, Glass, and Metal and the Applications of Traditional Technology in the 19th Century Southern Platte
Get PDFIn this thesis I investigate how Indigenous communities of the North American Central Plains navigated settler-colonialism by adapting traditional hunting technology. To frame this I ask, how and why traditional technology was favored over introduced firearm technology? I investigate this by examining archaeological collections from Fort Vasquez and the Coffin\u27s Buffalo Kill Site, ethnographic history of the Central Plains, Indigenous ledger art, and interviewing a ledger artist. This study uses a multifaceted theoretical approach to connect hybrid projectile point artifacts, with Indigenous historic documentation, to recognize Indigenous agency in the 19th century. This thesis counters historic narratives of the 19th century that portray Indigenous North American communities as stagnant, lacking efficient technology, and only victims while ignoring their agency, abilities, and prowess. By incorporating Indigenous documented history, this work contributes to the larger movement in archaeology to highlight Indigenous survivance (Vizenor 2009)
The Impact of Cumulative and Acute Loading on Achilles Tendon Health, Performance, and Reported Pain in Collegiate Gymnasts
Get PDFGymnasts are at a high risk of Achilles tendon (AT) injuries due to intense loads during takeoffs and landings. To better understand better the relationship between impact loading and its effects on tendon adaptation and athletic performance, this study uses Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to track AT loading across a collegiate gymnastics season. This data were compared against physiological and athletic performance metrics, obtained through force plates and ultrasound imaging, to explore how mechanical load influences reported pain and athletic performance. Results varied, with cumulative impacts being correlated with improved jump height (Spearman 0.362, Pearson 0.348), while peak power and reactive strength index (RSI) showed weaker relationships. AT thickness showed a positive correlation with cumulative impacts (R-squared 0.0359 for right AT), indicating potential tendon adaptation. Acute loading had stronger effects on jump height and RSI, while some gymnasts reported less pain with increasing impacts, indicating potential load adaptation. Significant variability was seen across individuals. These findings suggest that while cumulative loading may promote certain performance adaptations, individualized load management is crucial to enhance athletic performance and mitigate injury risk in gymnasts
Rapid and Repeated Human-Mediated Selection in a Formerly Migratory Fish
No full textThe extent to which we can predict evolution is of utmost concern in our era of rapid anthropogenic change. Tests of this require a system in which independent taxa are subjected repeatedly to the same selection pressures. Migratory alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the Atlantic coastal USA are a unique model, as multiple populations have been independently restricted to freshwater (landlocked) by dams built in the last 350 years. To test if recent freshwater adaptation occurs in parallel, I conducted whole genome sequencing of landlocked and anadromous (migratory from ocean to freshwater) populations of alewife. I first confirmed that landlocked populations are independently derived from an anadromous ancestor. I subsequently found that landlocked populations have lowered genetic diversity, likely caused by a combination of founder effects, bottlenecks, and/or ongoing inbreeding. I scanned for signatures of natural selection across the genome and determined that while parallel selection was rare, small regions of repeated selection occurred around genes with putative function in salt and water balance. Moreover, a suite of candidate osmoregulatory genes was under selection more frequently than other genes in the genome. This suggests that a small but functionally-relevant group of genes are repeated targets of selection. Despite this, repeated selection on any given gene was not likely to be due to shared variation at the nucleotide-level, suggesting a lack of selection from standing genetic variation. Thus, despite the likelihood of a large initial founding population, selection in response to damming is only repeatable at broader functional levels. My study highlights the need to understand both demography and physiological pathways when determining if evolution is predictable
