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Digital Measures of Postural Sway Quantify Balance Deficits in Spinocerebellar Ataxia
No full textBackground: Maintaining balance is crucial for independence and quality of life. Loss of balance is a hallmark of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). Objective: The aim of this study was to identify which standing balance conditions and digital measures of body sway were most discriminative, reliable, and valid for quantifying balance in SCA. Methods: Fifty-three people with SCA (13 SCA1,13 SCA2, 14 SCA3, and 13 SCA6) and Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores 9.28±4.36 and31 healthy controls were recruited. Subjects stood in six test conditions (natural stance, feet together and tandem, each with eyes open [EO] and eyes closed [EC]) with an inertial sensor on their lower back for 30 seconds (x2). We compared test completion rate, test–retest reliability, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC) for seven digital sway measures. Pearson’s correlations related sway with the SARA and the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia (PROM ataxia).Results: Most individuals with SCA (85%–100%) could stand for 30 seconds with natural stance EO or EC, and with feet together EO. The most discriminative digital sway measures (path length, range, area, and root mean square) from the two most reliable and discriminative conditions (natural stance EC and feet together EO)showed intra class correlation coefficients from 0.70 to0.91 and AUCs from 0.83 to 0.93. Correlations of sway with SARA were significant (maximum r=0.65 and 0.73).Correlations with PROM ataxia were mild to moderate(maximum r=0.56 and 0.34). Conclusion: Inertial sensor measures of extent of postural sway in conditions of natural stance EC and feet together stance EO were discriminative, reliable, and valid for monitoring SCA
Gathering Gardens: Identifying Land For Community Gardens In Portland
Get PDFThe project’s ultimate goal was to create at least 5 new community garden sites in the city of Portland for people to grow their own culturally relevant foods. To focus on parts of the city with some of the highest equity and food security needs, Agate chose to narrow the project scope to neighborhood areas located east of SE 57th Ave. Through direct engagement with the community, the team developed a site inventory for new potential community garden locations, as well as recommendations for optimal garden management, inclusion, and longevity. The community gardens are expected to be established by APANO near the end of 2024
Social Justice in Social Work: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Get PDFSocial justice is central to social work and guides the profession\u27s ethics, educational standards, and practices. It is aspirational and actionable, ideological and practical, and is simultaneously shaped by, and shapes in turn, social work. Consequently, this study understands social justice to be a discourse. Despite its ubiquity throughout the profession, what constitutes social justice, how it should (or could) be practiced, and what epistemologies orient social work to the concept continue to be debated. Given social work\u27s express promotion of social justice and the myriad ideas and practices that follow from this critical value, the concept and the foundational epistemologies it rests upon must not be taken for granted. In this research, I assert that academic journals significantly influence the formulation of professional social work knowledge and,consequently, social justice. Therefore, critically examining social justice discourse within a dominant context like high-impact social work journals offers a chance to explore the epistemological assumptions of social justice and scrutinize their authoritative effects.
This study implements a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of high-impact social work scholarship to explore how social justice is conceptualized within contemporary high-impact social work journal articles (N=25). CDA is a critical analytic approach from sociolinguistics that attempts to pinpoint the intersections between knowledge and power to contest and reshape power dynamics. CDA is aptly suited to address my research inquiry, as the methodology aims to uncover underlying assumptions within discourses and the effects of these assumptions on knowledge creation and social practices.
My findings within the scope of this sample suggest that social justice discourse within high-impact social work journals privileges epistemologies that reflect certain Enlightenment values, neoliberalism and instrumentalization, professional hegemony, and moralizing inclinations. These findings hint at some epistemological limitations currently shaping social justice discourse. My goal is that these findings contribute to the broader social work scholarship about social justice that seeks epistemological scrutiny and critical deconstruction of social justice discourse. It is hoped that the findings aid social work students, scholars, and practitioners in critical explorations of social justice discourse so that novel social justice conceptualizations and practices may emerge
Embodied Urban Political Ecology of Oil: Social Reproduction in Oil Geographies Case Study: Ahwaz, Khuzestan, Iran
Get PDFThis dissertation examines the transformative impact of the oil industry on social reproduction within the urban and ecological landscapes of Khuzestan Province, Iran, and its center, the city of Ahwaz. Specifically, the study sought to understand the effects of the oil industry on social reproduction in three key areas: gender relations, race/ethnic relations, and daily life amidst environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.
This is explored through three sub-questions: 1) How are hierarchical socio-spatial relationships perpetuated through practices of everyday life? 2) How are gender relationships redefined and reproduced in the oil city? 3) How are ethnic relationships redefined and reproduced in the oil city? The research methodology combines extensive archival work, examining the historical development of the oil industry in Khuzestan, with contemporary ethnographic methods, including interviews with 35 residents of Ahwaz, to capture their experiences of social reproduction under the influence of environmental pollution from the oil industry.
By integrating theories of petro-colonialism and domestic colonialism with Urban Political Ecology, the dissertation frames oil cities as spaces where foreign and domestic colonial agendas converge, leading to significant socio-ecological disparities. My approach to UPE extends beyond spatial and environmental transformations to include the bodily and material impacts of such changes. This theoretical framework helps to understand the pervasive impact of the oil industry on social reproduction, particularly through the lens of environmental degradation and its disproportionate effects on marginalized communities.
The dissertation contributes to the academic discourse by highlighting the under-researched area of oil production\u27s impact on urban spaces and social relations. It calls for a more embodied, at the same time multiscalar approach to urban political ecology, which considers the lived experiences of those residing in oil-rich regions. Ultimately, the research aims to provide insights that could inform policies and strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of the oil industry and promote more sustainable and equitable urban development in regions like Khuzestan. This study not only provides insights for urban planners and policymakers but also offers valuable historical and contemporary analyses for understanding the socio-ecological transformations driven by the oil industry in Khuzestan.
The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Juvenile Offender Typology
Get PDFApproximately 1 in 5 girls and in 20 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual assault every year. Child sexual assault can lead to multiple negative short term and long-term impacts affecting general health, mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic status, criminal behavior and more. Prevention research focuses on a thorough understanding of the perpetrators of assault and the context surrounding offenses in order to reduce and prevent assault. Within this research, juvenile offenders are perceived as a single homogenous group whereas adult offenders are consistently specified based on offender and offense characteristics. The exploration of the relationship between juvenile offenders\u27 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the characteristics of juvenile sexual offence can impact the research, practice and policy meant to prevent future assault from occurring. This study investigated the relationship between ACEs and juvenile offender typology, non-sexual offence and sexual offense, using data collected from The Oregon Youth Authority. The study was conducted using a modified version of the ACEs measure that includes four community level ACEs items. Prominent findings included that, juvenile sexual offenders were more likely to have experienced emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and peer rejection while juvenile nonsexual offenders were more likely to experience divorce, criminal institutionalization of a family member, and community violence
An Exploratory Study of an Executive Team Leading Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
Get PDFWith the increasing demographic diversity and critical focus on social justice in the United States, leaders are under significant pressure to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) strategies into their core operations and organizational culture. Challenged to think more critically about how to better prepare and support leaders in DEIB efforts, minimal research exists to provide insights on how executives should prepare, what they might expect, or the proven practices in DEIB. Driven by this lack of literature, this qualitative study explored how an executive team experienced and navigated the complexities of integrating and advancing DEIB in their organization. Specifically, the study investigated their deeper cognitive and emotional experiences, including how their thinking, attitudes, and actions evolved and changed over time.
Analysis of interviews and document review yielded four primary themes based on participants\u27 experiences: motivation, challenges, lessons learned, and advice for fellow leaders. The insights gleaned from this study significantly enrich the existing discourse on DEIB and organizational transformation by: emphasizing the pivotal role of a CEO\u27s visible commitment and leadership in shaping executive motivation and involvement in DEIB initiatives; documenting the successes of a collaborative leadership model where all executives actively participate; focusing on the development of critical consciousness and impact of positionality in DEIB leadership; addressing the challenges and trial-and-error nature of DEIB implementation and calling for further research into effective strategies and the development of new frameworks and support structures for leaders
Accretion of Warm Chondrules in Weakly Metamorphosed Ordinary Chondrites and Their Subsequent Reprocessing
Get PDFTo better understand chondrite accretion and subsequent processes, the textures, crystallography, deformation, and compositions of some chondrite constituents in ten lithologies of different cluster texture strength were studied in seven weakly metamorphosed (Type 3) and variably shocked ordinary chondrites (Ragland—LL3 S1, Tieschitz—H/L3 S1, NWA 5421—LL3 S2, NWA 5205—LL3 S2, NWA 11905—LL3-5 S3, NWA 5781—LL3 S3, NWA 11351—LL3-6 S4) using optical and electron microscopy and microtomography techniques. Results support a four-stage model for chondrite formation. This includes 1) limited annealing following collisions during chondrule crystallization and rapid cooling in space prior to accretion, as evidenced by olivine microstructures consistent with dislocation recovery and diffusion; 2) initial accretion of still-warm chondrules into aggregates at an effective chondrite accretion temperature of ∼900-950 °C with nearly in situ impingement deformation between adjacent chondrules in strongly clustered lithologies (NWA 5781, Tieschitz, NWA 5421, NWA 5205 Lithology A), as evidenced by intragranular lattice distortions in olivine consistent with high-temperature slip systems, and by evidence that some olivine-rich objects in Tieschitz accreted while partly molten; 3) syn- or post-accretion bleaching of chondrule mesostases, which transferred feldspathic chondrule mesostasis to an interchondrule glass deposit found in strongly clustered lithologies, as evidenced by chemical data and textures; and 4) post-bleaching weak or strong shocks that resulted in destruction of interchondrule glass and some combination of brecciation, foliation of metal and sulfide, and melting and shock-overprinting effects, as evidenced by poor cluster textures and presence of clastic texture, alignment of metal and sulfide grains caused by shock compression, presence of impact-generated glass, and changes in olivine slip systems. The data support the model of Metzler (2012), who suggested that chondrules in ordinary chondrites accreted while still warm to form cluster chondrite textures as a “primary accretionary rock” (our Stage 2), and that subsequent brecciation destroyed this texture to create chondrites with weak cluster texture (our Stage 4)
Investigating the Effect of Service Messages on Noncompliant Taxpayers\u27 Reactions to Imperfect Audits
No full textWe examine the effect of imperfect detection processes in tax examinations. In an experiment using 802 U.S. taxpayers, we find a significant relationship between imperfect audits and post-audit taxpayer compliance in subsequent periods. Although the most obvious solution is to invest the resources necessary to reduce the occurrence of imperfect audits, this solution requires significant budgetary investment. Thus, we test whether the inclusion of a low-cost service message can offset the negative effect of imperfect detection. Further, we find no evidence that the inclusion of a message has any negative effect on the subsequent compliance choices of those who were initially compliant or those who went unaudited. Interestingly, we identify a marginally significant increase in compliance when evaders who were unaudited view the service message. Results contribute to literature on individual tax compliance behavior, particularly related to taxpayers’ awareness of the balance between the service and enforcement efforts
Unbalanced or Absent: Assessing Indigenous Representation in Interpretive Materials at Government Administered Heritage Sites in Cascadia and Hawai‘i
Get PDFUnbalanced or absent Indigenous representation in interpretive materials at government administered heritage sites in settler colonial contexts can create contention and perpetuate a misinformed or one-dimensional visitor experience and historical narrative. This research therefore examines representation in interpretive materials accessible in 2019 at heritage sites with Indigenous ancestral connections in settler-colonial contexts. This study uses 10 U.S. case study heritage sites and two supplementary sites in Washington, Idaho, and Hawai‘i. Researchers utilized participant observation and systematic photography during two 2019 research phases to document interpretive materials. Quantification generated 731 analytic units which were subsequently assessed for the presence of inductively and deductively generated codes. The assembled empirical results illustrate three overarching themes: (1) controlled historical narrative; (2) absence of shared authority; and (3) challenges in representing and/or integrating different ways of knowing. This research contributes to heritage studies and practical heritage site management in two ways: (1) offering a timely multi-sited and multicultural sample of settler-colonial heritage site interpretive materials comparable to other sites; and (2) illustrating empirical trends in interpretive materials that privilege settlers over Indigenous peoples. This research suggests that future interpretation could benefit from a more balanced multivocal approach that recognizes ancestral and contemporary Indigenous homelands and the complexity of Indigenous-settler interactions