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This Revolution Been Televised : Media as a Tool of Justice and an Apparatus of State Violence
No full textThis study utilizes case information from an online database called Fatal Encounters, which has over 30,000 incident reports of civilian deaths involving a police officer. From this larger population, a sample of 415 cases is used to run an additional mixed method research design, which integrates quantitative data analysis and qualitative content analyses. The quantitative analysis sample includes all 415 cases, and the qualitative content analysis uses a subsample of 34 cases. Using demographic data provided by Fatal Encounters, this study expands case information to create new data sets. Both quantitative and qualitative data are collected, developed, and then analyzed. The quantitative section works to determine how measures of social advocacy affect rates of state accountability, while accounting for alternative explanations and moderating for race. The qualitative content analysis works to demonstrate the role of media as an apparatus of state violence by operationalizing neutralization theory as a technique to thematically code patterns of anti-social and harmful behaviors demonstrated by state players. All proponents of this study work together to understand if media representation works as a tool of justice for fatal encounter victims and/or if it works as an apparatus of state violence and avoidance of accountability
Identifying the Drivers Behind the Decline of Douglas-fir and True Fir Species in SW Oregon
No full textIncreased levels of Pseudotsuga menziesii (DF) and Abies species (TF) decline throughout dry forests in the Klamath Mountains and Western Cascades ecoregions have been recorded in recent years, with preliminary evidence suggesting that factors influenced by changing climatic conditions and encroachment from fire suppression policies are primarily to blame. Yet, the physiological and environmental mechanisms of drought-driven tree decline are poorly understood across biophysical and spatial gradients. Given the complex relations that drive decline, determining the degree of influence of specific drivers is difficult, creating unique challenges for modern forest management. To elucidate the most important factors driving DF and TF decline, we trained two species-specific machine-learning models using a binary response variable generated from an annualized Landsat-based vegetation loss model (BugNet) and a variety of abiotic and biotic environmental predictor variables. Both models generalized well to the data and a had strong predictive performance, but failed to account for a significant portion of the observed deviance. Across both species classes, we found canopy height to be the strongest predictor of tree decline throughout the study area, followed closely by basal-area density. These variables showed significant interactions with the sampled growing conditions (i.e. topography, elevation, climate normals, etc.) and broadened our understanding of the drivers and covariates behind observed mortality. These results indicate that adaptive management strategies and restoration activities throughout the region should consider species and site-specific growing conditions for improving forest resilience to increasing warming and drying conditions
Stimulated Cytokine Production, Attachment, and Emotional Well-Being in Dementia Spousal Caregivers
No full textProinflammatory cytokine production may be related to poor emotional adjustment in dementia spousal caregivers. People who display attachment insecurity may be at increased risk for adverse caregiving experiences and poor psychosocial outcomes
Hegemonic Entrepreneurial Masculinities in Patriarchal Contexts: Exploring Men\u27s Entrepreneurship in War-Torn Territories
No full textThis article examines how the war-torn context in Iraq has affected men’s entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial masculinities. Drawing on the entrepreneurship masculinities literature, Connell’s notion of hegemonic masculinity and in-depth interviews with 21 Iraqi men entrepreneurs, this article demonstrates the complex interplay between entrepreneurship, masculinity and patriarchal dynamics in the context of wars and economic instability in Iraq. Study findings show how Iraqi men often turn to entrepreneurship out of necessity to meet patriarchal expectations of them as primary providers for their families. We contribute to the literature on entrepreneurship, men and masculinities by demonstrating how entrepreneurship not only serves as an imperfect economic solution to familial poverty but also enables some men to conform to patriarchal norms of hegemonic masculinity that continue to disadvantage women. Theoretically, the article shows how men’s entrepreneurial hegemonic masculinities in contexts of war can be conceptualised as generational, situated and implicated in corruption and the reproduction of patriarchal relations between men and women
Ronald E. McNair Research Symposium Presentation Schedule 2025
No full textThis is the presentation schedule for the 23rd Undergraduate Ronald E. McNair Research Symposium 2025
Impact of Firefighters\u27 Work Schedule on Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Wellbeing and Safety in Firefighters: Protocol for the SWIFT Study, a Multidisciplinary Prospective and Cross-Sectional Study
No full textFirefighters face frequent physical and psychosocial stressors, increasing their risk for hypertension. Rising call volumes with a stable workforce have heightened occupational burdens. To meet their occupational demands while increasing time off-duty, fire departments across the country have switched from a 24 hours on 48 hours off (termed ‘24/48’) work schedule to one that increases the number of consecutive days off (eg, 1 day on, 3 days off, 2 days on, 3 days off (termed ‘1/3/2/3’) or 48 hours on 96 hours off (termed ‘48/96’)). However, these schedule changes come at the expense of increasing time on-duty, which may have negative health and safety consequences. This paper provides the framework and methods to investigate how these schedules (24/48, 1/3/2/3 and 48/96) impact hypertension risk, well-being and safety among firefighters. Methods and analysis This quasi-experimental study assesses hypertension risk (primary outcome) markers, including 48-hour ambulatory blood pressure and safety (secondary outcome) using the psychomotor vigilance test and incidence of injuries. The study encompasses a cross-sectional analysis that examines three distinct schedules (24/48, 1/3/2/3 and 48/96) and a prospective analysis, capitalising on a pre-planned schedule transition from a 24/48 to a 1/3/2/3, as a natural experiment without any intervention from the study team. Additionally, the mediating role of sleep (assessed objectively using actigraphy and subjectively using questionnaires) and daily stress in the relationship between work schedule and hypertension risk or sustained attention is investigated to inform both mechanisms and general considerations for developing and promoting a healthy work design for firefighters. The feasibility and acceptability of the three schedules are assessed using validated surveys and qualitative interviews
A Case for Change: Flood Risk Management and Green Infrastructure
No full textWith climate change, changing demographics, and the historical legacy of aging infrastructure, many cities are facing challenges in urban flood risk management. We propose potential opportunities and synergies of collaborative urban flood risk management using green infrastructure to achieve social, ecological, and technological benefits
Favorability Mapping for Hydrothermal Power Resource Assessments of the Great Basin, USA
No full textHighlights • The new approach to predict hydrothermal resource favorability for the U.S. Great Basin is a synthesis of modern data-driven machine learning improvements from the last several years and predicts 85 % of power-producing systems with operating power plants in the most favorable 10 % of the total area with over half of the power-producing systems (10 of the 19 exposed power-producing systems and 5 of the 9 hidden power-producing systems) in the 99th percentile. • The new hydrothermal favorability map predicts both hidden and exposed power-producing hydrothermal systems equally well. • The new hydrothermal favorability map preferentially predicts systems with greater convective heat flow than systems with comparatively less convective heat flow. • The new hydrothermal favorability map outperforms previous mapping approaches due to improvements in methods, improved input data/evidence layers, and a significant increase in the number of training sites. • Monte Carlo cross-validation (n = 1200) is used to estimate predictive uncertainty in the favorability maps, with the final best map being the median prediction for each location
Reining in Plasticulture from Land to Sea: Pacific Northwest (USA) Perspectives on Agriculture and Aquaculture
No full textPlastic use in food production—known as plasticulture—has transformed agriculture and aquaculture globally. Plasticulture gained momentum in the mid-20th century with the development of novel plastic materials, and by 2009, U.S. farmers used over 200 million pounds of plastic films annually. Though plastics have increased yields and efficiency, they now pose environmental hazards through the release of microplastics (MPs) and chemicals. Despite extensive documentation of MPs in the environment, their role in U.S. food production and impacts on crop, livestock, and aquaculture health remain underexplored. In regions like the Pacific Northwest (PNW), with robust agricultural and aquaculture sectors, plastics from films, mulches, cages, and ropes are significant sources of MPs. Soil amendments like biosolids and compost also contribute MPs from household waste. Agricultural plastics accounted for 3–5% (10–18 million tons) of global plastic production in 2018 and are projected to increase due to growing food demand. Aquaculture uses an estimated 2.1 million tons of plastics annually, but detailed data on MP generation is lacking. Despite known environmental concerns, a sustainable circular model for plastics in food systems is still absent, but necessary. While biodegradable products for use in farming and aquaculture have been introduced, high costs, regulations, and practical limitations hinder widespread adoption. Until recently, the American Society for Plasticulture (ASP) primarily focused on new plastic innovations rather than sustainability. Now, growing awareness of plastic pollution and health risks has led to increased scrutiny. In the PNW—home to key specialty crops and 6% of U.S. aquaculture operations—there is an urgent need for coordinated efforts to reduce plastic contamination. Shifting toward sustainable practices is challenging but critical to protect ecosystems, food safety, and public health, and possible through regional and state-level regulations on composting, wastewater and biosolids mitigation, and movement to more sustainable replacements where feasible. As our knowledge of micro and nanoplastic impacts on the food supply at sea and on land increases, approaches to reduce the use of plastics overall and to limit leaching and fragmentation into crops, seafood, and meat is essential to protecting human and environmental health. Regulatory efforts at the regional, national and global levels are needed to enhance food safety
Aphasia in South Asian Languages (ASAL) Project: a Protocol of Connected Speech Tasks for Investigating Cross-Linguistic Grammatical Profiles in Aphasia for South Asian Languages
No full textBackground
Languages vary in their syntactic (e.g. word order in sentences), lexical (e.g. presence of specific word classes), and morphological (e.g. inflectional or derivational forms of words) properties. This cross-linguistic variation in language typology influences the manifestation of agrammatic symptoms. However, most theoretical models of agrammatism are based on English and a few European languages, limiting their generalizability. This narrow focus neglects the rich syntactic, lexical and morphological variations available in languages globally. Clinically, the lack of language-specific characteristics of agrammatic impairments limits translational potential for precise and improved diagnosis. The Aphasia in South Asian Languages (ASAL) project addresses this gap by leveraging interdisciplinary expertise and advances in connected speech methodologies and analyses. It aims to identify cross-linguistic features of agrammatic production in post-stroke aphasia across under-researched languages from two major language families: Indo-Aryan (Hindi-Urdu, Bengali) and Dravidian (Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam). Aim
This paper presents the protocol developed as the part of the ASAL project for eliciting connected speech data to examine cross-linguistic grammatical profiles in aphasia. It outlines procedures for data collection across five connected speech genres and offers detailed guidelines for transcription, segmentation and data extraction. Additionally, it provides recommendations for linguistic analyses aimed at characterising agrammatism and grammatical deficits, while also accounting for cross-linguistic variation. Methods & Procedures
The protocol was designed for cross-sectional data acquisition from cohorts of people with post-stroke aphasia meeting the criteria of “agrammatic by clinical standard” and neurologically unimpaired speakers in each of the five languages. Data collection procedures are detailed for five connected speech genres – personal narrative, procedural task, image sequence, novel story narrative and picture description – with multiple exemplars in each. Additional data include demographics, aphasia type and severity, and cognitive assessments (e.g. verbal fluency, inhibition, memory span, shifting, cognitive screen). The protocol provides guidance for transcription, data extraction and recommendations for cross-linguistic analyses, along with results of preliminary analyses. Conclusion
The ASAL project is a pioneering initiative investigating agrammatism in linguistically diverse, under-studied South Asian clinical populations. This protocol enables researchers to conduct cross-linguistic studies and develop culturally and linguistically tailored clinical tools. Specifically, it supports: 1) the identification of agrammatic features in narrative speech across languages; 2) the development of clinical checklists for identifying grammatical impairments. This protocol is uniquely positioned to facilitate effective comparisons between universal and language-specific grammatical patterns across a broad spectrum of languages and language families, including multilingual populations and diverse clinical conditions