Increasing Swim Instructors\u27 Perceived Knowledge of Sensory-Based Strategies When Coaching Children Who May Have Sensory Differences

Although swim instructors are solely taught water safety regulations and correct swimming techniques, they are nonetheless viewed as mentors by the kids they work with. They are required to finish both their basic swim instructor (BSI) course and their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification, which primarily covers the fundamentals (American Red Cross Training Services, 2023; Kraft & Leblanc, 2018). However, neither provides a method of teaching swimming to children who might have sensory processing differences. This lack of education may affect both the child\u27s participation and the swim instructor\u27s capacity to impart knowledge. Research revealed that swim instructors are not very knowledgeable in this area, and children with specific diagnoses and sensory processing issues can benefit from sensory-based activities in the water (Kraft & Leblanc, 2018; Pinru & Burhaein, 2019). The primary objective of this capstone project is to address the knowledge gap on how to interact with children who have poor sensory control by providing swim instructors at Waves Swim and Safety LLC in Reno, Nevada, with a toolkit on sensory activities. The introductory educational toolkit includes items relevant to occupational therapy practice and offers swim instructors strategies to enhance their teaching and students\u27 engagement in swim classes

Postmodern Paranoia: Conspiracy Theories as Network Anxieties in Don DeLillo’s White Noise and Underworld

Conspiracy theories find their way into a majority of Don DeLillo’s novels, ranging from rumors that reference pop culture to speculations with political consequences. While conspiracies can be found throughout a variety of time periods and cultures, I historicize the specific forms of paranoia that arise in DeLillo’s fiction. In White Noise, disturbances in smalltown America in the form of industrial waste spill are accelerated by mass media culture and lead to a family man’s conversion into an attempted murderer. Underworld sees the reliable concerns of the Cold War become untenable as the American empire expands and events like the Kennedy assassination and Vietnam War lead to more complicated forms of paranoia. The novel traces the full extent of nuclear weapons development, all the way to the destruction of nuclear waste products. It is in these depictions of post-1945 American paranoia that DeLillo engages with the feelings of fear and uncertainty that can result from postmodernity. Both novels show an awareness of global systems intruding into civilian life, forcing their characters to learn how to reorient themselves or fail and succumb to their paranoia. The re-emergence of previously hidden waste proves the conspiracy theorist’s dictum that “everything is connected” to be true. Drawing on DeLillo’s treatment of the topic, I will expand on the sorts of anxieties that these conspiracy theories expose and consider how a subject’s positionality influences their relationship to paranoia. This project also seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of conspiracy as a way of comprehending the world, as it can be both an exaggerated reaction to the uncertainties of postmodernity and a reasonable expression of cynicism toward obscured power structures

Enhancing the Relationships Between Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Their Teachers

Outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have failed to meet the standards of educators and educational researchers. For several decades, such students have had worse academic and postsecondary outcomes than any other student population. This has led to emphasis on implementation of evidence-based practices to combat the negative outcomes associated with educational diagnoses of EBD (i.e., behavioral outbursts, suspension, and expulsion). Despite this increased attention, little improvement has occurred, leading to the question of whether practices implemented for students with EBD have been addressing the underlying causes of these students’ negative outcomes. Student–teacher relationships could be an underlying cause of negative outcomes for students with EBD. Student–teacher relationships have a large impact on the academic and behavioral outcomes of students. When a positive student–teacher relationship is present, student motivation and engagement increase—this in turn leads to better academic performance and an increase in academic self-efficacy (Roorda et al., 2011; Sakiz et al., 2012). Teachers also offer more support to students with whom they perceive they have more positive relationships (Bergin, 2016; Upadya & Eccles, 2014). However, few researchers have studied the impact of positive student–teacher relationships on students with EBD. The point of this study was to determine whether a relationship-based intervention (dialogue journaling) improves student–teacher relationships between students with EBD and their teachers. An exploratory pre-/postintervention design was implemented across two classrooms (two teachers and 10 students). Improvements of student–teacher relationships were minimal. However, stronger positive student–teacher relationships developed when intervention fidelity was higher. The findings lay a foundation for future research on student–teacher relationships and students with EBD

Generative AI and the Role of Educators in the Creative Arts

Educators have always had a hand in our future; influencing and nurturing those who will make that future. There is no doubt that AI will also have an influence, but AI is still in its formative years. These early years are precious because they allow experimentation before AI becomes entrenched in our society. The three projects in this second part of the AI issue of Tradition-Innovations in Art, Design, and Media Higher Education, Generative Algorithm for Art and Architecture: A collaborative interdisciplinary course structure nurturing transdisciplinary GenAI-supported design, Teaching Creatives to be Provocateurs: Establishing a Digital Humanist Approach for Generative A.I. in the Classroom, and The Voice Actor and Their Double: Working as a voice actor and teaching voice acting in the age of A.I. voice cloning are focused on leading that experimentation. The brave educators who submitted these projects have not built walls around their classrooms, hoping the traditional methods of art & design education will thrive within while blocking new developments out. Instead, they have allowed themselves to be vulnerable by testing generative AI alongside their students, simultaneously guiding their experiments and building a shared framework for understanding

Remote Detection of Leaks in High Level Waste Storage Tanks

The purpose of this research was to characterize three devices potentially capable of remotely detecting signatures of a leak from high-level waste (HLW) storage tanks, specifically ones found at the Savannah River Site and the Hanford Site. The hazard HLW found within these tanks include 137Cs, a gamma-ray emitter, and 90Sr, an electron emitter leading to heat generation. These pose health risks to the personnel and maintenance problems and environmental safety issues if released to the environment. Additionally, pinpointing the location of a leak is a task that could lead to the mitigation of excess waste leaking from the tank. There were three objectives of this work, each associated with its respective leak detection device. The first objective was to validate a Kromek CZT gamma spectrometer by measuring sealed 137Cs sources with various activity levels. The second objective was to use a FLIR Duo-R thermal camera to image heated metal objects of varying shapes to highlight how a hotspot stands out against a cooler background in thermal imaging. The third and final objective was using a Roga Instruments iSV1611 USB ultrasonic microphone to measure high frequency noises that would be associated with pressurized gas or a liquid leaking from a crack in a tank. Testing each device set a benchmark for accuracy that can be scaled to larger scale experiments and field work. The experiments completed with these devices provided accurate data used to characterize them to be used in the field. The gamma spectrometer data was compared to known data of 137Cs emissions, and the microphone measured known frequency emissions with extreme accuracy. The thermal camera provided the data numerically, but visually provided great indication of the desired hotspots. The data acquired allowed for a conclusion to be made on the accuracy of these devices to be used to detect a leak in a HLW tank. Future work considered would be large scale experiments and field applications

Video Monitoring For Fall Prevention

Patient safety is a vital aspect of healthcare. Falls and fall-related injuries continue to occur in hospitals worldwide and fall prevention is one of the top priorities in providing quality care. Fall assessment tools, bed alarms, patient rounding, patient education, physical restraints, environmental modification, bedside sitters, and remote video monitoring are some of the methods implemented to reduce falls. This project was a quasi-experimental study informed by Kotter and Cohen Model of Change. The initial purpose of this process improvement project was to educate staff on the significance of video monitoring in fall prevention and determine whether the education regarding the importance of video monitoring in fall prevention was effectively integrated into practice and resulted in a reduction in falls. Ultimately, the project was only able to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on staff knowledge of the uses of video monitoring. A cross sectional pre- and post-test design was utilized to assess any gap staff may have regarding video monitoring, and education about video monitoring was tailored to address any needs. Data were collected through a survey of 11 questions, and the mean scores of four selected responses compared before and after intervention. Findings revealed an increase in knowledge post-intervention, as evidenced by increased mean scores. Despite the increase in mean scores, post-intervention fall rates did not decrease. For this project, the final PICOT question was: In nurses working in a healthcare setting (P), does education on the importance of video monitoring in fall prevention(I), compared to pre-education self-report (C) increase staff self-report of understanding the uses of video monitoring (O)

Relationships Between Psychopathology, Impulsivity, and Disordered Eating

Impulsivity is defined by behaviors that are often performed without foresight or consideration for consequences. For some individuals, impulsive behaviors are excessive or dysfunctional, and can become extremely problematic, ultimately leading to impairments in quality of life and lowered psychological functioning. Impulsivity is a multifaceted factor, comprising several different domains that have been explored in past studies (e.g., trait impulsivity, decision making, response inhibition). However, previous research shows that trait impulsivity in adults is consistently associated with several psychiatric problems including substance abuse, eating disorders, and compulsive sexual behaviors. To date, few studies have investigated impulsivity, compulsive sexual behavior. disordered eating, and overall psychopathology within non-clinical samples. Considering the debilitating effects of eating disorders, compulsive sexual behaviors, and chronic impulsive behavior, more research is necessary to determine the relationships of these factors with overall psychopathology. My dissertation explores the interrelationships among impulsivity, compulsive sexual behavior, psychopathology, and disordered eating in two different non-clinical adult samples. The aims of this study were to 1) examine relationships amongst psychopathology, impulsivity, and disordered eating 2) conduct an exploratory aim to investigate relationships amongst disordered eating, impulsivity, and compulsive sexual behavior, and 3) compare sociodemographics, impulsivity, and disordered eating behaviors across samples. This study included two different US samples: a college sample (n=2,161), and a general community sample (n=1,898). I used an identical analytic plan for both samples, in which I first calculated descriptive statistics and correlations between sample variables. Next, to determine potential sociodemographic covariates, I used MANOVA analyses to determine any associations between sociodemographic variables and impulsivity. I then created mediation models to test for the influence of impulsivity and disordered eating on psychopathology, while adjusting for relevant sociodemographic variables. Within these models, impulsivity was the mediator, disordered eating was the independent variable, and a psychopathology composite was the dependent variable. In addition, I created an exploratory mediation model that tested the influence of impulsivity and disordered eating on compulsive sexual behaviors. The exploratory model used impulsivity as a mediator, disordered eating as the independent variable and compulsive sexual behaviors as the dependent variable. Results indicated that for both samples impulsivity mediated the relationship between disordered eating and psychopathology (or compulsive sexual behavior). Results from the mediation analyses were consistent across the two different samples and indicate trait impulsivity as a major influence in the relationship between disordered eating and psychopathology (or compulsive sexual behaviors). In addition, there were sample differences in sociodemographics, disordered eating, and impulsivity. Future research should consider the development of impulsivity-focused treatments as either an adjunct or primary intervention for psychiatric disorders where impulsivity has been shown to be impactful (e.g., substance use disorders, eating disorders, gambling disorder). Additional research is also needed to determine how impulsivity may present in certain eating disorders where impulsive behaviors often present, such as in binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa

Nevada’s Predictable Housing Train Wreck and What To Do About It

Nevada is on the cusp of a housing catastrophe, especially in Southern Nevada. Consider that the state has fewer households than it should. A household is defined as one or more people who have a home of their own. But for price, location, configuration, and other factors, about 60,000 households in Nevada do not exist because there is no home for them. And it’s going to get worse. Including these “missing households,” nearly 470,000 new occupied homes will need to be built between 2020 and 2040 to meet the housing needs of all Nevadans, or about 23,000 per year. The trouble is that even during the robust housing construction period of 2010-2022, the state produced about 16,000 occupied units annually. The concern is that while demand is robust, producing homes may be more challenging going forward than in the past. In contrast to the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods that benefited from low interest rates, lower cost materials, and more timely supply chains, the post-pandemic period will not have it as well. Indeed, the number of missing households seems poised to double by 2040, leaving a quarter million or more Nevadans without a home of their own home. This report includes an overview of these concerns, summarizes the headship rate methodology used in analysis, applies the methodology to census data to estimate the current under-supply of occupied housing units, and considers demographic data to estimate occupied housing unit demand to 2040. The report reviews various local, state, and federal policy options to increase housing supply. An assertive policy framework to expand housing especially in Southern Nevada is outlined

Students’ Learning about Occupation in an Occupational Therapy Program

Objective: Describe the learning activities that occupational therapy students found helpful for learning the concept of occupation and describe what students know about the concept of occupation. Design: Descriptive correlational Setting: Occupational therapy program in the U.S Participants: Occupational therapy students Measure: Survey Results: These students had a general understanding of occupation and its relationship to health, however, lacked the more conceptual understanding of occupation found in occupational science. Participants reported that activities such as fieldwork, group discussion, and lecture helped them understand the concept of occupation. Conclusion and Relevance: These students missed aspects of occupation and would benefit from more occupation-centered curricula to increase their understanding. Students prefer experiential learning activities and certain didactic learning activities for understanding the concept of occupation. Future studies should research a broader range of students to understand their understanding of occupation and what learning activities they found useful

The Voice Actor and Their Double: Working as a voice actor and teaching voice acting in the age of AI voice cloning

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and voice cloning technology presents significant challenges and opportunities in the field of voice acting and performing arts. This article explores the profound transformations taking place in the voiceover industry due to the convergence of AI, voice synthesis, and personal voice cloning technologies. The author, a seasoned voice actor, reflects on the impact of these advancements on his profession, from the democratization of voiceover tools to the emergence of AI-generated voices that closely mimic human speech. The article delves into the intricate interplay between technology and human creativity, investigating the implications for voice artists in an era where AI-generated voices are becoming indistinguishable from human performances. The study further examines the expanding market for voice cloning, as well as its potential to transform industries beyond voice acting, such as healthcare and entertainment. The ethical dimensions of voice cloning, including issues related to intellectual property and artistic identity, are explored, with a focus on how artists can assert their uniqueness and maintain control over their vocal identity in a landscape where AI-generated voices proliferate. As the author engages with the complexities of AI\u27s impact on voice acting and teaching the craft in higher education, he underscores the enduring power of human connection and emotional resonance in storytelling. The article concludes by highlighting the role of arts education in cultivating and celebrating the idiosyncrasies of human expression, and how educators must guide voiceover students to embrace their individuality in a world increasingly influenced by AI. Ultimately, the study calls for a renewed dedication to the distinctive qualities of the human voice, emphasizing that despite AI\u27s advancements, the essence of human communication remains irreplaceable. (written by Chat GPT, trained on the article