Understanding Modern Medical Masks as Symbols Through Analysis of Historical Medical Masks

Medical masks have taken many shapes throughout human history. This has included the beaked plague doctor masks of the bubonic plague, the cotton and gauze masks used during the Manchurian plague, to the modern medical masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these iterations carried with them various symbolic meanings. Of these masks, modern medical masks have a much more complex symbolic image. This is due in part to the politicization of medical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is literature supporting the effectiveness of medical masks in reducing the spread of airborne illness, their credibility was challenged by American politicians. Medical masks became tools used both by politicians and the American public, not just to reduce the spread of disease, but to further political agendas. The ability of medical masks to facilitate such discourse implies they have great symbolic power that has not been fully explored. This led to the question: can modern medical masks be better understood as symbols by analyzing the impact of medical masks through history? To determine this, a literature review regarding medical mask symbology and history was conducted. Previous works were analyzed, compiled, and notated regarding medical masks and their symbology throughout history. This allowed for new connections to be drawn regarding the history of medical masks and the symbolic power they hold today. Medical masks, today, serve as contrasting symbols for opposing political parties, while also upholding their symbolism as objects of protection, safety, and health in the world of medicine

An Integrative Approach for Unmarked Burial Detection in Abingdon, Virginia: A Study Using Drone Surveying and Multi-Tool Geophysics

The Sinking Spring Cemetery in Abingdon, VA was founded in 1773 by the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church. Since its founding, the cemetery has been divided into two separate sections; the “colored” cemetery and the “white” cemetery. The traditionally white cemetery is 9 acres and has easy access from the road, walled in family plots, walking paths, and many stones for individual burials. The other cemetery is only 2 acres with very few stones and access to it is more difficult. The purpose of this study is to utilize non-invasive survey methods such as geophysics and drone remote sensing to analyze the “colored” cemetery in hopes of revealing how many unmarked burials there are. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) will be the main geophysical tool used for this study. GPR sends radio waves into the ground and can record the way those waves reflect and refract on anything different than the surrounding soils. For drone surveying, 3 different sensors were used; Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), thermal, and multispectral. LiDAR can detect the slightest changes in elevation using dense laser scans. Thermal sensing can sometimes detect the heat signatures of buried objects and disturbed soils. Lastly, multispectral is most useful for analyzing infrared bands of light; the sensor measures two infrared bands. Different bands can also be combined to reveal different patterns. Small feasibility studies were conducted for the GPR and drone surveying. GPR has proven to be effective, and the drone results are extremely successful so far

The Influence of Teaching Digital Resources of MyPlate on Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice (KAP) for Healthy Eating Habits of Children

This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy eating habits. Students were divided into three groups: digital MyPlate (n =16), pencil-and-paper (n =15), and control (n =14). Following the pre-assessment, an intervention was conducted involving teaching MyPlate and the five food groups. A post-assessment was then implemented to measure the change in KAP levels resulting from the intervention. In addition to the surveys, digital photography observation was used to assess the practice component of the intervention. Participants\u27 lunch meals at the cafeteria were photographed before and after consumption to observe food variety and meal composition. An ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in post-assessment scores between the three groups: 2 intervention groups (the digital MyPlate group and the pencil-and-paper group) and the control group for knowledge, attitudes, and practice. For knowledge, F(2, 42) = 15.55, p \u3c .001 indicating significant differences between groups for knowledge post-assessment. For attitudes, ANOVA revealed no significant differences, F(2, 42) = 1.619, p \u3c .21. For practice, ANOVA revealed differences that approached but were not quite significant, F(2, 42) = 3.025, p \u3c .0593. Tukey’s post-hoc tests showed a significant difference in the outcome between the digital MyPlate group and the control group (diff = 4.41, p-value of 0.00), and the pencil-and-paper group and the control group (diff = 3.68, p-value of 0.00) for knowledge. Both the digital MyPlate and pencil-and-paper group scored significantly higher than the control group on knowledge post-assessment. However, when pre-test and post-test measures of knowledge, attitudes, and practice were analyzed, there were no significant changes between pre- and post-test data for any of the groups (digital, pencil-and-paper, control). This study had several limitations such as a small sample size and intervention duration. This research can be used as a basis for future studies on MyPlate by expanding the intervention or investigating if this knowledge can lead to behavioral changes

Enabling IoV Communication through Secure Decentralized Clustering using Federated Deep Reinforcement Learning

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) holds immense potential for revolutionizing transporta- tion systems by facilitating seamless vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. However, challenges such as congestion, pollution, and security per- sist, particularly in rural areas with limited infrastructure. Existing centralized solu- tions are impractical in such environments due to latency and privacy concerns. To address these challenges, we propose a decentralized clustering algorithm enhanced with Federated Deep Reinforcement Learning (FDRL). Our approach enables low- latency communication, competitive packet delivery ratios, and cluster stability while preserving data privacy. Additionally, we introduce a trust-based security framework for IoV environments, integrating a central authority and trust engine to establish se- cure communication and interaction among vehicles and infrastructure components. Through these innovations, we contribute to safer, more efficient, and trustworthy IoV deployments, paving the way for widespread adoption and realizing the transfor- mative potential of IoV technologies

Effects of Childhood Adversity on Brainwave Activity in Assessing Infant Facial Expression

The lifespan effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on individual psychosocial cognition and behavioral health outcomes have become a topic of public interest. A rising awareness of mental health issues has highlighted diverse effects of early trauma. While much of the research has focused on subjective measures of mental well-being, there is growing interest in the impact of childhood trauma on physiological brain function. Previous event related potential (ERP) research has been inconclusive as to the relationship between ACEs and brainwaves; some studies have shown higher amplitude responses to emotional facial expression compared to neutral facial stimuli, while others have found the opposite result. The goal of the current study is to elucidate the physiological effects that underpin social cognitive dysfunction in individuals who have experienced childhood adversity. Using electroencephalogram (EEG), the face-sensitive N170 ERP can be used to examine difference in how the brain responds to facial expressions. Participants were recruited on SONA to completed the Variability in Adverse Childhood Experiences (VACE) scale on REDCap. Participants were connected to EEG and completed a canonical oddball task requiring them to differentiate between negative, positive and neutral infant facial expressions. Participants completed 3 blocks of 130 trials, with each block consisting of a different target facial expression. Participants answered “yes” if the facial expression matched the target facial expression and “no” if the facial expression failed to match the target facial expression. Only accurate responses to infant facial expressions were analyzed. Analysis showed no significant correlation between N170 amplitudes and ACEs. Given the ambiguity surrounding this topic, further research is needed to clarify the relationship between childhood trauma and brainwaves

An Examination of Early Childhood Leadership in Public Elementary Schools: A Mixed Methods Study

As state-funded Pre-K programs in elementary schools continue to grow, elementary principals are increasingly responsible for supporting, supervising, and leading these programs. Therefore, examining elementary principals\u27 early childhood leadership competencies and the factors influencing them may help understand and improve their experiences as early childhood education (ECE) leaders. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the ECE leadership of Tennessee public elementary school principals in two phases. In the quantitative phase, statewide surveys were used to collect data from 67 principals. The survey comprised 51 items assessing nine ECE leadership competencies, synthesized from statements of leading ECE and elementary education organizations. The survey\u27s face and content validity were established, and its construct validity was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Items within each subscale were highly correlated, with coefficients ranging from 0.6 to 0.9. Besides, reliability was assessed using Cronbach\u27s α, which ranged from .815 to .939. The quantitative findings revealed that public elementary principals may lack ECE backgrounds. Moreover, most public elementary principals were responsible for state-funded Pre-K programs, but their responsibilities differed widely. Furthermore, public elementary principals may need varying levels of support and development in ECE leadership competencies. The inferential analysis found that receiving ECE content or experience during principal training may not significantly influence their perceived need for these competencies. However, receiving professional development opportunities focused on leading ECE programs may impact certain aspects of their perceived need. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants from the first phase. The qualitative findings identified two themes. The first theme consisted of factors that support ECE leadership competencies and experiences. The second theme included factors needed to enhance principals\u27 ECE leadership competencies and experiences. Both quantitative and qualitative results were integrated to explain the quantitative results. The study implications, limitations, and future research areas were then discussed. This study adds to the ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between ECE and elementary education. It highlights the significance of supporting elementary principals in becoming competent ECE leaders who can enhance the quality of state-funded Pre-K programs and sustain their positive impacts through the following grades