The Influence of Valence on Action Control: A Comparison of Simon Effects in the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST) and the Spatial Simon Task

People adjust their thoughts and actions in response to a changing environment every day and emotions may influence these actions. Understanding how emotion impacts action control in situations where emotion is central to the action (task-relevant) compared to when it is present in the environment as distracting information (task-irrelevant) is essential. Currently it is unclear when emotion most significantly modulates action control. This study seeks to compare how valence (positive versus negative emotion) impacts action control performance when valence is task-relevant and task-irrelevant by using two modified versions of the Simon conflict task. The Simon task is a paradigm to study response conflict by creating interference between a presented stimulus and a subsequent action response. Participants are instructed to respond to a lateralized stimulus on the screen. When the location of the stimulus conflicts with the trained response, this slows reaction times and reduces accuracy compared to when they do not conflict (Simon effect). We created two modified versions of the Simon task and used happy and angry faces as valenced task stimuli. The spatial affective Simon task (ST), participants were instructed to respond to the emotional expression of a face (valence is task-relevant). In the extrinsic affective Simon task (EAST), the affective stimulus was a face with an emotional expression, but participants were instructed to respond to the color of the face (valence is task-irrelevant). We collected reaction times and accuracy rates for each task in 12 healthy participants. Valence did not significantly impact the Simon effect in either task and we did not find a significant Simon conflict effect in the EAST. However, the spatial task did show a significant conflict effect with slower and less accurate responses on conflict trials. Future studies will test alternative modifications to this paradigm’s design to study how emotion could play a role in action control and motor response. Such knowledge will allow these tasks to be translated in clinical research in studying specific brain regions and their role in processing emotional stimuli in conflict response settings

Increasing access to rural resources: a spatial exploration of the social implications of mobility in Appalachian Kentucky.

Mobility and accessibility are key predictors in the way that people navigate their communities. However, many rural areas lack holistic transportation systems that support the needs of a diverse range of users. As a result, rural residents, especially rural non-drivers, often face barriers to equitable mobility and access to necessary resources, like healthcare. This study examines the role that mobility plays in facilitating access to healthcare facilities for driving and non-driving populations in Appalachian Kentucky. The study pairs the Enhanced 2-Step Floating Catchment Area method with a demographic index to evaluate mobility equity through spatial accessibility to primary care facilities. Both travel time adjustments and demographic vulnerability were used to represent the unique accessibility challenges faced by non-driving populations. The results of the study show accessibility disparities between both urban centers and outlying rural areas and driving and non-driving populations. These results can be used to assess the relative level of healthcare accessibility in Appalachian Kentucky, thus informing potential areas for the development of transportation policies and systems, particularly to increase accessibility for non-driving populations

Hallucinogens for Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Critical Review of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies

In quite a few people worldwide, there are several mental disorders that prevent the brain from operating in the “proper” way, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being among the most common. Luckily, there are several medications that are produced and used to treat these disorders, but some medications are hard to access, and others simply don’t help the patient. Firstly, these medications take time to study and prove safe for public use, though in some cases time is not readily available. In other cases, these medications are going through shortages and becoming increasingly difficult for patients to access their medications. Recently, ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD have begun to be incorporated into clinical research to treat several different mental illnesses in both adults and adolescents. The majority of studies for both ketamine and psilocybin look at adults with treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder, as well as anxiety. LSD and MDMA look at both of those disorders, as well as treatment for PTSD. Depression is an extremely common mental disorder worldwide, and it is one of the most fatiguing. The disorder comes with several side effects that can be as minor as struggling to get out of bed in the morning to the extremely severe, but unfortunately common end of suicide. This review will take a glance at several different case studies, reviewing what took place, the results of the studies, and what it means for the future of the treatment of mental illness with the usage of these hallucinogens

Believe It or Not: An Examination of the Nature and Implications of Evidence-Resistant Beliefs

The aim of this thesis is to contribute to a growing body of academic research regarding the nature and origin of evidence-resistant belief systems and examine the influence that they have upon our lives. This examination of the origin of these beliefs draws on two intellectual disciplines: psychology and epistemology. A psychological approach examines the cognitive mechanisms that allow for the formation and persistence of these beliefs. The psychological approach focuses on the biological drives of belief formation and resilience. Furthermore, an examination of the psychology of identity shows an entanglement of one’s identity with belief systems that allows for this persistence. The epistemological framework relies on social and virtue epistemology, theories of knowledge regarding its relationship to our social environment and virtuous practices, to create an understanding of the nature of these beliefs and how they interact with the broader environment of which they are part. These beliefs become important because of the inextricable relationship between knowledge and power. This ability of influence is effective in both others and the individual. The continued existence of these beliefs can empower the individual to alter and shape the beliefs of others, the way that individuals interact with one another, how these effects ripple out, and the way we view and mentally structure society. Within the scope of the individual, this poses a significant cost to the believers. Ultimately, evidence-resistant beliefs should be morally condemned and there is an urgent imperative on the believer to resist these beliefs once they take hold

Evolving Solutions for Red Blood Cell Preservation

In emergencies such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or during outer space missions, the availability of transfusable blood can mean the difference between life and death. Red blood cells (RBCs) must be stored at +4 ± 2 °C and have a shelf life of just 42 days, which makes maintaining a stable blood supply during adverse conditions extraordinarily challenging. This challenge was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals faced severe blood shortages. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, offers a promising avenue to extend the shelf life of RBCs for transfusion during crises. However, a significant hurdle in dry preservation is hemolysis, or the degradation of RBC membranes, rendering the cells unsuitable for transfusion. To address this, our study aimed to inhibit RBC hemolysis during freeze-drying by developing improved RBC lyophilization buffers using a differential evolution (DE) algorithm. The DE algorithm adjusts and refines a given set of variables, such as compound concentrations, buffer pH, etc., to achieve optimized outcomes. This method builds on successful outcomes over several generations, effectively solving complex multivariate problems, such as creating a procedure for dry RBC preservation. RBCs were suspended in various DE algorithm-generated buffers, lyophilized, and then rehydrated for analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the formulations. Our results demonstrated 0% hemolysis in some DE-generated buffers. Furthermore, the multivariate statistics highlighted catechins as key stabilizing agents, suggesting their potential to protect RBC membranes during lyophilization. These findings provide a strong foundation for future studies on the role of catechin in long-term biological preservation

Analyzing the Climate-Growth response of Hemlock Species in Tight Hollow, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA

Kentucky’s (KY) local climate is facing uncertainty as the influence of climate change pushes hydrological variation to its extremes. Proxy-based data can be used to better understand this variation by analyzing past climatic conditions. Tree rings provide valuable proxy data on an annual to sub-annual resolution that can be used to create climate reconstructions. However, the state of Kentucky lacks high temporal and spatial resolution datasets for accurate climate reconstruction analysis. Climate-sensitive tree species and locations must be identified and evaluated within Kentucky to further enhance these datasets to a higher resolution. Our research objective is to analyze the climate-growth response of hemlock (TSCA) specimens within Tight Hollow in Daniel Boone National Forest by using dendrochronological methods. I compiled the tree-ring data into a single chronology and analyzed the moving and static correlation between annual growth and historic monthly and seasonal climate variables. I identified statistically significant relationships between growth and growing season moisture and temperature variation, but the relationships were not stable over the instrumental period. Relationships with growing season TMAX shift from current to previous year around the mid twentieth century, while relationships with current and previous precipitation stay consistent until around the 1990s. Nonstationarity within TMAX and precipitation relationships may be attributed to shifting climate conditions or disturbances from Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. This instability and the lack of climate sensitivity have implications for the use of hemlock ring widths as proxies in climate reconstructions within Kentucky

Bridging care gaps for Sickle Cell Disease: Examining case management and healthcare utilization.

Individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience complex medical and social needs, including high emergency department (ED) utilization, fragmented care, and systemic inequities. Disease-specific case management has emerged as a promising strategy to improve care coordination, patient outcomes, and healthcare efficiency. This mixed-methods case study examined the impact of disease-specific case management on healthcare utilization, patient-reported outcomes, and healthcare providers’ perspectives. Quantitative analysis evaluated the impact of disease-specific case management on ED and inpatient admissions, healthcare-related costs, and the length of stay for inpatient admissions. Qualitative data were collected using interviews with patients and healthcare providers, exploring utilization, bias, and barriers to healthcare. Findings indicate that disease-specific case management reduced healthcare utilization, improved patient/provider relationships, and substantially decreased cost. Patients identified greater recognition of pain and healthcare experiences. Healthcare providers identified the importance of addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), implicit bias, and coordination of care. Implications for practice, leadership, policy, and education include promotion of equitable research funding, bias-focused training, advocacy, and integration of disease-specific case management models. This study contributes to evidence supporting disease-specific case management as an effective, equitable approach to improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in SCD

Efficacy of tick sampling methods in urban parks.

Amblyomma americanum (Lone star ticks) are parasites and vectors of diseases, including Ehrlichiosis. Questions remain about how an urban environment affects the host-seeking behavior of A. americanum across different life stages and thus the efficacy of different sampling methods. We sought to compare the efficacy of different sampling methods on A. americanum ticks in urban parks during the fall season and explore how the urban heat island (UHI) effect may impact each method’s efficacy. We hypothesized that, where the UHI effect is weaker near the city’s periphery, the CO2 trapping method would collect more A. americanum adults and nymphs because they can sense CO2 and walk multiple meters a day in the field, whereas the flagging method would collect more A. americanum larvae because they have a more limited dispersal ability and a tendency to quest vertically. We also hypothesized that, where the UHI effect is stronger near city center, hot, dry conditions would cause CO2 trapping to collect the most A. americanum ticks regardless of life stage, as ticks remained under the leaf litter to avoid desiccation. We sampled at two urban parks located in Louisville, Kentucky: one near city center and one near the periphery. At each sampling location (n=30), we collected ticks by conducting the flagging method in a 30 x 30 m square, and by setting out a CO2 trap in the middle of the square for 24 hours. We collected 846 ticks across the two parks, with the majority being A. americanum larvae (n=842, 99.5%). Overall, we found that the flagging method collected more A. americanum larvae (n=791, 93.5%) compared to CO2 trapping (n=51, 6.5%); however, trapping methods performed similarly in the park closest to city center. The knowledge gained from this research can help future tick surveillance efforts select the best sampling method to use in urban areas and provide the public with more accurate health information on tick-borne diseases

Lost in the Fine Print: A Phenomenological Inquiry of ADHD, Student Loans, and Scarcity

The primary objective of this phenomenological study was to explore the cognitive and affective challenges faced by individuals experiencing ADHD and their student loans, particularly through the lens of “scarcity theory”. We analyzed 250 posts (~86 pages/67,000 words) from an online community on Reddit, where individuals experiencing ADHD shared experiences related to student debt. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes in these posts. Four key themes emerged: (1) ADHD and baseline mental bandwidth, highlighting preexisting executive functioning challenges that limit cognitive and affective capacity; (2) demands of student loan debt, which intensify stress through complex repayment systems and financial uncertainty; (3) behavioral and experiential outcomes, including hyperfixation and avoidance; and (4) moderating factors and buffers, such as online peer support in digital communities and adaptive coping strategies. The findings point to a misalignment between current financial aid systems and the lived realities of individuals with ADHD, highlighting the need for policy reforms and targeted interventions that integrate behavioral nudges, financial literacy, and mental health support

Expanding Access to Noninvasive Spinal Neuromodulation for Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Comparative Device Study

Paralysis following spinal cord injury (SCI) has traditionally been considered permanent due to the disruption of supraspinal input to spinal motor circuits. However, growing evidence suggests that spinal networks below the level of injury retain intrinsic motor-generating capabilities through central pattern generators. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (scTS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that delivers electrical stimulation through the skin to reactivate these spinal networks. Although prior studies demonstrate that scTS delivered through research-grade devices is safe and effective in adults and children with chronic SCI, clinical translation remains limited by lack of FDA-approved systems, high costs, and restricted access to proprietary devices. This study examined whether commercially available stimulation devices can produce locomotor-like stepping responses comparable to a research-exclusive reference device in a child with motor-complete SCI. Using a within-subject, double-blinded design, motor-responses elicited by one research-grade stimulator and three commercially available devices were compared across randomized conditions: stimulation without intent to step, stimulation with intent to step, and sham control. Stimulation was delivered using a two-site electrode configuration positioned at T10/11 and L1/2 spinous processes. Primary outcomes included hip and knee joint excursion angles derived from kinematic data. All devices elicited locomotor-like responses during active stimulation relative to sham. Cognitive intent dramatically enhanced motor output – knee excursions increased by 34-75° during intentional conditions. Two commercial devices produced knee excursions exceeding the research-grade reference device. By demonstrating comparable outcomes, these findings aim to inform the clinical implementation of scTS and broaden access to noninvasive neuromodulation in pediatric SCI rehabilitation