Cultura y (ataque de) Corazón: A Training for Health Professionals needing Medical Interpretation Services

Limited English proficiency is a known barrier to quality health care outcomes (Green 2017, Helmi 2021). Inclusion of a certified language interpreter during health care encounters improves outcomes among ESL (English as a Second Language) patients (Karliner, Jacobs, Chen, and Mutha 2007). Interpretation with a certified interpreter promotes understanding between patients and their medical providers, and advances both health and race equity (Foiles Sifuentes, Robledo Cornejo, Castaneda-Avila, Tija, and Lapane 2020). Most health care workers receive no formal training in how to use an interpreter with limited English-proficiency patients. Located in the Hispanic Heritage District of an increasingly Latine mid-sized city in New York State, our training focuses on Spanish speaking patients. Methods This innovative program uses simulation to teach learners how to use an Interpreter. Learners watch vignettes, and then debrief with faculty. Vignettes point out pitfalls of not using a certified interpreter, such as using a Spanish-speaking janitor, or family member. Vignettes were built in collaboration between the Spanish, MFA, and Physician Assistant programs at the University. During the session, learners also play a game of our invention. This game imitates the feeling many non-English-speaking patients have of being misunderstood and misunderstanding; building empathy for the fear of leaving a medical appointment without full comprehension. Results Results of pilot pre- and post- test data show statistically significant improvement in students’ understanding of how to use a medical interpreter, why to use one, and their likelihood of requesting formal interpretation services in future encounters. The students also enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to peers. The implications of the training may increase access to high quality health care for non-English-speaking community members, better health equity, and decrease pay inequity for multilingual health professionals. A more engaged community is a healthier one, and this training helps achieve that goal

Spanish as a Heritage Language Across Disciplines: Assessing Spanish and Bilingual Courses at an HSI in South Texas

Long-standing research has confirmed the many benefits of Spanish as a heritage language in dual language in K-12 classrooms (Collier & Thomas, 2017, 2019). However, in higher education, there are very few exceptions to the English-only monolingual norm (García & Li, 2014). This study explores one exception, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in South Texas where certain classes are taught bilingually (Spanish/English) and in Spanish across various disciplines. In this study, we examine 1) how these courses impact success through a quantitative analysis of cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) and 2) how students perceive these courses through a qualitative analysis of open-ended surveys. For the quantitative analysis of student success, we analyze cumulative GPAs from all students who entered the university in 2016 (n=4181). A Man-Whitney U Test reveals a small significant difference (r= 0.10) between students who took one or more DLBE courses (M = 3.12, STD = .60) when compared with students who did not take a Spanish/bilingual course (M = 2.70, STD = .97) on cumulative GPAs, (Z = -7.06, p \u3c .001). That is, students who took at least one Spanish/bilingual course earned a slightly higher GPA on average. For the qualitative analysis of student perceptions, we distributed an open-ended survey to all students taking Spanish/bilingual courses during AY 2022-2023 as well as former students who took DLBE courses between 2018-2022. Survey responses from current students (n=248) and former students (n=49) reveal student perceptions of higher confidence, greater motivation, greater sense of belonging, and more positive experiences in Spanish/bilingual courses. In sum, the results of this study show that Spanish and bilingual classes in higher education can positively impact student success and student experiences. These findings have important implications for language policy in higher education especially at HSIs

Fostering Latinx/e students’ familial capital in the Spanish Heritage Language Program at the University of XXXX

In this presentation, I show how we (director and instructors) have fostered Latinx/e students’ familial capital in the Spanish Heritage Language Program at the University of XXX. Familial capital recognizes the nurtured relationship students have with their immediate and extended family members and communities. This capital also includes the lessons students learned on caring, coping, emotional, moral, and educational consciousness from their family members. Additionally, this capital pulls from the research of Vélez-Ibáñez and Greenberg (1992) on Funds of Knowledge that points out that Mexican-Americans learn valuable lessons from their family and community that have been passed down across generations. In the SHL classroom context, familial capital focuses on creating relationships of care among students and educators. This includes building a sense of community in and outside the classroom and developing a mentorship relationship between the students and educator. This is possible by explicitly implementing Latinx/e community cultural wealth in the SHL curricula

Factors Affecting Users’ Satisfaction with Telehealth Apps: Analysis of Users Reviews using BERT

Telehealth mobile apps and telehealth services are increasingly used by patients, particularly, post-COVID-19. This study examines factors related to users’ satisfaction with these apps and services by analyzing reviews from actual telehealth app users. A total of 53,209 reviews were collected from nine telehealth apps on the Google Play store. Using BERT embeddings, UMAP, and HDBSCAN, topics were generated and labeled to identify these factors. Results showed that telehealth app users expressed several factors related to satisfaction with telehealth apps, which could impact the acceptability and adoption of such apps. These include usability (ease of use), usefulness, convenience and efficiency, cost and affordability, technical performance and connectivity, professionalism and expertise, and comprehensive care support

A Systematic Review on the Efficacy of Video Modeling on Social Interactions Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling in increasing social interactions with individuals with ASD (IwASD) in transitional or postsecondary educational settings. The study inclusion criteria included (a) quantitative data must be present, (b) an objective or research question must be stated, (c) video modeling must be an intervention in their study, (d) a minimum of one target behavior must focus on social interactions, and (e) all studies must be published within the last six years. This systematic review analyzed the purpose, sample, methodology, settings, discussion, and results to find the effectiveness of the intervention, resulting in 12 out of 14 studies showing an effective and positive outcome. Furthermore, this review found that video modeling, along with an unspecified intervention, was associated with the desired intervention effect. However, the review could not reach a definitive conclusion about effectiveness in the absence of video modeling as an isolated intervention

IS ON SITE EVAPORATION A FEASIBLE SOLUTION FOR PRODUCED WATER MANAGMENT FOR OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT?

The last decade witnessed a major transformation of global energy balances. A prime example of is the oil market shift from an era of high oil prices and concerns about short supplies to an era of lower oil prices and supply abundance. This paradigmatic shift in supply dynamics was triggered by the U.S. shale oil revolution; this massive boom in unconventional oil production has turned the U.S. into the world’s largest producer, ahead of both Russia and Saudi Arabia. The result has been an upending the global oil market, aside from geopolitical issues, the shale revolution has had far-reaching implications for the U.S. economy. Much of the increase in domestic production is attributable to hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” in the shale formations ranging from Texas to North Dakota. The shale oil industry, however, faces existing challenges such as strict capital discipline, further productivity gains, and environmental issues. In relation to environmental issues, one such undesirable byproduct generated from oil and natural gas production is produced water (PW). Due to the large volume produced, managing it creates challenges, creating its own business entity. Historically PW was considered a waste and was managed accordingly. PW now is gaining ground on having value and the entire produced water management segment is drawing a lot of attention. How operators can reduce the reliance on trucking and deep-water injection of the produced water waste will be the key to a sustainable future for the United States Oil and Gas industry. In this study, we examined the economy and environmental benefits of adopting evaporation as a viable method of PW management strategy, in the context of cost analysis and the number of trucks reduced to haul PW for disposal. Our results show that evaporation to reduce PW volume for brine disposal is a economically sound strategy. When coupled with the environmental factors (i.e., redirect water back into the hydrological cycle, the reduction of trucks on a roadway to the disposal), it is also a path for operators to increase sustainability in O&G development. From the case studies per region, it is evident that, the higher the truck and disposal all-in costs are, the higher value the evaporation strategy yield, even with a smaller evaporation percentage. The reduction of volumes that are sent over the road and to a disposal will assist in limiting the constraints explained and more forecasted that could bootstrap future production growth plans

Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments of Produced Water Treatment for Beneficial Reuse

Produced water (PW) is a bulk portion of byproduct generated during oil and gas extraction operations and can be potentially reused for various purposes. However, the treatment costs and associated environmental issues call for a multitude of factors for proper management. This research aims to evaluate the viability of technologies for treating PW in terms of their technical performance, cost-effectiveness, and environmental considerations. Technologies evaluated include well-established processes such as reverse osmosis desalination, adsorption, membrane distillation, electrodialysis, evaporation pond, and thermal vapor compression, and those that are under development (e.g., ion exchange, photocatalysis). Realistically, combining two or more processes has been applied to remove targeted PW components. A cost-effective technology with minimal pollutant discharge is preferred for PW management and that can be possible through electrochemically driven technologies. Eventually, such technologies are green technologies ensuring clean water production, energy storage, and conservation of valuable material resources from produced water

Transcriptomics of Typhlatya

Anchialine caves are coastal subterranean ecosystems with stratified water layers (freshwater-to-saline) and typically lack a direct connection to the surrounding ocean. These systems are dominated by invertebrates among which crustaceans are the most abundant and taxonomically diverse, with strict adaptation to life in complete darkness, low oxygen, and limited food resources. The goal of this study is to gain insight into the genes that potentially support adaptation to anchialine habitats and evaluate them comparatively among related species. Transcriptome data from three cave shrimp species in the genus Typhlatya (family Atyidae), were sequenced, de novo assembled, functionally annotated, and screened for protein coding genes related to osmoregulation, oxidative stress, and important biological functions of interest. These data provide a foundation to establish a novel draft transcriptome for Typhlatya and include identifying key functional genes to better understand the biological and molecular basis for life in extreme environments