Representations and Discourses of Black Motherhood in Hip Hop and R&B over Time

This study will examine how representations and discourses regarding Black motherhood have changed in the Hip Hop and R&B genres over time. Specifically, this scholarly work will contextualize the lyrics of 79 songs (57 Hip Hop songs; 18 R&B songs; 2 songs represented the Hip Hop and R&B genre; 2 songs represented artists who produce music in 5 or 6 genres) from 1961-2015 to identify the ways that Black male and Black female artists described motherhood. Through the use of Black Feminist Theory, and by placing the production of these songs within a sociohistorical context, we provide an in-depth qualitative examination of song lyrics related to Black motherhood. Results gave evidence that representations and discourse of motherhood have been largely shaped by patriarchy as well as cultural, political, and racial politics whose primary aim was to decrease the amount of public support for poor, single Black mothers. In spite of the pathological framing of Black mothers, most notably through the welfare queen and baby mama stereotypes, a substantial number of Hip Hop and R&B artists have provided a strong counter narrative to Black motherhood by highlighting their positive qualities, acknowledging their individual and collective struggle, and demanding that these women be respected

Is Black Motherhood A Marker of Oppression or Empowerment? Hip-Hop and R&B Lessons about Mama

A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the lyrics of 59 songs (40 Hip Hop songs; 17 R&B songs; 2 songs that represented the Hip Hop and R&B genre) from 1961-2013 to identify the ways that Black male and Black female artists described motherhood. The songs were determined by Billboard Chart Research Services, and Black Feminist Theory provided the theoretical foundation on which the themes were identified. Qualitative analysis of the lyrics revealed Black motherhood in R&B and Hip Hop to be based on the following four typologies: (1) Motherhood as Source of Emotional Comfort and Support; (2) Motherhood as Source of Strength and Self-Confidence; (3) Motherhood as Superior to Fatherhood; (4) Motherhood as Teacher and Disciplinarian; and (5) Motherhood Instills Unconditional Endless Love. Supporting qualitative lyrics are provided to support each of the aforementioned themes

Is Black Motherhood A Marker of Oppression or Empowerment? Hip-Hop and R&B Lessons about Mama

A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the lyrics of 59 songs (40 Hip Hop songs; 17 R&B songs; 2 songs that represented the Hip Hop and R&B genre) from 1961-2013 to identify the ways that Black male and Black female artists described motherhood. The songs were determined by Billboard Chart Research Services, and Black Feminist Theory provided the theoretical foundation on which the themes were identified. Qualitative analysis of the lyrics revealed Black motherhood in R&B and Hip Hop to be based on the following four typologies: (1) Motherhood as Source of Emotional Comfort and Support; (2) Motherhood as Source of Strength and Self-Confidence; (3) Motherhood as Superior to Fatherhood; (4) Motherhood as Teacher and Disciplinarian; and (5) Motherhood Instills Unconditional Endless Love. Supporting qualitative lyrics are provided to support each of the aforementioned themes

L2 Motivation in Japanese Elementary EFL Classrooms: a Review of the Literature

In their formal education systems, East Asian nations began to actively incorporate English lessons around the turn of the 21 st century. For Japan, perhaps the most controversial reform was introducing compulsory English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction at the primary school level in 2011. A central policy goal specifies guidelines for encouraging positive affect and long-term motivation toward the language. In this literature review, I discuss empirical studies from within the past five years which explore Japanese elementary EFL students’ motivation and engagement in class. Researchers framed their inquiry within the self-determination theory (SDT) framework, a dominant theory of motivation in language motivation research. Thus, a foundation has been set for future research by successfully establishing the validity of SDT and the concept of engagement in this context

Effects of Prehospital vs. In Hospital Therapeutic Hypothermia on Neurological Status after Cardiac Arrest

Objective: To conduct an analysis of literature that examines whether the use of prehospital therapeutic hypothermia (TH) results in significant changes in neurologic outcomes that are in adults that experienced out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: Systematic searches were conducted through PubMed at the James Madison University Library. The inclusion criteria included human adults who experienced out of hospital cardiac arrest and were treated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with and/or without prehospital TH by means of intravenous cold fluids and surface cooling. Results: Three studies involving 2180 cases were included. This review indicated that prehospital TH after cardiac arrest had similar effects on neurological outcome when compared to in-hospital therapeutic hypothermia. The only effect noted was that prehospital cooling decreased the amount of time to reach a targeted temperature while in hospital. Conclusion: A statistically significant difference was not found between the use of prehospital TH versus in hospital TH

Targeting Nuclear Hormone Receptors for the Prevention of Breast Cancer

Advancements in research have led to the steady decline of breast cancer mortality over the past thirty years. However, breast cancer incidence has continued to rise, resulting in an undue burden on healthcare costs and highlighting a great need for more effective breast cancer prevention strategies, including targeted chemo preventative agents. Efforts to understand the etiology of breast cancer have uncovered important roles for nuclear receptors in the development and progression of breast cancer. Targeted therapies to inhibit estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) signaling (selective ER modulators, aromatase inhibitors and selective PR modulators) have shown great promise for the treatment and prevention of hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. However, these drugs do not prevent HR-negative disease. Therefore, recent efforts have focused on novel targeted therapies with the potential to prevent both HR-positive and HR-negative breast cancer. Among these include drugs that target other nuclear receptors, such as retinoic acid receptor (RAR), retinoid X receptor (RXR) and vitamin D receptor (VDR). In this review we provide an overview of recent preclinical and clinical trials targeting members of the nuclear receptor superfamily for the prevention of breast cancer

The use of Heel Lifts for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease to Improve Postural Stability.

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative condition that results in resting tremors, slowed movement (bradykinesia), rigidity, and postural instability. People with PD develop a standing alignment often referred to as a “stooped posture”; flexed hips, kyphotic spine, forward shoulders, forward head, and downward head tilt. Concurrently, this population has high prevalence of impaired standing and dynamic balance, decreased muscle strength, slower gait, and slower anticipatory and reactionary body adjustments. We propose plantarflexion contractures contribute to instability by causing an altered alignment and decreasing the available range for reactive excursion in lower extremity. Purpose: To investigate if postural alignment, perceived stability and balance is impacted by accommodating plantar flexion (PF) contractures, with a heel lift, in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). To investigate the correlation of the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) to PF contracture severity in order to predict postural instability. Design: Pre-test post-test with no follow up Participants: Convenience sampling of 32 participants. Inclusion Criteria: diagnosed with PD, and independently ambulate 20 ft. without assistive devices. Exclusion Criteria: cannot understand English, and any comorbidities impacting postural stability. Interventions: Participants were assessed for talocrural dorsiflexion ROM. Patients filled in a self-reported Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Then were assessed for the following outcome measures with and without the use of heel lifts: Sagittal Posture Photo Analysis, Visual Analog Perceived Stability Scale, Tekscan Pressure Sway Map, and Functional Reach Test (FRT). Heel lift size was assigned based on PF contracture severity. Results: Significant findings (p\u3c0.05) include increase in height (mean 1.00 cm) an anterior translation of the hips (mean 2.3cm) and a more upright trunk (mean 1.37 degrees) and head angle (mean 2.61 degrees). The perceived stability increased (mean 0.75) and functional reach decreased (mean 2.22cm). Correlations (R=0.36-0.50) were found between the degree of PF contracture and the reported fear of falling for questions on the FES that involved ADLs that required ambulation. Conclusion: Accommodating PF contractures, on individuals diagnosed with PD, with heel lifts significantly improves perceived stability, upright postural alignment, but also decreases forward reach. Clinical Significance: Heel lifts are a useful treatment to improve postural alignment in the PD population; however, it should be considered an adjunct treatment to joint mobilization and muscle lengthening techniques. References: Bartonek A, Lidbeck CM, Pettersson R, Weidenhielm EB, Eriksson M, Gutierrez- Farewik E. Influence of heel lifts during standing in children with motor disorders. Gait Posture. 2011;34(3):426-431. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.06.015. Gross MT, Mercer VS, Lin F-C. Effects of foot orthoses on balance in older adults. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2012;42(7):649-657. doi:10.2519/jospt.2012.3944. Jankovic J. Parkinson’s disease: clinical features and diagnosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2008;79(4):368-376. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.131045. Klamroth S, Steib S, Devan S, Pfeifer K. Effects of Exercise Therapy on Postural Instability in Parkinson Disease: A Meta-analysis. J Neurol Phys Ther JNPT. 2016;40(1):3-14. doi:10.1097/NPT.0000000000000117. Rogers ME, Page P, Takeshima N. Balance Training for the Older Athlete. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(4):517-530

The Differentiation and Quantification of Bacterial Colonies Cultured on Plant Based Yogurt and Animal Based Yogurt

The variety of dairy products available on the market have now changed with the advent of alternative plant derived milks. Many believe that these plant based milks may be a healthier and a more sustainable option in contrast to dairy products. The production of both respective types of yogurts requires fermentation which is a process that is carried out by bacteria, hence the presence of live cultures. Fermentation of dairy products is a result of lactose sugars being metabolized by bacteria, probiotics, of which the final metabolic product is lactic acid. Due to the popularity of alternative yogurt, it is essential to explore the differences in probiotic contents of yogurt products. This study’s purpose was to find the differences in probiotic content between cow milk yogurt and oat milk yogurt. Using the serial dilution technique to count the bacterial contents of the products, the experiment consisted of calculating the colony forming units (CFU) in the original yogurt samples. After three experiment trials each, the data showed that average CFU/mL values for cow milk was substantially higher, 94,000,000, than that of the average ο at milk values, 13,333 CFU/ mL. The results supported the hypothesis for this experiment, that cow milk yogurt contained a higher CFU compared to oat milk yogurt. Future work could delve deeper into the different morphologies and species of bacteria present in animal and plant derived yogurts

FGF4 retrogene on CFA12 is responsible for chondrodystrophy and intervertebral disc disease in dogs.

Chondrodystrophy in dogs is defined by dysplastic, shortened long bones and premature degeneration and calcification of intervertebral discs. Independent genome-wide association analyses for skeletal dysplasia (short limbs) within a single breed (PBonferroni = 0.01) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) across breeds (PBonferroni = 4.0 × 10-10) both identified a significant association to the same region on CFA12. Whole genome sequencing identified a highly expressed FGF4 retrogene within this shared region. The FGF4 retrogene segregated with limb length and had an odds ratio of 51.23 (95% CI = 46.69, 56.20) for IVDD. Long bone length in dogs is a unique example of multiple disease-causing retrocopies of the same parental gene in a mammalian species. FGF signaling abnormalities have been associated with skeletal dysplasia in humans, and our findings present opportunities for both selective elimination of a medically and financially devastating disease in dogs and further understanding of the ever-growing complexity of retrogene biology