The Light Switch of Language: Code-Switching

Many students are held back from the opportunities life has to offer, simply because of language. This article examines the use of code-switching and argues that it could be the key to pulling all students together, giving them equal chances at success

This is for you. Investigating memory development in modern dance

The purpose of this project is to explore memory development and connection through multiple facets of human interaction. “This is for you.” is a solo dance project that explores connection and intimacy through one on one performance sessions across a virtual platform. The piece focuses on what it means to be completely present in the current moment. As each one on one session is explored, there is opportunity for both performer and viewer to embrace a new way of seeing and being together through the channel of technology. The pictures and attached video represent some of the content explored during these sessions. The sections offer a snapshot for others to witness the process of developing movement material over time. This is an essential part of the research process as it furthers the preparation and understanding for movement potential, environment adaptation, and audience reaction in each virtual session. The movement consists of structured improvisation devoted to exploring various tasks and how they manifest over time in different environments. In the end, the sessions will be compiled together to create a collection of shared insight, reactions, and experiences of individuals seeing each other in a new way

Narrative Theater to Examine and Mitigate Anti-Black Racism Within Occupational Therapy

Theater has long-standing roots in social justice and holds promise for reducing racist attitudes and behaviors. Objectives of this study were to (a) collect and theatrically portray narratives from Black occupational therapy students and practitioners to a national audience and (b) examine the impact of the theatrical performance on anti-Black racism among attendees. The Identity Development Evolution and Sharing (IDEAS) model guided translation of narratives into a filmed performance. Paired t-test of pre/post administration of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–Stigma (AAQ-S) measured changes in stigma beliefs. Qualitative thematic analysis of an open-ended post-survey question elucidated experiences of the performance. The performance engendered significant decreases in stigma; qualitative data elucidated potential mechanisms of change. This study provides insight into experiences of anti-Black racism within occupational therapy and offers a promising means for occupational therapists to engage in anti-Black racism

Metabolite of the pesticide DDT and incident type 2 diabetes in urban India

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies, largely conducted in high-income countries and cross-sectional, have suggested a relatively strong association between exposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a metabolite of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and type 2 diabetes. DDT is widely used in India and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes there is increasing, but the association between these factors has not been explored to date. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to estimate the association of the p,p' isomer of DDE with incident type 2 diabetes in India. METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted in a representative prospective cohort of adults from two cities in India. Participants were enrolled in 2010-11 (n = 12,271) and followed for annual assessment of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. Baseline plasma samples from incident cases of diabetes (n = 193) and sex-city-matched controls (n = 323) were selected for analysis of p,p-DDE. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: At baseline, cases had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: geometric mean (95% CI) 330 (273-399) ng/g lipid compared to 223 (189-262) ng/g lipid among controls. Delhi participants had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: 579 (521-643) ng/g lipid compared to 122 (102-145) ng/g lipid in Chennai. In unadjusted models, being in the highest versus lowest quartile of p,p-DDE was associated with a more than doubling of the odds of diabetes: unadjusted OR (95% CI), 2.30 (1.19, 4.43). However, this effect was no longer significant after adjustment for age: adjusted (95% CI), 0.97 (0.46, 2.06). DISCUSSION: Results suggest that levels of p,p'-DDE in Delhi are exceptionally high, but we did not observe a significant association between p,p-DDE and incident type 2 diabetes. As this is the first study to evaluate this association in India, more studies are needed to inform our understanding of the association in this context, including potential routes of exposure

The Effect of Peer Victimization on Adolescent Perceptions of Body Image

The purpose of this thesis is to test the effects that peer victimization may have on perceptions of body image in adolescents. Other variables will be investigated such as friendship, measures of self-perception, and gender differences. Peer victimization, as defined by Hodges and Perry (1999), is characterized by the experience of a child being the target of physical, psychological, or social harm from peers, excluding siblings. During the formative years of early to mid-adolescence, children begin to build relationships with their peers and engage in daily social interactions. The quality of these interactions becomes pivotal to the development of the adolescent (Borg & Willoughby, 2022). Peer victimization is a significant issue for adolescents. It can have several consequences regarding the well-being and development of young individuals, one of them potentially being a negative self-perception of an individual’s own body. Adolescence is a time of change, especially in the realm of physical appearance. Puberty causes physical changes that may be uncomfortable to an adolescent, causing insecurities to rise. This has the potential to harm adolescent mental health and well-being, especially if it is reinforced by peer victimization. This study may be able to provide insight into how peer victimization affects adolescents, specifically regarding body-image perception, and how schools and caregivers may be able to create interventions to promote body satisfaction and minimize peer victimization. The information for this study will be pulled from archival data. According to the data set, the participants consisted of a total of 179 early adolescent participants in the fifth and sixth grades who were recruited from two public schools in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. All participants were native French speakers but understood and attended classes in English. Parental consent and participant assent were obtained. The data set uses a peer-nomination method to gather measurements of peer victimization within the classroom. Participants were given a list of each participating classmate’s first and last name for each item. They were then instructed to identify their classmates who fit a description and could check off as many names as they chose. Peer victimization was measured through peer nominations via a questionnaire. (e.g., “Someone who is left out by the other kids at school”). Through these measurements, it will be possible to calculate numerical levels of peer victimization among the participants. The measures of self-perception in the given data set were derived from a revised version of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (Harter, 1982). The data set also provides self-reported measures of the perceived body image of adolescents through means of providing a lineup of images displaying a range of body types. The participants were asked to mark which image they believed they looked like the most and what image they wished to look like. With this data, it will be possible to measure the perceptions and attitudes regarding body image in adolescents as well as the differences in answers between genders. The data set also includes self-reported information regarding the number of friends each participant has. It is expected that participants who experience lower levels of peer victimization will have a more positive perception of their body image and that female participants will be more likely to have a poor perception of their body image. It is also expected that those with a higher number of friends will experience a lower level of peer victimization. The final hypothesis is that those with high measures of self-perception will have a more positive perception of their body image. It is important to note that there will be some limitations to this study. One limitation is the sample size, as the participants are all from the same geographic area. Another limitation is that self-reporting and peer-nomination methods of gathering data may be subject to inaccuracy

Gender Differences in Perceptions of Self Esteem, Equity, and Teacher-Student Relationship

This study is intended to look at adolescent gender differences in perception of self esteem, gender equity and student-teacher relationship. Teachers play an important role in a student\u27s life as a mentor. We believe it would be beneficial for students if teachers understand how students perceive their experiences in the classroom environment. Data for this study was collected in West Virginia as part of the Integrated Community Engagement Collaborative (ICE) project. Teachers distributed a survey to students in grades 6-12 (n=9,527) in 2017. The data was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA to investigate significant differences between girls and boys across perceptions of self esteem, gender equity, and teacher relationships. We found that boys reported higher self esteem than girls. We also found that boys reported greater perceptions of gender equity in the classroom. There was no significant difference in perceptions of the student-teacher relationship across genders. The findings identify that there are differences in perceptions between boys and girls, this may have implications for differential academic outcomes for young people. So, educators should think about ways to support both equity and self esteem in the classroom. Future research can look into what causes students to perceive gender inequity in the classroom

Instructional Planning Modifications to Meet Social Distancing Requirements: Secondary and Post-Secondary Options

Secondary and post-secondary science and engineering educators share common class arrangements with both a laboratory and lecture component, coordinating both components so they build upon each other to create meaningful learning experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to convert lectures and exams to online delivery. Doing so came with trade-off decisions about sacrificing laboratory experience goals of hands-on practice, problem-solving, and learning concepts at a deeper, tactile level. Due to rapidly changing conditions, educators faced course redesign to accommodate social distancing and virtual learning requirements. In this study, a team of undergraduate college students including one secondary science preservice teacher planned a set of lessons for STEM outreach to a K–12 audience. The team faced challenges in planning meaningful learning experiences in the face of COVID-19 uncertainty. Options for secondary and post-secondary educators to consider are provided in this article

Legacy Chemical Pollutants in House Dust of Pregnant African Americans in Atlanta

We developed and applied a method for measuring selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) [i.e, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)] in dust collected from pregnant African Americans (AAs) in Atlanta. Our method used a liquid-liquid extraction followed by cleanup using a Florisil solid phase extraction car-tridge. We analyzed the extracts using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electron impact ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. Quantification was achieved using isotope dilution calibration. Limits of quantification were ranged from 0.10-2.50 ng/g dust. NIST standard reference material measurements demonstrated the robustness of our method. Our ac-curacies ranged from 82-108%, relative standard deviations ranged from 2-16%, and extraction recoveries ranged from 76-102%. We measured POPs in dust collected from 34 homes of pregnant AAs participating in the Atlanta AA birth cohort study who were enrolled from 2016-2019. Concentrations of POPs were detected in all samples with the frequencies of detection ranging from 8-100%. Concentrations of PBDE congeners 99 and 47, p,p’-DDT, and PCB153 were detected at some of the highest concentrations with geometric means of 1270, 730, 63.4 and 240 ng/g, re-spectively. The ratio of DDT/DDE was quite large (~2.7) indicating that p,p’-DDT remains intact in homes for long periods of time. These data demonstrate that care should be taken to remediate POPs in indoor dust, especially in vulnerable, disparate segments of the population

Legacy Chemical Pollutants in House Dust of Homes of Pregnant African Americans in Atlanta

We developed and applied a method for measuring selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) in dust collected from pregnant African Americans (AAs) in Atlanta using isotope dilution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Limits of quantification were ranged from 0.10 to 2.50 ng/g dust. NIST standard reference material measurements demonstrated the robustness of our method. Our accuracies ranged from 82 to 108%, relative standard deviations ranged from 2 to 16%, and extraction recoveries ranged from 76 to 102%. We measured POPs in dust collected from 34 homes of pregnant AAs participating in the Atlanta AA birth cohort study who were enrolled from 2016 to 2019. Concentrations of POPs were detected in all samples with the frequencies of detection ranging from 8 to 100%. Concentrations of PBDE congeners 99 and 47, p,p’-DDT, and PCB153 were detected at some of the highest concentrations with geometric means of 1270, 730, 63.4 and 240 ng/g, respectively. The ratio of DDT/DDE was quite large (~2.7) indicating that p,p’-DDT remains intact in homes for long periods of time. These data demonstrate that care should be taken to remediate POPs in indoor dust, especially in vulnerable, disparate segments of the population

Philosophy Outreach Project

The Philosophy Outreach Project gets high school students across Indiana thinking. POP creates alternative spaces for learning in classrooms, clubs, online, and conference settings. By curating philosophical content and fostering philosophical discussion, POP provides high school students with tools and a platform to engage with each other and the world. POP is run by three teams of Ball State students with a variety of different interests and backgrounds. POP's team includes students studying philosophy, psychology, English, communications, criminal justice, and more. This diversity of interests and knowledge allows for an impressive level of collaboration, which is ultimately what makes POP successful in promoting and facilitating pre-college philosophy