Using Electroencephalographic (EEG) Measures Of Working Memory In The Context Of Binge Drinking: Analyzing Theta/Gamma Ratios

Neuronal degeneration resulting from excessive alcohol use, such that occurs with binge drinking behavior, is proposed to be linked to both impairment in neuronal functioning and corresponding psychological deficits in executive functioning such as working memory. A total of 73 undergraduate students (mean age = 19) completed a series of questionnaires assessing drinking behaviors and mental health. Upon completion, subjects were assigned to one of two groups based on their reported drinking behavior. Subjects completed a series of psychomotor tasks that required working memory demands under temporal processing conditions from the Senaptec Sensory Station tablet as well as two traditional working memory computer tasks. EEG data was collected to identify differences in working memory capacity between binge drinkers and casual drinkers using a short-term memory load index (STMLI) which was calculated by dividing the power spectral density (PSD) for theta located at the Fz electrode by the corresponding PSD for gamma for each participant. The primary analyses did not show significant group differences for the STMLI on the cognitive tasks. Secondary analyses were conducted with two new groups, light drinkers vs. heavy drinkers. There was a significant group difference for the STMLI during completion of the Go/No-go task. Additional analyses were conducted with the new groups exploring differences for Fz theta, beta, and gamma power as well as POz alpha. Finally, cognitive state metric comparisons were explored between groups. There were no reported group differences seen on any of the behavioral performance measures (i.e., Go/No-go, Digit Span task) for either of the group comparisons. The findings of the current study suggest greater sensitivity of physiological measures to potential cognitive deficits associated with early alcohol consumption compared to traditional cognitive measures in this age group. Implications of this research demonstrate that negative consequences of heavy alcohol consumption can occur even in young populations and is evident through a variety of brain activity measurements during tasks of working memory

Parents\u27 Perspectives on the Literacy Instruction Received by their Children with Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to explore the perspectives of 22 parents of children with intellectual disabilities on the literacy learning opportunities the children were provided in school. It asked: 1) What are the perspectives of such parents on the literacy instruction offered to their children?, and 2) What are the perspectives of such parents on the opportunities available to them to participate in decision-making about this literacy instruction? This study was grounded in disability studies and critical interpretivist frameworks, which provided a lens for understanding participants\u27 views in the context of our society\u27s historically unjust treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Data sources included transcripts from in-depth semi-structured interviews, which I analyzed using Weft-QDA software and the constant comparison method to identify themes within and across the interviews. A number of themes emerged from the analysis. Parents\u27 perspectives on the literacy instruction received by their children varied on a continuum that ranged from pleased to exceedingly dissatisfied. In the parents\u27 views, teacher investment in the children\u27s learning and the settings in which the children were instructed were important. In addition, when interacting with their children\u27s schools regarding this instruction, the participants reported engaging in various styles of communication, holding different viewpoints and experiencing a number of emotions, styles I described as Present Listening, Emergent Advocacy, and Steadfast Advocacy. These findings have implications for school professionals, teacher education programs, and researchers who are interested in developing mechanisms for drawing on parents\u27 insights as they orchestrate literacy instruction for such children

Binging Behaviors And Emotional Regulation In Young Adults

Co-occurring binge eating and binge drinking is being reported more frequently in college populations and adolescents. Past research has explored various aspects of emotional regulation difficulties in these populations, as well as personality differences, negative affect and various motivations for behaviors. The current study aimed to further explore these differences in individuals who engage in binge eating and drinking separately, comparatively to those who do both binging behaviors. Female undergraduates from a large Mid-Western university (N=127) completed multiple questionnaires regarding eating and drinking behaviors, information regarding their personality traits, emotional regulation difficulties, behavioral motivations and levels of negative affect. Four mutually exclusive groups were created: binge drinking, binge eating, combined binging (both binge eating and binge drinking behavior), and controls. MANOVA and post hoc analyses found similar drinking and drunkorexia motivations for the combined group and binge drinking group, while negative affect of the combined group was more closely related to those in the binge eating group. Additionally, the combined binge group reported the greatest amount of emotional regulation difficulties. Findings suggest that different aspects of the psychopathology for the combined group are shared with binge drinking and binge eating populations separately. This research further emphasizes the need for assessing both binging symptomologies present in individuals simultaneously

Wildlife Rehabilitation Datasets as an Underutilized Resource to Understand Avian Threats, Mortality, and Mitigation Opportunities

Wildlife rehabilitation centers collect large datasets that focus on medical care, yet they also collect information more broadly relevant to wildlife conservation. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the potential for these datasets to be used in conservation science to better understand avian threats, mortality, and mitigation opportunities. We quantified the causes of bird admissions to rehabilitation centers within the Northeast and Midwest United States, the mortality rates during rehabilitation by admission cause, and the proportion of anthropogenic-caused admissions. Additionally, we related human population and development metrics to the number of bird admissions to better understand geographic bias in the dataset. More than 68,000 bird records were organized, reformatted, and reclassified for uniformity. The dataset from this study included five rehabilitation centers from rural environments and five from urban environments. The top five causes of avian admissions to the wildlife rehabilitation centers were orphaning (21% of total admissions), window strikes (13%), vehicle collisions (8%), nest destruction (3%), and encounters with domestic cats (5%). Anthropogenic causes of admission represented 38% of total known admissions and was six times greater than natural causes. Admission number does not relate to human population and development metrics despite the majority of admissions being sourced from metropolitan environments. Combined datasets from multiple wildlife rehabilitation centers can be used to investigate a variety of conservation questions. In addition, these datasets can support or validate other avian conservation research related to identifying threats and sources of mortality. However, the inconsistencies in record keeping among rehabilitation centers prevent a timely and efficient process for data management and analysis. Adding categorical variables within records and greater utilization of wildlife rehabilitation datasets can facilitate use of wildlife rehabilitation by researchers to inform avian conservation science

Engaging the senses to explore community events

Community events are often staged by local authorities as a way to boost the local economy, improve social cohesion, and foster a sense of belonging. However, although it is arguably comparatively straightforward to conceptualize how events may contribute in terms of economic impact, it is much more difficult to understand and assess how events can contribute to feelings of connectedness and belonging. To date the focus in the event management literature has been very strongly focused on what people think of events; this study instead draws our attention to what people do and how this may provide clues as to how they feel in terms of engagement. Recent studies in tourism, geography, and urban studies have started to explore the role the senses play in our engagement and participation in events. Turning to the senses as a means to explore our bodily engagement with an event provides an opportunity to examine inclusion and exclusion at an event from a new perspective. This article takes an interdisciplinary ethnographic approach to examine a case study of community and the Noosa Jazz Festival in Australia. Findings suggest that festivals, through their embodied participants, can facilitate feelings of inclusion in a community. Sound, vision, and the festival ambience emerged as being of key importance. The research demonstrates the benefits of interdisciplinary research, particularly drawing from sensual geographies, when exploring intangible constructs such as connectedness, inclusion, cohesion, and belonging

Sexually harassed, assaulted, silenced, and now heard : institutional betrayal and its affects

This work explores the processes of sexual violence and its consequences, within an organizational context through a detailed examination of a professional woman's experience. By centralizing Sofia's lived experiences, we demonstrate how acts of institutional betrayal occur when an organization protects a perpetrator and silences and further traumatizes a victim/survivor. Outwardly this organization purports to champion gender equality, but inwardly they reflect the values and misogynistic norms present in parts of the Australian culture. We lay bare the multiple ways inequity regimes intersect with the disadvantage experienced by Sofia as a junior employee, a migrant, and a woman. We detail and account for Sofia's story through a process of listening deeply and writing differently to illustrate how sexual harassment in the workplace is not confined to a victim/survivor-perpetrator dichotomy but is embedded within organizational structures, policies, processes, and employees themselves. We explore how power relations silenced both victim/survivors and bystanders who spoke out and failed to disrupt the status quo or hold the organization to its purported gender equality values. We describe Sofia's battle for justice within this organization and provide a conceptual framework that highlights how reluctant acquiescence is shaped and how systematic silence and silencing of victim/survivors was maintained

Gender equality mainstreaming and the Australian academy : paradoxical effects?

Australian Universities consistently rank highly on lists that celebrate the most gender equal higher education institutions in the world. Despite participation in institutional frameworks for gender equity accreditation, what often lies beneath the outward display of gender equality is a lived experience of inequality. Whilst there is relative gender equality amongst academics employed at universities overall, men continue to dominate appointments at the professorial or senior executive levels. At the same time, gender asymmetries make women’s access to the opportunities and resources that are highly valued by the sector difficult. Women who experience intersections with care, mothering, race, sexual identity, class, and ability face additional obstacles. In this paper, three women in Australian academia attempt to disrupt the dominant masculine ideology and value system by sharing our lived experience of gender (in)equality in the academy

The social justice issues of smoke im/mobilities

In 2014, the Hazelwood mine fire burned for 45 days. Local communities were impacted by smoke and ash, and there were reports of raised carbon monoxide levels. Local news and social media reported residents experiencing numerous physical symptoms of smoke inhalation, including bleeding noses, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness. Paper masks to filter particulate matter were made available to residents to wear outside. The dust and ash constantly seeped into homes and offices, which required cleaning daily and sometimes multiple times during the day. Smoke was free to move across physical and bodily boundaries while those most vulnerable were hampered by lack of movement: pregnant women, the elderly and children were advised to leave the area. However, this suggestion to ‘simply’ move ignored the context of a community disproportionately impacted through years of economic decline and societal change. This paper explores the unequal mobilities of smoke and people that arose as a result of this event and draws on concepts of mobility justice (Sheller 2018) and emergency mobilities (Adey 2016) to reflect on the political dimensions of uneven mobility in times of crisi

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Its Scope, History, and Prospects

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is a proposed federal bill that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment based on an individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers who employ at least 15 employees. Advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their congressional allies have fought for the passage of some form of ENDA for more than four decades, including the 113th Congress, which commenced in January 2013. Although ENDA’s passage is still far from certain, this chapter will discuss in greater detail the impact ENDA would have on both employers and their employees if—and perhaps when—it becomes law. • The chapter begins by analyzing the specific terms of the bill, with a particular focus on the employers ENDA covers, what exactly is prohibited, and what exemptions exist. • The chapter next provides a brief legislative history of ENDA, including a summary of congressional hearings, to give the reader a sense of how the legislation has evolved and been shaped by the political process. As of April 30, 2014, Congress had held 11 hearings and issued three reports regarding ENDA. The full Senate had voted twice on ENDA, and the full House of Representatives had voted once on the legislation. • Finally, the chapter examines the past and present controversies and challenges facing ENDA, as a means of providing insight into ENDA’s prospects for passage and potential changes in future drafts of the bill. Given that ENDA’s history has roots going back 40 years, this chapter can provide only a broad overview of its history, but through this history, it also aims to offer enough details to provide insight into its future