A Review of The Mandible

A Review of The Mandible by Emily Hill The mandible is one of the 22 bones in the human skull. This paper aims to encapsulate the basic features of the human mandible while also addressing the evolution and morphological mandibular variation between mammals. It also aims to address the role that anthropology and all its sub-disciplines has played in the exploitation and erasure of Indigenous peoples. There must be a significant push to decolonize the field of osteology. The mandible is useful for forensic applications such as post-mortem identification. In a rapidly expanding technological world, new ways of studying the mandible are continuously improving which gives researchers the ability to do things which were previously thought as impossible

The Florida Scrub-Jay

Artist Statement The Florida Scrub-Jay is a digital scientific illustration of Aphelocoma coerulescens, the only native bird species endemic to Florida. This piece celebrates the natural beauty of the Florida scrub-jay and its key features that allow it to thrive in scrub habitats. These habitats are threatened by anthropogenic activity and climate change, leading to the fragmentation, degradation, or eventual loss of these areas. Through this artwork, I hope to emphasize the importance of conservation and inspire viewers to appreciate and protect this bird species. Every stroke and color choice were carefully considered to accurately depict the bird’s physical attributes. The beak shape of the Florida scrub-jay allows it to consume various resources found within scrub habitats. Its feet, with four toes, help scrub-jays harvest and store acorns in large quantities, assisting in the planting of oak trees, a key plant species in scrub areas. The most captivating feature of the scrub- jay is its blue coloration, theorized to help scrub-jays blend in with the sky or act as an indicator of health. I aimed to capture the elegant details of its blue-gray plumage and showcase a strong gaze to convey its resilience and adaptability to the unique scrub habitat. I am a senior at the University of North Florida, majoring in biology with a concentration in coastal environmental science. I had the privilege to enroll and participate in the inaugural class of Scientific Illustrations, where I learned about art as a communicative medium for science. Scientific illustrations, such as The Florida Scrub Jay, allow viewers to observe, explore, and learn about the wonderful and expansive field of science. This artwork represents the culmination of my interest in art and science, and I am excited to apply what I have learned to my future career

Book Review: Gourmets in the Land of Famine

Why is “eating in Canton” (shi zai Guangzhou) known as the best in China? Seung-joon Lee’s lively and original study examines the peculiarities and politics of eating in Canton (Guangzhou) from Qing times to 1937. Using a delectable range of materials in Chinese, Japanese, and English, the book offers an illuminating entrée to the culture and political correctness of eating in modern Chinese history. As the author points out, few historical studies focus on food supplies. Many narrative histories of China, for instance, include sections on the Canton-based events of the 1920s when the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party joined in the common cause of Nationalist Revolution. But no one asks: “Who fed the revolutionaries?” (p. 87) Tackling this question, Lee explores a transnational network of Cantonese millers, shippers, buyers, and brokers who together purveyed grain grown in Burma, Siam, and French Indochina to Canton’s most ordinary households. Flowing in the opposite direction, smaller shipments of special “brands” of rice grown in Guangdong reached customers in San Francisco and other locations throughout the Cantonese diaspora. In economic terms, Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta area was an integral part of Southeast Asia, and Canton’s food-processing industries were the most technologically advanced in China. Culturally, the area belonged to an extended transnational world of appreciation for the distinctive flavours of Cantonese cuisine

Developing a Practical Consumable Reinforcer for the Experimental Analysis of Human Operant Behavior

Two projects tested the reinforcing efficacy of a reduction in effort associated with a computer-based laboratory task. In both projects, college students could earn points exchangeable for money by working on an Imposed task or, by executing a changeover response, they could earn the points on an Alternate task. Of interest was whether access to the Alternate task would reinforce the changeover response. In Project 1 the students tracked a moving target on the screen. In the Imposed task the target was programmed to move faster and change directions more frequently relative to the target in the Alternate task. Despite several manipulations of the task parameters, changeover responding failed to occur reliably. In Project 2 the students copied a string of words that appeared on the screen. In the Imposed task the characters of the words were garbled such that they appeared nonsensical to the student. The words in the Alternate task were written in English and followed a comprehensive storyline. During this project changeover responding was reliably maintained. Developing an effective yet practical method of reinforcing human operant behavior in laboratory experiments remains a challenge

Identifying the Influence of Parents\u27 and Children\u27s Perceptions of their Built and Social Environments on Children\u27s Mode of Travel to and from School

This study examined the influence of parents’ and children’s perceptions of their built and social environments on children’s use of active transportation (AT) between home and school. A mixed-methods approach was used including an environmental/behavioural survey completed by students (grades 5 through 8) and parents from 32 schools throughout London, Ontario, (n=1,623); Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for generating built environment variables to be controlled for; Principal Component factor analysis; and step-wise logistic regression models that divided analysis between the journey to and from school to determine the most influential factors in either direction. Children’s personal attitudes were the primary barrier for use of AT in both directions between home and school with “having no one to walk with” and “it being easier to have someone to drive them” being associated variables within both factors. Urban planners, public health professionals, and policy makers need to improve environments, develop AT promotional initiatives, and develop policies that remove barriers to allow more children to profit from the health benefits associated with AT

Twice-Exceptional College Students Narratives: When Giftedness And Mental Health Intersect

Gifted college students often arrive at universities with high GPAs and/or ACT/SAT scores. Their achievements in extracurricular activities such as in the arts, athletics, service, and leadership are well beyond the average student. To admissions representatives and faculty, these students look well-adjusted and successful on paper. However, many of these gifted college students come with unique challenges that go misunderstood, ignored, and underserved during their years in higher education—specifically involving their mental health. There are copious amounts of literature on gifted K-12 students and their mental health behaviors but very limited research done on the gifted college student population. Although gifted research declines after the twelfth grade, giftedness does not end as those students age. Along with being gifted, some of these individuals also experience mental health issues throughout their lifetimes. When giftedness and mental health overlap, the individual is considered twice-exceptional. Twice-exceptionality includes physical and learning disabilities, but the term can also describe a person who has a mental health diagnosis that coincides with their giftedness. Because twice-exceptional individuals tend to mask their mental health issues very well, it is difficult to identify that they need support—especially when they are in college. With my professional experience in honors education, I came to realize some of these twice-exceptional college experiences and stories have never been heard. The purpose of my dissertation is to bring these narratives into the light with the hopes of more widespread understanding of their specific needs. In order to understand the trends and challenges of twice-exceptional college students, I present a literature review as well as identify research gaps. Using a qualitative research design, I shape interview questions for my participants that illustrate their past experiences with growing up as twice-exceptional along with their present journeys as twice-exceptional college students. I use narrative and discourse analysis to bring their experiences and voices together in conversation with one another to give readers a clearer picture of what it is like to be a twice-exceptional college student. As a result of this analysis, my study culminates in better understanding the twice-exceptional student experience in terms of their behaviors, academic performance, social lives, and the intersectionality of their gender. My participants also gave insight into how universities can better support this student population through honors education programs, holistic academic advising, counseling and support groups, as well as more flexibility and understanding from university administration, faculty, and staff

Investigating Barriers to Access and Delivery of Palliative Care for Persons with Dementia in London, Ontario

Dementia is a syndrome that is progressive, degenerative and terminal. The palliative care philosophy aims to maximize quality of life for the dying individual and has been recognized in the literature as being both beneficial and under-used in persons dying with dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of staff delivering palliative care to individuals with dementia to determine how care was delivered, to learn which assessment tools were used, and whether policies were affected the delivery of palliative care. Twenty-two staff participants were interviewed. Data were interpreted using phenomenological methodology. Findings yielded three themes: confusion, resource shortages, and communication difficulties. Implications for practice include the clarification of terminology surrounding palliative care, the education of families about dementia and palliative care, better resource management, and a dementia-specific model of palliative care. Fruitful areas for future research include how to implement best dementia-specific guidelines, and solutions for more efficient resource use

Emerging Pathogens in Cystic Fibrosis Patients at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCUMC)

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting 70,000 individuals worldwide. This disease is characterized by the buildup of mucus in the airways leading to chronic lung infections resulting in pulmonary failure and death in 95% of CF patients. Routine surveillance of CF pathogens using traditional microbiology culture guides management and treatment of CF patients. Molecular profiling studies have revealed emerging pathogens that may play a role in CF lung disease by either directly causing infection or upregulating the virulence factors of classic CF pathogens, such as P. aeruginosa; however, routine CF culture protocols have not been modified to detect these organisms. The goal of this study was to expand the data relevant to the use of microbiology cultures for the management and treatment of CF patients at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCUMC) by directly selecting for emerging CF pathogens in culture. This was accomplished by developing,optimizing, and implementing an agar to select for colistin-resistant non-fermenting Gram- negative rods (NF GNRS). In addition, McKay agar and anaerobic media were utilized to recover members of the Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) and anaerobes in CF respiratory samples. The prevalences of SAG, anaerobes, and colistin-resistant NF GNRs recovered on study media from 75 adult and pediatric CF patients at VCUMC were 17.33%, 41.33%, and 4% respectively. Approximately 62% of patients culture-positive for SAG were also infected with P. aeruginosa and 53.8% of SAG recovered in culture were from CF patients experiencing PE. These findings further support the claim that interspecies interactions among emerging and classic CF pathogens may result in periods of clinical instability or PE. Twenty-eight of the 75 patients were culture-positive for Veillonella species, with the majority of samples collected during a period of surveillance. Four colistin-resistant NF GNRs were isolated on the study media alone. The selective nature of the study media prevented the mixed respiratory flora and classic CF pathogens from overgrowing and obscuring the growth of these colistin-resistant NF GNRs. The presence and role of emerging pathogens in the CF patient population at VCUMC warrants further investigation; therefore, the routine culture protocol needs to be revised to recover and select for those organisms thought to play a role in PE and lung function decline