Allyship Project: The Importance of Religious Diversity

Many Christian Americans in the United States experience privilege due to Christianity being the majority religion in most of the West. Religious groups including Jews and Muslims in the United States often experience lives of marginalization and oppression due to being the minority. This article explores the relationship between these three religions as all being traced back to the ancient figure of Abraham, and the different experiences individuals have as part of these religions

Supporting Kindergarten Classroom Teachers: Improving Literacy with Young English Learners

The intent of this research was to determine to what extent will Kindergarten teachers’ feeling of efficacy when working with EL students increase when given: personalized support in using the SIOP model, technology opportunities for students to work on academic vocabulary in their first language, and training on how to make their lesson content more comprehensible to their EL students. The study involved two Kindergarten teachers in two suburban elementary schools. Data collection methods included two pre- and post-project surveys, three collaborative lesson planning sessions, three classroom observations, and three post-observation meetings. Neither participant felt it was beneficial to add a technology component as a means of reinforcing the content academic vocabulary in the EL student’s first language. However, both participants’ comfort level increased as a result of the collaboration and training. This study proved to be an effective method that improved participants’ feeling of efficacy when working with their EL students

Quantum optics with 87Rb vapour in the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime

We present experimental studies of quantum optics with $^{87}$Rb vapour in the hyperfine Paschen-Back (HFPB) regime. We use a \SI{0.6}{\tesla} magnet to enter the HFPB regime, where, for Rb, the atomic transitions are separated by more than their Doppler width. This allows us to create clean 3- or 4-levels systems, which we model simply and effectively by solving the Lindblad master equation. We study electromagnetically induced transparency in a V configuration in the HFPB, where we see large, clean absorption and corresponding transmission features. We model the system, and use the model to understand the role of coherence in the features seen. We carry out seeded four-wave mixing in a double ladder scheme (5S$_{1/2}$--5P$_{3/2}$--5D$_{5/2}$), both in and out of the HFPB regime, and compare the two regimes. The simplicity of the system in the HFPB regime allows us to model the system to understand the features we see in the experimental spectra. We convert our seeded FWM into spontaneous FWM, which we use to produce pairs of heralded single photons. We find the zero-field regime to be more efficient for the production of these pairs, and measure $g^{(2)}(0)= 0.25\pm0.02$, demonstrating that this is a single photon source. Throughout, we make use of lens cavity etalon filters, which we commission, characterise and compare to atomic line filters. We investigate fine structure changing collisions, which transfer atoms between 5P states, and can be a significant source of noise for quantum optics experiments in thermal vapours. We deduce that these are Rb-buffer gas collisions, measure the spectra of the fluorescence produced after a collision, and use the resolved spectra of the HFPB regime to determine that the nuclear spin magnetic quantum number, $m_I$, is preserved in these collisions

Aging-in-place: The influence of Covid-19 on smart device acceptance

Covid-19 and the increasing population of older adults in developed countries have increased the need for alternative solutions for preventative health and long-term care. Smart homes and other assistive technology have been proposed as a solution to detect health problems early and prevent major issues later, provide better care access through telemedicine solutions, and support the autonomy of older adults with cognitive or physical issues who wish to continue to live in their homes. Rural older adults' acceptance of assistive technology is understudied compared to other groups, but the few studies available indicated that many tend to reject it. However, Covid-19 may increase interest in the technology, and the goal of this project was to determine if rural Oklahoman older adults' acceptance of the technology has increased enough for it to be implemented. This is a qualitative study that used Grounded Theory coding to determine common themes of participants to determine the level of acceptance. Interviews indicated that acceptance is still low for some devices but that rural older Oklahomans may consider other remote health instruments for specific conditions, fall detection, and home security devices if recommended by a doctor and if their issues with the technology, such as self-image, independence, and financial concerns, were resolved. If the acceptance of these devices is increased in the future, it may be possible to provide better preventative care for rural Oklahomans, detecting problems early and treating the main issues to delay major health complications. This could narrow healthcare disparities between urban and rural older adults, especially during special situations like pandemics

Understanding frozen shoulder in the hemiparetic arm after stroke

Frozen shoulder is more common in the weakened hemiparetic shoulder post stroke than in the general population. Increasing age, micro-vascular co-morbidities and the presence of subluxation make the soft tissue of the hemiparetic shoulder more susceptible to injury and inflammation. Inflammation can trigger fibrosis of the shoulder ligamentous capsule due to a disruption of joint homeostasis. It is this fibrosis that results in the common presenting features of frozen shoulder, namely restriction of passive shoulder external rotation, abduction and internal rotation. Spasticity of shoulder adductors and internal rotators is also common in hemiparesis and is hard to differentiate from frozen shoulder. Diagnostic lateral pectoralis nerve blocks (DNBs) may help to differentiate between the two. However, several muscles often contribute to shoulder adductor and internal rotator spasticity, so there is a risk of false positives with DNBs. Frozen shoulder is still largely a clinical diagnosis after assessment and exclusion of other possibilities. In cases of Frozen shoulder, daily movements of the shoulder joint within tolerable pain limits can help to restore joint homeostasis and lead to reduced pain. Steroid injection (either alone or as part of a hydrodilatation injection) when inflammation is present can also reduce pain and improve range when used in combination with physiotherapy

Smart homes for the elderly of rural Oklahoma: A strategy for ethical implementation

Smart homes, telemedicine, and robots are often proposed as solutions to the upcoming problem of providing care to millions of older adults. The number of elderly in need of care has risen substantially, the number of available caretakers has not kept pace with demand, and this disparity will only increase as the Baby Boomer generation ages. The care of the elderly, which results in dependency on their part, conflicts with the strong individualism of American society, sometimes causing difficulties between the patient and caretaker(s) when making care decisions. Thus, many ethical concerns have been voiced about smart home technology, from privacy issues to fears of isolation (Fritz, 2015). These concerns vary based on the cultural background of the elderly user, with upper-middle class users feeling more comfortable with the technology (Fritz, 2015). Rural users, who are most in need of the technology due to having fewer nearby healthcare providers, and dementia users, who are in need of the technology to help manage their illness during the early stages while living at home, are the ones who tend to distrust the technology the most (Fritz, 2015). Smart home implementation for the elderly has progressed rapidly in recent years, but research has fallen behind in the sense of connecting theory and practice (Berridge, 2018). As a way to address this, the author proposes a study with researchers in the Dept. of Telemedicine at the OSU Medical School in Tulsa of the rural elderly in Oklahoma, since Oklahoma has approved insurance reimbursement for telemedicine, that would be expanded to include assistive technologies for smart homes in order to try to develop a participatory model for the ethical diffusion of this technology on a mass level

The buddy bench and beyond: Exploring complexity-informed approaches to wellbeing education

Enhancing wellbeing in educational settings is a challenging endeavour as wellbeing education is inherently complex. This interdisciplinary conceptual paper aims to bridge the gap between psychological interventions and educational contexts by adopting a complexity lens to consider the puzzle of wellbeing in educational settings. We draw on the fields of positive psychology, educational theory, complexity thinking, and indigenous worldviews to conceptualise wellbeing education and illustrate the need to weave approaches together. Embracing a complexity lens, we offer ways of prompting emergent wellbeing change: incorporating diverse perspectives, trialling nudges, and attending to interactions across the system. We argue that complexity-informed approaches to wellbeing education have the potential to create emergent change in and across complex educational systems

Health care disparities for incarcerated adults after a suicide attempt

OBJECTIVE: Incarcerated adults have high rates of fatal and nonfatal suicidal behaviors. Suicide prevention recommendations stress the need for the provision of health care for incarcerated adults after suicide attempts, yet prison policies and practices often focus instead on punitive responses to suicidal behaviors. Existing research is limited regarding factors that predict the provision of health care to incarcerated adults post-suicide attempt. The current study examined individual, incident, and institutional factors as predictors of health care to incarcerated adults post-suicide attempt. METHOD: We used data from critical incidents reports for suicide attempts (NÂ =Â 495) to conduct mixed-effects logistical regression models. RESULTS: Staff responded to suicide attempts by placing incarcerated adults under direct observation (with no care) or in segregation at odds two and three times higher than of providing health care, particularly in prisons for men. Race was a significant factor; incidents involving Black men were less likely than incidents involving white men to include staff requesting health care, and incidents involving Black women were less likely than incidents involving white women to include requesting and providing health care. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings highlight factors predicting health care responses to suicide attempts and the need to address and prevent health care disparities in prisons