Conversations in Robin Hood Country

While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Katie O\u27Brien describes her observations during her study abroad program at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, England

Camera-Enforced Streets: Creating an Anti-Racist System of Traffic Enforcement

(Excerpt) On July 10, 2015, Sandra Bland was pulled over while driving in Prairie View, Texas, for failure to signal a lane change after moving to allow a trooper’s vehicle to pass her car. As the stop progressed, the trooper ordered Bland to get out of her car. When she refused, the trooper threatened to “yank [Bland] out” of her car and “light [her] up” with his taser. After Bland left her vehicle, Trooper Encinia handcuffed her, wrestled her to the ground, and kneeled on her. He later falsely claimed that Bland assaulted him. Three days later, police found Bland hanging in her jail cell. Officials ruled her death to be a suicide. Less than a year later, on July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, Officer Yanez pulled Philando Castile over as he drove his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter. Reynolds claims they were told to stop because of a broken taillight. However, over the police scanner, Officer Yanez stated he was stopping the vehicle to check Castile’s ID because Castile and Reynolds looked “like people that were involved in a robbery” and Castile especially “look[ed] more like one of [the robbery] suspects, just because of the wide-set nose.” One minute into the stop, Officer Yanez drew his weapon and shot Castile multiple times. The officer claimed he fired his gun because he believed Castile was reaching for the gun Castile had reported having in the vehicle. In the Facebook live video capturing the shooting’s aftermath, Reynolds can be heard saying “You told him to get his ID sir, his driver’s license. . . . He was just getting his license and registration, sir.” Officials pronounced Castile dead at the hospital. Although only Bland and Castile’s final traffic stops and tragic deaths made headlines, those stops were only two of the dozens they experienced. Police first stopped Castile when he was eighteen when he was driving with his learner’s permit. “From there, he descended into a seemingly endless cycle of traffic stops, fines, court appearances, late fees, [driver’s license] revocations and reinstatements in various jurisdictions.” In his fourteen years of driving, police stopped Castile fifty-two times, resulting in eighty-six minor traffic offenses and 6,588 in fines and fees. National Public Radio’s analysis of forty-six of Castile’s stops showed that only six of the stops were for “things a police officer would notice from outside the car — things like speeding or having a broken muffler.” Many of the reports listed no reason for the stop at all. Sandra Bland was similarly plagued with frequent traffic stops; she struggled with the debt created by traffic citations. While driving around Houston and her nearby University, Prairie View A&M, Bland was “deluged with traffic tickets, fines, and court costs.” The cost of tickets would balloon due to the fees and surcharges Texas and localities added to the tickets. Some of the additional charges included “a 25 ‘records management’ fee, a $15 ‘judicial fund’ fee,” and fees to fund “services for people with brain and spinal-cord injuries,” and the local “juvenile-justice school.” Bland’s debt to Texas became so unmanageable that she had to “sit out” her debt by serving six weeks in jail. And when she moved to Illinois, her problems with traffic stops continued. In 2013, a stop for speeding in Naperville, Illinois ended in$4,000 in fines. The fines from that stop were greater than half of her gross income that year. Castile and Bland’s histories of frequent police stops are examples of the larger problem of the increased police scrutiny faced by those “Driving While Black.” Racially-targeted police practices are part of the large legacy of American police enforcing racial caste systems—from slavery to the New Jim Crow. Pulling over Black drivers is, in part, a method encouraged during the “war on drugs.” This was due in part to “racist profiles of supposed drug carriers.” Today, studies continue to document that Black drivers are still far more likely to be pulled over than white drivers

The Effect of Alpine Skiing on Behavior of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder as Viewed by their Parent.

Research has shown that physical activity and sensory input can have positive effects on the behavior of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study sought to examine whether participation in a seven week alpine skiing program had an effect on behaviors of children with an ASD as well as to examine the family’s perspective regarding their child’s participation in the program. Participants were recruited through an adaptive ski program and included three children with an ASD and one of their parent\u27s. The Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) was used to assess sensory-based behaviors. A questionnaire was developed to (1) examine parent-identified hopes for ski program participation and the extent the hopes were fulfilled and (2) describe the intensity of parent-identified challenging behaviors and the effect of the ski program on these behaviors. These measures were completed before and after the child’s participation in the seven week ski program. Results indicated subtle changes in behaviors. Additionally, some associations were found between changes in behavior and the fulfillment of parent-identified hopes for ski program participation. Further studies should examine how occupational therapists can use recreational activities, such as alpine skiing, to complement treatment activities when working with children with an ASD

The Family and Medical Leave Act’s Impact on the Hospitality Industry: Implementing Policies to Ensure Continued Productivity

The Family and Medical Leave Act, (FMLA), allows women and men to take up to 12 weeks leave to care for a newborn child (maternity leave) and/or care for sick family members. The Department of Labor states that: FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave (Family and Medical Leave Act - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor, 2012). When an employee decides to take advantage of FMLA, there are often instances, even if an employer is given enough advanced notice, where a business is not prepared for the person’s departure. The business has not hired any temporary personnel and/or does not have a person on staff that is available to assist the team or department with the necessary work to ensure the department continues to function smoothly. Additionally, if a woman is pregnant or a family member has a sudden illness, there may be multiple reasons that the employee has to leave work earlier than expected and even stay longer than FMLA dictates. Any of these contingencies can stop the smooth flow of the work process

Can Yamhill County Feed Itself?

In this paper, we considered the following question: If Yamhill County in northwest Oregon were to become isolated, would the population be able to survive off the agricultural products grown within its boundaries? We looked at what the farms in Yamhill County grow and how large of a population they could support. Essentially, this looked at the feasibility of a purely local food system within the borders of Yamhill County. We hypothesized that Yamhill County would not be able to feed itself without outsourcing; stemming from this hypothesis, we examined the maximum amount of food that can be produced locally and what would need to be imported to meet basic nutritional guidelines. A study done in 2010 looked at the local food system of the Willamette Valley and compared the local agriculture with dietary needs for the population to determine if the valley could support itself. The study determined that the Willamette Valley does not meet any of the nutrient needs for a healthy diet given by the USDA for any of the food groups (Giombolini et al, 2010). Due to the scope and methods of this study, we decided to use this paper as a model for examining the local food system of Yamhill County

Open Lab vs. Radiologic Students Final Practical Grades

Open Lab provides the students of the Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging Department the opportunity outside regular class time to practice communicating effectively in a health care setting, and grants the students the freedom to craft critical thinking skills in a radiologic environment. Our research aims to analyze the correlation between hourly time spent in Open Lab, and its contributing factor to a student\u27s overall Radiographic Procedures grade. The amount of time spent in Open Lab can additionally contribute to a student\u27s grasp of didactic concepts, and their integration into the clinical setting. Additional time spent in the laboratory can demonstrate a student\u27s ability to visualize structures radiographically as well as demonstrate a student’s positioning plan to acquire a diagnostic image. Analyzation of data collected will show how Open Lab has helped imaging students to understand the didactic component of positioning and integrate it into their lab practical performance progressively. A gradual improvement can be shown as students\u27 positioning and imaging will reflect during lab practical examinations. Data accumulated is essential in showing how Open Lab truly aids in the development of that student into an ARRT Registered Radiologic Technologist. It is of utmost importance as newly accepted students have minimal exposure to unfamiliar radiologic content and equipment knowledge that results from the span of Two years spent in the Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging program at New York City College of Technology

Investigating the Potential and Pitfalls of EV-Encapsulated MicroRNAs as Circulating Biomarkers of Breast Cancer

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) shuttle microRNA (miRNA) throughout the circulation and are believed to represent a fingerprint of the releasing cell. We isolated and characterized serum EVs of breast tumour-bearing animals, breast cancer (BC) patients, and healthy controls. EVs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), protein quantification, western blotting, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Absolute quantitative (AQ)-PCR was employed to analyse EV-miR-451a expression. Isolated EVs had the appropriate morphology and size. Patient sera contained significantly more EVs than did healthy controls. In tumour-bearing animals, a correlation between serum EV number and tumour burden was observed. There was no significant relationship between EV protein yield and EV quantity determined by NTA, highlighting the requirement for direct quantification. Using AQ-PCR to relate miRNA copy number to EV yield, a significant increase in miRNA-451a copies/EV was detected in BC patient sera, suggesting potential as a novel biomarker of breast cancer