INTO THE WEST AND BACK OUT AGAIN: AN EXAMINATION OF CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EXCHANGE IN THE GILDED AGE UNITED STATES

The purpose of this study is to provide a historical analysis of American culture and society at the turn of the twentieth-century, challenging the conceptualization of social isolation, cultural subjectivity, and urban conflict of the rural Midwest. Detailed research utilizes a synthesized mixture of primary sources, contemporary to the Gilded Age, and a volume of scholastic analysis of Midwestern and American history to establish the significance of rural, Midwest communities in the development of social and cultural standards in the United States. A flipped historical focus shifts the rural Midwest from an urban periphery to the center and nexus of social and cultural exchange, development, and expression. Sources and scholarship on rural America highlight the voluntary participation in activities, opportunities, organizations, and behaviors demonstrate the reciprocal development of a national culture, standards, and ideologies. As active participants in a variety of social movements, economic practices, sponsored programs and policies, demographic and occupation shifts, rural Midwesterners were at the heart of prevailing cultural and social standards. The power of Midwestern voluntarism and rural acceptance, adaptation, and dissemination significant to the establishment of a national culture, social institutions and ideologies. The local and national associations, organizations, programs, and activities throughout American society at the turn of the twentieth century was a transfusion between the West and the East, both reflecting and contributing to a national cultural and social standards. Research shows there was not a prevailing urban-rural conflict in cultural development or social reform as some analysis has argued. The codependent relationship between national organizers and local participants challenges the misconception of Eastern or urban influences dictating Western or rural modernity, social reform, and cultural development. The shaping of American society has been a mutual cultural exchange between multiple centers of influence. The rural Midwest is a key component in the formation and expression of American institutions, ideologies, values, and practices

A Comparative Look at How Professionals Perceive Social Communication Intervention for School-aged Children

This study examined how different practitioners, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, and psychologists, integrate social communication goals into their daily sessions when working with school-aged children. An online survey was sent out to practitioners in Midwestern cities in the United States to assess their opinions on implementation, execution, and usage of social communication in therapy or class sessions. The survey also outlined the six principles of social communication as described by Fujiki and Brinton (2000), and asked the participants to rank these principles in how challenging they are to implement into their sessions. The purpose of this study was to ultimately observe how frequently different practitioners use social communication intervention when working with school-aged children, along with understanding any facilitators and barriers to acting in accordance with the principles from Fujiki and Brinton’s study. The results of this study demonstrated the desires practitioners have to utilize more collaborative and interactive interventions when working with children with social communication challenges, along with the necessity for more resources and time to be dedicated to this particular field

Maternal Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Pregnancy and its Relation to Infant Size

Recent evidence indicates that U.S.-born infants are larger today compared to 20 years ago. A strong determinant of neonatal size is maternal body mass, where larger mothers deliver larger infants. Consistent evidence indicates that higher levels of maternal physical activity (PA) during pregnancy reduce the risk of delivering a larger infant. However, this protective effect has only been demonstrated in normal weight pregnant women. Little is known about the relationship between maternal PA and neonatal size in overweight or obese pregnant women. Moreover, no studies have examined the association between maternal cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), an indicator of habitual PA, on infant size in this pregnant subpopulation. Thus, the overall purpose of this dissertation was to determine if maternal PA moderates the association between maternal body mass and infant size and whether maternal PA and/or CRF are associated with neonatal size in overweight or obese pregnant women. In study one, logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the moderating roles of maternal PA in the preconception and prenatal periods on the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and the risk of delivering a macrosomic infant. Maternal BMI and physical activity served as the main predictor variables. Regression models were adjusted for maternal age and race/ethnicity, gestational age and weight gain, smoking and alcohol use, and infant sex. Overweight or obese pregnant women had increased odds of delivering a macrosomic infant (OR = 1.69, p=0.34; OR=1.00, p=0.13, respectively), after adjusting for covariates. The present study does not support the hypothesis that maternal PA prior to or during pregnancy alters the relationship between maternal BMI and infant size. In study two, multiple linear regression models were constructed to determine the independent and joint associations of maternal PA and CRF with infant birthweight. Maternal PA and CRF were the main predictors and regression models were adjusted for gestational age, maternal age and weight gain, and group allocation. After adjusting for covariates, multiple linear regression analyses showed that maternal PA (steps.day-1.month-1) (β= 0.03 g, 95% CI: -0.03, 0.08g) and CRF (ml O2.kg-1.min-1) (β= -8.83 g, 95%CI: -42.2, 24.5 g) were not independently nor jointly (β= 0.006 g, 95%CI: -0.005, 0.005 g) associated with offspring birthweight. Contrary to hypotheses, maternal PA and CRF during pregnancy were not related to infant birthweight in overweight or obese pregnant women. In study three, individual trajectories for maternal PA in the prenatal period were estimated via repeated measures analyses to represent the change in PA from mid (4th month) to late (8th month) pregnancy. Multiple linear regression models were then performed to determine the association between change in prenatal PA and birthweight. Change in maternal PA was the main predictor and regression models were adjusted for gestational age, weight gain, maternal age and group allocation. PA declined from the 4th to the 8th month of pregnancy (- 399.73 ± 371.38 steps.day-1.month-1). After adjusting for covariates, multiple linear regression analyses showed that the decline in prenatal PA (β= -0.28 g, 95%CI: -0.70, 0.25 g, p=0.35) was not associated with birthweight. In addition, CRF (β= 0.04 g, 95%CI: -0.06 g, 0.14 g, p=0.697) did not exhibit a moderating effect. Maternal physical activity declined in mid-to-late pregnancy, and contrary to hypotheses, the observed decrement was found to be unrelated to infant birthweight. Overall, the findings from these studies demonstrate that higher levels of maternal physical activity prior to and during pregnancy do not modify the relationship between maternal body mass and neonatal size. In addition, these findings indicate that maternal physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness do not independently or jointly associate with neonatal birthweight. These studies provide information about these relationships in an understudied subpopulation and contribute to this rapidly growing area of research. Several recommendations are suggested to address the limitations of these studies including sampling strategies that will increase variability in PA and CRF levels, more rigorous and precise measures of PA and infant anthropometry and the inclusion of metabolic biomarker assessments

Augmenting Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety with tDCS

Purpose/Background: Exposure therapy is one of the most potent techniques available to treat social anxiety. However, studies suggest that exposure therapy only produces full remission in 20-50% of patients. Furthermore, laboratory conditioning and extinction studies suggest that fear responses toward individuals who differ from one\u27s own ethnicity/race may be more resistant to extinction. Because activation of the medial prefrontal cortex has been associated with facilitating fear reduction during exposure therapy, we expect that targeting activation of this region with a stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may improve outcomes from exposure therapy for social anxiety. The present study will therefore test the hypotheses that (1) fear responding at baseline will be greater toward an audience that does not match (vs matches) the participant\u27s own ethnicity, (2) pairing exposure therapy with active (vs sham) tDCS will facilitate alleviation of social anxiety symptoms, and (3) pairing exposure therapy with active (vs sham) tDCS facilitates extinction of fear response toward individuals who differ from the participant\u27s own ethnicity. Materials & Methods: We are recruiting Latino and non-Latino/Caucasian undergraduates with a fear of public speaking, the most commonly feared situation among individuals with social anxiety. Participants (N = 128) will receive either active/anodal (n = 64) or sham (n = 64) tDCS stimulation targeting the mPFC during an exposure therapy session delivered through virtual reality (VR). During exposure therapy, participants will complete six, 3-minute public speaking trials, alternating in a randomized order between audiences that are 75% matched to the participant\u27s ethnicity and 75% unmatched to the participant\u27s ethnicity. At one-month follow up, participants will complete two behavioral avoidance tests (BATs) parallel to therapy procedures, with one ethnic-matched trial and one ethnic-unmatched trial. Fear response during each BAT will be assessed behaviorally (duration of speech), physiologically (heart rate variability and electrodermal response), and subjectively (peak fear rating, on a 0 to 100 scale). At baseline and one-month follow-up, participants will also complete a battery of social anxiety questionnaires. Results: We will present methods and preliminary findings from the study. Results will include a preliminary examination of whether fear responding is greater toward individuals who differ from (vs match) the participant\u27s own ethnicity, whether pairing exposure therapy with active (vs sham) tDCS facilitates alleviation of social anxiety symptoms overall, and whether pairing exposure therapy with active (vs sham) tDCS facilitates alleviation of social anxiety responding toward individuals who differ from (vs match) the participant\u27s own ethnicity. Discussion/Conclusion: Findings point to key strategies to improve outcomes from exposure therapy for social anxiety, and could also have implications for improving response to exposure-based therapies for other anxiety disorders. Furthermore, if tDCS facilitates reductions in fear response toward ethnic/racial out-groups, minority/Latino individuals may experience better generalization of treatment effects for daily-life scenarios (in which they are surrounded by outgroup members), and ethnic/racial majority individuals will be better able to contribute to an inclusive social environment

Exploring the Impacts of an Open Door Policy and a Mindfulness Room at the Intercollegiate Speech (Individual Events) Tournament

Two distinct tournament features were offered at a regional intercollegiate individual events swing: 1.) an open door policy for all competition rounds and 2.) a mindfulness room for students. A 16-item survey (with both qualitative and quantitative prompts) was administered at the conclusion of the swing to gain a sense of participants’ perceptions of past tournament experiences and experiences with the newly implemented features. Seventy-one (n=71) respondents participated (competitors, coaches, tournament staff, and hired judges). Analysis of the data revealed: 40% of participants had felt the need to leave a round in the past (a disproportionate 80% of which were women, nonbinary, or genderqueer), a clear quantitative increase in perceived confidence that competitors felt to leave the room as needed after the reading of the open door policy, judges and students had divergent perceptions on the effectiveness of the open door policy, and while the mindfulness room concept was praised, the main criticisms were the size and levels of accessibility to the room. The authors offer suggestions for administering an open door policy and a mindfulness room in a forensics context

Likelihood of Marine Pest introduction to the Indian Ocean Territories

The introduction of new species to environments in which they did not evolve has been widely recognised as one of the top five threats to marine ecosystem function and to biodiversity (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005)

Eye movements in mild traumatic brain injury: Clinical challenges

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, is a common injury which affects patients of all demographics. There is a global effort to accurately diagnose and identify patients at highest risk of prolonged symptom burden to facilitate appropriate rehabilitation efforts. Underreporting is common with large numbers not engaging with services, in addition to differences in treatment outcomes according to ethnicity, age, and gender. As patients recover, symptomology evolves which challenges rehabilitative efforts with no clear definition of ‘recovered’. This review describes key areas in mTBI such as diagnostic challenges, epidemiology, prognosis, and pathophysiology which serves as an introduction to “Eye Movements in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Ocular Biomarkers.

Eye movements in mild traumatic brain injury: Ocular biomarkers

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI, or concussion), results from direct and indirect trauma to the head (i.e. a closed injury of transmitted forces), with or without loss of consciousness. The current method of diagnosis is largely based on symptom assessment and clinical history. There is an urgent need to identify an objective biomarker which can not only detect injury, but inform prognosis and recovery. Ocular motor impairment is argued to be ubiquitous across mTBI subtypes and may serve as a valuable clinical biomarker with the recent advent of more affordable and portable eye tracking technology. Many groups have positively correlated the degree of ocular motor impairment to symptom severity with a minority attempting to validate these findings with diffusion tract imaging and functional MRI. However, numerous methodological issues limit the interpretation of results, preventing any singular ocular biomarker from prevailing. This review will comprehensively describe the anatomical susceptibility, clinical measurement, and current eye tracking literature surrounding saccades, smooth pursuit, vestibulo-ocular reflex, vergence, pupillary light reflex, and accommodation in mTBI

The effects of a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and self-monitoring intervention on physical activity and fitness in middle school students

A large body of evidence suggests physical activity is inversely associated with several cardio-metabolic risk factors among children and adolescents. Despite these health benefits, a majority of youth are not meeting the physical activity guidelines set forth by the USDHHS. Schools have been identified as an ideal vehicle for interventions; however, research evidence indicates school-based interventions are not effective at increasing outside of school physical activity. Goal setting may be a potential effective strategy for increasing physical activity among youth; however no previous studies have examined the effects of goal setting on cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity in middle school students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and self-monitoring intervention on fitness and physical activity in middle school students. Two middle schools in Tallahassee, FL participated in this study. One school served as the intervention and the other served as a delayed intervention measurement only control. The students in the intervention school completed a one-time S.M.A.R.T. goal setting lesson. During the lesson, students were taught the definition of a goal, the importance of goal setting, and how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. As part of the lesson, students completed a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting worksheet. The objectives of the worksheet activity were to teach students the concepts of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and to apply this knowledge by creating personal fitness goals. Student fitness goals were entered into an interactive website that acted as a self-monitoring tool. Before and after the intervention, participating students completed a survey assessing student demographics, physical activity, and physical activity self-efficacy. Cardiorespiratory fitness levels, assessed by the PACER test, were also measured pre and post. Betweengroup differences in post-test scores, adjusted for baseline levels, were assessed for statistical significance using ANCOVA. Additional covariates included gender, race/ethnicity, grade level and weight status. After adjustment for baseline levels, students in the intervention school exhibited significantly higher PACER laps in comparison to the control school ((F[subscript (1,257)] = 58.0) p<0.0001)). The PACER scores in intervention school increased from 40.6 laps to 45.9 laps while the PACER scores in the comparison school decreased. There were no significant between-group differences for physical activity or self-efficacy Although these results require replication in larger studies using a group randomized study design and objective measures of physical activity, the results suggest that teaching students about S.M.A.R.T. goal setting may be a potentially effective strategy for increasing fitness in middle school students and worthy of further investigatio