Quantification of depth of anesthesia by nonlinear time series analysis of brain electrical activity

We investigate several quantifiers of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal with respect to their ability to indicate depth of anesthesia. For 17 patients anesthetized with Sevoflurane, three established measures (two spectral and one based on the bispectrum), as well as a phase space based nonlinear correlation index were computed from consecutive EEG epochs. In absence of an independent way to determine anesthesia depth, the standard was derived from measured blood plasma concentrations of the anesthetic via a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model for the estimated effective brain concentration of Sevoflurane. In most patients, the highest correlation is observed for the nonlinear correlation index D*. In contrast to spectral measures, D* is found to decrease monotonically with increasing (estimated) depth of anesthesia, even when a "burst-suppression" pattern occurs in the EEG. The findings show the potential for applications of concepts derived from the theory of nonlinear dynamics, even if little can be assumed about the process under investigation.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

School counselor's role in recognizing and addressing eating disorders in the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2020Eating disorders are recognized as the deadliest mental-health illness. Eating disorder symptoms frequently appear in adolescents in middle school and high school, which is a time when school counselors are part of a teenager’s life. School counseling offers a solid platform to educate and collaborate with stakeholders such as parents, other school staff, and coaches. Fairbanks, Alaska, like other small communities, lacks resources for the treatment of eating disorders. However, there are dieticians, counselors, and doctors in the local community who are able and willing to work together on behalf of a student struggling with an eating disorder or eating disorder symptoms. They can help with treatment for mild cases and with locating an appropriate venue for in treatment care. Based on an examination of current literature on eating disorders and the roles that school counselors can play in recognition of and treatment for young people with eating disorders, a website and booklet have been developed specifically for school counselors in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

Stitching Codeable Circuits: High School Students\u27 Learning About Circuitry and Coding with Electronic Textiles

Learning about circuitry by connecting a battery, light bulb, and wires is a common activity in many science classrooms. In this paper, we expand students’ learning about circuitry with electronic textiles, which use conductive thread instead of wires and sewable LEDs instead of lightbulbs, by integrating programming sensor inputs and light outputs and examining how the two domains interact.We implemented an electronic textiles unit with 23 high school students ages 16–17 years who learned how to craft and code circuits with the LilyPad Arduino, an electronic textile construction kit. Our analyses not only confirm significant increases in students’ understanding of functional circuits but also showcase students’ ability in designing and remixing program code for controlling circuits. In our discussion, we address opportunities and challenges of introducing codeable circuit design for integrating maker activities that include engineering and computing into classrooms

A Randomized Exchange Algorithm for Computing Optimal Approximate Designs of Experiments

We propose a class of subspace ascent methods for computing optimal approximate designs that covers both existing as well as new and more efficient algorithms. Within this class of methods, we construct a simple, randomized exchange algorithm (REX). Numerical comparisons suggest that the performance of REX is comparable or superior to the performance of state-of-the-art methods across a broad range of problem structures and sizes. We focus on the most commonly used criterion of D-optimality that also has applications beyond experimental design, such as the construction of the minimum volume ellipsoid containing a given set of data-points. For D-optimality, we prove that the proposed algorithm converges to the optimum. We also provide formulas for the optimal exchange of weights in the case of the criterion of A-optimality. These formulas enable one to use REX for computing A-optimal and I-optimal designs.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figure

The Right to a Safe and Healthy Birth

The right to a safe and healthy birth is included in the declaration of human rights- the intrinsic allowances that humans are obligated to be protected by on a global scale. These rights, however, for some pregnant women have been submersed by lack of transportation, education and skilled birth attendants. Financial constraints and difficulty in obtaining adequate healthcare are also issues of concern. A review of literature pertaining to three different countries, the United States, China and India will be examined in light of safe and healthy birthing techniques for women worldwide. These countries were chosen due to their diverse injustice issues as it pertains to birthing rights. Education and advocacy efforts in relation to reproductive rights on a global scale will be discussed. Review of the literature not only reveals grave injustices for women and children but it also illuminates ways in which individuals can get involved to help promote the right to a safe and healthy birth. Several movements will be highlighted in order to provide the audience with practical advocacy, education, and relief effort implementations

Self-Reported Sexual Assault in Convicted Sex Offenders and Community Men

Although self-reported sexual assault perpetrated by men against women has been well documented among college men, less is known about self-reported perpetration among convicted sex offenders and community men. This study provides unique descriptive and comparative information on sexual assaults in these understudied populations. Participants were 40 convicted sex offenders and 49 demographically-comparable community men who completed the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Abbey, Parkhill, & Koss, 2005; Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987) and other surveys to capture the promiscous sex and hostile masculinity pathways posited by the confluence model (Malamuth, 2003). We found notably few differences between sex offenders and community men in the rate and severity of sexual assault perpetration and the tactics used to obtain unwanted sexual contact. Specifically, 68% of sex offenders and 59% of community men acknowledged they had perpetrated sexual assault. Both groups used guilt and anger as the most frequent tactics to obtain unwanted sexual activity from their female victims. Consistent with the confluence model, an impersonal orientation towards sexual relationships was associated with sexual assault for both sex offenders and community men. Future directions for research on sexual assault perpetration and violence prevention efforts are discussed in light of these findings

Do Safer Sex Self-Efficacy, Attitudes toward Condoms, and HIV Transmission Risk Beliefs Differ among Men who Have Sex with Men, Heterosexual Men, and Women Living with HIV?

To understand sexual decision-making processes among people living with HIV, we compared safer sex self-efficacy, condom attitudes, sexual beliefs, and rates of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with at-risk partners (UAVI-AR) in the past 3 months among 476 people living with HIV: 185 men who have sex with men (MSM), 130 heterosexual men, and 161 heterosexual women. Participants were enrolled in SafeTalk, a randomized, controlled trial of a safer sex intervention. We found 15% of MSM, 9% of heterosexual men, and 12% of heterosexual women engaged in UAVI-AR. Groups did not differ in self-efficacy or sexual attitudes/beliefs. However, the associations between these variables and UAVI-AR varied within groups: greater self-efficacy predicted less UAVI-AR for MSM and women, whereas more positive condom attitudes – but not self-efficacy – predicted less UAVI-AR for heterosexual men. These results suggest HIV prevention programs should tailor materials to different subgroups

Student Motivation and Perseverance: Do They Explain College Graduation?

  We examine whether college students’ persistence in finding a suitable major field of study influences the likelihood of graduation. We find that students who make an effort to select a suitable major early in their college careers graduate in a more timely fashion. Although changing majors is associated with delayed graduation, struggling students can improve graduation likelihood by switching to a more suitable major. However, performance improvement after switching is necessary for successful completion of a degree. These results indicate that colleges and universities should allocate resources to supporting students in their search for an appropriate major and empower students by providing course guidance and counseling.