Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Recital, Michael Wilcoxon, violin

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1764/thumbnail.jp

Lower Levels of Physical Activity Are Associated with Increased Severity of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors

Limited information exists on the effects of self-reported exercise on subjective and objective measures of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). In this study, we evaluated for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as subjective and objective measures of CIPN and balance among 290 cancer survivors with CIPN who were classified into one of three exercise (Ex) groups (i.e., NoEx, LessEx, RecEX) based on the recommended level of >150 minutes per week. Survivors completed self-report questionnaires and underwent a sensory examination and balance testing. Compared to RecEx group (34.8%), survivors in the NoEx group (20.7%) had less education, were less likely to be married/partnered, had a lower household income, a higher level of comorbidity, and a poorer functional status. No differences were found among the three exercise groups in duration of CIPN, pain intensity scores, or changes in light touch, cold and pain sensations. However, compared to the RecEx group, survivors in the NoEx group had higher vibratory thresholds and worse scores on objective measures of balance. Based on our “real world” findings, clinicians can recommend walking as a therapeutic option, as well as referrals to physical therapy for additional balance and strength training in survivors with CIPN

Eating Healthy on a Budget: A Grocery Cart Display

Many barriers to healthy eating have been reported including having to give up favorite food dishes, consuming lesser desired food items, and perceiving that fresh, unprocessed food is too expensive. For a week, customers were able to view a display of two grocery carts: one filled with healthy foods and the other filled with unhealthy foods. Each cart had the cost and nutritive values of the contents posted. For 6 hours on 3 different days, the researcher interviewed interested shoppers (n=33). While the majority of the shoppers indicated they were very concerned about their families eating healthy (mean score 4.2/5), the belief that they could purchase a week\u27s worth of healthy meals at the SNAP level was uncertain (mean score 3.5/5). Additionally, participants were uncertain (mean score of 3.2/5) about their ability to eat healthy on a budget. While the grocery cart display caused participants to pause and think for a moment, 82% stated that seeing the display did not change their opinion about eating healthy on a budget. While this awareness activity did not seem to promote behavior change or a change in self-efficacy, it did lead customers to reflect on his/her eating patterns. A noted limitation of the study was that the display was after groceries were purchased. Placement of the carts, provision of healthy eating handout, and the interview time with the researcher might have been better received before shopping. Future research endeavors could include supermarket tours or in-store food testings

African Americans Aging in Minnesota\u27s Urban Facilities: A Phenomenological Study of their Lived Experiences

Older Adults are a rapidly growing population in the United States and in the state of Minnesota (Passel & Cohn, 2008, Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2018). African Americans as well as other minority groups experience race, socioeconomic status, and health disparity issues found to be “large, pervasive, and persistent over time” (Williams, Mohammed, Leavell & Collings, 2010, p. 93). This study asks three questions to learn about the lived experiences of African American Older Adults residing in a large Minneapolis nursing facility: How they experience life in the nursing facility; what elements of racial disparities exist in the facility as they experience them, and how staff/administrator perceive such racial disparities. In-depth interviews, participant observations and research of facility were sources of data. Answers revealed that: Seven out of the ten interviewees moved North to avoid segregation and seek a better life for themselves and their families. Each African American resident participant grew up under segregation surrounded by loving adults who buffered them from their suffering and providing solidarity in their shared experiences of dehumanization. The African American resident participants exhibited strength, resilience, pride, joy and triumph as they examined their lived experiences and took stock that they have indeed overcome obstacles. It is recommended that staff and administrators explore training in understanding disparities, inequities, and structural racism to be better prepared to welcome diverse residents, and to better match residents’ wants and preferences. Inviting resident participants’ voices into the administration of the nursing facility and listening to their opinions, suggestions and ideas for improvement of the quality of their experiences in the facility, could help add to their quality of life, provide opportunities for their voices to be heard both inside and outside the facilities in the community where it is located

Marshall University Music Department Presents a Junior Recital, Michael Wilcoxon, violin, Nathanial Ramsey, violin

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1361/thumbnail.jp

An Improvement Study of the Decomposition-based Algorithm Global WASF-GA for Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

The convergence and the diversity of the decompositionbased evolutionary algorithm Global WASF-GA (GWASF-GA) relies on a set of weight vectors that determine the search directions for new non-dominated solutions in the objective space. Although using weight vectors whose search directions are widely distributed may lead to a well-diversified approximation of the Pareto front (PF), this may not be enough to obtain a good approximation for complicated PFs (discontinuous, non-convex, etc.). Thus, we propose to dynamically adjust the weight vectors once GWASF-GA has been run for a certain number of generations. This adjustment is aimed at re-calculating some of the weight vectors, so that search directions pointing to overcrowded regions of the PF are redirected toward parts with a lack of solutions that may be hard to be approximated. We test different parameters settings of the dynamic adjustment in optimization problems with three, five, and six objectives, concluding that GWASF-GA performs better when adjusting the weight vectors dynamically than without applying the adjustment.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Strontium Anomalies in Till of the Powell-Union City Moraine, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology and Mineralogy, The Ohio State UniversityThe strontium concentration of till from the Powell-Union City Moraine varies with grain size and has maximum values in the —120 + 200 mesh (70— 125 /Jim) fractions. It correlates positively with the carbonate content of till but depends also on the presence of feldspar, clay and other minerals. The strontium content of —120 + 200 mesh fractions of 19 till samples collected along the Powell-Union City Moraine increases from about 100 ppm in central Ohio up to 220 ppm at the Indiana border. The increase coincides with a change in the lithologic composition of the bedrock from sandstone and shale (Mississippian and Devonian) to carbonate rocks (Devonian and Silurian). Two positive strontium anomalies were found at Fulton and Piqua that might be attributed to the presence of celestite (SrSO4) derived from the underlying bedrock. However, no celestite was found in the till samples. The excess strontium concentrations of samples in the Fulton anomaly correlate positively with their K-feldspar/plagioclase ratios and appear to be caused by a change in the mineralogical composition of feldspar rather than by an increase in the abundance of this mineral. The cause for the Piqua anomaly is unknown