Refugees in Context: A Systemic,Intersectional Exploration of Discrimination in the United States

International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling - The goal of this study was to examine how individual, community, and socio-political mechanisms of discrimination intersect, manifest, and...     

Breaking Down Barriers for Student Parents and Caregivers with Family-Friendly Library Spaces

Abstract

In 2016, J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte opened a reservable study room where student parents and caregivers can study with their children on campus. In 2018, the library opened a second family-friendly study room to meet the needs of our growing campus community. To inform the room design, the library conducted a mixed methods research study that included a user survey, an examination of room reservation and usage data, and one-on-one user interviews. This paper focuses on the user-centered design process used to inform the development of the second, family-friendly, library study room.     

Could knee joint mechanics during the golf swing be contributing to chronic knee injuries in professional golfers?

ABSTRACT

Full three-dimensional movements and external moments in golfers’ knees and the possible involvement in injuries have not been evaluated using motion capture at high sample frequencies. This study measured joint angles and external moments around the three anatomical axes in both knees of 10 professional golfers performing golf drives whilst standing on two force plates in a motion capture laboratory. Significant differences were found in the knee joint moments between the lead and trail limbs for the peak values and throughout all stages during the swing phase. A significantly higher net abduction moment impulse was seen in the trail limb compared with the lead limb (?0.518 vs. ?0.135 Nms.kg^?1), indicating greater loading over the whole swing, which could contribute to knee lateral compartment or anterior cruciate ligament injuries. A significant correlation (r = ?0.85) between clubhead speed at ball contact and maximum joint moment was found, with the largest correlations being found for joint moments at the top of the backswing event and at the end of the follow-through. Therefore, although knee moments can contribute to high clubhead speeds, the large moments and impulses suggest that they may also contribute to chronic knee injuries or exacerbate existing conditions.     

Genetic Polymorphism of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptors and Their Effect on the Clinical Outcome of Captopril Treatment in Arab Iraqi Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (Mid Euphrates)

Genetic variation in the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) has an important effect on the outcome of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) initiated treatment with captopril. This study aims to investigate the impact of genetic polymorphism of AT1R (rs5186 and rs275651) on the ACS outcome in Iraqi patients treated with captopril. A total of 250 Iraqi individuals with ACS were included in this case—control study and they were divided into two study groups; Study group 1 included 125 participants who were prescribed captopril, 25 mg twice daily and study group 2 included 125 participants who received no captopril as part of their ACS treatment (control study). The AT1R gene (rs5186) CC genotype was found to be associated with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (Odd’s ratio (O.R) = 1.2, P = 0.7), while AC was associated with Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA) (O.R = 1.2, P = 0.8). AC genotype is more prone to have Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after ACS attack (O.R = 1.2, P = 0.6). CC genotype had a risk to get less improvement (O.R = 1.6, P = 0.5), so might require higher doses of captopril during acute coronary insult. The AT1R gene (rs275651) AA genotype was associated with UA (O.R = 1.3, P = 0.9). AA and AT genotypes were more prone to have PCI after ACS attack (O.R = 3.9 P = 0.2, O.R = 3.5, P = 0.3 respectively) and thus requiring higher doses of captopril. We conclude that the AT1R rs5186, rs275651 genetic polymorphisms might partially affect the clinical outcome of ACS patients treated with captopril and might have captopril resistance which requires higher doses.     

Mediated absent presence in forced displacement

ABSTRACT

For many forcefully displaced people worldwide, notions around one’s sense of “home” and “place” in the world are perpetually unsettled. This article explores how digital technologies interact with embodied, material experiences within the geographical location refugees are residing in. Empirical examples from ethnographic research conducted among Iraqi urban refugees, living in prolonged uncertainty in Jordan, shows how situated experiences of legal, material, and social uncertainty reinforce particular mediated socialities. Pivotal studies have shown how digital connections engender virtual home-making practices and a wide variety of connected presences. This study points to the other side of the same coin: the cultivation of “absent presence.” “Absent presence” refers to feelings—the ambivalence that experiences of prolonged displacement bring about—but also to active disengagement and affective tactics in response. These engender a further separation from the physical world where forced migrants are not deemed welcome.     

Data Visualization as Participatory Research: A Model for Digital Collections to Inspire User-Driven Research

The emerging creative practices of digital collections are increasing in prominence thanks to the access to, and appeal of, data visualizations. Interactive data visualizations, such as a map, timeline, chart, graph, or artist’s rendering of data, enable users to pursue their own research interests within a collection and participate in new areas of research. Use of these data visualizations enhances the scope of the collection and enables a modern and diverse thematic collection to emerge. This article considers the question: Does the addition of data visualizations affect how users participate with a research collection? Impacts on collection development, application of user-centered design, and analysis of users’ exploratory strategies are discussed. Examples of data visualizations used in digital humanities projects and digital collections are presented as case studies.     

Getting What You Pay For: Children's Use of Market Norms to Regulate Exchanges

Children are sensitive to a number of considerations influencing distributions of resources, including equality, equity, and reciprocity. We tested whether children use a specific type of reciprocity norm—market norms—in which resources are distributed differentially based strictly on amount offered in return. In two studies, 195 children 5–10 years and 60 adults distributed stickers to friends offering same or different amounts of money. Overall, participants distributed more equally when offers were the same and more unequally when offers were different. Although sensitive to why friends offered different amounts of money, children increasingly incorporated market norms into their distributions with age, as the oldest children and adults distributed more to those offering more, irrespective of the reasons provided.     

Best of both worlds or refusal to comply? The rich kids of Tehran on Instagram

ABSTRACT

This article offers a textual analysis and semiotic reading of the Rich Kids of Tehran's (RKOT’s) Instagram page. Contributing to scholarship on Iranian youth media practices, this article interrogates how the RKOT navigate urban and rural space to engage in everyday processes of resistance against global and local systemic oppression. Grounding their visual representations on Instagram in historical and cultural context, the author questions how and when quotidian actions are transformed into political transgressions when posted on social media. This article emphasizes the RKOT's agency in shaping their brand by analyzing representations of gender performance, intertextuality, and national identity on Instagram.