Now showing items 41-60 of 167

    • Discoveries in the Genetics of Psychiatric Disorders

      Sigler, Danni (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      What makes schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders different from one another? Conceptually, both are thought to arise from early changes in brain development, and thus belong to the broader category of neurodevelopmental conditions [1]. Today, a particular neurodevelopmental or psychiatric diagnosis is defined by its specific symptomatology – the sum and constellation of an individual’s troubling behaviors and experiences.It was only in the past few decades that scientists have been able to study the biological origin of such neurodevelopmental disorders by examining their genetic contributions. This has been a rapidly advancing area of research and medicine. In certain cases, genetic diagnoses can now help understand and treat individuals with developmental conditions based on their specific genetic profile, in a more personalized and sophisticated fashion than symptom-based diagnoses alone could allow. Since an accurate and informative diagnosis is the cornerstone of good clinical decision making, it is important to acknowledge how advances in genetics are now enriching the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
    • Running on Empty: How COVID Has Affected Our Social Skills

      Kohol, Jaya (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Being away from others can impact our state of mind. The lack of social interaction may invite feelings of isolation and loneliness. But, what does it look like on a biopsychosocial level when one experiences prolonged isolation? Scientists have taken a deep dive into discovering what this does to our minds. With lockdown restrictions being enforced across the world, incidences of psychosocial problems, which affect the individual and their social group, have increased.Isolation due to COVID-19 has had several negative effects on the population, but has especially put a strain on our social skills. This article will explore how COVID has impacted the way we communicate and will communicate with others.
    • Studying Into a Sleep Disorder

      Jozwik, Matthew (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Most students assume that fighting sleep to cram in extra study time is a harmless venture; however, it may in fact be more serious than most people ever think to consider if it becomes habitual. The issue of troubled sleep extends well beyond staying up late one night to prepare for an exam. Disturbances in sleep and poor sleep quality appear to be present in high percentages among college students, and this article will investigate the correlation between college life and sleep disorders/disturbances, as well as effects on academic and everyday performance.
    • Cultural Biases Surrounding the Diagnoses of Mental Illness

      Moola, Esther (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Being biased is a part of human nature. Humans have shown biases throughout history with the creation of distinct stereotypes and reputations for groups of people. Biases in a society can be considered a part of the functioning of that society, until it negatively affects the health and well-being of the individual. Not only recognizing, but also terminating biases is one of the most prominent issues in the field of medicine. How can a medical professional give a proper diagnosis based on the patient if they maintain their personal biases towards the patient’s race, ethnicity, cultural group, or economic standing? It is the biases of the medical professional that contribute to an unjust health system that lacks holistic understanding of the patient. In order to remove these biases when stepping into a medical building, a medical professional must not only recognize the unique background of a patient, but must also determine what biases they as an individual have towards any aspects of that background.
    • Social Media and Body Dysmorphic Disorder

      Sigler, Danni (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      The prevalence of social media in today’s society has increased greatly over the past ten years, especially amongst adolescents who are growing up with the internet and media influencing how they view themselves and the world around them. Social media’s uprise has not only influenced society but also mental health. This influence can be more detrimental at a young age because the adolescent brain is still developing. It is also at this time where symptoms of mental illness, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), can begin to develop [1]. It is important to notice the effects media has on adolescents’ mental health during this developmental moment in their lives. This increased presence of social media could potentially increase the severity of Body Dysmorphic Disorder symptoms.
    • The Laughing Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Comedy

      Sposit, Chelsea (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Imagine yourself sitting in front of your television watching Saturday Night Live (SNL). Michael Che just blurted a line on the Weekend Update segment “the CDC [is] warning people not to eat raw cookie dough because it may contain germs that cause diarrhea, but on the bright side, you can eat cookie dough without gaining weight!” [1]. Not much thought goes into your laughter– as it is an innate physical reaction that comes as naturally as crying [2]. But, have you ever wondered why that line evoked such a reaction from you, but not from your mom who was also watching the show alongside you? In the neuroscientific community, there is a dearth of knowledge on the science behind comedy [3]. Following that intrigue, this article will investigate the neuroscience behind laughter and comedy by utilizing existing research to foster a strong understanding of this topic and potential areas to be investigated in the future.
    • The Use of Eyewitness Testimony as Evidence in Criminal Cases

      Shah, Pushti (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Eyewitness testimony in court is shown to highly sway the opinion of jurors. Jurors trust a confident eyewitness and believe they are telling the truth and that their testimony is accurate [1]. Therefore, it is important that the individuals allowed to testify are accurate in their recollections. The enhanced ability to extract and examine DNA and the widespread usage of DNA as evidence in recent years has exonerated innocent individuals convicted of crimes that occurred before forensic DNA evidence was well understood. Out of those exonerated by DNA evidence, 75% were sentenced based on faulty eyewitness testimony [2]. Stress conditions significantly impact how memories are stored and how well they can later be recalled [3]. Therefore, the investigator questioning style must take stress levels and type of event witnessed into consideration. This has the potential to inform eye witness interviewing techniques and thereby improve the reliability of testimony, ultimately reducing the number of wrongful convictions.
    • Neuroscience Behind Anxiety: Cognitive Effects Across Anxiety Disorders

      Barron, Molly (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      It’s normal to feel anxious about everyday stressors, like the first day of school, getting a tattoo, or finances. But at a certain point, anxiety can become much more than just a worrisome feeling. Clinical anxiety is an apprehensive expectation or an excessive worry that remains constant and is difficult to control [1]. The distinction between anxiety and clinical anxiety is important to point out. To say you have clinical anxiety, diagnosed as an anxiety disorder, is to say that anxiety causes significant distress or impairment in daily functioning [2]. It is important to note that mental illness carries a stigma in our society. Because of this, there are common misconceptions surrounding mental illnesses, namely anxiety. Clinical anxiety is as real as any physical illness—it should be treated with the same compassion. A major consequence of anxiety is that it can impair cognition, otherwise known as “information processing” in the brain [3]. Specific areas of cognition affected by clinical anxiety may include attention/control, memory, executive functioning, sensory-perceptual processing, etc. [3]. The highlight of this analysis will be the effects of clinical anxiety on attention specifically. By examining the relationship between clinical anxiety and cognition, we are able to address a common symptom of anxiety. With the help of applicable scientific findings, the goal of this article is to unpack the altered cognitive performance brought on by clinical anxiety.
    • Out of Focus: The Science of Brain Fog

      George, Caroline (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      For some that were infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), symptoms of the virus remain long after their initial illness, in what is known as ‘long COVID’. The term ‘long COVID’ was first coined by Elisa Perego, who talked about her experiences with lingering COVID-19 symptoms after her recovery on Twitter [1]. Medically, a person is given the diagnosis of long COVID-19 if their symptoms last for four weeks and cannot be explained by any other cause [2]. Currently, it is unknown why this illness occurs in some patients, but not others. Those with long COVID tend to experience a variety of symptoms, including brain fog. Brain fog, medically known as clouding of consciousness [3], is used to describe difficulties focusing and thinking that is sluggish [4]. While the relation between COVID and brain fog is currently unknown, what we know now about brain fog can help us to figure out why this link occurs and ways to treat this.
    • Trapped Within

      Armstrong, Bridget (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Imagine you hear someone talking to your loved ones, “I’m sorry…. their chance of survival is small”. What is this? What's going on? ‘Maybe this is a dream’, you start to think to yourself as you try to wake yourself up. You are unsuccessful in waking up, and you still see complete darkness. You start to hear a doctor talk to your family about ending life support. You are conscious, afraid, your heart is racing, and to make matters worse, you realize you cannot move or speak. “How can I tell them that I am still here and alive?” you say to yourself in your head. This is merely a glimpse of what locked-in syndrome may feel like. If you have ever experienced or heard of sleep paralysis, where you are conscious, but unable to move your body, except your eyes, then you can begin to appreciate what individuals living with locked-in syndrome experience continuously. Instead of your experience lasting for a few minutes, like sleep paralysis, locked-in syndrome could be something you are trapped in for the rest of your life. This article examines the world of locked-in syndrome, its etiologies, types of locked-in syndrome, and what diagnosis/treatment looks like.
    • Is Myelin Repair Possible?

      George, Caroline (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2022-01)
      In the body, myelin is the coating over the axons, the “wires'' carrying our body’s signals. The insulator around the wires acts the same way myelin acts as an insulator in the brain. The signals in the neurons of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) become slowed and unprotected as their axons lose the coating that protects them. MS is an incurable demyelinating disease, where patients can experience weakened motor function, pain, impaired memory and other cognitive issues. MS patients endure such degeneration because their central nervous system cells lose the ability to communicate quickly. However, scientists may have discovered a drug that allows myelin production regardless of the presence of toxic proteins; this article will investigate the neuroscience behind Tolebrutinib as well as its results and limitations.
    • Musical Memories in Alzheimer’s Patients

      Swanchara, Melissa; Gitlevich, Rebecca (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Alzheimer’s disease erases the past and damages the present and the future. Those who suffer the nightmare of forgetting the life they lived and the people who surround them, experience sheer confusion, frustration, and agitation. The development of learned helplessness creates a dark future for those struggling with Alzheimer’s Disease. However, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. There may be one thing that could ground these patients even after severe loss of cognitive function: music. Recent studies have revealed the ability of the brain in Alzheimer’s patients to recall musical memories, which led to further investigation of the positive cognitive and emotional effects of music therapy for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
    • Neuroprosthetics and the Bionic Human

      Jozwik, Matthew; Gitlevich, Rebecca (Temple University. Grey Matters, 2021-12)
      Historically, certain conditions have been thought of as untreatable and incurable, such as blindness and paralysis. As a result, any cases of recovery from these conditions were viewed as miraculous and unexplainable. It has not been until recently that mechanisms for many of these conditions have been extensively studied so that treatments have become not only possible, but appear increasingly inevitable. Through detailed research and experimentation, scientists and engineers have been able to develop treatments for these injuries previously thought to be untreatable. For example, the development of artificial limb interfaces has enabled motion [1] and facilitated sensation [2] in patients with spinal cord injury, while the development of spherical artificial eyes has the potential ability to give sight to the blind [3]. These treatments, which combine natural neuronal processing with prosthetic devices, are referred to as neuroprostheses. Although research for these devices is still ongoing, early results are promising, and may soon give rise to permanent solutions for these conditions.
    • Bach Transcribed for Oboe: History and Interpretation

      Zohn, Steven David, 1966- (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo oboe music, though regarded today as a treasure, does not really exist as such. Instead, these pieces come down to us as harpsichord concertos (and in some cases church cantata movements) that have been later reconstructed for solo oboe. For example, Bach’s Concerto in C Minor for violin, oboe, and strings (BWV 1060R), was reconstructed from a work for two harpsichords and strings when nineteenth-century scholars realized the high probability of the solo parts originally having been conceived for oboe and violin (which are more soloistic instruments than the harpsichord). In this paper, I focus on performance approaches and styles to the first movement of BWV 1060R. After explaining how Bach’s solo oboe repertoire was derived from his keyboard concertos and church cantatas, I investigate the performance traditions of this movement from the mid-twentieth century to the present using a variety of recordings. This evaluation is based in part on my own experiences of playing oboe and listening to professional oboists. My goal is to clarify not only the history of J.S. Bach’s solo oboe repertoire, but also to reveal how the history of performing the opening Allegro of BWV 1060R on the oboe has unfolded, and how it is still developing today.
    • Deafness in Australia: Where to Go from Here

      Hall, Matthew L.; Temple University. Honors Program (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      In 1982, the company Cochlear Ltd. was founded and based in Australia, and in collaboration with the Australian government, "sought to bring the cochlear implant to market” (Blume, 2010; Cochlear Ltd.). Today, 80% of Australia Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children are implanted with a cochlear implant (Hyde, 2005). Cochlear claims that they “empower people to connect with others and live a full life.” But what is stopping a DHH person from living a full life? Many people in the Australian Deaf community would argue that being Deaf is not a loss, and that being connected to one’s Deaf identity and a sign language is empowering and meaningful, and certainly a part of a “full life” regardless of if cochlear implant is involved (Levitzke-Gray, 2016). The role of the cochlear implant is established in its founding but is nevertheless symbolic of a broader issue. The othering of DHH people is not unique to Australia, but certainly a key reason why DHH people struggle there. The reliance on cochlear implants can delay language acquisition, as the subsequent reliance on spoken language, as opposed to a sign language like Australian Sign Language (Auslan), affects a person’s ability to navigate the world (Levitzke-Gray, 2016; Madden, 2008; Winn, 2007). This missed opportunity for acquiring language more easily for DHH people – which would open the gates earlier for things such as socialization, connection to Deaf culture, access to health care, etc. – affects a Deaf Australian’s right to a healthy life. Organizations such as Deaf Australia and activists like Drisana Levitzke-Gray advocate for doctors and the people of Australia to recognize sign languages like Auslan as a full and useful language, and for acceptance of Deaf people and their culture, and to not rush to “fix” a DHH child with a cochlear implant, which often do not work as intended or make the child “hearing” (Madden, 2008). The Australian government, too, is being asked to step up and ensure rights to people with disabilities as they promised by signing the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This paper will explore these two options to help the DHH people of Australia, and recommend which direction is best.
    • Beloved, Beyoncé, and the Burdens Of Our Past: A Critical Examination of Healing From Trauma in the African American Gothic

      Newman, Steve, 1970- (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      Despite being created nearly thirty years apart, Beloved and Lemonade are remarkably similar historical projects: both texts critically engage with America’s legacy of systemic racism to explore how past injustices create present-day inequality, arguing that the racist institutions that slavery was founded on did not disappear with the Emancipation Proclamation but instead continue to dramatically affect the everyday lives of people of color decades and centuries later. Both Morrison and Beyoncé allegorize this argument in their respective texts: in Beloved, Sethe acts as a microcosm for Reconstruction-era Black Americans grappling with the omnipresent effects of slavery’s legacy less than two decades after the end of the Civil War; whereas in Lemonade, Beyoncé uses her personal experience coming to terms with her husband’s infidelity as a way to examine racism’s effect on the Black family throughout American history. In both cases, this allegory serves as each woman’s proposed guide for personal and national healing in a country haunted by its racist past and present, and in both texts, the essential question becomes how to create a more just future from the wreckage of an unjust past — how to move “forward,” as Beyoncé sings in Lemonade’s emotional peak. The critical difference, however, is in how each author’s historical project merges the past and present and the largely different conclusions they come to as a result. This paper will focus on these differences between Beloved and Lemonade’s engagement with the past as a vessel for understanding the present through a comparative analysis of these texts’ functions as projects for personal healing, literary storytelling, and historical reexamination. First, I will explore the texts’ unique differences in medium and structure, paying attention to how the merging of past and present becomes an essential part of the storytelling process for each author. Second, I will contextualize each text within the legacy of African American Gothic literature, focusing on how the texts’ interest in Gothic symbols and motifs — especially ghosts and haunting — further blend past and present in ways that dramatically impact each story. Third, I will examine how each author uses water and fire as competing symbols for different processes of healing, connecting each to the texts’ shared fascination with memory as a means of reintegrating the past into the present. Finally, I will demonstrate how the conclusions each author comes to about how to approach personal and national healing in the context of systemic racism lead to vastly different paths for establishing a more just future, and I will argue that Lemonade puts forth a much more definitive model for healing with the past than Beloved, which offers an inconclusive position that is more in line with the complexities that arise from this question.
    • Coming Out Under a Dictatorship: The Rise of the Early Gay Liberation Movement in Brazil through O Lampião da Esquina, 1978-1981

      Ryan, Eileen, 1978- (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      This research project looks at the development of the Gay Liberation Movement in Brazil through O Lampião da Esquina, the country’s first gay publication to gain national circulation. A movement for gay rights emerged there during a military dictatorship that lasted from 1964 to 1985. During this period, the government had the power to torture its citizens and censor the media. Having this in mind, it is intriguing that a gay publication emerged in this context. At the time, economic instability and crumbling public approval rates motivated President Geisel to slowly transition back to democracy. It is in this context of transition that leftist and democratic social movements started to arise and that alternative newspapers like Lampião were able to emerge. Through an analysis of the articles present in Lampião, this paper aims to investigate the nature of the collaboration between Brazil’s social movements during the late 1970s. The following analysis suggests that Lampião was crucial in offering gay people a platform where they could see themselves represented and create a sense of community with a culture of their own. It also argues that Lampião embodies the complex relationship between the Gay Liberation Movement and leftist groups.
    • Self-reported communication attitudes of children with childhood apraxia of speech

      Maas, Edwin; Temple University. Diamond Research Scholars (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      Much of the research literature on childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) has focused on understanding, diagnosing, and treating the impairment, rather than examining its broader impact. The present study focuses on the Personal Factors component of the World Health Organization model. Two validated communication attitude questionnaires were administered to 12 children with CAS enrolled in an intensive speech-focused intervention. Children’s scores were compared to the questionnaires’ typically developing norms. Relationships to CAS severity, caregiver perceptions of communicative participation, frustration ratings during therapy, and change over a brief period were also investigated. Preliminary findings indicate that older but not younger children with CAS are more likely to have greater negative self-perceptions about their speech. No significant correlation was found between caregivers’ perceptions of communicative participation in various contexts and communication attitudes, highlighting the need to include more child self-report measures in research. Further implications for CAS assessment and intervention are discussed.
    • Bioretention Systems Optimized for Denitrification: Stormwater Management Practice Design Recommendations for Philadelphia

      Keston, Geoff (Temple University. Libraries, 2022)
      This paper proposes bioretention design features for land developers in the Philadelphia area. For areas that experience intermittent storms that produce high volumes of runoff and high concentrations of metals and inorganic pollutants, the paper recommends constructing bioretention systems with dimensions following the Philadelphia Water Department’s bioretention sizing table. The basin media should consist of loam or sandy loam modified with a carbon-rich amendment, while the drainage layer media should consist of an amended gravel/woodchip mixture. Three exploratory, inexpensive amendments — waste tire crumb rubber, coconut coir fiber, and biochar — were evaluated to enhance the performance of the bioretention system; these carbon-based adsorbents have been proven to remove metals and inorganic nutrients from contaminated water. By pyrolyzing coconut coir fiber at around 300 deg C, biochar amendments to the soil and internal water storage layers could enhance a bioretention system’s capacity to adsorb metals while also improving microbial and plant mediated nutrient removal and water retention potential. The bioretention system is expected to meet the PWD’s requirements for metal and inorganic nutrient pollution removal even in excessive circumstances, thereby allowing the developer’s project to proceed as intended while protecting combined wastewater systems and the surrounding urban environment from excessive contaminated runoff.
    • Managed sheep grazing can improve soil quality and carbon sequestration at solar photovoltaic sites

      Towner, Elizabeth; Karas, Tom; Janski, Jake; Macknick, Jordan; Ravi, Sujith; Towner|0000-0003-1618-2411; Ravi|0000-0002-0425-9373 (2022-01-13)
      Solar energy development is land intensive and recent studies have demonstrated the negative impacts of large-scale solar deployment on vegetation and soil. Co-locating vegetation with managed grazing on utility scale solar PV sites could provide a sustainable solution to meeting the growing food and energy demands, along with providing several co-benefits. However, the impacts of introducing grazing on soil properties at vegetated solar PV sites are not well understood. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the impacts of episodic sheep grazing on soil properties (micro and macro nutrients, carbon storage, soil grain size distribution) at six commercial solar PV sites (MN, USA) and compared that to undisturbed control sites. Results indicate that implementing managed sheep grazing significantly increased total carbon storage (10-80%) and available nutrients, and the magnitude of change correlated with the grazing frequency (1-5 years) at the study sites. Furthermore, it was found that sites that experienced consecutive annual grazing treatments benefitted more than intermittently grazed sites. The findings will help in designing resource conserving integrated solar energy and food/fodder systems, along with increasing soil quality and carbon sequestration.