5-HT, or serotonin, is a neuromodulator important for the regulation of learning, memory, and behavior. Serotonin is often referred to as the "feed good hormone" and is associated with happy memories and experiences. There is much still to be discovered regarding the role of serotonin while learning. Understanding the physiology of when serotonin is released in the body, can provide insight into developing educational curriculum that is both enjoyable and memorable to students. More than 33% of the United States population has poor health literacy. This population has limited knowledge of bodily processes and may be unable to make informed health decisions. The K-8 Health Literacy, or Health Connector (HC) program developed at the University of Arizona was created to give undergraduate STEM students an opportunity to apply their fields of study by teaching health concepts to K-8 students in the Tucson community with the goal of improving health literacy amongst young students. Interactive and hands-on approaches were a focus for all lessons. Several pieces of evidence support this the efficacy of this program. Comparing pre and post assessments taken by K-8 students prior to the HC lesson showed that all classes improved. Feedback from K-8 teachers suggests long term learning and memory of topics covered and reflections by undergraduate Health Connectors indicate a greater appreciation for interactive teaching. Together these provide support for the potential role of serotonin in facilitating learning especially when hands-on learning is included. Programs such as the K-8 Health Literacy Program provide a valuable opportunity for undergraduate students to apply their learning in a real-life setting, while also helping to improve the health literacy of K-8 students.

Dance injuries in college students pose challenges to their academics, their passion pursuits, and can eventually be detrimental to their professional careers. This study investigates the epidemiology of injuries within the University of Arizona School of Dance, focusing on injury patterns, mechanisms, and treatment suggestions. This is accomplished through a retrospective analysis of 129 notes taken in the UA School of Dance Clinic with Dr. Daniel Latt from October 2018 to November 2023. It is revealed that ankle injuries, particularly those of the peroneal tendons and the lateral ankle ligaments (the anterior talofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament), are most prevalent in this population of college dancers. Mechanisms of injury predominantly involved a specific injury event over a gradual onset of symptoms, and these injury events most occurred during dance classes. The most frequently suggested treatment was athletic training and physical therapy, additionally implying a preventative approach using these recommendations. We proposed peroneal tendon and lateral ankle ligament strengthening and stabilization, which consists of resisted eversion, inversion, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion to meet the needs of comprehensive injury prevention for college dancers. Future research should explore injury persistence in relation to performance demands, as well as injury occurrence in specific dance styles and differing college programs.

In today's rapidly changing political climate, political campaigns must stay ahead of the curve and adapt to engage a diverse and technologically savvy electorate effectively. This paper explores the significant shifts and the evolution of political contact, focusing on the impact of changes in outreach strategies and technological advancements. By exploring how campaigns have adapted their contact and communication strategies, this paper aims to provide a blueprint for modern campaign engagement. Additionally, the paper delves into the evolution of voter data analysis, political polling techniques, and the potential for future adaptation in campaign strategies. By examining these key factors, this paper provides insights into how campaigns can tailor their messages and outreach efforts to specific groups of voters, ultimately enhancing their ability to connect with and mobilize supporters.

The development of the clean energy industry is commensurate with employment opportunities for the national workforce, and as the industry progresses it is vital that equity is ensured. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the current position of the clean energy workforce, and subsequently provide suggestions for increasing equity and expanding the industry in a way representative of the communities it serves. After consulting peer-reviewed articles and journals on the clean energy workforce, a series of partially- structured online interviews were conducted to focus on authentic interactions that individuals have observed in their experience with the clean energy industry and/or the local workforce. Along with prior research, conversations with several stakeholders were analyzed and multiple areas of the workforce that require specific focus were identified. The clean energy workforce operates on an individual basis, essentially in absence of communication between the government and local organizations working to implement clean energy. One key piece in increasing equity for the clean energy workforce involves outreach to underserved and marginalized communities. Increasing equity in the clean energy industry, the root of this research, demands the promotion of diversity as a core attribute of all organizations involved. The clean energy industry, at its origin with the Justice40 Initiative, aims to provide equitable opportunities and benefits. During the development of the clean energy workforce, orienting employers and stakeholders around the importance of recruiting diverse individuals in every position and ensuring that marginalized individuals are included is fundamental. The intense need for assistance in subsidizing the clean energy workforce requires increased awareness surrounding the benefits of implementation. The possibility of transitioning society into a more sustainable one is met directly with a hopeful workforce in search of a living wage.

Transportation barriers are major in rural Arizona to adequate healthcare access, affecting very substantial proportions of underserved populations like low SES, historically marginalized, and geographically isolated. This essay explores how transportation and environmental factors relate to healthcare access across the state of Arizona, highlighting rural communities' unique challenges in general and those specifically relating to the Sonoran Desert area. The characteristic topography and harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert alone foster special problems in terms of the development of transportation facilities, fostering isolated healthcare access. It is proposed in this paper that an amelioration of the harmful effects of these transportation constraints be undertaken by working on the causes and careful investigation of multiple interactions among various factors affecting healthcare access in rural Arizona communities. The paper's discussions focused on differences related to urban-rural disparities in transportation policies and funding, lack of transportation infrastructure, and a digital divide affecting the implementation of telehealth. The successful rural transportation methods offer lessons for conquering these barriers. Expanding internet connectivity, enhancing digital literacy, and shifting deeply held attitudes are important in fully meeting what is a very great potential for telehealth. These are multifaceted solutions through fair healthcare reforms, increasing broadband access, and providing better healthcare for all to improve well-being while enhancing the quality of life for thousands of rural citizens living in the state of Arizona: accessibility of quality healthcare. In Arizona, how transportation, environmental factors, and access to healthcare are interrelated has been an issue of growing concern over the recent past for several segments of society, such as rural communities, generally underserved populations, those with lower SES, and groups with historical marginalization and Native American tribal nations (Arizona Health Improvement Plan, 2021; Arpey et al., 2017). Such communities vary in aspects of geographical isolation, lack of resources, and shortage or reduced access to important services, such as health facilities. Thus, these communities generally have poorer health status compared to their metropolitan counterparts. Unique challenges of the physical terrain and environment, which also include the Sonoran Desert, pose distinct issues for transportation infrastructure that contribute to gaps in access to healthcare (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2019). This paper contends that addressing transportation challenges in the rural parts of Arizona is one way to minimize the extent of their negative environmental impacts on barriers to healthcare access among those most marginally located, who carry the greatest load of these challenges. We will do so by investigating how these different factors interact in complex ways to tease out feasible solutions toward better healthcare access and promoting health outcomes for all communities in Arizona.

The study of episodic memory has been an emerging body of research since the 1970's. Various learning strategies for episodic recall have been developed and tested, such as repetition and testing-based learning. Previous research has been completed observing testing-based learning over periods of delay in children and adolescents. Until now, no studies have observed recall performance using a 6 month delay in typically developing children. Participants in our study completed the deferred imitation (DI) paradigm, a method of measuring the retention of memory patterns over periods of delay. In this paradigm, (N = 72) 3 to 17-year-old participants were presented with sequences that fell into one of three modeling conditions: model model model (MMM), model model delay (MMD), and model model test (MMT). The purpose of this study was to observe if learning through different modeling conditions affected retrieval and recall performance across development. Actions and pairs completed were used as measurement of retrieval abilities. The preliminary results of this study indicate that the testing condition allows for greater recall performance during delays of 1 month and 6 months, while the model condition resulted in less recall at delays of 1 month and 6 months. While the results were consistent across children, they did not differ with age. This study further supports the testing effect and the benefits of testing-based learning across development.

The history of film regulation has undergone many changes, with the original form of regulation being that of the Hays Code, which directly prohibited specific topics, and our modern-day ratings system, which provides alphabet ratings to guide individuals on content warnings. Sexual content has often been at the forefront of these two forms of regulation, with suppression and censorship occurring in each regulatory form. The thesis explores the power dynamics at play with these two forms of regulation, examining these different forms of regulation through the lens of the three faces of power, introduced by theorists such as Dahl and Lukes, along with Foucault's understanding of power. This analysis highlights the ways in which power has, directly and indirectly, manifested in the suppression of sexuality through film regulation and explores why understanding these power dynamics is essential to establishing ways in which sexuality and representation are no longer suppressed in the modern age.

Background: Neuropathic pain is a phenomenon that is oftentimes experienced post-operatively. Unlike nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain is not derived from direct physical damage to the tissue but rather is consistent with a malfunctioning nervous system or nerve damage. It is often characterized as a chronic shooting or burning pain with the possibility of never going away. Moreover, the causes of this seemingly random nervous system malfunction have not yet clearly been identified, and the potential risk factors for the possibility of experiencing this pain are largely unexplored. Methods: A systematic review was conducted through PubMed. The initial search yielded 628 articles, from which 601 were excluded and 27 were included after the initial screening of the titles and abstracts. Eight articles were then eliminated, yielding 19 articles. The 19 articles that were chosen involved patients who experienced symptoms consistent with chronic neuropathic pain that underwent surgical intervention of the foot or ankle. Results: The incidence rates of patients experiencing neuropathic pain symptoms post-operatively varied from study to study, including 3%, 12.4%, 13.3%, 23%, and 24%. Risk factors included smoking, age (40-60 years old), psychological distress/negative mood, obesity, tourniquet pressure, prior surgery, and acute postoperative pain. One study found a higher correlation between ankle surgeries and neuropathic pain versus forefoot surgeries and neuropathic pain. There appeared to be no correlation between neuropathic pain and tourniquet placement, time the tourniquet was on prophylactic antibiotics, type of anesthesia, level of anesthesiology training, diabetes, hypertension, or dislocation. Types of treatment that provided promising results included ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, sural nerve neurectomy, popliteal nerve blocks, peroneal nerve blocks, neurolysis, peripheral nerve stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, and VR (virtual reality). Conclusion: There is no definite answer as to whether a patient will or will not develop neuropathic symptoms. Patients should always be made aware of the possibility as well as their chances of developing neuralgia subsequent to foot or ankle surgery by their surgeon.

Throughout the years, the patient experience has constantly evolved with a more recent emphasis on patient-centered care. Now, as patients have become more proactive in their health, healthcare providers are expected to be more transparent, providing care that is respectful to individuals preferences, needs, and values. Consequently, patient satisfaction surveys like HCAHPS have grown to great value for measuring success and satisfaction with care and for encouraging the implementation of patient-centered care; such implementations creates higher quality care, greater healthcare outcomes, and improved patient experience and satisfaction, ultimately strengthening the healthcare system. However, despite these advancements, racial and ethnic disparities in health continue to exist; based on one's social identity, "fundamental" factors like socioeconomic status, racial inequalities, and discrimination can dramatically impact the level of care received. Critical race theory offers a framework to address this structural racism in healthcare, while strategies like contextualizing risk factors, diversifying the healthcare workforce, and cultural competence training aim to mitigate disparities by fostering trust and awareness and by providing the tools necessary to respond to such sociocultural issues.

The goal of the VibroshearTM project is to design and build a system for high throughput drug screening of agents that limit shear mediated platelet activation. For context, thrombosis and clotting complications are a major risk associated with implantation of cardiovascular therapeutic devices (CTDs). The force behind this phenomenon are platelets which are responsible for blood coagulation and activate in response to shear force imparted upon blood flowing through the physical path of these artificial cardiovascular devices. To limit blood clot formation, patients are often prescribed drugs that biochemically target pathways associated with platelet activation. Thus far in the Slepian lab, studies have found that no particular drugs in clinical use are able to block shear-mediated platelet activation since they were not developed to target mechanical mechanisms such as shear. That said, this system provides activation of platelets (within Gel-Filtered-Platelets) to allow for screening of new drugs that will be tested within a lab space to inhibit this activation. To achieve this, the system consists of a magnetically driven stir-plate fit to a 96-well plate with a specialized lid, enabling efficient agitation of the samples. To complement the experimental setup, a custom app streamlines data acquisition and analysis.