"Mentally you don't function the same": a Qualitative Examination of the Normalization, Embodiment, and Psychological Impact of Everyday Racism.

Everyday racism consists of covert and oppressive practices that uphold systems of power and reproduce White supremacy through subtle forms of repetitive and normalized discriminatory actions. While attention to the material and physical damage everyday racism evokes upon Black Americans is receiving increased attention, inconsistencies regarding its conceptualization and operationalization are impeding our understanding of the impact of everyday racism. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) as an analytical framework, this article intends to respond to gaps in the literature and deepen the understanding of the psychological burden experiences of everyday racism places upon a sample of (n = 40) Black Americans. We engaged with the racial realism and Whiteness as property tenets to analyze individual in-depth interviews and (1) enhance our interrogation of micro/macro-level interactions and (2) aid in the conceptualization of everyday racism. Three themes emerged from the data: hypervigilance and the normalization of everyday racism, mental preparation for navigating White spaces, and the mental health impact of everyday racism. Participant narratives reveal how the normalization of everyday racism impacts them on a psychological and corporeal (i.e., bodily) level. Their accounts also spoke to how Whiteness operates as a property right that exacerbates everyday racism and places invisible boundaries upon how they navigate space. This study provides conceptual clarity about the realities of racism, deeper awareness of structural and individual measures, and an in-depth understanding of how often taken for granted and assumed "normal" forms of racism generate pathways to negative mental health outcomes.

"Where do I even start?" Recommendations for faculty diversifying syllabi in ecology, evolution, and the life sciences.

Diversifying curricula is of increasing interest in higher education, including in ecology and evolution and allied fields. Yet, many educators may not know where to start. Here we provide a framework for meeting standard curriculum goals while enacting anti-racist and anti-colonial syllabi that is grounded in the development of a sustainable network of educators. In addition to highlighting this professional learning process and sharing the list of resources our group has developed, we provide suggestions to help educators highlight contributions of minoritized groups, explore multiple ways of knowing, and perform critical assessments of foundational views of life and environmental science fields. We further discuss the key classroom dynamics that affect the success of such anti-racist and anti-colonial initiatives. The retention and success of minoritized students in ecology and evolution depends on whether we address injustices in our fields. Our hope is that our fellow educators will use this paper to catalyze their own efforts to diversify their courses.

The diagnostic utility of recovery phase QTc during treadmill exercise stress testing in the evaluation of long QT syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Nearly 40% of patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) can have a nondiagnostic QTc at rest. Treadmill and cycle exercise stress testing are used in the diagnostic evaluation of LQTS. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic significance of peak exercise and recovery phase QTc values during treadmill stress testing in LQTS. METHODS: An Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective analysis was performed on the treadmill stress tests in 243 patients including 82 LQT1, 55 LQT2, 18 LQT3, and 88 genotype-negative patients dismissed as normal. Blinded to genotype, QTc was calculated at rest, peak exercise, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes of recovery. RESULTS: Compared with those dismissed as normal, the average QTc was greater at all scored stages in LQT1 and LQT3 patients and at all stages in LQT2 patients except peak exercise and 1 minute of recovery (P < .01). Either an absolute QTc ≥ 460 ms during the recovery phase or a maladaptive, paradoxical increase in QTc, defined as QTc recovery--QTc baseline ≥ 30 ms (ΔQTc), distinguished patients with either manifest or concealed LQT1 from all other subsets (P < .0001). The presence of beta-blockers did not blunt these abnormal repolarization profiles. CONCLUSION: Treadmill stress testing can unmask patients with concealed LQTS, particularly LQT1, with good diagnostic accuracy.