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Drugs, Booze, Materialist Discourse, and Other Matters of Cinema
No full textJocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece, Movies under the Influence. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2024. 248 pages. 28:00 eBook, $112.00 hardcover
Building Supportive Third Places: The Use of Arts-Based Programming in Family Resource Centers to Promote Resilience and Prevent Maltreatment
Full text linkFamily Resource Centers (FRCs) have the potential to function as welcoming third places -similar to public libraries-that effectively support families while avoiding the stigma often associated with formal interventions. This article explores how arts-based programming can be integrated into FRCs to strengthen family protective factors and healing through non-clinical approaches. We provide an illustrative case example, detailing how federally-funded FRCs in Indiana offered a manualized sequence of A Window Between Worlds (AWBW), a 10-week trauma-informed nonclinical arts program. Facilitated by trained community members, AWBW emphasized safety, peer connection, and creative expression. Our evaluation showed significant reduction in trauma symptoms among caregivers who completed the program to fidelity, suggesting that trauma-informed arts-based programming, specifically AWBW, can enhance resilience without professional clinical training. Ongoing implementation of nonclinical programming that can enhance protective factors and promote healing and resilience is needed to ensure family resource centers function as effective third places for proactively and holistically meeting family needs and preventing maltreatment-while also expanding opportunities for healing, connection, and collective good. To achieve this, sustained investment in local FRCs and the networks that support them is essential
“Have I Asked the Name of that Fish?”: Synagogue Humor in Contemporary Hungary
Full text linkJews who remained in Hungary after the Shoah almost completely abandoned their religious life because of the communist regime’s politics of assimilation. After the regime change in 1989, synagogue attendance rose and a renewed interest in ethnic-religious traditions was evident among Hungarian Jews. However, not knowing the ethnic traditions, they were unable to follow the religious commandments. Ethnographic observation in a synagogue in Budapest shows that ensuing communal tensions were eased by humor. Humor also became a marker of identity in the synagogue, by which even those who did not fully follow religious norms identified themselves as “imperfect but religious Jews.
“I’ve Become a Blue-winged Bird . . .”: Tracing Violent Deaths in Folktales with the Aid of an Algorithmic Companion
No full textViolence has played a significant role in historical narrative traditions, often reflecting broader societal norms and moral lessons. Violent deaths in Estonian folktales are examined across three subgenres: fairy tales, animal tales, and realistic tales. The analysis combines traditional folkloristic methods with AI-based corpus analysis. The study is based on a corpus of published archival texts, focusing on character roles, narrative structures, and thematic variations in the portrayal of violence. Proppian narrative functions are used to classify instances of violent death, assessing their prevalence and patterns
A Square Peg in a Round Hole: The Isolated Chitrali Population Displays the Lowest Consanguinity Rate in Pakistan
Full text linkBackground and Objectives: Pakistan is among the countries with the highest prevalence of consanguineous unions (CU), with reported rates ranging between 55% and 65%. This high level of consanguinity contributes significantly to the burden of recessive genetic disorders. The Chitrali population, an isolated community residing in the Hindu-Kush mountains of northwestern Pakistan, exhibits distinct genetic and cultural characteristics. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of CU within this population.
Method: A random sample of 993 individuals from Chitral was recruited between January 2023 and December 2024 through visits to public venues and household surveys. The consanguinity rate and inbreeding coefficient (ICF) were calculated, and their associations with various biodemographic variables were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were employed for data analysis.
Results: The overall consanguinity rate was found to be 12%, with an estimated ICF of 0.0052. Interestingly, consanguinity showed a trend towards higher prevalence with increased literacy and exhibited a positive association with higher socioeconomic status.
Conclusion: The Chitrali population exhibits the lowest reported rate of consanguinity among Pakistani populations. This community has retained diverse marital practices that differ markedly from those of neighboring populations. Contributing factors to the low consanguinity rate may include geographical isolation, low population density, family structures that discourage intra-household cousin marriages, and minimal tribal conflict or land-related disputes. These dynamics suggest that, despite its genetic distinctiveness, the Chitrali population may have a lower burden of recessive disorders commonly observed in more inbred populations across Pakistan
Targeting Venetoclax Plus Azacitidine Resistance And Leukemia Stem Cells In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Via The Novel Imipridone Onc213
No full textAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive and extremely heterogenous form of acute leukemia that has a sharp rise in incidence with increasing age. Unfortunately, as patients age, they have limited therapeutic options due to the intensive nature of chemotherapeutic agents and decreased resilience. There has been increased focus on development of targeted therapeutics with improved tolerability for these patients. This has led to a new standard of care in the combination of venetoclax (VEN) and azacitidine (AZA) for AML patients who are ≥75 years or unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Though initially promising, resistance to the combination therapy is clinical challenge and VEN+AZA-resistant patients have dismal outcomes. Though these therapies are used in combination, there have yet to be pointed investigations into resistance to both VEN and AZA and there is a need for a model to do so. Another major contributor to poor outcomes in AML is the persistence of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in patients following treatment. LSCs lead to disease recurrence and resistance to therapy and are associated with worse prognosis in AML patients but are difficult to target therapeutically. Here we seek to develop models to study VEN+AZA resistance in AML and investigate the use of the novel imipridone, ONC213, against both VEN+AZA resistant cells and LSCs. In this dissertation work, we sought to design models to study the resistance to VEN+AZA, investigate mechanisms of resistance and characterize resistant cell lines, and to explore therapeutic options to address resistance through the novel imipridone ONC213. To better understand the mechanisms of resistance, we developed VEN+AZA-resistant AML cell lines, MV4-11/VEN+AZA-R and ML-2/VEN+AZA-R, from previous sensitive MV4-11 (FLT3-ITD) and ML-2 (FLT3 wt) parental cells through step-wise increases of VEN+AZA in the media. These VEN+AZA resistant cell lines show \u3e300-fold persistent resistance compared to the parental lines. We demonstrate that these cells have unique metabolic profiles, including significantly increased changes in nucleotide metabolic pathways, changes in fatty acid and amino acid metabolism and increased utilization and reliance on glycolysis. Changes in fatty acid metabolites are supported by increases in the fatty acid transporter CD36 and changes in deoxynucleotide metabolism are supported by increases in ribonucleotide reductase subunits M1 and M2 (RRM1 and RRM2) in the resistant cells compared to the parental cells. VEN+AZA resistant cells demonstrate increased utilization and reliance on glycolysis and inhibition of glycolysis with 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) re-sensitized the resistant cells to VEN+AZA therapy. VEN+AZA-R cells also have increased levels of the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1, which is commonly increased in cells with resistance to VEN. Overexpression of Mcl-1 and knockdown of Bax, respectively, result in resistance to VEN+AZA in parental MV4-11 cells. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms contributing to VEN+AZA resistance and provide a model for further investigations into characterization and development of treatment strategies. To investigate how to overcome VEN+AZA resistance in these models, we utilized ONC213, an imipridone agent being studied in our lab with known mitotoxic properties and antileukemic activity. ONC213 resensitizes VEN+AZA-R cells to VEN therapy in a dose dependent manner and the combination of ONC213+VEN demonstrates synergy and potent antileukemic activity against VEN+AZA-resistant and -sensitive cells and against primary AML patient samples. ONC213+VEN demonstrates efficacy against cell line derived xenograft models. Further ONC213+VEN effectively targets AML progenitor and LSCs both ex vivo and in vivo, extending the activity of the combination to target an additional cause of relapse in AML. The combination of ONC213 and VEN induces a potent integrated stress response (ISR) in AML cells that is associated with reduced mitochondria function and strong reductions in Mcl-1levels. The reduction of Mcl-1 and targeting mitochondrial respiration is important to ONC213+VEN activity as demonstrated in Mcl-1 overexpression (OE) and Bak/Bax knockdown (KD) models. Collectively, the work done in this dissertation study establishes a new model for studying VEN+AZA resistance, examines a new agent, ONC213, to address this resistance, and determines that ONC213+VEN induction of mitochondrial stress in AML cells is a powerful tool to address both VEN+AZA resistance and for targeting LSCs
The Effects Of Representation On Student Educational Outcomes In Wayne County, Michigan
No full textRepresentation in education has been studied for decades by experts and scholarly researchers. Most researchers utilized the bureaucratic representation framework to analyze the impact of representation in education and the public sector. The framework incorporates three levels that are examined through a standard analysis referred to as street, managerial, and political (elected officials). I conducted a cross-sectional analysis to assess the impact of representation on students’ educational outcomes across the 32 school districts located in Wayne County, Michigan. Approximately 1.8 million Michiganders reside in Wayne County, making it the largest county in the state, encompassing the highest populated city, Detroit, accounting for 640,000 residents. Detroit is home to the largest school district in the state, the Detroit Public School Community District, with enrollment rates at approximately 51,000 students.
While Detroit is the central city of the largest metropolitan region in the state, surrounded by numerous suburban cities, the student performance and achievement levels across the school districts have significant differences in educational outcomes. For this qualitative study, the focus is exclusively on the relationship between descriptive representation and the impact on students’ educational outcomes. The analysis is conducted by examining math and reading proficiency scores, as well as graduation rates, compared to disparity levels in representation between students and teachers, students and principals, followed by students and school boards. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables revealed a series of inverse relationships, as disparity in representation between Black students and teachers, principals and school boards increased, proficiency scores and graduation rates decreased on average. Indicating that representation does matter and has an impact on student performance
The Effects Of Cognitive Versus Motor Load On Overt Stuttering Severity In Adults: An Exploration Of Factors Affecting Speech Fluency
No full textStuttering is a variable condition, with people who stutter (PWS) experiencing fluctuating degrees of stuttering severity depending on the situation. This variability has been linked to several factors, including both motor and cognitive demands such as multi-tasking. While the influence of dual-task performance on stuttering has been explored, the results were mixed and the extent to which different types of secondary task demands impact stuttering severity remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating how various types of cognitive and motor load affect fluency in a group of thirty PWS and thirty typically fluent speakers.The study was designed in two experiments. In the first experiment, participants were asked to complete sentences that they had heard in an incomplete form. These sentence completion tasks were performed under three conditions: no additional task, a motor task involving complex finger tapping, and a cognitive task involving digit summation. The results showed that stuttering frequency was significantly influenced by the type of load: it was lowest when participants were engaged in the motor load, higher in the no-load condition, and highest under the cognitive load condition
Individual Differences In Engagement In A Single Session Psychodynamic Interview Among People With Chronic Pain: Predictors And Outcomes
No full textAdverse childhood experiences (ACE) are defined as traumatic events such as poverty or abuse that occur before the age of 18 (Chung et al., 2016). There are several consequences of experiencing ACEs, including psychopathology, physical health problems, and conflictual adult relationships (Basu et al., 2017; Dube et al., 2003). Individuals who experience ACEs are also more likely to experience and seek treatment for chronic pain, which is pain that endures for greater than 3 months (Davis et al., 2005). Psychological factors influence chronic pain, and pain is often more severe if one has a history of childhood adversity (Briere et al., 2008). The relationships among trauma, psychological functioning, and chronic pain suggest that chronic pain results from biopsychosocial factors, and its treatment should include psychosocial, not just biomedical, interventions. Standard psychological treatments for chronic pain include the widely studied and used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT); however, these therapies have limited efficacy in treating chronic pain (Williams et al., (2020), and the majority of patients fail to find relief from their pain following these treatments (Williams et al., 2020) The limitations of these and similar approaches may be due to a failure to address childhood adversity and trauma. Emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) and intensive short-term dynamic therapy (ISTDP) can address these limitations. EAET and ISTDP assume that suppressing emotions related to unresolved ACEs and current interpersonal conflicts trigger or exacerbate pain, and several studies suggest that these interventions may be more effective at pain reduction (Abbass et al., 2020; Lumley et al., 2017; Yarns, 2020). EAET and ISTDP are effective as both multi-session and single-session therapies (Carty et al., 2019; Ziadni et al., 2018). A recent randomized controlled trial, the Pain and Stress Study (PASS), was conducted as a dissertation by Shoshana Krohner, who found that a single-session EAET/ISTDP interview for chronic pain patients with childhood adversity reduced pain interference and pain-related anxiety (Krohner, 2022) compared to a waitlist control condition. However, the main effects of the interview mask the fact that participants varied greatly in response to it. Such individual differences in engagement and responses to the interview had yet to be examined. For example, the degree of insight demonstrated, emotional expression, therapeutic alliance, and alexithymia might influence participants’ pain responses and satisfaction with the interview. In addition, variables that predicted interview engagement had not been examined, such as baseline levels of assertiveness, pain-related anxiety, and beliefs about one’s pain. An in-depth analysis of the interviews was important to guide treatment and clarify the outcomes of psychodynamic therapies for chronic pain. Thus, the present study analyzed the content of the interviews from the PASS dataset and measures of patient interview engagement to both predictors of and responses to the interview
Asthma Self-Management In African American Emerging Adults
No full textAdvisor: Dr. Debra SchutteMajor: Nursing Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Rationale: African American emerging adults aged 18-29 have higher asthma-related morbidity and mortality, yet few studies explore asthma self-management in this population.Purpose: Explore several aspects of asthma self-management in African American emerging adults, including COVID-19 vaccine intentions and attitudes using secondary risk theory and relative autonomy for asthma controller medication adherence during and after the completion of a technology-based randomized controlled trial exploring the effect of patient education versus a motivational interviewing-based intervention using a new middle range theory of asthma self-management. Methods: Parallel convergent mixed methods exploration of COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and intentions using surveys and semi-structured interviews; Secondary data analysis to explore predictors of relative autonomy for medication adherence using data collected from a technology-delivered randomized controlled trial aimed at increasing controller medication adherence. Independent Measures: Asthma control, access to healthcare, sociodemographic factors (mixed methods); access to healthcare, sociodemographic factors, level of clinical distress (secondary data analysis) Dependent Measures: Vaccine attitudes and intentions (mixed methods study); relative autonomy, asthma control (secondary data analysis) Analysis: descriptive statistics and thematic analysis (mixed methods study); growth mixture modeling (secondary data analysis) Results: Only half of the participants were highly likely to receive the vaccine and asthma control was related to increased intention to discuss the vaccine with their healthcare providers, but not to receive the vaccine. Interview participants discussed safety and efficacy of the vaccine as important factors when deciding whether to receive the vaccine; however, societal factors were also associated with vaccine intention as participants who were unemployed or felt that they were protecting themselves by staying home were more likely to discuss not needing the vaccine. There were 2 latent classes of relative autonomy. Approximately a third started with low relatively autonomy, did not increase initially, but increased later. The rest of the participants started with high relative autonomy, increased during the intervention period and gradually increased until 6 months before starting to decrease. Membership in the latent class with higher autonomy at baseline was associated with having a primary care provider and an education greater than high school. Logistic regression revealed that lower autonomy at baseline was driven by higher controlled motivation and this controlled motivation decreased over time. Asthma control and medication adherence were not significantly related to latent class membership. Conclusion: Only half of the African American emerging adults with asthma interviewed were highly likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine with concerns being driven by safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Participants who were unemployed were less likely to say they were highly likely to receive the vaccine and during interviews discussed protecting themselves in other ways, including staying home. Almost 2/3 of the participants in a randomized clinical trial had high relative autonomy at baseline but this relative autonomy was not associated with increased asthma control or medication adherence compared to a group with lower relative autonomy