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Brasileiros nos Estados Unidos e em Massachusetts: Um Perfil Demográfico e Econômico
Get PDFOs brasileiros têm uma presença significativa e em crescimento nos Estados Unidos. Em 2021, o Ministério das Relações Exteriores do Brasil estimou que 4.215.800 brasileiros estavam vivendo no exterior. Dentre eles, calculou-se que 42% estavam vivendo nos EUA. Portugal (7%) foi o segundo país mais procurado por Brasileiros, seguido por Paraguai (6%), Reino Unido (5%), Japão (5%), Itália (4%), Espanha (4%), Alemanha (3%), Canadá (3%), e França (2%) seguidos por uma série de outros países.
É bem documentado que o Censo dos Estados Unidos subestima as populações de baixa renda, estudantes e imigrantes, especialmente os indocumentados. No entanto, dentro dessa limitação, a American Community Survey (ACS) do Census Bureau produz uma amostra que permite traçar um perfil demográfico e econômico aproximado de segmentos específicos da população. Este relatório abrange os brasileiros tanto nos EUA como um todo quanto em Massachusetts
For Us by Us About Us: Constructing Latinx-Centered Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFHigher education institutions’ organizational identities, cultures, and praxis have neglected to honor the values, culture, and knowledge assets of Latinx communities, making it difficult to gain educational justice and equity, which could be attained through Latinx-centered models of higher education. The Latinx higher education experience needs to be deconstructed and reconstructed by resisting whiteness as normative and including People of Color as “holders and creators of knowledge” (Bernal, 2002). Alternatives to normative higher education institutions are limited in the literature, particularly those that have been founded by Latinx communities. Thus, the purpose of the study was to explore how organizational identity, culture, and praxis at higher education institutions founded by Latinx communities reflected Latinx-centered approaches that built upon, promoted, and centered the assets (knowledge, values, culture, and experiences) of Latinx People. As a counternarrative, FUBU-About Us was considered a concept and approach for the study, informing decisions around literature, design, and centering of research participants (referred to as collaborators) in the findings.
Through a qualitative interpretive instrumental multi-case organizational study approach of two U.S. historically Latinx-founded institutions, data collected included 28 individual interviews and five focus groups, document and artifact reviews, and observations. A conceptual framework brought together organizational theories with asset-based concepts from Latinx theorists that helped guide the design of the study, data analysis, and discussion of the findings. Individual college portraits and distinct findings for each case were presented, for example for case 1: ownership as resistance and empowerment, integrated roles as a practical and values-oriented practice, and for case 2: rooting historical activism as central to identity and planning processes speaking to values, among others. In addition, an analysis of shared and nuanced findings across the cases revealed the importance of place; naming strengths in the midst of challenges; arts and culture as staples of institutional identity, culture, and practices; and counterspaces, among others. The study offers a discussion on contributions of the study to the literature, a revised conceptual to real-life framework for FUBU-About Us institutions of higher education, as well as implications for practice, policy, and future research.
Abstract (Spanish)
Las identidades organizacionales, las culturas y la praxis de las instituciones de educación superior han descuidado honrar los valores, la cultura y los activos de conocimiento de las comunidades Latinx, lo que dificulta obtener justicia y equidad educativas, que podrían lograrse a través de modelos de educación superior centrados en Latinx. La experiencia de educación superior Latinx necesita ser deconstruida y reconstruida resistiendo a la blancura como normativa e incluyendo a las personas de color como “poseedoras y creadoras de conocimiento” (Bernal, 2002). Las alternativas a las instituciones de educación superior normativas están limitadas en la literatura, particularmente aquellas que han sido fundadas por comunidades Latinx. Por lo tanto, el propósito del estudio fue explorar cómo la identidad, la cultura y la praxis organizacionales en las instituciones de educación superior fundadas por comunidades Latins reflejaban enfoques centrados en latinx que construyeron, promovieron, y centraron los activos (conocimiento, valores, cultura y experiencias) de gente Latinx. Como contranarrativa, Para Nosotros Por Nosotros Acerca de Nosotros [FUBU-About Us] se consideró un concepto y un enfoque para el estudio, informando las decisiones sobre la literatura, el diseño y la centralización de los participantes de la investigación (denominados colaboradores) en los hallazgos.
A través de un enfoque de estudio organizacional cualitativo interpretativo instrumental de casos múltiples de dos instituciones históricamente fundadas por latinos en los EE. UU., los datos recopilados incluyeron 28 entrevistas individuales y cinco grupos focales, revisiones de documentos y artefactos, y observaciones. Un marco conceptual reunió teorías organizacionales con conceptos basados en activos de teóricos Latinx que ayudaron a guiar el diseño del estudio, el análisis de datos y la discusión de los hallazgos. Se presentaron retratos universitarios individuales y hallazgos distintos para cada caso, por ejemplo para el caso 1: propiedad como resistencia y empoderamiento, roles integrados como una práctica y orientada a valores, y para el caso 2: arraigar el activismo histórico como central para la identidad y procesos de planificación que hablan de valores, entre otros. Además, un análisis de los hallazgos compartidos y matizados en los casos reveló la importancia del lugar; nombrar fortalezas en medio de los desafíos; las artes y la cultura como elementos básicos de la identidad, la cultura y las prácticas institucionales; y contraespacios, entre otros. El estudio ofrece una discusión sobre las contribuciones del estudio a la literatura, un marco conceptual revisado de la vida real para las instituciones de educación superior FUBU-About Us, así como las implicaciones para la práctica, la política, y la investigación futura
The Practice of Climate Change Adaptation Governance in Arctic Cities: Understanding Local Policymaking Interactions in Norway and Russia
No full textThe research puzzle addressed in this dissertation is why small and medium-sized cities initiate climate change adaptation policymaking. This research considers that urban climate adaptation policies are not formulated in isolation from direct and indirect decisions and actions that are made at the higher levels of power. It assumes that local authorities develop policies via interactions with experts (non-governmental organizations and academics) on knowledge production. Past and current experiences of environmental stressors are also impacting local policymaking. Using multi-level and polycentric governance as theoretical frameworks, this study compares the framing of climate change and climate adaptation policymaking interactions in the Arctic municipalities of Murmansk (Russia) and Tromsø (Norway). The topic of urban climate adaptation policymaking is understudied in academic research on Arctic governance and urban climate governance. Yet, these municipalities are located in the region that is currently most impacted by climate change. Discourse analysis and process tracing were employed to collect and analyze data from official documents, local newspaper articles, reports, archive materials, and semi-structured interviews. This study demonstrates that the differences in discourses on climate change and environmental problems across the municipalities derive from a synthesis of local authorities’ perceptions impacted by personal values and political, geographical, and climatic contexts. The national government maintains its presence in local environmental and climate change-related policymaking by enacting laws and allocating financial assistance to municipalities. It also reveals the complexity of city-expert environmental interactions beyond the non-state actors’ function of knowledge production and its dissemination. This research is relevant due to the growing need for urban adaptation actions in climate policies with the political acknowledgment of the inevitability of some climate change impacts. The topic of small and medium-sized cities\u27 climate policy formation is critical in connection with the future sustainable and climate-resilient development of cities worldwide since the greater part of the global urban population resides in small urban settlements
Qualitative Analysis of International Division I Rower Acculturative Experiences
No full textDue to the limited research regarding the lived experiences of international student-athletes, the purpose of this study was to gain a more holistic understanding of international student-athletes’ process of acculturation. To date, research has largely understood acculturation as an inherently negative, distressing, and individual process where the acculturating individual is held responsible for their own acculturation outcomes. By using consensual qualitative research, seven Division I female rowers were interviewed and reflected on the impact of sport, identified meaningful support networks, and explored various facets of their acculturative experience in the United States. While challenging acculturative experiences were reported, results indicated that participants were able to adapt quickly and identified many personal strengths they developed during their transnational experience. Participants shared substantial support networks including teammate, coach, university, and home supports that greatly influenced their perceived experience and ability to cope with stressors. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the participants’ experiences was also explored. Clinical, social justice implications, and future directions are discussed
The Role and Regulation of EHMT-Family Proteins in Prostate Cancer Progression
No full textPost-translational Modifications, and specifically lysine methylations of histones, are critical to regulating the epigenetic transcription programming. In Prostate cancer (PCa), many lysine methyltransferases and lysine demethylases are aberrantly expressed or altered, leading to advanced progression of PCa. By performing a screening study to identify novel lysine methylations in PCa cells, we discovered methylated lysine 450 and 451 at the EHMT1/GLP protein, which is a lysine methyltransferase known for mono and di-methylating histone 3 lysine 9 and primarily functions as a transcriptional repressor. While the EHMT1 gene is expressed in higher levels in advanced Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC), very little is known about its role and regulation in PCa progression. I found that a known chromatin remodeler and lysine demethylase, LSD1, can demethylate the K450me site. Notably, the dual demethylation of both K450me and K451me expands the chromatin binding of EHMT1 globally and switches EHMT1 into a transcription activator in PCa cells to activate oncogenic signaling pathways. Through acting on these pathways, silencing EHMT1 with RNAi or using inhibitors on EHMT1 activity can markedly decrease PCa cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. In addition to these studies, I also performed mass-spectrometry analysis to identify specific interacting proteins of methylated and unmethylated EHMT1 and attempted to identify the core amino acid sequences that are required for substrate recognition by LSD1. Overall, my studies suggest that the dual-lysine demethylation of EHMT1 can function as a molecular switch to induce oncogenic transcriptional reprogramming in PCa cells
Complexity at the Science-Policy Interface in Ethiopia’s Policy Spaces
Get PDFThe mechanics of interaction between science and policy in the context of complex policy spaces has remained a subject of scholarly debate. Recent focus is shifting towards promoting science-policy interfaces as spaces for integration of science into decision making. However, the question of what these spaces are and how they function remains a puzzle. While existing literature agrees on the apparent disruption of communication between knowledge generation and policy; or offers suggestions on factors that facilitate or inhibit communication, it often fails to present a comprehensive understanding on the mechanisms of actual interchange. Besides, research tends to sideline considerations of complexity disregarding the dynamism of social processes and the intricate relationships among interests, value systems, narratives and power plays influencing policy outcomes. This research analyses how various actors with specific self-interests and positions interact across a range of national policy spaces in the backdrop of conflicting/ reinforcing narratives, structures, and agency characterizing the spaces.
Using an “emergent policy environment” framework which is characterized by analytical categories comprising discourses, structures, and agency, the first paper analyzes how the 2011 Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy came to be, in a policy context characterized by competing narratives, mandate [re]arrangements, and power inter-plays. Through evidence generated by administering a series of open-ended questions, the paper challenges the linear thinking that assumes policies as inevitable products. It establishes that the national climate policy process is complex, entailing interactions among and between national and supranational actors espousing varied, if not polarized, interests and values. These intricacies and nuanced details determine which narrative gains expression in the national climate policy. The second paper uses a set of structured interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and document analysis to examine the Ethiopian Rural Economic Development and Food Security (REDFS) as a science-policy space. It analyzed how the REDFS performs its function of aligning donor-government interaction across the pastoralist livelihood systems. I explored how actors represent themselves (agency) and use opportunities to represent their individual and collective interests in policy outcomes under the collective mandates conferred to them by political structures - in this case, the REDFS. Taking the 2017 Prosopis Management Strategy as one policy outcome, the paper concludes that networked actor interests employed specific narratives and directed resources to influence policy directions to drive policies in their favor. The third paper draws on information generated from a series of interviews and author’s own observation to understand how a national multi-stakeholder process resulted in a high-consensus political document known as Ethiopia’s 2040 Scenarios. Overall, the dissertation research is built upon a combination of qualitative methods including author’s own lived experience to provide empirical evidence on what the social process of policy making looks like in the context of Ethiopia’s policy spaces. It concludes that collaborative knowledge production for policy is possible through carefully facilitated interactive processes, managed through a “safe space” platform, and enabled by creating and nurturing trust all-along the policy development journey
The Relationship Between Religiosity and Nursing Home Service Utilization
No full textOn any given day, 3.9% to 4.2% of the US population can be found residing in nursing homes, and as such, research has focused on identifying underlying factors associated with nursing home utilization. However, one important factor is missing from the extant literature, religiosity, defined as one’s religious beliefs and behaviors. Religiosity is important to consider due to its salience in the lives of most Americans, with 81% reporting a belief in God (Gallup, 2022), 76% engaging in prayer, and with older adults exhibiting the highest levels of involvement in religious activities (Pew Research Center, 2014a, 2014b, 2015).
This study examined the relationship between three dimensions of religiosity (organizational, non-organizational, and intrinsic) and nursing home utilization. It also assessed the relationship between religiosity and number of nights spent in a nursing home. Furthermore, potential mediating (health behaviors) and moderating (sex, race/ethnicity) factors were examined. A total of 7,564 respondents (\u3e 51 years) from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, with no prior nursing home use, were assessed every two years, until 2014.
Generalized Estimating Equations Multinomial Logistic Regressions were used to model the relationship between religiosity and subsequent NH use, and Binomial Poisson Regressions were employed to examine the relationship between religiosity and number of nights spent in a nursing home, while controlling for other factors. Results indicate that high levels of organizational religiosity (e.g., service attendance), compared to moderate and low levels, are associated with higher rates of nursing home utilization (B = 0.13, p \u3c .001), while higher levels of non-organizational religiosity (e.g., private prayer) are associated with a lower likelihood of nursing home use (B = -0.03, p \u3c .05). No relationship was found between intrinsic religiosity and nursing home use and any dimension of religiosity and number of nights spent in a nursing home. Furthermore, while health behaviors were not found to have a mediating effect, sex and race did serve as moderators in these relationships. The positive association between service attendance and nursing home utilization may reflect the sharing of information about available resources through one’s social support networks, including congregations. In contrast, individuals who were more likely to pray independently, may lack the social support provided by congregations, and as a result, experience more limited knowledge transfers about available resources
Defective Replication Stress Suppression in Fallopian Tube Epithelial Cells is an Early Driver for High Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma (HGSOC)
No full textGermline or somatic mutation(s) in BRCA1 is associated with a 40-50% lifetime risk of developing high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), which is one of the most aggressive subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers. To design better therapeutic options for women with ovarian cancer, it is vital to understand the cell-of-origin and identify molecular factors that drive cells to tumorigenesis. Based on mouse models, transcriptomic profiles, and organoid studies, both ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) and fallopian tube epithelium (FTE) can be the cell-of-origin of HGSOC. However, identification of precancerous lesions in FTEs indicate that FTEs are more prone to tumorigenesis suggesting that they have higher potential of being the cell-of-origin of HGSOC. Given that majority of HGSOCs carry mutations in DNA damage repair proteins, I set out to determine whether DNA damage differences between OSE and FTE and defective DNA damage repair in one cell type more than the other could contribute towards HGSOC. To address this question, I used isogenic mouse ovarian surface and fallopian tube epithelial lines, human ovarian surface and fallopian tube epithelial lines, and fallopian and ovarian tissue sections from BRCA1 wildtype and BRCA1 mutation carrying women. With this work I hope to provide the mechanistic understanding for why fallopian tube epithelial cells are the prime cell of origin for HGSOC and identify potential early biomarkers that can provide support to opportunistic salpingectomy (OS) as a risk reducing surgery for BRCA mutation carriers
