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Disrupting Disconnections: A Case Study of One First-Gen Student’s Quest to Belong
Full text linkIncreasing consensus about the value of a college degree in providing socioeconomic mobility and better health outcomes for communities experiencing poverty has contributed to rising college matriculation rates for first-gen students. One in three students in college are first-gen, yet college completion rates for first-gen students are significantly lower than the national average in the United States (10% versus 60%) (Forrest Cataldi et al., 2018). While there are various factors that contribute to the disparity in graduation outcomes, this dissertation focuses on the role a sense of belonging plays. Research on a sense of belonging has shown that higher rates of belonging are correlated with high academic achievement for all students, and low rates of belonging are particularly detrimental for first-gen students’ academic achievement, which is correlated with graduation outcomes (Gopalan & Brady, 2019). The complex psychological dynamics students experience as they navigate and develop their individual sense of belonging on their campuses warrants further study to better understand the phenomenon (Strayhorn, 2012).
The first paper of this two-paper dissertation provides a comprehensive literature review on college outcomes and theories on college student belonging. The second paper presents a qualitative exploratory case study of one first-gen student’s quest to belong on their campus. The case study utilizes a Relational Cultural Theory lens from which to understand and explore the nuanced experiences of belonging that develop as this student navigates their college experience. An analysis of the interview data illustrates several significant themes: an inherent yearning for connection and relationship with others; the critical nature of growth-fostering moments and people; and the active disconnecting from the campus and from others as a strategy for survival, particularly if the yearning for connection and belonging is unmet. These findings have several implications for practice for those working with first-gen students including those in higher education. First, the findings suggest that the sense of disconnection that first-gen students experience can be invisible and hard to gauge from quantitative data alone (class attendance, test scores). Second, belonging often is experienced in phases and cycles and disrupting the cycle of disconnection can be possible through growth-fostering moments. Third, relationships matter, including relationships with peers, faculty, advisors and other staff at colleges that all have the potential to leave an imprint on how a first-gen student negotiates the various emotions of belonging at any given moment
A Validation Study of Transferrin and I-FABP As Dried Blood Spot-Based Biomarkers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction
Full text linkEnvironmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) is a subclinical condition characterized by increased intestinal permeability and impaired nutrient absorption, but current methods for assessing EED are invasive and resource intensive. Dried blood spot (DBS) biomarker sampling offers a minimally invasive method of detecting EED. We present a validation study of two DBS protocols for the measurement of transferrin, a biomarker of iron status, and I-FABP, a biomarker of intestinal permeability. Matched DBS from a fingerstick and venous whole blood samples from n=74 individuals were collected over a 3-week period. Whole blood was used to create additional DBS samples and then spun down to plasma for analysis. We found a weak linear association between plasma and DBS measurements of transferrin concentrations, but a strong linear association and high level of agreement between plasma and DBS measurements of I-FABP concentrations. These findings demonstrate the validity and feasibility of measuring I-FABP, but not transferrin, using DBS sampling
Primera Pero No La Última: Exploring Cultural Impact in the Early Career Development of First-Generation, Latina College Graduates
Full text linkThe purpose of this research is to better understand the early career development of second-generation, millennial Latinas and the impact of ethnicity, race, and social class on their early professional lives. Latinos are by no means a monolithic group. However, shared experiences and language enable me to categorize them as one population for this study. I focus on individuals whose families originate from socioeconomic disadvantaged origins with few human and financial capital resources in the U.S. This study explores how the college experience differs among those who attended a highly selective, historically white university with a small, Latino population in comparison to those Latinas who attended a Hispanic-serving institution where the presence of Latino-identified students is high. The goal of this research is to acquire a deeper understanding of how shared elements of Latino identity present unique strengths and/or barriers for young, Latina professionals. Latinas are one of the fastest growing populations entering college and the United States workforce. Therefore, understanding the nuances of the culture and its potential effects on young Latina professionals’ growth and social mobility is critical to strengthening the recruitment and retention of Latinas in 21st century corporate America
Runaway Advertisements from Jamaica, 1791
Full text linkNewspaper advertisements written and published by enslavers seeking the capture and return of enslaved people who had escaped. Published in the Kingston Daily Advertiser, Jamaica, January-December 1791
Evaluating the Impact of Mass Borrower Bailout in Jordan\u27s Microfinance Landscape
Full text linkBorrower debt relief stands as a widely utilized, yet deeply contentious economic policy enacted by governments universally. This paper adopts a difference-in-differences design to study the impact of a women-targeted mass borrower relief program enacted by the government of Jordan in 2019 on credit market outcomes of formal microfinance institutions (MFIs). I find that the program led to significant credit rationing and reallocation from women and areas of higher risk to men and areas of lower risk. Post-program levels of MFI portfolio risk remain stable with no evidence supporting the existence of moral hazard among MFIs, suggesting stricter lending practices in response to the relief
Change in Subjective Well-Being, Affluence and Trust in State Governments in India
Full text linkThe present study explores the relationship between trust in state governments and changes in subjective well-being in India, drawing upon the nationally-representative India Human Development Survey (IHDS) panel data for 2005 and 2012. Our econometric results confirm that people’s trust in state governments is positively associated with changes in their subjective well-being in economic aspects. To take into account the endogeneity of people’s trust in the state government, we have used the 2SLS model where the trust is instrumented by (i) whether the winning legislators belonged to the ruling party, and (ii) whether the margin of victory over the closest rival exceeded 12 %. The robustness of the results has been confirmed by the Lewbel IV model in which the internal instruments are used in addition to the two external instruments. The policy focus in rebuilding trust in state governments destroyed by the relentless pursuit of Hindutva and over-centralisation are discussed
Penn Library\u27s Ms. Codex 1659 - [Ladino manuscript]. (Video Orientation)
No full texthttps://repository.upenn.edu/sims_video/1132/thumbnail.jp
A TWO-ARTICLE EXAMINATION OF MENTALIZATION BASED TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTIONAL DISORDERS
Full text linkABSTRACT
A TWO-ARTICLE EXAMINATION OF
MENTALIZATION BASED TREATMENT
FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTIONAL DISORDERS
Laura J. Acsadi, LCSW-C
Dissertation Chair: Judith Jordan, PhD
This two paper dissertation seeks to explain the theoretical basis for Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) and its applied treatment with children who have been diagnosed with attentional disorders that include attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children who have been diagnosed with attentional disorders frequently present for mental health treatment with emotional regulation and behavioral concerns. The standard treatment for children diagnosed with attentional disorders are cognitive and/or behavioral treatment modalities. These treatment modalities focus on changing the behaviors of the child and are not oriented to include the parents as a focus in the treatment. Mentalization Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C) is an emerging treatment for children with emotional or behavioral symptomatology. MBT-C is a psychodynamic treatment modality that is informed by attachment theory and focuses on treating the child, the parents, and the relational interactions within the family system.
The first article explores the theoretical underpinnings of MBT by presenting research on early childhood psychological development that includes attachment theory, natural pedagogy theory, and the use of ostensive cues by the caregiver as a specific communication signal to the child. This is followed by research into the development and role of mentalization, the psychological process that allows the child to regulate feelings, understand others, and respond to stimuli in the social environment. Lastly, this article connects the function of the attachment system in developing the capacity within the child to mentalize the self, relationships with others, and how this impacts the child’s developing attentional and emotional regulation systems.
The second article provides composite case examples of children who have been diagnosed with attentional disorders and have presented for treatment related to dysfunction with behavioral and emotional regulation. The article outlines the MBT-C treatment model for the composite case and includes assessment as well as interventions with the child, parents, and family system. The article follows the composite case of “Patrick” through the MBT-C treatment process and explains each step from assessment to conclusion of treatment
Penn Library\u27s Ms. Codex 1678 - Liber Piccatriciae. (Video Orientation)
No full texthttps://repository.upenn.edu/sims_video/1139/thumbnail.jp
KAT6A Initiates an Epigenetic Transcriptional Control Module to Drive Oncogene Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
No full textAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most lethal blood malignancies but in lack of therapies targeting leukemia-specific dependencies. Epigenetic programs are often dysregulated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and help enforce an oncogenic state of differentiation arrest. Thus, targeting epigenetic vulnerabilities suggests a new angle of developing AML therapeutics. To identify key epigenetic regulators of AML cell fate, we performed a differentiation-focused CRISPR screen in AML cells. This screen identified the histone acetyltransferase KAT6A as a novel regulator of myeloid differentiation that drives critical leukemogenic gene expression programs. We show that KAT6A is the initiator of a newly-described transcriptional control module in which KAT6A-catalyzed promoter H3K9ac is bound by the acetyllysine reader ENL, which in turn cooperates with a network of chromatin factors to induce transcriptional elongation. Inhibition of KAT6A has strong anti-AML phenotypes in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that KAT6A small molecule inhibitors could be of high therapeutic interest for mono or combinatorial differentiation-based treatment of AML. This work provides new insights of how epigenetic writers and readers cooperate to maintain oncogenic programs. The mechanistic discoveries would also shed light on studies of other types of cancer. Besides significant biological and clinical implications, this work also provides a methodology paradigm for using high-throughput screen to explore cell fate determination in other biological systems