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Understanding the Link Between Rainfall and Terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, 2000-2020
No full textM.P.P.Climate change, with its profound impact on weather patterns, poses multifaceted challenges, especially in regions susceptible to environmental extremes. This study examines the relationship between high and low rainfall and terrorist activity in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia from 2000 to 2020. Against a backdrop of escalating climate-related humanitarian crises, these three countries, confronting complex socio-political challenges, consistently rank high on the Global Terrorism Index. By exploring the repercussions of rainfall, economic decline, political instability, and societal disruptions, the study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the effect of climate stressors on the escalation of terrorism. I analyze the relationship between rainfall and terrorist activity using a continuous variable that measures the number of terrorist events in a given year and measures of very high or very low rainfall as the key independent variables. This study uses data from the Global Terrorism Database, which includes 47,602 instances of conflict spanning two decades, combined with yearly precipitation data from the World Bank. The results indicate that while high rainfall does not significantly impact terrorist activity, instances of unusually low rainfall are associated with an elevated level of terrorist activity. More research is needed to continue to identify the underlying drivers of conflict
Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Mental Health Care Utilization during the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textM.P.P.Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States faced a growing mental health crisis with rising rates of suicide, addiction, and drug overdoses. In early 2020, as the pandemic brought economic anxiety and social isolation, the crisis worsened. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand their Medicaid program to cover more low-income households. An expansive body of research has examined the effect of states’ Medicaid expansion decisions on health care access, utilization, and outcomes. However, research on this impact during the pandemic is nascent, and no study has specifically examined the impact of Medicaid expansion on mental health care utilization during the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper aims to investigate the link between the use of mental health care services – specifically therapy and counseling – and Medicaid expansion. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, this study aims to determine whether, and to what extent, Medicaid expansion increases utilization of therapy and counseling services during roughly the last four months of 2020 among low-income populations. Finally, this study also examines whether this effect differs for white and Black Americans. My results suggest that Medicaid expansion is associated with a small but significant increase in utilization of mental health services during the early months of the pandemic. In addition, I do not find evidence that this effect differs for white and Black Americans
RESF1 Is a Tumor Suppressor and Metastasis-Associated Gene in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
No full textPh.D.Patients with ER-negative breast cancer have the worst prognosis of all breast cancersubtypes, often experiencing rapid recurrence or progression to metastatic disease shortly after
diagnosis. Given that metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in solid tumors, understanding
metastatic biology is crucial for effective intervention. Using a mouse systems genetics
approach, we previously identified 12 genes associated with metastatic susceptibility. Here, we
extend those studies to identify Resf1, a poorly characterized gene, as a novel metastasis
susceptibility gene in ER-negative breast cancer. Resf1 is a large, unstructured protein with an
evolutionarily conserved intron-exon structure, but with poor amino acid conservation. CRISPR
or gene trap mouse models crossed to the PyMT genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM)
demonstrated that reduction of Resf1 resulted in a significant increase in tumor growth, a
shortened overall survival time, and increased incidence and number of lung metastases,
consistent with patient data. Furthermore, an analysis of matched tail and primary tissues
revealed loss of the wildtype copy in tumor tissue, consistent with Resf1 being a tumor
suppressor. Mechanistic analysis revealed a potential role of Resf1 in transcriptional control
through association with compound G-quadruplexes in expressed sequences, particularly those
associated with ribosomal biogenesis. These results suggest that loss of Resf1 enhances tumor
progression in ER-negative breast cancer through multiple alterations in both transcriptional and
translational control
Assessing the Effect of Remittances on Refugee and Displacement Patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean
No full textM.P.P.The role of remittances in human development has been studied in many countries for several decades. However, in recent years, the unwavering expansion in global migration and displacement derived from conflict, fragility, natural disasters, among other emergencies have underscored the need to go beyond this research to learn more about the relationship between remittances and migration patterns around the world. This imperative is evident given the ongoing humanitarian crises afflicting countries such as Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, among other regions around the world. At the same time, global remittance transfers have doubled from 2001 to 2022, positioning remittances as a lifeline not only for households, but local, state, and national economies around the world (World Bank, n.d.).Against this backdrop, this thesis explores the relationship between remittances and migration and displacement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). If such a relationship is revealed, this study can identify opportunities for policy makers to reduce displacement and forced migration in the LAC region by expanding the volume and cadence of remittance transfers around the world. Within this quantitative analysis, this thesis will employ fixed-effect analysis utilizing indicators related to remittances, migration, displacement, as well as development indicators related to access to healthcare, education, housing, unemployment, inequality, among other areas
Implementing Teach Back During Oncology Clinical Trial Informed Consents
No full textD.N.P.Health literacy remains a barrier to the understanding of health-related information. Oncology patients are often presented with treatment options, one being clinical trials. Health literacy is not assessed prior to presenting the health information in informed consent documents before patients agree to participate. Teach back is an evidence-based communication method shown to improve patient comprehension and recall of health-related information. The project’s primary aim was to determine the impact of teach back on patient understanding of content in the informed consent. The secondary aim was to determine if teach back was sustainable and feasible for the nurses. This quality improvement project used a pre- and post-test design measured using the Deaconess of Informed Consent Comprehension Test (DICCT). It was conducted at a large academic cancer center and involved one department of 13 research nurses who present interventional oncology clinical trial informed consents to adult patients. The DICCT was administered verbally by the research nurses at the completion of the informed consent presentation. Scores on the DICCT (range 0 – 28) during the six weeks of not using teach back compared to six weeks of using teach back were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The secondary aim was measured using qualitative data obtained through informal interviews with the nurses. Results revealed patients who did not receive teach back at the time of informed consent review (n = 13) achieved an average score of 26.0 (SD = 2.9). Patients who received teach back at the time of consent (n = 9) achieved a mean score of 24.7 (SD = 4.2).
Results indicated that using teach-back during informed consent did not improve patient understanding of the information in the document (U = 47.5, p = .471). This may be attributed to scoring subjectively and a lack of detail of the DICCT rubric. Results from nursing interviews indicated that the strategy of teach back would be challenging to sustain due to time constraints. Although the results of this project were not statistically or clinically significant, using teach back after each element of the informed consent may be more feasible for future inquiry
Recordando la Patria Perdida: Identidad Nacional y Memoria en Narrativas Sobre la Migración Venezolana
No full textPh.D.This dissertation focuses on the Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis in the twenty-first century. Through literary and film analysis and historical contextualization, I analyze how various written and audiovisual narratives represent the construction of the memory and national identity of Venezuelan migrants from dissimilar social classes and races. My work contributes to migration studies and film and literary criticism in Latin America by drawing attention to multimedia narratives that illustrate a migration crisis with global implications. The dissertation comprises four chapters. The first chapter analyzes three collective imaginary constructions that influence the memory and national identity of Venezuelan migrants. These constructions include Venezuelan nationalism based on the epic history of this country, the oil’s cultural impact in Venezuela, and the Venezuelan diaspora’s media representation as a symbol of the nation’s decline. The second chapter demonstrates how the novel La hija de la española (2021) by Karina Sainz Borgo depicts a repugnant Venezuela that contaminates the protagonist’s national identity and increases their nostalgia for a lost country. In the third chapter, I analyze how Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles’s novel Blue Label / Etiqueta Azul (2010) and Alejandro Bellame’s film Dirección Opuesta (2021) represent the protagonists’ fragmented memories and national identity within a Caracas symbolized as between rubble and ruins. The final chapter explores how the music videos “Me fui” (2019) by Reymar Perdomo and “Tonada del caminante” (2018) by Pía Páez shape the collective memory and resilience of Venezuelan migrants from the lower classes
Embodied Education for Ecological Belonging
No full textIn this 90-minute workshop, we'll embark on a transformative journey, diving deep into the values of interdisciplinary learning and embodied education within the context of ecological belonging. Through call-and-response activities, we'll create a harmonious space for collective exploration.
Drawing from our diverse experiences as post-baccalaureate fellows at the Earth Commons, Center for Social Justice, and Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, we'll share our individual stories, weaving together narratives of discovery, challenge, and growth.
We'll transition into immersive storytelling sessions, where participants will respond to reflection prompts through various creative mediums, be it poetry, short stories, vision boards, maps, or constellation activities. These activities will allow us to tap into our imagination, intuition, and emotions, fostering a deeper connection to the ecological world around us.
As we share our creations and insights, we'll engage in thoughtful discussions on how these practices can be integrated into educational settings and the importance of doing so to be trauma-informed and culturally sustainable educators. Together, we'll explore practical strategies for implementing interdisciplinary and embodied approaches in the classroom, empowering educators to nurture a sense of ecological belonging among their students.
Join us on this enriching journey of exploration, creation, and collaboration as we reimagine education through the lens of ecological interconnectedness
