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A Program Evaluation of an Asynchronous Parenting Class: Assessing the Needs of Co-Parents of Children with Mental and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
No full textParental divorce or separation is a common experience for many families in the United States, and there is evidence to suggest there are higher rates of divorce among parents with children with neurodevelopmental differences or mental health conditions. Following a divorce, many parents are court-mandated to participate in educational programs that focus on topics such as co-parenting communication strategies, the impact of parental conflict, and methods for supporting children’s adjustment to changes in caregiving. In Colorado, Parenting After Divorce is a local non-profit organization that provides families with high quality, evidence-based, co-parenting psychoeducation. In partnership with Parenting After Divorce, this research project was intended to be a preliminary needs assessment/program evaluation to better understand the needs of divorcing or separating families of children with mental health or neurodevelopmental differences. The results of this small-scale, exploratory study suggest that while students are generally satisfied with the current Parenting After Divorce course material, there may be a need for additional psychoeducational content related to individual parenting strategies and co-parenting strategies for supporting children’s mental health or developmental needs in the context of a divorce or separation
‘But That’s How It’s Always Been!’ Analyzing a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program for Systems of Power and Privilege Using One Student’s Personal Account and Multicultural Feminist Psychological Theory
No full textMulticultural feminist psychological theory states that all people experience suffering due to systemic oppression, and that healing results from the liberation from oppression. Part of the healing process involves consciousness-raising, or the act of telling one’s story and analyzing one’s experiences for themes of privilege and power, while exploring the relationships between identities, systems, and sociopolitical context. As a doctoral student experiencing significant distress, burnout, and apathy at the end of my academic training, I sought to understand my own experiences of oppression, power, and privilege in order to deepen my multicultural responsiveness and humility and to engage in an act of liberation and empowerment. Using multicultural feminist psychological theory, my analysis revealed the perpetuation of systemic oppression (including but not limited to capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, and cis-heteronormativity) within my doctoral program at systemic, interpersonal, and individual levels. At the individual level, I experienced broad disempowerment as a result of being oppressed and, more prominently, a result of my internalized oppressor becoming activated. This analysis demonstrates how systemic oppression harms all individuals and informs the argument that all people must fight for liberation from oppression
Morphological Remodeling of the Endoplasmic Reticulum During Mitosis and Its Influence on the Integrity of the Spindle Apparatus
No full textThe Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is the largest organelle in the cell by surface area and forms contacts with other organelles throughout the cell. In recent work, the ER has been implicated in numerous processes within the cell beyond its canonical roles of protein synthesis and calcium storage. The ER also undergoes a remarkable transition in morphology during cell division, with mitotic divisions requiring a massive remodeling of various membranous organelles such as the nuclear envelope and Golgi. However, whether changes in ER behaviors modulate mitotic events is less clear. The rapid cleavage divisions in the early Drosophila embryo are a potent system to understand the dynamic changes that underlie successful mitotic events, as well as uncover the distinct challenges that occur during the rapid cleavage cycles that exist in many animal embryos. In a screen for Rab family GTPases that display dynamic function at these stages, we identified Rab1. Disrupting Rab1 function in the early embryo led to an enhanced buildup of ER at the spindle poles and, interestingly, produced highly penetrant defects in the division cycles. Clustering of ER around the mitotic space is negatively correlated with spindle length and microtubule intensity. Importantly, the recruitment of several key centrosomal proteins at mitotic onset to the spindle poles is weakened after Rab1 disruption leading to reduced γ-tubulin function, suggestive of a defect in centrosomal maturation. We implicate Dynein in maintaining some ER contact with the spindle poles in embryos and find that dual disruption of Rab1 and Dynein can rescue maturation defects. These results demonstrate that ER levels must be carefully tuned during mitotic processes to ensure proper assembly of the division machinery. However, the ER’s structural complexity raises the question of whether the accumulation of ER alone, or the structural disruption of the polar ER may be driving the phenotypes seen in Rab1 disrupted embryos and to what extent either factor may contribute to the weakened centrosomes. To this end, we explore the contributions of the ER shaping proteins in mitosis. Through screening ER shaping protein depletions for mitotic failures, we find one, ReepB, that display division failures during cortical divisions. Additionally, ReepB disruption affects the ER coated structure when depleted, resulting in a ‘frilled ER’ phenotype and a reduction of ER adherence to the spindle space. Additionally, division failures occur in the ReepB depleted background in conjunction with the ER aberrant morphologies. Interestingly, ReepA, a member of the same family of proteins, when overexpressed does not rescue ReepB phenotypes in Drosophila embryos and instead increases ER structural aberrance. To further understand the Reep subclasses we overexpressed each fly Reep in Cos7 cells, resulting in varied phenotypes with ReepB appearing to remodel ER tubules more readily. We then turn back to fly embryos to elucidate the mechanism behind ReepB spindle disruption. Together these data suggest that ReepA and ReepB balance in division cycles is pivotal for ER morphological maintenance and that ReepA and ReepB have some degree of antagonism when expressed in conjunction
The Power Behind Postsecondary Attainment Goals: A Critical Policy Discourse Analysis
No full textIn this study, I examined neoliberal discourses upheld by policy actors engaged in the college completion agenda that perpetuated power structures maintaining white supremacy by relying on the success of racially marginalized communities to meet postsecondary attainment goals. With philanthropic foundations playing an increased role in advancing an advocacy-focused agenda to increase postsecondary attainment across states, there was also a need to better understand the relationship between state policy actors and foundations. As a national champion of postsecondary attainment goals, I identified the Lumina Foundation as a key policy actor in leveraging its advocacy-focused agenda to influence state policy actors and policies. I used critical policy discourse analyses to analyze discourses through interviews and a document analysis concerning postsecondary attainment goals, including the addition of racial equity goals embedded within those attainment goals. My findings indicated that policy actors, across Lumina and the four states under study, perpetuated common neoliberal discourses that tied economic success to the educational success of racially marginalized communities within a white supremacist system. In the final chapter, I included recommendations for key stakeholders to disrupt neoliberal ideologies of white supremacy in postsecondary attainment goals, reframe deficit-based racial equity discourses, and advocate for antiracist policies focused on community voices versus economic benefits
Spin and Charge Transport in Metallic Ferrimagnets and Disordered Magnetic Oxides
Get PDFRecent efforts have been exploring the use of thin film synthetic ferrimagnets and disordered magnetic oxides for applications in spintronic devices. Due to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction, ferrimagnetic materials offer the ultrafast dynamics of the antiferromagnetic exchange, with a net magnetization that can be influenced externally. With two, or more, competing ferromagnet sublattices, interesting properties arise that depend on the final magnetic landscape after growth of the material and it’s inherent magnetic anisotropy energies. Properties such as magnetic compensation temperatures, and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are attractive for applications in spintronic memory and logic devices, some already being implemented in MRAM devices. Observation of increased spin diffusion and spin dephasing lengths at magnetic compensation temperatures has sparked a surge in ferrimagnet spintronics, with novel methods to influence magnetization being realized. With many parameters involved affecting the magnetic landscape it’s imperative that more fundamental knowledge be obtained for ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials so that useful devices can be achieved. Understanding the magnetic and electrical properties as a function of temperature, and probing for spin transport can help build the essential phase map for these materials and determine how to tune certain properties.
In this dissertation, I begin with a description of the materials being investigated, and what methods are being used to interpret the preceding magnetic and electrical properties. Starting with nonlocal resistance measurements to probe spin transport in amorphous Yttrium Iron Oxide, measurements of nonlocal resistances in amorphous Yttrium Iron Oxide, a disordered antiferromagnetic insulator, are discussed. Inverse spin hall effect (ISHE) measurements in nonlocal geometry show that no spin transport is observed in amorphous Y-Fe-O using this method. In fact, experiments reveal that the material acts as a disordered antiferromagnetic semiconductor since the resistivity follows what you’d expect from Mott’s variable range hopping, leading to a more difficult realization of spin transport across this material. Magnetometry measurements of the amorphous Y-Fe-O also confirm the antiferromagnetism of the material, leading to the conclusion that different methods to probe spin transport in this material are necessary. Next, I focus on the transition metal (TM) rare earth (RE) metallic ferrimagnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. A temperature controlled anomalous Hall effect (AHE) memory device is demonstrated with such a material, utilizing the unique properties around the synthetic ferrimagnet’s magnetic compensation temperature, with details and explanations on the mechanisms that govern it. A closer investigation into the magnetic properties of the TM-RE ferrimagnet Co/Gd then follows, with observations of frustrated interactions at low temperatures. The magnetic anisotropy energies of a couple Co/Gd bilayer samples are quantified, concluding that there is a shift in the bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at low temperatures, confirmed through electrical and magnetic measurements. Finally, a non-local spin valve (NLSV) device is used to measure a pure spin current in Fe/Al, paving the way for implementing ferrimagnetic materials such as TM-RE Co/Gd in these lateral spin valves. Details of fabrication and measurement methods are discussed, with fabrication hurdles overcome to realize a working device that can be fabricated using a two step deposition method
The Entrepreneur’s Burden: Investigating the Interplay Between Impostorism and Entrepreneurial Identity
No full textEntrepreneurship is often portrayed as a glamorous pursuit of success but conceals a darker side, exacerbated by impostorism, characterized by challenges, identity conflicts, and diminished well-being. This dark side of entrepreneurship is seldom explored due to our collective fascination with the central figure of the entrepreneur. Impostorism is a prevalent phenomenon among individuals who perceive that their role is beyond their capabilities and fear being exposed as a fake. Impostorism can have negative consequences, including self-sabotage, missed opportunities, and difficulty in seeking help or support, which can impact the ability of entrepreneurs to take entrepreneurial action and experience well-being.
This study builds on identity, entrepreneurial identity, and leadership literatures to explore the impact, antecedents, and consequences of impostorism on entrepreneurial identity. Through a qualitative approach, I explored the lived experiences of entrepreneurs contending with impostorism and its role in shaping their entrepreneurial identity. Semistructured interviews were conducted with those who identify as experiencing impostorism, as well as entrepreneurs who do not identify as experiencing impostorism. Participants were entrepreneurs who wish to grow their ventures. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns within the data, guided by the research question: How does an entrepreneur’s experience with impostorism shape their entrepreneurial identity