10 research outputs found
The experiences of male Afghan refugees in the United States, seen through the lens of Sarbin's social role theory
No full textMore than 3 million people have fled Afghanistan since the outbreak of armed warfare in the late `70's. Extant research with Afghan survivors of war highlights the combined effects of stressors related to war and subsequent migration. The current study uses Sarbin's (1970) social role theory as a framework for analyzing the experiences of seven Afghan men who migrated to the U.S. after fleeing war-torn Afghanistan. It emerged that the Afghan-American men in this sample developed a series of adaptive strategies in response to how they located themselves within the four ecologies theorized by Sarbin, namely self-maintenance (physical), social (relational), transcendental (meaning-making) and normative (internalized standards of success). Findings also revealed that experiences in both Afghanistan and the U.S. contributed to how this sample of Afghan men made meaning of their migration and facilitated their adaptation efforts as refugees
Acculturation, construction of gender and social identity in a sample of Afghan immigrants in the U.S.
No full textThis qualitative study, informed by the phenomenological approach, was an effort to examine the post-migration experiences of Afghan immigrants in the United States. Sarbin's social role theory framed the exploration of three processes: acculturation, construction of social identity and gender. Findings reveal that the three processes were not entirely distinct but influenced each other in important ways. Additionally, the pre-migration and post-migration factors shaped how they adapted within each of the four ecologies defined by Sarbin (1970). Furthermore, the sociopolitical context of relations between the United States and Afghanistan shaped the processes of acculturation, construction of gender and social identity of the participants. The implications of these findings for future research and programs are discussed
The impact of caffeine on short-term memory in post-secondary students
No full textDouglas College student research poster submitted as partial requirement for Sport Science Applied Research 4256 course and presented at the Student Research Week 2021. Faculty sponsor to submit this poster to DOOR: Dr. Ken Anderson.
We investigated the effects of caffeine on short-term memory after a 30-minute absorption period and a 45-minute absorption period in post-secondary students. The study was conducted in a single-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants who consented to participate in the study were asked to abstain from caffeine or food consumption 12 hours before data collection. Each participant was randomly assigned to a 30-min group and 45 min-group Participants were administered a 1000 IU dose of Vitamin D then after 30 minutes or 45 minutes short-term memory (STM) was evaluated through a Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Immediately after, participants were administered 200 mg of caffeine dosage then the same procedure was repeated. Of 10 participants, 5 were placed in the 30-min group and another 5 in the 45-min group. Mean values for 30 min groups for placebo and caffeine trials were lower than the 45-min group scores. The impact of 30 minute absorption period measured placebo scores measure higher than caffeine trials (p=0.69). The 45-minute absorption period measured placebo score higher caffeine scores (p=0.64). Finally, the 45-min versus 30-min absorption period measured higher scores for increased absorption period (p=0.74). Consistent with previous research, if consumed properly, caffeine can assist in improving the memory in post-secondary students however; taking into consideration, the dosage and peak time of the caffeine supplement would greatly influence the ability to perform well on the RAVLT.Not peer reviewedStudent Research Week Poster (2021)Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)post-secondary studentsshort-term memory (STM)caffein
Recognizing Roots and Not Just Leaves: The Use of Integrative Mindfulness in Education, Research, and Practice
No full textMindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have entered mainstream psychology practice and research over the last few decades. However, academic literature on MBIs reveals a focus on the European-American populations, and customization of mindfulness to the needs and values of mainstream western mental health. There has been an exclusion of the spiritual and cultural roots of mindfulness; mindfulness has been secularized in ways that undermine indigenous forms of mindfulness that originate from Asian countries such as India and China. While MBIs have been working well for their targeted audience, there need to be avenues for Asian and Asian American communities that follow Buddhist (of which Zen is a form) and/or Hindu principles to benefit from the mindfulness practice as they were originally intended. This paper will highlight the discrepancies between mindfulness-based practices described in Buddhist teachings, and Westernized mindfulness practices. We also review how westernized mindfulness has been recruited to advance colonial-capitalist values, to the exclusion of the liberatory potential of mindfulness as articulated in its spiritual foundations. In response, we propose a movement we call Integrative Mindfulness (IM) to call upon the field of mental health to address the tension between cultural humility and cultural appropriation. The authors define IM as, “the recognition and implementation of spiritual and cultural wisdom, including (but not limited to) Buddhist and Hindu principles in the Euro-American context to promote culturally humble contemplative practices with the central intention to understand and transcend suffering”. Even as mindfulness may be adapted to address contemporary issues, it is essential that mindfulness practice be inclusive of its roots and overarching liberatory goals so that mindfulness does not become an instrument to advance colonial-capitalist ideologies
Serum Immune Profiling for Early Detection of Cervical Disease
No full textabstract: Background: The most recent (2012) worldwide estimates from International Agency for Research on Cancer indicate that approximately 528,000 new cases and 270,000 deaths per year are attributed to cervical cancer worldwide. The disease is preventable with HPV vaccination and with early detection and treatment of pre-invasive cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, CIN. Antibodies (Abs) to HPV proteins are under investigation as potential biomarkers for early detection.
Methods: To detect circulating HPV-specific IgG Abs, we developed programmable protein arrays (NAPPA) that display the proteomes of two low-risk HPV types (HPV6 and 11) and ten oncogenic high-risk HPV types (HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52 and 58). Arrays were probed with sera from women with CIN 0/I (n=78), CIN II/III (n=84), or invasive cervical cancer (ICC, n=83).
Results: Abs to any early (E) HPV protein were detected less frequently in women with CIN 0/I (23.7%) than women with CIN II/III (39.0%) and ICC (46.1%, p<0.04). Of the E Abs, anti-E7 Abs were the most frequently detected (6.6%, 19.5%, and 30.3%, respectively). The least frequently detected Abs were E1 and E2-Abs in CIN 0/I (1.3%) and E1-Abs in CIN II/III (1.2%) and ICC (7.9%). HPV16-specific Abs correlated with HPV16 DNA detected in the cervix in 0% of CIN 0/I, 21.2% of CIN II/III, and 45.5% of ICC. A significant number (29 - 73%) of E4, E7, L1, and L2 Abs had cross-reactivity between HPV types.
Conclusion: HPV protein arrays provide a valuable high-throughput tool for measuring the breadth, specificity, and heterogeneity of the serologic response to HPV in cervical disease
Between Synergy and Conflict: Balancing the Processes of Organizational and Individual Resilience in an Afghan Women’s Community
No full textComparison of a VLP‐based and GST‐L1‐based multiplex immunoassay to detect vaccine‐induced HPV‐specific antibodies in first‐void urine
No full textVaccine-induced human papillomavirus (HPV) antibodies originating from cervicovaginal secretions were recently shown to be detectable in first-void (FV) urine. This presents a novel opportunity for noninvasive sampling to monitor HPV antibody status in women participating in large epidemiological studies and HPV vaccine trials. With a view towards method optimization, this study compared the measurement of HPV antibodies in FV urine using a multiplex L1/L2 virus-like particles (VLP)-based ELISA (M4ELISA) with previously reported results using a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-L1-based immunoassay (GST-L1-MIA). We tested 53 paired FV urine and serum samples from 19- to 26-year-old healthy women, unvaccinated (n = 17) or vaccinated with either the bivalent or quadrivalent HPV-vaccine during adolescence (n = 36). HPV6/11/16/18 antibodies were measured using M4ELISA and compared with GST-L1-MIA results. Inter-assay and inter-specimen correlations were examined using the Spearman's rank test (rs). As expected, lower HPV antibody concentrations were found in FV urine than in serum. Vaccinated women had significantly higher HPV6/11/16/18 antibody levels in both FV urine and serum compared with those unvaccinated (M4ELISA; FV urine P = .0003; serum P <= .0001). HPV antibody levels in FV urine and serum showed a significant positive correlation (M4ELISA anti-HPV6/11/16/18, r(s) = 0.85/0.86/0.91/0.79, P <= .001). Despite assay differences, there was moderate to good correlation between M4ELISA and GST-L1-MIA (FV urine anti-HPV6/11/16/18, r(s) = 0.86/0.83/0.89/0.53, P <= .0001; serum anti-HPV6/11/16/18, r(s) = 0.93/0.89/0.94/0.75, P <= .0001). FV urine HPV antibody detection is comparable with both assays, further supporting this noninvasive sampling method as a possible option for HPV vaccine assessment. Approaches to improve the sensitivity and larger studies are warranted to determine the feasibility of FV urine for vaccine-induced HPV antibody detection.Industrial Research Fund of the University of Antwerp, Belgium, Grant/Award Number: PS ID 32387Pattyn, J (reprint author), Campus Drie Eiken,Bldg R2,Univ Pl 1, B-12610 Antwerp, Belgium.
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Operation Toothbrush: Understanding Pediatric Dentistry in Low Income Communities
No full textabstract: Operation Toothbrush is an initiative established to combat the oral healthcare disparity within young children who reside in Arizona. By working with elementary and preschool children, the project educated them and their families about the importance of oral hygiene in informative and intuitive manner. The project incorporated the help of Pre-Dental volunteers, dental practices, and the Woodside Grant to obtain the supplies, information, and assistance necessary to conduct the initiative
