Black Psychology: A Forerunner of Positive Psychology

Abstract The core virtues of positive psychology are very similar to the psychological strengths of African Americans in Black psychology. The psychological strengths of African Americans, however, did not receive as much attention in the field as the core virtues of positive psychology. Although these virtues are very similar, they were produced in different social, historical contexts and for different purposes. The tenets of Black psychology were created within a population that was being resilient in the face of oppression, the core virtues of positive psychology produced within a society that had the luxury of focusing on thriving and flourishing. These similarities can aid as reminders of the influence of ancient philosophy on psychology, and suggest similarities in constructs used in being resilient and in flourishing, and suggest similarities across cultures

A Culturally Informed Treatment for the Black Community: Using Rap Therapy and Belief Systems Analysis Together

Rap therapy and Belief Systems Analysis are both culturally sensitive treatment approaches that were developed to treat African Americans. Both of these treatment approaches were developed out of strategies that African Americans have used as means of being resilient in the face of oppressive circumstances. These treatment approaches can be used conjointly to help enhance the well-being of African American clients. Both approaches help clients develop more positive, healthier outlooks and perspectives. Rap therapy can be very helpful in establishing rapport, and helping clients have a comfortable means of expressing their thoughts and feelings. Belief Systems Analysis can provide a framework within which to redirect and reframe perspectives and outlooks. Although literature has not examined the conjoint usages of these therapeutic approaches, they both have been found to have positive impacts independently, and can potentially be enhanced by being used conjointl

44 - COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES TO ANALYZE THE NITROGEN SECOND POSITIVE SYSTEM

One of the most easily identifiable parts of a nitrogen molecular emission spectra is the second positive system, which has strong emission bands between 300 nm and 400 nm. This system is often used to determine the gas temperature for electric discharges since the rotational temperature in most of these systems is very close to the actual gas temperature. However, when using these systems many researchers assume that the band intensity for middle range angular momentum quantum numbers can be fitted by a Boltzmann distribution. This assumption is only true if the system is in thermal dynamic equilibrium, which does not occur for most electric discharges. This poster will focus on simulations of the system and how these simulations can be used to more accurately predict the gas temperature in a discharge without assuming thermal equilibrium

Improving Mixed Variable Optimization of Computational and Model Parameters Using Multiple Surrogate Functions

This research focuses on reducing computational time in parameter optimization by using multiple surrogates and subprocess CPU times without compromising the quality of the results. This is motivated by applications that have objective functions with expensive computational times at high fidelity solutions. Applying, matching, and tuning optimization techniques at an algorithm level can reduce the time spent on unprofitable computations for parameter optimization. The objective is to recover known parameters of a flow property reference image by comparing to a template image that comes from a computational fluid dynamics simulation, followed by a numerical image registration and comparison process. Mixed variable pattern search and mesh adaptive direct search methods were applied using surrogate functions in the search step to produce solutions within a tolerance level of experimental observations. The surrogate functions are based on previous function values and computational times of those values. The use of multiple surrogates at each search step provides parameter selections that lead to improved solutions of an objective function evaluation with less computational time. Previously computed values for the objective function and computation time were used to compute a time cut-off parameter that allows termination during an objective function evaluation if the computational time exceeded a threshold or a divergent template image was created. This approach was tested using DACE and radial basis function surrogates within the NOMADm MATLAB® software. The numerical results are presented

An enriched count of nodal orbits in an invariant pencil of conics

Given a pencil of plane conics, one can ask how many conics in the pencil are nodal. The answer is three as long as the defining conics are in general position, which is a very special case of G\"{o}ttsche's conjecture. This work gives an equivariant enrichment in the Burnside ring of the classical count of nodal conics in a general pencil. Given a pencil of conics in $\mathbb{P}^2_{\mathbb{C}}$ which is invariant under a linear action of a finite group not equal to $\mathbb{Z}/2\times\mathbb{Z}/2$ or $D_8$, the weighted sum of nodal orbits in the pencil is a formula in terms of the base locus, which can be proved directly. Counterexamples for the two exceptional groups are also constructed

Faith-Based Organizing and Partnerships in a Pittsburgh Neighborhood: A Look at East Liberty

The East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh has a fascinating blend of African American churches and racially integrated churches -- all within this African American neighborhood in Pittsburgh\u27s East End. In this research project, I will explore how several East Liberty churches are working with other churches (or faith-based organizations [FBOs]) and organizations within the East Liberty neighborhood to provide various social services to those within this predominantly African American community. The research questions for this project are: 1) How does the racial composition of the church community affect their relationship with the residents of East Liberty whom they serve? 2) How does the class composition of the congregation affect their relationship with the residents of East Liberty and the congregation\u27s ability to serve the residents? 3) How does the theological orientation of the church shape their involvement in the community? 4) What are these churches\u27 attitudes about working in partnership with other churches and FBOs? The African American churches participating in this research project have an easier time than the others working within this predominantly African American community. However, the racially integrated church and the predominantly European American church gained the trust of the residents by being committed to the community and attempting to assist the community through their church services and other forms of outreach. Aside from the racial composition of a church being a factor in its effectiveness, class and theological orientation also played a role in how effectively a church functions in its community

A national cultural center at Tuskegee, Alabama

Issued as Report, Project no. A-1673Report has title: A national cultural center at Tuskegee, Alabam

The role of the phospholipid regulator, CgOPI1, in controlling viability in the pathogenic yeast, Candida glabrata

The pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata is the second-most common cause of candidiasis in humans after Candida albicans. Interestingly, C. glabrata is phylogenetically closer to Saccharomyces cerevisiae than C. albicans. One important virulence factor in C. glabrata is its inherent resistance to the azole class of antifungals, necessitating the continued discovery of novel antifungal agents. Many antifungals target ergosterol or ergosterol biosynthesis. In an attempt to look for new potential drug targets in C. glabrata, homologues of the genes in S. cerevisiae that regulate the transcription of phospholipid biosythesis (the inositol regulon) were examined. The S. cerevisiae inositol regulon consists of a heterodimeric transcriptional activator encoded by the genes INO2 and INO4 and a repressor encoded by OPI1, none of which are essential.The most well studied target of these genes is INO1, whose protein product converts glucose-6-phosphate to inositol-1-phosphate for the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol in the absence of inositol. Disruption of INO2 or INO4 blocks transcription of several phospholipid biosynthetic genes including INO1, resulting in inositol auxotrophy. Disruption of OPI1 causes overproduction of INO1 and other genes. Surprisingly, it was found that CgOPI1 is essential for viability in C. glabrata. This was found to be true for strains in both the BG2 and ATCC2001 backgrounds indicating that this is not just a strain-specific effect. This is very different from S. cerevisiae, where the Scopi1[Delta] mutant grows robustly. These results led to the hypothesis that the CgOPI1 gene is necessary for viability because it causes overexpression of a target of the inositol regulon transcriptional activator CgIno2p-CgIno4p. Experimental evidence suggests that this hypothesis is true.Disruption of CgINO2 or CgINO4 leads inositol auxotrophy due to the inability to transcribe regulon targets such as CgINO1. The Cgopi1[Delta] mutant\u27s viability defect can be rescued by disruption of the Cgino2[Delta] gene. The Cgopi1[Delta] Cgino2[Delta] double mutant is viable in the absence of CgOPI1 on a plasmid. These results indicate that blocking the expression of a gene that is activated by the inositol regulon can rescue the Cgopi1[Delta] mutant\u27s viability defect. Identification of this target will help elucidate the phenotype

Pastoral Perceptions of Formal Mental Health Training in the Black Church

This purpose of this phenomenological study is to broadly explore the role of the Black Church in providing mental health support by facilitating linkages to professional mental health services by exploring pastoral perceptions of mental health through examination of their experiences with church members. Ten African American pastors of Black Churches in North and South Carolina completed semi-structured, qualitative interviews describing their backgrounds, attitudes, and their mental health experiences within the church. Many of the respondents reported having members of their congregation disclose challenges or difficulties with their mental health. Most of the pastors reported that they understood the need for a combination approach of pastoral and professional mental health counseling. Most of the respondents also expressed that they understood the impact that being trained by professionals to respond to mental health crises could have on their company. The findings from this study showed that the leadership in the Black Church could potentially be ready for collaborations. Data shows us that Black Americans are not less likely to seek professional mental health services. The Black Church is often described as “the pulse” of the Black Community, and Senior Pastors have a unique opportunity to facilitate collaboration with traditional, professional mental health services