"Count-our-Space": Examining the Counterspaces of Black Women Pursuing the Doctorate in Education

Black women are earning more than 65% of the doctoral degrees awarded to Blacks, yet they remain dissatisfied and isolated in their programs (Shavers & Moore, 2014, p. 15). Research shows that Black women experience graduate school negatively on almost every level. While the literature suggests that the negative experiences of Black women continue to go unnoticed by faculty and administrators, they are taking control of their situations by developing counterspaces to ensure their successful completion of their programs. A counterspace is a “safe space that counters discrimination and builds a supportive campus climate for marginalized students” (Garcia, 2011, p. 11). This qualitative study used Black Feminist Thought and Narrative Inquiry to understand how Black women experience graduate school and how those experiences promote the development of and participation in counterspaces. The study participants included four Black women enrolled in a doctoral program in the school of education at Morgantown Central University (MCU). All the women had prior graduate school experience, which was described as positive and supportive. They expected their experiences at MCU to be comparable; however, the women’s experiences were extremely different in the doctoral program. The study exposed a lack of proper advisement, mentoring, and same race faculty. As a result, this investigation revealed that counterspace is an essential component to the successful completion of doctoral programs for Black women. It also revealed that the failure of formal institutional structures creates the need for counterspaces for Black women pursuing doctorates. This study exposed the importance of the following areas for promoting Black women’s success in doctoral programs: advising and mentoring, faculty diversity, recognition of race and gender, and counterspace development

Clearance of endosymbionts in the tick vector Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Abstract only availableVector-borne diseases reduce livestock production in areas whose human populations are starving, such as the Tsetse belt in Africa. In the United States, people are infected every year with Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis. A method of controlling vectors, such as ticks, would have many uses. Previous studies have indicated that all ticks of the species Amblyomma americanum are infected with a Coxiella sp. bacterial symbiont. After treatment with the antibiotics rifampin and tetracycline, nymphs and adults were shown to have lower numbers of this symbiont and treatment of engorged adult females was shown to result in decreased fecundity (Zhong et al. 2007). It was speculated that this Coxiella symbiont plays a vital role in tick fitness and female fecundity. The goals of the current experiment are to: demonstrate the presence of the same or similar symbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus adults and larvae, demonstrate clearance of the symbiont in larvae after treatment with antibiotics, observe any negative effects on the fecundity of the treated females, and test the acquisition rate of larvae that feed on a carrier of Ehrlichia canis, a pathogen of which ticks are a vector. A Coxiella sp. symbiont was shown in adult and larvae R. sanguineus using PCR. Adult females were then fed with males on dogs to repletion, with several groups receiving different treatments of antibiotics prior to mating. Three of the treatment groups suffered significantly lower fecundity than the control. DNA from the resulting larvae was PCR assayed for symbionts, and the Coxiella symbiont has been found in lower numbers in the larvae of these treated groups. The next phase of the experiment is to feed symbiont cleared or reduced larvae on an E. canis carrier and compare their rate of acquisition to untreated larvae.Dr. Roger W. Stich, Veterinary Pathobiolog

HLA gene expression is altered in whole blood and placenta from women who later developed preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a multi-system disease that significantly contributes to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we used a non-biased microarray approach to identify dysregulated genes in maternal whole blood samples which may be associated with the development of preeclampsia. Whole blood samples were obtained at 28 weeks of gestation from 5 women who later developed preeclampsia (cases) and 10 matched women with normotensive pregnancies (controls). Placenta samples were obtained from an independent cohort of 19 women with preeclampsia matched with 19 women with normotensive pregnancies. We studied gene expression profiles using Illumina microarray in blood and validated changes in gene expression in whole blood and placenta tissue by qPCR. We found a transcriptional profile differentiating cases from controls; 236 genes were significantly dysregulated in blood from women who developed preeclampsia. Functional annotation of microarray results indicated that most of the genes found to be dysregulated were involved in inflammatory pathways. Whilst general trends were preserved, only HLA-A was validated in whole blood samples from cases using qPCR (2.30 ± 0.9 fold change) whereas in placental tissue HLA-DRB1 expression was found to be significantly increased in samples from women with preeclampsia (5.88 ± 2.24 fold change). We have identified that HLA-A is up-regulated in the circulation of women who went on to develop preeclampsia. In placenta of women with preeclampsia we identified that HLA-DRB1 is up-regulated. Our data provide further evidence for involvement of the HLA gene family in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia

Differential expression of microRNA-206 and its target genes in pre-eclampsia

Objectives: Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system disease that significantly contributes to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we used a non-biased microarray approach to identify novel circulating miRNAs in maternal plasma that may be associated with pre-eclampsia. Methods: Plasma samples were obtained at 16 and 28 weeks of gestation from 18 women who later developed pre-eclampsia (cases) and 18 matched women with normotensive pregnancies (controls). We studied miRNA expression profiles in plasma and subsequently confirmed miRNA and target gene expression in placenta samples. Placental samples were obtained from an independent cohort of 19 women with pre-eclampsia matched with 19 women with normotensive pregnancies. Results: From the microarray, we identified 1 miRNA that was significantly differentially expressed between cases and controls at 16 weeks of gestation and 6 miRNAs that were significantly differentially expressed at 28 weeks. Following qPCR validation only one, miR-206, was found to be significantly increased in 28 week samples in women who later developed pre-eclampsia (1.4 fold change ± 0.2). The trend for increase in miR-206 expression was mirrored within placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. In parallel, IGF-1, a target gene of miR-206, was also found to be down-regulated (0.41 ± 0.04) in placental tissue from women with pre-eclampsia. miR-206 expression was also detectable in myometrium tissue and trophoblast cell lines. Conclusions: Our pilot study has identified miRNA-206 as a novel factor up-regulated in pre-eclampsia within the maternal circulation and in placental tissue

Cost analyses of a web-based behavioral intervention to enhance fruit and vegetable consumption

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this paper is to evaluate costs associated with the online intervention trial, Making Effective Nutritional Choices for Cancer Prevention (MENU), and to connect the findings to the study outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using prospective data collected during the MENU development and implementation phases, we estimated overall costs per person, incremental costs for the three arms of the MENU intervention, and incremental costs per change in fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption across the studied population. The MENU study was conducted in five HMO sites of the Cancer Research Network. The number of eligible study participants who were enrolled in the study was 2,540. Recruited participants were randomized into (1) an untailored website program, (2) tailored website program, or (3) tailored web program plus personalized counseling (HOBI) via email. The primary measures for these analyses include the total intervention costs, average cost per participant, and the average cost per mean change in daily intake of F&V, stratified by study arm.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean change in F&V consumption was greater in both the tailored arm and statistically higher in the HOBI arm relative to the untailored arm. The untailored arm achieved +2.34 servings increase vs. the tailored website arm (+2.68) and the HOBI arm (+2.80) servings increase. Total intervention costs for MENU participants who completed the 12-month follow-up assessment, by study arm, were estimated to be $197,197 or$110 respectively. This translates to $69 per participant in the untailored web site intervention,$81 per participant in the tailored website intervention, and 184 per participant in the HOBI intervention and a cost per average change in F&V consumption to be 35, $27 and$61 respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Providing personalized "tailored" messages and additional personalized support via email generated an additional $12-$115 per participant, over the untailored web program. Incremental increases in F&V consumption associated with the email support arm were associated with considerable increases in intervention costs, suggesting that the most cost effective arm of the MENU study by servings gained was the tailored website.</p

2021 DePaul University Library and Art Museum Climate Survey Report

In the fall of 2021, the DePaul University Library and Art Museum’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Committee decided to conduct a survey of the library’s climate to establish a baseline for its work. The survey was sent to all full and part-time library staff and ran for six weeks. One of the goals of the IDEA committee is to bring awareness of implicit biases, micro-aggressions, exclusionary practices, and structural racism and discrimination within Library and Art Museum operations, environment, and culture; to review, audit and propose internal polices and processes for the Library and Art Museum to implement IDEA and related principles. The aim of the 2022 climate survey was to establish a baseline for this work. The survey results will be used to inform what organizational changes, training, and programs will be most beneficial to the library staff. After looking at various tools used by other businesses and universities, the IDEA subcommittee performing the survey and writing the report decided to work with the tool developed by the University of Maryland Libraries (https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/17439) to survey its staff. The survey was adapted to account for the different nature of the University of Maryland libraries – private vs. public, baccalaureate/masters vs. major research institution, etc. As a condition of using this survey, DePaul University Library and Art Museum must post its version of the survey and this report to the university’s institutional repository

Police, public, and offender perceptions of body-worn video: a single jurisdictional multiple-perspective analysis

Objectives. Police, public, and offender survey responses from a single jurisdiction give a multiple-perspective insight into the use of body-worn video (BWV) cameras by police. Methods. Police attitudinal data was collected from before (n = 190), during (n = 139), and at the conclusion (n = 221) of a BWV implementation trial. Public attitudes were collected at the conclusion of the BWV implementation trial via online survey (n = 995 respondents) and intercept survey (n = 428 respondents). Offender attitudes (n = 302) were collected in police custody over a 6-month period immediately preceding the BWV trial. Results. The extent to which police felt BWV influenced their behavior tempered during the trial. All three perspectives were supportive of the use of BWV. The public who had encountered BWV-wearing officers and the offender sample indicated limited belief that BWV would reduce bad behavior. There was also clear contention about the policy and practice decisions around recording. Conclusions. These findings have significance for BWV trials, commenting on the importance of (a) collecting police attitudes at multiple points, (b) separating the attitudes of public who did encounter police wearing BWV, and (c) data collection and policy for evaluation outcomes

Simian Foamy Virus Transmission from Apes to Humans, Rural Cameroon

Bites from apes efficiently transmit the foamy virus to humans in natural settings in central Africa

Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges

peer-reviewedAbstract The field of microbiome research has evolved rapidly over the past few decades and has become a topic of great scientific and public interest. As a result of this rapid growth in interest covering different fields, we are lacking a clear commonly agreed definition of the term “microbiome.” Moreover, a consensus on best practices in microbiome research is missing. Recently, a panel of international experts discussed the current gaps in the frame of the European-funded MicrobiomeSupport project. The meeting brought together about 40 leaders from diverse microbiome areas, while more than a hundred experts from all over the world took part in an online survey accompanying the workshop. This article excerpts the outcomes of the workshop and the corresponding online survey embedded in a short historical introduction and future outlook. We propose a definition of microbiome based on the compact, clear, and comprehensive description of the term provided by Whipps et al. in 1988, amended with a set of novel recommendations considering the latest technological developments and research findings. We clearly separate the terms microbiome and microbiota and provide a comprehensive discussion considering the composition of microbiota, the heterogeneity and dynamics of microbiomes in time and space, the stability and resilience of microbial networks, the definition of core microbiomes, and functionally relevant keystone species as well as co-evolutionary principles of microbe-host and inter-species interactions within the microbiome. These broad definitions together with the suggested unifying concepts will help to improve standardization of microbiome studies in the future, and could be the starting point for an integrated assessment of data resulting in a more rapid transfer of knowledge from basic science into practice. Furthermore, microbiome standards are important for solving new challenges associated with anthropogenic-driven changes in the field of planetary health, for which the understanding of microbiomes might play a key role. Video Abstrac