Information Technology Usage Among Afghan Women Business Leaders

Prior to 2001, under the Taliban-ruled government, Afghanistan Information Technology (IT) usage was restricted to a few select individuals. Women were not allowed to attend schools or enter public areas without a related male escort and were expected to stay in the family home (Roshan, 2013). However, since 2001, the Afghan IT infrastructure allowed women to join the business sector to become educated in commerce, and they marketed products, goods, or services. Simple IT tools such as mobile phones have offered affordable business options for women, such as payment transactions over the phone or social media accounts. Afghan women leaders have embraced IT usage as a modern method to conduct their businesses

Assessment of an International Virtual Exchange Project with Civil Engineering Students from the US and Palestine: Global Competencies, Perceived Value, and Teamwork

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to assess the value of two iterations of an international virtual exchange (IVE) experience between universities in the US (Clemson University and Bucknell University) and Palestine (An-Najah National University) in 2021 and 2022. The focus of this study was a five-week collaborative project where civil engineering students enrolled in pavement design or environmental engineering courses at three universities were tasked to develop innovative solutions to a pavement related problem in one of five general areas. Based on the course enrollments at each institution (i.e., 50 US and 19 Palestinian students in 2021 and 35 US and 51 Palestinian students in 2022), there were two treatment groups: IVE and non-IVE. In 2021 there were nine bi-national IVE teams and eight non-IVE teams composed only of students from Clemson University (US). In 2022, there were nine bi-national IVE teams, five US non-IVE teams from Clemson, and seven Palestinian non-IVE teams from An-Najah. The evaluation in this study focused on (1) global competencies, (2) value of the experience, and (3) team dynamics. The influence of the experience on the global competencies of the students in IVE and non-IVE teams was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using pre- and post-program surveys based on the Stevens Initiative and RTI International’s Common Survey Items as well as survey items developed for this IVE to measure whether the program promotes gender equity. The value of the project experience for all students (i.e., IVE and non-IVE) was evaluated using a mixed methods assessment based on the “value-creation framework” of Wenger-Trayner et al. Four cycles of the value-creation framework were included in this assessment: (1) immediate value, (2) potential value, (3) applied value, and (4) realized value. Finally, teamwork was evaluated using the Individual and Team Performance (ITP) Metrics Peer Feedback and Team Dynamics survey. Results showed that modifications made between the first and second project iterations, specifically cross-cultural dialogue modules, had positive impacts on the overall outcomes. The IVE teams exhibited greater improvement in team dynamics measures over the project duration compared to the non-IVE teams. The students on IVE teams also showed greater gains in all aspects of the global competencies assessment than their non-IVE peers. Finally, all students expressed that they found value in the experience. However, there were no differences in perceived value between the IVE and non-IVE teams. The differences came from students from different countries as the Palestinian students perceived greater value in the experience than their US peers regardless of whether they were on an IVE team or not

HPA axis reactivity to pharmacologic and psychological stressors in euthymic women with histories of postpartum versus major depression

It is unclear whether women with a history of postpartum depression (PPD) have residual, abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity, as has been reported in major depression (MDD). Further unclear is whether the abnormalities in HPA axis reactivity associated with MDD represent a stable, underlying predisposition or a state-dependent phenomenon. This study sought the following: (1) to determine if euthymic postpartum women with a history of depression have an abnormal HPA axis reactivity to pharmacologic and psychological challenges and (2) to compare HPA reactivity in women with histories of PPD versus MDD. As a secondary objective, we wanted to determine the influence of trauma history on HPA axis function. Forty-five parous (12–24 months postpartum), euthymic women with history of MDD (n = 15), PPD (n = 15), and controls (n = 15) completed pharmacologic (dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) test [DEX/CRH]) and psychological (Trier social stress test [TSST]) challenges during the luteal phase. Outcome measures were cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) response after DEX/CRH, and blood pressure, heart rate, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol response during the TSST. All groups had robust cortisol and ACTH response to DEX/CRH and cortisol response to TSST. Groups did not differ significantly in cortisol or ACTH response to DEX/CRH or in blood pressure, heart rate, epinephrine, norepinephrine, or cortisol response to TSST. Cortisol/ACTH ratio did not differ significantly between groups. Trauma history was associated with decreased cortisol response to DEX/CRH in women with histories of MDD, which was not significant after correction (F8,125, p = 0.02, Greenhouse-Geisser corrected p = 0.11). Currently euthymic women with histories of MDD or PPD did not demonstrate residual abnormal stress responsivity following administration of either a pharmacologic or psychological stressor

The Effects of Trauma History and Prenatal Affective Symptoms on Obstetric Outcomes: Trauma, Anxiety, and Birthweight

Prenatal maternal mood may explain the adverse obstetric outcomes seen in disadvantaged populations yet the effects of trauma history are not well studied. We examined the impact of trauma exposure and mood symptoms on obstetric outcomes in 358 women. Women with antecedent trauma were more likely to have a history of depression χ2(1, N = 358) = 19.2, p =.001; OR = 2.83, 95% CI [1.81, 4.42], were younger at their first pregnancy t(356) = −2.97, p = .003 and had a higher number of previous pregnancies t(356) = 2.77, p = .011 compared to those with no trauma exposure. Women with prenatal anxiety had significantly smaller babies than nonanxious women F(1, 322) = 5.32, p = .024. Trauma history magnified the effects of maternal prenatal mood on birth weight; the moderating effect was limited to those who first experienced a trauma under 18 years of age F(14, 320) = 2.44, p =.005. Childhood trauma exposure increases vulnerability for low birthweight delivery associated with prenatal mood disturbance. Screening pregnant women for trauma history and current mood symptoms is indicated

International Coercion, Emulation and Policy Diffusion: Market-Oriented Infrastructure Reforms, 1977-1999

Why do some countries adopt market-oriented reforms such as deregulation, privatization and liberalization of competition in their infrastructure industries while others do not? Why did the pace of adoption accelerate in the 1990s? Building on neo-institutional theory in sociology, we argue that the domestic adoption of market-oriented reforms is strongly influenced by international pressures of coercion and emulation. We find robust support for these arguments with an event-history analysis of the determinants of reform in the telecommunications and electricity sectors of as many as 205 countries and territories between 1977 and 1999. Our results also suggest that the coercive effect of multilateral lending from the IMF, the World Bank or Regional Development Banks is increasing over time, a finding that is consistent with anecdotal evidence that multilateral organizations have broadened the scope of the “conditionality” terms specifying market-oriented reforms imposed on borrowing countries. We discuss the possibility that, by pressuring countries into policy reform, cross-national coercion and emulation may not produce ideal outcomes.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40099/3/wp713.pd

Cross-continental collaboration for understanding postpartum major depression with psychotic features

Purpose Assess postpartum depression and psychotic symptoms from three continents. Methods Compare numbers of women with depression and psychotic symptoms, mania with or without psychotic features, or transient non-affective psychosis and medication choice. Results The prevalence of postpartum depression and psychosis and treatment choice differed at each site. Conclusions Best treatment for postpartum depression with psychotic features has not been established yet. Cross-continental collaboration with similar assessments holds promise to develop best practices for these high risk mother-infant dyads