Engagement of Latino Mental Health: Voices from Professionals in the Minnesota Community

There is a concerning number of Latino individuals that underutilize mental health services. Research explains that reasons for not accessing mental health resources are due to: lack of information on mental health, socioeconomic factors, cultural factors, lack of representation, fear, and stigmatization. The purpose of this study was to define some of the challenges that Latinos face in accessing mental health services and to determine what type of treatment models are most effective when working with Latino clients. Additionally, the study is especially interested in how someone might work with a client who may have an alternative view of diagnosis, such as a supernatural event or brujería, and how therapists are able to work with clients on this belief. By conducting a qualitative study by doing interviews (N=5), this study was able to gather answers to those questions. Interviews were analyzed and coded to generate themes; twenty-one themes were identified, but eight of them were determined the strongest. These themes include 1) Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or Trauma-Focused-CBT (TF-CBT) as the most effective model when working with Latino clients, 2) asking client’s perception of the situation, 3) not denying/negating client’s perceptions/views 4) understanding client’s way of thinking, 5) helping family support client, 6) challenges in accessing mental health and services, 7) resiliency of clients, and 8) admiration of client’s resiliency. Social work implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed

Engagement of Latino Mental Health: Voices from Professionals in the Minnesota Community

There is a concerning number of Latino individuals that underutilize mental health services. Research explains that reasons for not accessing mental health resources are due to: lack of information on mental health, socioeconomic factors, cultural factors, lack of representation, fear, and stigmatization. The purpose of this study was to define some of the challenges that Latinos face in accessing mental health services and to determine what type of treatment models are most effective when working with Latino clients. Additionally, the study is especially interested in how someone might work with a client who may have an alternative view of diagnosis, such as a supernatural event or brujería, and how therapists are able to work with clients on this belief. By conducting a qualitative study by doing interviews (N=5), this study was able to gather answers to those questions. Interviews were analyzed and coded to generate themes; twenty-one themes were identified, but eight of them were determined the strongest. These themes include 1) Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or Trauma-Focused-CBT (TF-CBT) as the most effective model when working with Latino clients, 2) asking client’s perception of the situation, 3) not denying/negating client’s perceptions/views 4) understanding client’s way of thinking, 5) helping family support client, 6) challenges in accessing mental health and services, 7) resiliency of clients, and 8) admiration of client’s resiliency. Social work implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed

Fundamental rights in Latin America a comparative study addressing human rights violations in Venezuela, Colombia, and Argentina

Over the last few decades the importance of human rights has increased considerably in international relations. With globalization and democratization, more states and individuals develop concerns about the fundamental rights every human is entitled to; regardless of sex, religion and ethnicity. Latin American countries began obtaining their independence over 200 years ago while progressing into becoming working democracies. Yet, they have been plagued by oscillating authoritarian regimes and social conflicts that constrain and inhibit their hopeful development. The majority of the Latin American states have reached a point where further positive growth was expected; yet human violations have taken a backseat within the government of such countries. The case studies shed light on the three main causes of human right violations in Latin America. These are: the abuse of power by the government and the subsequent changes to the constitution to gain further control and authority; the government\u27s inadequacy in dealing with subversive groups; and the deficiency of subsequent democratic governments to bring past offenders to trial for crimes against humanity while giving pardons to those who did face trial. By understanding why the violation of human rights occurred, future infringements can be avoided and fundamental rights will be awarded to all humans

Social entrepreneurship and social change: a practice-based study in non-governmental organizations

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how social entrepreneurship (SE) practices give rise to social change in the context of urban Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on a broader inductive, ethnographic and iterative practice-based study conducted in three Brazilian non-governmental organizations. Findings – Social change is established through intertwined practices that involve active interplay of ambivalent positive and negative feelings associated with the social mission pursued by the social enterprise; flat organizational structures that encourage participation and taking of ownership among all stakeholders; and focused organizational objectives (social purposes). Research limitations/implications – The paper presents an analytical framework composed of five propositions that may be used in future research aimed at maturing and refining the understanding of SE. The study also provides a methodological contribution for future studies of new phenomenon and young fields of research that often must rely on inductive methodologies, by demonstrating how an iterative thematic analysis can be used in practice-based studies. Practical implications – This paper has practical implications directly connected to its social implications, because understanding how social change is achieved may enhance the effectiveness of SE practitioners in bringing desired changes about. Furthermore, the discussion also provided insights for practitioners to reflect upon the paradoxical nature of practices aimed at social change. Originality/value – The study suggests a set of propositions and an original definition of SE that mitigates conceptual inconsistencies found in literature drawing on empirical data and by incorporating the political lens found in practice theory

Agricultural education in Honduras : return on investment, quality, and efficiency

The Agri-food sector, like any other economic sector, requires competent workers and entrepreneurs able to maximize productivity and cope with the various challenges the sector is facing. Agricultural education prepares these actors to acquire knowledge, identify options that optimize their productivity, and adapt to changing environments. However, the importance of agricultural education is declining in education policies, and nowadays, it is no longer an attractive field of study for the youth. There is a need to re-invent agricultural careers to the new demands of the agri-food and labor market sectors. As there is a limited number of studies available that analyze agricultural education in Latin-American and other developing countries, this research provides new insights by examining the determinants for return to investment, quality, and efficiency of agricultural education, taking Honduras as a case study. The present dissertation encompasses three interrelated studies. The first study addresses the research question on how the educational attainment on agricultural education, years of experience, age, sex, geographical region of residence, and work sector, affect the graduates earnings. This study computes the return to agricultural education by educational level, using several econometric techniques, such as the instrumental variables, Heckmans two-step procedure, and the multinomial logit to tackle endogeneity of education, sample selection bias, and selection bias for choosing this field of study, respectively. The results show that regardless of the economic activity in which the individuals work, graduates from agricultural educational programs receive positive returns on their investment in education. High school graduates from these programs, have higher earnings within the economic activity of agriculture than non-graduates. At the university level, the graduates competencies are better paid in economic activities outside agriculture than inside, for example, in fields of manufacturing, public administration, and education. The second study addresses the question of what competencies employers require from graduates of agricultural education programs. Interviews and workshops were conducted, addressing employers from agricultural value chains, purposely selected, and using maximum variation sampling. The results show that graduates perform at an intermediate level in technical competencies. Of the 20 competencies identified, graduates perform poorly in at least six areas of competence, which requires immediate action. Although the analysis of academic curricula shows that the competencies included are relevant for employers to cope with the challenges faced by the agri-food sector, there is room for improvement. Finally, the third study addressed the question about the level of efficiency of the public institutions delivering agricultural educational programs, and the factors influencing it. This study computes the efficiency using the non-parametric approach data envelopment analysis (DEA). The model used is output-oriented, variable return to scale, and two-stage where controllable and non-controllable inputs are included in the first and second stages, respectively. This study follows a double bootstrapping procedure to avoid the caveats of the conventional DEA analysis. The evidence showed that none of the agriculture education centers in the sample is considered a full efficient entity. However, there is a potential to improve the usage of the current resources. It is possible by expanding the outcomes in a range of 1% to 50% without changing the existing resources. In summary, the findings of this dissertation provide compelling evidence that each additional level of agricultural education in Honduras is a worthwhile investment, and that graduates from both education levels, secondary and tertiary levels, are necessary to support Honduras economy. Nevertheless, improvements should be made in terms of the quality and the resources used in the provision of agricultural education. Based on the research findings, it is recommended to revise the academic curricula, with the aim of better matching education and labor market requirements. Secondly, a closer analysis of the implementation of the educational processes is necessary in order to enhance the competencies requested and identify better management of the resources available. Finally, setting formal collaboration mechanisms between the education centers, authorities, and the private sector could strongly improve agricultural education systems contribution to the performance of the sector. To further refine this research, it would be beneficial to increase the sample sizes to expand further the techniques used.

Sky Garden Graduate Student Housing

This thesis presents an on-campus graduate student housing project that aims to revitalize its Downtown Atlanta neighborhood, contribute to Georgia State University’s academic goals and campus development plans, and address aspects of the housing problem that GSU’s graduate students currently face in Atlanta, Georgia. The literature review and data collected from the graduate student survey informed the design process by understanding the urban context history and identifying graduate students’ needs and preferences. The project aims to reposition a vacant office building located on-campus and convert it into student housing serving an age-diverse population offering common areas that contribute to students’ academic and social life and restaurants/coffee shops to help generate a sense of neighborhood community. The “city in the woods” concept inspired expanded interventions with natural vegetation and greenery, a natural and neutral interior color palette, and literal open-air punctuations through the building

Estudo exploratório do perfil ocupacional no setor agropecuário brasileiro.

Para fins de classificação e registro de empregos e relações de trabalho, a estrutura ocupacional do setor agropecuário no Brasil distingue produtores de trabalhadores, em função da natureza das atividades executadas por cada um dos grupos de ocupações agrícolas. Entretanto, é possível que se observe um conjunto de atividades que são desenvolvidas, independente do tipo de cultura ou criação e da posição na qual o indivíduo se encontre na estrutura ocupacional. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar quais são as áreas de atividades que são comuns e as específicas de cada grupo ocupacional do setor agropecuário brasileiro. O estudo baseou-se no inventário de atividades de 28 grupos ocupacionais do setor agropecuário realizado no âmbito da CBO/MTE e que utilizou uma metodologia na qual os próprios trabalhadores descrevem as atividades que desenvolvem no seu dia a dia (método DACUM), construindo uma matriz detalhando grandes áreas de atividades. A análise indica que é possível elaborar uma síntese das atividades dos dois subgrupos - pecuária e agricultura. O estudo poderá iniciar uma agenda de pesquisa, com base nas informações sobre ocupações agropecuárias geradas com a atualização da CBO. Estudos mais aprofundados poderão subsidiar a formulação de políticas de qualificação profissional para o setor.estrutura ocupacional; setor agropecuário

Circulation of Different Lineages of Dengue Virus Type 2 in Central America, Their Evolutionary Time-Scale and Selection Pressure Analysis

Dengue is caused by any of the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV-1 to 4). Each serotype is genetically distant from the others, and each has been subdivided into different genotypes based on phylogenetic analysis. The study of dengue evolution in endemic regions is important since the diagnosis is often made by nucleic acid amplification tests, which depends upon recognition of the viral genome target, and natural occurring mutations can affect the performance of these assays. Here we report for the first time a detailed study of the phylogenetic relationships of DENV-2 from Central America, and report the first fully sequenced DENV-2 strain from Guatemala. Our analysis of the envelope (E) protein and of the open reading frame of strains from Central American countries, between 1999 and 2009, revealed that at least two lineages of the American/Asian genotype of DENV-2 have recently circulated in that region. In occasions the co-circulation of these lineages may have occurred and that has been suggested to play a role in the observed increased severity of clinical cases. Our time-scale analysis indicated that the most recent common ancestor for Central American DENV-2 of the American/Asian genotype existed about 19 years ago. Finally, we report positive selection in DENV-2 from Central America in codons of the genes encoding for C, E, NS2A, NS3, and NS5 proteins. Some of these identified codons are novel findings, described for the first time for any of the DENV-2 genotypes