Sex Differences in Skin Tone Predicting Depressive Symptoms among College Students of Color

Sex Differences in Skin Tone Predicting Depressive Symptoms among College Students of Color Jenifer Rodriguez, Jenna Minter, Depts. of Psychology and Political Science, Eryn DeLaney, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, & Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Chelsea D. Williams, Dr. Amy Adkins, Dr. Tricia Smith, & Dr. Danielle Dick, Dept. of Psychology Skin tone, or more specifically the meaning and treatment that society attaches to skin tone, has been found to impact individuals’ outcomes, with those with darker skin tones (who experience more colorism) experiencing more negative outcomes (e.g., Norwood, 2014). However, less research has tested whether there are sex differences in these relations. Intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 1989) suggests that one’s lived experiences result from their holistic experiences of intersecting aspects of themselves (e.g., skin tone and sex). Thus, to address gaps in research, the current study examined sex as a moderating variable in the relation between skin tone and depressive symptoms among 81 college students of color who were part of a larger study on cultural experiences, genetics, and ancestry. We hypothesized that sex would moderate this relation, such that skin tone would predict greater depressive symptoms, and this association would be weaker among males compared to females (Hunter, 2007). A linear regression was conducted to test our hypothesis. Findings indicated that sex moderates the relation between skin tone and depressive symptoms, however, in a direction contrary to our hypothesis. In particular, there was no relation between skin tone and depressive symptoms among females (B = .08, p = .54), however, for males, those with darker skin tones had lower depressive symptoms (B = -.53, p = .02). In conclusion, this study pushes for more research on the sex differences in how skin tone affects mental health among college students.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1332/thumbnail.jp

Metagenomic Sequencing of an In Vitro-Simulated Microbial Community

Background: Microbial life dominates the earth, but many species are difficult or even impossible to study under laboratory conditions. Sequencing DNA directly from the environment, a technique commonly referred to as metagenomics, is an important tool for cataloging microbial life. This culture-independent approach involves collecting samples that include microbes in them, extracting DNA from the samples, and sequencing the DNA. A sample may contain many different microorganisms, macroorganisms, and even free-floating environmental DNA. A fundamental challenge in metagenomics has been estimating the abundance of organisms in a sample based on the frequency with which the organism's DNA was observed in reads generated via DNA sequencing. Methodology/Principal Findings: We created mixtures of ten microbial species for which genome sequences are known. Each mixture contained an equal number of cells of each species. We then extracted DNA from the mixtures, sequenced the DNA, and measured the frequency with which genomic regions from each organism was observed in the sequenced DNA. We found that the observed frequency of reads mapping to each organism did not reflect the equal numbers of cells that were known to be included in each mixture. The relative organism abundances varied significantly depending on the DNA extraction and sequencing protocol utilized. Conclusions/Significance: We describe a new data resource for measuring the accuracy of metagenomic binning methods, created by in vitro-simulation of a metagenomic community. Our in vitro simulation can be used to complement previous in silico benchmark studies. In constructing a synthetic community and sequencing its metagenome, we encountered several sources of observation bias that likely affect most metagenomic experiments to date and present challenges for comparative metagenomic studies. DNA preparation methods have a particularly profound effect in our study, implying that samples prepared with different protocols are not suitable for comparative metagenomics

Strategies for Selecting, Managing, and Engaging Undergraduate Coauthors: A Multi-Site Perspective

In 2018, we delivered a symposium on publishing with undergraduate coauthors in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research (Fallon, 2018a; Fallon and Domenech Rodríguez, 2018a,b; Fallon and Scisco, 2018; McCabe and Mendoza, 2018). Based on our collective experience, we identified three common challenges: effectively selecting, managing, and engaging students throughout the publication process. We use our perspectives from different institutions (i.e., small liberal arts colleges, mid-sized regional universities, and a large research university) and evidence from past research to provide strategies to successfully meet these challenges. Ultimately, the actionable strategies we describe could be used by a wide faculty readership to increase rates of successful publishing with undergraduate students

Association of post-stroke-initiated antidepressants with long-term outcomes in young adults with ischaemic stroke

Objective We examined the association between initiation of antidepressants within the first year after ischaemic stroke (IS) in young adults and long-term fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, as well as all-cause mortality. Patients and methods The Helsinki Young Stroke Registry (HYSR) includes patients aged 15-49 years with their first-ever IS occurring 1994-2007. From nationwide registers, we obtained data on prescriptions (1993-2011) and outcomes of interest (1994-2011). Time of initiating post-stroke antidepressants (PSADs) was defined as time of the first filled prescription for antidepressants within the first year from IS. To account for non-random assignment of PSADs, we performed propensity score matching and studied the relationship between PSAD initiation and outcomes using Cox regression models with time-varying coefficients. Results Of all patients (n = 888), 206 (23.2%) initiated PSADs within the first year, of which 203 (98.5%) could be matched to 406 non-initiators. In this matched sample of 609 patients, the median follow-up time was 8.1 (interquartile range [IQR] 5.0-12.6) years and 169 (28.9%) patients had any cardiovascular events, 95 (15.8%) had recurrent ischaemic or haemorrhagic strokes and 106 (17.4%) died. Adjusted for sociodemographics and cardiovascular comorbidities, PSAD initiation was associated with recurrent ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke 5-10 years after IS (hazard ratio [HR] 3.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-7.12). No association emerged between PSAD initiation and other outcomes. Conclusions In young adults, PSAD initiation within the first year after IS was associated with a heightened hazard of recurrent ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke in the long term. Future studies are needed to verify the results and to further study the nature of this finding. KEY MESSAGES Initiation of post-stroke antidepressants (PSADs) within the first year after ischaemic stroke (IS) was associated with a heightened hazard of recurrent ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke in the long term. Patients starting antidepressants after IS should be followed up more closely in case of recurrent events. Future studies are needed to verify the results and to further study the nature of this finding.Peer reviewe

2011-2012 Scholarship Fund Concert at Royal Palm Yacht & Club

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2011-2012 Scholarship Fund Concert at Aberdeen Golf & Country Club

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2011-2012 Scholarship Fund Concert at the Country Club of Florida

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