Black Women and the Legacies of Survival and Agency

How can Black feminist and Pan-Africanist ideas inform creative curriculum and pedagogy with young black women? This portfolio explores this question through the following: a self-reflexive essay on the key educational principles of Pan Africanism and Black feminist thought; a facilitator’s guide laying out a step-by-step workshop on selfesteem and creative praxis for young black women; and a photo-exhibit which documents pedagogy in process working with young women in Africa. This constitutes my portfolio which lays out a process by which young black women may begin to think critically about the world around them and the way it influences their identity formation

The Relationship of Participation in Head Start and Kindergarten Readiness

An applied project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Maxine C. Brown on August 2, 1990

Research on Automatic Program Generation

Automatic Program Generation Research has been conducted under Contract N00014-67-A-0216-0014, since 1971. The objective of the research has been to provide software generation directly from user specifications. Initially, the research concentrated on a specific application, of generating file conversion programs. A first report on this subject was authored by Diane Pirog Smith, in December 1971, titled, An Approach to Data Description and Conversion . Subsequently, a software system for automating this function was implemented by Jesus A. Ramirez and described by him in a report titled, Automatic Generation of data conversion-programs Using A Data Description Language (DIL) . Currently, the objective of the research has been broadened to develop a user language and a software system for automatic generation of business oriented programs. This technical report contains a collection of three papers intended to summarize the results of past research and the direction of current research. The first paper, by Ramirez, Rin and Prywes is a summmary of Dr. Ramirez\u27s report and dissertation cited above. The second paper, titled, An Overview of a System for Automatic Generation of File Conversion Programs by. N. Adam Rin and Maxine Brown is intended to provide a more user oriented view based on their experience in utilization of the system developed by Ramirez. There have been many research activities and a large number of papers in this area. The third paper, Automatic Generation of Software Systems: A Survey, by N. Prywes serves to relate the research underway at the University of Pennsylvania, to the many recent and current activities in this field. It also aims to clearly define short and long term objectives and methodologies

Psychosocial interventions for survivors of rape and sexual assault experienced during adulthood

© 2023 The Authors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Cochrane Collaboration. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Background: Exposure to rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse has lifelong impacts for mental health and well-being. Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) are among the most common interventions offered to survivors to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological impacts. Beyond such trauma-focused cognitive and behavioural approaches, there is a range of low-intensity interventions along with new and emerging non-exposure based approaches (trauma-sensitive yoga, Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories and Lifespan Integration). This review presents a timely assessment of international evidence on any type of psychosocial intervention offered to individuals who experienced rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse as adults. Objectives: To assess the effects of psychosocial interventions on mental health and well-being for survivors of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse experienced during adulthood. Search methods: In January 2022, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 12 other databases and three trials registers. We also checked reference lists of included studies, contacted authors and experts, and ran forward citation searches. Selection criteria: Any study that allocated individuals or clusters of individuals by a random or quasi-random method to a psychosocial intervention that promoted recovery and healing following exposure to rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse in those aged 18 years and above compared with no or minimal intervention, usual care, wait-list, pharmacological only or active comparison(s). We classified psychosocial interventions according to Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group’s psychological therapies list. Data collection and analysis: We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Main results: We included 36 studies (1991 to 2021) with 3992 participants randomly assigned to 60 experimental groups (3014; 76%) and 23 inactive comparator conditions (978, 24%). The experimental groups consisted of: 32 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); 10 behavioural interventions; three integrative therapies; three humanist; five other psychologically oriented interventions; and seven other psychosocial interventions. Delivery involved 1 to 20 (median 11) sessions of traditional face-to-face (41) or other individual formats (four); groups (nine); or involved computer-only interaction (six). Most studies were conducted in the USA (n = 26); two were from South Africa; two from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; with single studies from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Five studies did not disclose a funding source, and all disclosed sources were public funding. Participants were invited from a range of settings: from the community, through the media, from universities and in places where people might seek help for their mental health (e.g. war veterans), in the aftermath of sexual trauma (sexual assault centres and emergency departments) or for problems that accompany the experience of sexual violence (e.g. sexual health/primary care clinics). Participants randomised were 99% women (3965 participants) with just 27 men. Half were Black, African or African-American (1889 participants); 40% White/Caucasian (1530 participants); and 10% represented a range of other ethnic backgrounds (396 participants). The weighted mean age was 35.9 years (standard deviation (SD) 9.6). Eighty-two per cent had experienced rape or sexual assault in adulthood (3260/3992). Twenty-two studies (61%) required fulfilling a measured PTSD diagnostic threshold for inclusion; however, 94% of participants (2239/2370) were reported as having clinically relevant PTSD symptoms at entry. The comparison of psychosocial interventions with inactive controls detected that there may be a beneficial effect at post-treatment favouring psychosocial interventions in reducing PTSD (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.22 to -0.44; 16 studies, 1130 participants; low-certainty evidence; large effect size based on Cohen’s D); and depression (SMD -0.82, 95% CI -1.17 to -0.48; 12 studies, 901 participants; low-certainty evidence; large effect size). Psychosocial interventions, however, may not increase the risk of dropout from treatment compared to controls, with a risk ratio of 0.85 (95% CI 0.51 to 1.44; 5 studies, 242 participants; low-certainty evidence). Seven of the 23 studies (with 801 participants) comparing a psychosocial intervention to an inactive control reported on adverse events, with 21 events indicated. Psychosocial interventions may not increase the risk of adverse events compared to controls, with a risk ratio of 1.92 (95% CI 0.30 to 12.41; 6 studies; 622 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We conducted an assessment of risk of bias using the RoB 2 tool on a total of 49 reported results. A high risk of bias affected 43% of PTSD results; 59% for depression symptoms; 40% for treatment dropout; and one-third for adverse events. The greatest sources of bias were problems with randomisation and missing outcome data. Heterogeneity was also high, ranging from I 2 = 30% (adverse events) to I 2 = 87% (PTSD). Authors' conclusions: Our review suggests that survivors of rape, sexual violence and sexual abuse during adulthood may experience a large reduction in post-treatment PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms after experiencing a psychosocial intervention, relative to comparison groups. Psychosocial interventions do not seem to increase dropout from treatment or adverse events/effects compared to controls. However, the number of dropouts and study attrition were generally high, potentially missing harms of exposure to interventions and/or research participation. Also, the differential effects of specific intervention types needs further investigation. We conclude that a range of behavioural and CBT-based interventions may improve the mental health of survivors of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse in the short term. Therefore, the needs and preferences of individuals must be considered in selecting suitable approaches to therapy and support. The primary outcome in this review focused on the post-treatment period and the question about whether benefits are sustained over time persists. However, attaining such evidence from studies that lack an active comparison may be impractical and even unethical. Thus, we suggest that studies undertake head-to-head comparisons of different intervention types; in particular, of novel, emerging therapies, with one-year plus follow-up periods. Additionally, researchers should focus on the therapeutic benefits and costs for subpopulations such as male survivors and those living with complex PTSD.Peer reviewe

EMERGE - ESnet/MREN Regional Science Grid Experimental NGI Testbed

This document is the final report on the EMERGE Science Grid testbed research project from the perspective of the International Center for Advanced Internet Research (iCAIR) at Northwestern University, which was a subcontractor to this UIC project. This report is a compilation of information gathered from a variety of materials related to this project produced by multiple EMERGE participants, especially those at Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Argonne National Lab and iCAIR. The EMERGE Science Grid project was managed by Tom DeFanti, PI from EVL at UIC

Risperidone Provides Better Improvement of Sleep Disturbances Than Haloperidol Therapy in Schizophrenia Patients With Cannabis-Positive Urinalysis

A high percentage of persons with Schizophrenia also uses Cannabis and this may potentially alter the therapeutic benefits of the antipsychotic medications prescribed. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Cannabis usage on antipsychotic therapy of sleep disturbances in schizophrenia subjects. Male subjects, ≥18 years, admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies psychiatric ward between October 2015 and October 2016, and diagnosed with schizophrenia were recruited for the study. Following written informed consent to the study, subjects were prescribed either risperidone monotherapy or haloperidol monotherapy orally for 14 days and classified as Cannabis users (CU) or non-users (non-CU), with presence/absence of Cannabis metabolite in urine samples. After 1 week of admission, subjects wore the Actiwatch-2 device, to record sleep data for 7 consecutive nights. Inferential statistical analysis involved non-parametric tests, expressed as median and inter-quartile ranges (IQR), with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Fifty subjects were assessed, with a median (IQR) age of 28 (14) years. Majority (30; 60%) were CU, displaying longer sleep latency (SL) than non-CU when receiving haloperidol; but equivalent SL when receiving risperidone. In comparison to non-CU, the CU also displayed longer time in bed, but shorter durations asleep, awoke more frequently during the nights and for longer durations, whether receiving haloperidol or risperidone. This resulted in lower sleep efficiency for the CU (<85%) compared to the non-CU (≥85%). Over the study period, sleep efficiency was significantly improved for non-CU receiving either risperidone (p = 0.032) or haloperidol (p = 0.010); but was only significantly improved with risperidone for the CU (p = 0.045). It is apparent that the presence of Cannabis may be impacting the therapeutic benefits of antipsychotic drugs on sleep. In schizophrenia subjects with concomitant Cannabis use, risperidone is more beneficial than haloperidol in improving sleep efficiency

3 UN Plaza

Web site: www.unicef.or

Calbindin Deficits May Underlie Dissociable Effects of 5-HT6 and mGlu7 Antagonists on Glutamate and Cognition in a Dual-Hit Neurodevelopmental Model for Schizophrenia

© 2020, The Author(s). Despite several compounds entering clinical trials for the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, few have progressed beyond phase III. This is partly attributed to a need for improved preclinical models, to understand disease and enable predictive evaluation of novel therapeutics. To this end, one recent approach incorporates “dual-hit” neurodevelopmental insults like neonatal phencyclidine plus isolation rearing (PCP-Iso). Glutamatergic dysfunction contributes to schizophrenia pathophysiology and may represent a treatment target, so we used enzyme-based microsensors to evaluate basal- and drug-evoked glutamate release in hippocampal slices from rats that received neonatal PCP and/or isolation rearing. 5-HT6 antagonist-evoked glutamate release (thought to be mediated indirectly via GABAergic disinhibition) was reduced in PCP-Iso, as were cognitive effects of a 5-HT6 antagonist in a hippocampal glutamate-dependent novel object discrimination task. Yet mGlu7 antagonist-evoked glutamatergic and cognitive responses were spared. Immunohistochemical analyses suggest these findings (which mirror the apparent lack of clinical response to 5-HT6 antagonists in schizophrenia) are not due to reduced hippocampal 5-HT input in PCP-Iso, but may be explained by reduced calbindin expression. This calcium-binding protein is present in a subset of GABAergic interneurons receiving preferential 5-HT innervation and expressing 5-HT6 receptors. Its loss (in schizophrenia and PCP-Iso) would be expected to reduce interneuron firing and potentially prevent further 5-HT6 antagonist-mediated disinhibition, without impacting on responses of VIP-expressing interneurons to mGlu7 antagonism. This research highlights the importance of improved understanding for selection of appropriate preclinical models, especially where disease neurobiology impacts on cells mediating the effects of potential therapeutics

Sheep Updates 2003 - Posters

This session covers eleven papers from different authors:1 Sheep production on annual stubbles/pastures vs lucerne Maxine Brown Gaye Krebs Muresk Institute, Curtin University Diana Fedorenko Kathryn Egerton-Warburton Centre for Cropping Systems, Department of Agriculture Western Australia 2. The value chain of the Lake Grace livestock industry Evan Burt Nazrul Islam Department of Agriculture Western Australia 3. Native pastures, Dorper sheep and the 2002 drought Roy Butler Department of Agriculture Western Australia 4. Commercial sheep breeders can improve their sheep breeding program using wether trials L.G. Butler, S.R. Brown, M.F. D’Antuono, J.C. Greeff Department of Agriculture 5. Western Australia Linked ewe trials to benchmark wool traits and reproductive performance of Western Australian sheep flocks Ken Hart Department of Agriculture Western Australia 6. Damara sheep - what is their potential? A case study from the North-eastern wheatbelt Tanya Kilminster Evan Burt Department of Agriculture Western Australia 7, Australian Sheep Industry CRC - nutrition sub-program Rachel Kirby Sheep CRC Research Fellow 8. Dust penetration is not genetically and phenotypically the same trait as dust content M.E. Ladyman J.C. Greeff Department of Agriculture Western Australia A.C. Schlink CSIRO Livestock Industries, Private Bag 5, Wembley WA I.H. Williams P.E. Vercoe University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 9.Developing sustainable fodder crop systems with new annual pasture legumes Anyou Lui Department of Agriculture Western Australia 10. Seasonal pricing and seasonality of supply of prime lambs in the western wheatbelt Karen Smith Martin Bent Muresk Institute, Curtin University 11. The role of alternative and exotic sheep breeds in the Western Australian sheep industry Matthew Young Department of Agriculture Western Australi

The International Grid (iGrid): Empowering Global Research Community Networking Using High Performance International Internet Services

The Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Indiana University collaborated on a major research demonstration at the IEEE/ACM Supercomputing '98 (SC'98) conference in Orlando, Florida, November 7-13, 1998, to showcase the evolution and importance of global research community networking. Collaborators worked together to solve complex computational problems using advanced high-speed networks to access geographically-distributed computing, storage, and display resources. It is the collection of computing and communication resources that we refer to as the International Grid (iGrid). This paper presents an overview of the grid testbed, some of the underlying technologies used to enable distributed computing and collaborative problem solving, and descriptions of the applications. It concludes with recommendations for the future of global research community networking, based on the experiences of iGrid participants from the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, and Taiwan