on Mental

Attitudes and perceptions of the Latinx community towards mental health issues have been explored by some researchers, but focused on depression and males (Cabassa, 2007). The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes and perceptions of the Latinx community towards mental health issues. By examining how they have influenced whether a member of this community seeks out help or makes an effort to secure help regarding mental health related concerns. This study aims to survey approximately 2,500 participants. The sample will be men and women from all segments of the Latinx community. All participants will be 18 years of age or older. The ages of the participants will need to be as diverse as possible in order to reflect the entire spectrum of Latinx views. For the purpose of this study, the investigators are focusing only on the Latinx community. All participants once giving consent will be given a survey where they will answer questions pertaining to their communities, their families, and their own beliefs towards different mental health conditions. The first step in increasing the use of mental health services by Latinxs is to determine what barriers exist and find out how they prevent individuals from accessing these resources. Second, this information will help to develop evidence based interventions. The findings from this research study will shed light on a barrier that has not been focused enough on in recent research. Community engagement can be defined in many ways. It all depends on whom you ask. Although community engagement can mean a variety of activities, everyone benefits from it. This research aimed to investigate what community engagement means and the willingness of the students of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), to participate in community engagement activities. This research employed a mixed-methods approach and a constructivism point of view to further evaluate: (a) what activities students at CSUDH view as community engagement, (b) what community engagement opportunities students wish to see more of, (c) the times that students are available to participate and dedicate to those activities, (d) the benefits students identify from participating in those activities, and (e) the likeliness of students to choose a minor centered on community engagement. The qualitative portion consisted of ten interviews in total; four student and six alumni conducted via zoom or phone. We also included auto-ethnographies from the seven members of the research team, all of whom are currently students of CSUDH. The interviews were color-coded for themes using jamboards. The quantitative portion consisted of fifty-six electronic surveys. Overall our findings concluded that having more availability of community engagement opportunities for CSUDH students can empower them to get involved and open opportunities to receive and give to their respective communities. Early on during their undergraduate years, the involvement of students can increase awareness of matters important to the community and potentially make a difference in their communities even after graduation. This research is part of a larger project studying the feasibility of a Community Engagement minor at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Our team focused on three stakeholders (students, faculty, and alumni) and their opinions on how a Community Engagement minor might be beneficial for students while pursuing their chosen major, and how it can be integrated into teaching and research in different majors. In addition, we studied whether a minor in community engagement would be beneficial to individuals pursuing postgraduate studies and those entering the job market after graduation. This information may prove useful in determining whether students would seek out a Community Engagement minor should one become available. A Community Engagement minor could benefit students by developing new skill sets through hands-on experience working within a community setting. Our research methods included qualitative interviews via Zoom, qualitative questionnaires via email, and quantitative surveys via Google Forms. Our results reveal that among the stakeholders there are strong trends showing which majors are most inclined to pursue a Community Engagement minor and which community engagement experiences are most important to certain majors. Considering the results of this study, we recommend that CSUDH pursue the creation of a Community Engagement minor. What is Your Alcohol Recovery Language? A Mixed Methods Examination of Language Used by College Students to Describe The current mixed methods research study reports on findings from focus group interviews to examine the language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery. Two focus groups were conducted with college students (N=18) who reported life-time alcohol use. All participants were asked questions regarding language perceived to be associated with alcohol recovery. Data were examined within a thematic content analysis framework. The four central themes related to alcohol recovery that emerged were: harm reduction-based recovery, abstinence-based recovery, social determinants of recovery, and individual differences in recovery. Other concepts that frequently emerged included: relapse, stigma, comorbidity, and drinking identity. College students rated the terms “recovered”, “drinking reduction”, and “sobriety” as being highly representative of being in recovery whereas the terms “bars” and “light drinker” were identified as not being representative of recovery. The themes and rating of terms in the current study were consistent with current conceptualizations of recovery. Given the paucity of research on alcohol recovery among college students and high prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in this population (Wu, Pilowsky, Schlenger, & Hasin, 2007) in combination with the low rate of seeking treatment for an AUD by college students, the current study’s findings represent a critical first step to understand college students’ beliefs about alcohol recovery. Understanding common themes of alcohol recovery will help guide future assessment and treatment of AUD. Breast cancer is an evolving disease that constantly interacts within tumor cells and surrounding stromal cells for tumor initiation and progression. These interactions brought meaningful attention to these molecular crosstalks between tumor cells and host contributing cells. Our in vivo study suggests stark genetic differences between two African American Triple Negative Breast Cancer cell lines, MDA-MD-468 and HCC70. Our study found that MDA-MB-468 displayed slow growth phenotype and HCC70 displayed a more aggressive phenotype that resulted in accelerated tumor growth. To determine specific signaling pathways was contributed to these phenotypes, RNAseq analysis was performed. RNAseq analysis was performed for both human and mouse genes in both fast and slow growing tumors. Analysis of the transcriptomic landscape in the slow growing tumors, we found attraction of cytotoxic T cells and apoptotic signatures. We analyzed xenograft tissue morphology via immunohistochemistry. We also examined the role of Mammary Cancer Stem Cells (MCSCs) and Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) markers via Aldefluor cell cytometry, immunoblot analysis, and RNA sequencing. Upregulation of MCSCs/ESCs markers coincided with more aggressive behaviors in tumor progression. Where we observed upregulation in MCSCs/ESCs markers in HCC70 xenografts and reduced expression in MDA-MB-468 xenografts. We also observed pro-tumor activities in HCC70 xenografts such as angiogenesis. These observations highlight the tumor microenvironment as a path to determine key players from both cancer and host origins that may promote aggressive behaviors for accelerated tumor progression. We are further analyzing RNAseq data to elucidate key players in the tumor cells as well as the host and their interactions for their contributions to their phenotypes. Our lab’s commitment is to further characterize these subtypes of cells that may play an essential role in tumor-promoting activities for aggressive tumorigenesis. Breast cancer is composed of a heterogeneous group of malignant cells that constantly communicate with their microenvironment to promote tumor progression. These cross-talks between tumor cells and microenvironment determines growth kinetics and phenotypes of various tumors. Our lab has found MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells initially gives rise to slow growing tumors, which maintain this phenotype for 3-4 months after which an accelerated growth observed. RNA Seq analysis for both human and mouse genes was performed to determine key players that maintain and drive these tumor phenotypes. RNA Seq data shows early MDA-MB-468 xenografts expressed CXCL9 and CXCL10 chemokines, known to attract cytotoxic T cells and induce apoptosis. Early slow growing xenografts also expressed TNF alpha cytokines that induce apoptosis. In sharp contrast, the fast growing MDA-MB-468 xenografts expressed increased angiogenic and embryonic stem cell gene signatures. These embryonic stem cells, and other biomarkers have been validated by immunoblot analysis, PCR and immunohistochemistry. Our lab is also examining key players from both tumor and host origins that interact to promote tumor growth. We are further characterizing significant pathways of host and tumor cell that could initiate the tumor growth. Our lab’s commitment is to further understand whether tumor cells or the host is triggering changes to the tumor microenvironment. The Relationship between Median Household Income and Average Yearly AQI in LA County The hypothesis of my summer research was centered around the idea that the higher the refractive index difference between a side illuminated optical fiber and its surrounding environment, the higher the light intensity guided by the fiber. This hypothesis