Minority Institutions Research Articles

Evaluating Research Centers in Minority Institutions: Framework, Metrics, Best Practices, and Challenges.

The NIH-funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program is currently funding 18 academic institutions to strengthen the research environment and contribution to health disparities research. The purpose of this multiphase mixed-methods study was to establish a uniform evaluation framework for demonstrating the collective success of this research consortium. Methods included discussions of aims and logic models at the RCMI Evaluators’ Workshop, a literature review to inform an evaluation conceptual framework, and a case study survey to obtain evaluation-related information and metrics. Ten RCMIs participated in the workshop and 14 submitted responses to the survey. The resultant RCMI Evaluation Conceptual Model presents a practical ongoing approach to document RCMIs’ impacts on health disparities. Survey results identified 37 common metrics under four primary categories. Evaluation challenges were issues related to limited human resources, data collection, decision-making, defining metrics, cost-sharing, and revenue-generation. There is a need for further collaborative efforts across RCMI sites to engage program leadership and community stakeholders in addressing the identified evaluation challenges and measurement. Program leadership should be engaged to apply the Evaluation Conceptual Framework and common metrics to allow for valid inter-institutional comparisons and consortium-wide evaluations. Stakeholders could ensure evaluation metrics are used to facilitate community impacts.

Multireligious Cooperation and the Integration of Muslim Migrants in Sweden

In recent years, as the number of migrants arriving in Europe has grown, faith-based organizations have become intimately involved in assisting migrants’ short- and long-term integration. This article describes an innovative cooperative project between minority (mosque) and majority (church) religious institutions designed to enhance integration between Muslim migrants and their predominantly Christian host community. Using survey and interview data, this study finds that participants reported enhanced feelings of welcoming, larger networks of friends and acquaintances, and more engagement in activities after participating in the project.

Developing a Novel Framework for an Undergraduate Cancer Research Education and Engagement Program for Underrepresented Minority Students: the Florida-California CaRE2 Research Education Core (REC) Training Program.

Lack of substantive research experiences and technical skills mentoring during undergraduate studies leaves many underrepresented minority (URM) students unprepared to apply to competitive graduate programs. As a part of our ongoing effort to increase the pipeline for the development and training of successful URM scientists in biomedical sciences with focus on reducing cancer health disparities, the Florida-California Cancer Research Education and Engagement (CaRE2) Health Equity Center was launched in 2018. Funded through an NIH/NCI U54 grant mechanism, the CaRE2 Center is a triad partnership among Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), a minority-serving institution, University of Florida (UF), and University of Southern California (USC) Cancer Center. One of the objectives of the triad partnership is to promote the coordination and implementation of the training of the next generation of Black and Latinx biomedical scientists in Florida and California. An important component of the CaRE2 program is the Research and Education Core (REC) designed to coordinate the training of URM students and researchers at different levels in their academic and professional developments. The undergraduate cancer research training program under FAMU-CaRE2 Center is a 3-year (2018-2021) project to identify, train, mentor, and provide the URM undergraduate students with the support network they need to flourish in the program and beyond. In its year-1 funding cycle, the program has made significant progress in developing a novel framework for an undergraduate cancer research education and engagement program at FAMU, one of the forefront minority institutions in the nation. The mentored research program is complemented with professional development and engagement activities, including cancer research seminars, workshops, and community outreach activities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the strategies implemented for an effective partnership, the leadership and mentoring skills, and outcomes from the year-1 experiences. In addition, we present the progress made in advancing the pool of underrepresented minority students with scientific and academic career progression paths focused on cancer health disparities.

A Survey of the Interrelation Between Sports and Persistence Among Students in Five Countries

The goal of our survey has been to reveal the interrelation between students’ doing sports and the subjective indicators of their persistence in their studies in Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Romania. In the neighboring countries, the students of ethnic Hungarian, minority institutions were involved in the research. The theoretical background for our research was constituted by the development model as well as the institutional integrational model. For the analyses, we used the database of Center for Higher Education Research and Development, Hungary ( N = 2017). Our results contradict the integrational model, as membership in a sports club reduces the persistence of the student concerned, regardless of the gender, the home country of the student’s institution, and the effects of the major social background variables.

Peer relationships at residential care institutions for unaccompanied refugee minors: An under-utilised resource?

Without access to their own families, how do young, unaccompanied refugee minors re-establish their social lives in ways that facilitate a sense of togetherness in their everyday lives during resettlement? This question was approached by exploring the young persons’ creation of relational practices and the kinds of sociomaterial conditions that seemed to facilitate the evolvement of these practices, including the professional caregivers’ contributions. Interviews with 11 boys and 4 girls (aged 13–16) from Afghanistan, Somalia, Angola and Sri Lanka, as well as their professional caregivers in their country of residence, Norway, were analysed systematically by searching for, and categorizing, the variation of relational practices among the young persons. Three overarching practices are presented. First, the young persons worked to connect past, present and future contexts through collective meaning-making practices. Second, they regulated their peers’ emotions through emotional care practices. Third, they widened each other’s social networks through practices of social inclusion. Following the resettlement procedure the young persons moved from one kind of institution (care centre) to other parts of the country and to another kind of institution (group home) where the relational practices mentioned above appeared to be less prevalent. The article suggests that arranging everyday life as collective enterprises, as well as housing peers with similar cultural backgrounds, were central for the evolvement of the relational practices. As such, the article both elucidates a range of health-promoting relational practices that the young persons’ realised as a group as well as how these practices are embedded in sociomaterial conditions.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program was established by the US Congress to support the development of biomedical research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions granting doctoral degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science. RCMI institutions also conduct research on diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities (ie, African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders), those of low socioeconomic status, and rural persons. Quantitative metrics, including the numbers of doctoral science degrees granted to underrepresented students, NIH peer-reviewed research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and numbers of racial and ethnic minorities participating in sponsored research, demonstrate that RCMI grantee institutions have made substantial progress toward the intent of the Congressional legislation, as well as the NIH/NIMHD-linked goals of addressing workforce diversity and health disparities. Despite this progress, nationally, many challenges remain, including persistent disparities in research and career development awards to minority investigators. The continuing underrepresentation of minority investigators in NIH-sponsored research across multiple disease areas is of concern, in the face of unrelenting national health inequities. With the collaborative network support by the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), the RCMI community is uniquely positioned to address these challenges through its community engagement and strategic partnerships with non-RCMI institutions. Funding agencies can play an important role by incentivizing such collaborations, and incorporating metrics for research funding that address underrepresented populations, workforce diversity and health equity.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research

The Research Centers in Minority Institu­tions (RCMI) program was established by the US Congress to support the develop­ment of biomedical research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions granting doctoral degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science. RCMI institu­tions also conduct research on diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities (ie, African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, His­panics, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders), those of low socioeconomic sta­tus, and rural persons. Quantitative metrics, including the numbers of doctoral science degrees granted to underrepresented stu­dents, NIH peer-reviewed research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and numbers of racial and ethnic minorities participat­ing in sponsored research, demonstrate that RCMI grantee institutions have made substantial progress toward the intent of the Congressional legislation, as well as the NIH/NIMHD-linked goals of addressing workforce diversity and health disparities. Despite this progress, nationally, many challenges remain, including persistent disparities in research and career develop­ment awards to minority investigators. The continuing underrepresentation of minority investigators in NIH-sponsored research across multiple disease areas is of concern, in the face of unrelenting national health inequities. With the collaborative network support by the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), the RCMI community is uniquely positioned to address these chal­lenges through its community engagement and strategic partnerships with non-RCMI institutions. Funding agencies can play an important role by incentivizing such col­laborations, and incorporating metrics for research funding that address underrep­resented populations, workforce diversity and health equity.Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Suppl 1):135-144; doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.135.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Diversity Program for Radiology

Rationale and ObjectivesDiagnostic radiology training programs are less diverse than graduating US medical school classes and the patient populations they serve. Inclusion of physicians who are underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMM) can strengthen the profession and help to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Our Department of Radiology developed and implemented a plan to increase the number of URMMs in our residency applicant pool and residency training program. Materials and MethodsWe designed a recruitment strategy to diversify the radiology residency applicant pool. This included website development, advertising, early exposure opportunities, travel to predominantly minority institutions and national meetings, and mentoring URMM medical students. We implemented parallel activities to increase the number of URMMs in our residency program. These included holistic screening tools for residency application review, a diverse residency recruitment committee, a welcome environment for visiting candidates, and “Second Look Weekend” visits for talented candidates. Primary outcomes measured include change in percentages of URMM applicants in our applicant pool and URMM residents in our residency program. ResultsThe percentage of URMM radiology residency applicants increased from 7.5% (42 of 556) of the total applicant pool in the 2012 to 2013 recruitment year to 12.6% (98 of 777) in the 2017 to 2018 recruitment year (P = .001). URMM radiology residency representation increased from 0% (0 of 32) in the 2013 to 2014 academic year to 20% (6 of 30) in the 2018 to 2019 academic year (P = .01). ConclusionAn intentional, strategic diversity program can diversify an institution’s residency applicant pool and increase representation of URMMs in a diagnostic radiology residency program.

Inclusivity and Diversity in Minority Central University

Jamia Millia Islamia (Jamia) is a minority institution in India with 50% seats reserved for Muslims. The Author collected the data of 472 students of the Faculty of Law, Jamia (N=553). The questionnaire administered had 48 wide-ranging questions from religious, caste, financial, educational, regional background to school fee, mode of conveyance, price of mobile phone and monthly expenditure. Jamia is significantly more accessible and diverse than other elite institutions. However, on some counts, Jamia does remain exclusive in its own fashion as a minority institution. The Report finds positive correlation between socioeconomic factors and merit of a student. It triggers a discussion on intra-community inclusivity at Jamia. What kind of Muslims are benefitting from the 50% reservation? Also, it makes a case for Jamia to secure some mindspace today, when the expensive, exclusive National Law Universities are thriving as the primary institutions for legal education.

From the history of the organization of congresses of representatives of the correctional institutions for minors in the late XIX – early XX century

From the history of the organization of congresses of representatives of the correctional institutions for minors in the late XIX – early XX century

Academic Response to Storm-Related Natural Disasters-Lessons Learned.

On 30 October 2017, selected faculty and administrators from Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) grantee institutions gathered to share first-hand accounts of the devastating impact of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which had interrupted academic activities, including research, education, and training in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas. The presenters reviewed emergency response measures taken by their institutions to maintain community health care access and delivery, the storm-related impact on clinical and research infrastructure, and strategies to retain locally grown clinical expertise and translational science research talent in the aftermath of natural disasters. A longer-term perspective was provided through a comparative review of lessons learned by one New Orleans-based institution (now more than a decade post-storm) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Caring for the internal and external communities associated with each institution and addressing the health disparities exacerbated by storm-related events is one key strategy that will pay long-term dividends in the survival of the academic institutions and the communities they serve.

Credit unions, class, race, and place in New York City

Using diverse economies and relational poverty insights, we examine the place-making practices of the cooperatively owned and democratically structured financial institutions – credit unions. In the U.S., they represent the rarely recognized but widely spread local banking systems that prioritize interests of communities over profit-maximization for outside investors. Their mission to a large degree aligns with anti-poverty and anti-racist social justice struggles and with the ethics of “solidarity” economy, a growing international movement. Our research begins a geographic inquiry into distinct non-capitalist place-making practices of credit unions while also acknowledging that they are a heterogeneous group themselves. In particular, we link their impact on place to commitment to community development and inclusion of low-income and minority populations which signal their resistance to racial capitalism and global finance. These practices are visible in special designations as low-income, minority, and community development institutions. We find that credit unions in the underserved communities address multiple forms of marginalization, as evident in overlapping designations, with the least amount of resources at their disposal. The non-designated credit unions, accounting for significant cooperative finance membership and resources in New York City, are mainly linked to employment and are more distant from social justice struggles. They eventually spatialize the benefits of solidarity finance in the better off neighborhoods in which their members live. At another level, however, these credit unions scale up solidarity finance and divert significant assets from capitalist circulation to social reproduction and solidarity realms. These findings emphasize the important differences between credit unions that matter for social transformation towards the solidarity economy.

National in Form, Putinist in Content: Minority Institutions ‘Outside Politics’

Over the past three decades, Russia has developed a set of institutions for the management of ethno-linguistic diversity based on the principle of ‘national cultural autonomy’. This article examines the positioning of these institutions within Russian society, arguing that while state-endorsed discourses locate them within the culture sphere—treated as distinct from political processes—there is in fact an interpenetration of ‘politics’ and ‘culture’. The article identifies why these institutions position themselves within the ‘cultural sphere’ while also supporting the country’s meta-narratives on inter-ethnic tolerance and, effectively, the political status quo. Soviet legacies of inter-ethnic relations continue to be socially embedded, yet within this framework some dissenting voices are also discerned.

Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Follow-Up: Student Perceptions in Two Cohorts


 
 
 Student perceptions of online learning are integral to building upon current bestpractices and also gauging the preparedness of the students for the online learning environment, particularly in an urban, Hispanic-serving community college (Wolfe et al., 2016). Hostos Community College (HCC) was founded 50 years ago as part of the City University of New York (CUNY), and is located in the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the country. HCC enrolls approximately 7,200 students, and more than half (5,070) are enrolled full time. Sixty- three percent of students reside in the Bronx, and many come from families who reside below the poverty line. Almost 67 percent of students identify as female, and the vast majority of students (81 percent) are 29 years old or younger, with 47 percent 21 years of age or younger. Students at Hostos are ethnically diverse. Nearly 60 percent identify as Hispanic, 21 percent as Black, and 18 percent as Other/Unknown. Three percent identify as Asian and less than two percent as White. The majority of first-year students are enrolled in developmental or remedial courses (Hostos Community College, Office of the President & Office of Institutional Research and Student Assessment, 2018). Hostos is categorized under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program authorized by Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and has received grants as a Hispanic- serving institution under the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education (Minority Institutions, n. d.).
 
 

Critical role of angiotensin II type 2 receptors in the control of mitochondrial and cardiac function in angiotensin II‐preconditioned rat hearts

Angiotensin II preconditioning (APC) involves an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1‐R)‐dependent translocation of PKCɛ and survival kinases to the mitochondria leading to cardioprotection after ischemia‐reperfusion (IR). However, the role that mitochondrial AT1‐Rs and angiotensin II type 2 receptors (AT2‐Rs) play in APC is unknown. We investigated whether pretreatment of Langendorff‐perfused rat hearts with losartan (L, AT1‐R blocker), PD 123,319 (PD, AT2‐R blocker) or their combination (L+PD), affects mitochondrial AT1‐R, AT2‐R, PKCɛ, PKCδ, Akt, PKG‐1, MAPKs (ERK1/2, JNK, p38), mitochondrial respiration, and cardiac function. The results indicate that expression of mitochondrial AT1‐Rs and AT2‐Rs were enhanced by APC 1.91‐fold and 2.32‐fold, respectively. Expression of AT2‐R was abolished by PD but not by L, whereas the AT1‐R levels were abrogated by both blockers. The AT1‐R response profile to L and PD was also shared by PKCɛ, Akt, MAPKs, and PKG‐1, but not by PKCδ. A marked increase in state 3 (1.84‐fold) and respiratory control index (1.86‐fold) of mitochondria was observed with PD regardless of L treatment. PD also enhanced the post‐ischemic recovery of RPP by 74% (p<0.05) compared with APC alone. Losartan, however, inhibited the rate pressure product (RPP) by 44% (p<0.05) before IR and reduced the APC‐induced increase of post‐ischemic cardiac recovery by 73% (p<0.05). These findings suggest that APC upregulates angiotensin II receptors in mitochondria and that AT2‐Rs have a permissive effect on AT1‐R‐dependent signaling and suppress mitochondrial respiration and cardiac function. These results support a critical role of mitochondrial AT2‐Rs in the control of cardiac function in APC.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program grant No. G12M007600, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grant SC1HL118669 (SJ), and the University of Puerto Rico.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Alkylated pyridyl amphiphiles display a pro‐apoptotic profile in cancerous cell lines dependent on hydrophobic chain length

Cationic lipids, particularly those with nitrogen containing heterocycles, such as a pyridinium headgroup, display various bactericidal, bacteriostatic and disinfectant activity as reported in various works, all dependent on the length of their respective alkyl chains. Two quaternary alkyl pyridinium amphiphiles, vis. 4‐amino‐1‐decyl (1) and 4‐amino‐1‐dodecyl (2), were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in a human cervical cancer cell line. These two compounds were assessed for their cytotoxicity and the following CC50's, 15.68 μM and 4.58 μM respectively were established. 1 proves to be a poor candidate as an anti‐cancer therapeutic agent as its cytotoxicity induced necrotic death. At a low concentration, 2 displayed a pro‐apoptotic profile demonstrated by phosphatidylserine externalization suggesting induction via an extrinsic pathway since it did not disrupt mitochondrial polarity. Of both compounds, 2, acts as a cell cycle progression disruptor causing slight S‐phase arrest and a decrease in G2/M phase along with eliciting DNA fragmentation. An explicit difference of two carbons between both 1 and 2 warrants further investigation to elucidate alkyl‐chain length role in anti‐cancer drugs. Furthermore, a series of these cationic amphiphiles with different lengths for their hydrophobic moiety has been synthesized and will be studied on a wider panel of cancer cell lines and have their mechanism of death further elucidated.Support or Funding InformationThe Cytometry, Screening and Imaging Core Facility that was used in this work was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) through a Research Centers for Minority Institutions (RCMI) grants 8G12MD007592 and 5G12MD007592, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ СИСТЕМЫ АГРАРНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ КАК ФАКТОР УСТОЙЧИВОГО РАЗВИТИЯ АПК РЕСПУБЛИКИ КРЫМ

<p>The paper features theoretical and methodical approaches to the<br />classification of regions from positions of modern region studies. It contains social and economic characteristics of the Republic of Crimea as an agrarian region. The author has monitored the current state of agrarian and industrial complex of the Republic of Crimea. The research has revealed that although agriculture is responsible for 17,1 % of the gross regional product, only 5,0 % of labor capacity of the region are engaged in the agrarian sphere of economy, and only 6,3 % of Crimean students major in agriculture. A complex analysis of the Crimean agrarian complex has revealed that the problem of qualified personnel deficiency is not acute for the regional economy, as there is an agricultural institute, as well as a number of minor vocational education institutions. A more relevant task is to improve the quality of training of young specialists and to attract them into rural areas; for this purpose a system and target<br />approach to agrarian education has been established in the region. The transformation of agricultural education in the republic should be based on the model of a wellbalanced interindustrial staffing plan of agrarian and industrial complex according to sustainable development programs of rural territories in the re gion.</p>

К вопросу обоснования диагностических признаков различных категорий несовершеннолетних с противоправным поведением в контексте деятельности ПМПК

The problems of developing diagnostic indices, which could differentiate categories of deviant behavior in children and adolescents in the context of psychological, medical and educational committees’ (PMEC) activities are considered. The main goal of PMEC is timely detection of children with peculiarities in their physical and / or mental development and / or behavior deviation, their complex psychological, medical and educational examination and, on the basis of its results, development of recommendations for the corresponding assistance and organization of their education. This group of minors includes children and adolescents not only with limited health conditions, but also with different kinds of deviant behavior and in conflict with the law. In the article, the analysis of pupils’ personal files from special closed educational institutions for minors in conflict with the law is presented. The methodical instrument for the structured assessment of a child’s social situation of development in the work of a PMEC approved in the framework of the project “Development of scientific-methodical provisions for the PMEC work concerning examination and producing recommendations for pupils with deviant behavior and in conflict with the law” is described and used.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE OF PERFORMING PUNISHMENT IN THE FORM OF DEPRIVATION MINORS’ LIBERTY FOR A DEFINITE PERIOD

This article briefly describes the history of formation and development the criminal-executive institutions for minors, examines the features and shows the differences in the execution of punishment in the form of liberty deprivation for minors in different legal systems, discloses the structure of penal executive (penitentiary) institutions for minors in different states, especially highly developed Western European countries and the USA. Also, the article focuses on the legal regulation of the execution of sentences in the form of liberty deprivation for a certain period in different states and types of legal systems. In addition, the author draws attention to the link between criminal law enforcement and criminal law, especially in Japan and Iraq. The article also covers the involvement of minors in labor. In addition, on the basis of analysis the general theoretical positions and relevant literature, the author concludes that in countries with a customary system of law the use of sentences in the form of liberty deprivation for minors is very limited. The same applies to penitentiary systems in countries where Muslim law is spread.

Educational Correctional Institutions for Minors in Provinces of Eastern Siberia of the end of XIX – the beginnings of the ХХth centuries: plan and result

Educational Correctional Institutions for Minors in Provinces of Eastern Siberia of the end of XIX – the beginnings of the ХХth centuries: plan and result