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The Opioid Epidemic: Impact of Heroin on Prosocial Interests in Rodents

Description

Cases of heroin use and overdose are on the rise in the United States which has created what some call a public health crisis. Previous studies have investigated the beneficial effect of social interaction recovering addicts, and in animal models of addiction, social interaction can prevent or reverse the conditioned…

Cases of heroin use and overdose are on the rise in the United States which has created what some call a public health crisis. Previous studies have investigated the beneficial effect of social interaction recovering addicts, and in animal models of addiction, social interaction can prevent or reverse the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine. This study sought to determine if social interaction would prevent or diminish a conditioned preference for a heroin-paired context. Following establishment of baseline place preference, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent once daily conditioning with either saline, heroin (1 mg/kg), or the animal's cage-mate for a total of 8 conditioning sessions. Assessment of post-conditioning place preference revealed that both the heroin injections and the presence of the cage-mate produced a place preference . In contrast to the findings of previous studies using cocaine as the conditioning drug, it was determined that rats preferred the heroin-paired context over that paired with the cage-mate.. These findings suggest that the protective effects of social interaction found in prior studies using cocaine as the conditioning drug may not extend to opiates, perhaps a result of stronger contextual conditioning and/or rewarding effects of this class of abused drugs.

ContributorsMarble, Krista Lillian (Author) / Olive, M. Foster (Thesis director) / Tomek, Seven (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2017-12

Arntzen, Charles

Description

Charlie Arntzen joined ASU in August 2000 as the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Endowed Chair and retired in 2016 from the School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute. Charlie was the founding Director of the Biodesign Institute.
Important ASU stories include:
1) the creation of the Biodesign Institute,
2) the design and operation…

Charlie Arntzen joined ASU in August 2000 as the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Endowed Chair and retired in 2016 from the School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute. Charlie was the founding Director of the Biodesign Institute.
Important ASU stories include:
1) the creation of the Biodesign Institute,
2) the design and operation of the Biodesign labs,
3) the development of ZMapp to fight Ebola,
4) The New American University - a discussion of the importance of collaboration, and
5) several comments about Presidents Coor and Crow and Provost Glick

ContributorsChurch, Kathy (Interviewer) / Arizona State University Retirees Association (Producer)

Created2019-05-08

Mexican American Female Perspectives on Marriage and Childbearing

Description

The present study examined Mexican American females’ perspectives on childbearing and marriage and the role of cultural influences on their perspectives given high rates of pregnancy and early marriage among Mexican and Mexican American females in the U.S. and worldwide. Participants were ten Mexican American females between 20 and 22…

The present study examined Mexican American females’ perspectives on childbearing and marriage and the role of cultural influences on their perspectives given high rates of pregnancy and early marriage among Mexican and Mexican American females in the U.S. and worldwide. Participants were ten Mexican American females between 20 and 22 years of age who participated in qualitative interviews about their perspectives on marriage and childbearing and how their Mexican cultural background, including their upbringing, family members, peers, and the media influenced their perspectives. Findings highlight that there is indeed a connection between Mexican culture and perspectives on marriage and childbearing amongst participants, and participants particularly noted the role of female family members, stereotypes, and educational pursuits in shaping their perspectives.

ContributorsSwayne, Tosca (Author) / Updegraff, Kimberly (Thesis director) / Perez, Marisol (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

ASU Women’s Power and Influence Index: Creating Awareness for the WPI

Description

The Difference Engine at Arizona State University developed the Women’s Power and Influence Index (WPI) in order to combat the systemic inequality faced by women in the workplace. It aims to analyze data, such as Equal Employment Opportunity data, from various Fortune 500 companies to provide a measure of workplace…

The Difference Engine at Arizona State University developed the Women’s Power and Influence Index (WPI) in order to combat the systemic inequality faced by women in the workplace. It aims to analyze data, such as Equal Employment Opportunity data, from various Fortune 500 companies to provide a measure of workplace inequality as well as encourage these institutions to adopt more equitable policies. By rating companies based on what truly matters to women, ASU’s Difference Engine hopes to help both women in existing career paths as well as women seeking a new career or position in companies. However, in order for the WPI to become a relevant scoring metric of gender equality within the workplace, we must raise awareness about the issue of gender equality and of the index itself. By raising awareness about gender inequality as well as inspiring companies to further equality within their workplaces, the WPI will serve to have an integral role in increasing gender equality in the workplace. Our approach for raising awareness utilizes two different strategies: (1) establishing a new version of the WPI website that is both informative and aesthetically pleasing and (2) generating social media content on TikTok that appeal to a variety of audiences and introduce them to the WPI and our mission.

ContributorsHoward, Brooke (Author) / Tieu, Lienna (Co-author) / Thomas, Elisa (Co-author) / Zaffar, Ehsan (Thesis director) / Gel, Esma (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)

Created2022-05