TEST ITEM - Doctoral Dissertations

Test item - please disregard

Masculinidad y desigualdad racial en el tránsito de la guerra independentista a la Cuba neocolonial

Los estudios sobre los hombres y las masculinidades en Cuba, y en general en América Latina, han visualizado sistemáticamente al sector hegemónico representado por hombres blancos, citadinos y heterosexuales. La presente investigación de Bonnie A. Lucero es exhaustiva en la búsqueda de archivos para establecer otras masculinidades haciendo énfasis en las racializadas y sus cambios en diferentes momentos históricos de los siglos XIX y XX. En su búsqueda sobresalen varios archivos de la zona central del país, muy poco visibilizados en estudios anteriores. Patriarcado, honor racial, el hombre nuevo y los epítetos discriminatorios acompañaron el proceso de la naciente república en el inicio del siglo XX. El lugar que debían ocupar los hombres negros y mestizos no podía ser el mismo que en la etapa previa; en esta investigación se establecen las pautas para revisar tal recorrido. Y aunque en este libro se habla del pasado, su autora mantiene un diálogo permanente con el presente para alertar cómo se construyen los procesos machistas y racistas

Data set for Identification of individual Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) using genotypes and ventral spot patterns

These are data files for the article "Identification of individual Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) using genotypes and ventral spot patterns", Daniella Biffi 2, Mary R. Tucker 1, Alexis Ackel 1, and Dean A. Williams 1*. 1 Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, 76129, USA. 2 Andrews Institute of Mathematics & Science Education, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, 76129, USA. * corresponding author [email protected]

Associations Between Power Dynamics and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Raising Autistic Children

The goal of this study was to examine the associations of marital satisfaction and power dynamics in couples raising autistic children compared to couples raising non-autistic children. Marital satisfaction is important to the longevity of a marriage, and the quality of a marriage can affect children's outcomes as well. Although prior research has established associations between power imbalances and low levels of marital satisfaction, there is no research examining these associations among parents raising children on the autism spectrum . To examine this question, couples with and without autistic children completed surveys and engaged in video recorded conflict discussions. The results indicated that wives raising autistic children reported significantly higher power than wives with non-autistic children at low and mean levels of satisfaction. Furthermore, levels of power observed during the conflict discussions were significantly associated with marital satisfaction. Using these results, it is important for clinicians to use therapeutic techniques that specifically target power imbalances in these couples and work to diminish them

Loss and legacy: Reframing the studies of Julie Manet

Sometimes referred to as “the daughter of Impressionism” because of her unique connection to members of the Impressionist group, Julie Manet was surrounded by art from the moment she was born. Her mother, Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, was instrumental in Julie’s artistic education and taught her to draw and paint from a young age. Orphaned at sixteen, Julie took to making art with renewed fervor after her mother’s death in 1895. This thesis treats Julie Manet as a nineteenth-century female artist and investigates how she used art in a manner distinct from how bourgeois women of this era typically utilized art. Instead of practicing art as a pleasant pass-time, Julie’s motivation for making art involved processing her grief after the loss of her mother and carrying on her family’s artistic legacy. By bringing Julie Manet’s work into conversation with the practices of Claude Monet and Marie Bashkirtseff, I seek to reframe how Julie Manet’s work is viewed by scholars. Instead of categorizing them as the inconsequential musings of an amateur, I seek to draw out their significance as to how they reveal one woman’s artistic approach to loss and life

Combined action observation and mental imagery versus neuromuscular electrical stimulation as novel therapeutics during short-term knee immobilization

Limb immobilization causes rapid declines in muscle strength and mass. Given the role of the nervous system in immobilization-induced weakness, targeted interventions may be able to preserve muscle strength, but not mass, and vice versa. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of two distinct interventions during 1 week of knee joint immobilization on muscle strength (isometric and concentric isokinetic peak torque), mass (bioimpedance spectroscopy and ultrasonography), and neuromuscular function (transcranial magnetic stimulation and interpolated twitch technique). Thirty-nine healthy, college-aged adults (21 males, 18 females) were randomized into one of four groups: immobilization only (n = 9), immobilization + action observation/mental imagery (AOMI) (n = 10), immobilization + neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) (n = 12), or control group (n = 8). The AOMI group performed daily video observation and mental imagery of knee extensions. The NMES group performed twice daily stimulation of the quadriceps femoris. Based on observed effect sizes, it appears that AOMI shows promise as a means of preserving voluntary strength, which may be modulated by neural adaptations. Strength increased from PRE to POST in the AOMI group, with +7.2% (Cohen's d = 1.018) increase in concentric isokinetic peak torque at 30 degrees/s. However, NMES did not preserve muscle mass. Though preliminary, our findings highlight the specific nature of clinical interventions and suggest that muscle strength can be independently targeted during rehabilitation. This study was prospectively registered: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05072652. What is the central question of this study? Action observation and mental imagery (AOMI) may be a possible and potentially promising rehabilitation strategy via facilitation of neural adaptations, whereas neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may augment muscle strength and mass via peripheral mechanisms. We compared the ability of these interventions to distinctly preserve strength versus mass during one week of knee joint immobilization. What is the main finding and its importance? Effect sizes suggested that AOMI preserved voluntary strength, and may be used therapeutically to target neural adaptations during immobilization

Diagram driven computer generation of equation-of-motion coupled cluster equations for perturbed quantum oscillators

We consider a set of quantum harmonic oscillators subjected to perturbations expressible as a power series in position and momentum. A diagrammatic scheme is developed, by which to generate equation-of-motion coupled cluster (EoM-CC) equations for the calculation of the perturbed energy spectrum of the system. The diagrammatic scheme is then adapted into a Python code, capable of generating the necessary equations and computer code associated with any arbitrary order of the perturbation and coupled cluster excitation levels. The generated equations are made readily accessible for numerical evaluation, alongside convergence schemes and the application of iterative Bogoliubov transformations

A Literature Review on the Use of Analgesia During In-Office Intrauterine Gynecologic Procedures

Research Question: Do different pain control methods during in-office gynecologic procedures have significant impact on women¿s perception of pain?Background and Significance: The conversation surrounding pain control during in-office gynecologic procedures has gained popularity over the last several years as patients share their stories on social media. There is a paucity of information on analgesia use during intrauterine device (IUD) insertions and other gynecologic procedures. There is concern that patients¿ fears surrounding the insertion procedure limits the amount of people who decide on this highly effective method of contraception. The aim of this project is to examine 3 areas impacting the pain control provided during office based gynecologic procedures. The first and largest component is what literature is available on patients¿ perceptions of pain with and without analgesia for intrauterine procedures. The second area explored is the health care providers perception of the procedure with and without analgesia. The third area of exploration is how patient perceptions and shared decision making regarding the types of pain control offered during obstetrical or gynecological procedures impacts the long-term relationship between provider and patients.Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted to find scholarly articles on different types of analgesia studied for IUD insertion and similar intrauterine gynecologic procedures including hysteroscopy, balloon catheterization, as well as tenaculum use. Exclusion criteria was OB/GYN procedures that cannot be performed in-office.Results: Aim 1: The available literature on different methods of analgesia for office-based gynecologic procedures is sparse and inconclusive. Some small trials have been executed to find pain control options that might provide relief for patients but repeat studies with a larger patient sample and controls would be needed to draw conclusive data on which methods work best. While some studies endorsed pain relief from cervical block, paracervical block, topical or oral analgesia agents, other studies refuted the benefits of each of these methods. Aim 2: Minimal studies are available on the perceived benefit to the provider when using analgesia for office-based gynecologic procedures. One qualitative study discussed the increase ease of procedure and ease of sample obtainment by the provider. Aim 3: The available literature on shared decision making and the impact of social media on patient preferences showed that most of the available patient-created content surrounding IUD placement is negative. Studies on shared decision making showed higher levels of patient satisfaction with their care when given decision making tools.Conclusion: Of the available literature on the efficacy of analgesia during office based gynecologic procedures, most of the studies were small, low-powered, single site trials that concluded with the need for repeat studies to be completed for conclusive recommendations to be determined. Although some methods showed improved pain scores by patients, no method is universally used by providers who perform these procedures which can cause frustration for these patients and a mistrust in the medical system. Patient decision making might be impacted if they feel they are not being adequately counselled or offered acceptable treatment options by their providers. While further, high-powered studies need to be conducted to arrive at a pain management consensus on this front, patient desires and attitudes should not be ignored