My body, our illness: Negotiating relational and identity tensions of living with mental illness

This thesis uses an autoethnographic methodology informed by narrative theory to interrogate my experiences of relational and identity tensions as both a consumer of mental health services and an advocate for the care, autonomy and acceptance of those who identify with concepts of mental illness recovery. In doing so I am using my personal diaries and medical records from the past seven years as archival data to assist me in recovering and reconstructing narratives that represent meaningful truths about these experiences. I also call on heavily what Carolyn Ellis (2004) calls relational ethics because I know that while I am sharing my stories I am also sharing the stories of those closest to me, specifically my friends, family and treatment providers. Wherever possible I use pseudonyms and changing identifying information, however when that is not possibly I think thoughtfully and reflexively about what sharing the story could do to them and to our relationship. Finally, I propose that this autoethnographic inquiry is a work of advocacy itself. We live in a world today were there are false boundaries between the mad and the sane and the sick and the well. However, I know a world much more fluid and fragmented than that. I hope to bring the reader into that world through the storying of my experience

Discourses of Madness and Me: Critical Examinations of Western Discourses of Madness and Psychiatry

This paper is a critical examination of western medical paradigms alongside histories of psychiatry that argues for a culturally situated approach to mental health advocacy that maintains the importance of the physiological foundations of traditional biomedical approaches to disease. In doing so, I examine the discourses of madness, and society’s attempts to control and “fix” what is deemed “mad” through a historical lens. My position and critique utilizes a reflexive narrative process embracing my identities both as a consumer of mental health services and as an advocate for those with mental illnesses

Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity of the Seal Salamander (Desmognathus monticola)

Phylogeography is defined as the spatial distribution of taxa with respect to geologic and geographic events. It is well documented that the distributions of many taxa have been affected by glacial events during the Pleistocene Era. The patterns generated can be very complex and result from shifts in climate and/or vegetation. The Seal salamander, (Desmognathus monticola), is one species that still has questions pertaining to its phylogeography. The range of this species extends from southwestern Pennsylvania to northern Alabama and Georgia, with a highly disjunct, state-endangered population in the Red Hills of Alabama. The main goal of this study is to determine the origin of this disjunct population through an extensive field survey. In addition, the utility of a relatively new genetic technique will be tested, with possible conservation implication for this population. Three hypotheses were proposed to explain the origin of the southern population. First, it is possible that this population may not be disjunct, but instead may have a continuous range extending throughout the state of Alabama. If disjunct, then two additional hypotheses could be proposed. The southern population may represent a recent derivative from the main range, or it may be a relictual population formed through historic glacial events in the Appalachian region. Based upon a review of topographic maps and an extensive field survey of this intervening region, we concluded that D. monticola were not present in this area and that the Red Hills population is truly disjunct. Thus, the first hypothesis could be rejected. To address the final two hypotheses, Intersimple Sequence Repeats were employed, and networks of relatedness were constructed using parsimony and neighbor-joining methods. These data indicate the Red Hills population (10 bands) and the Tubmill population (8 bands), in the northern extreme of the range, harbor the highest numbers of population-specific bands. Remaining populations had three or fewer population-specific bands, and held only a subset of the bands present in the Red Hills and Tubmill populations. The Tubmill population was sister to the remaining populations; wherever, the Red Hills population was nested within each tree generated. To address this situation, constraint analyses were conducted to place the Red Hills as sister to all other populations. The tree generated was the same length of the unconstrained tree (L=570), which indicates that the Red Hills population could be sister to the remainder of the populations sampled. Our data thus indicate the potential for two refugial populations, possibly isolated during glacial events of the Pleistocene Era. A bi-directional recolonization from the northern and southern extremes may have occurred. The southern population was probably isolated due to shifts in climate and/or vegetation, while the northern population may be a more traditional glacial refugium

UTILIZATION OF WEB‐BASED APP TO TARGET OBESOGENIC FACTORS IN RURAL KENTUCKY COUNTIES WITH HIGH RATES OF OBESITY

Due to socioeconomic disparities and geographic isolation, rural Kentucky residents bear a greater burden of poor health compared to national averages. Specifically, rural Kentucky residents are at greater risk of becoming obese and suffering from comorbidities of obesity such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the present study was two-fold. First, we the barriers to nutrition and physical activity unique to rural Kentucky counties which high proportions of obese adults (\u3c 40%) were examined and extrapolated. Second, this information was used to develop a health and wellness app tailored to rural Kentucky counties. The objective was met via a formative assessment regarding causes for obesity in three rural Kentucky counties using focus groups. From these discussions, two major themes arose: barriers to good nutrition and physical activity, and desired web‐app features. From this assessment, FitFaceoff was developed and released into the same counties. Usage and user interaction were assessed using GoogleAnalytics™ software. Analysis revealed poor user liking and unsuccessful implementation of FitFaceoff, however further qualitative research is needed to evaluate poor user reception of FitFaceoff and possible future directions

Efficacy of Brassica seed meal for management of Pythium root rot in greenhouse-grown vegetables

Mustard seed meal is the material that remains after oil is extracted from the seeds of plants in the mustard (Brassica) family. When in the presence of water, this seed meal releases compounds that can suppress plant diseases and weeds. As a result, mustard seed meal was investigated as an alternative method for disease and weed control, in an effort to reduce synthetic pesticide usage. Further, few studies examined the use of mustard seed meal for application in the commercial greenhouse industry, which is a large consumer of synthetic chemicals. Instead, many researchers assessed the seed meal in an outdoor setting. This project bridged the gap in literature and evaluated mustard seed meal as an additive to the soilless potting medium commonly used in the greenhouse industry. In a laboratory setting, the seed meal was successful in killing two species of the plant pathogen Pythium, which commonly causes root-rotting diseases. In a greenhouse setting, the mustard seed meal prohibited Pythium from killing tomato and cucumber seedlings but also damaged the seedlings at higher application rates. These observations were investigated in another series of experiments to identify a maximum seed meal application rate. In these experiments, seed meal rates up to 0.4% (by volume) did not decrease or delay germination. When a sowing delay of one day was employed, there were no decreases or delays in germination for seeds grown in medium combined with seed meal at rates up to 2.4%. Increasing the duration of the sowing delay up to seven days did not yield any added benefits. These experiments' data suggest adding seed meal up to 2.4% (by volume) will not decrease or delay germination as long as there is a minimum of one day between combining the potting medium and seed meal and sowing the seeds. However, seedlings that were transplanted into the same potting medium and mustard seed meal combinations were more sensitive than seeds. Even with a one-day delay, these seedlings were damaged at 1.2% seed meal and above, and were killed at all seed meal rates when there was no planting delay

The Structure Of Male Adolescent Peer Networks And Risk For Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: Findings From A National Sample

Although peer networks have been implicated as influential in a range of adolescent behaviors, little is known about relationships between peer network structures and risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) among youth. This study is a descriptive analysis of how peer network types may be related to subsequent risk for IPV perpetration among adolescents using data from 3,030 male respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sampled youth were a mean of 16 years of age when surveyed about the nature of their peer networks, and 21.9 when asked to report about IPV perpetration in their adolescent and early adulthood relationships. A latent class analysis of the size, structure, gender composition and delinquency level of friendship groups identified four unique profiles of peer network structures. Men in the group type characterized by small, dense, mostly male peer networks with higher levels of delinquent behavior reported higher rates of subsequent IPV perpetration than men whose adolescent network type was characterized by large, loosely connected groups of less delinquent male and female friends. Other factors known to be antecedents and correlates of IPV perpetration varied in their distribution across the peer group types, suggesting that different configurations of risk for relationship aggression can be found across peer networks. Implications for prevention programming and future research are addressed

Wait, There’s Torture in Zootopia? Examining the Prevalence of Torture in Popular Movies

Roughly half of the U.S. public thinks that torture can be acceptable in counterterrorism. According to recent research, dramatic depictions of torture increase public support for the practice. Yet we do not know how frequently—and in what context—torture is depicted across popular media. What messages about the acceptability and effectiveness of torture do Americans receive when they watch popular films? To address this question, we coded each incident of torture in the twenty top-grossing films each year from 2008 to 2017 to analyze how torture is portrayed in terms of its frequency, efficacy, and social acceptability. Results show that the majority of popular films—including films aimed toward children—have at least one torture scene. Across films, the messages sent about torture are fairly consistent. As expected, movies tend to depict torture as effective. Further, how movies portray torture is also a function of who is perpetrating it. Specifically, protagonists are more likely to torture for instrumental reasons or in response to threats and are more likely to do so effectively. In contrast, antagonists are more likely to use torture as punishment and to torture women. The frequency and nature of torture’s depiction in popular films may help explain why many in the public support torture in counterterrorism