Self Generated Attitude Change: Some Effects of Time and Intolerance of Ambiguity on Attitude Polarization

Effects of opportunity for thought and individual differences in intolerance of ambiguity on attitude polarization were examined. It was expected that opportunity for thought and intolerance of ambiguity would have an interactive effect on attitude polarization. This hypothesis was not supported. There was, however, an unexpected interaction between intolerance of ambiguity and the order of events in this experiment. When individuals’ self-awareness was heightened, individuals intolerant of ambiguity had attenuated attitudes; when individuals’ self-awareness was lessened, individuals intolerant of ambiguity had polarized attitudes. Limitations of this study (e.g., self-report measure) and future directions (e.g., priming effects) for this research were also discussed

Using narrative exposure therapy to treat women with a history of intimate partner violence for post-traumatic stress: a series of single case studies

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is said to affect one in four women and is therefore a human rights concern in the UK and internationally. Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is the most prevalent adverse psychological outcome associated with IPV. The impact of IPV can be unique; survivors’ sustained exposure to multiple traumatic events can result in psychological parallels to being taken hostage and subjected to torture. However, interventions often focus on risk management, and few treatments are suited to the chronicity and complexity of trauma endured in IPV. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), a treatment specifically designed to alleviate PTS following exposure to multiple trauma, has recently been included in NICE guidelines. Aims: This study aimed to investigate if NET can reduce levels of PTS in women with a history of IPV. The secondary aims were: (1) to determine if NET impacts on levels of depression, anxiety and general stress within an IPV context; (2) to understand NET’s mechanisms of change within a single case series design; (3) to determine how participants experience NET; (4) to determine if a short term intervention can be beneficial in an IPV context. Method: A series of single-case studies with a mixed methods sequential-measurement A-B design was conducted with four participants presenting with PTS following IPV. The primary outcome measure was the Impact of Events Scale - Revised (IES-R); the second measure the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS 21). All sessions were video recorded for fidelity assurance and to facilitate observational measures. Simulation Modelling Analysis (SMA) was used to assess temporal relationships between measures. Process was studied in two ways: (1) using a within-session subjective distress measure and (2) using narrative analysis to assess for changes in pre-post NET trauma narratives. Post-treatment change interviews were also completed. Results: PTS reduced during NET for all participants, which was substantiated by their qualitative accounts. For some there was a reduction in secondary measures. Process measures revealed mixed evidence for NET’s proposed mechanisms of change. Time series data showed varied individual trajectories. Conclusion: NET is a potential therapeutic resource for IPV survivors; trauma-focused interventions suited to the complexity and chronicity of trauma experienced in IPV may be helpful for this population. Future research should focus on the autobiographical memory component of NET to develop our understanding of its change mechanisms

In vivo and in vitro evaluation of 64 CU-labeled bombesin analogs for targeting gastrin-releasing peptide receptors on human prostate cancer [abstract]

Introduction: Gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPr) are expressed in high numbers on human prostate cancer. The bombesin peptide derivative, BBN(7- 14)NH2, has high affinity and selectivity to GRPr. Therefore, Copper-64 (64Cu) radiolabeled bombesin conjugates could have potential in positron-emission tomography (PET) of human prostate cancer. Methods: In vitro assays of the NO2A bombesin conjugates and non-radioactive 63Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates were performed in human PC-3 cells. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies of the radiolabeled 64Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates were performed in normal CF-1 and PC-3 tumor-bearing SCID mice. In vivo, multimodal, molecular images were obtained of the radiolabeled 64Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates in PC-3 tumor-bearing SCID mice via microPET/CT. Results: In vitro studies indicated idea uptake of the NO2A bombesin conjugates (1.99-6.24 nM), and 63Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates (3.16-51.81 nM) in PC-3 cells. In vivo results of the 64Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates at 1, 4, and 24 h p.i. showed affinity towards GRPr-positive tissue and effective clearance properties. Due to the favorable in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of 64Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates, high-resolution multimodal, molecular imaging was performed via microPET/CT in aPC-3 tumor-bearing SCID mouse model. High-quality target to non-target images were obtained, with the tumors clearly visible. Conclusions: The 64Cu-NO2A bombesin conjugates showed affinity and specificity towards GRPr-positive tissues. High quality microPET images of PC-3 xenografted tumors in SCID mouse model were obtained, demonstrating the potential for PET imaging of GRPr-positive human prostate cancer tumors

Sweet Nothings: Women in Rockabilly Music: LaVern Baker and Janis Martin

Rockabilly music is an exciting and vibrant style of early Rock and Roll that originated in the 1950s. With its aggressive beat and anti-establishment connotations, rockabilly is considered a widely male-dominated genre, a point supported by the majority of scholarship and literature on the subject. However, a review of available contemporary recordings, television shows, advertisements and interviews show that women were an integral part of the history of rockabilly music. In this thesis, I will discuss women in rockabilly music and address how issues relating to gender and race in 1950s culture affected women performers. More specifically, I will examine the experiences of two performers, LaVern Baker and Janis Martin, concentrating on formative and important events in their careers and how they affected rockabilly music overall. I will also include interview transcripts with Janis Martin and her mother, Jewel Martin, that are previously unpublished

Makerspace Instruction & the ACRL Framework

In this presentation Amy Vecchione and Stephanie Milne-Lane will host a discussion about research and instruction in a makerspace setting. They will outline the process of how the maker instruction program developed iteratively at Boise State University (BSU). Additionally, they will share the final results of Stephanie’s University of Washington MLIS capstone project, the BSU MakerLab Toolkit. They will also report on their conclusions regarding how the ACRL Framework is the best lens for developing maker instruction

Regularized Structural Equation Modeling for Individual-Level Directed Functional Connectivity

Within functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research, one method for evaluating functional brain architecture is directed functional connectivity analysis. Given the potentially exploratory nature of directed functional connectivity modeling, data-driven strategies for identifying individual-level models are necessary. One promising method, the unified SEM, is rooted in the structural equation modeling framework. By representing both the lagged and contemporaneous directed relationships present among regions of interest, it allows for the estimation of individual-level models of connectivity. In this study, I present the regularized unified SEM as an alternative to existing methods, where an individual-level model is selected from a range of possible models with varying degrees of penalization. This method is compared to other existing methods for establishing directed functional connectivity, including an established stepwise model building procedure for the unified SEM as well as the graphical vector autoregressive model. In this evaluation, the regularized unified SEM using the adaptive LASSO outperforms all other methods on simulated time series data, as well as on simulated blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) data. Performance is optimal in the presence of a long time series, a small number of variables, and a sparse network.Doctor of Philosoph

Young Women's Responses to Narrative and Pictorial Messages About Indoor Tanning: A Qualitative Study

This study examined perceptions of indoor tanning behavior and anti-tanning messaging among college-aged women in order to better understand what types of messages and message elements might be effective in persuading young women to not tan indoors. Two focus groups were conducted with participants who tan indoors either currently or who have tanned indoors in the past. Participants discussed benefits and harms of tanning indoors, and the relative effectiveness of several narrative and non-narrative anti-tanning messages. The results of this study suggest that young women believe there to be significant benefits and harms from tanning indoors. Results also point to several strategies for future anti-tanning message design, including the importance of presenting a threat that is perceived as both real and highly possible for individuals who tan indoors, using key informants who have personal experiences with indoor tanning and its harmful outcomes, and with whom target audiences can identify.Master of Art

Evaluating the Interaction of Growth Factors in the Univariate Latent Curve Model

In the structural equation modeling framework, latent curve models have gained popularity for modeling change over time. Much work has focused on the use of covariates, whether time-invariant or time-varying, to predict the growth factors. Comparatively little work has focused on the use of growth factors as independent variables themselves. This project evaluated the performance of models where growth factors were used as main-effects predictors of a distal outcome; this main-effects-only model was expanded to include the interaction between the growth factors as a predictor. My results demonstrate the bias present when a main-effects-only model is fit to data where an interaction effect truly exists. These results provide motivation for researchers who employ growth factors as predictors of a distal outcome to test for an interaction effect in order to more clearly understand the role of starting point and rate of change over time, taken together, as predictors.Master of Art

The complexity of social practice : understanding inertia and change in maternity care organizations

Beyond the limited efficiency and economy goals of neoliberal health policy lies the promise of genuine health services reform. In maternity care in particular, recent policy developments have sought to make the management of birth more &lsquo;women-centred and family-friendly&rsquo;. Interprofessional collaboration and greater consumer participation in policy and decision-making are key means to achieve this goal, but changing the entrenched system of medicalised birth remains difficult. Recent social contestation of maternity care has destabilised but not eradicated pervasive medical hegemony. Further reform requires analysis both of institutionalised patterns of power, and attention to the fluidity and situated knowledge shaping organisational and professional practices. Accordingly, this paper outlines a framework with which to explore the multi-layered social processes involved in implementing organisational and cultural change in maternity care. Analysis of social interventions in health systems, we suggest, can be advanced by drawing on strands from critical organization studies, complexity and critical discourse theories and social practice approaches.<br /