Containing the Beat: An Analysis of the Press Coverage of the Beat Generation During the 1950s

The early Cold War era was a period marked by a fear of Communist subversion and a distrust of the other. It was during this time that the Beat Generation emerged in literature and society as a minority opinion group—failing to conform to mainstream norms and living outside the margins of acceptable American culture. In response to the Beat Generation and their dissenting viewpoints, the media framed the Beats in a mostly negative manner. This negative framing was fueled by a desire to delegitimize the Beats as well as any other dissenting groups that posed a threat to American ideology. By examining a series of primary sources from the 1950s, the media’s attempts to contain the Beat movement are not only apparent but speak to the larger themes of Cold War paranoia and fear

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe use of the various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities for the management of chronic illnesses is widespread, and still on the rise. Unfortunately, tools to support consumers in seeking information on the efficacy of these treatments are sparse and incomplete. The goals of this work were to understand CAM information needs in acquiring CAM information, assess currently available information resources, and investigate informatics methods to provide a foundation for the development of CAM information resources. This dissertation consists of four studies. The first was a quantitative study that aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering CAM-drug interaction information through a web-based application. This study resulted in an 85% participation rate and 33% of those patients reported the use of CAMs that had potential interactions with their conventional treatments. The next study aimed to assess online CAM information resources that provide information on drug-herb interactions to consumers. None of the sites scored high on the combination of completeness and accuracy and all sites were beyond the recommended reading level per the US Department of Health and Human Services. The third study investigated information-seeking behaviors for CAM information using an existing cohort of cancer survivors. The study showed that patients in the cohort continued to use CAM well into survivorship. Patients felt very much on their own in dealing with issues outside of direct treatment, which often resulted in a search for options and CAM use. Finally, a study was conducted to investigate two methods to semi-automatically extract CAM treatment relations from the biomedical literature. The methods rely on a database (SemMedDB) of semantic relations extracted from PubMed abstracts. This study demonstrated that SemMedDB can be used to reduce manual efforts, but review of the extracted sentences is still necessary due to a low mean precision of 23.7% and 26.4%. In summary, this dissertation provided greater insight into consumer information needs for CAM. Our findings provide an opportunity to leverage existing resources to improve the information-seeking experience for consumers through high-quality online tools, potentially moving them beyond the reliance on anecdotal evidence in the decision-making process for CAM

A “Devolved Minority”: Contemporary German and French Guidebook Perspectives of Wales

Guidebooks play an important role in increasing the visibility of a nation, as they introduce the country to potential visitors and create images prior to travelling. However, they also tend to reinforce stereotypes and create “romantic fictions” (Mahn 2008). This article examines the representation of Wales in French and German guidebooks and consequently elucidates the cultural and political recognition of Wales in these continental texts. The depiction of Wales as a distinct entity on an administrative, or rather on a cultural and linguistic level will be discussed, as well as the commonalities and differences between French and German views

The molecular annealing mechanisms of H. sapiens HelQ

The human genome is constantly under the threat of DNA damage as replicating cells are chemically exposed, resulting in double-strand breaks (DSBs). Humans evolved unique mechanisms for controlling these mutagenic effects. Homologous recombination (HR) repairs otherwise lethal DNA double-strand breaks. In mammals, multiple forms of HR have evolved for different contexts, including to underpin DNA replication so that genome duplication is completed before cell division. HR in this context is mutagenic, because it relies on unstable DNA synthesis by 'Break-Induced Replication' (BIR) within specialized HR DNA structures called D-loops. The extent of D-loop DNA synthesis can be restrained to the DNA break region to limit mutagenesis, but by mechanisms unknown in human cells. Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer, and if left untreated can be detrimental. Therefore, characterizing the role helicase proteins, namely HelQ, play in DNA repair and replication is of great importance. Recent publications describe physical and functional interactions of HelQ and suggest possible mechanisms in which HelQ functions within HR-mediated processes. We currently lack mechanistic insight about the HelQ annealing reaction, and here begin reporting that this requires a 'core' catalytic domain (C-HelQ), and identify a HelQ mutation that triggers hyper-annealing. Intriguingly, this mutation also hyper-activated DNA annealing by the prokaryotic homologue of HelQ (Hel308), indicating an ancient evolutionarily conserved mechanism

The Relationship of Written Expression to Self Concept in Primary Children

This thesis, the outcome of nearly three years of preparation, including study, development of procedures, trial and observation, was begun in an attempt to answer the following questions: How may original writing among elementary pupils be motivated successfully? Can positive feelings about self be promoted to a measurable degree as a result of emphasizing individual oral and written expression? Although much thinking and evaluating occurred during the three years, the experimentation and results reported here are limited to the work accomplished and findings obtained during the third year. The twenty-six children involved in this study were third-year elementary pupils, whose ages ranged from seven to nine years. During the experimental period, listening, speaking, thinking, and writing were emphasized in the language arts program. A variety of topics provided subjects for written composition. To test the hypothesis that a measurable increase in self concept or self report ratings could be brought about by experiencing feelings of success and acceptance as a result of self-expression in writing, the Piers-Harris Children\u27s Self Concept Scale was administered to two third grade classes, the experimental group and a control group, at the beginning and at the conclusion of an eight-week experimental period. Average reading scores from the Metropolitan Achievement Test, Form F, were available as an index to the ability of the two groups. During the experimental time, a writing topic was presented to the experimental group daily. Questions were used to promote discussion, elicit ideas, and encourage thinking and interest. When the majority of the group members had participated orally, and appeared to be interested and involved, paper was distributed and writing was begun. The writer could choose the form his writing was to take, and a variety of ideas could be derived from the topic presented. The result might be an account of a personal experience, original imaginative writing, rhymed or unrhymed verse, or a factual report. At the conclusion of the eight-week experimental period, self report scores of the two groups were compared. To demonstrate a significant change in score from the initial to the final report, a difference in individual raw scores of ten or more points was required. The raw scores of four subjects in the experimental group, and two subjects in the control group increased by ten or more points. However. the findings of this study indicated no significant differences to the self concepts of children in the experimental group as compared to the self concepts of children in the control group as a result of the writing treatment

Wales in Continental Guidebooks (1850-2013): A Country on the Imaginative Periphery

This thesis examines the representations of Wales in German-, French- and Dutch-language travel guidebooks published between 1850 and 2013. The analysis focuses on the conceptualisation of the country in these texts within the framework of ‘imaginative peripheries’. This framework is mainly based on the work of Edward Said and his model of ‘imaginative geographies’, which examines the perception of spaces through texts and discourses. In the thesis it is asserted that guidebooks have the power to significantly influence tourists’ views of a destination, thus affecting the socio-spatial construction of the area in question. The thesis scrutinises how Wales is conceptualised as a cultural, linguistic, ethnographic, historical, geographical and political entity and how these representations influence the country’s spatial realisation in the texts. In conclusion it is argued that during the course of the centuries under examination, Wales has been increasingly recognised as a distinct entity, but has simultaneously been moved to the periphery on a textual and conceptual level. Finally, these shifts not only provide insights into the way Wales is perceived in overseas travel guidebooks, but also reflect broader discourses concerning the changing balance of power in our globalising world

The molecular annealing mechanisms of H. sapiens HelQ

The human genome is constantly under the threat of DNA damage as replicating cells are chemically exposed, resulting in double-strand breaks (DSBs). Humans evolved unique mechanisms for controlling these mutagenic effects. Homologous recombination (HR) repairs otherwise lethal DNA double-strand breaks. In mammals, multiple forms of HR have evolved for different contexts, including to underpin DNA replication so that genome duplication is completed before cell division. HR in this context is mutagenic, because it relies on unstable DNA synthesis by 'Break-Induced Replication' (BIR) within specialized HR DNA structures called D-loops. The extent of D-loop DNA synthesis can be restrained to the DNA break region to limit mutagenesis, but by mechanisms unknown in human cells. Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer, and if left untreated can be detrimental. Therefore, characterizing the role helicase proteins, namely HelQ, play in DNA repair and replication is of great importance. Recent publications describe physical and functional interactions of HelQ and suggest possible mechanisms in which HelQ functions within HR-mediated processes. We currently lack mechanistic insight about the HelQ annealing reaction, and here begin reporting that this requires a 'core' catalytic domain (C-HelQ), and identify a HelQ mutation that triggers hyper-annealing. Intriguingly, this mutation also hyper-activated DNA annealing by the prokaryotic homologue of HelQ (Hel308), indicating an ancient evolutionarily conserved mechanism

Marching to a different drummer : a cross-cultural comparison of young adolescents who challenge gender norms

Purpose: Little is known about how gender norms regulate adolescents' lives across different cultural settings. This study aims to illustrate what is considered as violating gender norms for boys and girls in four urban poor sites as well as the consequences that follow the challenging of gender norms. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Global Early Adolescent Study, a 15-country collaboration to explore gender norms and health in early adolescence. The current study analyzed narrative and in-depth interviews conducted in urban poor sites in two middle-income (Shanghai, China; and New Delhi, India) and two high-income countries (Baltimore, U.S.; and Ghent, Belgium). A total of 238 participants, 59 boys and 70 girls aged 11-13 years old and 109 of their parents/guardians (28 male adults and 81 female adults), were interviewed. A thematic analysis was conducted across sites using Atlas. Ti 7.5 software. Results: Findings revealed that although most perceptions and expressions about gender were regulated by stereotypical norms, there was a growing acceptability for girls to wear boyish clothes and engage in stereotypical masculine activities such as playing soccer/football. However, there was no comparable acceptance of boys engaging in traditional feminine behaviors. Across all sites, challenging gender norms was often found to lead to verbal, physical, and/or psychological retribution. Conclusions: While it is sometimes acceptable for young adolescents to cross gender boundaries, once it becomes clear that a behavior is socially defined as typical for the other sex, and the adolescent will face more resistance. Researchers, programmers, and clinicians working in the field of adolescent health need not only attend to those who are facing the consequences of challenging prevailing gender norms, but also to address the environment that fosters exclusion and underscores differences

Pour en lire plus : Actes du Colloque International Muséologie participative, sociale et critique.

À l’automne 2020, s’est tenu le colloque international de Muséologie sociale, participative et critique organisé par le Musée de l’Éducation Gabriela Mistral. Quarante-huit ans après la fameuse Table ronde de Santiago du Chili (1972), cette rencontre réunissant praticiens et théoriciens de la muséologie nous conduit à ce constat : les jalons de la nouvelle muséologie posés il y a près de cinquante ans s’incarnent aujourd’hui dans les pratiques de plusieurs institutions muséales d’Amérique du ..

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