THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GENDER-NEUTRAL PARENTING ATTITUDES, NEGATIVE DIMENSIONS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION IDENTITY, AND CHILD OUTCOMES AMONG LESBIAN MOTHERS

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the correlations between lesbian mothers' gender-neutral parenting attitudes, negative dimensions of their sexual orientation identity, and child outcomes. Participants included lesbian mothers (N = 40) with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 8 years-old. Among mothers, 37.5% completed the questionnaire from the perspective of their male-identified child (n = 15), while 62.5% completed the questionnaire from the perspective of their female-identified child (n = 25). To measure the constructs of interest, participants were assessed via an online survey using three instruments, the Child Gender Socialization Scale, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Four open-ended response questions were additionally analyzed to better support the results. Results indicated factors such as the sex of the child, education level, and internalized homonegativity can play a significant role on gender-neutral parenting attitudes and child outcomes among lesbian mothers. Implications regarding genderneutral parenting practices and research on lesbian mothers are further discussed

The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on the Mental Health of Active Females

Background: The use of oral contraceptives (OC) to regulate athletic performance has increased in recent years. Literature indicates as OC usage increases, feelings of well-being among those using OCs have decreased. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of OCs on the mental health of active females. I hypothesized that OC-users would report lower values related to well-being and higher values related to depressive symptoms compared to those using other forms of hormonal contraceptive (HC) and no contraceptive. Participants: 74 biological females, over the age of 18, that engaged in 150 minutes of exercise per week. Methods: Participants gathered through snowball sampling answered questions from the Beck’s Depression Inventory via a Qualtrics survey. SPSS was used to analyze the survey data (descriptive analysis and one-way ANOVA). Results: Hormonal contraceptive users reported higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to OC-users and non-users. A statistically significant difference was found in mental health responses between HC users and non-users. The HC group reported more irritation (F(2, 71)=[3.521], p=.035), poor self-image (F(2,71)=[4.065], p=.021), diminished sleep (F(2,71)=[6.525], p=.003), decreased appetite (F(2,71)=[3.691], p=.030), and more worried about physical health (F(2,71)=[2.726], p=.072). OC-users had an increase for only one question regarding feelings of being disappointed in themselves (F(2,71)=[3.105], p=.051). These results differ from the hypothesis, but still indicate that contraceptives may influence the mental health of athletes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that contraceptives, regardless of brand and dosage, influence the mental health of female athletes. Because many athletes use HCs to regulate performance, it is important to note that those using HCs may be at risk for a decline in their well-being. Thus, the athlete may not perform to the standard they are hoping to achieve, as optimal performance relies on both physical and mental health

Choice among stimuli in equivalence classes

Stability in responding to stimuli within equivalence classes has implications for the maintenance of classes and the ease at which they can be reformed. One way of investigating stability is to examine accuracy and speed of responding as a function of nodal number, or the number of nodes between stimuli in a class. Previous research suggests that subjects respond more quickly and more accurately on relations involving fewer nodes (Fields, Adams, & Verhave, 1989 [May]; Fields, Adams, Verhave, & Newman, 1990; Fields, Adams, & Verhave, 1993; Fields, Landon-Jiminez, Buffington, & Adams, 1995; Spencer & Chase, 1996). A second way to investigate stability is to compare accuracy and speed of responding as a function of types of relations: trials that test baseline, symmetry, transitivity, and combined symmetry and transitivity relations. Research has shown that subjects typically respond to baseline and symmetric relations faster than transitive and combined relations in tests for emergent relations. In the current research, tests were conducted after stable responding in accordance with equivalence relations had been established. Within-class preference tests were used to assess the effects of nodality and relation types on stability. A within-class preference test consists of match-to-sample trials with three or more class-consistent comparisons that occur after confirmation of class formation. In the first experiment, subjects more frequently chose comparisons related to the sample via fewer nodes than those related via more nodes. In addition, subjects chose comparisons related to the sample via symmetry as often or more often than those related via trained baseline relations. Subjects also chose both symmetry and baseline more often than transitive and combined relations. Experiments 2 and 3 investigated the possibility that effects observed in the first experiment were due to the order of training and testing. The results of Experiment 2 were consistent with the results of Experiment 1. The order of testing in Experiment 3 revealed some differences. Performance on the nodal tests was more variable. In addition, only one subject demonstrated highly accurate and stable performance on tests for equivalence. In Experiments 2 and 3, the third comparison sometimes appeared to serve as a contextual stimulus for choosing between the other two comparison stimuli. Experiment 4 evaluated effects of a class-specific reinforcer arrangement during training on responding during post-class-formation within-class preference tests. The class-specific reinforcer arrangement increased stability on nodal-test responding. Relational test results were consistent with the previous three experiments. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical implications for the substitutability of stimuli in equivalence classes, and for application to education, particularly in learning languages and other complex curricula involving stimulus classes

Georgia Female School Superintendents: Perceptions of Isolation

The researcher\u27s purpose in this study was to describe the perception of isolation among Georgia female school superintendents. A qualitative method was used to conduct the study. The research instrument used in conducting the study was comprised of 13 open-ended interview questions which were designed to elicit responses to the research question and subquestions. The researcher interviewed ten Georgia female school superintendents concerning their positions as female school leaders. The researcher recorded the interviews with audio tapes, had tapes transcribed by a trained transciptionist, and coded the transcripts for recurring themes and patterns. To validate her findings, the researcher enlisted the assistance of methodologist, Dr. Michael D. Richardson, who also coded transcripts. The ten Georgia female school superintendents were chosen through convenience sampling. Of the participants, 8 were Caucasian and 2 were African American. After determining the participants of the study, the researcher contacted the superintendents via telephone and e-mail to determine a convenient meeting place, date, and time. The researcher assured the superintendents that their identity would remain confidential; therefore, each superintendent was given a fictitious name, and the participants\u27 responses were presented with the assigned name. In this study the researcher explored the superintendents\u27 backgrounds, perceptions of isolation related to the superintendency, and the strategies that they sued to cope with isolation. All Georgia female school superintendents participating in the study acknowledged, at minimum, a modicum amount of isolation related to their positions

Quantum network architecture of tight-binding models with substitution sequences

We study a two-spin quantum Turing architecture, in which discrete local rotations \alpha_m of the Turing head spin alternate with quantum controlled NOT-operations. Substitution sequences are known to underlie aperiodic structures. We show that parameter inputs \alpha_m described by such sequences can lead here to a quantum dynamics, intermediate between the regular and the chaotic variant. Exponential parameter sensitivity characterizing chaotic quantum Turing machines turns out to be an adequate criterion for induced quantum chaos in a quantum network.Comment: Accepted for publication in J. mod. Optics [Proc. Workshop "Entanglement and Decoherence", Gargnano (Italy), Sept 1999], 3 figure

Phase transition in a class of non-linear random networks

We discuss the complex dynamics of a non-linear random networks model, as a function of the connectivity k between the elements of the network. We show that this class of networks exhibit an order-chaos phase transition for a critical connectivity k = 2. Also, we show that both, pairwise correlation and complexity measures are maximized in dynamically critical networks. These results are in good agreement with the previously reported studies on random Boolean networks and random threshold networks, and show once again that critical networks provide an optimal coordination of diverse behavior.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, revised versio

Families of periodic orbits: Virtual periods and global continuability

AbstractFor a differential equation depending on a parameter, there have been numerous investigations of the continuation of periodic orbits as the parameter is varied. Mallet-Paret and Yorke investigated in generic situations how connected components of orbits must terminate. Here we extend the theory to the general case, dropping genericity assumptions

Dynamical estimates of chaotic systems from Poincar\'e recurrences

We show that the probability distribution function that best fits the distribution of return times between two consecutive visits of a chaotic trajectory to finite size regions in phase space deviates from the exponential statistics by a small power-law term, a term that represents the deterministic manifestation of the dynamics, which can be easily experimentally detected and theoretically estimated. We also provide simpler and faster ways to calculate the positive Lyapunov exponents and the short-term correlation function by either realizing observations of higher probable returns or by calculating the eigenvalues of only one very especial unstable periodic orbit of low-period. Finally, we discuss how our approaches can be used to treat data coming from complex systems.Comment: subm. for publication. Accepted fpr publication in Chao

Analysis and control of bifurcation and chaos in averaged queue length in TCP/RED model

This paper studies the bifurcation and chaos phenomena in averaged queue length in a developed Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) model with Random Early Detection (RED) mechanism. Bifurcation and chaos phenomena are nonlinear behaviour in network systems that lead to degradation of the network performance. The TCP/RED model used is a model validated previously. In our study, only the average queue size k q − is considered, and the results are based on analytical model rather than actual measurements. The instabilities in the model are studied numerically using the conventional nonlinear bifurcation analysis. Extending from this bifurcation analysis, a modified RED algorithm is derived to prevent the observed bifurcation and chaos regardless of the selected parameters. Our modification is for the simple scenario of a single RED router carrying only TCP traffic. The algorithm neither compromises the throughput nor the average queuing delay of the system

Bifurcation Phenomena in Two-Dimensional Piecewise Smooth Discontinuous Maps

In recent years the theory of border collision bifurcations has been developed for piecewise smooth maps that are continuous across the border, and has been successfully applied to explain nonsmooth bifurcation phenomena in physical systems. However, many switching dynamical systems have been found to yield two-dimensional piecewise smooth maps that are discontinuous across the border. The theory for understanding the bifurcation phenomena in such systems is not available yet. In this paper we present the first approach to the problem of analysing and classifying the bifurcation phenomena in two-dimensional discontinuous maps, based on a piecewise linear approximation in the neighborhood of the border. We explain the bifurcations occurring in the static VAR compensator used in electrical power systems, using the theory developed in this paper. This theory may be applied similarly to other systems that yield two-dimensional discontinuous maps