The Impact of Father Absence on the Marital Satisfaction of African American Women

The African American community is plagued with single-parent homes, headed by women. Importantly, while the father-absent phenomenon has gained more attention, much research is still needed to gain a complete perspective of the absent father and its influence upon the adult child, specifically the adult daughter who is at significant risk of continuing in her parent\u27s footsteps. The purpose of this quantitative survey method research is to explore the impact of father absenteeism among African American adult daughters and their marital satisfaction; additionally, examining can supportive mothers moderate the effect. This study examined the marital satisfaction among African American women with absent fathers in comparison to African American women with a present father in childhood, in addition to the supportive mother variable. African American women (N=21) drawn from a convenient sample of churchgoers, who were in a heterosexual marriage, at least 18 years and older, in the Northeast region of the United States with access to an email completed measures of marital satisfaction using the Couple Satisfaction Index and the support of their mother using the Adult Daughter-Mother Relationship Questionnaire. Overall, there was not a significant difference between the marital satisfaction of African American women with absent fathers in comparison to those with present fathers in childhood. However, the regression analysis indicated that marital satisfaction decreased as the mother’s support increased for those with absent fathers. The results indicate a need for further, in-depth research considering a new sample size and including individuals that are not churchgoers

Working Memory Impairments in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: The Roles of Anxiety and Stress Physiology

Stress and anxiety negatively impact the working memory system by competing for executive resources. Broad memory deficits have been reported in individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). We investigated anxiety and physiological stress reactivity in relation to visuospatial working memory impairments in 20 children with 22q11.2DS and 32 typically developing children (M = 11.10 years, SD = 2.95). Results indicate reduced post-stress RSA recovery and overall increased levels of cortisol in children with 22q11.2DS. Additionally, anxiety mediated the relationship between 22q11.2DS and visuospatial working memory impairment. However, there was no indication that stress response physiology mediated this association. Results suggest that anxiety exacerbates impaired working memory in children with 22q11.2DS. Thus, treatment and intervention methods for children with 22q11.2DS should address anxiety related symptomology

Is access to paediatric dental general anaesthesia by need or by postcode?

Children's oral health, and the number of children attending for dental treatment under general anaesthesia continue to be in the spotlight of the dental press. But are all children across the UK given the same opportunities to access comprehensive dental care under general anaesthesia? This article gives details of a recent evaluation of dental general anaesthetic services currently provided in the UK. It outlines the current picture of services, discusses the challenges and the implications of the results, and makes suggestions to help improve the regional inequalities shown by the evaluation

Between Two Fires: The Origins of Settler Colonialism in the United States and French Algeria

This dissertation is a comparative study of the establishment of settler colonies in the American Midwest (1778-1795) and French colonial Algeria (1830-1848). It examines how interactions between the Indigenous populations, colonists, colonial administrators, the military, and the métropole shaped their development and advances the theory of settler colonialism. This study centers on the first fifteen to twenty years of conquest/occupation in the American Midwest, focusing specifically on southern Illinois and Indiana, and the province of Constantine, Algeria. Despite differences in geography, relative size of the military presence and Indigenous demographics, the process of establishing settler colonies in both locations followed similar trajectories. The study analyzes the founding moment of initial military occupation in Indiana/Illinois in 1778 and Constantine in 1836-1837 as well as subsequent land policies, settlement, and Indigenous resistance movements. I argue that settler colonies in the American Midwest and Algeria resulted from a bottom-up process in which settler desires for land and greater economic opportunities compelled them to migrate (or emigrate) and stake their claim to these territories. This movement then served as a catalyst for initially makeshift colonial policies that only became systematized over time. The relationship between settlers and the Indigenous populations in both locations, as well as administrators\u27 responses to prevailing circumstances on the ground shaped the establishment of stable settler governments. This research broadens our conceptions of American history and deepens our understanding of the processes by which settler colonies formed and worked. Settler colonialism\u27s legacy continues to influence geopolitics, national policy decisions, and people\u27s daily lives. Hence, the formation and eventual structures of settler colonies help researchers explain the founding of many contemporary societies and, taken together, recast empire, settler roles, and Indigenous actions within colonial contexts

Librarians Doing DH: A Team and Project-Based Approach to Digital Humanities in the Library

The Claremont Colleges Library embarked on a “learn by doing” Digital Humanities (DH) program and series of team-based projects in order to provide librarians experience working directly with DH methodologies and tools. Drawing from two divisions in the Library, a team of librarians designed an analysis project using DH tools to examine collection development trends on the topic of terrorism. In the process, the team addressed technical obstacles, communication issues and time management techniques that contributed to a productive collaboration. DH can be a catalyst for librarians’ own research beyond serving in a supportive role for the disciplines. With its broad applications for library research, DH has the potential to bridge departmental divides in libraries and promote a culture or environment of experimentation

Using Implicit Associations to Reveal Hidden Biases Toward Robots

Previously, the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) has been used to measure attitudes toward different human variables (i.e. race, religion, age) (Fazio, R. H., & Olson, M. A., 2003). In this present study, we extend this research to examine biases toward robots by assessing the association between humans and robots with negative and positive stimuli. Participants were recruited at a large southeastern university in the U.S. (n = 23, Mage = 19). The IAT was created in the Qualtrics survey engine where it contains 7 tasks. An improved scoring algorithm was used to examine reaction times from tasks 3, 4, 6, and 7 (Greenwald, 2009). Tasks 3 and 4 measured the association between humans with negative stimuli, and robots with positive stimuli. Tasks 6 and 7 measured the association between humans with positive stimuli, and robots with negative stimuli. As the mean gets smaller, the reaction time increases leading to a stronger association. We hypothesized that people may hold stronger negative associations toward robots than toward humans. Therefore, the reaction time for Tasks 3 and 4 will be significantly larger than for Tasks 6 and 7. As predicted, our results indicate a higher mean for Tasks 3 and 4 (M = 1.09, SD = 0.49) compared to the mean for Tasks 6 and 7 (= 0.71, SD = 0.20). By implementing the IAT in the novel field of robotics, useful information about user’s implicit perceptions toward robots may aid in future human robot interaction

Community valuations, perceptions, and judgments of eucalyptus plantation impacts in Ubajay and La Criolla, Entre Ríos, Argentina

The cultivation of tree plantations and subsequent expansion has become prevalent in Argentina over the last two decades due to incentive laws that support the plantation forestry industry. Two towns in the northern Pampas region of Argentina, Ubajay and La Criolla, were selected as study sites for determining community member valuations, perceptions, and judgments regarding the local plantation industry and its effects on the environment and economy. These sites were selected for their differing land use compositions, traditional land uses, and historical employment. Ubajay, a community with significant historical eucalyptus plantation land coverage and forestry employment, and La Criolla, a mixed use community with an economy traditionally focused on citriculture that is currently experiencing a shift to include a greater focus on plantation forestry. Survey data was collected from community members regarding importance of ecosystem services in and around their community, capability of eucalyptus plantations to provide desired ecosystem services, environmental and socioeconomic impacts caused by eucalyptus, and support for the plantation industry. Survey responses were analyzed to determine what aspects of the survey served as the best predictors for support for eucalyptus expansion. To follow up on these findings regarding individual’s beliefs about eucalyptus impacts and their malleability based on information provision, Interactive Community Fora were conducted in both communities in December 2017. These Interactive Community Fora provided participants with results from an interdisciplinary research study focused on the environmental impacts of eucalyptus plantation forestry that the two communities participated in over the last five years as well as the opportunity to engage in discourse regarding the local plantation industry and its impacts. It was found that participants in both communities acknowledged negative environmental impacts caused by eucalyptus once exposed to research findings; however, Ubajay was more resistant to acknowledging the severity of impacts than participants in La Criolla. Ubajay participants remained optimistic about socioeconomic effects of eucalyptus and support for the plantation industry, while La Criolla participants did not acknowledge strong socioeconomic benefits, and their support for the plantation industry declined over the course of the Interactive Community Forum. This deeper level of community engagement with scientific results provides a strong compliment to survey data where the perceptions behind views held toward land use change and its effects may not be as discernible for researchers. Results of this project have implications for the future expansion of plantation forestry in the region and what economic and environmental tradeoffs pertaining to the local forestry industry are acceptable for community members