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“THIS GENERATION OF WOMEN IS FINISHED”: MISOGYNY AS SOCIAL BONDING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND PATRIARCHAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF FEMININITY
Full text linkThis thesis explores online discourse between users on social media platforms, specifically Instagram, in an effort to better understand the patriarchal influence on American social culture. Users on the platform regularly write off misogynistic comments as simply “dark humor” or an extreme expression of one’s “freedom of speech.” At the same time, supportive comments are also influenced by those same misogynistic expectations. I argue that misogynistic thinking in comments and a willingness to uphold them for social bonding provides deeper insights into our society’s attitudes towards women, their roles, and conceptions of femininity in general. I conducted a content analysis that analyzed social interactions within comment sections of randomly selected posts on Instagram that featured women in an attempt to articulate the patriarchal “logic” within the discussions. Determining what within the post instigated specific comments from users can help to provide insight into the ways patriarchy normalizes itself in our social interactions on and offline
GENDERED VIOLENCE AND IDENTITIES: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST AND ABDUCTIONS OF WOMEN IN CRACKING INDIA AND LAJWANTI
Full text linkThis article argues that representations of women’s bodies as symbols of honor during the partition of India and Pakistan in Bapsi Sidhwa’s Cracking India and Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Lajwanti frame violence against these bodies, and forced conversions and marriages, as forms of dishonor among religious rivals within split territories, which attempt to uphold men’s nationalistic identities. Many scholars, such as Rachna Mehra and Rituparna Roy, have studied the displacement of recovered and rehabilitated women in these texts. There has been less scholarship, however, that explores gendered forms of violence with Hindu nationalist notions of masculinity. Through the lens of postcolonial feminist theory, this article analyzes the tension between the symbolic power of female characters’ bodies and the powerlessness of the actual women who possess them. By dismembering, violating, or claiming ownership of a woman’s body, male executors of war in these texts attempt to exhibit the strength of their God and nation
IMPROVING INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE SCREENING IN TELEHEALTH MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS
No full textIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive yet frequently underrecognized public health concern, particularly within telehealth psychiatric care, where nonverbal cues may be absent. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve the identification and response to IPV by implementing a standardized, evidence-based screening protocol in a private telepsychiatry practice. Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, the validated E-HITS screening tool was introduced, along with structured trauma-informed care training, to six psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs). Six PMHNPs completed pre/post-confidence surveys (5-point Likert) and tracked screening activity across 100 telehealth encounters (98 of 100 visit were eligible). Over a three-month period, providers completed IPV screening in 75 of 98 eligible visits (76.5%), with privacy verified in 96 of 98 visits (98%). Among completed screens, six were positive; referrals were offered in 4 of 6 (66.7%). Provider confidence improved substantially (composite mean increased from 3.28 to 5.00; +1.72 points, +52.5%; Wilcoxon signed rank one-sided p = 0.0156). Findings indicate that integrating a validated tool with brief, trauma-informed training is feasible in virtual behavioral health care and improves process outcomes. Opportunities remain to strengthen referral consistency following positive screening results
THE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES OF THE 15-MINUTE CITY IN SOUTH FLORIDA
No full textThe 15-Minute City model has emerged as a contemporary approach that aims to enhance accessibility, reduce reliance on automobiles, and improve the quality of life. Cities like Melbourne, Barcelona, and Paris have advanced in the applicability of this model. This study evaluates the prospects and challenges of the 15MC in South Florida. This research employs a mixed-methods research design, which includes reviewing the comprehensive plans of ten South Florida Cities and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In addition to the comprehensive plan and policy review, Service Area Analysis was used to measure the 5, 10, 15, and 20-minute intervals to essential services that are grocery stores, parks, restaurants, and schools. Neighborhoods were classified as 15-MC neighborhoods if it has at least one of each of the four essential services in it. The findings show that South Florida cities incorporate walkability, mixed-use development, and multimodal transportation in the frameworks of planning. Furthermore, the GIS analysis confirms that land use zoning is the primary driver of 15MC feasibility. Neighborhoods zoned for Mixed-Use, Commercial, and Urban Central Business (like in West Palm Beach) are highly accessible and function as 15MCs. Also, neighborhoods zoned for Single-Family Residential (and Coral Springs) have limited walkability and few, if any, accessible services. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between Downtown and 15MC neighborhoods as all three cities exhibit that
FROM SPECIALIZED TO GENERALIZED FRAMEWORKS: BROADENING MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES TO DETECT NATURAL SELECTION
No full textNatural selection leaves characteristic footprints in genomic variation, and detecting these patterns is fundamental to understanding evolutionary history and adaptation in humans. In this thesis, I present a progression of machine learning frameworks, beginning with highly specialized feature engineering and complex modeling, advancing to approaches that require minimal training, and culminating in methods that remain robust to model misspecification. First, I developed SISSSCO, a spectral feature extraction framework that applies wavelet transforms, multitaper analysis, and S-transform to genomic summary statistics, converting one-dimensional signals into two-dimensional spectral images analyzed by convolutional neural networks. SISSSCO achieved high accuracy across varied evolutionary scenarios, remained resilient to missing data, and uncovered both established and novel sweep candidates in European genomes. Building on this foundation, I introduced TrIdent, a transfer learning method that leverages pre-trained deep CNNs to efficiently extract features from multilocus genomic images. TrIdent reduced simulation requirements while improving detection of adaptive regions, provided interpretability through class activation maps, and revealed novel disease-associated candidate genes in European and African populations. Finally, I developed PULSe, a positive-unlabeled learning framework that bypasses the need for explicit negative training data, enabling robust sweep detection under domain shift and demographic misspecification. Applied to European and Bengali genomes, PULSe recovered well-supported sweep candidates and demonstrated strong generalizability across complex genomic landscapes. Together, these projects trace a trajectory from specialized yet powerful frameworks toward more flexible, generalized methodologies. This body of work advances machine learning strategies for detecting natural selection, extending their applicability from well-characterized to understudied human populations and enhancing our capacity to uncover the genetic basis of adaptation
SYNERGETICS IN COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS
No full textSynergetics is an emerging paradigm which quantitatively describes and predicts the dynamics of complex living and nonliving systems. It has illuminated how complex systems can spontaneously self-organize by coordinating the activity of their constituent components toward some coherent, collective behavior. This coordinated activity can produce complex macroscopic spatiotemporal patterns without the need for central planning. In this dissertation, we develop and explore generalizations of the Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) model of coordination dynamics. These generalizations include modeling higher-dimensional systems of coupled multistable oscillators with arbitrary diversity and coupling parameters, where the system components have the capacity to “learn” or adapt their intrinsic dynamics through their interactions with one another during multistable coordination. By comparing the coordination dynamics of otherwise isolated subsystems with their dynamics when coupled to third party systems, we show how the coordination dynamics of those subsystems can be modified through their embedding in larger complexes. We show how coupled HKB dyads can have their coordination dynamics modified to be either bistable, monostable, or metastable through their interactions with a third oscillator, a previously unobserved phenomenon called third-party entrainment. Combining this work with generalizations of the HKB model incorporating learning, we show that third-party entrainment can be used to accelerate learning within adaptive multistable networks. Additionally, we discuss practical applications of this theoretical work, including to the results of an empirical study investigating social interactions between groups of older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias interacting with younger adult facilitators. We use the qualitative insights of the theoretical results, as well as standard methods from data science, to identify predictors of enhanced social engagement to design group interventions for improving the older adults’ social engagement. Finally, we discuss the outlook for the field of Synergetics, including potential applications to neuroscience, where third-party entrainment can describe how diverse brain networks communicate with each other and can be used to design personalized neurostimulation treatment protocols to facilitate healthy coordination between brain regions otherwise locked into pathological coordination patterns associated with disease. We also discuss potential applications for developing artificial intelligence systems which utilize the principles of Synergetics to mimic human consciousness
ACCOUNTING FOR THE FLASH REGION IN BREAST RADIOTHERAPY: HU OPTIMIZATION OF VIRTUAL BOLUS AND IMPACT OF BRASS MESH ON SKIN
No full textFor free-breathing volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), a major challenge in dose delivery is accounting for planning target volume (PTV) motion from respiration. To minimize PTV underdosing, this study implemented a 1.5 cm virtual bolus (VB) to create skin flash. A brass mesh bolus was also modeled in the treatment planning system to simulate its clinical impact. Different Hounsfield Units (HU) were assigned to the VB to determine the most effective value.
Five post-mastectomy breast cancer patients treated with VMAT were retrospectively analyzed. Plan normalization values, conformity indexes, and dosimetric criteria were compared to find the optimal HU for the VB. The plan using the -500 HU VB to create skin flash required the least adjustment in plan normalization to meet clinical standards. This planning-based study supports the use of a -500 HU VB to create skin flash when incorporating a brass mesh bolus during VMAT treatment
SPANISH TEACHING MATERIALS: AN INVESTIGATIVE STUDY INTO THE ADHERENCE TO BEST PRACTICES IN SECOND LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY
No full textThis study investigates the design of five popular Spanish language textbooks used in university-level Spanish language courses in the U.S.; Portales 2.0, ¡Arriba!, Contraseña, Dicho y Hecho, and Trayectorias. It replicates Fernández (2011), DeMil & Aubrey (2013), and White & Farinelli (2015) by applying similar assessment criteria to leading beginning Spanish language textbooks, but with revised criteria for contemporary pedagogical and technological advancements. This study focused on print textbooks or eBook versions of textbooks provided by online learning platforms. Online activities were not analyzed.
Research suggests language textbooks should follow best practices in language acquisition (Harlan, 2000) and incorporate meaningful processing activities (VanPatten & Cadierno, 1993; VanPatten, 1996; Fernández, 2011; White & Farinelli, 2014). Lee and VanPatten (2003) found that some textbooks adopt a communicative approach but often fall short of effectively promoting communication skills, which may lead to the course’s goals not being met. These and other Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies have shown that popular language learning textbooks in US institutions include substantial explicit grammar instruction and mechanical drills, with few communicative activities (Lee & VanPatten, 2003; White & Farinelli, 2014). The theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed
THE “I’M TOO MUCH, YET NEVER ENOUGH” PARADOX: A CRITICAL APPROACH TO DISCOURSES OF AFRO-LATINIDAD AMONG SECOND-GENERATION-IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN SOUTH FLORIDA
No full textThis study critically examines discourse and the ways it shapes identities and community belonging for self-identifying Afro-Latina, second-generation-immigrant women in South Florida. This qualitative research uses an intercultural communication framework to analyze interviews and collected poems. Informed by grounded theory and a Black feminist critical approach rooted in the intersectionality theory, the data is analyzed through comparative thematic and metaphorical rhetorical analyses. When discussing the discourses related to the development of ethno-racial identities for Afro-Latinas, certain communicative patterns of self-discovering, self-defining, and self-envisioning emerged. With regard to community belonging, three metaphorical discourses arose: not-enoughness, in-betweenness, and un-humanness. The internalization of discourses exemplifies how ideologies frame our communication. This study produces the “I’m Too Much, Yet Never Enough Paradox” and “Multiple Consciousness” concepts. The poetic approach permits the reader to better understand the depth of the experiences of the participants—Cameron-Grace, Rose, Sasha, Elizabeth, Alani, and Jacqueline
NEURAL DYNAMICS IN THE CORTICO-BASAL GANGLIA-THALAMIC-CORTICAL LOOP UNDERLYING FLEXIBLE MOTOR TIMING
No full textThe ability to flexibly time actions is a fundamental aspect of voluntary motor control. The frontal cortex and striatum exhibit ramping neural activity that predicts movement initiation, suggesting they function as a core timing circuit. However, the distinct computational roles of these highly interconnected regions and the specific cell types involved have remained elusive. This thesis investigates the neural mechanisms of motor timing by combining cell-type-specific perturbations, multi-regional electrophysiology, and computational modeling in mice. First, we demonstrate that the frontal cortex and striatum play complementary roles in an adjustable timing mechanism. Transiently silencing the frontal cortex effectively “pauses” the ramping activity in both regions, while inhibiting the striatum “rewinds” it, revealing that the striatum acts as a temporal integrator of cortical input. Second, we dissect the underlying microcircuit dynamics within the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical (CBGTC) loop. By recording from and manipulating distinct striatal cell types (dSPNs and iSPNs) and the thalamus, we identify their specific contributions. To unify our empirical findings, we developed a biologically constrained multi-regional recurrent neural network (mRNN). Reverse-engineering this model revealed that the subcortical loop—comprising the striatum, other basal ganglia nuclei, and thalamus— collectively implements a line attractor. This population dynamics mechanism is responsible for generating the ramping activity that drives timed actions in the cortex. In conclusion, this work provides a multi-level account of motor timing. We propose that the frontal cortex initiates a timing command, which is then integrated and transformed into a precise ramp by a line attractor embedded within the subcortical CBGTC loop. This mechanism allows for the flexible and controlled initiation of volitional movement