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The American University of Beirut: A source of American soft power in Lebanon
No full textThis thesis examines the soft power potential of American international schools abroad by exploring American University of Beirut’s (AUB) as a case study and assessing its impact on views of Lebanon toward the United States (U.S.). National soft power comes from a state’s ability to influence another state’s actions through mechanisms of attraction rather than through pressure or force. The national soft power sources identified and studied in soft power literature are a state’s values, culture, and foreign policies. Attraction toward a state’s national soft power sources come through soft power resources, such as universities and national intuitions abroad. Most academic research to date on the impact of American schools abroad on U.S. national soft power has focused on AUB’s historical soft power influence, and all has been confined to the impact on university stakeholders. This thesis expands the research by seeking to understand whether AUB, as a prominent institution in Lebanon, has a broader impact on Lebanon’s views toward U.S. values, culture, and foreign policy. To better understand this, a case study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative data to determine if AUB has an impact on host society views of U.S. soft power sources. No statistically significant relationship was found between exposure to AUB and views of U.S. soft power sources. Therefore, AUB does not appear to impact Lebanese society’s favorability toward U.S. national soft power sources. Despite the absence of a statistically significant relationship, responses show high levels of regard for AUB within the host society, and the university does not appear to suffer from its association with the U.S
College students' experiences during COVID-19
No full textThe purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' academic experiences and determine whether any risk factors, such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, were developed or intensified. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the study. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses and the interview data were categorized into meaningful themes. Participants were recruited through a flier containing information about the study and a QR code for easy access to the online survey. Some key findings associated with Beck's Depression Scale (BDI) include seven participants who scored 17-20 which is identified as borderline clinical depression while only (n=2) participants scored between 21-30 indicating moderate depression. A total of (n=4) participants had scores that placed them under severe depression and (n=2) as extremely depressed with a score of 40 and over. In addition, the UCLA -3 Item Loneliness Scale was utilized in the study to gauge participants' feelings of loneliness. The data generated illustrated that eleven participants had scores ranging from 6-9 indicating the person shares feelings of loneliness. For Hamilton's Anxiety scale (n=4), participants' scores reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. One limitation of this study is the small sample size which limited the generalization of the findings
The relationship between performance on neuropsychological tests and risk of violence as defined by the static-99R among civilly committed patients in a forensic psychiatric institution
No full textSexual Violent Predators (SVP) can be civilly committed for rehabilitation purposes if they are found to pose a significant threat to society. Acommon treatment method used to reduce the risk of recidivism includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which requires higher cognitive processing in order to effectively complete the tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine whether (a) cognitive function differ between civilly committed SVPs diagnosed with pedophilia from SVPswithout a diagnosis of pedophilia? (b) The sample consisted of 201 males who were civilly committed to a forensic psychiatrichospital. 149 SVPs had a diagnosis of pedophilia(Mage=50.87; SD= 10.8), and 52 SVP’s did not(Mage=51.85; SD=8.04). Assessments included the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Static-99R was used to estimate the future risk of violence. Overall, sex offenders diagnosed with pedophilia had higher scores on the WASI Verbal and Full Scale subtest, and higher scores on the RBANS Language domain.The pedophilia group scored lower on the Static-99R than the non-pedophilia group. Better understanding the characteristics of sex offenders is crucial to the development of appropriate sex offender treatment programs, which could also help lower recidivism among this population.Includes bibliographical references
Public attitude towards california’s new law to end lifetime sex offender registration
No full textCalifornia is one of four states in the U.S. that still requires all sexual offenders to register for life. Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that would change the present structure into a three-tiered system on January 1, 2021. The purpose of this study is to survey public attitude toward lifetime sexual offender registration and examine the effects of an educational video on attitude changes. The sample consisted of 407 student participants from California State University, Fresno. The predominant demographic characteristics of the sample were female (57.2%), Hispanic/Latino (65.1%), aged 18-24 (86%), and within the Democratic spectrum (56.5%). Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, one sample t-tests, and ANOVAs. Data results indicated that the experimental group showed significant attitude change in favor of modifying California’s sexual offender registration system after viewing the educational video. Educational videos can be valuable tools for increasing public knowledge and acceptance of evidence-based policies on treating and managing sexual offenders
Static-99r Scores in a Population of Civilly Committed Sexual Offenders with a Diagnosis of Paraphilic Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder
No full textThe purpose of this study was to distinguish between the risk of sexual recidivism for civilly committed sexual offenders with a diagnosed paraphilic disorder with comorbid antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) compared to those with a paraphilic disorder alone. The present study used annual forensic evaluations of sexual offenders who are civilly committed to a state hospital under a Sexually Violent Predator Act to examine the relationship between a paraphilic disorder with a comorbid diagnosis of ASPD and scores on the Static-99R, one of the most commonly used actuarial risk assessment instruments for predicting sexual recidivism. Subjects with a comorbid diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder and ASPD were hypothesized to have a higher Static-99R score compared to those with a paraphilic disorder alone. This study found that the Static-99R risk score was significantly higher for subjects with a paraphilic disorder with a comorbid diagnosis of ASPD and that there was a significant relationship between the risk score of a subject and these diagnoses. Subjects diagnosed with a paraphilic disorder with a comorbid diagnosis of ASPD were three times more likely than those with a paraphilic disorder alone to be in a higher nominal risk category than subjects without the comorbid diagnosis. The findings of this study reinforce the idea that offenders with a comorbid diagnosis of paraphilic disorder and ASPD require a higher level of risk management and treatment
Evidence for Attentional Gradient in the Serial Position Memory Curve from Event-related Potentials
No full textDesign, manufacturing and installation of a new 100 m (L) solar parabolic collector in Shiraz, Iran
No full textElectrosurgical knife equipped with diffused reflectance spectroscopy sensing for tumor margin detection during breast conserving surgery: A phantom study
No full textDistinguishing the diseased breast tissue from the healthy tissue is a sorely challenging task for the surgeons during breast conserving surgery (BCS) as both tissues own relatively similar visual and haptic characteristics. It has been shown that diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) has the potential to be used as a real-time tumor margin detection technique during BCS. In this research, an electrosurgical knife is equipped with fiber-based DRS sensing to provide the surgeon with real-time oncological guidance during BCS. To prevent overheating of the fibers, they were placed inside quartz tubes which were mounted on the electrosurgical knife. The effect of using quartz tubes and debris formation during electrosurgery on the DRS measurements on porcine tissue was investigated. Furthermore to investigate the performance of the new device, a heterogeneous breast phantom representing optical properties and anatomical shape of the real breast was developed. The new device was then used to cut through the phantom’s layers to assess the performance of the new knife while cutting. Finally, a BCS was performed on the phantom using the new knife without receiving visual and haptic feedback from the tissue. The results show that both using the quartz tubes and the formed debris do not have a significant effect on the DRS output. Moreover, the DRS outputs obtained during cutting the layered phantom showed the transition between the layers clearly, demonstrating that the cutting effect on the phantom tissue does not significantly affect the measurements . The X-ray images from the phantom before and after BCS using the new device confirmed the complete resection of the tumors from the breast phantom. The results indicate that the electrosurgical knife equipped with DRS is a promising technique for simultaneously distinguishing and cutting the tissue, and assessing real-time tumor margins during BCS.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technolog
The Integration of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy into the Electrosurgical Knife: Clarifying and Preventing Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy Signal Deterioration during Use of the Smart Electrosurgical Knife
No full textDuring use of the smart electrosurgical knife, deterioration of the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) signal intensity obstructs proper distinction between tissues. In order to reduce signal loss, this research has focused on the influence of smart electrosurgery on both the morphology and composition of the layer covering the optical fiber tip. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to examine the morphology, while energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) were used to examine the composition. The results of these analyses showed that there are two factors, both caused by extreme tissue heat, leading to signal loss: first, the fiber tip gets soiled by a layer of tissue debris covering the tip, and secondly, the fiber tip gets damaged due to degradation of the acrylate coating. Therefore, two different surface modifications were tested: application of a polytetrafluoro-ethylene (PTFE) coating to prevent tissue debris adhesion, and stripping off the acrylate coating to prevent melting damage. Both modifications were unable to completely prevent signal loss. However, elimination of the acrylate coating has shown to reduce signal loss from 45.8% to 36.4%. In contrast, the PTFE coating has shown to slightly increase signal loss to 48.5%. According to this research, the optimal solution for signal loss during use of the smart electrosurgical knife should respond to thermal optical fiber damage and thermal tissue debris adhesion. Based on the research results, it is suggested to implement a heat-resistant optical fiber provided with an advanced heat-resistant, anti-adhesive coating.Biomedical Engineerin
A descriptive study of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among female patients with sexual dysfunctions in Armenia
No full textBackground:Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased risk for a wide range of negative health outcomes, in-cluding sexual dysfunctions. There is a growing interest to advance the science of ACEs to improve the lives of children and families worldwide.Participants and procedure:The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which ACEs occur in patients with sexual dysfunctions in Armenia. To this end, the ACE questionnaire was used to assess the presence of adverse experiences from 85 female patients with sexual dysfunctions and 155 sex- and age-adjusted controls.Results:More than two-thirds of the patients (74.1%) had been exposed to one or more ACEs and 27.2% had been exposed to four or more ACEs. In the control group, these numbers were 56.1% and 18.1% respectively. Patients had significantly higher ACE scores (M = 2.06, SD = 1.95) than the control group (M = 1.65, SD = 2.50). Parental divorce and witnessing mother being abused (treated violently) were the most prevalent adversities in the patients.Conclusions:The presence of multiple adverse childhood experiences in the patient group suggests that psychogenic factors are likely involved in sexual dysfunctions. ACEs Aware initiatives in Armenia aimed at screening for childhood adversities can improve the treatment of sexual dysfunctions and ultimately improve health and wellbeing.Background:Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased risk for a wide range of negative health outcomes, in-cluding sexual dysfunctions. There is a growing interest to advance the science of ACEs to improve the lives of children and families worldwide.Participants and procedure:The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which ACEs occur in patients with sexual dysfunctions in Armenia. To this end, the ACE questionnaire was used to assess the presence of adverse experiences from 85 female patients with sexual dysfunctions and 155 sex- and age-adjusted controls.Results:More than two-thirds of the patients (74.1%) had been exposed to one or more ACEs and 27.2% had been exposed to four or more ACEs. In the control group, these numbers were 56.1% and 18.1% respectively. Patients had significantly higher ACE scores (M = 2.06, SD = 1.95) than the control group (M = 1.65, SD = 2.50). Parental divorce and witnessing mother being abused (treated violently) were the most prevalent adversities in the patients.Conclusions:The presence of multiple adverse childhood experiences in the patient group suggests that psychogenic factors are likely involved in sexual dysfunctions. ACEs Aware initiatives in Armenia aimed at screening for childhood adversities can improve the treatment of sexual dysfunctions and ultimately improve health and wellbeing
