abstract: While there is a good amount of research focused on sex offenders as a whole, only a limited number of studies examine variations within these offenders, how people view the variations, and why their opinions may differ. This study focuses on the interconnections among gender norms, rape myth acceptance, and the perception of sex offenders by administering an online student survey. The survey measured rape myth acceptance and adherence to traditional gender roles to see how they affected perceptions of sex offenders. Perceptions were measured using vignettes that were varied by gender and the situation described. Results showed that higher rape myth acceptance would decrease the blameworthiness of the offender, that the offender was seen as more blameworthy when the offender was a male, and that women tended to see the offender as more blameworthy than men did. The type of sexual situation did not have an impact on blameworthiness, nor did adherence to gender roles. The findings support past research that suggests that rape myth acceptance can impact people’s opinions about offenders in sexual situations and specifically that these opinions differ depending on the gender of the offender. With some offenders being viewed as more blameworthy than others, it is necessary to examine sex offense laws to see how they may disproportionately affect some offenders and implement harsher punishments than the public may deem necessary. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2018

Critics have analyzed Leni Riefenstahl's four feature length films from 1932 to 1954 largely for their depictions of fascist ideals while often neglecting how they represent gender. Viewing Riefenstahl's films using the theoretical gender models of Judith Butler and R.W. Connell provides a greater understanding of gender roles in Germany during both the Weimar and Nazi eras. Beginning with Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light, 1932), and continuing to Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will, 1935), Olympia (1938), and concluding with Tiefland (The Lowlands, 1954), there is a clear evolution of how Riefenstahl understood and represented gender. Riefenstahl's earliest film Das Blaue Licht depicts a strong and independent female protagonist in Junta, but with the rise of fascism in Germany this type of character disappears and evolve into the weak and helpless figures like Martha in Tiefland. This study will look at these films within the cultural context of early-twentieth century Germany and National Socialism to consider how Riefenstahl's films participate in the understanding, articulation, and performance of gender at a crucial turning point in the history of Western Culture.

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Collaborative innovation is an important mechanism for firms to exchange and acquire external knowledge. Through collaboration, innovators convene and form networks that, in return, help overcome the boundaries of knowledge transfer. To have a better understanding of actors’ collaborating behaviours in innovation networks, we identify three pairs of roles: 1) do actors make connections or bonds with their partners? 2) do actors exchange their knowledge with internal or external partners? 3) do actors absorb or distribute knowledge? We examine the distribution and evolution of actors’ roles from these three perspectives by using social network analysis. In this thesis, we use thousands of patent data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to investigate the actors’ behaviours in the chemical industries of two Canadian regions, i.e. Montreal and Windsor-Sarnia. Based on the results of our analysis, Montreal, acting as a public-dominated region, shows a more complex distribution of roles, while Windsor-Sarnia with a private orientation indicates a simplex pattern. From the evolution perspective, the network of Montreal is more stable and diversified, with key actors being active in the local network for more extended periods. Unlike Montreal, Windsor-Sarnia faces a higher level of mobility and globalization.

This research explores the relationship between gender role stereotypes and art interpretation. The study focuses on survey results collected from high school students in an art education classroom and undergraduate college students in an art exploration course. The aim of the study was to determine if gender role stereotypes affects the way that individuals perceive artwork as created by a male or female artist. Results show that gender role stereotyping along with the gender of the participant affects the symbolism within the artwork that results in the attribution of artwork being created by a male or female artists. It also demonstrates a perceived decrease in gender role stereotypes of males over the past 42 years.

Nitrogenase is the enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia in a reaction requiring MgATP hydrolysis. Two component proteins of nitrogenase are the iron protein (Fe protein) and the molybdenum-iron protein (MoFe protein). Nitrogenase contains two nucleotide binding sites. During catalysis, the Fe protein binds two MgATP first. The confonnational changes induced upon MgA TP binding allow the Fe protein to associate with the MoFe protein. After the formation of the Fe protein-MoFe protein complex, a single electron is transferred from the Fe protein to the MoFe protein, an event that is coupled to MgATP hydrolysis in the Fe protein. The wild-type Fe protein and all the altered Fe proteins studied so far are homodimeric. In order to assess the contribution of each nucleotide binding site in the Fe protein to the events occurring during nitrogenase catalysis, a heterodimeric Fe protein was constructed that has Asp 39 substituted by Asn in one subunit and the other subunit the same as the wild-type Fe protein. Characterization of this heterodimeric Fe protein showed that alterations in the properties of the [4Fe-4S] cluster that occur upon nucleotide binding to the Fe protein are due to the additive effect of each nucleotide binding to the Fe protein. The rates of MgATP hydrolysis and MgATP-dependent primary electron transfer of this heterodimeric Fe protein are intermediate between those of the homodimeric wild-type Fe protein and D39N Fe protein. These observations suggested that each ATP binding site contributes to the rate acceleration of primary electron transfer. After electron transfer, this heterodimeric Fe protein forms a tight complex with the MoFe protein, demonstrating that alteration in one subunit is enough for the formation of a tight nitrogenase complex. When this heterodimeric Fe protein was combined with the MoFe protein, no substrate reduction was detected. Therefore, two functional subunits of the Fe protein are necessary for reduction of substrates. The mechanism of ATP hydrolysis in the Fe protein was also investigated. Using site-directed mutagenesis, the role of lysine 10 of the Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase Fe protein in MgATP hydrolysis was examined. Changing Lys 10 of the protein to Arg resulted in an Fe protein that hydrolyzed MgATP at a rate 3% that of the wild-type Fe protein. The affinities of the K10R Fe protein for nucleotides and the changes in the properties of the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the K10R Fe protein upon nucleotide binding were compared with those of the wild-type Fe protein. These results indicated that in the absence of the MoFe protein, the interactions of the Kl OR Fe protein with nucleotides are similar to the wild-type Fe protein. After the Fe protein-MoFe protein complex formation, the dramatic decrease in the rate of MgATP hydrolysis of the K10R Fe protein indicated a role of Lys 10 in ATP hydrolysis. This conclusion is consistent with the X-ray crystal structure of the nitrogenase complex stabilized by the AlF4-•ADP, where Lys 10 is proposed to facilitate product formation in ATP hydrolysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine how perceived gender roles developed throughout childhood and early adulthood impacted the career decisions of women in science-related career fields. An additional purpose was to determine if my experiences as I analyzed the data and the propositions discovered in the study would become a transformative agent for me. A multicase framework was utilized so that within and between case analyses could be achieved. Four women who showed early promise in science were chosen as the case study participants. The relationship of gender roles to the career decisions made by the four cases were arbitrated through three areas: (a) supports, which came from parents, immediate family members, spouses, teachers, mentors, and collaborators; (b) opportunities, which were separated into family experiences and opportunities, school and community opportunities, and postsecondary/current opportunities; and (c) postmodern feminism, which was the lens that grounded this study and fit well with the lives of the cases. As seen through a postmodern feminist lens, the cases’ social class, their lived experiences tied to their opportunities and supports, and the culture of growing up in a small rural community helped them develop personas for the professions they chose even where those professions did not necessarily follow from the early promise shown for a sciencerelated career. In addition, as related to my transformation as a male researcher, being a male conducting research in a realm most often shared by women, I was able to gain greater empathy and understanding of what it takes for women to be successful in a career and at the same time maintain a fruitful family life.

The purpose of this study is that through qualitative interviews research the #metoo movement’s influence. The research questions involves how the #metoo movement in relation to gender differences and power has affected the subjects of the study to think, feel, and act. The method for the study is that through an inductive approach and qualitative interviews, via strategic selection of ten subjects, find an answer to the objective of the study. The results of the study clearly show that the respondents have a positive attitude of the #MeToo movement, but are shocked about the frequency of sexual violations, which emerged via the media, social media, friends and acquaintances. The study shows the different views between men and women on how they value testimonies. The sexual violations #metoo refer to are by the subjects seen as a matter of a social problem concerning men’s behavior, founded in humanity’s origin. All respondents think that the perpetrators alone are responsible for the assaults, while they deem prevention is everyone’s responsibility. The solution that all respondents unanimously suggested was the introduction of education at an early age in school, about desirable behaviors in interpersonal relationships, and the individual's self-determination over their body. / Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att via en empirisk studie undersöka #metoo-rörelsens påverkan. Frågeställningarna rör hur #metoo-rörelsen, i relation till maktbalansen mellan kvinnor och män, påverkar kvinnors och mäns sätt att tänka, känna och agera. Metoden för studien är att med induktiv ansats och kvalitativ intervju via strategiskt urval av tio respondenter söka besvara syftet. Av resultatet för studien framgår med tydlighet hur intervjupersonerna upplever sig positivt inställda till #metoo-rörelsen och dess budskap, men är chockerade över omfattningen av sexuella övergrepp och trakasserier mot kvinnor vilket framkommit via massmedia, sociala medier, vänner och bekanta. Männen och kvinnorna i studien har olika syn på värdering av vittnesbörd. De sexuella överträdelser som #metoo relaterar till ses av intervjupersonerna som ett beteendemässigt samhällsproblem hos män, med grund i människans ursprung. Alla intervjupersoner anser att ansvaret för övergrepp som skett ligger hos förövaren, medan preventivt motarbetande av problematiken ses som ett samhällsansvar på politikernivå såväl som individuell nivå. Den lösning intervjupersonerna samstämmigt föreslog för att motverka de sociala problematik #metoo relaterar till, var införande av utbildning tidigt i skolan om eftersträvansvärda beteenden i mellanmänskliga relationer, och individens egenbestämmande över sin kropp.

This study looks at the roles of kaum tua and investigates how these roles have changed over time. With the ageing Māori population and the reported importance of kaum tua roles in the wellbeing of Māori communities, the findings of this study provide an insight into the possible future direction of these roles. The study was conducted with the assistance of members of one hapu (N=47) that were 65 years of age and over. The study was by interview, utilising a semi-structured questionnaire with both open ended and closed questions. Narratives from participants was analysed and compared to the roles of kaum tua that were found in the literature, namely; Leadership, cultural knowledge, dispute resolution, protection and nurturing of young, provide spiritual and other guidance, social control, provide rituals, preserve te reo Māori and live active and healthy lives. Findings of this research supported the roles found in the literature. The roles of kaum tua still exist but may have diminished over time. The change in roles is in the adaptation to meet the needs of the time period while maintaining the core values of each role and providing a continuation of practices.