<p>This dissertation explores the social history of genetic counseling in the United States between 1930 and 2000. I situate genetic counselors at the interstices of medicine, science, and an increasingly “geneticized” society. My study emphasizes two central themes. First, genetic counselors have played a crucial role in bridging the “old eugenics” and the “new genetics” as mediators of genetic reproductive technologies. Genetic counselors negotiated the rights and responsibilities of genetic citizens in their patient encounters. Discourses of privilege and duty were also extrapolated outward to public debates about the new genetics, demonstrating the highly-politicized contexts in which counselors practice and women make reproductive choices. Second, I interrogate the professionalization process of genetic counseling from a field led by male physician-geneticists in the 1940s and 50s, to a profession dominated by women with Masters degrees by the 1980s and 90s. This transformation is best understood through the framework of a “system of professions,” and counselors’ professional position between “sympathy and science.” These frameworks similarly structured the client-counselor relationship, which also centered on concepts of risk, the promotion of patient autonomy, and the ethics of non-directiveness and client-centeredness. These principles distanced counselors from their field’s eugenic origins and the traditional doctor-patient relationship. I emphasize the voices of genetic counselors based on 25 oral history interviews, and hierarchies of gender, race, and educational status at work in the profession’s history. A study of genetic counseling is an important contribution to the histories of health and medicine, medical sociology, bioethics, disability studies, and gender and women’s studies.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p dir="ltr">This project aims to determine the overall attitude towards chemistry in a general chemistry course primarily taken by non-chemistry science majors. Given that this course is required for non-chemistry science majors, such as engineering, it is hypothesized that the courses (CHM 115 and CHM 116) directly relate to STEM retention within Purdue. Surveys were conducted and analyzed by format and course. It was determined that the course format does not affect student attitude towards chemistry. The factor that played the largest role in student attitude was if the student continued to CHM 116 after completing CHM 115. Overall, the surveys conducted on students who took this course displayed that they have a low attitude towards chemistry, with CHM 116 student attitude decreasing in several factors when compared to CHM 115. Interviews were conducted to gain deeper insight into student attitudes, where it was learned that the largest factor in the negativity towards the course was the lectures. Importantly, students cited their previous experience with chemistry in high school as the reason they enjoy chemistry, clarifying that if the general chemistry course was their only chemistry exposure they would have chosen a different career path. One student specifically stated that he felt the general chemistry courses were “weed out” courses due to the way the course was run. Participants made several suggestions to address in these issues, such as conducting more demonstrations in lecture, making videos on the LMS to help students with common problems, and providing more real-life examples to help students relate chemistry to their life. Further study will need to be conducted to determine which interventions will help increase student attitude towards chemistry.</p>

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The origin of the movement known as Science-Technology-Society (STS), with repercussions in the Science Education, is associated to the questioning of the supposed neutrality of Science & Technology (CT). In Science Education, in the Brazilian context, STS can be considered a growing line of research, in a process of consolidation. However, how the nonneutrality of Science & Technology has been worked, in this line of research, considering the production of knowledge present in Brazilian journals from the area of Science Education? This constitutes the research problem. It is aimed to analyze how the non-neutrality of CT, in the CTS line of research, has been worked on the production of knowledge, present in Brazilian journals in the area of Science Education. As specific objectives: to identify and to characterize the approach given to the dimensions of the non-neutrality of Science- Technology in Brazilian journals, from the area of Science Education; to deep the understanding about the non-neutrality of Science-Technology and to signal referrals for the Science Education, which contribute to the understanding of non- neutrality of Science- Technology, particularly in the field CTS. In terms of theoretical and methodological referrals, consists of qualitative research, bibliographical, being the corpus of analysis constituted from articles presented in three journals published in Brazil, of the area of Science Education. This was submitted to the discursive textual analysis, which consisted of three steps: unitarization, categorization and communication. From the search results, was produced a metatext. The interaction between theoretical and empirical elements resulted in three categories, which summarize the research results: a) the agenda transfers intentions to the scientific-technological product; b) partial understanding of the non-neutrality of CT; and c) the knowledge produced (product) does not is the result only of the traditional epistemic factors: logic + experience. / A origem do denominado movimento Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade (CTS), com repercussões na Educação em Ciências, está associada ao questionamento da suposta neutralidade da Ciência-Tecnologia (CT). Na Educação em Ciências, no contexto brasileiro, CTS pode ser considerada uma linha de pesquisa em crescimento, num processo de consolidação. Contudo, como a não neutralidade da Ciência-Tecnologia tem sido trabalhada, nesta linha de pesquisa, considerando a produção de conhecimento presente, em periódicos brasileiros, da área de Educação em Ciências? Este constitui-se no problema de pesquisa. Tem-se como objetivo geral analisar como a não neutralidade da CT, na linha de pesquisa CTS, tem sido trabalhada, na produção do conhecimento, presente em periódicos brasileiros, na área de Educação em Ciências e objetivos específicos: identificar e caracterizar a abordagem dada, à dimensão da não neutralidade da Ciência-Tecnologia, em periódicos brasileiros, da área de Educação em Ciências; aprofundar a compreensão sobre a não neutralidade da Ciência-Tecnologia e sinalizar encaminhamentos, para a Educação em Ciências, que contribuam para a compreensão da não neutralidade da Ciência-Tecnologia, particularmente no campo CTS. Em termos de encaminhamento teórico-metodológico, constitui-se de pesquisa qualitativa de cunho bibliográfico, sendo o corpus de análise constituído a partir de artigos presentes em três periódicos, editados no Brasil, da área de Educação em Ciências. Este foi submetido à análise textual discursiva, constituída de três etapas: unitarização, categorização e a comunicação, sendo que, dos resultados da pesquisa, resultou a produção de um metatexto. Da interação entre elementos teóricos e empíricos resultaram três categorias, as quais sintetizam os resultados da pesquisa: a) a agenda transfere intencionalidades para o produto científico-tecnológico; b) compreensão parcial da não neutralidade da CT e c) o conhecimento produzido (produto) não é resultado apenas dos tradicionais fatores epistêmicos: lógica + experiência.

The STS movement has as a main objective the democratization of decision-making on social issues involving science-technology (ST). Also, this arises in contexts in which the supposed neutrality of ST began to be questioned. Neutrality understood as legitimizing technocratic decision models. In the educational field, I seek curriculum geared toward to the creation of a culture of participation, based on reference Freire-STS and LATSTS (Latin American Thought in Science Technology Society). As well, my research problem was: Historic Buildings, called myths, in other words, the supposed neutrality / superiority of technocratic decision model, the Salvationist perspective / redeeming attributed to ST and scientific-technological determinism, sustained and feeding back the supposed neutrality have been worked on educational practices related to the Science-Technology-Society? Which referrals have been given? The objectives that guided the research were: i) identify, in educational practices presented in the literature of the area, the approaches given to the three historic buildings; ii) analyze and deepen the featured aspects in regard to the three historic buildings, in a vision of non-neutrality of ST; and iii) signal parameters to Science Education in order to support proposals for educational practices. Methodologically, consisted of a qualitative research, bibliographic nature, being the corpus of analysis consisting of six articles published in journals in the field of Science Education. I used the Textual Discourse Analysis, which resulted in three categories of analysis: a) Silencing on the design of ST may be signaling an endorsement to a close understanding of the scientific-technological determinism; b) Silencing on dimensions other natures, beyond the scientific-technological in decision-making processes; and, c) Silencing about the values internalized in the scientific-technological product. / O movimento Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade (CTS) tem como um dos objetivos centrais à democratização de processos decisórios sobre temas sociais envolvendo ciência-tecnologia (CT). Também, este surge em contextos nos quais a suposta neutralidade da CT passou a ser questionada. Neutralidade entendida como legitimadora de modelos decisórios tecnocráticos. A pesquisa está inserida na busca de currículos voltados para a constituição de uma cultura de participação, apoiada nos referenciais Freire-CTS e no Pensamento Latino Americano em Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade (PLACTS). Assim, o problema de pesquisa foi: Construções históricas, denominadas de mitos, ou seja, a suposta neutralidade/superioridade do modelo de decisões tecnocráticas, a perspectiva salvacionista/redentora atribuída à CT e o determinismo científico-tecnológico, sustentadas e realimentando a suposta neutralidade, têm sido trabalhadas em práticas educativas relacionadas à CTS? Quais encaminhamentos têm sido dados? Os objetivos que guiaram a investigação foram: i) identificar, em práticas educativas, apresentadas em literaturas da área, as abordagens dadas a estas três construções históricas; ii) analisar e aprofundar os aspectos caracterizados no que tange as três construções históricas, em uma visão de não neutralidade da CT; e, iii) sinalizar parâmetros para a Educação em Ciências, fundamentando propostas de práticas educativas. Metodologicamente, constituiu-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, de cunho bibliográfico, sendo o corpus de análise constituído de artigos publicados em seis periódicos da área da Educação em Ciências. Utilizou-se a Análise Textual Discursiva, da qual resultaram três categorias de análise: a) Silenciamento sobre a origem, sobre a concepção de CT pode estar sinalizando o endosso a uma compreensão próxima do determinismo científico-tecnológico; b) Silenciamento sobre dimensões de outras naturezas, além da científico-tecnológica, em processos decisórios; e, c) Silenciamento quanto aos valores internalizados no produto científico-tecnológico. Estas categorias, sintetizando os resultados da pesquisa, sinalizam desafios para a educação em ciências, particularmente para a constituição de uma cultura de participação.

<p>This paper delves into the current definitions and ideas of the Service-Learning pedagogy and how it ties into community engagement. The importance of service learning and community engagement is talked about in this paper as well as the proven benefits of both. The goal of this paper is to answer and better understand students’ relationships to service-learning courses such as why they take them and how to better engage them in the learning</p>

The most important programming languages are the ones that manage to capitalize on emerging frontiers in computing. Although JavaScript started its life as a toy language, the explosive growth of the web since 1995 and the invention of the web application have transformed the language’s syntax, potential and importance. JavaScript today is powerful and expressive. But is the language good enough to power the future of the web? How does the messy political past of JavaScript affect web development today, and how will it affect web development in the future? The paper first examines the political history of JavaScript from its origins at Netscape through today. Then a case study of pure JavaScript web development using the NodeJS and AngularJS is presented and analyzed. Finally, several potential paths forward for the language are considered, including a discussion and analysis of Microsoft’s TypeScript, Mozilla’s ASM.js and Google’s Dart.

Around 130-150 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C-virus today. Personal suffering and great societal costs aside, this also causes around 400 000 deaths every year due to complications. Earlier treatments with pegylated interferon and ribavirin were both ineffective and had a lot of side effects, but in recent years new treatments using direct-acting antivirals that are both more effective and has less side effects have been introduced. The downside with these are that their effectiveness depends on which HCV genotype the patient has, which requires costly and time consuming pre-treatment examinations before treatment can begin. This paper investigates clinical studies in which the effectiveness and side effects of a new combination of drugs containing sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is tested. The studies where found through PubMed, and they are what the usage of these drugs in health care is based on. The studies show that the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is effective, measured by sustained virological response, against all HCV genotypes irrespective of if the patient has a compensated or decompensated cirrhosis, or if the patient has had a previously failed treatment. The patients with decompensated cirrhosis also had an early improvement in liver function, but it is too early to say if the improvement is long lasting. The treatment also gave less side effects compared to pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir was also shown to have a good effect amongst patients where resistance associated variants of NS5A and NS5B where found. The conclusion is that the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is an effective, but also at the moment expensive, treatment for HCV independent of genotype.

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