Since 2000, the southern Israeli town of Sderot and a neighboring rural region, Otef Aza, have been frequently exposed to nearly identical terror attacks by Hamas. While only a small minority of Otef Aza residents have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), more than a third of Sderot residents have been diagnosed with PTSD. Factors such as social cohesion and ideology may be the unique factors that protect Otef Aza kibbutzim residents from PTSD; however, a gap in the literature exists as to how these same factors might affect PTSD symptomology in Sderot residents. Orthodox religiosity has also been associated with reduced PTSD symptoms in Sderot; however, previous research on religiosity has analyzed demographic characteristics and did not use a measure assessing dimensions of religiosity. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of sense of community, ideology, and religiosity on PTSD symptoms among Sderot residents. The theoretical foundation of this study was the diathesis-stress model of PTSD. A survey was completed by a convenience sample of Sderot residents (n = 118). Standard multiple linear regression revealed that ideology, intrinsic religiosity, nonorganizational religious activity, and the fulfillment of needs dimension of sense of community were significant predictors of PTSD symptomatology. Study findings suggested protective factors which could help a large portion of the population. These findings have implications for positive social change for the residents of Sderot by enhancing their opportunities for increased positive interactions, well-being, and meaning and value in their lives.

My dissertation tracks the production of "common sense" about female sexuality and psychology in nineteenth-century sensational British literature. I move from the sensation novel's heyday, represented by Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone (1868) and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862), through the fin-de-siècle Gothic literary revival with Bram Stoker's Dracula(1895), and conclude with a reading of the representation of aberrant female sexuality in the emergent science of nineteenth-century sexology. For Victorian readers, few things could have seemed further removed from sensation literature--from lurid crime novels to sordid news stories to sexualized science--than common sense. Yet, my project illustrates the role of sensational literature in provoking the dark millennial fantasies that passed as common sense and often animated theories of femininity expressed in late-Victorian science. Common sense retains its rhetorical force through the assumption that its premises arise naturally and apply universally. But if we take a historical view, a troubling pattern emerges: common sense has often worked to preserve reactionary views of femininity. For example, in the nineteenth century, common sense led medical professionals to the belief that a woman's reproductive system left her constitutionally more susceptible to "hysteria." define common sense as the product of the frequent iteration of a particular train of associative logic that results in the naturalization and legitimation of claims about reality, even if those claims are both sensationalized and arbitrary. The rhetorical force of common sense requires the perpetual obscuration of its origins. The elusive and frustrating quality of common sense as a cognitive category derives from its ability, in Stuart Hall's words, to "represent itself as the 'traditional wisdom or truth of the ages,' [when] in fact, it is deeply a product of history, 'part of the historical process'" ("Gramsci's Relevance" 431). Hall describes this type of associative relationship between disparate figures often exemplified in the logic of common sense as "an articulation." What Hall refers to as an "articulation" might also be called, when viewed through the lens of literary theory, a "metonymic chain," wherein the literal term for one thing is applied to another with which it becomes linked, articulated. Both terms—articulation and metonymic chain—effectively describe the illusion of necessary correspondence in mere arbitrary association. My translation of this cultural phenomenon into the framework of literary analysis allows for a precise description of the rhetorical transformations involved in conjuring common sense. With frequent iteration, metonymic association may appear to be based on some more substantial similarity—not circumstantial, but necessary; not the product of sensationalism, but the inevitable conclusion derived from and constituting common sense. Common sense regarding female sexuality has frequently been preserved through sensationalism; but paradoxically, sensationalism is often most effective when its characteristic paranoia seems somehow self-evidently justified, even rational. In other words, sensationalism works best to consolidate the paranoid patterns of associative logic informing the nineteenth-century figuration of femininity when it appears not to be working at all—when sensationalism takes on the weight of common sense.

My dissertation examines how representations of physical and mental suffering in literary texts reveal paradoxes in the structure of sympathy that remain under-explored by literary scholars. In the philosophical thought of Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Hume, and Smith, sympathy was a feature of the "moral sense," an aesthetic intuition that, with proper training, could compel individuals to act ethically in society. However, because sympathy allowed individuals to feel the experiences of others, not just through the imagination, but in connection with the body itself, the motivation for sympathizing with pain presented a significant problem for Enlightenment philosophy. Largely divested of its religious contexts, pain was increasingly classified as a mechanism that registered distress or pathology in the body, and as an experience that human beings instinctively avoid. Terry Eagleton, Adela Pinch, and G. J. Barker-Benfield, among others, have analyzed sympathy and the culture of sentimentality in terms of their moral relativism, derivative emotionality, and regulatory influence on gendered behavior and social norms. My dissertation makes a needed contribution to the field by focusing on the ways pain reveals structural contradictions in sympathy's claim to penetrate the boundaries of subjective experience, an experience that was becoming "buffered"-- to use Charles Taylor's term -- from the influence of others. Each chapter of my dissertation positions a landmark text--Aphra Behn's Oroonoko (1688), Samuel Richardson's Clarissa (1748), Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), and William Wordsworth's The Prelude (1805) -- within the context of Enlightenment moral sense philosophy to highlight the intentional and unintentional ways literary authors modified philosophical formulations of sympathy to create the ethically complex pleasure of sympathizing with the pain of others. Because the concepts of pain and subjectivity were taking on modern shapes in these texts, literary critics must reconsider how ethical claims were made by the aesthetic practice of connecting representations of pain with the pleasure of sympathizing. Globalized media are bringing increasingly distant experiences of pain to our attention in increasingly intimate ways. These technologies can be invaluable for promoting a sense of social responsibility for the pain of even the most distant others, but only if we hold ourselves accountable for how and why we look.

Drawing from literature on place, this dissertation studies place dynamics in relationships between people and a mixed amenity place. Using Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, as a case study, I use a social constructionist approach to examine the sense of place held by those who live nearest to the lake. I analyze qualitative interview and focus group data as well as quantitative survey data to discern the meanings the lake holds for these nearest neighbors and to examine distinctions between people who see the lake differently. This study is relatively unique in its examination of relationships with a mixed amenity place, as prior place research has focused on high amenity places such as resort locations. A number of distinctions were found. Place attachment to GSL was less widespread than seen with high amenity places, and there were some residents for whom the lake held negative meanings. The lake held multiple meanings for many research participants, including combinations that appeared incongruous in mixing both positive and negative lake images. Some participants appeared to have no sense of the lake. Additionally, there was evidence of social stigma related to living near the lake. This study can help natural resource managers, community leaders and policy makers to better understand the relationships between local residents and GSL, which prior place research has shown to be a useful indicator of environmental concern, commitment to the place, and support for resource management. There were many things residents did not appear to know about the lake, including, for example, the natural workings of the lake ecosystem, the effect built features have had on this ecosystem, and the economic contributions to local communities, counties and the state from lake-related enterprises. Also of interest, these nearest neighbors talked about how changes related to the lake have affected them. This study provides justification for further work on people-place dynamics with mixed amenity places, as it revealed dynamics not be seen in research on higher amenity settings. The study also demonstrates the need for continued social science research on GSL, to provide further understanding of people's relationships with this important place.

Un des problèmes actuels en bio-informatique est de comprendre les mécanismes de régulation au sein d’une cellule ou d’un organisme. L’objectif de la thèse est d’étudier les réseaux de co-expression de gènes chez le pommier avec la particularité d’y intégrer les transcrits anti-sens. Les transcrits anti-sens sont des ARN généralement non-codants, dont les différents modes d’action sont encore mal connus. Dans notre étude exploratoire du rôle des anti-sens, nous proposons d’une part une analyse fonctionnelle différentielle qui met en évidence l’intérêt de l’intégration des données anti-sens en transcriptomique. D’autre part, concernant les réseaux de gènes, nous proposons de limiter l’inférence à un cœur de réseau et nous introduisons alors une méthode d’analyse différentielle permettant de comparer un réseau obtenu à partir de données sens avec un réseau contenant des données sens et anti-sens. Nous introduisons ainsi la notion de gènes AS-impacté, qui permet d’identifier des gènes dont les interactions au sein d’un réseau de co-expression sont fortement impactées par la prise en compte de transcrits anti-sens. Pour les données pommier que nous avons étudiées et qui concerne la maturation des fruits et leur conservation à basse température, l’interprétation biologique des résultats de notre analyse différentielle fournit des pistes pertinentes pour une étude expérimentale plus ciblée de gènes ou de voies de signalisation dont l’importance pourrait être sous-estimée sans la prise en compte des données anti-sens. / A challenging task in bioinformatics is to decipher cell regulation mechanisms. The objective of this thesis is to study gene networks from apple data with the particularity to integrate anti-sense transcription data. Anti-sense transcripts are mostly non coding RNAs and their different roles in the cell are still not well known. In our study, to explore the role of anti-sense transcripts, we first propose a differential functional analysis that highlights the interest of integrating anti-sense data into a transcriptomic analysis. Then, regarding gene networks, we propose to focus on inference of a core network and we introduce a new differential analysis method that allows to compare a sense network with a sense and anti-sense network. We thus introduce the notion of AS-impacted genes, that allows to identify genes that are highly co-expressed with anti-sense transcripts. We analysed apple data related to ripening of fruits stored in cold storage; biological interpretation of the results of our differential analysisprovides some promising leads to a more targeted experimental study of genes or pathways, which role could be underestimated without integration of anti-sense data.

Studiens syfte är att mäta effekten av ett interventionsprogram enligt modellen Response to Intervention nivå 2 för att stärka elevernas taluppfattning samt för att se om modellen kan vara ett sätt att tidigt upptäcka och ge relevant stöd till elever. De didaktiska frågorna som varför, vad, hur och när har styrt planerandet och genomförandet av interventionen vars fokus ligger på att utveckla elevernas taluppfattning. Målgruppen för studien var elever som identifierats vara i riskzonen för att utveckla matematiksvårigheter. Låga resultat på det nationella bedömningsstödet i taluppfattning för vårterminen år 1 låg till grund för identifieringen. Studien är kvantitativ och för att mäta effekten användes regression discontinuity, som är en kvasiexperimentell design. Den bygger på mätningar som genomfördes före och efter insatsen. De elever som ingick i interventionsgruppen (nio elever) var de som låg lägst i resultat på bedömningsstödet. Jämförelsegruppen (nio elever) randomiserades ur den grupp som låg därefter i resultat. Eleverna i interventionsgruppen delades i sin tur in i tre mindre grupper som fick undervisning tre tillfällen per vecka i fem veckor enligt det framarbetade interventionsprogrammet. Dessa tillfällen sammanföll ibland på tider för ordinarie matematikundervisning men även på andra ämnens lektioner. Under arbetstillfällena genomfördes ostrukturerade observationer som bidrog till reflektioner som i sin tur ledde till anpassningar och förändringar i interventionsprogrammet. Eleverna i jämförelsegruppen deltog i den ordinarie matematikundervisning som vanligt. En signifikant effekt uppmättes på talföljder och storleksordning av tal men ej på tallinjer. På det aritmetiktest som ingick i för- och eftermätningarna uppmättes ingen signifikant effekt av interventionen. Resultatet stärker teorierna att taluppfattning är ett mångfacetterat begrepp som består av många delar som inte bör ses och hanteras som en. Studien är ett steg till att visa att olika delar går att träna var för sig men att de bygger på och stöttar varandra.  Följande citat i diskussionen kring taluppfattning/number sense har återgetts i flera artiklar som ligger till grund för det här arbetet. ”What is number sense? We all know it when we see it but, if asked to define what it is and what it consists of, most of us, including the teachers among us, would have a much more difficult time.” (Griffin, 2004, s 173)

[pt] Este trabalho examina a disputa pela palavra casamento no âmbito do debate contemporâneo sobre os direitos civis dos casais homossexuais no Brasil. Parte-se de uma perspectiva pragmático-discursiva, sendo especialmente centrais as proposições de Michel Foucault, que, em seu A ordem do discurso, reconheceu nas palavras não apenas aquilo que traduz sistemas de dominação, mas sobretudo aquilo pelo que e para que se luta, instrumentos de poder. Analisam-se discursos favoráveis e contrários ao uso institucional da palavra casamento por casais homossexuais, em um conjunto representativo de textos recentemente publicados nos meios impressos e digitais de comunicação. Realiza-se um mapeamento dos principais tipos de argumentos utilizados de parte a parte. A pesquisa mostra em especial (a) a prevalência do argumento da acepção religiosa exclusiva, sobretudo nos discursos contrários ao uso do termo; (b) a incidência de argumentos equivalentes para sustentar posições antagônicas; (c) a parcialidade das convergências entre o caso brasileiro e os casos argentino, espanhol e português (contemplados em pesquisa recente de Bruno Bimbi); e (d) as formas como o debate analisado instancia os procedimentos internos e externos de rarefação do discurso de que fala Foucault na obra acima citada. / [en] This thesis examines the dispute over the word casament (marriage) in the contemporary debate on the civil rights of homosexual couples in Brazil. It assumes a discursive-pragmatic perspective that focuses on some of the main propositions of Michel Foucault, who, in his work The Discourse on Language, recognized that words translate not only systems of domination, but also, and above all, that by which and for which we fight: instruments of power. This thesis analyzes speeches for and against the institutional use of the word casamento when referring to homosexual couples, in a representative set of recently published texts in print and digital media. A mapping of the main types of arguments used by either side is carried out. The research shows in particular (a) the prevalence of the exclusive religious argument, especially in arguments against the use of the term, (b) the incidence of similar arguments to support opposing viewpoints, (c) the partial convergence between the Brazilian case and the Argentine, Spanish and Portuguese cases (covered in a recent study by Bruno Bimbi) and (d) the ways in which the discussion examined instantiates the internal and external procedures of rarefaction within discourse that Foucault elaborates in the work cited above.

There have been monumental advances in the study of the social dimensions of knowledge in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. But it has been common within a wide variety of fields--including social philosophy, cognitive science, epistemology, and the philosophy of science--to approach the social dimensions of knowledge as simply another resource to be utilized or controlled. I call this view, in which other people's epistemic significance are only of instrumental value, manipulationism. I identify manipulationism, trace its manifestations in the aforementioned fields, and explain how to move beyond it. The principal strategy that I employ for moving beyond manipulationism consists of synthesizing enactivism and neo-Kuhnian social epistemology. Specifically, I expand the enactivist concept of participatory sense-making by linking it to recent conceptual innovations in social epistemology, such as the concept of immanent cogent argumentation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic illness that affects approximately five million premenopausal women in the United States and is associated with significant cosmetic, reproductive, metabolic, and psychological consequences. Despite its prevalence, few studies have explored the lived experiences and illness perceptions of women living with PCOS. Identifying illness perceptions of women living with (WLW) PCOS is important, because mounting research suggests that a person's perceptions of their chronic illness and its management determine that person's coping behaviors (e.g., adherence, self-management) and, consequently, illness outcomes. In this dissertation, the Common Sense Model (CSM) is used as a framework to identify the illness perceptions of PCOS held by WLW the syndrome. As such, this dissertation is the first to test the ecological validity of the CSM in a population of women diagnosed with PCOS. In addition, the relationship between illness perceptions and (1) infertility, a common symptom of the syndrome, and (2) health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is explored. Lastly, this study makes a novel contribution to the literature by describing one of the first samples of WLW PCOS recruited through a social networking site. This includes a discussion of the participant's demographic information, fertility experiences, and HRQoL. This is a two-phase mixed methods study. Phase one consisted of an online quantitative survey capturing data on 376 participants' demographic information and medical history. Data were also collected on each participant's HRQoL using the SF-36, a generic, well-validated measure of the phenomenon. Of the 376 survey participants, 34 were interviewed via phone or video chat in the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semesters. Quantitative data were downloaded from Qualtrics® and analyzed using SAS statistical software version 9.3. In this analysis, descriptive statistics were generated to describe sample characteristics and SF-36 domain scores were calculated for each participant. In the qualitative analysis, data were analyzed through a series of sorting techniques and transcripts were imported into NVivo 10 and subjected to content analysis. The mean age of survey participants was 31.8 years (SD=5.8). Respondents were primarily non-Hispanic (92.5%), white (88.3%), straight (94.4%), and married (73.4%) with a college education (64.1%). On average, participants reported living with PCOS for 7.6 years (SD=6.1). Approximately half of the sample reported having biological children (47.9%) and currently trying to conceive (42.1%), and most participants reported a history of infertility (70.7%). In addition, almost half of the total sample reported heights and weights that placed them in the morbidly obese category (BMI>35). Lastly, a history of depression (63.6%) and anxiety (68.6%) was common among participants. Few survey participants reported their general health as being excellent (2.6%) or very good (27.4%). Similarly, women reported the lowest levels of functioning on the dimension of vitality, meaning that, in general, women reported feeling tired and being low in energy. Conversely, women reported the highest scores on the dimensions of physical functioning and role limitations due to physical health, meaning that, in general, women did not report that their health limited their physical abilities or caused problems with work or other daily activities. Interview findings suggest that WLW PCOS generally have illness perceptions of the syndrome that are consistent with the domains identified in the CSM. In addition, it was found that, in relation to their illness cognitions, WLW PCOS described the extent to which they felt they had a comprehensive understanding of the syndrome, a phenomenon labeled illness coherence. Similarly, participants identified PCOS as a common condition (i.e. labeled perceived prevalence). Lastly, a number of relationships were identified between illness perceptions and (1) infertility status and (2) HRQoL scores. Overall, this dissertation identifies a number of implications for patient education, provider education, clinical practice, and policy improvements. Examples include addressing (1) unmet information needs, (2) significant psychological morbidity and unmet mental health needs, (3) breastfeeding challenges and need for breastfeeding support, (4) poor quality of care and low patient satisfaction, and (5) limited access to care - all among women living with PCOS.

This thesis examines four regional community cultural festivals in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It reveals the complex interplay of a sense of place and community, a destination’s identity and representation, host guest relationships and the underlying nature and role of celebration expressed in each festival. It examines the regional context in which the Jacaranda Festival in Grafton, the Beef Week celebrations in Casino, the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Byron Bay and the Mardi Grass Law reform rally in Nimbin are conducted. An extensive literature review provides a global perspective on theories, issues and trends in the sectors reflected in the case study festivals. The phenomenological approach to the case study methodology is explained before each festival is closely scrutinized, addressing the study’s aim.The thesis aims at a better understanding of the elements of resilience fostered by festivals when communities take intentional action. This resilience dimension emerged as a major outcome of the initial investigation of the nature and role of festivals in regional communities.The thesis argues that festivals allow people to reflect and determine a sense of community and place, represent their image and identity and contribute to cultural tourism. Community festivals involve the local population in a shared experience to their mutual benefit by providing both social functions and symbolic meanings. This study contends that community-based festivals celebrate the community’s social identity, its historical continuity and its cultural resilience. They are socially constructed and negotiated phenomena and can be staged in everyday places that also become tourist places. Festivals provide a forum for creativity, custom, heritage and cultural practices for both resident and guest.Investigating community cultural festivals from multiple perspectives allows for greater understanding of the nuances of the relationships between stakeholders. By identifying the patterns, structures and meanings of the contexts that festivals represent we are better informed of the distinctive values, interests and aspirations held by residents when they host festivals. Perspectives on community festivals and resilience were canvassed from diverse perspectives as demonstrated by the following typical responses:Nourishing resilience through Festivals and CommunitiesThere are many intangible reasons why a community chooses to host a festival such as socio-cultural, economic, political and environmental and each reason is not mutually exclusive (Backman et al, 1995).The Northern Rivers region stands apart from the rest of rural Australia as living as if the future matters. This is a very powerful attractor in these times of urban decay and environmental despair (Dunstan, 1994:2).Sense of place, can be described as, the common ground where interpretation and community development meets in a concern to create or enhance a sense of place, to establish what is significant and valued in the environment or heritage of a particular community, and to provide action for its wider appreciation and conservation (Binks, 1989:191 cited Trotter, 1998).Democratic communities take responsibility for their future. It is undeniable that cohesive community events based on ideals create a sense of community. The excitement and joy that people feel when they work together for their community and future means that they will attempt to recreate that experience. It becomes their preferred way (Emery, 1995:70).…the notion of community is always something of a myth. A community implies a coherent entity with a clear identity and a commonality of purpose. The reality is that communities, more often than not, are made up of an agglomeration of factions and interest groups often locked in competitive relationships (Smit, 1995 cited in Joppe, 1996:475).Community, the custodians of the content of Australian tourism, must be enabled to participate in tourism by forming its content. Only if Australians are involved in tourism will it survive, (Wood, 1993:7).Through direct contact and interaction with each festival, the qualitative exploratory study reveals how in formal and informal ways participants at the four case study sites demonstrate the diverse and fragmented nature of festivals. Although none of these festivals is identical, some consistent patterns do emerge to demonstrate that comparisons can be developed. These patterns have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is evident that success or failure is not linked to a particular model for such festivals. Each community has an ongoing challenge of determining how their festival can best meet its needs presently and into the future. Each is trying to keep pace with the changes that are taking place within their communities, within the region and from external forces. This is where the study also generates new knowledge: tracking the changes occurring in community festivals in contemporary regional Australia.Through a systematic analysis of data the study significantly contributes to our understanding of the character of community festivals. Through surveys, interviews, media analysis, photographic images and critical observation, it clearly observes that social, economic and environmental issues currently presented in the literature require greater deconstruction and critical engagement. Rich and quilted description of the festivals informs this research providing grounded scholarly investigation. This approach leads to a greater understanding of significant social and cultural agendas in regional communities. Festivals add value to communities. They creatively produce and embed culture. They can be viewed as celebrations of resilience.Through a systematic analysis of data the study significantly contributes to our understanding of the character of community festivals. Through surveys, interviews, media analysis, photographic images and critical observation, it clearly observes that social, economic and environmental issues currently presented in the literature require greater deconstruction and critical engagement. Rich and quilted description of the festivals informs this research providing grounded scholarly investigation. This approach leads to a greater understanding of significant social and cultural agendas in regional communities. Festivals add value to communities. They creatively produce and embed culture. They can be viewed as celebrations of resilience.At the core of the investigation is an analysis of how the process of nourishing resilience by making inclusive celebrations, unleashes relationships between many stakeholders. Each participant contributes to the program, traditions, cultural practices, impact and reach of events with differing voices and emphases.In principle, festivals and their host communities offer individual members a framework for attending to general aspects of life. This study reaffirms that community festivals particularly hold a significant position in three areas of the human condition. They celebrate a sense of place through organising inclusive activities in specific safe environments. They provide a vehicle for communities to host visitors and share such activities as representations of communally agreed values, interests and aspirations. Finally, they are the outward manifestation of the identity of the community and provide a distinctive identifier of place and people.