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Religion Without God By Ronald Dworkin - Review, Jeremy Waldron

Faculty Articles

Book review of Religion Without God by Ronald Dworkin, Harvard University Press, 2013.

An Information Theory Of Copyright Law, Jeanne C. Fromer

Faculty Articles

The dominant American theory of copyright law is utilitarian, in offering the incentive of limited copyright protection to creators to generate material that is valuable to society. Less settled is the question of the sorts of works that copyright law seeks to encourage: Ever more copyrightable creations? Only some that are artistically worthy? What makes a work valuable to society? This Article seeks to answer important aspects of these questions by examining them through the lens of information theory, a branch of applied mathematics that quantifies information and suggests optimal ways to transmit it. Using these concepts, this Article proposes …

Abolishing Exclusive Jurisdiction In The Federal Circuit: A Response To Judge Wood, Rochelle C. Dreyfuss

Faculty Articles

Part of a symposium of responses to Chief Judge Wood’s suggestion for giving regional circuits a share of the Federal Circuit’s authority over patent law, this article argues that now that a degree of nationwide uniformity in patent law has been achieved, it would be a pity to disrupt it. While Chief Judge Wood is right that the law would improve with percolation, a change in the composition of the court, new procedures for challenging patents in the Patent and Trademark Office, a District Court pilot program, and satellite patent offices will bring to the debate new voices, different kinds …

Tailoring Incentives: A Comment On Hemel And Ouellete’S Beyond The Patents—Prize Debate, Rochelle C. Dreyfuss

Faculty Articles

Beyond the Patents-Prizes Debate invites us to take a hard look at how government policies promote innovation. Among approaches, Daniel Hemel and Lisa Ouellette consider not only the standard choices of patents, grants, and prizes, but also make a powerful case for the advantages of research and development (R&D) tax credits. By setting out a taxonomy of institutional choices, the authors empower us to consider which incentive structures are best suited to the diverse ways in which invention occurs and inventors operate, and to do so in light of the impact of each approach on who pays and who benefits. …

Exploring Clinicians' Use Of Evidence-Based Interventions That Treat Attachment Problems Between Children, Five Years Of Age And Under, And Their Primary Caregivers, Jean Faucher

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory quantitative study was an attempt to address the dearth of research regarding the use of attachment-focused evidence-based treatments (AF EBT) in the clinical setting. Thirty-eight Master’s level or higher licensed mental health clinicians who work with children that are five years old and under, as well as with their primary caregivers, were surveyed via an anonymous web based questionnaire. The survey explored clinicians’ level of awareness, training, use, adaptation, and perceived effectiveness regarding four AF EBTs, as well as potential barriers that may have impeded their use. The AF EBTs were Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-UP …

Sex Abuse? : Just As Long As You're Not Gay : An Exploratory Study With Queer Adults On Childhood Sexual Traumatization, Kathleen A. Salmon

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study engages with the experiences of queer adults following childhood sexual victimization (CSV), with particular attention to issues and situations that may implicate both their queer identity and history of CSV. These issues include possible messages that participants received about CSV and queer identities; the impact of CSV on coming out; resiliency and support systems; and, whether participants engaged with queer-affirmative resources or persons in the process of healing from CSV. Intersectional theory was applied in conceptualizing this study and analyzing data, as this theory puts particular attention on the ways that multiple social identities interact influencing one's …

Gender As Compromise Formation : Towards A Radical Psychoanalytic Theory Of Trans*, Laura K. Werner-Larsen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explores the utility of psychoanalytic theory as a tool for working with trans* identified clients. Acknowledging the deeply problematic history of psychoanalytic theory and practice with trans*clients, the study nevertheless contends that a radical rereading of the psychoanalytic canon can provide a theory of gender as compromise formation and a conceptual toolkit that can allow for anti-oppressive clinical work around gender identity from a psychodynamic perspective. Using conceptual history and conceptual analysis as a methodological frame, the study delineates five concepts in contemporary psychoanalytic theorizing that support the depathologizing of trans* identity and the denormalization of cisgender …

Phylogenetic Analysis Shows That Neolithic Slate Plaques From The Southwestern Iberian Peninsula Are Not Genealogical Recording Systems, R. D. García, Michael J. O'Brien

History Faculty Publications (Archived)

Prehistoric material culture proposed to be symbolic in nature has been the object of considerable archaeological work from diverse theoretical perspectives, yet rarely are methodological tools used to test the interpretations. The lack of testing is often justified by invoking the opinion that the slippery nature of past human symbolism cannot easily be tackled by the scientific method. One such case, from the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, involves engraved stone plaques from megalithic funerary monuments dating ca. 3,500-2,750 B.C. (calibrated age). One widely accepted proposal is that the plaques are ancient mnemonic devices that record genealogies. The analysis reported here demonstrates …

Critical Race Theory : A Lens For Viewing Racism In American Education Policy And School Funding, Susan A. Klupchak

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This thesis discusses Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a foundation to understand race and racism in the U.S. and provides a brief introduction to how components of CRT can be used as a conceptual framework to understand how educational inequity undergirds the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT) policies. This thesis also provides a comprehensive review of CRT and uses CRT as a method of analysis to fully understand how race and racism are applied in NCLB policy. CRT is used as a method of analysis to show that race and racism are embedded in …

Voices Of Experience : The Mental Health Consumer And Psychiatric Survivor Movements And Their Implications For Ethical Clinical Practice, Sophia L. Zucker

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the origins of the modern concept of "mental illness" and traces the development of the mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor movements, modern social justice movements that work to change and/or dismantle the system of oppression that has long denied those labeled mentally ill the right to make basic decisions about their own lives. Working from a critical theoretical frame influenced by historical discourse analysis and post-structuralist theory, the thesis first examines the multiple constructions of madness and mental distress in the Western world since the Middle Ages, suggesting that the current biomedical model of mental …

Smith College Ssw Graduates And Their Preparedness In Working With African American Women Ipv Survivors, Shannon M. Samuels

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was developed to review the Smith College School for Social Work (SCSSW) curriculum and to gauge whether or not alumni felt prepared to work with African-American women victims of interpersonal violence (IPV) post-graduation. Secondly, how do these clinicians incorporate cultural competency and the theory of historical trauma/trauma of oppression when working with African-American victims and survivors of IPV? An online questionnaire was sent to alumni of Smith College SSW who graduated no earlier than 2008. Seventy-one graduates were surveyed and asked to reflect on their coursework, field work and projects completed at Smith in terms of the level …

The Benefits Of Child-Centered Play Therapy And Filial Therapy For Pre-School-Aged Children With Reactive Attachment Disorder And Their Famiies, Andrea S. White

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate, from a theoretical perspective, the best treatment approach for preschool-aged children with Reactive Attachment Disorder. The challenges and needs of these children can be extensive, and the search for effective treatment is ongoing. Two specific questions of focus were: How are the theories behind Non-Directive Play Therapy/Child-Centered Play Therapy and Filial Therapy useful in conceptualizing the experience of therapy for a child with attachment disorder? And, how could these treatments be used to benefit children with attachment disorders and their families? The research for this paper involved a literature review of peer-reviewed …

Modeling And Applying Biomimetic Metaheuristics To Product Life Cycle Engineering, Patrick Tchapdiã© Wanko

Dissertations

Due to its potential for significant impact, interest continues to grow in the assessment of products from a life cycle perspective. As the nature of products shifts from mechanized and Newtonian to more adaptive and complex, the behavior of products more closely resembles biological organisms in community. The change in product nature is increasingly mirrored at the component level. The work presented in this dissertation is twofold. First, the research proposes a general, systematic and holistic classification of life cycle data to transform the design problem into an optimization problem. Second, the research proposes two new metaheuristics (bio-inspired and socio-inspired) …

Reduction Of Enteric Methane Production: A Nutritional Approach, A'Ja V. Duncan

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of feed particle size and nitrate or fumarate alone or in combination on in vitro fermentation, abundances of methanogens, and methane production. Rumen fluid was collected from a Holstein-Friesian dry cow and a steer (experiment 1) and a dry cow and two steers (experiment 2) averaging 625.4 kg in body weight (BW). The cattle were offered 11.4 kg/d per animal of concentrate diet containing equal amounts of soybean meal, whole cottonseed, and ground corn once a day with grass hay at ad libitum (experiment 1) and 15.9 kg/d per animal of total mixed ration (TMR) …

Energy Optimization Of A Free-Piston Enhanced Hybrid Vehicle, Kenneth Jarod Jones

Dissertations

The world’s heavy dependence on vehicles which utilize hydrocarbon fuels as a primary power source has renewed the interest in electric and hybrid vehicles for industrial, commercial, and public use. The primary objective of this movement is centered on increased efficiency in energy usage for transportation. Hybrid vehicles which utilize an internal combustion engine as a linear generator, converting energy stored in hydrocarbon fuels into electrical power, could serve as a transitioning technology. The free-piston enhanced hybrid vehicle (FPHV) could potentially fill this role. The present work contains a theoretical and numerical approach to analyzing and optimizing the usage of …

Autologous Platelet Rich Plasma (Platelet Gel): An Appropriate Intervention For Salvaging Cardiac Myocytes Under Oxidative Stress After Myocardial Infarction, Barbara Y. Hargrave

Bioelectrics Publications

Background: The prompt restoration of blood flow (reperfusion) to the ischemic myocardium after an acute myocardial infarction is critical to the survival of non damaged heart tissue. However, reperfusion is responsible for additional myocardial damage. Our objective was to investigate the role of autologous platelet rich plasma or platelet gel prepared using nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) in improving left ventricular mechanical function after ischemic reperfusion.

Methods: The hearts of nine adult female New Zealand White rabbits were perfused using the Langendorff model. The hearts were exposed to global ischemia for 30 min and reperfused for 60 min. The hearts …

Monitoring The Health Of Transgender And Other Gender Minority Populations: Validity Of Natal Sex And Gender Identity Survey Items In A U.S. National Cohort Of Young Adults, Sari L. Reisner, Kerith J. Conron, Laura Anatale Tardiff, Stephanie Jarvi Steele, Allegra R. Gordon, S Bryn Austin

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: A barrier to monitoring the health of gender minority (transgender) populations is the lack of brief, validated tools with which to identify participants in surveillance systems.

Methods: We used the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), a prospective cohort study of U.S. young adults (mean age = 20.7 years in 2005), to assess the validity of self-report measures and implement a two-step method to measure gender minority status (step 1: assigned sex at birth, step 2: current gender identity). A mixed-methods study was conducted in 2013. Construct validity was evaluated in secondary data analysis of the 2010 wave (n = …

Feminist Identification In Heterosexual Encounters : Exploring The Relationship Betweeen Women's Personal Values And Their Experiences Of Verbal Sexual Coercion, Shawna M. Hershberger

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Verbal Sexual Coercion by men is a common experience for young women that can lead to both physical and psychological harm (Byers and Glenn, 2012; Faulkner, Kolts and Hicks, 2008; Katz and Myhr, 2008). Clinicians who treat these young women may benefit from a deeper understanding of the role that personal values and beliefs about gender plays in the experiences of this common type of sexual coercion. The present study surveyed n=217 women between the ages of 21 to 30 about their gender role ideology, feminist identification and experiences of verbal sexual coercion to determine if there is a relationship …

Replicating A Couples Group Intervention To Enhance Father Involvement And Co-Parenting In A Canadian Sample, Todd B. Chen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

To determine whether positive outcomes from two earlier clinical trials in California could be replicated, 50 couples from the Supporting Father Involvement program in Alberta, Canada participated in a post-intervention assessment 13 to 24 months following their baseline evaluation. Because couples in the California control condition experienced no benefits and some declines in adaptation, a control condition was not offered and assessed in the Alberta program. Data from the original California couples group (n=96) and controls (n=98) served as benchmarks for evaluating the current program. The central finding was that 7 of the 8 measures assessed showed positive Baseline to …

Prospect Meadow Farm : Clients Perspective Of Beneficial Farming Acitivities, Frank J. Bayles

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This paper explores beneficial therapeutic effects of farming activities for program participants at Prospect Meadow Farm in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Prospect Meadow Farm, owned and operated by Servicenet is a therapeutic farm serving individuals with developmental and mental health conditions. This research is important because it challenges the orthodox conventions of psychiatric treatment in the United States. Furthermore, it is the first research done at Prospect Meadow Farm. The literature provides a historical context of the progress, missed opportunities and collaboration between blossoming professional occupations. Psychiatry, Occupational Therapy and Social Work occupations seem historically intertwined in progressing foundational theories related to …

What Do Clinicians Know About Human Sexuality After Leaving Graduate School?, Linzy K. Barnett

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Clinicians are trained to address a variety of issues regarding their clients' mental health, but how well are professional counselors being trained to explore "alternative" sexual expressions, erotic (counter) transference, gender identities, and the enumerable ways clients can have concerns or issues with aspects of their sexuality? Within this study 15 clinicians were interviewed regarding their experiences within graduate school and the level to which they felt competent and prepared to discuss topics of sex, gender, and sexuality within a clinical context. Many of the participants described utilizing their personal life experiences, self-sought trainings, and individual reading choices as ways …

Clinical Perspectives On Etiology, Assessment, Formulation And Treatment Of Imaginary Companions In Adolescents With Attachment Trauma, Kathryn M. Collins

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explored the phenomenon of imaginary companions as they present within the lives of adolescents with histories of attachment trauma. The phenomenon and is origins were explored through a review of developmental, psychoanalytic and trauma research. Theoretical perspectives of narrative therapy and Winnicottian object relations were then introduced as lenses through which to conceptualize assessment and formulation of the phenomenon, with careful consideration paid to the social context within which the phenomenon emerges. These theoretical perspectives were then applied to a discussion of assessment, formulation and treatment within a specific case example, written by Proskauer, Barsh and Johnson …

Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy : A Quantitative Study Of Intervention Effectiveness, Nakita Dziegielewski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study uses a quantitative lens to examine if Natural Lifemanship's ® Trauma- Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy ™ (TF-EAP) model is effective in reducing the psychological, emotional, and/or behavioral problems in youth with a trauma history. Secondary data was collected on behalf of Spirit Reins, the organization that implements Natural Lifemanship's ® TF-EAP ™ model, and used to determine the effectiveness of their traumainformed treatment intervention. Through a pre and post-test research design, data analysis was conducted on 40 youths' Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) total scores to determine intervention effectiveness. Findings suggest that Natural Lifemanship's ® TF-EAP …

Reaching The End : An Exploration Of Attachment And Existential Theory As A Path To Assist In The Dying Process, Jillian Debenedetto

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

In this exploration I will utilize the theory of Attachment as well as Existential Theory to assist in expounding upon available paths to assist elderly individuals in their journey at the end of life. I will present an overview of the two selected theories of Attachment as well as Existential Theory and argue that such approaches honor the venerable end stage of life. A discussion pertaining to these two theories will shed light on the question of how a clinician can seek to improve the quality of life for an individual during the end of life process and therefore assist …

Men In Social Work : A Qualitative Exploratory Study Of The Male Experience, James E. Flood

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examines male gender identity in social work. The purpose of this study was exploratory in nature and asked how men in social work construct and reflect on their male identity. The investigation is based on the perspectives of 12 male licensed social workers from across the country. Further, the study explores influences of male gender identity construction, the male experience in social work education and the male experience in social work practice. The most compelling findings were that while men tend to be the numerical minority in social work they still occupy more positions of privilege; that …

Racial Hierarchy And Mental Health Outcomes Among Rich Nations, Jamie D. Daniels

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examined the relationship between racial diversity and mental health outcomes among wealthy nations. It hypothesized that status anxieties would be more pronounced in those countries marked by greater diversity—a measure of social stratification or hierarchy. Lower status as measured by class has been shown in numerous studies to predict mental health outcomes, like risk of depression and psychosis for individuals. On a population level research has also found a relationship between income inequality—the degree of distance between the rich and the poor—and mental health outcomes. Regression analyses of the prevalence of mental illness against racial diversity showed no …

How Service Learning Impacts Identity Formation And Social Responsibility In Emerging Adults, Paige M. Hustead

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores the impact of service learning experiences on identity formation and social responsibility in emerging adult college students. Utilizing purposeful convenience sampling, fourteen college students at a liberal arts college in the northeast were interviewed about their nonprofit volunteer experience. Study results indicated that service learning experience positively impacted the identity formation processes of participants by allowing for identity integration and continuity, exposure to idealized mentors in the field, space for reflection on professional identity, and a deeper understanding of social responsibility. This study has implications for clinical social workers because it offers in-depth insight into the …

How Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Youth Develop Positive Identities During Adolescence And Young Adulthood, Lauren E. Millerd

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was designed to examine the ways in which gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents form positive identities, specifically in strength-based ways looking at factors of resilience. Twelve individuals, aged 22-28, were interviewed to give retrospective information about their adolescent development. By utilizing a semi-structured interview model for this study, the researcher was able to analyze the subjective findings utilizing thematic analysis. Significant findings include the influential nature of one's first disclosure of sexual orientation in the development of one's identity, and the positive impact that role models have for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth during adolescence.

Production And Transformation Of Dissolved Neutral Sugars And Amino Acids By Bacteria In Seawater, L. Jørgensen, O. J. Lechtenfeld, Ronald Benner, M. Middleboe, C. A. Stedmon

Faculty Publications

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the ocean consists of a heterogeneous mixture of molecules, most of which are of unknown origin. Neutral sugars and amino acids are among the few recognizable biomolecules in DOM, and the molecular composition of these biomolecules is shaped primarily by biological production and degradation processes. This study provides insight into the bioavailability of biomolecules as well as the chemical composition of DOM produced by bacteria. The molecular compositions of combined neutral sugars and amino acids were investigated in DOM produced by bacteria and in DOM remaining after 32 days of bacterial degradation. Results from bioassay …

Identification And Characterization Of Human Plasma Prekallikrein-Prolylcarboxypeptidase Interaction Sites, Jingjing Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prolylcarboxypeptidase isoform1 (PRCP1, also known as angiotensinase C, PCP, PRCP, PrCP) is a widely distributed serine protease found throughout the human body. PRCP1 removes the C-terminal amino acid which is next to a proline residue of a peptide. Through this activity, PRCP1 is postulated to play distinct biological roles including the regulation of vascular homeostasis, the induction of inflammation and the adjustment of metabolism. Compelling evidence indicates that human PRCP1 activates plasma prekallikrein (PK) to kallikrein on endothelial cells. However, the mechanism of this activation is yet unknown. The formation of kallikrein leads to the generation of proinflammatory factors and …