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Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones Aug 2010

Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how sleep problems, Body Mass Index (BMI), and poverty were related to several work, personal, and family variables in a sample of married male and female workers in the United States. The data for this study came from the National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) 2008. This large, nationally representative dataset provided a resource for examining potential gender differences in variables that have been linked to sleep problems and increases in BMI, as well as how each of these variables relate to several work, personal, and family life outcomes, including …


Multidisciplinary Assessment And Documentation Of Past And Present Human Impacts On The Neotropical Forests Of Petén, Guatemala, Christopher Stephen Balzotti Jul 2010

Multidisciplinary Assessment And Documentation Of Past And Present Human Impacts On The Neotropical Forests Of Petén, Guatemala, Christopher Stephen Balzotti

Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests provide important habitat for a tremendous diversity of plant and animal species. However, limitations in measuring and monitoring the structure and function of tropical forests has caused these systems to remain poorly understood. Remote-sensing technology has provided a powerful tool for quantification of structural patterns and associating these with resource use. Satellite and aerial platforms can be used to collect remotely sensed images of tropical forests that can be applied to ecological research and management. Chapter 1 of this article highlights the resources available for tropical forest remote sensing and presents a case-study that demonstrates its application to …


Strategies For Deriving A Single Measure Of The Overall Burden Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Hospitals, Alessandro Orlando May 2010

Strategies For Deriving A Single Measure Of The Overall Burden Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Hospitals, Alessandro Orlando

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Antimicrobial-resistant infections result in hospital stays costing between $18,000 and $29,000. As of 2009, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer upgrade payments for hospital-acquired infections. Hospital epidemiologists monitor and document rates of individual resistant microbes in antibiogram reports. Overall summary measures capturing resistance within a hospital may be useful. Objectives: We applied four techniques (L1- and L2-principal component analysis (PCA), desirability functions, and simple summary) to create summary measures of resistance and described the four summary measures with respect to reliability, proportion of variance explained, and clinical utility. Methods: We requested antibiograms from hospitals participating in the …


Long-Term Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities: Implications For Bioassessment Of Lotic Systems, Eve O'Connor May 2010

Long-Term Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities: Implications For Bioassessment Of Lotic Systems, Eve O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

The structure and composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities can vary spatially and over time. Spatial and temporal variation along a stream has many implications for population and community dynamics, which may influence bioassessment programs. I examined variability in the benthic community of eight streams within the Polecat Creek, Virginia watershed. These streams vary in size from 1st to 4th order. The streams were sampled once every season for eleven years using standard bioassessment protocols. Macroinvertebrates were sampled from both sediment and submerged wood habitats at each site. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to quantify among season, among year …


Investigating The Relationship Between The Policy Implementation Process And The Utilization Of Information Technology In A Constitutional Republic: The Case Of I-269 Nepa Process, Joseph Hampton Holland May 2010

Investigating The Relationship Between The Policy Implementation Process And The Utilization Of Information Technology In A Constitutional Republic: The Case Of I-269 Nepa Process, Joseph Hampton Holland

Theses and Dissertations

Information technologies (IT) have provided significant benefits for society. By drawing on the assumptions of the New Public Management (NPM) framework, the author investigates how, in one case, IT alters the policy implementation process. Additionally, the author tests reinforcement theory, sociotechnical theory, and technological determinism to determine which IT model best explains the utilization of IT at the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). This study examines the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. By conducting interviews, analyzing documents, and examining a physical artifact, the author explores the administration of an economic impact analysis (EIA) that was conducted on the …


Assessing Effects Of Land Use On Streams Along The Natchez Trace Parkway Using Rapid Bioassessment Protocol Techniques, Bonnie Laine Earleywine May 2010

Assessing Effects Of Land Use On Streams Along The Natchez Trace Parkway Using Rapid Bioassessment Protocol Techniques, Bonnie Laine Earleywine

Theses and Dissertations

Stream quality along the Natchez Trace Parkway was evaluated by hydrologic unit code 4 (HUC4) watersheds and habitat assessment scores as a broad and local scale, respectively. Water chemistry parameters and rapid bioassessment techniques for habitat and fish and invertebrate communities were sampled in 18 streams and six HUC4 watersheds. Forest, agriculture, and developed land use had little variation at HUC4 level; land use impacts could not be determined. Turbidity and TSS were important factors determining habitat scores and created a “boundary” separating southern and northern watersheds. A latitudinal trophic shift was observed of fish omnivoreinsectivore- piscivore in southern watersheds …


Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Larval Fishes In A Large Tidal River., Harold Seelig Apr 2010

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Larval Fishes In A Large Tidal River., Harold Seelig

Theses and Dissertations

There are few published studies of larval fish assemblages from unregulated, tidal freshwater rivers. Patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of larval fishes in the Mattaponi River were examined. Sampling took place on a weekly basis from February through August, 2006 and 2007. Larval fishes were categorized by taxa, reproductive guild, and residency guild. Group comparisons using multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) indicated significant spatial and temporal differences in assemblage composition on multiple scales. Differences in assemblage composition were analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS). Interannual differences were attributable to anadromous and semi-migratory species. Seasonal differences were attributable to herrings, …


Taxonomy And Applied Biogeography Of Mongolian Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Sarah Walker Judson Mar 2010

Taxonomy And Applied Biogeography Of Mongolian Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Sarah Walker Judson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 1900s, efforts have been made to catalogue the stoneflies of Mongolia. Taxonomic work from 1960 to 1980 greatly expanded basic lists of stoneflies in Mongolia, but no comprehensive survey or synthesis of this dispersed literature has been completed. In conjunction with a modern survey of the aquatic insects of Mongolia, we collected Plecoptera on a series of expeditions to the Selenge (north) and Altai (west) regions of Mongolia. A total of 48 species distributed in 24 genera and 8 families were documented, including 3 of the 5 Mongolian endemics, 2 new species records for Mongolia, and 1 …


Diversity And Abundance Of The Dark Kangaroo Mouse, Microdipodops Megacephalus, In Communities Of Nocturnal Granivorous Rodents In Western North America, Ashley Sagers Haug Mar 2010

Diversity And Abundance Of The Dark Kangaroo Mouse, Microdipodops Megacephalus, In Communities Of Nocturnal Granivorous Rodents In Western North America, Ashley Sagers Haug

Theses and Dissertations

The dark kangaroo mouse, Microdipodops megacephalus, is a sensitive species in the Great Basin Desert. This thesis explores the structure of desert rodent communities of the Great Basin to better understand M. megacephalus' place in the community and the conditions that promote large and stable populations. To determine community structure, I used nestedness analysis to evaluate 99 communities of nocturnal granivorous rodents. I found that the community structure was non-random, indicating the existence of assembly rules and ecological constraints. I also found that M. megacephalus was the second most vulnerable species in the community. To explore the correlation …


Parental Factors As A Moderator Of The Co-Occurrence Of Substance Use And Depression In Hispanic Adolescents, Rebecca Shoff Mar 2010

Parental Factors As A Moderator Of The Co-Occurrence Of Substance Use And Depression In Hispanic Adolescents, Rebecca Shoff

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between parenting factors and Hispanic adolescent substance use and depression. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between parental support, parental knowledge, and parental psychological control among Hispanic adolescents' use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, hard drugs and depressive symptoms. The sample included 839 Hispanic (primarily Mexican) 9th – 12th graders from west Texas area school districts who were given a self-reported survey to assess parental behaviors, substance use, and adolescent depression. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), findings indicated that higher levels of maternal support were related to lower levels of depressive …


A Study Of The Relationship Between Proenvironmental Product Use And Environmnetal Concern, Joshua M. Poulton Mar 2010

A Study Of The Relationship Between Proenvironmental Product Use And Environmnetal Concern, Joshua M. Poulton

Theses and Dissertations

To be sustainable, an organization must be balanced in the three principles of economy, environment, and society. Advances in pro-environmental technology have overcome roadblocks limiting the economic and environmental principles. The remaining hurdle to becoming sustainable is having society’s beliefs and behaviors align. Understanding the interaction between an individual’s environmental belief and environmental behaviors is essential to bringing them into alignment. To explore this relationship, a model was developed that included the new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale and a generalized version of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The attitudes, intentions, and use of six pro-environmental products were measured in …