Digital Commons Network^™

The Effectiveness Of Two Types Of Adjunct Acupuncture Exposures On In Vitro Fertilization Outcomes, Lindsey Vacovsky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One out of every 8 couples experiences infertility. Few publications exist examining the association between the addition of adjunctive therapies when applied to the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure and pregnancy outcome. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 2 types of adjunct acupuncture exposures on IVF outcomes by applying the concept of the epidemiology triad. The association between the type of adjunct acupuncture exposure received (the independent variable) and pregnancy (the outcome) was determined via binary logistic regression using SPSS software. Medical records of women having received the IVF procedure along with adjunct acupuncture were …

Body Weight Self-Perceptions And Experiences Of Nigerian Women Immigrants, Fatimah Binta Ali

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low-income immigrants in the United States experience declining health with increasing length of stay in the country. Their declining health over time has been associated with increased smoking, obesity prevalence, and higher risk for developing diabetes and heart disease. How immigrants perceive their body weight and size, influenced by social interaction, culture, gender, and acculturation is also significant to healthy weight maintenance. Not knowing one's healthy weight could result in body weight misperception and resistance to attaining a healthy weight. The aim of this qualitative study, based on the social constructivist framework, was to understand Nigerian women immigrants' (NWI's) body …

Strategies For Sustainability Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Ghana, John Kwaku Amaglo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 92% of all Ghana firms, providing 60% of citizens' employment and contributing about 70% of Ghana's income from gross domestic products. Within the first 5 years of operation, 40% of new businesses fail. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by Ghanaian SME manufacturing leaders in the fruit industry to sustain business for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework for this study was open systems theory and complexity theory. The population for this study was 5 Ghanaian SME manufacturing business leaders in the fruit industry …

Suicide Attempts And Their Contributing Factors Among African American Veterans, Gervline Blaise

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The rate of suicide attempts among veterans in the United States has increased tremendously since 2001, which has left the Department of Veterans Affairs deeply concerned. The purpose of this study was to examine if there is an association between suicide attempts among African American/Black veterans and mental health support, income level, marital status, education level, and unemployment status. This quantitative study used the socio-ecological model to explain the association of the contributing factors to suicide attempts. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyze …

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Of Callogorgia Cf. Gracilis (Octocorallia: Calcaxonia: Primnoidae), Erin E. Easton, David Hicks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Callogorgia. Callogorgia cf. gracilis isolate DFH32_518B was collected by a remotely operated vehicle at 98 m on McGrail Bank (27.9840725°N, 92.604242°W). The complete mitogenome is 18,937 bp (27.8% A, 18.3% C, 19.8% G, and 34.1% T) and has the ancestral octocoral gene order for its 14 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and one tRNA gene. It is sister to and ∼96.6% similar (uncorrected) to Narella hawaiiensis, the only other complete mitogenome reported for Primnoidae. The cox1 + igr1 + mtMutS region differs by two base pairs (0.12%) from the only reported …

A High-Latitude, Mesophotic Cycloseris Field At 85 M Depth Off Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Bert W. Hoeksema, Javier Sellanes, Erin E. Easton

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Published records of mesophotic zooxanthellate corals from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) are rare and so far based only on dredged specimens and observations during scuba dives (Wells 1972, Glynn et al. 2003, 2007). During recent remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys off Rapa Nui (March 2016), a large and dense aggregation of zooxanthellate Cycloseris corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) with a density of approximately 500 ind m−2 was discovered (27°08΄55˝S, 109°26΄46˝W) on black sand in a depth range of approximately 79–85 m (Panels A, B). A few corals were overturned, exposing their white (azooxanthellate) undersides and sutures along which self-fragmentation took place (Panel …

Continued Eastward Range Expansion Of Black Phoebes (Sayornis Nigricans) In Southernmost Texas, Samuel G. Ortiz, Christopher A. Gabler, Timothy Brush

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT—We observed black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) nests, breeding pairs, and juveniles in Cameron County, Texas, in 2017. Our first confirmed nesting records in Cameron County document a continued eastward range expansion by black phoebes.

RESUMEN—En el 2017, observamos nidos, parejas reproductoras y juveniles del pajaro mosquero negro (Sayornis nigricans) en el condado de Cameron, Texas. Los primeros registros confirmados de reproducci ´on en el condado de Cameron son evidencia de una continua expansion hacia el este de la distribuci ´on geogr´afica del mosquero negro.

Measuring, Mapping And Quantifying The Effects Of Trust And Informal Communication On Transboundary Collaboration In The Great Lakes Fisheries Policy Network, Andrew M. Song, Owen Temby, Dongkyu Kim, Angel Saavedra Cisneros, Gordon M. Hickey

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Ecosystem-based management of fisheries and other transboundary natural resources require a number of organizations across jurisdictions to exchange knowledge, coordinate policy goals and engage in collaborative activities. Trust, as part of social capital, is considered a key mechanism facilitating the coordination of such inter-organizational policy networks. However, our understanding of multi-dimensional trust as a theoretical construct and an operational variable in environmental and natural resource management has remained largely untested. This paper presents an empirical assessment of trust and communication measures applied to the North American Great Lakes fisheries policy network. Using a scale-based method developed for this purpose, we …

Suffering Self, Minh Phuong Nguyen

True Story

No abstract provided.

Marceline Wanted A Bigger Adventure, Shena Mcauliffe

True Story

No abstract provided.

Recent Developments In Distribution Theory: A Brief Survey And Some New Generalized Classes Of Distributions, Zubair Ahmad, Gholamhossein G. Hamedani, Nadeem Shafique Butt

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

The generalization of the classical distributions is an old practice and has been considered as precious as many other practical problems in statistics. These generalizations started with the introduction of the additional location, scale or shape parameters. In the last couple of years, this branch of statistics has received a great deal of attention and quite a few new generalized classes of distributions have been introduced. We present a brief survey of this branch and introduce several new families as well.

Caregivers' Challenges In Accessing Services For Children With Autism, Anita Payne Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The perspective of the caregiver is vital to understanding the experiences of raising a child with autism, including the challenges faced in accessing services. The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of primary caregivers raising a school-age child with autism and to bring about an understanding of the challenges faced in accessing services. Resiliency theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 participants raising a child with autism in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Data were analyzed using Moustakas's descriptive approach. Results yielded 5 themes: overall …

Salivary Screening For Selenomonas Noxia In The Oral Cavity Of Pediatric Patients, Rachelle Davidowitz, Katherine M. Howard, Karl Kingsley

School of Medicine Faculty Research

The oral microbiome may be affected by patient medications, disease conditions and systemic disorders. Selenomonas noxia is an anaerobic, motile, non spore-forming, gram-negative rod that has been repeatedly associated with periodontal disease and other disorders, including obesity. Based upon the paucity of evidence regarding oral prevalence, the objective of was to evaluate S. noxia prevalence by sampling saliva from the oral cavity to screen for this pathogen. Using an existing saliva repository, DNA was isolated and screened using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Demographic analysis of study samples and qPCR results was also performed. Approximately half of the samples …

Equipping Adventist Community Services Directors As Leaders For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Sung Kun Kwon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Adventist Community Services (ACS) broad scope of services increasingly demanded competent leadership that was not always readily found in local churches. For this reason, ACS leadership began to plan an advanced leadership development program for the ACS personnel, pastors, and church members at the union, conference, local levels, and worldwide. Up to that time leadership development programs within ACS tended to be haphazard and inconsistent. While there were several conferences that provided local leadership development for ACS leaders, there was no centralized leadership development program. To effectively lead the organizations that served the various communities, it was necessary …

Deconstitutionalizing Dewey, Aaron Saiger

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Ilc’S Past Practice On Progressive Development And Codification Of International Law—An Empirical Analysis Focusing On The Law Of The Sea, Law Of Treaties And State Responsibility, Patrícia Galvão Teles

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The International Law Commission And The Progressive Development And Codification Of Principles Of International Environmental Law, Nilüfer Oral

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Internal Wave Dynamics Of Barkley Submarine Canyon, Drew Arlen Burrier

Master's Theses

Submarine canyons are prominent bathymetric features in the ocean and in addition to being interesting geological regions, submarine canyons are associated with important physical processes in the ocean. Internal wave reflection from sloping boundaries can cause strong mixing in the turbulent boundary layers near sloping topography. Boundary mixing driven by internal waves may account for a significant portion of the overall oceanic vertical mixing. By observing internal waves using three cabled ADCPs at three sites in and around Barkley Submarine Canyon in spring pre-upwelling, and summer upwelling periods, this thesis has established a strong canyon effect on the internal wave …

Phreatomagmatic Eruption Deposits On The Seafloor Record Cataclysmic Caldera Formation On Axial Seamount, Juan De Fuca Mid-Ocean Ridge, Jacob Danielsen

Master's Theses

The physical and compositional characteristics of a unique ash-rich hydrothermal sediment, hydrothermal muddy tuff (HMT), on Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge, suggest that it formed by phreatomagmatic eruptions during caldera formation. Deposit thickness trends away from the seamount summit and the presence of 68% primary volcaniclasts and 32% secondary lithics suggest a source from along caldera ring-faults deep in the crust. Lithic geothermometry indicates that the source was subject to low-temperature (<150 >°C) alteration, consistent with a provenance as deep as 600 – 800 m below the seafloor. At this depth, just above the critical point of seawater, the …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Novel Silica Hydride-Based Stationary Phases For Bioanalytical Applications, Seiichiro Watanabe

Master's Theses

Most HPLC columns are packed with silanol (Si-OH)-rich type-B silica that often participates in undesired electrostatic interactions with sample solutes and produces a poor analyte peak shape. These silanols are also known to facilitate the surface hydration required for HILIC mode to retain polar analytes. However, the hydrated surface composition can easily fluctuate, which results in poor reproducibility and requires a lengthy equilibration step. In this study, four novel stationary phases have been developed by using the TYPE-C™ silica material, in which up to 95% of the surface silanols have been replaced with Si-H group. One of the advantages of …

Did Predator Control Go To The Dogs? A 40-Year Retrospective, John M. Tomeček

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In 1980, Green and Woodruff published an article entitled, “Is Predator Control Going to the Dogs?” At that time, the use of Livestock Guardian Dogs (hereafter LGDs) was a relatively new wildlife damage management tool in North America. Although this tool passed the test of time in its point of origin, early North American adopters stepped into a brave new world with little to guide them. In the modern world, knowledge of methods and means of wildlife damage management exists in written texts, films, and other guides. For LGDs, however, such materials did not exist 40 years ago. Over the …

The Marin County Livestock Protection Program: 15 Years In Review, Stephanie Larson, Devan A. Mcgranahan, Robert M. Timm

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Predation by wild carnivores challenges livestock producers worldwide. To reduce or offset losses due to predation, a variety of predator control methods and compensation schemes have been developed. In 2001, Marin County, California, USA replaced its U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (WS) cooperative predator damage management program with a county-run program that emphasized nonlethal methods for preventing and controlling coyote (Canis latrans) predation on domestic sheep (Ovis aries). This new Livestock Protection Program (LPP) cost-shared with livestock producers’ efforts to improve fencing, obtain and maintain guard animals, and other such nonlethal methods, and initially it …

Temporal Trends In Florida Panther Food Habits, Gretchen Caudill, David P. Onorato, Mark W. Cunningham, Danny Caudill, Erin H. Leone, Lisa M. Smith, Deborah Jansen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Once on the brink of extinction, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has reoccupied parts of its extirpated range in southern Florida, USA over the past 20 years, which has largely been attributed to genetic restoration efforts initiated in 1995 to combat inbreeding depression and subsequent deleterious traits. Concurrent to the resurgence, an increase in documented livestock depredation events has heightened concern over human– panther conflicts. We examined 312 stomach content, scat, and feces (large intestine contents) samples collected 1989 to 2014 across the endemic range in southern Florida. We compared frequency of occurrence of prey items in …

Control Efforts And Serologic Survey Of Pseudorabies And Brucellosis In Wild Pigs Of Tennessee, Lisa I. Muller, Neelam C. Poudyal, Roger Applegate, Chuck Yoest

Human–Wildlife Interactions

European wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an introduced invasive species that now constitute a major threat to agriculture and the natural ecology of the environments they now inhabit. Wild pigs also carry many diseases known to infect wildlife, humans, and livestock. Two of these diseases, pseudorabies (PRV) and brucellosis, constitute major diseases in the United States. Better data are needed regarding the prevalence of these diseases in wild pigs to understand and manage the potential risks to wildlife, humans, and livestock. From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2017, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency personnel trapped and euthanized 4,727 …

In The News, Jason Matthews, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Mice And Rats: Perceptions, Realities, And Impacts On Humankind, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the Letter from the Editor.

Who Takes The Bait? Non-Target Species Use Of Bear Hunter Bait Sites, Ellen M. Candler, William J. Severud, Joseph K. Bump

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Hunting bears (Ursus spp.) over baits is legal in many countries, states, and provinces, but the practice remains a controversial topic among wildlife managers, hunting groups, and the general public. The baits used to attract bears may also provide a pulsed resource on the landscape that can be used by other wildlife species, particularly carnivores. To determine what other species might use bear bait sites, we constructed and monitored 21 bear bait sites with camera traps from August to October 2016 in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The sites mimicked typical American black bear (U. americanus …

Carnivore-Livestock Conflicts In Chile: Evidence And Methods For Mitigation, Valeska Rodriguez, Daniela A. Poo-Muñoz, Luis E. Escobar, Francisca Astorga, Gonzalo Medina-Vogel

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human population growth and habitat loss have exacerbated human–wildlife conflicts worldwide. We explored trends in human–wildlife conflicts (HWCs) in Chile using scientific and official reports to identify areas and species with higher risk of conflicts and tools available for their prevention and mitigation. The puma (Puma concolor) was considered the most frequent predator; however, fox (Lycalopex spp.) and free-ranging or feral dog (Canis lupus familiaris) attacks were also common. Our results suggest that the magnitude of puma conflicts may be overestimated. Domestic sheep (Ovis spp.) and poultry (Galliformes) were the most common species predated. …

Predicting Black Bear Activity At Backcountry Campsites In Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, Wesley G. Larson, Tom Smith

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Developing the capacity to predict black bear (Ursus americanus; bear) activity in a diversity of habitats will help conserve bear populations and their habitats and minimize human–bear conflicts. This capacity will be particularly important in areas that provide bear habitat and offer backcountry hiking and camping experiences. Bryce Canyon National Park (BRCA), located on the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah, USA, provides important bear habitat and offers visitors 12 backcountry campsites. To effectively manage these areas to minimize human–bear conflicts, park managers will need better information about black bear use of these campsites and other …

New Associate Editors, Dwayne Elmore, David K. Dahlgren

Human–Wildlife Interactions

New associate editors are Dwayne Elmore and David Dahlgren.

Dwayne Elmore is a professor, wildlife extension specialist, and Bollenbach Chair in wildlife biology in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University. Specific areas of interest include wildlife habitat relationships, Galliform ecology and management, and thermal ecology. Current research projects are focused on how management and human activity affect various species of grouse and quail. He works with stakeholder groups including private landowners, NGOs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, and multiple state wildlife agencies to provide technical assistance on land management issues. …