Digital Commons Network^™

Major Pests Of African Indigenous Vegetables In Tanzania And The Effects Of Plant Nutrition On Spider Mite Management, Jackline Kendi Mworia

All Master’s Theses

Pest status of insect pests is dynamic. In East Africa, there is scanty information on pests and natural enemy species of common African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs). To determine the identity and distribution of pests and natural enemies in amaranth, African nightshade and Ethiopian kale as well as pest damage levels, a survey was carried out in eight regions of Tanzania. Lepidopteran species were the main pests of amaranth causing 12.8% damage in the dry season and 10.8% in the wet season. The most damaging lepidopteran species were S.recurvalis, U. ferrugalis, and S. litorralis. Hemipterans, A. fabae, A. crassivora, and M.persicae …

Prevalence And Transmission Of Selected Infectious Disease-Causing Enzootic And Zoonotic Pathogens By Haematophagous Camel Keds, Hippobosca Camelina, In Laisamis, Marsabit County Of Northern Kenya, Kevin Kidambasi

All Master’s Theses

Hippobosca camelina, also known as camel keds or camel louse flies, are the most common blood-sucking ectoparasites infesting camels in, Laisamis Ward, northern Kenya. The ability of these obligate haematophagous biting flies to transmit infectious agents is less understood. The aims of this study were to; I) screen for protozoan, bacterial and viral pathogens in camels and their biting keds, H. camelina, sampled from Laisamis Ward, Marsabit county II) assess the potential utility of camel keds in xenosurveillance of camel haemopathogens, and III) study the capacity of camel keds to transmit haemopathogens to experimental mice. Blood samples (n …

Phosphorus Availability And Carrot Growth As Influenced By Phosphate Rock Management Under Acid Soils In Murang'a And Tharaka Nithi Counties, Edwin Nderitu Mwangi

All Master’s Theses

Soils from Central Highlands of Kenya are characterized by low phosphorus (P) availability with crops exhibiting P deficiency symptoms. The objective was therefore to determine the P sorption characteristics of the soils and to assess their standard P requirements in order to recommend the P fertilizer required for different crops in the area. Besides, the study aimed at assessing the efficiency of lemon and pineapple juices and the concentration and time needed to release more than 50% of available P from phosphate rock (PR), and; the effect of different types of PR management on carrot yields, nutrient uptake, and P-use …

Microbial Contaminants In Wild Harvested And Trade Dedible Long-Horned Grasshopper, Ruspolia Differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) Inuganda, Simon Labu

All Master’s Theses

Edible insects are now globally recognisedas alternative sources of food and feed. Currently, over 470 spp of insects are consumed in Africa alone, with Ruspolia differensbeing the most common in central Uganda.Harvesting and trading of these insects is done informally andthe post-harvest handling, processingand marketing involvesseveral people. These coupled with other factors increase the risk of microbial contamination of R. differens. This study identifiedand characterisedbacterial and fungal microbes found in R. differensalong the value chain, and also evaluated the safety levels of R. differensat the different points, including their different districts of origin. Samples of wholeR. differens were collected from …

Taxing Parents: Welfarist Theories, Shannon Mccormack

Articles

The Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") taxes parents inequitably. Couples with a sole earner are undertaxed compared to couples with dual earners and to single parents. Legal tax scholarship (including my own) has identified the many inequities that result from this sole-earner bias and have called for its elimination. But while these arguments have been sufficient for some, they do remain susceptible to the criticism that they are theoretically incomplete.

That critique might proceed as follows. Simply establishing that an inequity exists does not create a full argument for legal reform. After all, it might be argued, the Code plays …

Visual Infrastructures Of Covid-19 Messaging, Julia Ross, Claudine Jaenichen

Art Faculty Articles and Research

Infecting more than two hundred and nineteen million people internationally as of September 2021, SARS-Cov2 (COVID-19) remains a major health crisis despite the availability of vaccines in many countries and publicized guidance on effective preventative measures (WHO, 2021). To combat the spread of the virus, governments worldwide have found themselves relying on their ability to exert control over health behaviors in public and private spaces. Visual communication, which includes both graphics and text, is an integral component of how these behavioral advisories are communicated to the public. Authorities translate scientific information into digestible designs for the public to achieve effective …

The End Of Deportation, Angélica Cházaro

Articles

This Article introduces to legal scholarship a new horizon for pro-immigrant scholarship and advocacy: deportation abolition. The ever-present threat of deportation shapes the daily lives of noncitizens. Instead of aiming for a pathway to citizenship, most noncitizens must now contend with dodging the many pathways to banishment. Despite growing threats to immigrant survival, most pro-immigrant scholarship and advocacy that aims to reduce migrant suffering assumes deportation as inevitable. The focus remains on improving individual outcomes by aligning the process of deportation with due process and the rule of law. But considered from the point of view of those facing deportation, …

Catalytic Courts And Enforcement Of Constitutional Education Funding Provisions, Hugh D. Spitzer, Andy Omara

Articles

It is well-recognized that it is easier for judges to enforce constitutional “negative rights” provisions than positive social and economic rights. This article focuses on the challenges of enforcing one specific positive right: the constitutional right of children to attend adequately funded schools. Our article tests on-the-ground judicial implementation of education funding provisions against the general theoretical framework of judicial interaction with the political branches developed by Katharine Young. We analyze how, in multi-year, multi-decision litigation, constitutional court judges in the three jurisdictions we studied actively experimented with the challenging task of forcing, or enticing, reluctant legislative and executive branches …

The Automated Administrative State: A Crisis Of Legitimacy, Ryan Calo, Danielle Keats Citron

Articles

The legitimacy of the administrative state is premised on our faith in agency expertise. Despite their extra-constitutional structure, administrative agencies have been on firm footing for a long time in reverence to their critical role in governing a complex, evolving society. They are delegated enormous power because they respond expertly and nimbly to evolving conditions. In recent decades, state and federal agencies have embraced a novel mode of operation: automation. Agencies rely more and more on software and algorithms in carrying out their delegated responsibilities. The automated administrative state, however, is demonstrably riddled with concerns. Legal challenges regarding the denial …

Awakening The American Jury: Did The Killing Of George Floyd Alter Juror Deliberations Forever?, Tamara F. Lawson

Articles

In the summer of 2020, the witnessing of George Floyd's death triggered an outpouring of public expression far beyond other cases in modern times. While the experience led some to advocate for reform and participate in antiracism rallies, marches, and campaigns, it also forced many others into internal reflection, awareness, and awakening to the knowledge of a lived experience with police different from their own. The gruesome realities of the video were irreconcilable with those prior beliefs and did not comport with any moral or legal standards of dignity. Prior to witnessing George Floyd's death on video at the hands …

Impacts Of Meals On Wings (Mow) Program On Volunteers' Perceptions And Motives, Juan Diego Salcedo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Food insecurity is a problem in the subpopulation of older adults and the elderly. The following study aimed to explore the perceptions and motives such as career benefits, impacts experienced through volunteering, skills in dietetics, comfort level with seniors, social responsibility, peer modeling, and empathy of student volunteers participating in a food recovery-meal delivery program known as Meals on Wings (MOW) on a college campus in the Southeast.

METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted during July 2021. Semi-structured interviews were administered over the video conference program Zoom to 10 (n=10) student volunteers who volunteered with MOW for at least one …

Altruism And Spite In Politics: How The Mind Makes Welfare Tradeoffs About Political Parties, Alessandro Del Ponte, Andrew W. Delton, Peter Descioli

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

How much will people sacrifice to support or oppose political parties? Extending previous work on the psychology of interpersonal cooperation, we propose that people’s minds compute a distinct cost–benefit ratio—a welfare tradeoff ratio—that regulates their choices to help or hurt political parties. In two experiments, participants decide whether to financially help and hurt the inparty and outparty. The results show that participants were extremely consistent (> 90%) while making dozens of decisions in a randomized order, providing evidence for tradeoff ratios toward parties. Moreover, participants’ ratios correlated in the expected directions with partisanship, political ideology, and feelings of enthusiasm and …

"This Wearisome Analysis": The Clear And Present Danger Test From Schenck To Brandenburg, James R. Mcgoldrick Jr.

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Joint Dedication To Chief Justice David Gilbertson & Professor Emeritus Jonathan Van Patten, Steven R. Jensen, Janine M. Kern, Mary Campbell Mcqueen, Lee Schoenbeck, Natalie Damgaard, Patrick Garry, Chris Hutton, Thomas E. Simmons, Charles Thatcher

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Work–Leisure Blending: An Integrative Conceptual Review And Framework To Guide Future Research, Troy A. Smith, Marcus M. Butts, Stephen H. Courtright, Mat D. Duerden, Mark A. Widmer

Faculty Publications

Since the industrial revolution, work and leisure have largely been considered opposing domains. A growing number of organizations, however, enable and/or promote blending leisure activities into the workplace. Similarly, several conceptualizations across different disciplines examine how work and leisure can coexist. These different conceptualizations have yielded a rich but fragmented theoretical account of work–leisure blending. To address this problem, we provide a comprehensive theoretical integration of multiple literature streams where research has explored work–leisure blending. Further, we develop a tripartite dimensional framework designed to elucidate the central dimensions of work–leisure blending (i.e., segmentation– integration, unstructured–structured, and independent–interactive) undergirding this phenomenon. …

Soft Information And The Underpricing Of Reit Seasoned Equity Offerings, James C. Brau, J. Troy Carpenter, James E. Cicon, Shelly Howton

Faculty Publications

Using a sample of 1,429 seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) by real estate investment trusts (REITs), we use content analysis to test whether the soft information in a company’s offering prospectus influences SEO underpricing. After controlling for relevant variables, we find that companies that use more positive (negative) words in their filings are negatively (positively) related to SEO underpricing. We posit that in REIT SEOs more positive and fewer negative words decrease investor pricing uncertainty (fear) of the offer and as a result experience less underpricing.

State Anxiety Moderates The Association Between Motivations And Excessive Smartphone Use, Xi Shen, Hai-Zhen Wang, Detlef H. Rost, James Gaskin, Jin-Liang Wang

Faculty Publications

Excessive smartphone use has recently attracted researchers’ attention. Previous studies have suggested that state anxiety and motivations are important predictors of excessive smartphone use. However, few studies have investigated how motivations and state anxiety interact with each other, and the subsequent impact on excessive smartphone use. In the current study, based on the Compensatory Internet Use theory, we analyzed the moderating role of state anxiety on the relationship between two types of motivations (i.e. entertainment and social interaction) and excessive smartphone use. Using the Smartphone Addiction Scale for College Students (SAS-C), Smartphone Usage Motivation Scale and State Anxiety Scale (S-Anxiety), …

Prejudice Of Mexican American Students Toward Recently Immigrated Mexican Students, Peter Valle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prejudice against people of Mexican descent has been a pernicious social problem in the United States. A gap in the literature exists concerning racial and or cultural biases that may exist between Mexican immigrant students and U.S.-born Mexican American students. The purpose of this qualitative and phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of newly immigrated Mexican students facing prejudice from U.S.-born students of Mexican descent in the classroom. Interviews were conducted with five immigrant college students from Mexico living in Texas, recruited through social media and snowballing. The theoretical foundation was Tajfel’s social identity theory and in-group versus …

Association Between Modifiable Risk Factors And Stroke Among Hispanics, Shanice Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stroke is a significant public health issue that impacts the health of Hispanic adults. Understanding the multiple risk factors of stroke is an essential strategy to control the disease among this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between modifiable risk factors and stroke among Hispanics. The public health prevention framework guided this study. The research questions were designed to determine whether an association exists between modifiable risk factors for stroke among Hispanics. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used to conduct secondary analysis of the pooled 2017–2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System annual surveys. The …

Approaches School Leaders Employ Regarding Students Who Experience Socioemotional Crises, Ronald Stephen Gorney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many students in the local school district in a northeastern state suffer from socioemotional challenges that negatively influence their academic success. In the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, researchers found negative socioemotional outcomes resulting from ACEs. Risk factors associated with ACEs, and the influence of ACEs on poor school outcomes form the framework of this project study. To determine measures school leaders take to meet the needs of students in socioemotional crisis, a sample of semi-structured interview participants was selected based upon their roles in addressing students in socioemotional crisis, also forming the basis of this basic qualitative study. The …

Applying A Staff Education Project To Increase Telemedicine Patient Safety, Kristy Michelle Wolff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A telemedicine education module (TEM) was designed and developed for this staff education project to improve the knowledge of nurses and providers about best practices in telemedicine and patient safety. A pretest and posttest design was used to evaluate if a gain in knowledge occurred after participants reviewed the TEM, which was designed and developed using Knowles theory of andragogy for adult learning outcomes. Thirty-seven potential participants who currently work as clinicians that provide telemedicine services were provided access to the pretest, TEM, and posttest. Nine participants responded, but only three participants’ scores could be used for analysis since there …

Profitability Strategies Of Solar Energy Businesses In Lagos, Nigeria, Mayowa Ezekiel Akeju

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some solar energy companies in Nigeria are not profitable because of ineffective marketing and sales strategies on the part of the business leaders and challenging operating environments. The ability to craft strategies that ensure the adoption of solar energy solutions by households is pertinent to the profitability of the solar energy business. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies solar energy business leaders in Lagos, Nigeria, use to maintain a profitable business. The participants included six solar energy business leaders in two companies from Lagos, Nigeria. Data were …

Factors That Determine The Place Of Childbirth In Lagos State, Nigeria, Ohiemi Emmanuel Adegbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNigeria is among the 10 countries in the world with the worst maternal mortality. Though most of these deaths can be prevented using antenatal care (ANC) and having institutional deliveries, in Nigeria, ANC attendance and institutional delivery are suboptimal. Research is lacking on the reasons for the disparity between the use of antenatal services compared to deliveries at health centers. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between sociodemographic, obstetric, and health service factors and the place of delivery used by pregnant women in predominantly urban, cosmopolitan Lagos, Nigeria. Because both service delivery and demand factor categories …

The Political Astuteness Of The New Mexico Registered Nurse, Gloria Sue Doherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States spends the most per capita of all the developed countries on healthcare but demonstrates the worst healthcare outcomes. National agencies have turned to Registered Nurses (RNs) to improve healthcare outcomes through participation in healthcare policy development. Although the recommendation for participation in policy development exists, RNs, including those in the U.S. state of New Mexico have not participated at high levels. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to measure the political astuteness of RNs in New Mexico and to determine to what extent nursing leaders have been successful in diffusing Institute of Medicine recommendations. Rogers’s …

The Relationship Between Human Capital, Productivity, And Profitability, Neema Carolina Eleyae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the industrial structure of Nigeria, lack of profitability, scarcity of human capital, and low productivity have resulted in the failure of many business organizations. Business leaders must maintain profitability to continue funding their business organizations in the future. Grounded in human capital theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between human capital, productivity, and profitability among organizations listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Archival data records (N = 836) between 2005 and 2019 were examined. The overall multiple linear regression model was able to significantly predict profitability: F (2, 833) = 79.35, p < .01, R2 = .158. Human capital was statistically significant (t = 12.548, p < .01, β = .400); productivity was not significant. A key recommendation for organizational leaders and policymakers in Nigeria is to increase higher education and general knowledge investments to improve the quality of human capital in the country, particularly in the services, construction, and information technology industries. Implications for positive social change include the potential for increased profitability and sustainability of organizations listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, which will be better equipped to compete globally through a skilled, well-educated workforce.

Ministry Of Education Management Committee Members’ Perceptions Of Shared Organizational Vision, Theresa Obiageli Mbonu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPersistent challenges in the Nigerian educational system have made education delivery ineffective as students’ performance levels on national examinations have remained low. Students’ average performance has been below 40% on the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) for 7 consecutive years in the region of this research. Stakeholders blamed heads of schools and teachers, yet the Ministry of Education made significant decisions about schools’ inputs. Leaders at the Ministry of Education may need to adopt a shared vision approach to addressing persistent educational challenges. There was no study available to indicate the understanding of educational leaders at this level concerning …

Racial Disparities In Hypertension Self-Awareness And Hospitalizations For Hypertension-Related Illnesses Among Adult Arkansans, Chimfumnanya Nwanze-Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black individuals in the United States are twice as likely as White individuals to die of cardiovascular diseases. Between 2010 and 2016 in Arkansas (AR), hypertension (HTN) and HTN-related diseases had an age-adjusted death rate of 230.4 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 173.6 deaths per 100,000 population for Whites. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to explore the potential association between HTN self-awareness and emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization rates for HTN and HTN-related illnesses between Black and White individuals in AR. The socioecological framework was used to explore sociodemographic (SDF) and socioeconomic (SES) factors as …

Role Of Case Management In Access To Mental Health Care Among African Americans With Medicaid, Kira-Jai Jayne Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparity in access to appropriate mental health care among African Americans compared to non-Hispanic Whites is growing. The purpose of this quantitative retrospective study was to examine the relationship between access to an outpatient mental health facility with case management and access to outpatient mental health services among African Americans with Medicaid compared to non-Hispanic Whites with Medicaid. The theoretical framework was based on the conceptual framework for integration created by PATH. The study addressed whether there is a difference in the number of African Americans compared to non-Hispanic White patients with Medicaid in access to an outpatient mental health …

Master’S Level Mental Health Counselor Experiences Working With Offenders In Correctional Settings, Jennifer Bernard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forensic mental health is considered a specialty at a doctoral level, yet a majority of mental health services in correctional settings are provided by master’s-level mental health counselors. These clinicians lack the specialized education, training, and experience needed to work with offenders in correctional settings. There is limited research on how master’s-level counselors experience providing mental health services in correctional settings and how they manage challenges. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of master’s-level mental health counselors working with offenders in correctional settings. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to facilitate an understanding of …

Service-Level Factors Affecting Completion Of Antenatal Care Attendance In Uganda, Lorna Barungi Muhirwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of universal coverage of proven, low-cost, high-impact interventions—particularly for underserved and rural populations—remains a key reason for the high rates of maternal deaths in Uganda. Antenatal care (ANC) ensures early detection and treatment of pregnancy-related complications. Completion of recommended ANC visits remains suboptimal, particularly for rural women in Uganda. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess facility-level factors affecting completion of ANC attendance among women of reproductive age in a rural district in Uganda. The Dutton theory for initial and continued health services utilization was used to analyze the relationship between facility level factors and ANC …