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Belowground Responses of Avicennia germinans to Mild Freeze Events: Implications for Blue Carbon Storage and Restored Wetlands
Get PDFBlack mangroves are essential to Louisiana’s coast, protecting against edge erosion, buffering wave action, and sequestrating carbon. However, their freeze-intolerance makes them vulnerable to polar vortex excursions. This research investigated impacts of a mild freeze event on Avicennia germinans\u27 belowground biomass in restored and natural wetlands. Total and vertical distribution of live belowground biomass were measured. Twenty-four cores were collected before and after the mild freeze event of December 2022 at three locations in West Belle Barrier Island: two within a restoration area and one within naturally occurring mangroves. Cores were 30-cm deep and were divided into 2-cm sections for analysis. The natural wetland had 4 to 7 times more belowground biomass than restored sites. After the freeze, its biomass decreased by 14%, while restored sites decreased by 82% (edge) and 22% (inland). Results indicate restoration status and impacts of low temperatures should be considered when modeling mangrove-derived blue carbon
The Problem of Scale: Professional Ballet Companies, Their Respective Preeminence, and Factors Outside of Their Control
Get PDFThis thesis looks at professional ballet companies in the United States, the factors affecting a company’s preeminence or lack thereof, and whether it is possible in current conditions for large professional ballet companies to develop into preeminent ballet companies. What are the relevant factors historically involved in the growth of a professional ballet company into a preeminent ballet company in the United States? Are those factors still applicable or possible to attain for professional ballet companies today? Contributing categories of factors discussed include: budget, name recognition, numbers of productions and individual performances, touring, numbers of dancers, dancer salaries, union memberships, boards of directors, numbers of administrative staff and breakdowns by department, associated schools and theatres, live music partnerships, direct government funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and revenue streams
Golden Fields Tonight
Get PDFGolden Fields Tonight is a collection of five essays concerning archaeological surveys, New Orleans musicians, and diminutive great-aunts. Also: existential malaise, the search for belonging, Mi’kmaqs, moon ladders, face-spiders, gator contraptions, everyday ritual and the importance of collective storytelling. The pieces differ in tone and subject matter, but they share central themes of family and chosen family, culture and community, and the creation of small-scale mythologies. They take place around tables, along bayous, behind motels; on airboats and overpasses; in bars and in yards and in between planes
On Making Myself Cry
Get PDFOn Making Myself Cry is a collection of personal essays which delve into the subject matter of familial, platonic, romantic, and sexual relationships both with the self and others. These essays use a reflective and meditative mode to describe the paramount importance of maintaining or removing these interpersonal relationships and ask questions of each
Moral Dilemmas: A Phenomenological Exploration of Military Members Experience of War
Get PDFDue to increasing mental health concerns in combat exposed military members, including posttraumatic stress, there is a commiserate need for improved mental health services. Other mental health concerns include an increasing rate of suicide deaths in military members who have served during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). There is a need for mental health counselors to have a more nuanced understanding of the clinical needs of combat exposed military members. In more recent years the construct of moral injury has emerged as a potential explanation for the presentation of certain combat exposed military members. Moral injury can be thought of as the social, spiritual, psychological, emotional, and existential wound that can occur in the aftermath of either doing or witnessing acts that are contrary to the individual’s moral belief system. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to gain an understanding of how moral injury might better explain the clinical presentation of certain traumatized military members. This study seeks to add to a growing body of knowledge surrounding the construct of moral injury as it pertains to certain combat exposed military members presenting with trauma symptoms. Participants will have deployed to a combat zone during either the Gulf War or OEF / OIF and will have held a job within the military (military occupational specialty; MOS) commonly associated with combat exposure (e.g. reconnaissance)
Examining the Impact of Eds and Meds Anchor Institutions on Local Communities: A Mixed Methods Case Study on University Medical Center New Orleans
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine how the University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO), a major Eds and Meds anchor institution, has contributed to the well-being outcomes of surrounding communities within the New Orleans BioDistrict since its opening in 2015. Eds and Meds institutions often have mixed impacts on their local communities, and little research has focused on their effects in the Deep South, particularly in New Orleans, a region with pronounced socioeconomic disparities. This study aimed to address this research gap by investigating the following question: to what extent does UMCNO\u27s Community Health Needs Assessments align with community perceptions and available census data on well-being outcomes (education, health, and income) within the New Orleans BioDistrict? This mixed-methods case study employed a convergent research design. Data collection included qualitative interviews, document analysis, and quantitative secondary data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The study focused on five key indicators: health insurance coverage, educational attainment, median household income, poverty status, and employment in education and healthcare. The findings showed that while UMCNO has made progress in improving healthcare access and educational engagement, significant challenges remain, especially for historically underserved communities. Interviews revealed concerns about healthcare accessibility, community engagement, and educational equity. Quantitative data also showed ongoing disparities in health, education, and income. The study concludes with recommendations for UMCNO to strengthen local partnerships and reallocate resources to better address the well-being of the surrounding communities
