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The Experiences of Athletic Academic Advisors
Get PDFAt NCAA Division I institutions, Athletic Academic Advisors (AAAs) provide daily and long-term support of student-athletes (SAs) including academic assistance, tracking curriculum to graduation, connecting to resources, and monitoring student-athlete eligibility. Literature indicates increasing challenges for AAAs as they complete their responsibilities of supporting SAs. This study answered the primary question: How do Athletic Academic Advisors at NCAA Division I institutions experience their professional role? Through in-depth interviews, I collected data from AAAs at large, public NCAA Division I universities in the United States. AAAs were asked to share perceptions of their role, responsibilities, and ongoing challenges. I also collected and analyzed AAA job descriptions to explore expected responsibilities and supplement interview data. Katz and Kahn’s Role Theory (1966; 1978) served as a framework for analysis using a phenomenological approach. Key findings indicate four significant themes: communication and professional relationships, tangible resources, intangible challenges, and AAA expectations. Recommendations for practice include strengthened institutional support and understanding to positively impact the experiences of AAAs. Recommendations for further study include a focus on AAA job descriptions and using a national survey for expanded data collection and statistical analysis
A Multi-Proxy Approach to Reconstructing Mid-Latitude Westerly Wind Belts since the Last Ice Age
Get PDFThe mid-latitude westerly wind belts have been linked to abrupt climate change on regional and global scales. In particular, migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies (SHW) has been proposed to have had a role in the termination of the last ice age and possibly in shorter-term abrupt changes. My dissertation focuses on two sites to reconstruct the movement of the westerly wind belts and to explore the link between mean-annual wind position and climate change. Using a novel plant wax isotope record from lake sediments on Mt. Usborne (52 °S, 59 °W), East Falkland, in the South Atlantic, I constructed a multiproxy climate record from a sediment core spanning the last 23 ka (thousands of years before the present day) that documents poleward movement of the SHW during Termination 1, possibly linked to increasing winter duration. I also explored the effect that the changes to the position of the SHW at Mt. Usborne had on local plant communities during the Holocene, with relevance for future ecology. Pollen records document a highly resilient plant community, which shows only minor changes in response to shifts in moisture availability brought about by variations in SHW influence. Finally, at Baboon Lakes (37 °N, 119 °W) in central Sierra Nevada, California, I reconstructed not only changes in the mean annual position of the Northern Hemisphere westerlies (NHW), but also an independent record of fire history and water availability. With this multiproxy data set, I assess the linkage between the location of the wind belt and droughts in the American West. The data show changes in the position of the winds over the last 12 ka, with a particularly prominent poleward shift at ~8.3 ka. This movement was accompanied by decreased moisture availability and a sudden rise in forest fires as the influence of the NHW decreased. This shift to a poleward shifted NHW and the onset of the mid-Holocene warm, dry period of the American West does not seem to be driven solely by ice sheet dynamics, insolation, or North Atlantic teleconnection. More records across the region are needed to resolve the driver(s) at play
Black Soldier Fly Adults as Potential Vectors of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Other Pathogenic Bacteria
Get PDFThere is a growing global need for sustainable waste management solutions, and alternative protein sources for livestock. This has led to the widespread adoption of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL, Hermetia illucens) in organic waste recycling, including valorizing cull potatoes. BSFL has complex interactions with the microorganisms that inhabit the same decaying substrates, suppressing many species but promoting other species. This research explored the potential for BSFL and BSF adults to harbor and transmit pathogenic bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which pose a significant threat to public health. Findings indicated that MRSA levels were initially increased in the presence of larvae. However, that was followed by a significant decline in MRSA colony counts in the same substrates. This suggests that the larvae have a delayed but significant antimicrobial effect. A common antibiotic ampicillin suppressed total bacterial abundance but lost its efficacy over time. There was no significant reduction in total bacteria observed when ampicillin was combined with BSFL, possibly because the larvae encouraged MRSA proliferation in the early stages. Additionally, larvae reared on substrates treated with ampicillin showed increased growth, likely due to a reduction in bacterial competitors. Dysgonomonas was the most abundant bacterial genus, followed by Frischella, Klebsiella, Providencia, Propionibacterium, and Lactococcus. Fungal communities were dominated by Galactomyces and Candida. To determine whether BSF adults could serve as a vector for MRSA, larvae were reared in both inoculated and control decaying potato substrates and allowed to pupate either in their original medium or in sterile sawdust. Our findings confirmed that sterilized sawdust was a more effective pupation substrate for BSFL than decaying potatoes, resulting in better survival and faster development. This was likely due to improved aeration and lower microbial load, as the potato substrate supported dense bacterial communities—particularly Gammaproteobacteria—that may have hindered larval health. BSF adults emerging from potatoes carried a higher bacterial load but lower bacterial diversity, suggesting that substrate plays a major role in shaping the microbiome of emerging flies. Although MRSA did not persist in the system, the presence of other bacteria, such as Acinetobacter sp., highlights the need for continued biosafety assessments in BSFL-based waste conversion systems. In summary, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of microbial dynamics within insect-based recycling systems and helps clarify the biosafety implications of using BSFL in sustainable agriculture. The findings also highlight that BSF adults, while unlikely to transmit pathogens like MRSA, can still acquire and carry bacteria from their pupation substrates, which poses a potential risk in large-scale waste management. While the larvae offer promising tools for circular waste management, their role in pathogen suppression and transmission must be carefully managed to protect animal, environmental, and public health
Reducing the Load of Environmental Mastitis Pathogens with Technical Lignins Used as Animal Bedding Conditioners
Get PDFA series of experiments were conducted to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (Alzagameem et al.) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of a set of technical lignins that could be used as conditioners in lactating cattle beddings. Mueller Hinton broth was modified to pH 6 and used in macro dilution to determine the antimicrobial activity strains of Staphylococcus chromogenes (KCJ4610), Streptococcus uberis (BAA-854), Klebsiella pneumoniae (KCJ4749), Escherichia coli (PSU-10.0371), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (KCJ4633) isolated from mastitic cows. Technical lignin treatments assessed were; sodium lignosulfonate (Yang et al.), washed kraft lignin (WKL), alkali kraft lignin (AKL), and magnesium lignosulfonate (MgL). MIC and MBC analysis were carried out in duplicate in each of three independent runs. The NaL inhibited both S. chromogenes and S. uberis (gram positive) at a lower dose than P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and K. Pneumoniae (gram negative). A similar trend was observed for bactericidal activity, except for P. aeruginosa, which could not be killed by any of the lignins tested. MgL was less inhibitory against P. aureginosa and E. coli, relative to the other bacteria, but it was the most effective lignin against E. coli. The MgL killing activity was the highest against S. chromogenes and S. uberis, relative to the other bacteria. The AKL was more effective at inhibiting and killing S. chromogenes and S. uberis, relative to other bacteria, which were impervious to its activity. WKL antibacterial effects were mostly restricted to S. chromogenes, in our study. Overall, NaL had the most rounded and effective antibacterial activity, followed by MgL and AKL
Implementation of Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing in Reinforced Concrete Structures
Get PDFThis Thesis presents the development, design, and construction of an offshore reinforced concrete part with the implementation of Novel Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing (NLSAM). This includes using a part that was manufactured using conventional methods as a baseline to compare the NLSAM process to. The baseline part that was investigated traditionally requires intensive rebar cage assembling labor, along with the use of expensive molds. Using NLSAM could potentially lower the cost while keeping the same structural strength of the proven traditional method. The part that utilized AM was manufactured and underwent the same structural test as the baseline part to ensure comparable results. A structural and cost analysis have been performed to investigate the cost effects on the implementation of the AM process. The results of this study provide a clearer answer as to whether implementing AM into large concrete parts will save costs, while maintaining structural integrity
MF120 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Acadia National Park
Get PDFA series of interviews conducted by Maine Folklife Center staff with men who were enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corp. in the 1930s and served at one of the three camps: NP-1, 154th CCC, McFarland Field Camp, Bar Harbor, Maine (on the site of the current Acadia National Park Headquarters); NP-2, 158th CCC, Great Pond Field Camp, Southwest Harbor, Maine (off Clark Point Road); or SP-1, 1104th (June 1933-Oct. 1935) and 193rd (Oct. 1935-June 1936) CCC, Camp Governor Brann Field Camp, Ellsworth, Maine (on the Buttermilk Road). Interviews were also conducted with women who married men from the camps, and local residents who remember the camps. The archive also includes images and reports digitized by the National Archives. Included are 1,093 photographs. (p08924-p08929, p12805-p13030, p14720-p14721-p14734, p14820-p15633).https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_findingaids/1120/thumbnail.jp
Home Medication Safety: Provider Education Impact
Get PDFThere are no governing bodies regulating household medication storage and waste. Safe medication storage and disposal is heavily regulated in healthcare facilities. Improper storage and waste leads to harm. Primary care providers routinely educate patients on new medication regarding indications, side effects, interactions, and follow-up. However, there is minimal education about safe storage or disposal of medications. Medications may be kept in homes “just in case” or wasted improperly. Accidental overdose, medication mix-ups, use of expired medication, and ingestion by children are risks posed when medications are improperly stored. Older adults, and those with chronic medical conditions, are at highest risk of harm. Pharmaceutical waste levels in the water supply are rising and have a profound impact on aquatic life. This synthesis of research is a discussion of how primary care providers can utilize education and resources to impact knowledge of home medication practices and enhance safety
MF134 Burwash and Lakenwild Project
Get PDFThis collection includes a series of interviews by Margaret Owings conducted in 1981 for (AY125) Oral History and Folklore: Fieldwork taught by Edward D. Sandy Ives at the University of Maine. The interviews focus on the Burwash and Lakenwild real estate scam that publicized lakeside developments and recreational areas on Big Lake near Princeton in Washington County, Maine. Accessions include research notes, correspondence, and Owings final paper for the course.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_findingaids/1122/thumbnail.jp
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Primary Care
Get PDFWorkplace violence (WPV) in healthcare is a growing concern globally, with healthcare workers at the highest risk of verbal and physical aggression. Primary care settings play a critical role in healthcare but remain underrepresented in WPV research. This study evaluates the effectiveness of WPV programs in primary care with a focus on de-escalation training as an intervention. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, incorporating studies from PubMed, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Medline, Cochrane, and PsycINFO. The study findings show WPV in primary care is principally verbal aggression, but has profound psychological and professional consequences, including burnout, absenteeism, and decreased job satisfaction. Although de-escalation training has shown promise in improving staff confidence and situational awareness short term, evidence is inconclusive regarding its effectiveness in reducing the incidence of WPV events. A multicomponent approach that integrates training, environmental modifications, and robust institutional policies was found to be the most effective strategy. Leadership commitment is essential in fostering a culture of safety and ensuring the effective implementation of WPV mitigation strategies. The findings emphasize the need for further research to determine the extent of WPV in primary care. Additional research should assess the long-term effects of de-escalation training, standardizing WPV definitions, improving reporting mechanisms, and assessing the sustainability of intervention strategies. It is essential to address WPV through evidence-based interventions to safeguard healthcare workers and maintain high-quality patient care
Maine Monthly Overdose Report for November 2024
Get PDFThis report documents suspected and confirmed fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses in Maine during November 2024 as well as for the period January 2023–November 2024 (Table 1). The total number of confirmed and suspected fatal overdoses January–November 2024 is 445, 20.5% lower than the total confirmed fatal overdoses for the same period in 2023, 560. The total number of nonfatal overdoses January–November 2024 is 7,441, 13.4% lower than the total reported nonfatal overdoses for the same period in 2023, 8596. During November 2024, the proportion of fatal overdoses averaged 7.2 of total overdoses. Monthly proportions of 2024 fatalities fluctuated from a low of 4.8% in May to a high of 7.2% in March and November. During the first 11 months of 2024, fatal overdoses constituted 5.6% of all overdoses, lower than January–November 2023 (6.1%)