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Effects of the Pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum Transmission on Growth and Condition of Eastern Bluebirds Nestlings (Sialia sialis)
Get PDFA critical aspect to understanding disease dynamics is to understand how
transmission occurs between hosts. There are two basic modes of transmission: vertical and horizontal. Vertical transmission is the passage of a pathogen from mother to offspring before or during birth, whereas horizontal transmission occurs between an infected host to a susceptible host. Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a common bacterial pathogen of poultry that causes respiratory disease. Infection of MG often results in weight loss, slowed growth rate, and increased mortality. Both vertical and horizontal transmission of MG have been found to occur in poultry. In the mid-90s, MG underwent a dramatic host shift into songbird species. Little is known regarding the effects of transmission of MG between songbird parents and their offspring. In this study, we asked whether disease transmission was occurring between Eastern Bluebird adults with MG and their altricial nestlings. We found that approximately 9% of all nestlings sampled were positive for infection with MG. We further examined whether the presence of MG in the throat of 5 day old nestlings affected correlates of their future fitness, specifically body condition and growth rate. Our results demonstrate that parent-offspring transmission does occur, although we could not determine whether this was because of vertical or horizontal transmission. Surprisingly, we found that 5 d. o. nestlings testing positive for MG DNA were in significantly better body condition than those testing negative for MG DNA. A similar non-significant trend was found for both 11 d. o. and 14 d. o. nestlings. These findings may be due to increased feeding rates of infected nestlings, resulting in greater relative mass. However, parent-offspring transmission does not appear to be detrimental to nestlings quality, and remarkably, is even positively associated with body condition. It is likely, therefore, that parent-offspring transmission is not important for any negative effects of this disease on our Eastern bluebird population. Our data does not support a cost to nestlings as a result of the acquisition of an MG infection
An Exploration of Accounting Issues Through a Series of Case Studies
Get PDFThis work is a detailed compilation of accounting case studies that examines key accounting concepts and issues. Its purpose is to primarily explore accounting practices and methods by applying these concepts in order to analyze financial statements of existing companies. Each case study highlights a different accounting issue. This work also serves the purpose of exploring accounting concepts and technologies through research outside of case studies. Research was conducted in order to utilize the most current, accurate, and appropriate accounting principles and concepts in order to complete this work. Additionally, each topic presented throughout the series of case studies was completed in synchronization with an exploration of these concepts through Intermediate Accounting courses, so this thesis serves to educate the writer as well as the reader.
The research conducted while completing this work facilitates a more thorough understanding of not only accounting concepts themselves, but also how these accounting concepts should be applied to companies’ financial statements. In addition, this work facilitates familiarization with financial statements and the footnotes to the statements, enhancing understanding of issues regarding reporting and disclosure. Overall, the exploration of accounting issues and concepts in this work provide a deeper understanding of accounting principles and ways in which to articulate and apply these principles
More than Altruism: An Examination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Involvement in the Chicago Campaign and Protest of the Vietnam War
Get PDFThis mix-method study examines whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s writing reflects altruism. Utilizing content analysis, I examined 60 of King’s sermons, speeches, letters, newspaper statements, and telegrams about the Chicago Campaign and the Vietnam War over two separate two-year periods starting from January 1, 1965 to December 31, 1967. King’s documents were scored based on the Altruistic Personality Scale for Leaders and Protest, which was created based on the characteristics of both passive and active bystanders derived from studies written by scholars of psychology. After analyzing the range, complexity, and density of King’s altruism, this study shows that all but seven of King’s writings expressed altruism with his writings concerning his involvement in the Chicago Campaign and protest of the Vietnam War being moderately altruistic. A pattern emerged within the documents indicating that King envisioned the formation of an entirely new social movement that sought to change the social structure of the northern cities by addressing three major social problems that he saw as paralyzing progress: education, employment, and housing. The effects of such a movement when considered within the range of events such as the Poor People’s Campaign portend change for people of color and for the country as a whole
When Words Are Not Enough: The Development of Human Trafficking in Venezuela Under the Maduro Administration
Get PDFThis thesis discusses the role the Maduro administration has played in the development of human trafficking in Venezuela. It does so by employing a qualitative analysis of primary sources such as governmental and NGO reports to determine the links between the Maduro administration and the increase of human trafficking. I argue that the Maduro administration has chosen to employ social policy, the Misiones (Misiones), as the state’s approach to human trafficking instead of
enforcing anti-trafficking laws. This, in conjunction with unsound economic policy in response to the 2014 decline in oil prices, gives the Maduro administration a substantial role in the development of human trafficking in Venezuela, most visibly noted by the economic crisis, elevated levels of crime, and the mass exit migration of the population
Examining the impact of meaning and resilience on survivors' life satisfaction after Hurricane Harvey
Get PDFThe experience of a traumatic event such as a natural disaster can often lead individuals to suffer
a variety of negative sequelae, including the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms.
However, certain positive psychological constructs like meaning and resilience have been shown
to mitigate these consequences. The purpose of this study was to explore the contributions of
meaning and resilience to the life satisfaction of individuals (N = 55) impacted by 2017’s
Hurricane Harvey. It was hypothesized that not only would meaning and resilience be
significantly and positively related to life satisfaction but that meaning would contribute more to
the prediction of life satisfaction than resilience. Significant positive relationships were found
between meaning and life satisfaction (r = .51, p ≤ .05) and between resilience and life
satisfaction (r = .32, p ≤ .05) as was expected. After conducting a multiple regression analysis,
meaning was also found to significantly predict life satisfaction (β = .46, t(54) = 3.48, p = .001,
pr2 = .19), and did so to a greater extent than resilience (β = .13, t(54) = .97, p = .34, pr2 = .02),
which was not a statistically significant predictor in this instance. The implications of these
findings are discussed, along with study strengths, limitations, and directions for research
Conflict or Cooperation: How Climate Change is Transforming Geopolitics in the Arctic
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to show how climate change is transforming geopolitics in the Arctic by creating new economic opportunities leading to the increased militarization of Arctic nations. This thesis triangulates the current Arctic policy of member nations, economic resources and opportunities in the region, and the increased military presence in the region to demonstrate how a potential conflict may occur in the region if the current trend continues. This thesis aims to show how resource greed over non-contiguous territory and an increased military presence escalated tensions in the Arctic
The Chevron Bunionectomy for Moderate to Severe Deformity: Effects of Varying Procedural Factors in Hallux Valgus Correction
Get PDFWith growing popularity of minimally invasive surgery, the Chevron bunionectomy has been investigated for use in moderate to severe hallux valgus. This study investigates procedural components of lateral release, fixation, and 2nd digit procedures to evaluate effects on outcome. 109 out of 325 patients of a distal Chevron osteotomy with a minimum preoperative IMA of 15° completed the phone survey rating satisfaction and pain levels. Patients were contacted an average of 5.2 years postoperatively. 83% of patients reported being extremely to very satisfied with their outcome. Only 9 patients complained of current foot pain greater than or equal to 5 on a scale from 0 to 10 (with 0 being no pain). Intermetatarsal angle improved by an average of 7.2 degrees from 17.0 degrees preoperatively to 9.2 degrees postoperatively. Hallux valgus angle improved on average 20.5 degrees from 33.9 degrees preoperatively to 13.4 degrees postoperatively. Potential effects of risk factors on patient outcomes were also studied.
No impacts of health history or 2nd digit procedures were found on patient satisfaction, pain levels, or radiographical improvement. However, surgeries including a lateral release were found to significantly improve IMA correction (p<.01). No preference radiographically was discovered between open lateral release (OLR) and transarticular release (TAC). A higher rate of patients reported their satisfaction level of none to moderate for TAC (33%) than those without a release (17%) or OLR (12%). All measures comparing fixation methods proved unremarkable excluding a higher occurrence of K wire removal (40%) versus removal for bioabsorbable pins (10%). No cases of deep vein thrombosis or avascular necrosis were reported. Further studies investigating the differences between release types and frequency of implant removal are recommended
Understanding the Causes of Female Labor-Force Participation Stagnation in the U.S.
Get PDFThis thesis examines the stagnation and decline in U.S. women’s labor force participation from the 1990s onwards. Through literature analysis and economic theory, I determined that different subgroups in the U.S. female population between the ages of 25 and 54 had differing trends in labor supply behaviors. I then used regression analysis of U.S. Census data from years 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 to chart these behaviors and understand the groups facing the largest decline. Through my data, I found that uneducated mothers of young children were facing the largest decline, with an increasingly negative response as the decades progress, and driving the aggregate trends towards stagnation
Financial Accounting Fundamentals: A Series of Case Studies
Get PDFFinancial accounting is an area of study that encompasses a variety of topics and concepts. Understanding these concepts, both in theory and in practice, allow professionals and future professionals to have a firm foundation in the work they are expected to do. In order to develop this firm foundation of financial accounting, a series of case studies was completed. These cases covered concepts such as revenue recognition, shareholders’ equity, debt financing, and the like. Each case consisted of qualitative/quantitative information from a real company and a series of questions that allowed the student to explore the concepts and the intricacies of a real firm’s application of said concepts. This exploration not only served as an opportunity to explore real company financial documents, but it also augmented the process of learning financial accounting
Generational Expressions of Basque Nationalism
Get PDFThis work studies the difference in the expressions of Basque nationalism between the Basque youth and the older generations of the Basque population in the Basque Country of Spain, or Euskadi. I hypothesized that the Basque youth would express nationalism banally, or in everyday activities, while the older generations would be intentional and active in their expressions, due to the older generations’ experiences with the Franco regime and ETA, the Basque terrorist group. I researched using articles from a Basque newspaper, Euskal Irrati Telebista. I chose key words and searched through articles written in 2017. I also conducted a survey to ask questions pertaining to the respondents’ Basque identities, to measure nationalism as an aspect of one’s identity. I coded the articles and the survey responses. In conclusion, I found that both the groups were active, rather than banal, in Basque nationalist expressions, though the methods and topics of their nationalist expressions varied. Media was much more important to the youth, appealing to the influence of technology and digital capitalism. I also found that ETA and Franco did not impact the older generations’ expressions of nationalism nor their promotion of nationalism to the Basque youth. Independence was addressed more often among the older generations than the youth. Both groups found culture, language, violence, activism, and politics to be important in Euskadi