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Surveys of Aphonopelma hentzi in Missouri: Conservation Efforts through Population, Genetics, and Habitat Studies
Get PDFAphonopelma hentzi and other tarantula species are greatly understudied organisms. In the Missouri regions there is little knowledge on their mating patterns, gene diversity, or population sizes. The focal glades in this experiment display regional fragmentation, which could prevent tarantulas from traveling and mating between regions of their glades. Due to the lack of knowledge surrounding them, methods for determining gene diversity are harmful to the organism. Our recent work has shown that it is possible to extract genetic information from the molts of burrowing tarantulas. This will allow us to safely determine the lineages and interbreeding patterns of the tarantula populations within our focal regions in Missouri. Through utilizing ISSR analysis and determining Wright\u27s F statistic for each population it will be possible to follow the gene flow patterns
Hope for the Unhoused: Medical treatment access and retention among unhoused individuals with Opioid Use Disorder in the St. Louis region
Get PDFMedical treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) can be highly effective, but may be particularly difficult to access among individuals who are unhoused. This study investigated how experiencing insecure housing affects the receipt of and retention rates of MOUD among participants in the St. Louis region’s Engaging Patients in Care Coordination (EPICC)—a peer-based program designed to connect people with evidence-based OUD treatment. We hypothesized EPICC clients who were unhoused received MOUD less often than clients who were housed, and that EPICC clients who were unhoused were retained in treatment for shorter periods of time than EPICC clients who were housed. Analyses were based on 2020-2022 data from the EPICC database, which contained counts of housed and unhoused individuals, whether or not they received initial MOUD, and whether or not they were retained in treatment at the 30-day, three month, and six month timepoints. Chi-square tests indicated initial receipt rates of MOUD of both housed and unhoused individuals were similarly high, at 93% and 92% for housed and unhoused individuals, respectively. Additionally, there were no differences in retention rates between housed and unhoused individuals at 30 days, three months, and six months. Results did not support the initial hypotheses predicting lower MOUD receipt and retention among unhoused individuals. Rather, findings suggest efforts by the EPICC program are comparably effective in reaching both groups. Given these results, the question of if a program such as EPICC works may not be as important as how and why. Further research is needed to identify which aspects of the EPICC program are most actively facilitating the MOUD receipt and retention among unhoused individuals. Investigating these aspects may aid in streamlining and expanding programs like EPICC to other areas throughout the country
Effects of Beauveria bassiana on the Mortality and Thorax Width of Bombus impatiens Colonies
Get PDFPesticides are widely used to protect against unwanted insects, but risk assessments of the effects on pollinators have traditionally only been applied on an individual level, not a population level. This has allowed many pesticides to be approved without the knowledge of sub-lethal effects, such as life history characteristics and population structure to name a few. The biopesticide BotaniGard, containing the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, has previously been thought to be safe for non-targeted insects, but recent studies have found it to have significant negative effects on pollinators. Such negative effects can include decrease in longevity and odorant responsiveness with an increase in sucrose sensitivity and mortality rates.
Most of the current literature of the effects of BotaniGard on pollinators is limited to honeybees. However, it is important to explore this question in other native pollinators as well, such as the bumblebee Bombus impatiens. This species is an important pollinator because it is essential for both greenhouse pollination and agricultural pollination. An important factor in bumblebee survivability is body size as its variability allows them to be less susceptible to environmental changes, with smaller bees tending to be less impacted by starvation
Tritons United: Against Gender-Based Violence
Get PDFThis project presents the campus interventions UMSL’s Tritons United: Against Gender-Based Violence has been able to accomplish under the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women’s campus programming grant.We explain the goals of Tritons United and the structure of our Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT). Tritons United was established in 2019, and since then has implemented 6 campus education and 3 professional training curriculums on UMSL’s campus, one of which was developed by our team, and others are facilitated by in conjunction with our community partnering agencies and help from the Tritons United CCRT. The current campus interventions are outlined in the Available Trainings portion of the poster. We have also received multiple positive reviews from the trainings we have provided, as shown in the Training Outcomes section of our presentation. Finally, we have included ways to contact our team, as well as important dates surrounding gender-based violence. Lastly, we included some of the awareness materials that we provide to the UMSL campus community, including posters that you will see in the upcoming months
Community Engagement: Hungarian Cultural Center
Get PDFThis project outlines the community engagement efforts undertaken within the Pierre Laclede Honors College. Collaborating with the Hungarian Cultural Center at Mary of Victories Church, our class embarked on a multifaceted endeavor. Firstly, we recorded oral histories, transforming them into engaging videos for digital platforms. Secondly, we curated a Hungarian cookbook featuring authentic community recipes for fundraising purposes. Lastly, we crafted a comprehensive poster timeline highlighting significant milestones for the Center. Through these initiatives, we aim to celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Hungarian community in St. Louis
Implementation of Skin-to-Skin Immediately Post C-Section: A Pilot Study
Get PDFSkin-to-skin contact during the golden hour is a practice that has numerous health benefits following the delivery of a newborn. These benefits include a healthy transition to extrauterine state, initiation of breastfeeding, thermoregulation, and more. However, the mode of delivery affects how often this practice is done. Parents who deliver vaginally are routinely offered the opportunity to perform skin-to-skin immediately after delivery whereas birth parents who deliver by cesarean section are not always offered this same benefit due to various reasons. A quality improvement project was conducted on an 18-bed labor and delivery unit at a Midwest hospital. This project followed a descriptive, observational, and pre-post-test design. The goal was to evaluate the rates of skin-to-skin contact documented within two hours after birth and the time to initiation of skin-to-skin contact between April and May 2024 on all non-emergent, term cesarean births for one month following implementation of the infant securement device in the OR. The total number of participants for this study was n=32. The results showed that the rates of skin-to-skin increased from an average of 46% between January to April to 70% in May 2024 post-implementation. The results also showed that in April 2024, the time to initiation was approximately 51.50 minutes before implementation and in May 2024, for participants who used the infant securement device, the time to initiation was approximately 12 minutes. These findings yielded positive, significant results with a p = 0.014 for the rates of skin-to-skin contact and a
Effects of Fungal Biopesticide Doses on Mortality in Bumble Bees
Get PDFAgricultural practices often include the use of pesticides to produce meaningful crop yields. While the pesticide may be used to target “pest” insects (e.g. thrips, aphids, whiteflies), it can also have negative effects on important pollinating insects such as bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been found responsible for widespread decline in bee biodiversity, and were even banned in Europe (Sgolastra et al. 2020) . Beauveria bassiana, sold as Botanigard, on the other hand, is a fungal biopesticide that is marketed to be a safer alternative for bees, and has been found to have other possibly harmful effects to the inner workings of the hive in honey bees (Carlesso et al. 2020). I challenged this notion that B. bassiana has little to no effect on bee mortality, by testing individual bees of the species Bombus impatiens. By dosing bees in a range of concentrations of Botanigard, I can see how they are individually affected by B. bassiana inoculation. I collected death per day and average survival time post dose, thorax width, and mycosis assessments (death due to fungal exposure). Bumble bees are of interest in addition to honey bees due to their more widespread and native ranges. Determining the impacts related to their thorax sizes could show important differences in resilience. This data will ultimately confirm dosage methods for the main experiment looking at sublethal impacts on the same system
A Systematic Review of Trauma-Informed Care in Applied Behavior Analysis
Get PDFAlthough the use of trauma-informed care (TIC) has been featured in the delivery of different human services fields, its integration in applied behavior analysis (ABA) is scarce. The purpose of this research was to determine how many empirical studies include both principles of behavior analysis as well as TIC. The findings imply that, while research in this area is very limited, including TIC in ABA may improve treatment outcomes, particularly for people with complicated trauma histories and many restrictive measures. This review revealed a significant literature gap regarding specific frameworks and guidelines for effectively integrating TIC into ABA practices. Addressing this gap requires more research to create standardized guidelines and templates in order to train practitioners adequately to handle these issues. Future research should focus on practical ways to use TIC principles in ABA settings to improve outcomes and address ethical issues in behavior change.
Keywords: applied behavior analysis, behavior analysis, trauma-informed care, trauma, meta-analysi
Disruptive Clinician Behavior: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Non-native English-speaking Nurses
Get PDFBackground: Disruptive clinician behaviors among healthcare staff are an increasing concern, negatively affecting patient safety. In 2015, 16% of nurses in the U.S. were foreign-born (Shaffer et al., 2022), and 25% of New York and California nurses were immigrants (Shaffer et al., 2021). Nurses\u27 migration to the U.S. has been exploding. Non-native English-speaking nurses experience complications, problems, and discord in their workplace with coworkers.
Aim: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore and understand non-native English-speaking nurses’ experiences with disruptive clinician behaviors in the U.S.
Specific aims were to 1) create a comprehensive description of the experiences of disruptive clinician behavior of non-native English-speaking nurses in the US, 2) identify responses of non-native English-speaking nurses toward disruptive clinician behavior, and 3) discover the impacts of disruptive clinician behavior on patient care activities.
Methods: Qualitative descriptive method was utilized to explore the status of experiences with disruptive clinician behavior for non-native English-speaking nurses.
Data collection: Semi-structured interviews were conducted as the primary data source.
Sampling: Purposive and snowball sample sampling were utilized to recruit twenty participants. Inclusion criteria were 1) age between 20 and 65, 2) working as non-native English-speaking licensed nurses (licensed practical/vocational or registered), 3) have experienced or seen disruptive clinician behavior at their clinical workplaces. Exclusion criteria were 1) age below 20 and over 65, 2) nurses working outside clinical settings (schools, industries, and community).
Analysis: This study utilized the phases of thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke (2006) to gain a comprehensive understanding of disruptive clinician behavior and develop a nuanced interpretation of findings. The scholars analyzed transcripts using NVIVO software to find meaning units and themes. The study discovered sixty-five codes, which were then classified into eight themes and twelve sub-themes. This study explores the experiences of non-native English-speaking nurses dealing with disruptive clinician behavior, offering insight for native English-speaking clinicians. The study\u27s findings can help healthcare organizations improve policies on workplace incivility. It can be a stepping stone for future research to develop education that promotes positive clinician behavior and fosters a more respectful work environment
The Influence of News Media on ESG Ratings: Analyzing Media Sentiment Around ESG Rating Changes
No full textThis dissertation investigates the complex relationship between media sentiment and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, a pressing issue highlighted by the lack of transparency in the adjustments to ratings from some agencies and not others. The research aims to empirically examine the extent to which news media narratives influence ESG scores and contribute to discrepancies among rating agencies. With ESG investing becoming increasingly significant, as evidenced by the rise in global assets under management in ESG funds, the accuracy and reliability of ESG scores are of increasing importance to investors, policymakers, and academics.
The study explores the potential of media sentiment analysis as a method to bridge the gap between objective and subjective aspects of ESG evaluations.
By scrutinizing the causes and implications of inconsistencies in ESG ratings, the dissertation seeks to shed light on the role of media sentiment in shaping these assessments and to encourage the development of more standardized rating practices. This work is crucial for enhancing transparency and promoting greater standardization among the various rating agencies. Furthermore, it contributes to the finance and investment literature by providing insights into the risk-return profiles influenced by ESG factors, with the goal of fostering ethical and sustainable growth in the global economy