An alternative monetary aggregate: M2 plus household holdings of bond and equity mutual funds

Money supply ; Mutual funds

A Multiphase Iterative Mixed-Method Study Of Lay-Equipping Competencies Of Midwestern Adventist Pastors

The purpose of this Multiphase iterative mixed-method study is to determine if the lay equipping competency courses of a School of Divinity\u27s MDiv program influences the church discipleship programs of graduate lead pastors to develop partnership with their parishioners in ministry and commitment for their church\u27s mission. Burggraff (2015) attests that most evangelical churches in North America are in decline (p. 22). He and many other scholars believe that this general membership decline is due to a lack of emphasis on discipleship, by clergy (Burggraff, 2015). At this stage in the research, lay equipping competencies (LEC) will be generally defined as skills obtained by pastors that can help their parishioners grow in Christ, learn, and develop their spiritual gifts, and provide cooperative opportunities to use their gifts in the gospel ministry. The theory guiding this study is that pastors with more robust LECs are more effective at equipping their members for the gospel ministry (Hwang 2008, p. 177). Further, this study deems that the commitment levels of church parishioners and their partnership with their pastors are directly related to the implementation of LECs by their pastors

Post-Deployment Health Assessment in United States Service Members after Iraq Deployment: A Dissertation

The purpose of this study was to identify health and emotional-related issues of service members after a deployment to Iraq. Secondary data analysis and a cross-sectional descriptive design, were used to analyze data from the Department of Defense Post Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) database. The cognitive appraisal model of stress and coping (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) guided this study. Several statistical techniques were used including: frequency distributions cross tab evaluations, factor analysis, reliability calculations, regression analysis and tests for mediation. The study sample included 510, 352 service members (49,998 females, 460,349 males) with a mean age of 29 years. The sample represented all components and branches of the military. Of the total sample, 51.9% (n=264,777) saw wounded, killed or dead individuals and 22.1% (n=112,620) discharged their weapon in combat. Environmental exposures were an important source of stress. Exposures to sand and dust were the largest complaint (89.8% of the sample). Multiple physical symptoms were identified and 40% of the sample reported four or more symptoms (e.g. diarrhea, back pain, headache, fatigue). PTSD symptoms were identified in 11.8% (n = 60,200) and depressive symptoms in 26.5%, (n=123,808) of participants. Results of the study indicated that age, gender, rank, race/ethnicity, military component and branch were important predictors of emotional and health-related concerns in this sample. Appraisal variables (danger of being killed and exposure concerns) mediated the relationship between immediate (physical and depressive symptoms) and long term outcomes (health perception, PTSD symptoms) for the majority of the analyses; supporting the study hypothesis. However, length of deployment did not have a significant impact on stress-related outcomes in this study. Implications for practice, policy and future research are discussed

Examination of Amphibian Community and Environmental Relationships in South Texas Using Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Developing more efficient tools to assess amphibian biodiversity and understanding what environmental variables drive amphibian biodiversity are top priorities, as amphibians are facing extinction events across the globe. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are a promising new tool to asses amphibian biodiversity. Throughout the study eDNA metabarcoding along with a targeted eDNA assay and traditional survey methods were used to provide foundational information on amphibian community assemblages throughout South Texas. Water quality, habitat characteristics and soil composition data were collected and used to examine environmental relationships. eDNA metabarcoding detected significantly more amphibian taxonomic units compared to traditional survey methods. eDNA metabarcoding was less sensitive at detecting DNA from a rare-cryptic amphibian compared to a targeted eDNA assay. There were no significant groupings of amphibian communities, some environmental variables were found to be correlated to amphibian community structure

Developing a Monitoring Protocol for the Monkey River Watershed, Belize, Central America

The study of tropical aquatic systems has been limited. Research in developing countries can be challenging due to inadequate resources and cultural variety. Generally, efforts are concentrated on developing and maintaining economic stability rather than ecological sustainability. The aim of this project was to preliminarily develop and utilize a rapid bioassessment protocol (RBP) for the Monkey River watershed in Belize by determining which metrics best described overall stream health. Like biomonitoring protocols already established for temperate systems, a regional tropical aquatic watershed monitoring program should provide information including stream and watershed health. These protocols score systems on a variety of parameters including water chemistry, land use, stream physiognomy, and biological components. Since an understanding of tropical aquatic environments cannot be gained through studying temperate systems, this project was necessary. Human impacts are an important factor in aquatic systems. Changes in land use practices in a watershed can drastically alter stream processes. The RPB used measures of basic water chemistry and stream morphometrics. The protocol included categorical assessment of biological attributes of each reach. Land cover was determined using satellite imagery and ground truth data. Results from human impact assessment, land cover determination, and the RBP were compared to show trends in the aquatic ecosystem of the Monkey River basin. Few factors measured using the RBP showed significant trends with regard to human impact. Temperature, pH, fish, and algae all showed trends with increasing human impacts. PCA showed that pH, specific conductivity, depth, and riparian zone width were important in determining differences among sites. Future studies including continuous monitoring of land use and stream ecosystems may show evidence of how land affects streams in Belize

Mihai Gheorghiade, MD-Life and Concepts

How do you capture an idea, shape it, and then bring it into the world? Of his many talents, this ability was a fundamental characteristic of Mihai Gheorghiade. A quick glance through PubMed confirms his prodigious output, likely to overwhelm any novice or even expert scholar. His contribution to heart failure, especially acute heart failure (AHF), is profound, He authored several major concepts in acute heart failure, disseminated further by his students. Most concepts remained indelibly linked to his name: Digoxin trials research(1–3), AHFS (acute heart failure syndromes) definition(4), hemodynamic congestion(5), hospitalized heart failure (HHF) (6), the vulnerable phase(7,8), neutral hemodynamic agents(9), registries(10–12) and pre-trial registries(13), the “6-axis model”(14) and then the “8-axis model”(15). His work shaped the field of AHF