Interpretation of the 115 Day Periodic Modulation in the X-ray Flux of NGC 5408 X-1

We comment on the recent observation of a 115-day modulation in the X-ray flux of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5408 X-1, and in particular, the interpretation of this modulation as the orbital period. We suggest that this modulation may instead be due to a precessing jet, and is thus superorbital in nature. Comparing the properties of this ULX with those of the prototypical microquasar SS 433, we argue that NGC 5408 X-1 is very similar to SS 433: a hyper-accreting stellar mass black hole in a shorter-period binary. If the analogy holds, the 115-day modulation is best explained by the still poorly-understood physics of inner-disc/jet precession and a longer observing baseline would be able to reveal an intrinsic phase jitter that is associated with such a precession.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, Accepted for publication in Ap

One Schools Turnaround Journey: Facing Reality, Determining the Big Rocks, and Keeping the Eye on the Prize

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Kelly A. Foster on April 19, 2013

The Book of Kelly\u27s

Published by Zeus Publishing, Dublin in 1995. Designed by Paul Rattigan, cover illustration by Alan Nolan, origination by Colour Repro ltd., printed by Impress Printing Works Ltd.https://arrow.tudublin.ie/irckbooks/1106/thumbnail.jp

Effects of urbanisation and landscape heterogeneity mediated by feeding guild and body size in a community of coprophilous beetles

Although the impacts of urbanisation on biodiversity are well studied, the precise response of some invertebrate groups remains poorly known. Dung-associated beetles are little studied in an urban context, especially in temperate regions. We considered how landscape heterogeneity, assessed at three spatial scales (250, 500 and 1000 metre radius), mediates the community composition of coprophilous beetles on a broad urban gradient. Beetles were sampled using simple dung-baited traps, placed at 48 sites stratified across three distance bands around a large urban centre in England. The most urban sites hosted the lowest abundance of saprophagous beetles, with a lower mean body length relative to the least urban sites. Predicted overall species richness and the richness of saprophagous species were also lowest at the most urban sites. Ordination analyses followed by variation partitioning revealed that landscape heterogeneity across the urban gradient explained a small but significant proportion of community composition. Heterogeneity data for a 500-metre radius around each site provided the best fit with beetle community data. Larger saprophagous species were associated with lower amounts of manmade surface and improved grassland. Some individual species, particularly predators, appeared to be positively associated with urban or urban fringe sites. This study is probably the first to examine the response of the whole coprophilous beetle community to urbanisation. Our results suggest that the response of this community to urbanisation matches expectations based on other taxonomic groups, whilst emphasising the complex nature of this response, with some smaller-bodied species potentially benefitting from urbanisation

Investigating Perceptions of Health in the U.S: The Interplay of Religion and Sociodemographic Characteristics

Despite advances in healthcare, health disparities remain globally. This study investigates the complex relationship between religion, income, age, race, and overall health. In particular, I investigated how religious affiliation and practices affect perceptions of overall health while controlling for socio-demographic and economic factors such as gender, race, and income. This study contributes to a better understanding of the multifaceted determinants of health. Existing literature suggests a nuanced interplay between religion and/or spirituality, socio-demographic characteristics, and various health outcomes (Koenig et al., 2013). While some studies highlight the positive contributions of religion and spirituality to mental and/or physical health (Roger & Hatala, 2018; Oman & Lukoff, 2018; Shattuck & Muehlenbein, 2020), it is crucial to note that these effects are not always uniform across the board. Overall health can be influenced by factors such as religious denomination, individual characteristics, and the broader socio-demographic context (Hood et al., 2009; Koenig et al., 2013). I used the General Social Survey (GSS) 2022 dataset with a representative sample of 3,544 U.S. adults, 18 and above, living in noninstitutional housing at the time of the interview. The dataset also had 601 additional completes from an oversample of Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents from the NORC AmeriSpeak® Panel. In the survey, respondents provided information on gender, race, income, and their religious background (attendance and affiliation). The family income (coninc) and religious attendance (attend) variables assess the inflation-adjusted total family income for respondents ranging between $1 and$999,999 and self-reported levels of religious attendance, respectively. For this analysis, I ran an ordinal logistic regression to determine if there is a significant relationship between religion, race, gender, and income and the overall self-reported health of respondents. The full analysis is ongoing but preliminary analysis and existing literature indicate that the predictor variables (religious attendance, race, gender, and family income) have a significant impact on respondent’s perceptions of overall health, albeit to varying degrees. The most notable predictors of overall health are attendance in religious services, race, and family income with religious preference and gender not appearing to have any significant impact on health

Determinants of mental health outcome among East Tennessee State University (ETSU) college students

Introduction: Mental health remains a critical subject affecting students\u27 academic performance among college students (Wyatt et al., 2017). The incidence and severity of mental health issues are increasing among college students, and such issues pose a threat to health and academic performance. Previous research focused on college students\u27 specific status, for instance, freshman year, and how mental health influences their academic performance (Chemers et al., 2001). There is scanty research that explains how certain variables provide understanding regarding outcomes that impact mental health among college students. These outcomes remain underexplored regarding influencing students\u27 educational performances and experience (Pachucki et al., 2015). Purpose: The primary purpose of the study is to examine determinants of mental health and their related academic impact on East Tennessee State University Students (ETSU) college students as a whole with emphasis on gender, domestic, and international students. Subjects and Methods: The subject of the study is mainly ETSU college students comprising both full-time and online students. Secondary data is the main data source for this study and unit of analysis. Responses from 2,354 ETSU college students about mental health and academics from the State of the University Survey 2022 were examined on questions related to self-reported depression symptoms. These include how often the person has experienced anxiety, troubled sleeping, feeling hopeless, dejected, and loneliness using a chi-square test. Results: A chi-square test of significance was run to determine differences in 5 different dimensions of self-reported mental health. Variations in mental health outcomes were found by classification of college students by gender status. There was a significant difference between males and females regarding mental health outcomes as reported by gender status, X^2 (3, N = 2354) = 25.51, p \u3c 0.05. Results indicate that generally speaking, women report poorer mental health outcomes more frequently than their male counterparts. Conclusions and Recommendations: Findings indicate one\u27s mental health status is very critical to promoting academic performance and strategies to prevent mental health issues or negative academic effects, which have implications on students\u27 academic experience and programs. The findings are essential to inform policies and recommend suggestions to improve students\u27 mental health outcomes and academic excellence among college students