Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Jazz Recital, James Lykens, bass

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Eastern Christianity and the Rise of Islam: Seventh to Twelfth Centuries

Marc Bloch once said, Christianity is a religion of historians. It is true. Christians base faith on the events of the past and the wrestling of putting down in words statements of belief in the form of creeds. We can point out the day and year in which a council forms faith and in some cases the very hour of the day. The Christian faith believes the prophetic events of the Old Testament (which are themselves rooted in actual events of the time of their utterance) which predicted the birth, life, death, ascension, and the return again of Jesus Christ. It is not the council and paper that gave life to the faith but the very flesh and blood of those who lived and died for these histories; the blood of martyrs acting as seed which sprouted new life in the hearts of others who witnessed these events. As a historian looks back on past events he/she keeps one eye open towards the future. In many ways the study of our past enlightens our present and in tum gives direction for the future. To neglect the past or to distort it to fulfill some personal agenda does an injustice to those who lived before us and those who will live after us. May they be so condemned and harshly. To some this may be \u27just a Master Thesis,\u27 but I trust that what is written in these pages will reflect the reality of the events so described and with it gain an understanding of our today as we step into tomorrow

Kenyan Climate Variation Assessment through Rainfall Anomalies and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Correlations

The diverse and varied climate of Eastern Africa’s Kenya is home to an agriculturally dependent populace, in which farmers and other related economic sectors make up the majority of livelihoods and gross domestic product. Recurring droughts and severe flooding are major concerns for local farmers and governmental entities. The purpose of this study is to identify and categorize differences in rainfall trends over Kenya and to examine relationships between seasonal rainfall anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST), with an ultimate goal to improve predictions of wet season rainfall amounts. The analysis began with data from 27 national and cooperative weather stations. Several of these records were short and incomplete; therefore, a gridded and complete alternative data set was obtained with data dating back to 1901. Graphical comparisons of seasonal cycles within the country presented two distinct climate regions: Rift Valley and Eastern Kenya. The gridded data for each region was used to observe correlations with SST values in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. During March – May, there are weak positive correlations in the equatorial western Pacific that are unlikely to be of much value to forecasters, while a strong relationship exists during the short wet season. Interannual trends show a decrease in rainfall during the long rainy season (March-May) in both regions, while an increase in rainfall is observed during the short rainy season (October-November). These results ultimately confirm a large drying trend for the long wet season in both climate regions, a problematic result for an agriculturally dependent nation

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in U.S. Older Women: Findings from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2003 & 2004

The purpose of this study was to examine racial and ethnic variations in the modifiable CVD risk factors in older women (65 years and older). The study data was drawn from the merged 2003 and 2004 national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Multinomial regression analyses for indicator outcome and multiple logistic regression analyses for binary outcomes were performed to determine the relationship between each of the six dependent variable and the independent variables. Compared to older white women, older black women had significantly higher odds of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. No significant association was found between Hispanics and hypertension. However Hispanics were found to be more likely to have diabetes and no leisure-time physical activity compared to whites. Hispanics were also found to have lower odds of smoking compared to whites. American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) s were found to have significantly higher odds of diabetes and obesity compared to whites. No significant association between AIANs and smoking was found. Overall, there are striking racial and ethnic differences in the CVD risk factors among older U.S women after controlling for socio-economic status. It is evident from these findings that in designing interventions to reduce cardiovascular risks for elderly women, clearly “one size does not fit all.” These findings highlight the need for development and implementation of appropriate public health programs aimed at these various target communities

Ethics, Physician Incentives and Managed Care

The authors review the principle features of the managed care system in an effort to understand the ethical assumptions inherent in managed care. The interrelationships among physician incentives, responsibilities of patients and the physician-patient relationship are examined in light of the ethical concerns identified in the managed care system. The managed care system creates ethical tensions for those who influence the allocation of scare resources. Managed care’s administrative controls have increasingly changed the doctor-patient relationship to the business person-consumer relationship. Managed care goals of quality and access demand that physicians be both patient advocate and organizational advocate, even though these roles seem to conflict. A reemphasis of managed care’s moral mission is essential for enabling physicians, patients, payers and policymakers to fulfill their new role and to preserve the fidelity of the doctor-patient relationship

Marshall University Music Department Presents the Marshall University Symphonic Band, Ben F. Miller, Conductor, Lee Ann Lykens, Graduate Student Conductor

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Preservation of Biosignature Molecules in Potential Sample Return Container of the Mars 2020 Mission

Preservation of Biosignature Molecules in Potential Sample Return Container of the Mars 2020 Mission Kimberly Lykens1 and Fei Chen2 1Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio 45501 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, 91109 One requirement for sustainable life on terrestrial planets includes the presence of organic polymers, compounds that are essential for major biological functions such as replication and catalysis. An identified goal of the Mars mission in the year 2020 is to implement a sample-return to identify and validate signs of life on Mars through the discovery of biosignature molecules in Martian core samples. Martian core samples recovered during a sample-return mission will likely remain in contact with a metal container for anywhere up to ten years; therefore, understanding how molecular evidence of life will interact with the potential metals over time is important in ensuring true data upon sample return. Three types of organic molecules, Adenosine triphosphate, amino acids, and bacterial endotoxins, were used to represent biosignature molecules. These organic molecules were recovered from separate coupons composed of the potential metals for the sample return container: titanium, stainless steel, and the unique shape-memory metal alloy of nickel titanium. Known concentrations of the organic molecules were individually placed on the three different metal coupons and corrosion tests using electrolysis on Mars simulate soil samples were imposed on the prepared metal coupons to replicate metal decay overtime. These organic molecules were recovered from the coupon surfaces and the appropriate assay procedure for each molecule was conducted to evaluate the preservation of biosignatures after the electrochemical corrosion of metals. The effectiveness of each metal in preserving molecular indicators of life will be evaluated and used in determining the material composition of the sample container. Choosing the most suitable metal for the container will ultimately ensure sample integrity and biosignature preservation for sample testing upon return

Physician Incentives: Managed Care and Ethics

The authors review the principle features of the managed care system in an effort to understand the ethical assumptions inherent in managed care. The interrelationships among physician incentives, responsibilities of patients and the physician-patient relationship are examined in light of the ethical concerns identified in the managed care system. The managed care system creates ethical tensions for those who influence the allocation of scare resources. Managed care\u27s administrative controls have increasingly changed the doctor-patient relationship to the businessperson-consumer relationship. Managed care goals of quality and access demand that physicians be both patient advocate and organizational advocate, even though these roles seem to conflict. A reemphasis of managed care\u27s moral mission is essential for enabling physicians, patients, payers and policymakers to fulfill their new role and to preserve the fidelity of the doctor-patient relationship

Organizational Culture in a Terminally Ill Hospital

This study analyzed an organizational culture in a community hospital in Texas to measure organizational culture change and its impact on Patient Satisfaction (PS). The study employed primary and secondary data, combining quantitative and qualitative methods for a case study. Participant observation was used and archival data were collected to provide a better understanding of the organizational culture and the context in which change was taking place. This study also applied a “Shared Vision” of the organization as the central process in bringing forth the knowledge shared by members of the community hospital who were both subjects and research participants. The results from the study suggest an increase in PS due to the shared vision of one subculture within the hospital. There were powerful subcultures in this organization based on occupation and specialization, and their interests and functional orientations were not conducive to a systems approach. Hospital management was conducted in “silos” and there was lack of feedback between organizational levels of the hospital, especially in financial management, with organizational dysfunctionality in reacting and adapting to the health care market

Pulmonary impairment after tuberculosis and its contribution to TB burden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The health impacts of pulmonary impairment after tuberculosis (TB) treatment have not been included in assessments of TB burden. Therefore, previous global and national TB burden estimates do not reflect the full consequences of surviving TB. We assessed the burden of TB including pulmonary impairment after tuberculosis in Tarrant County, Texas using Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>TB burden was calculated for all culture-confirmed TB patients treated at Tarrant County Public Health between January 2005 and December 2006 using identical methods and life tables as the Global Burden of Disease Study. Years of life-lost were calculated as the difference between life expectancy using standardized life tables and age-at-death from TB. Years lived-with-disability were calculated from age and gender-specific TB disease incidence using published disability weights. Non-fatal health impacts of TB were divided into years lived-with-disability-acute and years lived-with-disability-chronic. Years lived-with-disability-acute was defined as TB burden resulting from illness prior to completion of treatment including the burden from treatment-related side effects. Years lived-with-disability-chronic was defined as TB burden from disability resulting from pulmonary impairment after tuberculosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 224 TB cases in the time period, of these 177 were culture confirmed. These 177 subjects lost a total of 1189 DALYs. Of these 1189 DALYs 23% were from years of life-lost, 2% were from years lived-with-disability-acute and 75% were from years lived-with-disability-chronic.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings demonstrate that the disease burden from TB is greater than previously estimated. Pulmonary impairment after tuberculosis was responsible for the majority of the burden. These data demonstrate that successful TB control efforts may reduce the health burden more than previously recognized.</p