IMPACT OF NEW FARM BILL PROVISIONS ON OPTIMAL RESOURCE ALLOCATION ON HIGHLY ERODIBLE SOILS

The study focuses on incentives to produce crops under reduced tillage systems on highly erodible soils. A mixed integer, mathematical programming model was developed to identify optimal resource use under alternative farm program provisions. A positive counter cyclical payment only reinforces the incentive to comply with NRCS soil erosion constrains.Crop Production/Industries,

Explaining Student Debt Levels at Kansas Universities

Student debt levels in graduates have historically risen each year. As undergraduate students, it is important for us to analyze what factors lead to more or less student debt. Our null hypothesis for our research is that there is no statistical relationship between costs of attendance and average student debt levels. When measuring costs of attendance, we determined that it was best to use tuition and costs as our first independent variable. we also decided to include the average estimated grant or scholarship aid for full-time beginning undergraduate students and the average ACT scores. Average ACT scores are included because higher ACT scores result in more scholarship aid offered by universities. These two explanatory variables help explain the correlation between costs of attendance and student debt

Student Lifestyle Choices and Perceptions of Stress Based on Majors

College students are often experience many stressors. This study was designed to look at perceived-stress and health habits with relation to academic department of undergraduate students at Cedarville University. The results of this study have implications for the Physical Activity and the Christian Life (PACL) class, offered on the Cedarville campus, in assessing its current curriculum and making potential future adjustments to the course. The objective of this study was to answer the question: “Do perceived stress levels within different academic departments affect health habits in Cedarville University undergraduate students?” The study was conducted with a campus-wide, 27 question survey using Qualtrics software via email. The survey was primarily comprised of close-ended questions using Likert scales and Cohen’s Perceived Stress scale to quantify perceived stress level, exercise habits, and eating habits. Included in the survey was an agreement to Informed Consent which ensured response anonymity. Inclusion criteria specified that the student had to be 18 years or older to participate. 535 students responded to the survey; 206 male participants (38.5%) and 329 female participants (61.5%). Students were asked to identify their academic department, year and gender. The Engineering and Computer Science department had the highest perceived stress at 15.4% of all the participants, the Nursing at 14.1% and Science and mathematics at (11.8%). It was found that juniors had the highest collective stress among most majors on the perceived stress scale. 71% of participants ranked Academic/school work as the main stressor that they dealt with on a daily basis. 10.9% of participants ranked Relationships second. Junior-year females in science-based departments experienced more perceived stress than males within the same departments. It was hypothesized that higher stress levels would increase poor food choices among Cedarville students, however, the results do not confirm that hypothesis. Results of the survey showed that most of the campus consumed a normal amount of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Data relating the amount of exercise in relation to academic department shows that the most stressful majors have the highest incidence of exercise. The Nursing Department had the most participants who exercised 3 to 4 times a week. Engineering and Computer Science Department was second and the Science and Mathematics Department in third. Questions relating to the PACL class were asked regarding the course and how well stress management techniques were integrated into the curriculum. These questions were included in order to evaluate the effects that the PACL course had upon students and their stress management capabilities. Recommendations for further research would be to add a personality questionnaire; questions related to drug and alcohol consumption could also be added to the original survey

The Seven Words of the Virgin: Identifying Change in the Discourse Context of the Concept of Virginity in Early Modern English

No abstract available

American Indians and COVID-19: Morbidity and Mortality Disparities among Indigenous Populations in the Rural South

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities among indigenous populations, with those in rural settings facing compounded barriers.Purpose To investigate morbidity and mortality experiences among hospitalized, COVID-19+ American Indian adults from rural and urban settings.Methods The described cross-sectional study used retrospective discharge data from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Hennepin County Medical Center. Adults (≥ age 18) admitted from January 1, 2020 to August 8, 2021with a COVID-19 diagnosis and known race were included.Results A total of 3,659 inpatients met inclusion criteria. Among adults hospitalized with COVID-19 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, American Indians (n=73) had the highest mean comorbidity risk score (11.2, SD 8.1) and unadjusted mortality rate (42%) among all races. Among adults hospitalized with COVID-19 at Hennepin County Medical Center, American Indians (n=62) had the second lowest comorbidity risk score (6.1, SD 10.7) and the lowest unadjusted mortality rate (6%). American Indian mortality disparities persisted after controlling for age, sex, and comorbidity risk.Conclusion Hospitalized American Indians from predominantly rural settings experienced significant morbidity and COVID-19 mortality disparities when compared to native persons in predominantly urban environments, or Blacks and Whites in either setting. Compounded disparities faced by rural, indigenous populations must be addressed

Following the Science: the role of the academic medical center in the COVID-19 pandemic

This article reviews the experience and role of an academic medical center in a response to the COVID-19 pandemic