Keeping Marriage in the Black: Exploring the Effects of Budgeting and Money Management on Marital Satisfaction

Financial issues are often a major area of contention in any marriage. The Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised and a series of researcher-created questions were given to 109 married people to ascertain financial behaviors as they relate to marital satisfaction in the marriage. The current research shows that there was no significant difference found between marital satisfaction scores on MSI-R and financial behaviors; however, there was much information to be gained that shows that there may be some relationship between marital satisfaction and financial behaviors. The current research indicates that there may be some relationship between communication skills and good financial practices in a marriage, although no significant relationships were established. This study was intended to enhance awareness of financial issues in marriages for professionals. In addition, it hopes to encourage helping professionals to become knowledgeable in financial matters as they relate to marital satisfaction, so that they are properly equipped to deal with one of the major factors in marital discord and divorce

A Comparison of the Final Grades of Campus-based Students and Distance Learning Students taking the Common Core Courses in the Occupational and Technical Studies Curriculum

To find the solution to this problem, the following hypothesis was established: There will be no significant differences in grades between Occupational and Technical Studies common core courses taken via ODU\u27s TELETECHNET Distance learning program and campus-based classes as determined by grades earned by participating students

Perle Noire: Meditations for Josephine - Aesthetics, Discussion, and Reception

This dissertation, organized in two parts, is comprised of an essay on my song cycle Perle Noire: Meditations for Josephine and its scores. Perle Noire consists of a flexible musical score that I composed for soprano Julia Bullock, select members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, and myself, with two performance editions. The primary edition, which stems from part of a production conceived of by theater director Peter Sellars, includes recited poetry about Josephine Baker by Claudia Rankine and choreography by Michael Schumacher. The second edition is a musical performance with neither poetic texts nor choreography. The world premiere of Perle Noire took place at the 2016 Ojai Music Festival in California, with subsequent performances at Lincoln Center in New York; Da Camera in Houston, Texas; and the Stony Island Arts Center in Chicago, Illinois. The entire performance of the 90-minute song cycle entails the following five recompositions and one “head arrangement” for a mixed ensemble of improviser-performers and soprano: Part I—1. Bye Bye Blackbird, 2. Sous le Ciel d’Afrique, 3. C’est ca le Vrai Bonheur and Madiana (medley); Part II—4. Si J’etais Blanche, 5. C’est Lui, 6. Terre Seche (Negro Spiritual). The essay centers on the compositions in Part II of Perle Noire: “Si J’etais Blanche,” “C’est Lui,” and “Terre Seche” (Negro Spiritual). To begin, I briefly discuss my aesthetic exigencies in relation to the Black creative musics initiated during the latter part of the twentieth century as well as the inspiration informing the creation of this song cycle. Next, I discuss the aforementioned songs to demonstrate how my aesthetics play out in this work. Finally, I detail the controversial critical reception of the song cycle’s world premiere performance and my response to it

Predictors of Persistence Among Community College Adult and Traditional-Aged Students

Previous literature has documented the high attrition rates for community college students. Beyond raw data, research has demonstrated that predictors of higher education persistence may include a student\u27s background characteristics, a student\u27s external commitments, institutional influences, and a combination thereof. However, empirical research on the persistence of community college students is scarce, and even fewer studies address the differential predictors of persistence between adult and traditional-aged students. The present study examined the predictors of institutional persistence among adult and traditional-aged degree-seeking, first-time enrollees at a public, multi-campus two-year community college in southeast Virginia. A random sample comprised of 350 traditional-aged and 350 adult students were encouraged to complete a survey questionnaire to measure the following major constructs under study: individual attributes; student enrollment characteristics; external commitments; goal support; intent and commitments; academic integration; and, social integration. The following semester, the previous semester\u27s fall grade-point average was extracted. The enrollment status of each participant was also extracted to determine who had persisted at the institution. Using descriptive discriminant function analysis and Independent-Samples t Tests, the predictors of persistence were examined to determine if there are identifiable predictors of institutional persistence for first-time, degree-seeking community college students. These statistical tests were also used to assess if there are differential predictors of institutional persistence between traditional-aged and adult first-time, degree-seeking community college students. This study found that there are identifiable predictors of institutional persistence for first-time, degree-seeking community college students. Encouragement and support from friends and family in attending the college discriminated most powerfully between persisters and withdrawers, although social integration, degree utility, academic integration, and institutional commitment also contributed significantly to differentiating the two groups. The current study also found differential predictors of institutional persistence between the traditional-aged and adult students. For traditional-aged students, encouragement and support, academic integration, fall grade-point average, and an expressed intent to leave were most predictive of institutional persistence or withdrawal. Chief among the predictors of persistence for adult students were social integration, institutional commitment, degree utility, encouragement and support, finances, an expressed intent to leave, and academic integration

Paleoclimatology and Paleotempestology Study of Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef, Belize through Geochemical Proxies

A large Pleistocene age sinkhole, the Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea is the site of a well preserved sedimentary record that serves as paleoclimatology and paleotempestology archive. The nutrient-starved surface waters of the Blue Hole and the surrounding lagoons are “fertilized” by the seasonal introduction of cool, nutrient-rich waters upwelled from the Caribbean deep water. These waters, which stimulate production of organic materials within the surface waters, carry a heightened isotopic signature that is imparted to the organics resultant from upwelling-induced production. These organics are then incorporated into the predominantly carbonate sediment at the base of the Blue Hole and become part of the sedimentary record. In this study, the δ15N signal of the residual organics from vibracore BZE-BH-SVC4 was analyzed and compared to an age-depth framework for the core in order to identify fluctuations in local upwelling intensity using δ15N as a proxy for relative intensity. It was hypothesized that these shifts in historical upwelling intensity were related to trends hemispheric-scale climatic records that might impact Caribbean atmospheric and oceanic patterns such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the Little Ice Age (LIA), tropical cyclone (TC) strikes at the Blue Hole, and the average position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Our findings identify three distinct periods of upwelling diminishment/intensification as recorded by the δ15N signal of Blue Hole residual organics. However, it was determined that the timing of the upwelling regimes is largely disconnected from the historical behavior of these large-scale climatic indices

Ovarian Failure in a Chromosomally Competent Adolescent Female: A Case Report

Primary ovarian failure in adolescence is uncommon. This report depicts such a case in a 17 1/2-year old girl whose investigation revealed elevations in the follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels in association with a low estrogen level. The blood leukocyte chromosome analysis with Giemsa banding revealed a 46,XX chromosomal complement. Pelvic ultrasound disclosed a rudimentary uterus and a small left ovary. Hormonal replacement has resulted in advancement of secondary sexual characteristics and monthly withdrawal bleeding

Protests in the Sixties

The imminent philosopher George Santayana said, Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it (1905). The protests that occurred on American campuses in the 1960s may lend support for that statement. This article will describe major events of the protest movement during this period, describe the societal and institutional contexts within which these protests occurred, and will hopefully encourage student affairs professionals to examine the emerging student activism of today to avoid the mistakes of the past. Many of today\u27s senior administrators and faculty were college students during the protest era. These authors suggest that these professionals recall these events, examine how the events developed, and understand how today\u27s students may again use protests as a means of developing power and to achieve their goals. This knowledge must then be passed on to emerging student affairs professionals

Nivel de conocimientos de bioética en estudiantes de medicina humana de una universidad privada de la ciudad de Chiclayo, 2018

Introducción: En la actualidad muchas universidades han incorporado asignaturas de Bioética en sus carreras de medicina y en algunas se están desarrollando como eje transversal de la formación médica, sin embargo existe poca información local que mida el nivel de los conocimientos obtenidos en los estudiantes sobre la enseñanza de esta disciplina. Objetivo: Determinar el nivel de conocimiento de la bioética en los estudiantes de la Escuela de Medicina Humana de la USAT. Material y métodos: El estudio fue descriptivo, de tipo transversal. Tipo de muestreo no probabilístico. Mediante un cuestionario validado se estableció en qué medida los estudiantes de la escuela de medicina humana conocen los aspectos básicos de la bioética. Se empleó un formato de consentimiento informado. Para el procesamiento y análisis de datos se utilizó el software Microsoft Excel 2010. Resultados: Se determinó los estudiantes tienen un nivel de conocimiento medio 68% y el 31% tiene un nivel de conocimiento alto sobre bioética. Conclusiones: El interés por aprender sobre bioética es la oportunidad para incluir una asignatura que permita resolver los dilemas éticos en medicina humana ya que son ellos los que tienen la relación con el paciente

Numerical modeling of liquid geothermal systems

A mathematical model describing the physical behavior of hot-water geothermal systems is presented. The model consists of a set of coupled partial differential equations for heat and mass transfer in porous media and an equation of state relating fluid density to temperature and pressure. The equations are solved numerically using an integrated finite difference method which can treat arbitrary nodal configurations in one, two, or three dimensions. The model is used to analyze cellular convection in permeable rock layers heated from below. Results for cases with constant fluid and rock properties are in good agreement with numerical and experimental results from other authors

Insecticides Alter the Ability of Predator Assemblages to Suppress Prey

Agrochemicals are often deposited into freshwater bodies via rainfall and snowmelt events and can have consequences for populations and communities. Insecticides in aquatic systems can cause mortality, behavioral, and reproductive changes in nontarget invertebrates, which have the potential to indirectly effect other populations and ecosystem processes. Thiamethoxam (TMX) is part of the neonicotinoid family, a branch of insecticide that mimics nicotine and binds to the acetylcholine receptor, causing paralysis and death. This research examined 1) the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of TMX on the diversity, species composition and total abundance of aquatic predatory insects present in freshwater ponds, and 2) how the effects of TMX on each of the diversity, species composition and total abundance of aquatic predatory insects may compromise the ability of the predator assemblage to suppress their prey. I found that, in the absence of TMX, the aquatic predator assemblage present is very effective at suppressing snail population growth. The ability of the predator assemblage to suppress prey, however, is severely reduced in the presence of TMX. TMX reduced the number of predatory insect species present, changed the species composition of the predatory insects present, and reduced the total abundance of predatory insects present. Hemipteran insects appear to be more vulnerable to TMX than Odonates. It appears that a reduction in predator abundance had a minor effect in weakening the ability of the predator assemblage to suppress prey. Furthermore, the effect of species loss, in general, appeared to have little effect on the ability of the predator assemblage to suppress prey. Instead, it appears that the loss of one particular species of predator (Belostoma) as the result of TMX exposure is what mostly likely compromised the ability of the predator assemblage to suppress prey. Given the greater vulnerability of Belostoma to TMX, this means that TMX exposure will likely compromise the ability of the predator assemblage to suppress prey