Natural Law Theory and the Is -- Ought Problem: A Critique of Four Solutions

This dissertation explores the Is -- Ought problem (IOP) as it relates to natural law theory (NLT). It begins with a brief analysis of the type of ought --precepts upheld by traditional natural law theorists as well as a consideration of the precise nature of the IOP. Chapter two considers the attempts of Searle and Gewirth at establishing that it is possible validly to derive an ought --conclusion from is --premises and asks whether their attempts can be imitated successfully by those who wish to uphold the basic claims of NLT. Chapter three considers whether it is possible to bypass the IOP by beginning with premises concerning the de facto desires of human agents. Chapter four consists of an analysis of Geach, Veatch, McInerny, MacIntyre, and Lisska who put forth the solution of returning to the Aristotelian-Thomistic understanding the telos, function, or essence of the human person. In Chapter five the new natural law solution is analyzed; and in chapter six an overall critique is offered. The overarching thesis of this dissertation is that --although each solution is in some way problematic--the solution of new natural law theorists is the least problematic if one wishes to implement an ought that is moral, prescriptive, non-relativistic, determinate, and related to the common good

A Landscape-Scaled and Community Ecology Approach to Wildlife Corridor Design in South Texas

A formidable challenge in landscape ecology is developing a sound resolution to mitigate the impacts of habitat fragmentation and restore connectivity to a degraded landscape. The problem is worldwide landscapes are becoming primarily anthropogenic and areas set aside for wildlife are small and isolated. Researchers’ have developed the concept of the wildlife corridor to mediate this situation but a proper methodology to implement this concept is still in its infancy. This study aims to uncover a quantitative and repeatable wildlife corridor design methodology based on the least cost analysis strategy with both a singular focal taxa approach and a comprehensive community ecology approach. Our study focuses on south Texas as the testing area for our assessment. The study found that neither the focal taxa or community approach were significantly better at protecting the south Texas ecological community but it was successful at creating a methodology for wildlife corridor design

Survival of Canine Epididymal Sperm under Cooled and Frozen-Thawed Conditions

The objective of the first experiment was to determine the effects of storage at 22„aC vs. 4„aC on the motility and percentage of membrane-intact sperm (%MIS) of epididymal mouse sperm. Testicles were allocated into 22„aC or 4„aC treatment groups and stored for 24 or 48 hours. Additional testicles were allocated into the 4„aC treatment for storage for 72 or 96 hours. Sperm was collected and analyzed at each time point. Storage at 22„aC lowered motility and %MIS (P\u3c0.05) when compared with control sperm and 4„aC sperm at both the 24 and 48 hours. Motility and %MIS of 4„aC sperm did not decrease when compared with the control until after 72 hours of storage. The second experiment evaluated the effects of 22„aC vs. 4„aC storage for 24 and 48 hours on epididymal dog sperm. Motility and %MIS of the 22„aC sperm was lower than that of the 4„aC sperm and the control (P\u3c0.05) at 24 and 48 hours. Motility of the 4„aC sperm was lower than the control at 24 and 48 hours (P\u3c0.05), however %MIS was not lower than the control until 48 hours. The third experiment tested the effect of cryopreservation on epididymal dog sperm. Sperm was frozen immediately (A), after 48 hours at 4„aC in liquid (B) or after 48 hours at 4„aC of the whole testicle (C). Both pre-freeze (PF) and post-thaw (PT) motility and %MIS of B and C were lower than A (P\u3c0.05). PT values were lower than PF values in all treatments (P\u3c0.05). PT motility of B was lower than C (0 vs. 35.0¡Ó3.6%). Storage at 4„aC allows collection of motile epididymal mouse and dog sperm for several days after death. Dog testicles can be refrigerated for 2 days and epididymal sperm frozen with PT motility and %MIS of 35 and 62%

“The Land That He Saw Looked Like a Paradise. It Was Not, He Knew”: Suburbia and the Maladjusted American Male in John Cheever’s Bullet Park

This essay explores the issue of masculinity in John Cheever’s somewhat critically overlooked novel, Bullet Park (1969), so as to call attention to the inevitable conflict between the conformist ideologies of the postwar corporate world and the dormant desires of the atomized male suburbanite. By way of an interrelated interpretation of contemporaneous sociological and psychological theory, this essay foreparts the dysfunctional dimensions of masculine dejection as being derivative of suburbia’s larger malady, which is rooted in the very impossibility of the imaginative “apple pie order” it represents. A detailed interpretation of Cheever’s use of the doppelganger narrative will moreover allow for an assessment of the dislocation at the heart of the postwar suburban experience. Bullet Park may be read this way as not only critiquing the prevailing cultural view of suburbia as a pillar of postwar American security, stability, and social adjustment through its portrayal of a disturbing reality of insecurity, instability and maladjustment, but also as directly addressing the fractured principles of America’s traditional values and beliefs. Considering this late sixties text by Cheever as such, this essay hence works to highlight in what ways, and to what extent, the author’s portrayal of a disenchanted suburban ennui in Bullet Park treads the fault lines of laissez-faire capitalism, whilst furthermore succeeding in uncovering the sources of masculine dissatisfaction in their more true and underground origins

A Narrative Study of the Experiences that Disrupt or Terminate Entry in the Community College Presidential Pipeline for African American Women

Organizational structures, beliefs, and values in higher education are influenced by the deep-seated characteristics of patriarchy, dominance and racial and gender bias, upon which higher education was founded. These factors continue to impact the ascension of African American women to college presidencies. Current challenges facing community colleges include a gap in executive leadership and the underrepresentation of African American women in the presidential pipeline. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to better understand the experiences that disrupt or terminate the journey to a presidency for African American women in senior level positions at community colleges. The goal was to share the lived experiences of African American senior level administrators at community colleges in the New York Metropolitan area. Participants shared experiences during semi-structured interviews. Participants also described the impact of the intersection of race and gender on their experiences. Seven African American women from six community colleges in the New York Metropolitan area were selected through criterion purposeful and snowball sampling. Through the lens of Black Feminist Thought a five-step analysis yielded eight major themes: (a) persistence of power and privilege, (b) development of strategies to survive, (c) community college president’s role, responsibilities, and impact, (d) fighting the fight against stereotypes, (e) invisibility, (f) evaluating quality of life, (g) racism and discrimination, and (h) a journey of faith. These findings indicated that the unique experiences of African American women are comprised of racist and discriminatory acts which result in appropriated power, feelings of invisibility, leadership challenges, and struggles with authenticity. Implications for community college leaders and practitioners consist of taking action to understand why the experiences of African American women leaders are unique, reduce the number of racist and discriminatory experiences, and better understand the impact of these experiences. This study encourages leaders and practitioners to secure mentoring and supplemental support, develop campus-wide cultural competency, and design opportunities to understand unique experiences. Recommendations for further research include exploring other regions of the country, comparing the experiences of African American senior level women with those in other races, and assessing the experiences of mid-level African American leaders in community colleges

Effects of Patch Size, Fragmentation, and Invasive Species on Plant and Lepidoptera Communities in Southern Texas

Simple Summary Human land use has removed habitats, separated habitats into small and disconnected fragments, and introduced foreign species, which all harm wildlife. South Texas is highly diverse and home to many endangered species, but human disturbance threatens its wildlife. In south Texas, we poorly understand how different aspects of human land use influence wildlife diversity and abundance. We studied this by surveying plants and butterflies in 24 habitat fragments in south Texas that differed in size, shape, type, and land use history. Human disturbance was extensive, and foreign and weedy species were dominant in most habitats. Habitat types had distinctive sets of plants and butterflies, but habitats with the most human disturbance were the least distinct and had the most foreign or weedy species. Usually, larger and less-fragmented habitats have fewer foreign and weedy species and have higher diversity, and habitats with more foreign and weedy species have lower diversity, but only the first of these was true in our study. This suggests that historic sets of native plants are very rare, most areas are actively recovering from disturbance, and foreign species are now a normal part of communities. This study helps us understand how human land use impacts wildlife and how we can better manage land to protect and enhance wildlife. Abstract Habitat loss, fragmentation, and invasive species are major threats to biodiversity. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas, a conservation hotspot, few studies have examined how land use change and biotic disturbance influence biodiversity, particularly among Lepidoptera. We surveyed 24 habitat fragments on private lands in the LRGV and examined how patch size, edge to interior ratio (EIR), prevalence of invasive, exotic, and pest (IEP) plant species, and other environmental factors influenced plant and Lepidoptera communities within four habitat classes. Biotic disturbance was widespread and intense. IEP plants represented three of the four most common species in all but one habitat class; yet, classes largely had distinctive plant and Lepidoptera communities. Larger habitat patches had lower IEP prevalence but also lower plant richness and lower Lepidoptera richness and abundance. Conversely, patches with higher EIRs had greater IEP prevalence, plant richness, and Lepidoptera richness and abundance. IEP prevalence was negatively related to plant diversity and positively related to woody dominance, blooming plant abundance, and, surprisingly, both plant cover and richness. However, plant richness, abundance, and diversity were higher where a greater proportion of the plants were native. Lepidoptera diversity increased with plant cover, and Lepidoptera richness and abundance increased with plant richness. More individual Lepidoptera species were influenced by habitat attributes than by availability of resources such as host plants or nectar sources. Our results illustrate extensive landscape alteration and biotic disturbance and suggest that most regional habitats are at early successional stages and populated by a novel species pool heavy in IEP species; these factors must be considered together to develop effective and realistic management plans for the LRGV

EMS agencies impact bystander interventions during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

"Bystander CPR rates and AED use in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary widely across EMS service areas in Missouri. EMS agencies report the number and outcome of OHCAs in their service area annually, in addition to other data points; this data is compiled into the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) database. Both CPR and AED use by the public in OHCA are associated with increased survival to discharge."--Background

Out of hospital cardiac arrest : what do the numbers tell us?

The benefits of sodium bicarbonate use in treating out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been debated and have fluctuated over time. Both prospective and retrospective studies have been done. With an aggregate of these studies there is little evidence that sodium bicarbonate is effective in preventing morbidity and mortality in patients experiencing OHCA. Overall OHCA treated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has an incidence of 73 per 100,000 and an average survival to hospital discharge of 11.4% for adults. With the information available and more recent guidelines and evidence showing less support for the use in utilizing sodium bicarbonate in a prehospital cardiac arrest, it should be assessed if this evidence extends to the population seen at MU hospital to guide further appropriate care and policies. Additionally, trends in 30-day survival should be evaluated for significance and appropriate change in practice should be considered both for continued aggressive care and limiting nonbeneficial intervention during OHCA.Michael Johnson BSN, RN, CCRN, (M2); Julie AW Stilley PhD; Joshua D Stilley MD, FACEP, FAAEM ; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Missouri Health Car