4,514 research outputs found

    Salmonella and Aeromonas Contamination in a 303(d) Listed Water Body Compared to Fecal Indicators & Water Quality Parameters

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    Since the passage of the Clean Water Act, concern about surface water quality has increased. Reducing exposure to pathogens and adverse impacts on human health because of contact with surface waters has become the focus of many regulatory agencies. Fecal pollution is often a cause of surface water impairment. Fecal indicators, such as fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli, are used as surrogates to evaluate the presence or absence of fecal pollution. However, a growing body of research has shown that these species lack key characteristics necessary to be adequate indicators. As such, explorations into the efficacy of indicator species in predicting fecal pollution in water are necessary. Sinking Creek is a tributary of the Watauga River Watershed, located in Northeast Tennessee. Approximately ten miles of Sinking Creek have been placed on the national 303(d) list for fecal pollution, denoting the presence of fecal contamination exceeding the regulatory limit. Salmonella and Aeromonas are two enteric pathogens that would be expected to be detected in fecally contaminated waters. The primary objective of this study was to detect the presence of Salmonella and Aeromonas in Sinking Creek. The secondary objective was to evaluate their relationship with fecal coliforms, E. coli, and water quality parameters. Six study sites along Sinking Creek were sampled and standard methods were used to enumerate Salmonella and Aeromonas. Samples for Salmonella were collected for 8 months, while samples for Aeromonas were collected for seven. Salmonella and Aeromonas were present in Sinking Creek. Salmonella had the highest concentration at site 2 (the most downstream site), and was detected during all months of the study except for November. Salmonella concentrations varied by site. Aeromonas was present only during colder months, and had the highest concentration at site 2. Both Salmonella and Aeromonas show qualitative relationships with water quality parameters, such as dissolved oxygen and conductivity. However, statistically significant correlations of Salmonella and Aeromonas with water quality parameters were not observed. The lack of statistical significance is partially due to large variability and a small data set. Neither Salmonella or Aeromonas exhibited a relationship with fecal coliforms or E. coli. Therefore, fecal coliforms and E. coli may not be adequate indicator species for the presence of Salmonella, Aeromonas and possibly other waterborne pathogens. Traditional indicator species may inflate risk of pathogen exposure. Thus, many water bodies may be unnecessarily deemed as impaired. The results from this study can be used to guide further research regarding covariates influencing pathogen densities at fecally contaminated sites, as well as to guide decisions regarding impaired surface waters and management techniques

    Effects of Societal Gender Roles on Male and Female Language Use and Communication

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    There are countless differences between males and females from the way they look, voice pitch, muscle tone, etc. Some would argue that the variations between men and women are solely due to genetics, but there are distinctions that are not influenced by genetics. One such distinction is the imbalance of language use among males and females. This paper aims to explore the research of multiple linguistic variables specific to men and to women while also revealing how societal expectations influence language differences. The topics to be address are word choice variation, conversational styles, hypercorrect English, tag questions, disclaimers, and the entrapment of gender roles. Also, to determine if the research holds up, I included my own research gathered from a three question survey. The paper concludes with a study that exposes the unfortunate consequences of attempting to break away from gender roles and why they continue to thrive in modern society. Keywords: linguistics, tag questions, disclaimers, gender roles, expletive, hypercorrect English, conversation style, word choice, miscommunication, and audienc

    Evolution or Revolution? British Naval Policy in the Fisher Era

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    This article outlines recent trends in the scholarship on the Royal Navy in the years preceding the outbreak of the First World War. It explains the evolution of the historiography on the topic and outlines how and why new approaches are required to progress our understanding of the topic henceforth

    A Special Homotopy Continuation Method For A Class of Polynomial Systems

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    A special homotopy continuation method, as a combination of the polyhedral homotopy and the linear product homotopy, is proposed for computing all the isolated solutions to a special class of polynomial systems. The root number bound of this method is between the total degree bound and the mixed volume bound and can be easily computed. The new algorithm has been implemented as a program called LPH using C++. Our experiments show its efficiency compared to the polyhedral or other homotopies on such systems. As an application, the algorithm can be used to find witness points on each connected component of a real variety

    PREFERENCES OF SELF-HELP BOOKS AND THEIR PRESUMED CREDIBILITY IN THE COLLEGE POPULATION

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    Self-help books are utilized as a cost-effective way of reducing psychological or emotional difficulties. Many self-help books target various types of mental health distress, and are easily accessed by the public. As of 2016, Americans spent 2.7 billion dollars on general self-help approaches, including self-help books (Nahin, Barnes, and Stussman, 2016). The present study seeks to investigate potential clients’ preferences of self-help books and their associated credibility. This study expands the work of Redding, Herbert, Forman, and Gaudiano (2008) who rated and examined the psychological properties of 50 bestselling self-help books published from the late 1990’s to 2005. The current study examined (1) what self-help books among those reviewed by Redding et al. (2008) do participants prefer, (2) how do participants’ preferences align with the expert ratings of Redding et al. (2008), and (3) what are the similarities and differences between participant and expert ratings and various demographic factors. Data collected from a Southern regional university revealed a significant correlation between expert and participant credibility scores, indicating that experts and participants in the current study perceive the credibility of specific depression, anxiety, and trauma focused self-help books similarly. More importantly a small sample of participants were able to discern between credible and non-credible self-help books while the majority of participants showed no relationship to the experts. The findings from the current study add to the small preexisting literature regarding self-help treatment modalities. Limitations of the current study and future research are discussed

    Методи оцінки ризиків в інформаційній системі аналізу екологічного стану басейну малої ріки

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    В інформаційній системі аналізу стану басейну малої ріки запропоновано методи оцінки ризиків на основі імовірнісних та статистичних оцінок, формалізації моделі гри з природою, прогнозування процесів підтоплення земель з використанням ланцюгів Маркова, розглянуто багато критеріальні моделі ризиків.In informational and analytical system of the small rivers’ ecological condition estimation the methods of risks modelling on the basis of likelihood and statistical estimations, formalization of models of game with nature, risk modelling and forecasting processes flooded lands using Markov chains are offered, multicriteria models of risks are considered

    Early neuroimaging markers of FOXP2 intragenic deletion

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    FOXP2 is the major gene associated with severe, persistent, developmental speech and language disorders. While studies in the original family in which a FOXP2 mutation was found showed volume reduction and reduced activation in core language and speech networks, there have been no imaging studies of different FOXP2 mutations. We conducted a multimodal MRI study in an eight-year-old boy (A-II) with a de novo FOXP2 intragenic deletion. A-II showed marked bilateral volume reductions in the hippocampus, thalamus, globus pallidus, and caudate nucleus compared with 26 control males (effect sizes from −1 to −3). He showed no detectable functional MRI activity when repeating nonsense words. The hippocampus is implicated for the first time in FOXP2 diseases. We conclude that FOXP2 anomaly is either directly or indirectly associated with atypical development of widespread subcortical networks early in life

    Examining the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Work for Adolescent Volunteers: A Pilot Study

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    Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are high and increasing among youth. Crisis lines are one of the oldest downstream approaches for suicide prevention, which have demonstrated effectiveness for adults and preliminary effectiveness for youth. Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a unique resource where adolescent volunteers help their similarly aged peers (through texts, chats, calls, and emails). However, no research to date has examined the impacts of t2t crisis line volunteering on the youth. The goal of this pilot study is to begin to evaluate the experience of t2t crisis lines for the youth volunteers. Adolescent (n=20, ages 15-20) volunteers were recruited from two of the largest crisis lines in the U.S. – Teen Line and YouthLine. Enrolled volunteers were administered surveys assessing positive/helpful experiences, negative/unhelpful experiences, and motivations for joining the t2t crisis line. Volunteers were assessed up to five times over the course of one year; once at baseline and then every three months for up to one year (baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 9-month follow-up, 12-month/1-year follow-up). Direct content analysis was used to examine the experiences and motivations of volunteering on the crisis line. Preliminary results indicate that all volunteers reported some positive aspects of the t2t line experience, and many reported some negative aspects as well.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/1011/thumbnail.jp
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