Preliminary checklist of the orthopteroid insects (Blattodea, Mantodea, Phasmatodea, Orthoptera) of Texas

Texas has one of the most diverse orthopteroid assemblages of any state in the United States, reflecting the varied habitats found in the state. Three hundred and eighty-nine species and 78 subspecies of orthopteroid insects (Blattodea, Mantodea, Phasmatodea, and Orthoptera) have published records for the state of Texas. This is the first such comprehensive checklist for Texas and should aid future work on these groups in this area

What\u27s On Your Mind? : A Generational Comparison of Language Use on Online Social Networking Platforms

This thesis explores the connections between user age and unique linguistic features used when communicating on Facebook and other online social networking platforms, in the form of a literature review. It includes a detailed history of computer-mediated communication, along with an analysis of all of Facebook’s features and how they contribute to communication via the site. The language features common to each age group (young adults/teens, adults, and seniors) are detailed, analyzed from Schwartz et al’s work Personality, gender, and age in the language of social media: The Open-Vocabulary Approach, along with making the argument that teens and seniors—the two most disparate groups using online social networking platforms today—are so different due to Prensky’s concepts of “digital native” and “digital adopter.

Synthesis and characterization of carboxylate-containing polymers for biomedical applications

Polysaccharides, one of three types of natural polymer, are used by living organisms for energy storage, structural support, and other vital applications. In particular, acidic polysaccharides such as alginic acid and hyaluronan play important roles in lubrication and water storage. Isolation of polysaccharides is complicated by the difficulty of purification and lack of batch-to-batch consistency. Polysaccharide synthesis has also proved challenging due to their stereochemical complexity and high density of functional groups with similar reactivity. One solution is the synthesis of mimics that possess many of the properties of natural polysaccharides, including a rigid pyranose or furanose backbone and numerous hydroxyl or carboxylic acid groups. Synthesized polysaccharide mimics include polymers with ether linkages not seen in nature, non-ether linked sugar monomers, and polymers created from non-carbohydrate sources. These mimics have been used in various applications, including biolubrication, membrane synthesis, and DNA delivery. As a first approach to a polysaccharide mimic, a polymer with a rigid cyclic backbone and several pendant water-soluble functional groups was sought. High molecular weight ester-functionalized norbornene polymers were synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization of 5-norbornene-2-ethyl ester. The resulting polymers were saponified and hydroxylated along the polymer backbone without a reduction in chain length. The chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the various polymers were measured, indicating high thermal stability and strong solid-like character. Even in their saponified and hydroxylated form, the polymers possessed very limited water solubility. Poly-amido-saccharides, a new type of carbohydrate polymer mimetic, were synthesized by the controlled anionic ring opening polymerization of a beta-lactam glucose monomer. The primary alcohol was oxidized to investigate the effects of an ionizable carboxylic acid group, such as those found in natural polysaccharides containing glucuronic acid. Circular dichroism revealed an ordered helical secondary structure in solution that was lost following ring opening. The oxidized poly-amido-saccharides were shown to stabilize lysozyme towards freezing and dehydration stresses better than currently used methods. Glycopolymers containing the poly-amido-saccharides on a poly(acrylamide) backbone were also synthesized and characterized as a model for more complex systems

Graham Greene\u27s Thematic Usage of Good and Evil in Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, and The Heart of the Matter

A monograph presented to the faculty of the Department of English at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Lynn Holbrook Stidham in May of 1973

Principles of control theory as applied to a thermostat

The recent development of solid state electronics has opened new possibilities in instrumentation design. One development has been the availability of compact, low cost, high gain, D. C. amplifiers which can be used in the design and construction of sensitive laboratory instruments (11). Using these amplifiers a thermostat capable of precise control can be constructed and its performance compared with the performance expected by an analysis of the closed loop control equations

Implementation of a Preconception Health Counseling Program

Approximately 75 million women in the United States are of reproductive age, 15-44 years old. Among this group of childbearing-aged women, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions are contributing to maternal morbidity, mortality, and poor infant outcomes (Raghuraman & Tuuli, 2021). The current unintended pregnancy rate in the United States is 48%, higher than the global rate of 41% (Ramos, 2019). To improve women’s health and perinatal outcomes, a shift in the paradigm of healthcare should focus on preventative care rather than reactive care. Preconception health counseling (PCHC) with the patient is a primary prevention strategy that allows a provider to discuss the patient’s pregnancy intention, reduce any potential harm, and identify any modifiable risk factors. For this project, a comprehensive review of literature reiterated the need for PCHC to enhance overall health of women, including reduced complications of pregnancy and delivery and reduced maternal and neonatal mortality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a 15-step guide of PCHC that was used in this project to direct a pilot PCHC program to women of childbearing age in a rural women’s health clinic in Mississippi. After obtaining informed consent, patients 18-40 years of age completed a demographic questionnaire and survey regarding knowledge of preconception health and then received personal, individualized PCHC during their clinic visit utilizing the CDC’s guide, which was also given to the 5 patients as a resource. One month after the clinic visit, the participants completed a posttest survey to reassess their retainment of knowledge on preconception health. Analysis of the survey results indicate that there was a statistically significant increase in childbearing-aged women’s knowledge of preconception health after completing the PCHC (p\u3c.001). As a result of this study, it is recommended that all primary care providers and women’s health providers incorporate PCHC into wellness visits of childbearing-aged women to promote health and subsequently improve maternal and neonatal outcomes