Understanding the Refugee of Hurricane Katrina: An Exploration of Titles, Time and Post-Traumatic Growth

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand the “refugee” experience of displacement from an individual perspective and the impact of trauma during a natural disaster through the lens of post-traumatic growth. It views survivors of Hurricane Katrina, who were displaced and returned home, and aims to investigate what changes, if any, have occurred since their return. The literature aids in understanding the complexities of the trauma endured in the aftermath, and seeks to better understand their refugee identity, the experience of displacement, the effects of trauma, and the changes that occurred in recovery. The data was collected through the Brief COPE Inventory, interview questions and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; from the data analysis four themes emerged: ability to cope, understanding identity, the ambiguous loss of home and perception of growth. During the participants’ displacement and return home there was reported dual ambiguous loss was felt deeply by the participants and many coped with self-distracting behaviors. All participants experienced some growth since Hurricane Katrina occurred. Those with adverse experiences reported the most growth, most participants observed moderate growth, there was little growth for one participant, and two participants reported no change as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The experiences of displacement, loss, return and growth were witnessed in their identity and connection to home. The return home for most made sense because the participants were not ready to give up on the unique collective culture of New Orleans. The electronic version of the dissertation is accessible at Ohiolink ETD center http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Too Much of a Good Thing: Overcrowding at America\u27s National Parks

This Note focuses on the National Park Service’s failure to act in adopting a carrying capacity for each park specifically, and discusses some of the negative effects this failure has had on individual parks. Part I provides a general background of the national parks system and will more fully explore the dual aims of its Organic Act. Part II discusses the NPS’s affirmative response to the 1978 amendment requiring carrying capacities, while Part III focuses on the ramifications of the widespread nonresponse by many of the parks. Part IV considers possible fixes, including not only inspiring the NPS to adopt carrying capacities, but also pragmatically responding to the current overcrowding dilemma

Understanding the Refugee of Hurricane Katrina: An Exploration of Titles, Time and Post-Traumatic Growth

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand the “refugee” experience of displacement from an individual perspective and the impact of trauma during a natural disaster through the lens of post-traumatic growth. It views survivors of Hurricane Katrina, who were displaced and returned home, and aims to investigate what changes, if any, have occurred since their return. The literature aids in understanding the complexities of the trauma endured in the aftermath, and seeks to better understand their refugee identity, the experience of displacement, the effects of trauma, and the changes that occurred in recovery. The data was collected through the Brief COPE Inventory, interview questions and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; from the data analysis four themes emerged: ability to cope, understanding identity, the ambiguous loss of home and perception of growth. During the participants’ displacement and return home there was reported dual ambiguous loss was felt deeply by the participants and many coped with self-distracting behaviors. All participants experienced some growth since Hurricane Katrina occurred. Those with adverse experiences reported the most growth, most participants observed moderate growth, there was little growth for one participant, and two participants reported no change as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The experiences of displacement, loss, return and growth were witnessed in their identity and connection to home. The return home for most made sense because the participants were not ready to give up on the unique collective culture of New Orleans. The electronic version of the dissertation is accessible at Ohiolink ETD center http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd

THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC THERAPY AND ITS IMPACT ON SOUND LEVELS IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Sound levels in the neonatal intensive care unit often exceed the recommended level of 45 dBA. Various sounds contribute to the extraneous noise that envelops this fragile environment. Increase in noise and high levels of sound can be detrimental to the health of premature infants, which can cause both short and long-term developmental delays and negative physiologic responses. Music therapy interventions in the NICU have addressed numerous needs of this population, with a positive effect on development, physiologic responses, and hospital stay. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of music therapy on decreasing the sound levels in the NICU. Two different pods in a 66-bed NICU were used to measure sound levels for four consecutive days, alternating between days of baseline and music therapy intervention. A dosimeter was used to collect data, which was later analyzed to determine Lmin, and Lmax, and Leq. Results indicated an overall decrease in the sound levels average when music therapy intervention was present. Future studies should use multiple settings and collect data for an extended amount of time to further examine the sound levels of the NICU environment and any additional effects music therapy can have

Radiation resistance of Ge, Ge0.93Si0.07, GaAs and Al0.08Ga0.92 as solar cells

Solar cells made of Ge, Ge(0.93)Si(0.07) alloys, GaAs and Al(0.08)Ga(0.92)As were irradiated in two experiments with 1-meV electrons at fluences as great as 1 x 10(exp 16) cm(exp-2). Several general trends have emerged. Low-band-gap Ge and Ge(0.93)Si(0.07) cells show substantial resistance to radiation-induced damage. The two experiments showed that degradation is less for Al(0.08)Ga(0.92)As cells than for similarly irradiated GaAs cells. Compared to homojunctions, cells with graded-band-gap emitters did not show the additional resistance to damage in the second experiment that had been seen in the first. The thickness of the emitter is a key parameter to limit the degradation in GaAs devices

Recovery of Point-Injected Labeled Nitrogen by Corn as Affected by Timing, Rate, and Tillage

Point-injection technology is being developed to improve fertilizer management, particularly N management. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the rate (number) and timing of point-injections of an ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) solution on N uptake and corn growth and to measure any differences due to tillage. Nitrogen-15 depleted NH4NO3 (AN) was hand-injected beside individual plants at the V1, V5, and/or V9 growth stages at rates of 50, 100, and/or 200 kg N ha−1 with fall moldboard plow (MP), fall chisel plow (CP), and ridge-till (RT) systems. While MP had the highest grain and total dry matter production (but with the lowest N concentrations in those materials), tillage was not a significant factor in either the percentage of the total plant N derived from labeled AN (NF) or its recovery (NR) for any stage sampled. Generally the year (i.e. different environmental conditions) and application timing or a timing-by-year interaction had the greatest influence on NF and NR. Although plants sampled at the V9 stage on the average recovered more N from the V1 application (39%) vs the V5 application (27%), at maturity NR values for grain (35%) and total dry matter (47%) were the same for both V1 or V5 applications (when only two applications were made). However when three applications were made (at the V1, V5, and V9 stages), NR values decreased with time of application for both grain (38, 31, and 26%, respectively) and total dry matter (53, 43, and 33%, respectively). Across application timing, grain NR values were 34 and 31%, respectively, for MP and RT. Compared with preplant knifed-in labeled N for MP and RT systems in an adjacent simultaneous study, grain NRvalues for point-injected N in this study were 16 and 6% greater, respectively, indicating that multiple injections of fertilizer N improved N-use efficiency

PC3 Breast and Prostate Cancer Productivity Costs: A Comparison of the Human Capital Approach and Friction Cost Approach

AbstractObjectivesProductivity costs constitute a substantial proportion of the total societal costs associated with cancer. We compared the results of applying two different analytical methods—the traditional human capital approach (HCA) and the emerging friction cost approach (FCA)—to estimate breast and prostate cancer productivity costs in Ireland in 2008.MethodsData from a survey of breast and prostate cancer patients were combined with population-level survival estimates and a national wage data set to calculate costs of temporary disability (cancer-related work absence), permanent disability (workforce departure, reduced working hours), and premature mortality.ResultsFor breast cancer, productivity costs per person using the HCA were €193,425 and those per person using the FCA were €8,103; for prostate cancer, the comparable estimates were €109,154 and €8,205, respectively. The HCA generated higher costs for younger patients (breast cancer) because of greater lifetime earning potential. In contrast, the FCA resulted in higher productivity costs for older male patients (prostate cancer) commensurate with higher earning capacity over a shorter time period. Reduced working hours postcancer was a key driver of total HCA productivity costs. HCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about discount and growth rates. FCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about the friction period.ConclusionsThe magnitude of the estimates obtained in this study illustrates the importance of including productivity costs when considering the economic impact of illness. Vastly different results emerge from the application of the HCA and the FCA, and this finding emphasizes the importance of choosing the study perspective carefully and being explicit about assumptions that underpin the methods

Graded-bandgap AlGaAs solar cells for AlGaAs/Ge cascade cells

Some p/n graded-bandgap Al(x)Ga(1-x)As solar cells were fabricated and show AMO conversion efficiencies in excess of 15 percent without antireflection (AR) coatings. The emitters of these cells are graded between 0.008 is less than or equal to x is less than or equal to 0.02 during growth of 0.25 to 0.30 micron thick layers. The keys to achieving this performance were careful selection of organometallic sources and scrubbing oxygen and water vapor from the AsH3 source. Source selection and growth were optimized using time-resolved photoluminescence. Preliminary radiation-resistance measurements show AlGaAs cells degraded less than GaAs cells at high 1 MeV electron fluences, and AlGaAs cells grown on GaAs and Ge substrates degrade comparably