Redistributing the Responsibility of Self-Care: A Model to Prevent Early Burnout Amongst New Clinicians

Graduate students in mental health counseling programs are on the verge of entering a professional field that is notorious for perpetuating employee burnout. Recently, preventative self-care has been promoted as an actionable treatment to burnout. Internship sites, licensing boards, and academic programs hold clinicians accountable by requiring future clinicians to be competent in self-care. While these systems require competency in self-care, there seems to be a lack of adequate support and education surrounding the practice. The literature reviewed for this thesis indicated a need for reform. This need was evidenced by the various calls for systems to restructure the ways they support individuals in their self-care efforts. Specifically for future mental health clinicians, the support should come from the academic institution and the internship site. After reviewing relevant literature, this thesis proposes the implementation of the supported self-care model. The supported self-care model promotes an equal re-distribution of the responsibility of self-care amongst the academic institution, organization, and the individual. With this model in place, the hope is that future clinicians enter into their profession knowing the importance of supported self-care

Timing and Formation of Linear Dunes South of the Niobrara River Valley, North-Central Nebraska Sand Hills

The Nebraska Sand Hills is a vast (7500 square kilometer) area of grass-stabilized sand dunes. Larger dunes in the Nebraska Sand Hills formed primarily during the Late Pleistocene, but many underwent widespread reactivation during the Holocene. Recent Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that the last major phase of reactivation in the Sand Hills was during the Medieval Warm Period, approximately 800 years ago. Nevertheless, many questions about the evolution of the dunes remain unanswered, particularly regarding the formation of linear dunes in portions of the Sand Hills. This study seeks to understand more about the formation of linear dunes and contribute to the current body of knowledge regarding the Nebraska Sand Hills’ geologic past. The linear dune field investigated in this thesis is located in northwestern Brown County, Nebraska along the southern margin of the Niobrara Valley. These dunes range from 300-600 meters in length, and their relief ranges from 6-10 meters. LiDAR imagery acquired in 2012 reveals that the crests of many of the dunes have characteristic “Y”-shaped junctions in plan view, features that have not yet been fully examined in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Additionally, these dunes are not superimposed onto other dune forms, unlike the majority of linear dunes previously studied in the Nebraska Sand Hills. These dunes are interpreted as simple vegetated linear dunes based on their morphology. Three ground-penetrating radar (GPR) lines, created with 100 MHz frequency antennas penetrated to the bases of the Brown County dunes. The GPR lines depict beds that dip predominately to the south in each dune, unlike previous studies that showed bidirectional dip angles for some linear dunes in the Sand Hills. OSL samples were collected from twelve sediment cores and five hand-auger holes. Twenty-five eolian ages show these dunes stabilized around 2600 years ago and between 950 to 520 years ago, times that correlate to significant periods of drought and dune activity previously recorded in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Several of the deeper (35-40 m) cores contain alluvium that underlies the dunes. On the basis of four OSL ages, the terrace fill underlying the dunes dates to approximately 23,000 to 15,300 years ago. Advisor: Paul R. Hanso

Twig-Nesting Ants: The Hidden Predators of the Coffee Berry Borer in Chiapas, Mexico

Coffee is a globally important crop that is subject to numerous pest problems, many of which are partially controlled by predatory ants. Yet several studies have proposed that these ecosystem services may be reduced where agricultural systems are more intensively managed. Here we investigate the predatory ability of twig-nesting ants on the main pest of coffee, the coffee berry borer ( Hypothenemus hampei ) under different management systems in southwest Chiapas, Mexico. We conducted both laboratory and field experiments to examine which twig-nesting ant species, if any, can prey on free-living borers or can remove borers embedded in coffee fruits and whether the effects of the twig-nesting ant community differ with habitat type. Results indicate that several species of twig-nesting ants are effective predators of both free-living borers and those embedded in coffee fruits. In the lab, Pseudomyrmex ejectus, Pseudomyrmex simplex , and Pseudomyrmex PSW-53 effectively removed free-living and embedded borers. In the field, abundance, but not diversity, of twig-nesting ant colonies was influenced by shade management techniques, with the highest colony abundance present in the sites where shade trees were recently pruned. However, borer removal rates in the field were significant only in the shadiest site, but not in more intensively managed sites. This study provides evidence that twig-nesting ants can act as predators of the coffee berry borer and that the presence of twig-nesting ants may not be strongly linked to shade management intensity, as has been suggested for other arthropod predators of the borer.Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/btpPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78620/1/j.1744-7429.2009.00603.x.pd

Preoperative psychosocial risk factors for poor outcomes at 1 and 5 years after total knee replacement:A cohort study of 266 patients

Background and purpose — Psychosocial factors are important risk factors for poor outcomes in the first year after total knee replacement (TKR), however their impact on long-term outcomes is unclear. We aimed to identify preoperative psychosocial risk factors for poor outcomes at 1 year and 5 years after TKR. Patients and methods — 266 patients were recruited prior to TKR surgery. Knee pain and function were assessed preoperatively and at 1 and 5 years postoperative using the WOMAC Pain score, WOMAC Function score and American Knee Society Score (AKSS) Knee score. Preoperative depression, anxiety, catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy and social support were assessed. Statistical analyses involved multiple linear regression and mixed effect linear regression. Results — Higher anxiety was a risk factor for worse pain at 1 year postoperative. No psychosocial factors were associated with any outcomes at 5 years postoperative. Analysis of change over time found that patients with higher pain self-efficacy had lower preoperative pain and experienced less improvement in pain up to 1 year postoperative. Higher pain self-efficacy was associated with less improvement in the AKSS up to 1 year postoperative but more improvement between 1 and 5 years postoperative. Interpretation — Preoperative anxiety was found to influence pain at 1 year after TKR. However, none of the psychosocial variables were risk factors for a poor outcome at 5 years post­operative, suggesting that the negative effects of anxiety on outcome do not persist in the longer-term

Partners' Attributions and Level of Commitment as Predictors of Constructive and Destructive Behavior in Discussions of Relationship Conflicts

This study investigated whether clinical couples' levels of commitment to their relationship and their tendencies to make negative attributions about their partner are related to their use of constructive and destructive behavior during couple conflict. Secondary analyses were conducted on assessment data from 52 couples who sought couple therapy at a university-based clinic. Based on self-report data and coded observations from a 10-minute communication sample completed by the couple, the results support the hypotheses that greater use of negative attributions is correlated with greater use of destructive behaviors, and increased levels of commitment are related to greater use of constructive behaviors. Contrary to expectations, commitment was not a significant moderator of the relationship between negative attributions and destructive behavior during conflict. The results, including specific gender differences, have important implications for effective couple therapy and future research on couple conflict

A study of the reading interests of high-ability readers in a North Carolina elementary school

This study describes a questionnaire survey of 21 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students identified as high-ability readers in a central North Carolina school. The survey was conducted to determine the reading interests of high ability readers, their sources for reading materials, and their methods of selection. The study participants showed tremendous variety in their selection of reading material. They showed interest in books written both above and below their reading level, and in a wide range of genres. Fantasy and science fiction were popular genres for both boys and girls. Girls showed a strong interest in historical fiction. Most of the participants sought their reading material from home, the school library, and from bookstores, rarely using the classroom, the public library, or friends as a source for books. They preferred to select books independently, by browsing or searching on particular topics, rather than by relying on recommendations from parents, teachers, or librarians. Peer recommendations were also frequently used as a method of selection, even though the participants did not see reading as an activity valued by their friends

Agricultural Production in the 21st Century: Land-use, Diversity, Pests and Pesticides

Over the next 50 years, global food demand is forecast to double. Already it is estimated that agriculture covers about 40% of ice-free land, accounts for a third of greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes significantly to global biodiversity declines. One means to reduce the impact of agriculture on humans and natural systems is to ensure the efficient use of pesticides. Pesticides, especially insecticides, have numerous negative externalities for human and environmental health, and their efficient use is an economic, ecological and public health priority. How land use patterns influence insect pests and insecticide demand is of special concern, because productive and efficient land use is key to meeting future food demand. This research investigates the relationships between insecticide use and landscape configuration. It further investigates the importance of weather variability and data quality to understanding agriculture in the 21st Century. Finally, it explores ecological theory to understand how multiple natural enemies may coexist on a single resource species.Specifically, I address the following questions: 1) is landscape simplification a consistent driver of insecticide use across time, 2) is landscape simplification a consistent driver of insecticide use across space and throughout the varied growing regions of the US, and do annual weather patterns influence insecticide use? 3) Is satellite crop data sufficiently accurate to be applied to ecological and economic questions at the sub-county level? 4) Can coexistence be driven by non-consumptive ecological interactions?To address these questions I integrate ecological and economic theory, and apply multivariate statistical techniques to multi-year national or regional databases. I find that, contrary to expectations from ecological theory, landscape simplification does not consistently drive insecticide use over time (Chapter 1) or space (Chapter 2). This spatio-temporal variation helps explain the ambiguous results in the literature and implies that national land use policy will have very different effects on insecticide use if regional differences are ignored. To further understand the underlying mechanisms requires fine-scale spatial information of configuration and crop type. However, leveraging satellite data for sub-county information such as spatial configuration is well suited to simplified growing regions, but highly inaccurate elsewhere (Chapter 3). Lastly, I show natural enemies and other intermediate consumers can coexist with sufficiently strong non-consumptive effects of a top predator on the dominant consumer (Chapter 4).In 2007 US farmers applied ~70 million pounds of insecticide active ingredients. While farmers pay the purchase price, society pays for degradation of natural systems and harm to human health. To minimize the cost of insecticides to both farmers and society, now and under future climate change, we must understand what drives variation in insecticide use and what enables persistence of natural enemy diversity. My dissertation research informs these key gaps in our understanding

Understanding Bulimia: A Qualitative Exploration of the Roles of Race, Culture, and Family

The eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, is a serious physical and mental illness destroying the lives of millions of men, women, and their families. It is characterized by recurrent binge eating and compensatory behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting), and afflicts 1-5% of the general U.S. population. Unlike other eating disorders that appear to affect specific racial groups, bulimia more equally affects people of all races. Yet, very little attention has been given to learning about the ways in which women from diverse racial/cultural backgrounds experience bulimia. Thus, the present qualitative study explored the question: How do young African American, Latina, and Caucasian women describe their experiences with bulimia within their racial, cultural, and familial contexts? Open-ended, in-person interviews were conducted with 33 young adult women (ages 18-30) who self-identified as African American, Latina, or Caucasian and who experienced bulimia while living with a parent. Questions were based on sensitizing concepts taken from feminist and family systems theories, and encouraged women to explore their perceptions of how their racial, cultural, and familial contexts influenced their experiences with bulimia. A modified grounded theory approach was used to interpret the data, and findings were organized at sociocultural, familial, and individual levels. Common experiences for many of the women, regardless of race, included sociocultural pressure to be thin; unhealthy family environments that included poor communication, strained relationships, and emphasis on members' appearances; and individual management of comorbid psychological disorders and emotions. Unique processes related to African American women's and Latinas' experiences with bulimia included living in a bicultural context with cultural and familial stigmas surrounding mental health. Additionally, African American women reported overall healthier family environments, in which they had supportive relationships and more open communication. Based on these findings, the theoretical framework was enhanced with race- and culture-specific models. Implications for research related to diverse families' experiences with eating disorders, policies designed to help people of all backgrounds affected by eating disorders, as well as the development of culturally sensitive therapy interventions for families affected by bulimia are discussed

Implications of Climate-Driven Fallowing for Ecological Connectivity of Species At Risk

Context. Climate change and agricultural intensification are modifying the configuration of natural lands within agricultural landscapes, further impacting species’ ability to move freely between remaining natural areas. These working landscapes have inherently high opportunity costs, making the establishment of additional permanent reserves for species movement unlikely. Objectives. Here we explore the potential for opportunistic and dynamic conservation reserves, in the form of temporary fallowed croplands, to increase connectivity in competing land use regions. Methods. We evaluate the potential for fallowed lands to facilitate habitat connectivity for at-risk species in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), an intensive agricultural landscape in California. We perform landscape connectivity analyses to examine how historic drought-induced fallowing from 2011 to 2017 in the SJV region impacted connectivity within Kern County for the endangered, endemic San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica). Results. We found that an increase in temporary fallowing from 2011 to 2015/2017 in Kern County likely increased habitat connectivity for the kit fox. This finding was represented by reductions in average Cost-Weighted Distances (CWD), Effective Resistances, and CWD-to-Least Cost Path Ratios between core habitat areas, indicating that cumulative costs incurred by kit foxes travelling between primary habitats decreased. Conclusions. Our findings highlight that strategic and cooperative, yet temporary, conservation actions have the potential to reduce the conflict between biodiversity preservation and agricultural production in working landscapes while increasing landscape connectivity. Fallowing-based, agri-environmental schemes could help working areas meet statewide groundwater management policy targets while improving species’ mobility in the face of climate change

Data on aeolian sand dune activity in the White River Badlands, South Dakota, northern Great Plains, USA

This data paper reports on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) data from samples collected in the White River Badlands, South Dakota, northern Great Plains. Sand samples were collected from the crests of parabolic dune heads and arms, as well as blowout exposures, on three tables located on private land in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Using hand augers, samples were collected at depths of 1 and 2m below ground surface to minimize potential effects of bioturbation. An improvised split-spoon sampler was used at selected sites to ensure collection from laminated sediments. At auger and exposure localities, sediment was collected by inserting tubes into a full bucket auger or exposure face. Tubes were tightly packed and taped at both ends to prevent shifting of sediment during shipping. Samples collected from the truck-mounted corer were packed in black plastic liners to ensure samples were not exposed to sunlight. OSL analyses were conducted at the University of Nebraska’s Luminescence and Geochronology Laboratory. Interpretation of OSL data was aided by analyses of aerial photographs from the National Agricultural Imagery Program and from the Aerial Photos Single Frame collection hosted on servers of the United States Geological Survey