West Nile Virus (WNV), a vector-borne disease continues to be a serious threat to public health in the United States, particularly in the Southwest region. While all the states in the U.S. experienced a decreasing trend of WNV disease in 2010, the state of Arizona experienced a sharp increase from...
Rapid rates of biodiversity loss have supported the notion that Earth is experiencing a sixth major extinction event. The causes of worldwide biodiversity loss are multifaceted and context dependent. One of the most prominent groups experiencing population declines and extinctions are amphibians. Several pathogens and their associated diseases are especially...
Although some studies have demonstrated different career development interventions to be associated with positive student outcomes such as increased academic achievement, increased educational planning and increased career maturity, there has been no investigation of different quantities of career development interventions related to the student outcomes motivation and self-efficacy. Substantial research...
The current rate of global biodiversity loss and extinctions is unparalleled and a major concern. Freshwater organisms are facing particularly rapid rates of biodiversity loss. Amphibians, which require an aquatic environment for part of their life cycle, are one of the most vulnerable vertebrate groups. Amphibians are experiencing population declines,...
This dissertation uses manipulative experiments to explore amphibian-Bd infection dynamics. Although there has been almost two decades research since the discovery of Bd, many questions still remain regarding what conditions mediate chytridiomycosis virulence. My research shows how certain host and pathogen factors can influence disease virulence. Identifying how host and...
The purpose of this study was to examine conditions under which functional ability predicts relocation of older persons. Data for this study came from a sample of 6,225 respondents aged 70 or older, who were interviewed both at Wave 1 (1993) and 2 (1995) of a longitudinal national survey of...
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect that Pell Grants have on Stafford Loan debt accumulation and to identify other factors that affect Stafford Loan debt accumulation.
The sample consisted of 32,525 dependent undergraduate students from more than 100 different four-year public institutions. All the students...
Animals can be naturally exposed simultaneously to multiple stressors. These include habitat changes, contaminants, diseases, invasive species, parasitism, and predation. Exposure to various combinations of biotic and abiotic stressors may induce behavioral changes that affect the way an individual interacts within its environment.Like other groups of organisms, amphibians are exposed...
This thesis evaluates the programs, activities, and relationships of Enfoque Ixcan, a non-profit eye care project providing services to a rural area of Guatemala.
I conducted ethnographic interviews with key stakeholders of the organization and carried out participant observation in the Ixcan region of Guatemala in February 2006. The research...