http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8070 Honors College 2013-05-16T05:23:09Z http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8403 Characteristics of urban constructions occupied by bats Vander Pol, Robin Certain bat species like Myotis velifer (cave myotis), Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle), and Tadarida brasiliensis (Mexican free-tailed) of Waco, Texas roost in buildings, sometimes even when more natural roosting structures are available. However, not much research has been done looking into the features of these chosen buildings that attracts bats. The purpose of this study is to identify some of these unknown characteristics. We surveyed and identified 62 buildings, in downtown Waco as roosts using external marks such as guano deposits and bat vocalizations to find their exact positions. 41 were day roosts and 21 were night roosts, used only as resting positions during the night. Using observation and GIS software we gathered characteristics about these buildings such as human occupancy and building footprint area in order to find common characteristics. We found construction type was a factor in day vs. night roost selection and human occupancy was a major factor in day vs. non-roost selection. Knowing these features will aid in conservation. 2012-06-26T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8402 Societal Pressure on Self Image, Particularly as it Relates to Black Americans Akers, Alana Society puts a lot of pressure on its members, much of which the members of society do not even consciously realize is being placed upon them. There is simultaneously pressure to conform to the things society deems acceptable and pressure to express one’s “true self” within the ways that society finds it all right for people to be different. These two pressures can be especially difficult to reconcile in cases where society either does not accept a particular sort of self-expression as valid or when it is impossible for a person to make the sort of changes that would be necessary to fully conform. In this thesis, I will look at the pressure that society can put on individuals’ self-image, particularly as it affects Black Americans. To accomplish this, I will analyze sections of Carl Elliott’s Better than Well, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Sexual Politics. 2012-05-10T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8401 A Cross-Sectional Study of the Effects of Stressors Upon Blood Glucose Levels in Non-Obese Patients in Rural Western Kenya Rogalla, Aislinn In order to more effectively address the expansion of type 2 diabetes worldwide, this study investigated the role that stressors and the stress response play in the development of diabetes. This study analyzed clinical data collected from a sample population of 685 subjects of Luo ethnicity who attended a clinic in May, 2010, in rural western Kenya. Stressors were self-reported by the patients, and blood glucose levels were determined from blood samples. Diabetes, measured as blood glucose levels over 200 mg/dL, was found to be unrelated to body mass index, an accepted measure for obesity (X^2 = 2.51, df = 5, p = 0.7753). 2012-05-09T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2104/8400 The Impact of Nutrition and Body Mass Index on Malaria in Rural Western Kenya Godana, Ivy In order to alleviate the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa it is important to understand the impact of lifestyle variables for public health efforts to be effective at the level of the household. This cross-sectional study analyzes clinical data collected from a sample population of 480 patients from the Luo tribe who attended a clinic in May 2011 in rural western Kenya. Data trends are inferred from the patient’s physical examination, and a food questionnaire detailing the daily diet of the patient. The average age in this sample was 34.66 years; the average BMI was 20.05 kg/m2 and the prevalence of malaria was approximately 8.5%. Data indicates that among those who had the most diverse daily diet, only 5% had malaria, while 9% of those who did not eat a daily diverse diet had malaria. Patients with a severely thin Body Mass Index (BMI) were found to be at a higher risk (12.8%) of having malaria, whereas the pre-obese and obese had no (0%) malaria. Data also indicated that with the average prevalence of worms being 7% in the sample, the severely thin manifested a proportion of 17%, with the pre-obese and obese manifesting no diagnoses of worms. Thus, for the patients who consume the most diverse diet, the presence of worms decreases their BMI, increasing the chances of suffering from malaria. Overall, these results show that nutrition and BMI are clinically important tools for combating malaria; however the presence of worms adversely affects the association. 2012-05-08T00:00:00Z