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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Syndemics And Social Factors: Infectious Disease Patterns Within The Population Of People Experiencing Homelessness In The United States, Kathleen Berzonsky
Syndemics And Social Factors: Infectious Disease Patterns Within The Population Of People Experiencing Homelessness In The United States, Kathleen Berzonsky
Honors Theses
Individuals experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of suffering from infectious diseases. This is due to a number of social factors and healthcare disparities, as well as the idea of syndemics, by which diseases cluster together to worsen disease burden. Current intervention strategies approach treatment from a post-infection perspective, but reducing transmission rates of infectious diseases within the population of people experiencing homelessness will require a shift in the healthcare framework. The issue of people experiencing homelessness must be viewed through a biosocial lens, focusing on preventative care and treatment. I provide an overview of the social factors governing infectious …
The Effects Of Covid-19 On Residential Municipal Waste Streams, Anne Kluthe
The Effects Of Covid-19 On Residential Municipal Waste Streams, Anne Kluthe
Honors Theses
Through interviews, this exploratory analytive study researched how COVID-19, and especially the first lockdown of 2020, changed residential municipal waste streams, specifically in terms of items, tonnage, and workplace practices. The most common items were an influx in PPE, specifically face masks, and an increase in cardboard. There was also some evidence of paper from “deep cleaning” projects and construction debris from backyard pool installation and bathroom renovation. The total change in waste varied from area to area. Norfolk and the surrounding area had a stagnant amount of waste during the pandemic, Omaha and the rest of Douglas County saw …
Association Of Trim Gene Variation And Lpdv Infection Patterns In Wild Turkeys, Bennett Fry
Association Of Trim Gene Variation And Lpdv Infection Patterns In Wild Turkeys, Bennett Fry
Honors Theses
Emerging infectious diseases pose a serious threat to various species throughout the globe, including humans. The lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) in wild turkeys is an example of disease virus whose impact on its host requires additional study. Although the first description of lymphoproliferative disease came from outbreaks in domestic turkey flocks in Europe, it is now known that LPDV is widespread in wild turkey populations in North America. In an effort to understand what may affect an individual turkey’s susceptibility to this virus, variation in part of the anti-viral TRIM62 gene was investigated. DNA was extracted from hunter-collected, turkey blood …
Exploration Of Stable Isotope Analysis To Identify Prior Host In Ixodes Scapularis, Imogene Welles
Exploration Of Stable Isotope Analysis To Identify Prior Host In Ixodes Scapularis, Imogene Welles
Honors Theses
One of the most enigmatic concepts in tick-borne disease ecology is how to identify the prior host of a questing tick. The ability to do so would provide predictions to directly aid in controlling the spread of the many tick-borne pathogens, including the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease in humans. I explored the application of a novel technique, stable isotope analysis (SIA), to identify the most recent host in molted Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick). The common reservoir and feeding host, Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mice; n = 46), were trapped, infested with nymphal ticks, and fed restricted …
The Relationship Between Glucocorticoids And The Humoral Immune Response To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Challenges In Eastern Bluebirds, Joshua Smith
Honors Theses
Numerous studies have examined relationships between adrenal glucocorticoids and the immune system’s ability to fight disease. The relationship can vary, with glucocorticoids having either stimulatory or inhibitory effects. The pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) elicits an adaptive immune response in birds, in which B cells produce MG-specific antibodies to fight the infection and prevent reoccurrence. Previous research found that Eastern Bluebirds that produce the most antibodies in response to MG infection also have the highest glucocorticoid levels. This finding led to the current study investigating whether corticosterone, the primary glucocorticoid in birds, stimulates production of antibodies in response to immune …
Design And Synthesis Of Novel Analogs As Potential Antitubercular Agents, Peggy Mccluggage
Design And Synthesis Of Novel Analogs As Potential Antitubercular Agents, Peggy Mccluggage
Honors Theses
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious, airborne disease which primarily infects the lungs. One-third of the world’s population is currently estimated to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent for TB [1]. Current treatment for this disease requires at least six months of taking multiple antibiotics with undesirable side effects [2]. Difficulty in complying to this regimen as well as the prevalence of HIV/AIDS has led to antimicrobial resistance seen in Mtb. In order to combat the Multi-Drug Resistant and Extensively-Drug Resistant strains of the disease-causing bacteria, preventative care and novel antibiotics are urgently needed [3]. The purpose for …
Generating Zika Vaccine Candidates Using Nhumirim Virus As A Backbone, Mariam A. Atobiloye
Generating Zika Vaccine Candidates Using Nhumirim Virus As A Backbone, Mariam A. Atobiloye
Honors Theses
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that is causing significant world-wide health concern. There are currently no treatments or vaccines available for this virus, thus, there is an urgent need to develop a safe and effective vaccine to combat ZIKV infection. Nhumirim virus (NHUV) is also a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus, but it is unable to infect humans and other vertebrate animals, making it an ideal candidate to develop chimeric viral vaccines against other disease-causing flaviviruses, such as ZIKV. In this study, we generated chimeric viruses by replacing envelope (E) gene in the genome of NHUV with ZIKV E gene, which …
Cercarial Parasitism Of Freshwater Snails In Sandhills Ponds Versus Streams, Caroline Emily Spethman
Cercarial Parasitism Of Freshwater Snails In Sandhills Ponds Versus Streams, Caroline Emily Spethman
Honors Theses
Parasite prevalence was calculated for all aquatic snails collected from four freshwater localities in Western Nebraska from Summer 2016 to 2019: Dunwoody Pond, Haythorn Ranch, Neven’s Restoration, and Breen’s Flyaway. With data of increasing trematode cercarial infection specifically at Dunwoody Pond, this community was further studied. In Summer 2019, a total of 217 freshwater snails representing species of Physa sp., Stagnicola elodes (Say,1821), and Helisoma anceps (Menke,1830) were collected from Dunwoody Pond and Dunwoody stream, near Ogallala, Nebraska. Eighty-one snails were collected from Dunwoody Pond, 76 snails were collected 31 meters upstream, and 60 snails were collected 61 meters upstream …
Understanding A Possible Wonder Drug: A Radial Diffusion Assay For The Rapid Evaluation Of Antimicrobial Peptides, Dustin Walter
Understanding A Possible Wonder Drug: A Radial Diffusion Assay For The Rapid Evaluation Of Antimicrobial Peptides, Dustin Walter
Honors Theses
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been a major research focus due to their potential to combat a variety of human pathogens. Our laboratory has identified several novel peptides that display significant antifungal activity. The effectiveness of these peptides in vitro has been promising; however, it has been shown that physiological concentrations of various salts along with other conditions are inhibitory to peptide activity. To further explore the inhibitory effects of these salts, a new assay was developed whereby we can observe the effects of various salts on the peptide killing activity. For our studies, we employed several clinical isolates of Candida …
The Effects Of Soil Ph And Composition On Blacklegged Tick Molting Success Avian Window Strike Mortality On Union College Campus, Kaleigh Ahern
The Effects Of Soil Ph And Composition On Blacklegged Tick Molting Success Avian Window Strike Mortality On Union College Campus, Kaleigh Ahern
Honors Theses
The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the one of the most significant vectors of infectious disease in the world and most notorious for its ability to transmit Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Because both the range of the blacklegged tick and the annual incidence of Lyme disease have been increasing in North America over the past several decades, it is becoming increasingly important to better understand how environmental factors contribute to blacklegged tick survival. Past studies have shown that these factors include precipitation levels, extent of groundcover, plant and animal community composition, temperature, and soil type. Because …
Life At A Local Hiv/Aids Community Outreach Program: Exploring Community Reliance In The Face Of Financial Instability, Amanda Greenberg
Life At A Local Hiv/Aids Community Outreach Program: Exploring Community Reliance In The Face Of Financial Instability, Amanda Greenberg
Honors Theses
The positive association between poverty and ill health is one that is supported by a number of variables. More specifically, the association between poverty and the contraction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is one that sticks out in recent literature but frequently goes unacknowledged within mainstream society as a result of heavy stigmatization. After interning at a local HIV/AIDS community outreach center for several months, I have witnessed this stigmatization firsthand and recognize the value of educating others about this crucial topic. In my thesis, I explore the personal struggles of clients and employees at this local HIV/AIDS …
The Impact Of Tricaine Methanesulfonate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, And Carvone-Methyl Salicylate On The Innate Immune Response Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Charles R. Wulff
The Impact Of Tricaine Methanesulfonate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, And Carvone-Methyl Salicylate On The Innate Immune Response Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Charles R. Wulff
Honors Theses
Anesthesia plays a vital role in the maintenance of aquaculture species, where it is used to minimize stress during complex handling tasks such as transport, assessment, and harvesting. However, anesthetics have been shown to suppress the innate immune response, which could impact immunity and increase risk of infection. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and 2-Phenoxyethanol (2-PE) represent two of the most commonly used anesthetics in aquaculture, with R-(+)-carvone, in the form of carvone-methyl salicylate (CMS) has recently been proposed as an alternative anesthetic for food fish. These three anesthetics were used to assess the influence of anesthetics on the immune system of …
The Great Potato Debate, James D. Hudson
The Great Potato Debate, James D. Hudson
Honors Theses
Anencephaly and spina bifida cystica are two of the most common severe congenital malformations consistently observed in human populations. Both represent defects in the neural tube and share a significant number of similar epidemiological associations among them, occupational class, geography, sex ratio, maternal age, year and season of the year. In anencephaly most of the brain and upper skull never form usually resulting in death within a few hours of birth. Spina bifida cystica is a malformation of the spinal cord often causing paralysis, vulnerability to infection, and early death. In 1972, Dr. J.H. Renwick presented a controversial hypothesis which …