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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Healthcare Service Utilization And Life Satisfaction In South Africa, Tamara Chavez-Lindell Dec 2022

Healthcare Service Utilization And Life Satisfaction In South Africa, Tamara Chavez-Lindell

Doctoral Dissertations

South Africa has achieved improvements in many health measures over the past 30 years, yet significant disparities in healthcare utilization and health outcomes persist. There is evidence that healthcare utilization has a strong influence on health outcomes and life satisfaction. Unfortunately, rural areas tend to have poorer accessibility and utilization of health services, leading to disparities in health outcomes. In rapidly urbanizing countries such as South Africa, identification of disparities and predictors of public healthcare utilization and life satisfaction may provide information that can be used to guide development of programs aimed at improving population health outcomes, quality-of-life, and overall …


Perinatal Health In North Dakota: Emerging Issues, Grace N. Njau Dec 2022

Perinatal Health In North Dakota: Emerging Issues, Grace N. Njau

Doctoral Dissertations

Preterm birth, newborn screening refusal, and postpartum depression represent three emerging areas of concern that have not been previously investigated in North Dakota. Their potential impact creates significant social, behavioral, and economic burdens. Although various studies have investigated preterm birth and postpartum depression, to the best of my knowledge, newborn screening refusal in the United States has not been previously investigated. In alignment with the role of Title V of the Social Security Act (Maternal and Child Health) Programs to conduct ongoing statewide needs assessments, the objectives of this study was to investigate and identify predictors of preterm birth, newborn …


Sphenoidal Sinuses And Spherical Harmonics: Variation And Covariation Of The Most Morphologically Diverse And Least Understood Paranasal Sinus, Katharine Grace Josephine Ryan Dec 2022

Sphenoidal Sinuses And Spherical Harmonics: Variation And Covariation Of The Most Morphologically Diverse And Least Understood Paranasal Sinus, Katharine Grace Josephine Ryan

Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the shape variation of the human sphenoidal sinus is important to several areas of research. This includes clinical investigation (sinus pathology and safe endoscopic endonasal surgical practice) and paranasal sinus evolution (for which there is still no consensus). Yet, the sphenoidal sinus has high morphological variation, prohibiting its quantification through traditional geometric morphometric landmarking methods. The sphenoid body, and thus also the sinus contained within, is located directly at the developmental center of the basicranium in humans, where the three cranial fossae meet at the midline, and adjacent to the three synchondroses which are the sites of cranial base …


The Lived Experience Of Losing Employment After Diagnosis With Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis, Susan K. Blaine Dec 2022

The Lived Experience Of Losing Employment After Diagnosis With Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis, Susan K. Blaine

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was describing the experiences of people with dementia (PWD) who lose their employment after diagnosis with dementia, but sooner than originally planned. A phenomenological approach based on tenets of Maurice Merleau-Ponty was used. Six telephone interviews were conducted, with participants sharing their experiences. Transcripts were transcribed verbatim, and subsequently analyzed via a hermeneutical analysis approach. Themes were identified within and between transcripts, considering the contextual grounds of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology: body, others, time, and world, and the contextual ground of participants’ experience: the stigma of dementia. An overarching, central theme of “still working” was identified across …


Identification Of The Type Eleven Secretion System (T11ss) And Characterization Of T11ss-Dependent Effector Proteins, Alex S. Grossman Dec 2022

Identification Of The Type Eleven Secretion System (T11ss) And Characterization Of T11ss-Dependent Effector Proteins, Alex S. Grossman

Doctoral Dissertations

Host-associated microbes live in dangerous environments as a result of host immune killing, nutrient provisioning, and physiological conditions. Bacteria have evolved a host of surface and secreted proteins to help interact with this host environment and overcome nutrient limitation. The studies included within this dissertation describe the identification of a novel bacterial secretion system which has evolved to transport these symbiosis mediating proteins. This system, termed the type eleven secretion system (T11SS), is present throughout the Gram negative phylum Proteobacteria, including many human pathogens such as Neisseria meningitidis, Acinetobacter baumanii, Haemophilus haemolyticus, and Proteus vulgaris. Furthermore, …


Evaluation Of Ocelot And Bobcat General And Reproductive Health In South Texas And Assessment Of Assisted Reproductive Techniques For Wild Felid Conservation, Ashley Reeves Dec 2022

Evaluation Of Ocelot And Bobcat General And Reproductive Health In South Texas And Assessment Of Assisted Reproductive Techniques For Wild Felid Conservation, Ashley Reeves

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent studies of wild felid populations in southern Texas have shown loss of genetic variability and inbreeding depression over time, increasing the risk of reduced reproductive and immune fitness leading to an overall decrease in reproductive success, increase in disease susceptibility, and further population demise. Assessment of general health, pathogen exposure, and reproductive health can provide documentation of the possible effects of inbreeding and inform the development of conservation strategies. Assisted reproductive technologies have been used in many other species and can address behavioral or physical incompatibilities among breeding pairs, connect distant populations by transporting frozen gametes, preserve genetic diversity …


Genealogy Tells: Informing Health And Aging Policies Using East Tennessean Older Women's Family Histories, Perceptions, And Experiences Of Health Inequity, Heather Davis Dec 2022

Genealogy Tells: Informing Health And Aging Policies Using East Tennessean Older Women's Family Histories, Perceptions, And Experiences Of Health Inequity, Heather Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Older women face unique health inequities challenges. This study aims to provide an understanding of older women’s perceptions and situated experiences regarding the gendered health inequities they face and the social determinants (SDH) thereof. It examines how these health inequities are situated in older women’s genealogical (familial) and geographical health and mortality outcomes histories and how their perceptions and experiences of health inequities and their familial mortality outcomes histories are characterized by the geopolitical and social norms in which they live. The purpose of this project is to present policy and decision-makers with insights about and recommendations from older women …


Addressing Interprofessional Competence In Interpretation Of Electronic Fetal Monitor Tracings, Susan H. Hébert Dec 2022

Addressing Interprofessional Competence In Interpretation Of Electronic Fetal Monitor Tracings, Susan H. Hébert

Doctoral Dissertations

Interpretation of electronic fetal monitor (EFM) tracings is a critical clinical practice skill nurses and physicians perform during the intrapartum stage of pregnancy. However, if performed inaccurately can potentially jeopardize the well-being of the neonate. This risk is present because if concerning EFM tracings are not interpreted accurately, preventative care interventions to promote the well-being of the unborn child do not occur. The project was initiated by completing a scoping literature review on the methods for training and evaluating EFM interpretation competence, which revealed current EFM interpretation training and evaluation methods are lacking. A concept analysis defined nurse competence in …


Intra-Skeletal Variation In Stable Isotopes Through Non-Destructive Approaches: Applications Of The Patterns Of Skeletal Remodeling To Biological Anthropology, Armando Anzellini Dec 2022

Intra-Skeletal Variation In Stable Isotopes Through Non-Destructive Approaches: Applications Of The Patterns Of Skeletal Remodeling To Biological Anthropology, Armando Anzellini

Doctoral Dissertations

Stable isotope analysis is a well-established method in biological anthropology used to deliver data on residence, diet, and life history. Samples for these analyses are often collected from the diaphyses of long bones with an assumption of an expected rate of turnover between five and ten years, depending on the skeletal element. However, the biological foundations of this assumption are still uncertain, especially concerning the intra-skeletal and intra-element variation of isotopic signatures that may relate to patterns of remodeling. Exploring these gaps in intra-element isotopic variation requires fine-grained work using multiple bones from multiple individuals, but such work is limited …


Implantable Medical Devices For Local Drug Delivery And Tissue Regeneration To Combat Chronic Bacterial Infection, Caroline J. Billings Aug 2022

Implantable Medical Devices For Local Drug Delivery And Tissue Regeneration To Combat Chronic Bacterial Infection, Caroline J. Billings

Doctoral Dissertations

Local drug delivery has been an area of exceptional interest in the treatment of chronic bacterial infections, particularly in areas where there are medical implants placed. Medical implants are widely utilized and are becoming increasingly popular with time. With the increasing use of medical implants, concomitant bacterial infection is also increasing, and this type of bacterial infection can be exceedingly difficult to clear. The following body of work focuses on implant-associated bacterial infection, with an emphasis on chronic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection, particularly osteomyelitis. Specifically, this work is focused within the scope of utilizing locally implantable medical …


Investigating Person-Specific Profiles Of Readiness-To-Exercise: Exploring Associations With Hypothetical Experiential Outcomes And Perceived Relevance, Cory Beaumont Aug 2022

Investigating Person-Specific Profiles Of Readiness-To-Exercise: Exploring Associations With Hypothetical Experiential Outcomes And Perceived Relevance, Cory Beaumont

Doctoral Dissertations

Autoregulation is a person-adaptive strategy wherein exercise workloads are adjusted to match one’s readiness (e.g., acute mental, physical, perceptual state). Prior work demonstrated that structural features of readiness profiles (i.e., which factor(s) are most important) differ across individuals. As this work relied on mathematical modeling, research is needed to understand the informational utility of person-specific profiles (PSPs) of readiness. Purpose: Model heterogeneity in PSPs of readiness (Aim 1), explore associations between PSP factor scores and forecasted experiences to hypothetical muscle-strengthening exercise (Aim 2), and explore participants’ perceptions of relevance and utility regarding their PSP (Aim 3). Methods: For …


Role Of Temperature, Transmission Pathways, And Pathogen Load In Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans Epidemiology, Edward Davis Carter Aug 2022

Role Of Temperature, Transmission Pathways, And Pathogen Load In Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans Epidemiology, Edward Davis Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

Amphibian populations are experiencing dramatic population declines. Amphibian diseases are one of the major reasons for these declines. A newly described fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), has been recently introduced to Europe and is currently decimating European salamander populations. Sampling efforts have not detected Bsal yet in the United States in captive or wild populations. Disease management hinges on knowing how environmental, host, and pathogen interactions influence disease occurrence and severity. Understanding routes of pathogen transmission is also critical as knowledge of these routes can elucidate management strategies. In Chapter I of my dissertation, I measured how environmental …


Cat Covid, Cmv And Chemokines, Oh My!, Trevor Hancock May 2022

Cat Covid, Cmv And Chemokines, Oh My!, Trevor Hancock

Doctoral Dissertations

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important pathogen infecting most humans worldwide. CMV infection within immunocompromised individuals can cause severe morbidity and potential mortality. Disease during CMV infection is due to virus dissemination and subsequent inflammation. Host immune cells lie at the intersection potentially mediating both. The CMV-encoded viral chemokine vCXCL-1 is a proposed virulence factor in mouse models increasing immune cell recruitment and disease. However, the primary immune cell mediator is undetermined. To identify targets, Chapter 2 examines CXCR2 expression (receptor for vCXCL-1) among various mouse tissues and human peripheral blood under steady-state conditions. In vitro, isoforms of HCMV’s vCXCL-1 …


Design And Development Of The Urban Population Health Observatory To Improve Disease Surveillance And Response, Whitney Brakefield May 2022

Design And Development Of The Urban Population Health Observatory To Improve Disease Surveillance And Response, Whitney Brakefield

Doctoral Dissertations

Chronic and infectious diseases have a profound impact on the quality and length of life of populations that suffer from these conditions. Scientists, physicians, and health officials are seeking innovative approaches to decrease the morbidity and mortality of deadly diseases. Incorporating artificial intelligence and data science techniques across the health science domain could improve disease surveillance, intervention planning, and policymaking. In this dissertation, we describe the design and development of the Urban Population Health Observatory (UPHO), an explainable knowledge-based multimodal big data analytics platform. A common challenge for conducting multimodal big data analytics is integrating multidimensional heterogeneous data sources, which …


“In The Skin I’M In…I Represent A Different Version Of What Help Looks Like:” Black Women Sport Psychology Professional’S Experiences In Applied Sport Psychology, Sharon R. Couch May 2022

“In The Skin I’M In…I Represent A Different Version Of What Help Looks Like:” Black Women Sport Psychology Professional’S Experiences In Applied Sport Psychology, Sharon R. Couch

Doctoral Dissertations

Black Feminist Applied Sport Psychology (BFASP) is a culturally inclusive theoretical framework for centering Black women’s experiences in applied sport psychology (Carter et al., 2020; Couch et al., 2022). For the past two decades, (White) Feminist applied sport psychology professionals (FASPPs) described the experiences of Black women as unique but were overlooked in research and participant pools due to the prioritization of White women's and Black male sport experiences. (Carter & Davila, 2017; Carter & Prewitt-White, 2014; Gill, 2020; Hyman et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to explore the life and work experiences of BASPPs (i.e., faculty, …


Supporting Characters: Prosthesis And Aesthetic Technologies Of Disability In The Victorian Novel, Rebecca L. Mccann May 2022

Supporting Characters: Prosthesis And Aesthetic Technologies Of Disability In The Victorian Novel, Rebecca L. Mccann

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the production of physical disability and the function of prosthesis in nineteenth-century British fiction. My intervention in disability studies readings of Victorian literature attends to the prosthetic object and prosthetic body not only as the dual products of medicine and art, but also as catalytic elements of fiction and culture. I read reciprocal developments in medical technology and disabled characterization in the Victorian novel to demonstrate how the artistic translation of the prosthetic object effected a set of criteria for defining people through both bodies and things and, in so doing, revealed the ways in which the …