Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of A Fluorescence Method For Quantifying Bioaerosol Concentrations On Air Quality Filter Samples, Rachel Kolberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Airborne particulate matter (PM) in outdoor environments contains many components that cause adverse human health effects. The size of the particulates determine in what manner the particles would bypass the body’s defense mechanisms to enter the respiratory system and is directly related to their health impacts. Currently the United States Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to regulate the annual and 24-hour average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in the air. PM2.5 are fine particles with aerodynamic diameter <2.5μm, small enough to reach the deepest parts of the bronchi and lungs. PM10 include PM2.5 and larger particles with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5-10μm. Both PM2.5 and PM10 contain multiple components from multiple sources. Bioaerosols are an important component of PM, but there is limited knowledge about how bioaerosols contribute to PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. There is also a lack of research about the incidence and prevalence of disease caused by bioaerosols and about the limits of exposure to bioaerosol particulates. The main barrier to assess bioaerosol concentrations and health-related effects is the absence of quick and inexpensive methodology for quantifying bioaerosols. This study explored the feasibility of using fluorescence microscopy to quickly quantify bioaerosols in PM2.5 and PM10 collected on polycarbonate filters. Bioaerosols were stained with a DNA marker directly on a filter, followed by fixation, microscopic imaging, and automatic counting. The method was first validated using reference samples prepared by depositing different known concentrations of E. coli onto blank polycarbonate filters. The results indicated a linear response over two orders of magnitude (R2 = 0.9) and an accuracy within ±25%. E. coli were also deposited onto selected ambient PM10 and PM2.5 filter samples to determine if pre-loaded particles would interfere with bioaerosol imaging and counting. It was found that despite an increase in uncertainty (variability), the calibration slope remained within ±10% of unity for both PM2.5 and PM10 samples. Bioaerosol concentrations in ambient samples, as quantified by this method, were on average 14% higher for PM10 than for PM2.5 acquired concurrently in a desert environment of Las Vegas, Nevada. The application of this method to other types of compliance filters, such as Teflon filters and tapes of a Beta Attenuation Monitor (BAM) were also explored in this study. By means of a high-yield approach this method is expected to facilitate bioaerosol research, support exposure and health assessments, and help refine NAAQS for PM2.5 and PM10.

A Rural And Urban Study Of The Food Environment In Select Nevada Geographies, Joseph Nickelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

National and county level examination of urban and rural food environments has taken place, but primary validation of venue existence and in-venue data are lacking. The literature show disparities in access to healthy foods through low density of large grocers/supermarkets, low variety and quality of produce and higher prices for a healthy diet in rural versus urban geographies. Rural areas are of unique concern due to poor health indicators such as higher obesity rates, higher diabetes rates, lower incomes and lower educations than urban residents. The goal of this study was to explore differences in the community and consumer level …

Part (I): Synthesis, Characterization And Antibacterial Activity Of Vanadium(V) Complexes With Ons Schiff Bases Part (Ii): Synthesis Of 9-Cd₃-11-Cis-Retinal For The Investigation Of The Activation Mechanism Of Gpcr Rhodopsin By Solid-State ²H Nmr Spectroscopy, Samira M. Faylough

Theses and Dissertations

Vanadium compounds are known to play many roles in both biology and industry, and the biochemical activity of these compounds has led to their increased importance in both biological and medical research. In the present work, some new substituents for hydrazinecarbodithioate Schiff base ligands and their dioxo vanadium(V) complexes were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DART mass, FT-IR, UV-vis, fluorescence spectrometer, and single X-ray diffraction analysis for complex K[VO₂{(S-benzyl-3-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl) methylene dithiocarbazate)}] (212). Dioxovanadium(V) complexes K[VO₂{(S-methyl-3-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)methylenedithiocarbazate)}] (211) and 212 have been tested for antibacterial activity against Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei strains. Ceftazidime was used as a reference …

Wright State University's Celebration Of Research, Scholarship And Creative Activities Book Of Abstracts From Friday, April 21, 2017, Wright State University

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The student abstract booklet is a compilation of abstracts from students' oral and poster presentations at Wright State University's Annual Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 21, 2017.

Estimating Autoantibody Signatures To Detect Autoimmune Disease Patient Subsets, Zhenke Wu, Livia Casciola-Rosen, Ami A. Shah, Antony Rosen, Scott L. Zeger

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by highly specific immune responses against molecules in self-tissues. Different autoimmune diseases are characterized by distinct immune responses, making autoantibodies useful for diagnosis and prediction. In many diseases, the targets of autoantibodies are incompletely defined. Although the technologies for autoantibody discovery have advanced dramatically over the past decade, each of these techniques generates hundreds of possibilities, which are onerous and expensive to validate. We set out to establish a method to greatly simplify autoantibody discovery, using a pre-filtering step to define subgroups with similar specificities based on migration of labeled, immunoprecipitated proteins on sodium dodecyl sulfate …

Evolution, Ecology, And Disparities: Constructing Stature, Immune Functioning, And Reproduction In Brazilian Quilombo, And United States, Women, Anna C. Rivara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to test how growth, reproduction, and immune functioning interact in two populations of adult women residing in vastly different socio-economic and ecological environments, the Kalunga quilombo in Brazil, and the United States of America. The presence of life history trade-offs was tested to determine how the different envirnonments, and socio-ecological contexts of the populations were creating differential risks for health and reproductive outcomes, and life history trade-offs.

I hypothesized that the Kalunga people, living in very difficult and harsh conditions, would experience greater amounts of, and more severe, life history trade-offs than the U.S. …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2017, Lisa Appeddu, Cj Smith

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

Welcome to the Twenty-Fourth SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair! On display today are 158 poster presentations and 11 oral presentations, involving 314 student researchers, writers, presenters, and artists, and 47 faculty sponsors encompassing scholarly activity from the SWOSU Departments of Art, Communication, and Theatre; Biological Sciences; Business & Computer Science; Chemistry and Physics; Engineering Technology; Language & Literature; Music; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Psychology; and Social Sciences; and SWOSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. In addition, there are poster presentations from the Western Technology Center Biomedical Academy, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, El Reno Public Schools, and BlueSTEM AgriLearning …

Characterizing Gross Lesions In Corals On Fringing Reefs Of Taiwan And Hainan Island, China, Adrienne George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Visible lesions on coral colonies are potential indicators that environmental stressors are influencing a reef. To test this hypothesis, pairs of near-shore reefs on Taiwan were surveyed along an anthropogenically influenced gradient that included locations near the cities of Taipei and Taitung, and more remote reefs off Green Island. Two fringing reefs at Sanya, Hainan Island, a popular Chinese resort area, were also assessed. Field surveys were undertaken to detect, quantify and visually describe the occurrence of lesions at each site. Coral mucus samples were collected from both normal-appearing polyps and lesion-afflicted areas of colonies to assess carbon requirements of …

Early Detection Of Diseases Using Electronic Health Records Data And Covariance-Regularized Linear Discriminant Analysis, Jiang Bian, Laura E. Barnes, Guanling Chen, Haoyi Xiong

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The availability of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in health care settings provides terrific opportunities for early detection of patients' potential diseases. While many data mining tools have been adopted for EHR-based disease early detection, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is one of the most widely used statistical prediction methods. To improve the performance of LDA for early detection of diseases, we proposed to leverage CRDA - Covariance-Regularized LDA classifiers on top of diagnosis-frequency vector data representation. Specifically, CRDA employs a sparse precision matrix estimator derived based on graphical lasso to boost the accuracy of LDA classifiers. Algorithm analysis demonstrates that the …

Dynamics Of Multicultural Social Networks, Kristina B. Hilton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically human endeavors around the globe are in search of bilateral relationships. Knowledge and commerce has played a very significant role in increasing the ability for humans to connect for the betterment of the human species. As the means of communication improve, mutual benefits to the community as a whole also increase. Moreover, the benefits are filtered down to members of the overall community. Recent advancement in electronic communication technologies and in knowledge, in particular, physical, chemical, engineering and medical sciences and philosophies, have facilitated nearly instantaneous multi-cultural interactions. Local problems and solutions have become global. This has generated a …

Solid Waste Management In The Developing World: The Role Of Local Government In Kisumu, Kenya, Rachel Schlueter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the world becomes more urbanized, more waste is being produced. According to United Nations projections in 2014, 66% of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050 with the majority of growth occurring in African cities. Managing urban waste in lower-middle income countries, such as Kenya, poses a particular challenge as income levels rise, municipal capacities are stretched, and foreign loans complicate accountability. This project sought to assess the practical role of local government when managing solid waste in the context of long-term development strategies. The objectives of this study are to first establish the current role …

Emerging Antimicrobial Research Against Superbugs: Perspectives From A Polymer Laboratory, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Md Anisur Rahman, Chuanbing Tang

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant microorganisms have become a major contributor for human morbidity and mortality. To overcome such threats, we have developed various antimicrobial agents using natural product derivatives and metallopolymers. Abundant biomass such as resin acids can be utilized to prepare cationic polymers for inhibiting a variety of bacteria. These polymers have been used in solution as well as surfaces as antimicrobial materials with low cytotoxicity. In addition, a class of charged metallopolymers have been developed to kill superbugs such as MRSA.

Research: South Dakota State University, Spring 2017, Christie Delfanian, Emily Weber

State of Discovery South Dakota State University's Research Magazine

Pharmacy researcher investigates how aspirin kills cancer cells [page] 1
Problem-solving, cornerstone of SDSU research [page] 2
Fluid flow model evaluates clotting risk in new stent graft design [page] 2
Sanford research project inspires graduate student [page] 3
Experience key to nurses' comfort in communicating with terminally ill patients [page] 4
Nondigestible starch feeds gut microbes, reduces inflammation [page] 5
Researchers investigate workings if antibody therapeutics [page] 6
DNA, RNA sequencing available in campus to researchers statewide [page] 7
QUBIC-R software helps researchers model, visualize gene expression networks [page] 8
Scientists assess survival of swine viruses in imported feed ingredients …

Quality Of Water In Relation To Diarrheal Disease Incidence In Obunga, Tianna Herman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Kenyan cities are experiencing a serious dilemma in dealing with the large influx of people from rural parts of the country to the cities. Most people come to the city in pursuit of better opportunities and jobs. Rapid urban growth with little planning and preparation by the national and county governments has led to the development of informal settlements. These informal settlements are characterized by poor environmental conditions that predispose their residents for poor health conditions. Because of their illegal status, most residents of informal settlements in Kenya do not receive government services such as water, drainage, sewerage, and rubbish …

Circulation, Vol. 22, No. 2, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Chet Grosch

CCPO Circulation

Spring 2017 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "Reflections from Dr. Grosch" By Dr. Chet Grosch, Emeritus Professor and Founding Member of CCPO.

Complex Interactive Effects Of Water Mold, Herbicide, And The Fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis On Pacific Treefrog Hyliola Regilla Hosts, John M. Romansic, James E. Johnson, R. Steven Wagner, Rebecca H. Hill, Christopher A. Gaulke, Vance T. Vredenburg, Andrew R. Blaustein

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to global biodiversity. However, their ecological impacts are not independent of environmental conditions. For example, the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has contributed to population declines and extinctions in many amphibian species, interacts with several environmental factors to influence its hosts, but potential interactions with other pathogens and environmental contaminants are understudied. We examined the combined effects of Bd, a water mold (Achlya sp.), and the herbicide Roundup® Regular (hereafter, Roundup®) on larval Pacific treefrog Hyliola regilla hosts. We employed a 2 wk, fully factorial laboratory experiment with 3 …

Uv-Vis And Fluorescence Studies Of Zinc Enzyme Active Site Mimics And Their Binding Of Inhibitor Compounds, Aeshah Hussain Niyazi

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to synthesize and characterize Zn2+-ligand complexes that have the same zinc coordination environment as in histone deacetylase (HDAC) and other important zincdependent enzymes. Mimicking the structural and the functional properties of Zn2+-enzymes will allow us to understand the binding reactivity between Zn2+ and small molecule enzyme inhibitors. The new understanding will help to develop new approaches to target disease states such as cancer. A variety of Zn2+ binary complexes have been synthesized and their interactions with inhibitors such as suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA) and 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) have been studied using 1H NMR, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies. Attempts were …

Cytotoxic And Antimicrobial Effects Of Silver-Containing Surfaces, Sarah Goderecci

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines applications of sputtered silver coatings as alternatives to traditional antibiotic treatments. Given the increase in reports of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, new treatments and coatings for in-dwelling medical devices such as catheters and orthopedic implants are necessary. Silver oxide films were deposited onto Ti surfaces to examine the efficacy of such coatings against a variety of bacterial species both in vitro and in vivo. Bacterial growth studies showed that coatings exhibited antimicrobial activity against a range of bacterial species acting either in a bacteriostatic or bactericidal mechanism, depending on the target. Limited toxicity to in vitro mammalian cells was …

Dueling Biological And Social Contagions, Feng Fu, Nicholas A. Christakis, James H. Fowler

Dartmouth Scholarship

Numerous models explore how a wide variety of biological and social phenomena spread in social networks. However, these models implicitly assume that the spread of one phenomenon is not affected by the spread of another. Here, we develop a model of “dueling contagions”, with a particular illustration of a situation where one is biological (influenza) and the other is social (flu vaccination). We apply the model to unique time series data collected during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic that includes information about vaccination, flu, and face-to-face social networks. The results show that well- connected individuals are more likely to get vaccinated, …

Effect Of Immediate Initiation Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Risk Of Severe Bacterial Infections In Hiv-Positive People With Cd4 Cell Counts Of More Than 500 Cells Per Μl: Secondary Outcome Results From A Randomised Controlled Trial., Jemma O'Connor, Michael J Vjecha, Andrew N Phillips, Brian Angus, David Cooper, Fred Gordin, +Several Additional Authors

Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The effects of antiretroviral therapy on risk of severe bacterial infections in people with high CD4 cell counts have not been well described. In this study, we aimed to quantify the effects of immediate versus deferred ART on the risk of severe bacterial infection in people with high CD4 cell counts in a preplanned analysis of the START trial.

METHODS: The START trial was a randomised controlled trial in ART-naive HIV-positive patients with CD4 cell count of more than 500 cells per μL assigned to immediate ART or deferral until their CD4 cell counts were lower than 350 cells …

The Role Of Functional, Social, And Mobility Dynamics In Facilitating Older African Americans Participation In Clinical Research, Eve T. Shapiro, Jay T. Schamel, Kimberly A. Parker, Laura A. Randall, Paula M. Frew

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Purpose: Older African Americans experience disproportionately higher incidence of morbidity and mortality related to chronic and infectious diseases, yet are significantly underrepresented in clinical research compared to other racial and ethnic groups. This study aimed to understand the extent to which social support, transportation access, and physical impediments function as barriers or facilitators to clinical trial recruitment of older African Americans. Methods: Participants (N=221) were recruited from six African American churches in Atlanta and surveyed on various influences on clinical trial participation.

Characterization And Analysis Of Real-Time Capillary Convective Pcr Toward Commercialization, Xianbo Qiu, Shiyin Zhang, Lanju Mei, Di Wu, Ke Li, Shengxiang Ge, Xiangzhong Ye, Ningshao Xia, Michael G. Mauk

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Almost all the reported capillary convective polymerase chain reaction (CCPCR) systems to date are still limited to research use stemming from unresolved issues related to repeatability, reliability, convenience, and sensitivity. To move CCPCR technology forward toward commercialization, a couple of critical strategies and innovations are discussed here. First, single- and dual-end heating strategies are analyzed and compared between each other. Especially, different solutions for dual-end heating are proposed and discussed, and the heat transfer and fluid flow inside the capillary tube with an optimized dual-end heating strategy are analyzed and modeled. Second, real-time CCPCR is implemented with light-emitting diode and …

Network Analysis Of Wildfire Transmission And Implications For Risk Governance, Alan A. Ager, Cody Evers, Michelle A. Day, Haiganoush K. Preisler, Ana M.G. Barros, Max Nielsen-Pincus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We characterized wildfire transmission and exposure within a matrix of large land tenures (federal, state, and private) surrounding 56 communities within a 3.3 million ha fire prone region of central Oregon US. Wildfire simulation and network analysis were used to quantify the exchange of fire among land tenures and communities and analyze the relative contributions of human versus natural ignitions to wildfire exposure. Among the land tenures examined, the area burned by incoming fires averaged 57% of the total burned area. Community exposure from incoming fires ignited on surrounding land tenures accounted for 67% of the total area burned. The …

Effect Of School Community Empowerment Model Towards Handwashing Implementation Among Elementary School Students In Dayeuhkolot Subdistrict, Tetti Solehati, Cecep Eli Kosasih, Sri Susilawati, Mamat Lukman, Sayu Putu Yuni Paryati

Kesmas

Perilaku mencuci tangan dengan sabun di Indonesia masih menjadi masalah. Penyebabnya dikaitkan dengan kurangnya kesadaran dalam mencuci tangan pakai sabun. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberdayaan komunitas sekolah terhadap penerapan mencuci tangan di kalangan siswa sekolah dasar di Kecamatan Dayeuhkolot, Kabupaten Bandung. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain quasi eksperimental dengan pretest dan posttest serta melakukan analisis deskriptif dan inferensial. Sampel terdiri dari 24 guru, 377 siswa di kelas 4-6, dan 24 dokter kecil. Metode pendekatan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan usaha kesehatan sekolah terpadu (gabungan model fit for school dan UKS terpilih), yang terdiri dari enam tahap. Instrumen terdiri dari kuesioner …

Analytic Approximation Of Invasion Wave Amplitude Predicts Severity Of Insect Outbreaks, Antje R. H. Graul, James A. Powell

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Outbreaks of phytophagous forest insects are largely driven by host demographics and spatial effects of dispersal. We develop a structured integrodifference equation (IDE) outbreak model that tracks the demographics of sedentary hosts under insect infestation pressure. The model is appropriate for a spectrum of pests attacking the later age classes of long-lived hosts, including mountain pine beetle (MPB), spruce budworm, and spruce beetle, which, among them are responsible for more forest damage than fire. The model generates a train of periodic waves of infestation. We approximate the IDE with a partial differential equation and search for traveling wave solutions. The …

Controlling Viral Outbreaks: Quantitative Strategies, Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss

Mathematics Faculty Research

Preparing for and responding to outbreaks of serious livestock infectious diseases are critical measures to safeguard animal health, public health, and food supply. Almost all of the current control strategies are empirical, and mass culling or “stamping out” is frequently the principal strategy for controlling epidemics. However, there are ethical, ecological, and economic reasons to consider less drastic control strategies. Here we use modeling to quantitatively study the efficacy of different control measures for viral outbreaks, where the infectiousness, transmissibility and death rate of animals commonly depends on their viral load. We develop a broad theoretical framework for exploring and …

The Battle Against Malaria: A Teachable Moment, Randy K. Schwartz

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Malaria has been humanity’s worst public health problem throughout recorded history. Mathematical methods are needed to understand which factors are relevant to the disease and to develop counter-measures against it. This article and the accompanying exercises provide examples of those methods for use in lower- or upper-level courses dealing with probability, statistics, or population modeling. These can be used to illustrate such concepts as correlation, causation, conditional probability, and independence. The article explains how the apparent link between sickle cell trait and resistance to malaria was first verified in Uganda using the chi-squared probability distribution. It goes on to explain …

Habitat And Community Associations And The Population Dynamics Of A Temporary Coral-Reef Fish Ectoparasite, John Michael Artim

Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reef is habitat constructed by the scleractinian coral after which the habitat is named. While scleractinian coral colonies are often meters in extent, they are composed of small individual organisms—typically on the scale of millimeters across. Coral reefs that include an abundance of many coral species support a diverse abundance of fish and conspicuous invertebrate life. These macro constituents of coral reefs—coral colonies, reef fish and conspicuous invertebrates—have been the primary focus for much of the existing body of coral reef ecology research. One of the inconspicuous and understudied coral reef invertebrate constituents are gnathiid isopod fish parasites. These …

A Comparison Of The Quality Of Informed Consent For Clinical Trials Of An Experimental Hookworm Vaccine Conducted In Developed And Developing Countries., David J. Diemert, Lucas Lobato, Ashley Styczynski, Maria Zumer, Amanda Soares, Maria Flávia Gazzinelli

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Informed consent is one of the principal ethical requirements of conducting clinical research, regardless of the study setting. Breaches in the quality of the informed consent process are frequently described in reference to clinical trials conducted in developing countries, due to low levels of formal education, a lack of familiarity with biomedical research, and limited access to health services in these countries. However, few studies have directly compared the quality of the informed consent process in developed and developing countries using the same tool and in similar clinical trials. This study was conducted to compare the quality of the informed …

Development Of Immuno- Nanoparticles For Targeting Schistosoma Parasites, Eman Rabie Abdul-Ghany

Theses and Dissertations

Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for treatment of schistosomiasis since its discovery in 1972. According to World Health Organization (WHO), schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent parasitic disease worldwide that has no effective vaccine yet. Schistosoma parasites infect more than 200 million people in about 76 countries and about 700 million people are at risk.PZQ is not only used for treatment of schistosomiasis, but it is also used for control of other parasitic diseases and it is included on the Model List of Essential Medicines of WHO. Parasitic diseases, despite their significant global burden, have been rather under …