Digital Commons Network^™

Fighting Antibiotic Resistance: The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L, L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase From Haemophilus Influenzae In A Dinuclear Metallohydrolase, Nathaniel J. Cosper, David L. Bienvenue, Jacob E. Shokes, Danuta M. Gilner, Takashi Tsukamoto, Robert A. Scott, Richard C. Holz

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Leptospirosis In The Azores: The Rodent Connection, Gary W. Witmer, Hernani Martins, Lidia Flor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Azores are Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. The culture is very agrarian with a large cattle industry. Unfortunately, there is a chronic leptospirosis problem within the people, livestock, companion animals, and wildlife of the Azores. Introduced rodents play a significant role as maintenance hosts of this disease. We review the situation and make recommendations for reducing the occurrence and hazard of leptospirosis in the Azores. Areas addressed include the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease and the role of rodents, development of an effective rodent control program, improvements in farm practices and …

The Equation, Winter 2004, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

College of Science and Mathematics Newsletters

This 6 page newsletter discusses various happenings within the College of Science and Mathematics. It begins with a letter from the dean, and continues on with news, events, alumni news, and other community news.

Empirical Measurement Of Parasite Transmission Between Groups In A Colonial Bird, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

While epidemiological models have suggested that the spread of parasites
and infectious diseases often depends critically on the extent of movement by infected
individuals between populations, there is little empirical information for any organism on
the frequency of between-group parasite transmission or how it varies spatially. The transmission
of parasites between discrete social groups or populations may also help determine
a host’s total parasite or pathogen exposure. We measured the introduction of parasitic bugs
(Oeciacus vicarius) into colonies of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) by transient
birds from outside each group. The transmission of bugs increased strongly …

Humanistic Mathematics: Personal Evaluation And Excavations, Stephen I. Brown

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 19, Number 4 (January 2004)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus (H5N1) recently has been reported among domestic poultry in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. This virus also has been responsible for 23 confirmed human cases, including 18 deaths.
• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman announced a “presumptive positive” case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from the state of Washington.—Report on completed investigation.
• Proposed Rule in the Federal Register regarding a chronic wasting disease (CWD) herd certification program and interstate shipping requirements for captive deer and elk.
• Another BIG Year for …

Human Rights, Health And The Environment, David Gillespie

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Environmental health and human rights are inextricably linked. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.” Given that the earth is the source of the basic necessities of human life, any discussion about health and human rights must be attentive to its inherent environmental aspects. International conventions, documents and reports such as Agenda 21 (1992) and The Draft Declaration of Human Rights and the Environment (1994) have expressly argued for such an integrated approach. In response, a plethora of works over the past decade have expanded the …

Analysis Of Free Analyte Fractions By Rapid Affinity Chromatography, David S. Hage, William A. Clarke

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

The invention is generally directed toward an analytical method to determine the concentration of the free analyte fraction in a sample. More particularly, the method encompasses applying a sample comprising a free and bound analyte fraction to an affinity column capable of selectively extracting the free fraction in the millisecond time domain. The signal generated by the free fraction is then quantified by standard analytical detection techniques. The concentration of the free fraction may then be determined by comparison of its signal with that of a calibration curve depicting the signal of known concentration of the same analyte.

Effects Of Fire On The Nutritional Ecology Of Selected Ungulates In The Southern Black Hills, South Dakota, Teresa J. Zimmerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in the 1990s indicated that populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northern and central Black Hills had declined since the late 1970s likely due to habitat deterioration. In August 2000, the Jasper fire consumed nearly 35,000 ha of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest in the southern Black Hills. To ascertain the nutritional condition of white-tailed deer and mule deer (O. hemionus) and their response to fire, 5 adult white-tailed deer and 5 adult mule deer were collected in burned and unburned habitat, in February and August, 2002 and 2003. Collected deer were weighed and necropsied at a …

Preconceived Physician Attitude Toward Computerized Physician Order Entry (Cpoe): Implications For Successful Implementation, John Arthur Hoffstatter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a societal and legislative push to implement computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems throughout hospitals nationally in recent years due in large part to the public's awareness of an inordinate number of patient deaths due to medication errors in hospital settings. This mortality, and untold morbidity, became even more unacceptable when published findings suggested the majority of these 100,000 deaths each year could be avoided through the use of CPOE systems.

Yet acceptance has been slow and only a fraction of the hospitals have implemented this technology due to large start up costs, enormous technological requirements, and …

Modeling The Incubation Period Of Anthrax, Ron Brookmeyer, Elizabeth Johnson, Sarah Barry

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Models of the incubation period of anthrax are important to public health planners because they can be used to predict the delay before outbreaks are detected, the size of an outbreak and the duration of time that persons should remain on antibiotics to prevent disease. The difficulty is that there is little direct data about the incubation period in humans. The objective of this paper is to develop and apply models for the incubation period of anthrax. Mechanistic models that account for the biology of spore clearance and germination are developed based on a competing risks formulation. The models predict …

Effect Of Heavy Metals On Bacteria, Elena Vratonjic

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals have become devastating environmental contaminants due to their widespread use in the manufacture of electronics, plastics, batteries and dyes. The discharge of heavy metals into the environment has caused concern about their effects on the ecosystem. Many metals are essential for growth in small amounts. However, at higher concentrations heavy metals are toxic because they bind to organic compounds. This accounts for their effects on some important parts of the cell structure, like their ability to denature protein molecules. The initial objective of this study was to find out the growth rate of E.coli and M.roseus in the …

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, Volume 9-2, Fall 2003

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Type E Botulism in Fish-Eating Birds on Lake Huron and Lake Erie 1998-2003
Chronic Wasting Disease in free-ranging cervids in western Canada
Esophageal Lesions in Crows
Surplus killing of roseate terns and common terns by a mink
West Nile Virus infection in Québec Raptors : 2003 season
Mortality in Great Black-Backed Gulls near Presqu'ile
Type E Botulism Update
West Nile Virus Update
Adenovirus Encephalitis in a Wild Fox
Newcastle Disease Virus in Double-crested Cormorants in Alberta and Saskatchewan in 2003
West Nile Virus in Sage Grouse
The Research Group for Arctic Parasitology (RGAP), November 2003
Death of a Grizzly Bear …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 19, Number 2 (July 2003)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• CWD Surveillance in the Southeast: The discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer remote from the historic endemic area in Colorado and Wyoming has fueled concerns among wildlife agencies over the distribution of the disease.
• Monkeypox Introduced with Exotic Pets: During June and July 2003, 72 suspected human cases of monkeypox were reported in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin (37 confirmed).
• SARS: In February 2003, a new coronaviral disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) gained international attention as it spread to 32 countries around the world.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife …

West Nile Virus And Wildlife Health, Peter P. Marra, Sean M. Griffing, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The West Nile Virus and Wildlife Health Workshop, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, National Audubon Society, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, was held February 5–7, 2003, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. The event was attended by more than 100 scientists, who heard 29 speakers and participated in strategy discussions during the 2-day meeting. The main focus of the conference was the present and future impact of West Nile virus on wildlife populations. Talks and discussions emphasized how basic research, public health, and land management can contribute to our understanding of the disease’s impact …

Kentucky River Basin: Unified Long-Range Water Resources Plan. Executive Summary, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Malissa Mcalister

KWRRI Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Regulation And Localization Of Endogenous Human Tristetraprolin, Anna-Marie Fairhurst, John E. Connolly, Katharine A Hintz, Nicolas J Goulding

Dartmouth Scholarship

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been implicated in the development and pathogenicity of infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders, such as septic shock and arthritis. The zinc-finger protein tristetraprolin (TTP) has been identified as a major regulator of TNF biosynthesis. To define its intracellular location and examine its regulation of TNF, a quantitive intracellular staining assay specific for TTP was developed. We establish for the first time that in peripheral blood leukocytes, express

Prevalence Of Antibodies To Neospora Caninum, Sarcocystis Neurona, And Toxoplasma Gondii In Wild Horses From Central Wyoming, J. P. Dubey, S.M. Mitchell, J.K. Morrow, J.C. Rhyan, L.M. Stewart, D.E. Granstrom, S. Romand, P. Thulliez, W.J. Saville, D.S. Lindsay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora caninum, N. hughesi, and Toxoplasma gondii are 4 related coccidians considered to be associated with encephalomyelitis in horses. The source of infection for N. hughesi is unknown, whereas opossums, dogs, and cats are the definitive hosts for S. neurona, N. caninum, and T. gondii, respectively. Seroprevalence of these coccidians in 276 wild horses from central Wyoming outside the known range of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were found only in 1 of 276 horses tested with the modified agglutination test using 1: 25, 1:50, …

Design Of The Hiv Prevention Trials Network (Hptn) Protocol 054: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial To Evaluate Combined Access To Nevirapine In Developing Countries, Jim Hughes, Robert L. Goldenberg, Catherine M. Wilfert, Megan Valentine, Kasonde G. Mwinga, Laura A. Guay, Francis Mmiro, Jeffrey S. A. Stringer

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

HPTN054 is a cluster randomized trial designed to compare two approaches to providing single dose nevirapine to HIV-seropositive mothers and their infants to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in resource limited settings. A number of challenging issues arose during the design of this trial. Most importantly, the need to achieve high participation rates among pregnant, HIV-seropositive women in selected prenatal care clinics led us to develop a method of collecting anonymous and unlinked information on a key surrogate endpoint instead of pursuing linked and identified information on a clinical endpoint. In addition, since group counseling is the standard model for …

Alfalfa Disease Management, Paul Vincelli

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa can be a vigorous and productive forage crop for Kentucky farmers. Like all farm crops, however, alfalfa is subject to infectious diseases that can limit forage production. Managing these diseases is an important part of economical alfalfa production.

Paleopharmacology And Pollen: Theory, Method, And Application, Sérgio A.M. Chaves, Karl J. Reinhard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Parasitism was a universal human condition. Because of this, people developed herbal medicines to treat parasites as part of their pharmacopoeias. We propose that it is possible to recover evidence of medicinal plants from archaeological sites and link their use to specific health conditions. This is a multidisciplinary approach that must involve at least paleoethnobotanists, archaeoparasitologists, paleopathologists, and pharmacologists.

Inca Expansion And Parasitism In The Lluta Valley: Preliminary Data, Santoro Calagero, Karl J. Reinhard, Sheila D. Vinton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Assessing the impact of cultural change on parasitism has been a central goal in archaeoparasitology. The influence of civilization and the development of empires on parasitism has not been evaluated. Presented here is a preliminary analysis of the change in human parasitism associated with the Inca conquest of the Lluta Valley in Northern Chile. Changes in parasite prevalence are described. It can be seen that the change in life imposed on the inhabitants of the Lluta Valley by the Incas caused an increase in parasitism.

Parasite Remains In Archaeological Sites, Françoise Bouchet, Niéde Guidon, Katharina Dittmar, Stephanie Harter, Luiz F. Ferreira, Sérgio A.M. Chaves, Karl J. Reinhard, Adauto Araújo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Organic remains can be found in many different environments. They are the most significant source for paleoparasitological studies as well as for other paleoecological reconstruction. Preserved paleoparasitological remains are found from the driest to the moistest conditions. They help us to understand past and present diseases and therefore contribute to understanding the evolution of present human sociality, biology, and behavior. In this paper, the scope of the surviving evidence will be briefly surveyed, and the great variety of ways it has been preserved in different environments will be discussed. This is done to develop to the most appropriated techniques to …

A Comprehensive Review Of The Ecological And Human Social Effects Of Artificial Feeding And Baiting Of Wildlife, L. Dunkley, M.R.L. Cattet

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

In recent years, events within Canada and the United States have drawn attention to potential negative consequences of feeding and baiting wild animals, especially enhanced transmission of infectious diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. This report was prepared to gather available science-based information on the ecological and human social effects of artificial feeding and baiting of wildlife into one readily accessible document. The contracting agencies, Parks Canada and Saskatchewan Environment, recognize that an objective review of existing literature may help to answer questions and concerns within and outside the agencies, and help to guide subsequent decision-making concerning …

Enterobius Vermicularis: Ancient Dna From North And South American Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl J. Reinhard, Adauto Araújo, Luiz F. Ferreira, Ana Carolina P. Vicente

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A molecular paleoparasitological diagnostic approach was developed for Enterobius vermicularis. Ancient DNA was extracted from 27 coprolites from archaeological sites in Chile and USA. Enzymatic amplification of human mtDNA sequences confirmed the human origin. We designed primers specific to the E. vermicularis 5S ribosomal RNA spacer region and they allowed reproducible polymerase chain reaction identification of ancient material. We suggested that the paleoparasitological microscopic identification could accompany molecular diagnosis, which also opens the possibility of sequence analysis to understand parasite-host evolution.

Parasitism, The Diversity Of Life, And Paleoparasitology, Adauto Araújo, Ana M. Jansen, Françoise Bouchet, Karl J. Reinhard, Luiz F. Ferreira

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The parasite-host-environment system is dynamic, with several points of equilibrium. This makes it difficult to trace the thresholds between benefit and damage, and therefore, the definitions of commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis become worthless. Therefore, the same concept of parasitism may encompass commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis. Parasitism is essential for life. Life emerged as a consequence of parasitism at the molecular level, and intracellular parasitism created evolutive events that allowed species to diversify. An ecological and evolutive approach to the study of parasitism is presented here. Studies of the origin and evolution of parasitism have new perspectives with the development of …

Pain And Distress Associated With Polyclonal Antibody Production: Discussion And Recommendations, The Humane Society Of The United States

ANIMAL RESEARCH

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) held a workshop in August 2002 in order to develop recommendations for minimizing pain and distress associated with polyclonal antibody (Pab) production. A small group of experts in the fields of antibody production, animal welfare, in vitro alternatives, and/or regulatory compliance participated in the roundtable discussion. The workshop was a scientifically based meeting, and recommendations were based on the extensive experience of the workshop participants as well as published literature regarding the relevant issues.

Participants recognized that insufficient attention has been paid to animal welfare aspects of Pab production, in part because …

Am I Too Fat? Bulimia As An Epidemic, Christopher Kribs, Beverly Gonzalez, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez, Angela Ortiz-Nieves, Terannie Vazquez-Alvarez

Mathematics Faculty Publications - Archive

For at least the past ten years, eating disorders have had a major impact in the physical and mental health of women, particularly young women. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are closely linked eating disorders. Anorexia often precedes bulimia. However, there are about 2 million women in college that have been exclusively bulimic. In this article, we focus on the role of college-peer pressure on the dynamics of anorexia-free bulimia. The model looks at bulimia as a progressive disease and explores the impact of intervention (treatment) at two stages of disease progression. The impact of relapse (a common occurrence among bulimics) …

General Guidelines For The Establishment & Evaluation Of Invasive Species Early Detection & Rapid Response Systems

National Invasive Species Council

Preventing the introduction of invasive species is the first line of defense against invasions. However, even the best prevention efforts will not stop all invasive species introductions. Early detection and rapid response (ED&RR) efforts increase the likelihood that invasions will be addressed successfully while populations are still localized and population levels are not beyond that which can be contained and eradicated. Once populations are widely established, all that might be possible is the partial mitigation of negative impacts. In addition, the costs associated with ED&RR efforts are typically far less than those of long-term invasive species management programs.

The charge …

Indirect Evidence Of Density-Dependent Population Regulation In Aponomma Hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), An Ectoparasite Of Reptiles, Andrew J. Tyre, C. Michael Bull, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Neil Chilton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The extent to which density-dependent processes regulate natural populations is the subject of an ongoing debate. We contribute evidence to this debate showing that density-dependent processes influence the population dynamics of the ectoparasite Aponomma hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), a tick species that infests reptiles in Australia. The first piece of evidence comes from an unusually long-term dataset on the distribution of ticks among individual hosts. If density-dependent processes are influencing either host mortality or vital rates of the parasite population, and those distributions can be approximated with negative binomial distributions, then general host– parasite models predict that the aggregation coefficient of …