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The Effect Of Upstream And Downstream Buildings On Dispersion Of Effluents: A Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Approach, Ali Bahloul, Ted Stathopoulos, Bodhisatta Hajra, Mauricio Chavez

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

La prédiction de la dispersion des émissions polluantes de cheminées de toit en milieu urbain est extrêmement complexe, tout particulièrement en présence de bâtiments voisins. Le comportement du panache dépend des caractéristiques du vent, mais il est aussi lourdement influencé par l’environnement. Il se peut ainsi que les effluents émis par une cheminée de toit se réintroduisent dans le bâtiment émetteur ou dans un bâtiment adjacent, exposant du coup les occupants à d’éventuels problèmes de santé. La conception et l’implantation optimales de cheminées d’évacuation pour limiter une telle réingestion au niveau …

Troubles Psychiatriques Chez Les Patients Soumis À Une Évaluation Relative À L’Asthme Professionnel : Prévalence Et Impact Sur La Situation D’Emploi Et L’Utilisation Des Services De Santé, Kim L. Lavoie, Maryann Joseph, Hélène Favreau, Manon Labrecque, André Cartier, Catherine Lemière, Jean-Luc Malo, Denyse Gautrin, Blaine Ditto, Simon L. Bacon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

Contexte : L’asthme professionnel (AP) est un important problème de santé au travail qui a un impact tant sur le secteur de l’emploi que sur les ressources en santé et l’individu lui-même. Entre 10 % et 30 % des asthmatiques qui le sont devenus à l’âge adulte mentionnent que leur asthme s’aggrave au travail et qu’il est souvent difficile à diagnostiquer et à traiter. La majorité (environ 70 %) des patients référés pour une évaluation relative à l’AP ne reçoivent pas un diagnostic d’AP, et jusqu’à 30 % d’entre eux ne …

Psychiatric Disorders Among Patients Under Investigation For Occupational Asthma: Prevalence And Impact On Employment Status And Health Service Use, Kim L. Lavoie, Maryann Joseph, Hélène Favreau, Manon Labrecque, André Cartier, Catherine Lemière, Jean-Luc Malo, Denyse Gautrin, Blaine Ditto, Simon L. Bacon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

Contexte : L’asthme professionnel (AP) est un important problème de santé au travail qui a un impact tant sur le secteur de l’emploi que sur les ressources en santé et l’individu lui-même. Entre 10 % et 30 % des asthmatiques qui le sont devenus à l’âge adulte mentionnent que leur asthme s’aggrave au travail et qu’il est souvent difficile à diagnostiquer et à traiter. La majorité (environ 70 %) des patients référés pour une évaluation relative à l’AP ne reçoivent pas un diagnostic d’AP, et jusqu’à 30 % d’entre eux ne …

Nanomatériaux : Guide De Bonnes Pratiques Favorisant La Gestion Des Risques En Milieu De Travail, Claude Ostiguy, Maximilien Debia, Brigitte Roberge, André Dufresne

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les nanotechnologies présentent aujourd’hui des enjeux majeurs en termes technologique, économique, éthique, social et environnemental, car elles offrent le potentiel d’améliorer de façon substantielle les propriétés de multiples produits dans tous les secteurs d’activité tant en matière de production de matériaux aux performances inédites que de diagnostic et de traitement médical. Les nanomatériaux favorisent ainsi l’émergence de nouveaux marchés, la création d’emplois, l’amélioration de la qualité de vie et peuvent contribuer à la protection de l’environnement. Du reste, l’impact se fait déjà sentir dans des secteurs aussi diversifiés que l’agroalimentaire, l’aérospatiale, la cosmétique, la construction et la santé. Au Québec, …

The Association Between The Social Context Of Mealtime, Children's Diet, Caregiver's Experiences With Discrimination And Household Food Insecurity, Michael Patrick Burke

Theses and Dissertations

The social context of mealtime---defined as the social interactions and practices during mealtime---plays an important role in children's diet. Household food insecurity disrupts or causes worry about the household food supply, and therefore may negate the positive effect of the social context of meals; however, little research has examined household food security and the social context of mealtime. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between various aspects of the social context of mealtime---dietary modeling, parenting style, eating together, mealtime screen time, and priority and atmosphere of mealtime---and dietary quality among children within food-insecure households. The results …

Motherless Mothers: Maternally Bereaved Women In Their Everyday Roles As Mothers, Bethwyn Rowe, Bronwyn A. Harman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Motherless mothers are women who lose their mothers to death prior to having their children, and therefore raise their children without the maternal support and guidance afforded to many women whose mothers are still alive (Edelman, 2006). A qualitative research design was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the everyday experiences faced by motherless mothers. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 motherless mothers. Four major themes emerged including grief, support, absence of knowledge, and changes to self following loss. Results provide insight into the ongoing influence a mother's death can have on a daughter's life and draw distinction …

Shades Of Grey: The Need For A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Research Investigating Alcohol And Ageing, Celia Wilkinson, Julie Dare

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper calls for an increase in multi-disciplinary research on the issue of alcohol and ageing, to ensure public health interventions reflect the complex and diverse needs of older drinkers. Older people (65+ years) represent a unique segment of the population; compared to adolescents and younger people, they are more likely to have a range of co-morbid conditions and be taking prescribed medication, and are more physiologically vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. This suggests that from a public health perspective, alcohol use by older people is problematic. However, as with younger people, alcohol use is closely associated with socialisation …

The Impact Of Implementing A Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Education Package In Jordan, Shereen Hamadneh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a problem worldwide. In North Jordan, SIDS rate was high as 1.32 per 1,000 live births and contributed 6% to the infant mortality rate (Bataineh, Shawagfeh, & Twalbeh, 2008). However, SIDS risk factors are preventable and can be reduced by improving knowledge and changing relevant behaviours of parents and healthcare providers (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013; American SIDS Institute, 2011; Bataineh, Hussein Shawagfeh, & Twalbeh, 2008; Bredemeyer, 2004; Grazel, Phalen, & Polomano, 2010b; Moon, Oden, & Grady, 2004; NICHD, 2010). Still educating Jordanians about SIDS has not been a national health policy priority. …

An Investigation Into Dust, Gases And Vapours Expulsed During The Oxidation Of Pyritic Black Shale, And Their Potential For Impacting On Employee Health, Tristan Lynn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pyritic black shale (PBS) is occasionally extracted as a waste product of iron ore mining in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Mineralogical studies such as Brocks, Summons, Buick, and Logan (2003) of the PBS located at Mount Tom Price Operations have established that PBS can contain elevated concentrations of pyrite, carbon, bitumens, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The natural oxidative weathering of PBS can cause exothermic reactions leading to the shale reaching temperatures that cause the expulsion of toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide.

Current management of the potential hazards of …

Causality Is Logically Definable-Toward An Equilibrium-Based Computing Paradigm Of Quantum Agents And Quantum Intelligence (Qaqi), Wen-Ran Zhang, Karl E. Peace

Biostatistics: Faculty Publications

A survey on agents, causality and intelligence is presented and an equilibrium-based computing paradigm of quantum agents and quantum intelligence (QAQI) is proposed. In the survey, Aristotle’s causality principle and its historical extensions by David Hume, Bertrand Russell, Lotfi Zadeh, Donald Rubin, Judea Pearl, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, David Bohm, and the causal set initiative are reviewed; bipolar dynamic logic (BDL) is introduced as a causal logic for bipolar inductive and deductive reasoning; bipolar quantum linear algebra (BQLA) is introduced as a causal algebra for quantum agent interaction and formation. Despite the widely held view that causality is undefinable with …

Jiann-Ping Hsu College Of Public Health Magazine, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Sustainability
• Milestones

Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study Into The Perceptions Of African Americans In A Rural Community, Dayna S. Alexander

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Preventing childhood obesity is a global priority due to adverse health risks and financial burdens. With childhood obesity rates stabilizing it is difficult to determine which factors alone (i.e., genetic, environmental, behavioral, or demographic) increase susceptibility to childhood obesity. Parents influence childhood obesity risk factors through their parenting styles and behaviors. Social behavioral theories and public health evidence demonstrate including parents in childhood obesity efforts could assist in reducing childhood obesity rates. The objective of this study was to assess perceptions of childhood obesity among African Americans with children enrolled in a rural elementary school in the Deep South. The …

Certified Personal Trainers And Physicians: An Evaluation Of Consumer Preference, Influence, And Decision Making On Intent To Use A Weight-Loss Medication, Linda Lemgruber Lobb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In health-related behavioral decision-making, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) posits that attitudes toward a behavior are the function of three metrics: beliefs and strengths of beliefs toward the behavior, subjective norms around the behavior and locus of control for the individual (Ajzen, 1988). The purpose of this research was to identify the extent to which consumers would accept the recommendation of taking weight-loss medications, based on the source of the recommendation. Research shows that the source of knowledge for information plays a significant role in health-related decision-making of consumers (Pornpitakpan, 2004). In comparison to traditional weight-loss methods such as …

Influences Of Maternal Stress During Pregnancy On The Epi/Genome: Comparison Of Placenta And Umbilical Cord Blood, Jia Chen, Qian Li, Alexender Rialdi, Elana Mystal, Jenny Ly, Jackie Finik, Taira Davey, Luca Lambertini, Yoko Nomura

Publications and Research

Background: Maternal stress during pregnancy is one of the major adverse environmental factors in utero that is capable of influencing health outcomes of the offspring throughout life. Both genetic and epigenetic processes are susceptible to environmental insults in utero and are potential biomarkers of the experienced environment including maternal stress.

Methods: We profiled expression level of six genes in hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning (HSD11B2, SLC6A4, NR3C1, NR3C2, CRHR1 and CRHR2), two imprinted genes (IGF2 and H19) and one neurodevelopmental gene (EGR1), from 49 pairs of placenta and umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples from a birth cohort. We also …

Evaluation Of The Jewish Community Housing For The Elderly Memory Support Initiative, Joan Hyde

Gerontology Institute Publications

Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE) is a large, multi-campus organization that houses and serves 1,500 residents (80 market rate and 1,420 low income). The average age is 80 years old, with one-third of residents 85 and older. Three quarters of the residents are not native English speakers. Through HUD and other funding, JCHE offers a range of supports to these residents, including translators, interpreters and staff with language and cultural competence, meals, transportation and, through their Service Coordinators, facilitation of resident access to government benefits, home care and other services.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2012 special report …

Assessing Transgender Attitudes Toward Health Care: Can These Attitudes Help Predict Health Outcomes?, Sara M. Shane

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Research has identified the fact that race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, education level, geographic location, help seeking behaviors, and experiences of discrimination are associated with health outcomes. In addition, attitudes towards providers can also help determine health outcomes. The transgender community experiences barriers to health care services and therefore their overall health is affected. There is not a sufficient amount of literature that assesses, using standardized measure, the attitudes of the transgender community and their health. The present study will assess the attitudes of the transgender community toward health care (mental and medical health) and, using standardized measures, …

The Talk Of Unwed Adolescent Fathers Of Mexican Origin: A Discourse Analysis, Jose Arturo Jaime

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1970s, changing family and marriage trends in the United States have led to a dramatic 41% increase in the rate of unwed parents also known as fragile families, i.e., those at high risk of living in poverty and/or disintegrating (McLanahan, Garfinkel, Mincy, & Donahue, 2013, p.3). By 2011, more than 20 million children (28%) lived in biological father-absent homes and one-fourth, or five million, of these children were Hispanic of any race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Recent studies suggest a clear disparity in cognitive, behavioral and health outcomes for children who live with single or cohabiting parents when …

Proximate And Evolutionary Insights Into The Epigenetics Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Levent Sipahi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important medical and social condition. Although the vast majority of individuals are exposed to traumatic events within their lifetime, a minority subsequently develop diagnosable PTSD. What underlies differential risk and resiliency in the face of trauma is an ongoing research and clinical question with implications for prevention and treatment. Recent work has revealed a putative role of epigenetic variation and modification - most notably DNA methylation - in the etiology of PTSD. That DNA methylation is stable, yet modifiable in response to lived experiences, makes it a strong candidate to mechanistically explain the ontogeny …

The Impact Of Vaccination Schedules On Infants' And Children's Physio-Psychological Health: A Qualitative Investigation, Dina A. Alsalih

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people may have become increasingly concerned about the risks associated with vaccines. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative research on the impact of various vaccinations schedules on individuals' physio-psychological health. In addition, "mandatory" versus "nonmandatory, but recommended" vaccines are still under debate in some Western countries. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the beliefs, experiences, and perceptions of adolescents, parents, and health care providers regarding different vaccination schedules. The health belief model was used as the theoretical framework. The sample consisted of adolescents and parents from different vaccination …

Correlates Of Asthma Among The Minority Population In South Bronx,New York, Veronica Chibumma Uwanaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Asthma among children has become an inherent problem in many communities in the United States, especially among the minority population. The South Bronx has a large minority population and a high prevalence of asthma. However, no study to date has explored the factors associated with this high prevalence rates in this population. Drawing from theories of social ecology and environmental health, the objective of this quantitative cross-sectional study is to investigate the correlates of asthma among children in the South Bronx by studying the sociodemographic and environmental risk factors, including parental occupation; neighborhood and housing characteristics, air quality, and poverty. …

Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, And Perceived Stress In College Seniors, Joshua M. Garrin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prohealth competencies, positive outcome expectancies, and adaptive stress appraisals have profound implications for the real-world transition of college seniors—a population for which engagement in physical activity reflects a preeminent concern. Prior studies on exercise self-efficacy (ESE), dispositional optimism (DO), perceived stress (PS), and physical activity have yielded inconclusive evidence of the emergent psychosocial challenges encountered during the final year of the college experience. Using a triadic framework of self-efficacy, attribution, and cognitive appraisal theories, this crosssectional, quantitative study was conducted using a web survey to examine (a) the impact of physical activity level on ESE, DO, and PS; (b) the …

Structural And Functional Support In The Prediction Of Smoking Cessation In Caregivers Of Children With Asthma, Erin M. Tooley, Andrew Busch

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Caregivers of children with asthma smoke at a rate similar to the general population. Research on the relative importance of structural or functional social support in smoking cessation has been mixed. Participants were smokers (N=154) who were caregivers of children with asthma. Both functional (perception of social support measured by the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List) and structural social support (living with another smoker, partner status, and the proportion of smoking friends) were measured at baseline. Participants received an asthma-education and smoking cessation intervention based on Motivational Interviewing. Biochemically-verified abstinence was assessed at 6-months post treatment. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated …

Finding Them Before They Find Us: Informatics, Parasites, And Environments In Accelerating Climate Change, Daniel R. Brooks, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Scott Lyell Gardner, Kurt E. Galbreath, David Herczeg, Hugo H. Mejía-Madrid, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Parasites are agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops, and wildlife and are powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing a nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, we gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 to formulate a cooperative and broad platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology, and epidemiology of parasites across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. A general protocol, documentation–assessment–monitoring–action (DAMA), suggests an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond …

Using Quantitative Disease Dynamics As A Tool For Guiding Response To Avian Influenza In Poultry In The United States Of America, K. M. Pepin, E. Spackman, J. D. Brown, K. L. Pabilonia, Lindsey P. Garber, J. Todd Weaver, D. A. Kennedy, Kelly A. Patyk, K. P. Huyvaert, Ryan S. Miller, Alan B. Franklin, Kerri Pedersen, T. L. Bogich, P. Rohani, Susan A. Shriner, Colleen T. Webb, S. Riley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild birds are the primary source of genetic diversity for influenza A viruses that eventually emerge in poultry and humans. Much progress has been made in the descriptive ecology of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), but contributions are less evident from quantitative studies (e.g., those including disease dynamic models). Transmission between host species, individuals and flocks has not been measured with sufficient accuracy to allow robust quantitative evaluation of alternate control protocols. We focused on the United States of America (USA) as a case study for determining the state of our quantitative knowledge of potential AIV emergence processes from wild hosts …

Factors Influencing U.S Army Personnel Meeting Body Mass Index Standards, Salma Theus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Factors Influencing U.S. Army Personnel Meeting Body Mass Index Standards

by

Salma Theus

MS, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2008

BA, La Sierra University, 2005

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Psychology

Walden University

September 2014

U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness …

Health Service Use And Expenditure Patterns Of Dual Eligibles In Michigan, Cristian Meghea, William Corser, Qi Zhu

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Objective: The objective is to provide a statewide population-based comparison of Michigan beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (duals) to Medicare-only beneficiaries, including the public health expenditures by service type, and to focus on the LTC service use patterns of elderly duals receiving care in various settings. Data Sources: Data sources were linked 2005 and 2006 individual Medicaid and Medicare claims from all Michigan duals. Methods: CMS provided Medicare claims and beneficiary data. Michigan Department of Community Health provided Medicaid claims data. Design: We compared characteristics and health expenditures across various categories of beneficiaries and LTC care settings. Principal …

Molecular Profiling In Cervical Carcinogenesis And Progression, Kathryn Elizabeth Royse

All ETDs from UAB

Coexisting lesions can reduce genomic heterogeneity in precancer progression analysis by reducing variation and bias that can mask gene effects. Our goal was to use novel methodologies to depict the neoplastic stage effect (Normal v. LSIL v. HSIL) in cervical precancer. We analyzed the neoplastic stage effect via in silico and in vivo methodologies. For in silico analyses, we calculated differential expression (DE) estimates from a systematic review of DNA methylation and gene expression literature. Significant genes (FC≤2.0 or p-value≥0.05) were grouped by histology for pathway analysis. For in vivo analyses, we performed RNA-seq on microdissected FFPE coexisting cervical tissue …

Predictors Of Outcomes In Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices, Amelia Katharine Boehme

All ETDs from UAB

Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are used as a bridge to transplant and to increase the quality of life in advanced heart failure patients. The use of the VAD is not without risks itself, with an increased risk of thromboembolism, hemorrhage and death. Therefore, we aimed to (1) evaluate predictors of thromboembolism; (2) design a score to predict hemorrhages in VAD patients; and (3) evaluate the change in kidney function post-VAD implant and to investigate the relationship between kidney function and mortality in VAD patients using data collected from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Mechanical Circulatory Support Clinic. Over the …

Promoting Worksite Stair Use By Launching The "Stepping Up" Campaign, Lynne A. Obiaka

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Obesity and overweight contribute to worksite absenteeism and decreased productivity. Encouraging employees to frequent the stairs is one approach towards increasing worksite physical activity. Methods: An explanatory, mixed methods research design was used to explore the impact of a health communications campaign entitled "Stepping Up" on worksite stair use in health department employees. The campaign included octagonal shaped posters similar to traffic signs, email prompts and printed materials. A pretest and posttest were administered before and after the intervention to assess stair use frequencies and identify predictors. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test for related samples, Spearman correlations and multiple rank …

Effects Of Early Life Exposure To Methylmercury On Predator Response In Daphnia Pulex, Megan Lisa Steed

All ETDs from UAB

Knowledge of the health effects of toxic chemicals is largely based on single chemical models rather than a multi-factor model, which more accurately captures realworld exposures. This study investigated how methylmercury affects Daphnia pulex in the presence of predatory stress chemical. A kairomone is an infochemical released by an animal that can be detected by another animal. Daphnia pulex detects kairomone released by Danio rerio resulting in the induction of morphological and life history changes. Danio rerio were kept in COMBO media for 24 hours at a density of 2 fish per liter. Daphnids were then housed in kairomone-containing COMBO …