Digital Commons Network^™

Pepfar Problems: How Does The United States’ Presidential Emergency Program For Aids Relief Empower Women?, Caitlin H.

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looks to examine how the Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) works to achieve one of its key goals, the empowerment of women, in the Western Cape. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects women disproportionately, around the world and in South Africa. Thus, women should be a key focus of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) relief and HIV prevention. This paper analyzes the work of PEPFAR to empower women through three lenses. Women’s empowerment in general is discussed, to see how organizations view their own methods of empowerment. PEPFAR’s work with sex workers is examined, as they are often …

Mongolian Women's Voices: A Case Study On Maternal Healthcare, Pregnancy, And Birth In Ulaanbaatar's Public Hospitals, Amelia Olmsted

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mongolia is a country undergoing an incredible amount of change. Last year, in 2011, they had the fastest growing economy in the world, with a 17.2% increase in their GDP, according to the World Bank. A mere 22 years ago, Mongolia was a communist country, and today they are a parliamentary democracy. The country has opened itself up to the rest of the world and a free market economy, and experienced a very drastic shift in this direction in the early 1990's. Many Mongolians will tell you that the mindset of Mongolia's citizens has made a drastic shift since communism …

Storytelling And Healing: The Influence Of Narrative On Identity Construction Among Hiv Positive Individuals In Kisumu, Kenya, Kimberly Leon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principle objective of this Independent Study Project is to investigate the influence of storytelling as a counseling method on conceptions of HIV among HIV positive individuals in the city of Kisumu. Interviews with counselors, community health workers, and HIV support group members were used to determine the role of storytelling in the counseling process. Stories and life experiences were gathered and analyzed in order to extract themes and draw a relationship between the act of storytelling and a person’s perception of their HIV status. Data was collected at various support groups in the Kisumu area and through the help …

Living With Autism In Vietnam, Libie Motchan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the many implications of living with Autism in Vietnam on both affected children and their families. The lack of information, statistics and awareness of autism in Vietnam is reflected in the limited treatment resources available. This study calls attention upon what problems parents are most affected by what they feel needs to change. It also looks at the current sentiment and understanding of autism and its perceived causes. The results of this paper come from background research, observation at clinics and special education facilities, interviews with professionals in the fields of psychology and education, interviews with parents …

Accuracy Of Self-Reported Sun Exposure And Sun Protection Behavior, Joel J. Hillhouse, Robert Turrisi, James Jaccard, June K. Robinson

ETSU Faculty Works

The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of self-reported skin cancer risk outcome measures proposed as standards by prevention experts to aggregated estimates of behavior from weekly diaries. Weekly electronic diaries of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) behaviors, initially validated by comparison with daily electronic diaries, were used to assess the accuracy of commonly used end-of-summer self-reported measures among 250 adults. Results revealed low biases, and good correspondence between simple open-ended self-reported estimates of days outside, hours outside, sunbathing days and hours, and days outside when not protected by either sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts, hats, or shade. Rating scale measures …

Homelessness: Causes, Culture And Community Development As A Solution, Kaitlin Philipps

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This thesis seeks to explain the reasons that homelessness occurs, and how it is currently being dealt with in public policy. Triggers and predictors of homelessness are explored and it is shown that triggers are almost always compounded, indicating a multitude of factors that lead to homelessness. The culture and community surrounding the homeless lifestyle is seen as playing a significant role in how the individual copes with their homelessness. The norms and values of their culture are investigated and its role in rehabilitation is explored. Current institutions for helping the homeless are analyzed for different success rates. Additionally, initiatives …

Nutrition And Diabetic Management In Urban Kenya, Madeline Jackson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study project sought to identify the changes in nutrition from the traditional Luo culture to the new urban setting and explore the management, perceptions and prevalence of Type II diabetes in an increasingly urban area. The focus was on Type II diabetes since the majority of disease burden stems from this acquired form of the diabetes. Through speaking with elderly community members and shadowing the first line diabetic treatment centers in Kisumu, an assessment of the relationship between changing nutrition and diabetic management showed numerous gaps in the system that will continue to increase unless something is done. …

Development Of A Procedure To Measure The Effectiveness Of N95 Respirator Filters Against Nanoparticles, Fariborz Haghighat, Ali Bahloul, Jaime Lara, Reza Mostofi, Alireza Mahdavi

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les risques pour la santé et la sécurité des travailleurs exposés à l’inhalation de nanoparticules (NP) soulèvent de plus en plus d’inquiétudes. Parmi les sources d’émission de nanoparticules en milieu de travail figurent les effluents et les émanations de divers procédés, tels l’ablation et le fraisage laser. Les nanoparticules ont des propriétés potentiellement toxiques, à savoir une surface totale, une concentration en nombre et une réactivité surfacique élevées. Il a été démontré que l’inhalation – la voie d’exposition la plus courante aux nanoparticules – a des effets nocifs sur les fonctions pulmonaires, et que les particules déposées dans les poumons …

El Dengue En Puerto López La Incidencia Y El Nivel De Conocimiento De La Gente Sobre Las Enfermedades Transmitidas Por Los Mosquitos, Mckenzie Momany

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study took place in Puerto López, Manabí, Ecuador and focuses primarily on the level of knowledge the townspeople have about dengue and how it is transmitted. It also looks at the incidence of dengue in the town and across neighborhoods. In order to carry out this study, I spent a month living in the coastal town of Puerto López and interviewed 50 townspeople – 10 in each of the five neighborhoods of Jonas Gonzalez, Miraflores, Luís Gencón, San Alejo, and the central neighborhood. Interviewees were questioned about their past history of dengue, as well as their knowledge of the …

Kekuatan Psikologis Ibu Untuk Menyusui, Inge Wattimena, Natalia L. Susanti, Yusep Marsuyanto

Kesmas

Anjuran World Health Organization (WHO) agar ibu menyusui minimal selama 6 bulan masih belum tercapai. Studi ini bertujuan untuk meneliti kekuatan psikologis ibu yang berhasil menyusui lebih dari 6 bulan. Metode penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dilakukan pada enam ibu yang diambil secara purposif dengan kriteria menyusui lebih dari 6 bulan. Hasil wawancara mendalam dianalisis dan hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa kesadaran ibu tentang keunggulan dan kekuatan spiritual dalam air susu ibu (ASI) serta dukungan, afeksi positif, sikap tangguh, tujuan terarah, dan kesejahteraan menjadi kekuatan psikologis mereka. Hasil ini dapat digunakan sebagai masukan bagi promosi kesehatan untuk ibu menyusui.

The World Health Organization recommendation …

Mortality Burden Of The 2009 A/H1n1 Influenza Pandemic In France: Comparison To Seasonal Influenza And The A/H3n2 Pandemic, Magali Lematire, Fabrice Carrat, Gregoire Rey, Mark A. Miller, Lone Simonsen, Cecile Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

The mortality burden of the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic remains unclear in many countries due to delays in reporting of death statistics. We estimate the age- and cause-specific excess mortality impact of the pandemic in France, relative to that of other countries and past epidemic and pandemic seasons.

Methods

We applied Serfling and Poisson excess mortality approaches to model weekly age- and cause-specific mortality rates from June 1969 through May 2010 in France. Indicators of influenza activity, time trends, and seasonal terms were included in the models. We also reviewed the literature for country-specific estimates of 2009 pandemic excess mortality …

Risk Factor Detection As A Metric Of Starhs Performance For Hiv Incidence Surveillance Among Female Sex Workers In Kigali, Rwanda, Sarah L. Braunstein, Janneke H. Van De Wijgert, Joseph Vyankandondera, Evelyn Kestelyn, Justin Ntirushwa, Denis Nash

Publications and Research

Background:
The epidemiologic utility of STARHS hinges not only on producing accurate estimates of HIV incidence, but also on identifying risk factors for recent HIV infection.

Methods:
As part of an HIV seroincidence study, 800 Rwandan female sex workers (FSW) were HIV tested, with those testing positive further tested by BED-CEIA (BED) and AxSYM Avidity Index (Ax-AI) assays. A sample of HIV-negative (N=397) FSW were followed prospectively for HIV seroconversion. We compared estimates of risk factors for: 1) prevalent HIV infection; 2) recently acquired HIV infection (RI) based on three different STARHS classifications (BED alone, Ax-AI alone, BED/Ax-AI combined); and …

Asthma Randomized Trial Of Indoor Wood Smoke (Artis): Rationale And Methods, Curtis W. Noonan, Tony Ward

Public and Community Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background—Particulate matter (PM) exposures have been linked with poor respiratory health outcomes, especially among susceptible populations such as asthmatic children. Smoke from biomass combustion for residential home heating is an important source of PM in many rural or peri-urban areas in the United States.

Aim—To assess the efficacy of residential interventions that reduce indoor PM exposure from wood stoves and to quantify the corresponding improvements in quality of life and health outcomes for asthmatic children.

Design—The Asthma Randomized Trial of Indoor wood Smoke (ARTIS) study is an in-home intervention study of susceptible children exposed to biomass combustion …

Genetic Modulation Of Lipid Profiles Following Lifestyle Modification Or Metformin Treatment: The Diabetes Prevention Program, Toni I. Pollin, Tamara Isakova, Kathleen A. Jablonski, Paul I.W. De Bakker, Andrew Taylor, Jarred B. Mcateer, Qing Pan, Edward Horton, Linda M. Delahanty, David Altshuler, Alan R. Shuldiner, Ronald Goldberg, Jose C. Florez, George A. Bray

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Weight-loss interventions generally improve lipid profiles and reduce cardiovascular disease risk, but effects are variable and may depend on genetic factors. We performed a genetic association analysis of data from 2,993 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program to test the hypotheses that a genetic risk score (GRS) based on deleterious alleles at 32 lipid-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms modifies the effects of lifestyle and/or metformin interventions on lipid levels and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) lipoprotein subfraction size and number. Twenty-three loci previously associated with fasting LDL-C, HDL-C, or triglycerides replicated (P = 0.04–1×10−17). Except for total HDL particles (r = −0.03, …

Biodegradation Of Textile Dye Anthraquinone Vat Blue 4 By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Rajee Olaganathan, Jamila Patterson

Publications

Uncontaminated and Vat blue 4 contaminated soil were screened for heterotrophic bacterial population and the bacterial density were found to be 19.3 X 104 and 5.5 X 104 CFU/gm respectively. The bacterial genera of dye contaminated soil was dominated by Pseudomonas sp. (32.5 %) followed by Bacillus sp. (27.5 %), Aeromonas sp. (15.0 %), Micrococcus sp. (12.5 %) and Achromobacter sp. (12.5 %). The optimum inoculums load, pH and temperature were found to be 5%, 7 and 35oC respectively. The initial pH of the effluent prepared using Vat Blue 4 was 8.5. The free cells of P. aeruginosa reduced the …

Prescriptions For Excellence In Health Care Summer 2012 Download Full Pdf

Prescriptions for Excellence in Health Care Newsletter Supplement

No abstract provided.

Microbiological Components In Mainstream And Sidestream Cigarette Smoke, Lennart Larsson, Christina Pehrson, Tenzin Dechen, Mardi Crane-Godreau

Dartmouth Scholarship

Research has shown that tobacco smoke contains substances of microbiological origin such as ergosterol (a fungal membrane lipid) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria). The aim of the present study was to compare the amounts of ergosterol and LPS in the tobacco and mainstream (MS) and sidestream (SS) smoke of some popular US cigarettes. We measured LPS 3-hydroxy fatty acids and fungal biomass biomarker ergosterol in the tobacco and smoke from cigarettes of 11 popular brands purchased in the US. University of Kentucky reference cigarettes were also included for comparison.

Weaponizing Tear Gas: Bahrain’S Unprecedented Use Of Toxic Chemical Agents Against Civilians., Richard Sollom, Holly G. Atkinson

Publications and Research

The Bahraini government’s response to the early 2011 pro-democracy protests was brutal, systematic, and violent. In addition to birdshot and rubber bullets, government law enforcement attacked unarmed protestors with toxic chemical agents including tear gas. The government’s crackdown on the medical profession was especially harmful, as security forces arrested and detained doctors, raided health facilities, and obstructed patients from receiving necessary care. This report’s findings are based on field research that the authors conducted in Bahrain (April 2012) to investigate excessive use of force by law enforcement officials since June 2011—the end of Bahrain’s state of emergency. The medico-legal team …

Unintentional Home Injury Risks Among The Elderly In Southern Nevada, Michelle Echauz Ching

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The elderly population (65 years of age and older) is one of the fastest growing populations in the US. A major public health concern involving the elderly population is unintentional injuries in the home. Since elderly adults typically spend the majority of their time in the home, minimizing unintentional home injury hazards is crucial for this population. The Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership (NHHP) program is a grant funded effort that helps to improve the quality and availability of safe and healthy homes in Nevada. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the NHHP program interventions …

Utilization Of A Metabolic Syndrome Index In Evaluating The Life In Balance Lifestyle Intervention For Prevention Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Urban American Indians And Alaska Natives, Hongbin Jin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: A myriad of diabetes prevention programs modeled on the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) are carried out worldwide to fight against the current diabetes pandemic. The percentage of weight reduction is a widely used indicator to evaluate diabetes prevention programs. However, weight change alone may not fully reflect the efficacy of lifestyle intervention. A metabolic syndrome index is a promising novel scale for evaluation of diabetes prevention programs because it is a systematic, comprehensive, and stable indicator that reflects the metabolic risk reduction for diabetes and its complications at multiple levels and dimensions.

Methods: A total of 22 overweight and …

Integrating Care: Improving Overall Health By Integrating Behavioral/Mental Health Care Into Primary Care, Macaran A. Baird

Center for Policy Research

Hippocrates noted that the patient must be attended in light of “his” diet, work, home, and community setting. Since that time, we have struggled with the dilemma of how to put the patient’s presenting problems in the context of the patient’s life circumstances. That goal has proven elusive. So how do we sort out where to put the emphasis with our healing arts?

Breastfeeding Attitudes And Intentions Among Middle Eastern Women Living In Southern California, Christina Irsilious Fam

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Breastfeeding is unsurpassed as the preferred method of feeding infants all over the world due to the fact that its benefits far outweigh those of infant formula. Mothers from all cultures prefer breastfeeding, yet with immigration and emigration so widespread from developing countries, women's value systems are changing to adapt to their new surroundings. The United States has experienced a great influx of Middle Easterners; California in particular has a dominant presence of Middle Easterners. Many are faced with obstacles and stresses in acculturation, which may lead to lack of breastfeeding their infants. Few studies are available on Middle …

Relationship Between Nut Consumption And Memory Domains Of Cognitive Function Among Elderly Seventh-Day Adventists, Angeline B. David

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Objective. To determine the relationship between consumption of all types of nuts, tree nuts, and peanut and peanut butter and specific memory domains of cognitive function in a community-dwelling elderly population.

Design. Cross-sectional analysis using clinic data from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study and dietary intake data from the Adventist Health Study-2.

Subjects/Methods. Adults aged 50 and older were administered the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT) Short Form and provided self-report frequency and portion sizes of nut consumption, anthropometric measures, and other demographic, lifestyle, and clinic data. CVLT scores were age- and gender-strata specific z-scores normed to a …

Relationship Of A Nutrition Intervention Class For Middle School Students On Nutrition Knowledge And Attitudes, Kathy Hood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A pre-test post-test nonequivalent group design was utilized to investigate the role nutrition education has on a student's choice to eat healthy foods. The Nutrition Essentials: Teaching Tools for Healthy Choices nutrition module was used to teach clinically based nutrition. The research used rural Georgia seventh and eighth grade students' to evaluate the effects of nutrition education on the students' nutrition knowledge and attitudes using the SPAN student questionnaire. MANOVA was used to determine if changes occurred between the control and experimental groups. Results of the study showed that the short term study did not improve student nutrition knowledge or …

Genetic Predictors Of Clinical Outcomes In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients, Xia Pu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the US. Emerging evidence has shown that host genetic factors can interact with environmental exposures to influence patient susceptibility to the diseases as well as clinical outcomes, such as survival and recurrence. We aimed to identify genetic prognostic markers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a major (85%) subtype of lung cancer, and also in other subgroups. With the fast evolution of genotyping technology, genetic association studies have went through candidate gene approach, to pathway-based approach, to the genome wide association study (GWAS). Even in the era of GWAS, pathway-based …

Refining The Global Spatial Limits Of Dengue Virus Transmission By Evidence-Based Consensus, Oliver J. Brady, Peter W. Gething, Samir Bhatt, Jane P. Messina, John S. Brownstein, Anne G. Hoen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Dengue is a growing problem both in its geographical spread and in its intensity, and yet current global distribution remains highly uncertain. Challenges in diagnosis and diagnostic methods as well as highly variable national health systems mean no single data source can reliably estimate the distribution of this disease. As such, there is a lack of agreement on national dengue status among international health organisations. Here we bring together all available information on dengue occurrence using a novel approach to produce an evidence consensus map of the disease range that highlights nations with an uncertain dengue status.

Methods/Principle Findings: …

Carrs Surveillance Study: Design And Methods To Assess Burdens From Multiple Perspectives, Manisha Nair, Mohammed K. Ali, Vamadevan S. Ajay, Roopa Shivashankar, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra Pradeepa, Mohan Deepa, Hassan Mehmood Khan, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, Srinath Srinath Reddy, Nikhil Tandon, Km Venkat Narayan, Dorairaj Prabhakaran

Community Health Sciences

Background: Cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) are a growing public health problem, but data on incidence, trends, and costs in developing countries is scarce. Comprehensive and standardised surveillance for non-communicable diseases was recommended at the United Nations High-level meeting in 2011.
Aims: To develop a model surveillance system for CMDs and risk factors that could be adopted for continued assessment of burdens from multiple perspectives in South-Asian countries.
Design: Hybrid model with two cross-sectional serial surveys three years apart to monitor trend, with a three-year prospective follow-up of the first cohort.Sites: Three urban settings (Chennai and New Delhi in India; Karachi in …

Advancing Global Tobacco Control: Exploring Worldwide Youth Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Tobacco Use And Control, Sreenivas Phanikumar Veeranki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the world. The disproportionate increase in tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries needs immediate attention. Many smokers begin smoking as adolescents and are most likely to become permanent smokers. Moreover, youth are highly targeted by tobacco industry strategies. However, a gap exists in literature to understand worldwide youth tobacco use and control. The purpose of this study is to 1) identify factors that influence never-smoking youths‟ smoking susceptibility, 2) explore characteristics that influence youth exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and 3) to delineate key determinants of …

The Potential Environmental Benefits Of Hybrid Rice Varieties, Haxhire Myrteza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With water insufficiency being already a major issue and potential carbon policies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Arkansas rice producers may need to undergo some changes in regards to rice cultivar selection. The purpose of this study is to estimate the environmental benefits of cultivating hybrid rice varieties as opposed to conventional and Clearfield rice varieties. To accomplish this goal, water use and GHG emissions were estimated on per acre (ac) and per bushel (bu) basis for most commonly cultivated rice varieties in Arkansas. The study focuses particularly on six main rice stations in the State of Arkansas. The hypothesis …

Identifying And Correcting Health Hazards In The Home: A Pilot Test Among Homes In Clark County, Nevada, Sabrina La Monica

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership (NVHHP) is collaboration between University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV), the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), and other public and private housing authorities and health agencies throughout Clark County, Nevada. The primary mission of the NVHHP is to improve the health of Nevada residents, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, by identifying and addressing conditions in the home environment. For this study, a program created by the NVHHP, entitled "Nevada Healthy Homes" (hereafter, Healthy Homes) was piloted. Home health and risk assessments were conducted in 52 homes, with one or more interventions being provided to …