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A Multi-Stage Machine Learning Approach To Predict Dengue Incidence: A Case Study In Mexico, Annalisa Appice, Yulia R. Gel, Iliyan Iliev, Vyacheslav Lyubchich, Donato Malerba

Faculty Publications

© 2013 IEEE. The mosquito-borne dengue fever is a major public health problem in tropical countries, where it is strongly conditioned by climate factors such as temperature. In this paper, we formulate a holistic machine learning strategy to analyze the temporal dynamics of temperature and dengue data and use this knowledge to produce accurate predictions of dengue, based on temperature on an annual scale. The temporal dynamics are extracted from historical data by utilizing a novel multi-stage combination of auto-encoding, window-based data representation and trend-based temporal clustering. The prediction is performed with a trend association-based nearest neighbour predictor. The effectiveness …

Contemporary Epidemiology Of Rising Atrial Septal Defect Trends Across Usa 1991–2016: A Combined Ecological Geospatiotemporal And Causal Inferential Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: Cardiovascular anomalies are the largest group of congenital anomalies and the major cause of death in young children, with various data linking rising atrial septal defect incidence (ASDI) with prenatal cannabis exposure. Objectives / Hypotheses. Is cannabis associated with ASDI in USA? Is this relationship causal? Methods: Geospatiotemporal cohort study, 1991–2016. Census populations of adults, babies, congenital anomalies, income and ethnicity. Drug exposure data on cigarettes, alcohol abuse, past month cannabis use, analgesia abuse and cocaine taken from National Survey of Drug Use and Health (78.9% response rate). Cannabinoid concentrations from Drug Enforcement Agency. Inverse …

Empowering Women Through Physical Education And Sports In Moldova, Aprille Hibbard

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Girls and women face obstacles when it comes to empowerment, whether it be cultural, socioeconomic, political or religious. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova, I tried to help the girls and women in my community overcome some of these obstacles by promoting female participation in physical education and sports. Primary obstacles were the poor insulation and heating in the gymnasium, which prevented girls and women from participating in sports and physical education from October-April. Working with a Let Girls Learn (LGL) grant allowed us to repair the condition of the gymnasium, add additional sports teams and clubs to the …

Mechanisms Of Pathogen Inactivation In Wastewater And Pharmaceutical Applications, Christa L. Meingast

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Infectious diseases are a significant threat to public health. Though society enacts practices to prevent the spread of these dangerous diseases, challenges remain. Therefore, continual advancements in treatment and prevention are required. Wastewater treatment and viral clearance in pharmaceutical applications are two key health measures that prevent the spread of infections.

A low-cost, low-technology biosolids treatment process was developed to improve wastewater treatment by collecting key information on storage temperature, ammonia, volatile solids, moisture content, pH, and pathogen inactivation in biosolids over long-term storage at two wastewater treatment plants located in northern climates of the United States. Inactivation of pathogens …

Exploring The Physical And Mental Health Disparities In The Transgender Male Community In A Southern Community-Based Medical Lgbtq Organization, Karen E. Musgrove

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation examined the physical and mental health disparities in the transgender male community in a Southern community-based medical LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) organization via a convergent mixed methods study design. There is a paucity of research on the transgender male community in terms of their physical and mental health care needs, services, and disparities. Quantitative data were col-lected via a chart review of 130 transgender male medical charts at the Magic City Well-ness Center (MCWC). The MCWC transgender male medical chart data were compared to three groups separately of the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …

Genetic And Immunologic Predictors Of Genital Chlamydia Reinfection In African American Women Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models, Kristin Olson

All ETDs from UAB

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infec-tion. The burden is greatest in young, African American women. CT reinfections are common and increase risk for reproductive morbidity. Why some women are more sus-ceptible to reinfection is not well understood. Emerging evidence suggests immunologic and genetic variants may predict reinfection susceptibility. The primary goal of this dissertation is to evaluate immunologic and genetic vari-ants as predictors of CT reinfection in young, African American women using different modeling approaches, which has never been reported previously. To evaluate a much larger number of potential predictors than our sample size (a …

Need For A Multidimensional And Interdisciplinary Approach For Opioid Addiction Prevention Intervention, Prachi Joshi, Atin Adhikari

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Smoking And Covid-19, Willie P. Rajvong, Yelena Tarasenko

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

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

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Message from the Dean: Stuart Tedders, PhD
• Dean Stuart Tedders: Welcome
• One-On-One Telfair in conversation with Tarasenko: Working for WHO as a Chronic Disease Epidemiologist
• Student research shows Georgia was home to four of nation’s ten highest counties for mortality rate from COVID-19
• One the front lines: Reports from our Alumni and Students working on the front lines of COVID-19
• Robert Vogel, PhD: Leaves legacy of wit and knowledge
• Center for Addiction Recovery Hosts seventh annual Southeastern Collegiate Recovery Summit
• Karl E. Peace Center for Biostatistics and Survey Research Working together: Biostatistics collaborations
• Center for Public Health Practice and Research …

Perceptions Of Physical Activity Engagement Among African American Emerging Adults At Georgia Southern University - Statesboro Campus, Addison Mickens

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Physical Activity (PA) is critical to the health and well-being of African American emerging adults, ages 18-25. Research suggests that African American (AA) college students engage in less PA than other racial/ethnic groups. Few studies have examined the relationship between the collegiate built environment (CBE) impact on PA in this population. The Social Ecological Model (SEM) and the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) were used to show how the environment facilitates influence on the behavior through physical and social factors affecting the behavior of engaging in PA. Methods: The purpose of this cross-sectional, concurrent multi-method study was to determine barriers …

The Effect Of Patient And Hospital-Level Factors On 30-Day Readmission After Initial Hospitalization Due To Stroke, Emmanuel Akowuah

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Hospital readmissions account for a large part of healthcare costs, especially among stroke patients. Readmission is common among disabled stroke survivors because they often suffer some neurological deficits, functional impairment, and other preexisting cardiovascular conditions. Although previous studies have explored the relationship between hospital readmissions after initial hospitalization due to stroke and a set of predictors using various analytical models, it often remains uncertain which predictors are most influential or essential. This study aimed to assess the effect of patient and hospital-levels factors on 30-day readmission after initial hospitalization due to stroke using the Anderson model of healthcare …

Prospects And Challenges Of Population Health With Online And Other Big Data In Africa; Understanding The Link To Improving Healthcare Service Delivery, Rowland Edet, Bolarinwa Afolabi

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Big data analytics offers promises to many health care service challenges and can provide answers to many population health issues. Big data is having a positive impact in almost every sphere of life in more advanced world while developing countries are striving to meet up. Even though healthcare systems in the developed world are recording some breakthroughs due to the application of big data, it is important to research the impact of big data in developing regions of the world, such as Africa and identify its peculiar needs. The purpose of this review was to summarize the challenges faced by …

Lifestyle Factors And Social Determinants As Predictors Of Weight/Body Mass Index, Uthman Alhaji Baba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a major public health concern that includes the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and premature death in adults. Previous studies have established the relationship between gender, educational level, household income and respondents’ weight but additional research is needed to factor the nature of education in relation to gender differences, diet, and other important behavioral mediators such as social determinants. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study is to determine the extent to which frequency of physical activity, household income, social determinants of health (money for balanced meals, finances at the end of month, and poor mental health), respondent …

The Perception Of Men's Preferred Female Body Size And Weight Control Behaviors Of Afro-Caribbean Women In The United States Virgin Islands, Alice Victoria Henry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of obesity among Afro-Caribbean women living in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) is a health care issue that can have detrimental effects on society. To reverse the spread of this disease, factors contributing to its prevalence must be understood so that they can be addressed. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine Afro-Caribbean women's perception of the female body size preferred by Afro-Caribbean men and the influence of that perception on the women's weight control behaviors of diet and physical activity. The reasoned action approach was the basis for the theoretical foundation. The research problem …

The Dietary Decision-Making Process Of Women In Nigeria, Gachomo Joanne Mapis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerians have been opting for a more processed Western diet. These changes in dietary choices have aligned with obesity and undernutrition, attributable to micronutrient deficiencies or malnutrition. Many scholars have presented varying intervention strategies ranging from consumption of a variety of foods containing the necessary micronutrients to food fortification. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the perceptions of women in an urban city in Nigeria on indigenous foods and Western dietary influences to determine social interactions, the consequence of the interactions, and the women’s current perceptions of food choices. The social-ecological model was used to explore …

Association Between Pm2.5 Concentrations And Hospitalization Cases For Schizophrenia And Mood Disorders In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam From 2019 To 2020, Do Thi Hoai Thuong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The evidence for adverse effects of ambient particulate matter pollution on mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) is limited. Until now, few epidemiological studies have focused on this field, especially in developing countries. With the changes in concentrations and sources of air pollution over the past decade in Vietnam lead to high levels of air pollutants, especially particulate matters including PM2.5. Therefore, it is worthwhile to investigate the acute effects of outdoor air pollution on MBDs. However, no Vietnamese study has looked into the short-term effect of PM2.5 on hospitalization for MBDs. To examine the association between PM2.5 and the cases …

Oral Contraceptives As Possible Acl Injury Prevention Method, Haley Schweizer

Capstone Showcase

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are an upsetting setback for many athletes that require a long and costly recovery process. The injury rates are four times greater in women than men. Preventative measures that help to prevent ACL injuries are limited to stretching and strengthening. Therefore, this review aims to investigate if oral contraceptive [I] usage provides a possible new avenue for prevention of ACL injury [O] in young female athletes (ages 18-30) [P] compared to those that do not take oral contraceptives [C].

Methods: A literature review was performed though PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS Database, and ClinicalKey …

Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation And Cutting In Somaliland, Ayanna Joyner

Capstone Showcase

Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Somaliland

Ayanna Joyner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Comfort Olorunsaiye

Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) is the procedure of intentionally causing injury and altering the vulva of a young girl or woman for non-medical reasons. There are four types of FGM/C however, type III or infibulation, remains the most dangerous because the procedure consists of the narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal with the labia majora through stitching. With infibulation, there will be a need for further surgeries or re-infibulation, which requires reopening of the stitches covering the vagina …

The Path To Pregnancy: Fertility Services And Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Olivia H. Gilbert

Scripps Senior Theses

The emergence of reproductive assistance like fertility treatments and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in recent decades have provided new paths to pregnancy for many individuals. However, certain demographics in the US like low-income women and women of color are often excluded from utilizing these services on the basis of race, geography, and socioeconomic status. This in turn leads to significant disparities in access to and usage rates of such services. This research points out the perceived shortcomings in the current academic discussion surrounding fertility service disparities with the ultimate goal of expanding access to fertility assistance services for those who …

Childhood Obesity In California: The Impact Of School Lunch Options And Physical Education Standards In Public Elementary Schools, Audrey Connell

Scripps Senior Theses

Obesity is a biosocial phenomenon in that it is shaped by both biological and social processes. On the biological level, excess body fat increases one’s risk of placing the body in a non-homeostatic state that can weaken the immune response. On the social level, social inequalities are linked to obesity in the United States where racial and ethnic minority communities with low education and high poverty rates bear the largest burden of obesity. In various institutions, multiple actors such as food marketers, public health officials, policy makers, and school administrators dictate the opportunities available to children for them to reach …

Sexual Consent In Middle School Sex Health Education: An Analysis Of Health Education Standards In Minnesota, Ashley Parent

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Comprehensive sex education is designed to teach sexual health, reproductive health, human sexual anatomy, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence. Consent education focuses on sexually transmitted infection (STI), pregnancy prevention, sexual identity, and the risks of sexual violence (Willis, 2019). This qualitative content analysis and survey will explore consent education in middle schools adopted in Minnesota from the past ten years. The research questions for this study are: is consent a part of sex education? How has consent been taught in 8-10 grades in Minnesota over the past 10 years? What frameworks are being used to teach consent to …

Oxidative Stress Analysis Of Placental Tissue In The Rupp Pregnant Rat, Natalie Ganios

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Preeclampsia is a disease associated with a vasoconstrictive phenotype due to disrupted signaling in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) relaxation pathway. The purpose of these studies is to determine the level of oxidative damage that is occurring in the placenta of the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat, which serves as a common model for preeclampsia. RUPP and SHAM placenta tissue will be examined for oxidative stress as an indicator of tissue damage associated with the pathologically induced ischemia. Oxidative stress in the placental tissue will be measured by performing the following oxidative stress assays: 8-isoprostane test, TBARS assay, …

A Validated Uplc-Ms/Ms Method For The Determination Of Aliphatic And Aromatic Isocyanate Exposure In Human Urine, Maggy Lépine, Lekha Sleno, Jacques Lesage, Sébastien Gagné

Études primaires

4,4′-Methylenediphenyldiisocyanate (MDI), toluenediisocyanate (2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI), and 1,6′-hexamethylenediisocyanate (HDI) are all commonly used in the production of polyurethane-containing materials in different application areas. Workers exposed occupationally to these compounds may develop sensitization with the potential to lead to asthma. Isocyanates are metabolized in vivo by conjugation to macromolecules and/or by acetylation prior to being eliminated in urine. The hydrolysis of urine samples releases free amine compounds from these metabolites as biomarkers of exposure, specific to each parent isocyanate: 4,4′-methylenedianiline (MDA), toluenediamine (2,4-TDA and 2,6-TDA), and hexamethylenediamine (HDA). To address the need for a validated method that could be used for …

Qualitative Knowledge Of Filtering Facepiece Respirators For Filtration Performance Tests During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Clothilde Brochot, Mohamed Nejib Saidi, Ali Bahloul

Études primaires

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure on health centers to obtain certified N95 filtering facepiece respirators (N95 FFRs) and the pressure on the FFRs production sector led to a diversification of FFRs’ supply chains, with the approval of several government authorities.

Objective: The main issue then becomes whether these purchased FFRs are as effective as the FFRs commonly used in the pre-COVID-19 period.

Methods: The most efficient way is to test these FFRs under normative conditions. The setup used here allows to measure the pressure drop Δp (mbar) and the filtration efficiency E (%) of FFRs with a constant …

Integrating Technology Acceptance Model And Health Belief Model Factors To Better Estimate Intelligent Tutoring System Use For Surge Capacity Public Health Events And Training, Sarah Matthews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The U.S. public health system is continually challenged by unexpected epidemiological events that pose significant risks to the health of the community and require a commensurate surge in the public health system capacity to stem the spread of the disease. The complexity and even changing nature of funding and surge events drives agencies to innovate in order to maintain and support a competent workforce as well as update, or evolve the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) necessary to prevent, mitigate, or even eliminate the health crisis arising from a disease. This research investigates the capability of an agent-based, online personalized …

Understanding The Occupational Therapy Perspective Of Working With The Homeless Population: Self-Care Interventions, Marisa Leigh Sparbanie

Online Theses and Dissertations

Successful interventions, focused on self-care, have been implemented by occupational therapists in homeless populations. Yet, no study has attempted to explore experiences of occupational therapists implementing self-care interventions. This qualitative, descriptive study sought to understand the experience of occupational therapy practitioners implementing self-care interventions for individuals experiencing homelessness. The interventions took place in various healthcare practice settings. Four participants, recruited through purposive sampling, engaged in semi-structured interviews pertaining to their experiences. The interviews were transcribed and coded using an emergent approach. Three major themes emerged from the data, including experiences in different settings, client-centered care, and institutional barriers and supports.

Hear Me Roar, Abigail R. Seethoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hear Me Roar, a compilation of personal essays interspersed with short forms, grapples with the nuances of compliance versus autonomy in the context of the male gaze, beauty standards, and pop culture. The collection also explores what it means to treasure something—another person, an object—and how to express and deepen that affection.

Heart Rate Variability And Cardiovascular Adaptations Among Cancer-Survivors Following A 26-Week Exercise Intervention, Heather P. Tarleton

Health and Human Sciences Faculty Works

Cardiotoxicity as a result of cancer treatment contributes to autonomic dysfunction and decreased cardiorespiratory fitness among cancer survivors. These deleterious cardiovascular outcomes reduce the survival prognosis for cancer patients and contribute to poor quality of life among survivors. Exercise interventions have been shown as effective in mitigating treatment-related side effects. However, previously published interventions have not explored the potential for improvement in autonomic dysfunction (heart rate variability, HRV). This study examined cardiovascular adaptations in cancer survivors (n = 76) who participated in a 26-week intervention consisting of combined aerobic and resistance training (CART). The most noteworthy improvements occurred during the …

Home Health Care Resource Binder: A User-Friendly Guide For Crossroads Hospice And Palliative Care, Deanna Eder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients and families searching for home health care need accurate information regarding the community resources available to them to promote aging in place and to maintain their quality of life. In connection to the social workers at Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, the researcher identified a need for a centralized source of up-to-date information regarding local home health care agencies due to the current resource deficit. Social workers and other health care professionals are expected to benefit from a concise list of resources readily available to provide their patients and families with adequate support to make informed decisions about a …

Coproid Predicts The Source Of Coprolites And Paleofeces Using Microbiome Composition And Host Dna Content, Maxime Borry, Bryan Cordova, Angela Perri, Marsha Wibowo, Tanvi Prasad Honap, Jada Ko, Kate Britton, Linus Girdland-Flink, Robert C. Power, Ingelise Stuijts, Domingo C. Salazar-García, Courtney Hofman, Richard Hagan, Thérèse Samdapawindé Kagoné, Nicolas Meda, Helene Carabin, David Jacobson, Karl Reinhard, Cecil Lewis, Aleksandar Kostic, Choongwon Jeong, Alexander Herbig, Alexander Hübner, Christina Warinner

Karl Reinhard Publications

Shotgun metagenomics applied to archaeological feces (paleofeces) can bring new insights into the composition and functions of human and animal gut microbiota from the past. However, paleofeces often undergo physical distortions in archaeological sediments, making their source species difficult to identify on the basis of fecal morphology or microscopic features alone. Here we present a reproducible and scalable pipeline using both host and microbial DNA to infer the host source of fecal material. We apply this pipeline to newly sequenced archaeological specimens and show that we are able to distinguish morphologically similar human and canine paleofeces, as well as non-fecal …