Digital Commons Network^™

Human Disease - Unintended Globalization, Christopher J. Dellana

Celebration

Before man was exchanging goods and ideas, he was exchanging germs. As such, the spread of infectious disease constitutes the first truly global phenomenon and, therefore, marks the beginnings—primitive though they may have been—of what today we have finally termed ‘globalization.’ The global spread of disease, then, proves that globalization is not new and that its origins were the result of a different narrative than the ones we read from globalization theorists; it further demonstrates that the modern conception of the phenomenon is only now so well recognized because the accelerated and efficient processes that inform its daily activities have …

Fact Sheet: The Environmental, Public Health, And Social Impacts Of Pig Factory Farming

Agribusiness Reports

No abstract provided.

Supporting Global Environmental Change Research: A Review Of Trends And Knowledge Gaps In Urban Remote Sensing, Michail Fragkias

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reviews how remotely sensed data have been used to understand the impact of urbanization on global environmental change. We describe how these studies can support the policy and science communities’ increasing need for detailed and up-to-date information on the multiple dimensions of cities, including their social, biological, physical, and infrastructural characteristics. Because the interactions between urban and surrounding areas are complex, a synoptic and spatial view offered from remote sensing is integral to measuring, modeling, and understanding these relationships. Here we focus on three themes in urban remote sensing science: mapping, indices, and modeling. For mapping we describe …

Health, Nutrition, And Disease In Rural Northern Jordan: A Study Of Enamel Defects Related To Childhood Stress In Skeletal Samples From The Bronze Age To The Byzantine Period, Teresa Veronica Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Northern Jordan has seen periods of climate change, political transformation, and economic prosperity between the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Byzantine period. This research tests the assumption that the rural agricultural communities of this region were undernourished by examining the dentition for periodic childhood stress. Canine teeth from five sites (Ya'amun, Sa'ad, Yasileh, Natfieh, and Waqqas) that covered the time periods in question were collected to study overall quality of life.

The teeth were thin-sectioned and examined under a light microscope. Digital micrographs were made of the thin-sectioned teeth in order to record the number and location …

Visual Analysis And Design Proposal For The Bridges Organization Day Facility In Rockledge, Florida, Lesa N. Lorusso

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The population by age of the client and staff at the Bridges Facility in Rockledge, Florida represent a microcosm of the population of Brevard County, Florida. The shared history of two non-profit organizations that began in in Brevard County, FL in the mid twentieth century is remarkable. NASA began in 1958, and the Bridges organization began in 1956. The historically significant American community of Brevard County, FL now faces the challenges of a new focus without the NASA space shuttle program and accommodating an increasingly aging population, while the similarly aged Bridges organization faces similar organizational and population challenges as …

Adapting To A Changing Climate: Local Drivers For Policy Response, Andrew J. Bilich

Honors Scholar Theses

Responding to the present and looming effects of global climate change presents a challenging task for policymakers at all levels of governance. The outcomes of climate change do present serious adaptation problems for global policy makers, but the implications of climate change are more immediately experienced by local communities and policy makers. Historical policymaking models suggest that economic well-being is an influential driver in local policy adoption. This particular analysis explores the relationship between economic variables and the development of climate adaptation policies by Connecticut municipalities. To test the degree of interaction present, adaptation policy data in the form of …

Patient-Provider Interaction: Person Centered Approaches To Patient Diversity And Evidence For Training, Hannah O. Allison

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the role of culture in patient-provider interactions. Physicians in Northwest Arkansas were interviewed on their experiences with cultural differences in interactions with patients. Analysis using Grounded Theory methodology indicated that physicians define culture in various ways and the majority view culture as negatively impacting their interactions. The results from this study also reveal that physicians received minimal training in their medical education on how to handle these cultural differences and instead have learned on-the-job through trial and error methods. Finally, the research concludes that many of the physicians interviewed perceived deficits in training and offered suggestions on …

Global Malnutrition: Challenges Associated With Current Intervention Strategies And Prevention Initiatives, Duncan Stiller

Senior Honors Projects

Few, if any, tribulations in the field of public health have managed to transcend the epidemiological transition from acute to chronic disease as malnutrition has. Officially, malnutrition is a category of diseases that includes micronutrient deficiency, under-nutrition (calories/protein), as well as excessive nutrition. The World Food Program estimates that 842 million people worldwide do not have access to enough food, approximately 146 million of which are children. The most serious types of hunger are known as Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), with 20 million and 35 million respective cases each year occurring in children less than …

An Assessment Of The Health Needs Of Maine Veterans And Their Access To Veterans Administration Health Care Services, Kristin Brawn

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

On a state level, only a few assessments have been conducted, which indicate that Maine veterans are also experiencing similar mental and physical health issues; however, it does not appear that the adequacy of Maine’s VHA services to meet the needs of Maine’s veterans has been comprehensively evaluated. It is unknown whether the physical and mental health needs of Maine’s veterans are currently being met. Therefore, this project proposes to determine if there is a similar problem among Maine’s veterans in regard to health issues and lack of access to VHA health services, as has been reported at the national …

Knowledge, Attitude And Practices Regarding Hiv/Aids Among Adult Fishermen In Coastal Areas Of Karachi., Mubashir Zafar, Nighat Nisar, Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, Zeeshan Ahmed, Kashif Shafique

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Migrant populations are at high risk of Human Immuno Deficiency Virus infection (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Studies of HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practices among fishermen in developing countries have shown gaps in knowledge and fear of contagion with ambivalent attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and inconsistent universal precautions adherence. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among adult fishermen in a coastal area of Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS:

Community based cross sectional study was conducted among fishermen in coastal area of Karachi from June to September 2012. A total of 297 adult …

A Paleopathological Analysis Of The Moran French Colonial Cemetery, Jennifer Lynn Funkhouser

Master's Theses

This research examines the health experiences of early eighteenth-century European immigrants to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Most were low-status individuals forcibly expulsed from France and brought to Biloxi to colonize Louisiana. Historical records report the immigration effort was poorly provisioned and that large numbers died from malnutrition and disease soon after arrival. The remains of 30 adults, presumably colonists from this period based on collagen dating and grave goods, have been recovered at the Moran site (22HR511). DNA analysis (n = 8) suggests all are European. Most are males, and only one lived past age 40. Estimated mean height is …

Cultural Competency In The Medical Workplace: A Look At Outpatient Clinic Nurses At A Children's Hospital In New England, Evelyn S. Callahan

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper analyzes the current state of progress toward cultural competency in the medical workplace, specifically in the hospital setting. It compares the current writing on the topic to research done at a large New England children’s hospital. The nurses are all individuals who work in an out patient setting so they often see the same patients regularly for longer periods of time. This differs from the in-patient or floor nurses who only spend limited time with a constantly changing population of patients. The research involved one-on-one interviews and a focus group with nurses at the hospital. The focus group …

Dynamic Social Support Networks Of Younger Black Men Who Have Sex With Men With New Hiv Infection, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Rising rates of HIV infection among younger black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) in the USA have generated a public health emergency. Living with HIV requires deep and persistent social support often available only from close confidants. Enlisting endogenous support network members into the care of HIV-infected YBMSM may help shape sustainable supportive environments, leading to long-term improvements in mental and HIV-specific health outcomes. The present study examined trends in support network change over time after new HIV diagnoses among 14 YBMSM. Participants completed a social network survey that utilized sociograms to record support confidants (SCs) preceding HIV …

Health Reform Implementation: Update And Implications For Kentucky, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This talk reviews the progress of health reform implementation in Kentucky with a focus on opportunities for aligning systems for medical care, public health, and social support delivery to improve population health.

The Promise Of Healthcare Reform In Transforming Services For Jail Detainees, Maureen Mcdonnell, Laura Brookes, Arthur J. Lurigio

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Chronic behavioral health conditions, such as psychiatric and substance use disorders, affect at least half of all arrestees, with two-thirds suffering from at least one chronic medical disorder. These conditions contribute to their criminal behaviors and propensities to recycle through the criminal justice system (Binswanger et al. Journal of Urban Health 89:183-190, 2012). Despite their limited resources, jails have nonetheless become de facto settings for the delivery of healthcare services. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, jail releasees will become eligible for government-subsidized healthcare coverage in 2014. The widespread availability of integrated healthcare services for …

Unifying Systems For Population Health: Infrastructure, Incentives & Evidence For Collective Action, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This presentation, part of the SBM Presidential Symposium on Aligning Family, Clinical, and Community Systems, reviews the collective action problems that are commonly encountered in implementing multi-sector population health improvement strategies, and examines research on ways of using public health strategies and infrastructure to overcome these problems.

Historical Health Conditions In Major Us Cities: The Hue Data Set, Carlos Villareal, Brian Bettenhausen, Eric Hanss, Jonathan Hersh

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

The Historical Urban Ecological data set is a new resource detailing health and environmental conditions within seven major U.S. cities during the study period from 1830 to 1930. Researchers collected and digitized ward-level data from annual reports of municipal departments that detail the epidemiological, economic, and demographic conditions within each city. They then drafted new geographic information system data to link the tabular records to ward geographies. These data provide a new foundation to revisit questions surrounding the urban mortality transition and the growth of U.S. cities.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 89, No. 47, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• McKay, Michael. In the Dark: Hate Crimes Go Unreported, Unknown – Nick Gilyard
• Crumbie, Trey. John Osborne’s 46 Year Chapter at WKU Coming to An End – Facilities & Campus Services
• Brown, Leah. Fiji Assists In Local Home Makeover – Phi Gamma Delta, Housing Authority of Bowling Green, HABG
• Brown, Leah. Student Government Association Election Results Announced
• Vogt, Darren. Editorial Cartoon Student Apathy
• Hunton, Ryan. The Vaccination Debate Persists Despite Evidence
• Student Boy Forgets Importance of Voting – Student Government Association
• Mathews, Mackenzie. Goldwater Scholarship Recognizes Four WKU Nominees …

Domestic Violence In The Spotlight: From The Private Sphere To Popular Culture, Taylor Rinefierd

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

No abstract provided.

Household Ecology And Out-Migration Among Ethnic Karen Along The Thai-Myanmar Border, Daniel M. Parker, James W. Wood, Shinsuke Tomita, Sharon Dewitte, Julia Jennings, Liwang Cui

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Local migration in developing-world settings, particularly among rural populations, is an important yet understudied demographic process. Research on migration in such populations can help us test and inform anthropological and demographic theory. Furthermore, it can lead to a better understanding of modern population distributions and epidemiologic landscapes.

Creating Learning Systems: Lessons From Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide powerful mechanisms for implementing research studies that evaluate the health and economic effects of delivery system innovations. This presentation reviews strategies, emerging findings, and lessons learned from PBRNs and related studies conducted in U.S. public health settings. We give special focus to studies that examine multi-organizational and cross-sectoral strategies for population health improvement.

Edward Bliss Emerson's Transnational Journal: Danish West Indies, Puerto Rico, New England, 1831-1834, José G. Rigau-Pérez

The Qualitative Report

The journal and letters written by Edward Bliss Emerson in the Caribbean provide exciting, idyllic, and at times troublesome visions of that region, but also insights on the life of a sick, poor, religious and brilliant young man. Emerson’s reflections on life in St. Croix remain unquoted, and although brief excerpts from the Puerto Rico portion of the journal appeared in print in 1959 and 1991, his more extensive text supplements the contemporary publications, which only praised the colonial administration. A third, and equally important location, is the implicit base for his perspective – New England in the period of …

Bangladesh: An Overview Of Open Access (Oa) Initiatives, Md. Nazim Uddin, Tracey Lynn Pérez Koehlmoos, Shaikh A Shahed Hossain

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present paper describes about the universal access to knowledge and information in the network and digital environment. The paper discusses the Open Access (OA) and Institutional Repositories (IR) initiatives for global access, repository, preservation, and organized management of networked information services in an environment where both the users and resources are at varied locations. The paper highlights the importance of open access and Institutional Repositories initiatives to the system of scholarly communication in Bangladesh. The paper explains research communities’ benefits of open access, salient features of ICT in Bangladesh, initiatives of institutional repositories in Bangladesh, open access movement in …

Clinic Connection: Spring 2014, Centracare Clinic

Clinic Connection

• President’s Message: "Population health is a way of delivering care"
• BRCA1, BRCA2 and Beyond
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can help heal wounds
• Dual Laser remodels collagen, reduces healing time
• Introducing our new CentraCare Clinic Specialist
• Medicare changes coverage for routine pre-operative screening services

Rethinking China’S Model: Contending Perspectives On Chinese Economic Reform And State Governance, Zhiguo Ye

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Wang Mengkui ed. Thirty Years of China's Reform. London and New York: Routledge. 2012.
• Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, Lida V Nedilsky, Siu Keung Cheung (eds.) China's Rise to Power: Conceptions of State Governance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2012.

Moving Beyond The Welfare Standard Of Psychological Well-Being For Nonhuman Primates: The Case Of Chimpanzees, John P. Gluck

Experimentation Collection

Since 1985, the US Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service policy have required that researchers using nonhuman primates in biomedical and behavioral research develop a plan ‘‘for a physical environment adequate to promote the psychological well-being of primates.’’ In pursuing this charge, housing attributes such as social companionship, opportunities to express species-typical behavior, suitable space for expanded locomotor activity, and nonstressful relationships with laboratory personnel are dimensions that have dominated the discussion. Regulators were careful not to direct a specific set of prescriptions (i.e., engineering standards) for the attainment of these goals, but to leave the design of the …

Overcoming The “Dual-Delivery” Stigma: A Review Of Patient-Centeredness In The Costa Rica Medical Tourism Industry, Alicia Mason

Faculty Submissions

Due to the growing globalization of health care and an increase in access to technology many consumers are utilizing the World Wide Web for securing medical services abroad, a phenomenon commonly known as medical tourism. The current investigation employs an emic cultural approach for analyzing the Western concept of patient-centeredness within several public and private medical facilities within Costa Rica. Through a detailed field investigation and personal interviews with directors of Costa Rica’s largest accrediting institutions (AAAAF and ProMed), hospital organizations, and private health clinics an interpretative framework for evaluating patient-centeredness and quality of care is offered. Discussion, implications, and …

Direct V. Indirect Exposure To Trauma: An Insight To Officer Coping Mechanisms, Marybel Cortez

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Police officers serve a vital role in our communities and face particularly acute trauma and stress in the execution of their jobs. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand how police officers react in these situations. Studies have shown that officers endure a distinctive source of stress and are presented with the risk of exposure to traumatic events. Chopko & Schwartz (2012) surveyed 183 officers and found that more than 30% displayed symptoms of PTSD; however, this study focused on direct exposure to trauma. The current study expands this previous research to study the effects of indirect experiences of trauma. …

A Stochastic Agent-Based Model Of Pathogen Propagation In Dynamic Multi-Relational Social Networks, Bilal Khan, Kirk Dombrowski, Mohamed Saad

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We describe a general framework for modeling and stochastic simulation of epidemics in realistic dynamic social networks, which incorporates heterogeneity in the types of individuals, types of interconnecting risk-bearing relationships, and types of pathogens transmitted across them. Dynamism is supported through arrival and departure processes, continuous restructuring of risk relationships, and changes to pathogen infectiousness, as mandated by natural history; dynamism is regulated through constraints on the local agency of individual nodes and their risk behaviors, while simulation trajectories are validated using system-wide metrics. To illustrate its utility, we present a case study that applies the proposed framework towards a …

Media-Centered: Docs To Watch, Winifred Fordham Metz

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.