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Evaluation Of The Risk Factors For Antibiotic Resistance In Streptococcus Pneumoniae Cases In Georgia, Bethany Laclair

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main bacterial cause of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis. Incidence rates have decreased since the initiation of pneumococcal vaccines, but antibiotic resistant strains continue to emerge and place a heavy burden on healthcare systems to treat such serious resistant infections. This study looks at risk factors that increase a patients probability of contracting a drug resistant strain of S. pneumo.

Methods: Confirmed cases of S. pneumo were acquired through the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance program from 2009-2012 for the state of Georgia. Cumulative incidence rates, odds ratios and Pearson’s chi square were calculated to test …

A Study On The Characteristics And Genesis Of Smectite Deposits In The Georgia Kaolin Belts, Christopher S. Ormsby

Geosciences Theses

Deposits of smectite clay, of unknown origin, have been found in association with kaolin in the Marion Member of the Huber Formation and Buffalo Creek Formation in both Wilkinson and Washington County, Georgia. The presence of smectite within kaolin deposits in both the KT Tucker and Crutchfield mines is atypical for Coastal Plain kaolins. X-ray diffraction analysis of samples from these locations shows predominantly large, high Hinckley Index kaolinite crystals, consistent with Buffalo Creek Formation or Marion Member kaolin deposits. The most probable origin of the smectite inclusions is that the smectitic clays, or their source material, were deposited in …

Preventing Post - Treatment Relapse Among African American Adolescents And Young Adult Marijuana Users Through Effective Treatment Interventions: A Proposed Intervention For Metro-Atlanta, Charlotte E. Robinson Ms

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Marijuana use, although illegal in the majority of states, is increasingly becoming acceptable for use in the United States. There are dangerous public health consequences associated with marijuana use—including: impaired driving, loss of productivity in workplaces and school settings, as well as mental health impacts. In Atlanta, the majority of residents (54.0%) are African American. Emergency room use is double for African American Fulton County residents compared to their Caucasian counterparts and approximately 1/5 of the total population receiving public health treatment identify marijuana as the primary drug of use, with 57% of those being African Americans. Despite these …

"If This Great Nation May Be Saved?" The Discourse Of Civilization In Cherokee Indian Removal, Stephen Watson

History Theses

This thesis examined the rhetoric and discourse of the elite political actors in the Cherokee Indian Removal crisis. Historians such as Ronald Satz and Francis Paul Prucha view the impetus for this episode to be contradictory government policy and sincere desire to protect the Indians from a modernizing American society. By contrast Theda Perdue, Michael D. Green, and William McLoughlin find racism as the motivating factor in the removal of the Cherokee. In looking at letters, speeches, editorials, and other documents from people like Andrew Jackson, Theodore Frelinghuysen, Elias Boudinot, and John Ross, this project concluded that the language of …

Cyberbullying Among School-Aged Adolescents And Teens: A Policy Review And Recommendations For Georgia, Britney Bennett Esq

Public Health Theses

Today, school bullying does not just stop in the schoolyard. When children return home after a school day filled with bullying incidents they are oftentimes tormented by a new phenomenon: cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Today, more adolescents and teens have access to technological mediums than ever before. Although different forms of technology can be used in productive manners, they are often misused by youth to torment their peers.

Some researchers believe that cyberbullying can be even more detrimental than traditional bullying because cyberbullies can …

Changes In Georgia Restaurant And Bar Smoking Policies Between 2006 And 2012, Rachna D. Chandora

Public Health Theses

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the change in smoking policy status among bars and restaurants since the Georgia Smokefree Air Act of 2005 was implemented and identify restaurant and bar characteristics that are associated with allowing smoking.

Methods: Data was obtained from similar Georgia indoor air surveys conducted in 2006 and 2012. Both surveys were designed to gather information about restaurant and bar smoking policies and examine owner and manager perceptions of the Georgia Smokefree Air Act. Descriptive analysis and paired sample t-tests were performed to identify changes in smoking policy status and other variables over …

Sedimentology And Geochemistry Of Weisner Formation, Bartow County, Georgia, Rhoda O. Popoola

Geosciences Theses

The study area is located along Highway 20 east Cartersville Georgia, where outcrops of the Weisner Formation are exposed. The section consists of two main facies, the sandstone facies and shale facies. Parallel lamination and cross stratification are commonly observed sedimentary structures at this location. Petrographic study reveals that the grains in the sandstone are dominantly quartz, and to a smaller extent feldspar and mica. The shale facies is rich in Al₂O₃ and K₂O compared to the sandstone facies. No fossil is observed in any of the two facies. Petrographic studies also indicate igneous, metamorphic, …

Reducing The Childhood Obesity Rate: What Lessons Can Georgia Learn From Successful States And Localities?, Margaret G. Fischer

Public Health Theses

Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem across the United States, and health policy changes at the state and local level seem to hold much promise in addressing this epidemic. This paper will assess the role of social policy in advancing childhood obesity prevention, including its utility in operationalizing theoretical frameworks such as the socio-ecological model. Evidence-based recommendations will be presented as well as factors affecting the likelihood of state legislatures implementing such strategies. The capstone will compare and contrast the themes identified in the literature with policy actions taken by three states and two large cities that have …