Digital Commons Network^™

Characterizing The Health Status Of The Louisiana Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), Orlando Diaz-Figueroa

LSU Master's Theses

Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations have experienced precipitous declines from habitat loss, and human and disease related mortality. The goal of this study was to characterize the health status of free-ranging Louisiana gopher tortoises. Gopher tortoises were collected during two distinct trapping seasons: fall (August-October 2002) and spring (April-June 2003). Captured tortoises were given a physical exam and the carapace and plastron length and width, weight, and body temperature were recorded. Blood was collected from the subcarapacial vein and submitted for the following testing procedures: complete blood count, plasma chemistry, infectious disease serology (Mycoplasma), and toxicologic screen (copper, mercury, zinc, …

Seasonal Abundance And Detection Of West Nile Virus In Ceratopogonids (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) In East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Isidra Joselina Sabio

LSU Master's Theses

The seasonal abundance and species composition of ceratopogonids (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in East Baton Rouge parish was described from light trap collections at 15 sites. A total of 4,968 collections were processed, and 48,667 ceratopogonids were collected from 20 November, 2002 through 25 November, 2004. Three genera of ceratopogonids (Forcipomyia Meigen, Atrichopogon Kieffer, and Culicoides Latrielle) and a total of 18 species of the genus Culicoides were identified. Ceratopogonids had distinctive spring and fall population peaks. Ceratopogonids were collected in every month during the study, with the exception of February 2004. These results suggest that certain species of Culicoides may …

Analysis Of The Talus And Calcaneus Bones From The Poole-Rose Ossuary: A Late Woodland Burial Site In Ontario, Canada, Adrienne Elizabeth Penney

LSU Master's Theses

This study reports on the demography and osteological profile of the Poole-Rose Ossuary. Excavated in 1990 under the direction of Heather McKillop and at the request of the Alderville First Nation, the Poole-Rose Ossuary is a Late Woodland burial site in southern Ontario, Canada. Lack of European artifacts in the burial suggests that this site predates European contact. The Poole-Rose Ossuary is radiocarbon dated to A.D. 1550 ± 50 years. The skeletal remains were commingled. This ossuary likely represents the mass re-burial known as the “Feast of the Dead” or the “Kettle.” For the most part, closely related individuals were …

Ecotoxicology Of Metal-Hydrocarbon Mixtures In Benthic Invertebrates, Kurt A. Gust

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Metal-hydrocarbon mixtures are becoming increasingly prevalent in natural environments due to expanding industrial activity and urbanization. The ecotoxicology of metal-hydrocarbon mixtures in benthic environments is of particular concern because both classes of contaminants partition to sediments and can thereby exert toxic effects in benthic organisms. Mixtures of dissimilar chemicals (including metals and hydrocarbons) are broadly hypothesized to elicit independent toxic effects however; this hypothesis has little supporting data. The purpose of this dissertation was to test this hypothesis for metal-hydrocarbon mixtures using environmentally relevant exposures and to determine mechanisms for observed interactive effects. Sediment and water-only bioassays were conducted employing …

Influences On Condom Use Among College Students, Margaret Anne Flaget

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Control Of Vibrio Vulnificus And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus In Oysters, Ligia Virginia Antonia Da Silva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are gram-negative halophilic bacteria found in the natural aquatic environment. V. vulnifcus and V. parahaemolyticus have been implicated in foodborne illness and can cause gastroenteritis that has been associated with consumption of raw or undercooked seafood. V. vulnificus can cause primary septicemia after its ingestion, and secondary septicemia through skin lesions in individuals with preexisting conditions such as elevated serum iron levels. Bacteriophages, viruses that invade and lyse bacteria, specific to V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus are naturally found in seawater and oysters. Every summer, the oyster industry is threatened by recall of oysters due …

Patient Satisfaction With Nurse Practitioner Delivered Primary Health Care Services, Lucie J. Agosta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and determine the degree of client satisfaction with utilization of primary healthcare services delivered by a nurse practitioner in the Employee Health Services department of a not for profit hospital in the Southern United States. The Nurse Practitioner Satisfaction Survey (NPSS), a 28-item Likert-type survey instrument was specifically developed for this study and administered to a sample of 300 clients. Overall high levels of patient satisfaction with nurse practitioner delivered health care services were demonstrated. The mean general satisfaction score was determined to be 86.86 / 90, with mean communication and scheduling …

The Asian Century: Implications For International Law, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Predictions that the 21st century will be the "Asian century" have sparked analytical interest from many disciplines but not international law. This article focuses on what implications "Asia rising" may have for international law in the 21st century. The article begins by looking at the 19th and 20th centuries as the European and American centuries respectively to assess the impact these centuries made on international law. The article then analyses possible meanings for an Asian century and frames such a century's implications for international law around the concept of a "Concert of Asia". The article argues that, through a "Concert …

Disaster Relief And Governance After The Indian Ocean Tsunami: What Role For International Law?, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The tsunami in the Indian Ocean at the end of 2004 has produced heightened scrutiny of how international disaster relief is supplied and governed. This scrutiny connects to arguments by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that more effective and efficient disaster relief requires the significant development of international law on disaster relief. This commentary analyses the historical and current relationship between international law and disaster relief and challenges the arguments that more international law on disaster relief is needed.

Development And Characterization Of Antimicrobial Edible Films From Crawfish Chitosan, Kandasamy Nadarajah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inherent antibacterial/antifungal properties and film-forming ability of chitosan make it ideal for use as a biodegradable antimicrobial packaging material. This study was attempted to develop antimicrobial films from crawfish chitosan. Traditional chitosan production involves: deproteinization (DP), demineralization (DM), decolorization (DC), and deacetylation (DA). Modification of chitosan production affects film properties. Effects of chitosan production protocols, film-casting solvents, and plasticizer contents on physicochemical, mechanical and antibacterial properties were investigated. Four chitosans were prepared from traditional (DPMCA) and modified processes [excluding either DP, DC or both DP and DC]. Chitosan (1%w/v) was dissolved in 1% acetic, ascorbic, citric, formic, lactic and/or malic …

The Psychosocial Vulnerability Model Of Hostility As A Predictor Of Coronary Heart Disease, Karen Grothe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the number one killer for both men and women in the United States today. African Americans are particularly at risk, due to higher prevalence rates and mortality related to CHD (American Heart Association, 2003). Less than half of the new cases of CHD can be predicted with known risk factors (tobacco use, obesity, hypertension), which suggests the possible influence of personality or additional behavioral factors. Hostility is a psychological variable that has been consistently related to health outcomes, particularly to CHD. While the exact mechanism linking hostility to health is currently unknown, a psychosocial vulnerability …

Interleukin-17/Interleukin-17 Receptor-Mediated Signaling Is Important For Generation Of An Optimal Polymorphonuclear Response Against Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Michelle N. Kelly, Jay K. Kolls, Kyle Happel, Joseph D. Schwartzman

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigated the role of interleukin-17 (IL-17)/IL-17 receptor (IL-17R)-mediated signaling in the protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii. IL-17R−/− mice developed a normal adaptive immunity against the parasite. However, increased mortality in the knockout animals can be attributed to a defect in the migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes to infected sites during early infection.

Urban Yellow Fever Diffusion Patterns And The Role Of Micro-Environmental Factors In Disease Dissemination: A Temporal-Spatial Analysis Of The Memphis Epidemic Of 1878, William Brennan Arden

LSU Master's Theses

Most investigations that examine diffusion of disease through urban areas give relatively scant attention to the 'micro-environment.' Employing the many methods of macro-environmental analysis, most studies do not attempt to identify street-level or even residence-level temporal-spatial patterns of disease diffusion. As a result, the mechanisms that lead to diffusion on such small scales are left relatively undefined. There is no doubt that cumulatively these small-scale mechanisms contribute to the diffusion of disease over the urban environment. However, the level of contribution and the specific details of their dynamics remain unclear. This thesis investigated some of these unexplored areas by presenting …

The Report Of The U.N. High-Level Panel And The Use Of Force In Iraq In 2003, Feisal Amin Istrabadi

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Sacred Trust: The Voluntary Removal And Reburial Of Human Remains From A Historic Cemetery In Louisiana, Christian Williamson

LSU Master's Theses

Members of the Randolph family, a prominent plantation family that has lived in Louisiana since the late eighteenth century, contacted a team of anthropologists from Louisiana State University to help recover thirteen individuals from St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bayou Goula, Louisiana. The cemetery had been abandoned since 1970, its graves overgrown with weeds and desecrated by vandals. Of the thirteen individuals recovered, three sets of remains did not have associated grave markers. These three were taken back to the lab and analyzed using standard forensic procedures. Documentary research on the history of the cemetery, the once associated church, and the …

The Impact Of Privatization Of Primary Care Programs In Large County Health Departments In Florida, Arlesia Lynn Brock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-1970s, top managers, politicians, and officials in both public and private institutions have promoted contracting-out services (privatization) as a means of increasing efficiency, flexibility, and quality. The privatization trend has occurred in many public sector organizations particularly in city services and prisons. Public health services are not immune to this trend. Today many county health departments have contracted the provision of public health services like womens health, primary care, and laboratory services. However, very few studies have analyzed the impact of these privatizations on cost, access, and health outcomes. Proponents favoring the private provision of these services argue …

Social Construction Of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women In Panama City, Panama, Arlene Calvo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To learn how to address health issues specific to Hispanic cultures in an effort to address health disparities, learning from cultural aspects that affect health from the countries of origin would be most useful. Community programs built on rigorous and systematic research prove to be more powerful than ad-hoc programs. Qualitative research techniques offer powerful alternatives for public health professionals to develop adequate and directed programs at the community level, especially among underserved communities and those represented by oral/spoken traditions. The study was conducted among 132 working class single and married Mestizo women between the ages of 20-40 living in …

Assessment Of The Community Healthcare Providers' Ability And Willingness To Respond To A Bioterrorist Attack In Florida, Jeffrey S. Crane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous findings have demonstrated that the preparedness and infrastructure of the public health system are inadequately developed for a biological and/or chemical terrorism attack. (1-4) Chen et al. reported that those primary care providers that would have to respond to such an attack do not feel prepared to diagnose and manage such an event.(5)

This research was an observational study using e-mail/web based survey to assess the levels of preparedness (PL) and willingness to respond (WTR) to a bioterrorism attack, and identify factors that predict PL and WTR of Florida community healthcare providers. The conceptual framework and questionnaire was designed …

Cuidate: Tourism, Drugs, Sex And Hiv Among Young People In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Andrea Lee Freidus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this thesis is to understand a community’s perceptions of the potential impact of tourism on the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS in Monteverde, Costa Rica. In particular, I examine the ways in which globalization and increased travel affect the overall health and behavioral patterns among young people from a community reliant on tourism. The impact of migration and population movement on the spread of infectious diseases has already been well documented. Moreover, there is a clear understanding of the impact of sex tourism on the spread of STIs. However, this project seeks to …

Development Of A Dna Vaccine Against Streptococcus Mutans: A Novel Approach To Immunization Against Dental Caries, Thomas Han

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus mutans is the main causative agent of dental caries, which is a widespread infectious disease. A number of surface molecules are involved in the pathogenicity of this organism, including adherence and aggregation factors. The wallassociated protein A (WapA) of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 was previously demonstrated to be a sucrose-dependent adherence and aggregation factor, and is a larger precursor to extracellular antigen A (AgA), a candidate antigen for a dental caries vaccine.

The full-length wapA gene and a C-terminal truncated version agA encoding the AgA were cloned into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA 3.1/V5/His-TOPO. The above constructs were …

The Effects Of An Education/Behavioral Intervention On Knowledge, Perceived Risk And Self-Efficacy For Sexually Transmitted Infections In Women., Versie Johnson-Mallard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to test the effects of an education/behavioral intervention on knowledge, perceived risk, and self-efficacy for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention in women. Additionally, the instruments that measured knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and perceived risk were tested for reliability. Instruments used to test the effects of the intervention at pretest and following the intervention included the Sexually Transmitted Infection Knowledge Survey (Johnson-Mallard, 2002); the Perceived Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infection Survey (Johnson-Mallard, 2002); and the Sexual Self-Efficacy Survey (Heather & Pinkerton, 1998). Participants included 89-women seeking family planning services, sexually transmitted infection services …

A Descriptive Study Of Ethical Procedures That Maintain Cultural Security When Conducting Health Research With Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander School Children In Western Australia, Dionne Paki

Theses : Honours

Cultural security is the maintenance of values and beliefs and the celebration of diversity unique to different cultures. This honours thesis developed a proposed framework to guide collaborative ethics procedures that demonstrate the Aboriginal values relevant to health research for use in Western Australia (WA). These values of reciprocity, respect, equality, responsibility, survival and protection, and spirit and integrity have been identified in the National Health and Medical Research Council's Values and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. Ethical procedures for maintaining cultural security when conducting health research among Aboriginal people throughout Australia …