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Syndromic Surveillance: Stl For Modeling, Visualizing, And Monitoring Disease Counts, Ryan P. Hafen, David E. Anderson, William S. Cleveland, Ross Maciejewski, David Ebert , Phd, Ahmad Abusalah, Mohamed Yakout, Mourad Ouzzani, Shaun J. Grannis

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Public health surveillance is the monitoring of data to detect and quantify unusual health events. Monitoring pre-diagnostic data, such as emergency department (ED) patient chief complaints, enables rapid detection of disease outbreaks. There are many sources of variation in such data; statistical methods need to accurately model them as a basis for timely and accurate disease outbreak methods.

Methods

Our new methods for modeling daily chief complaint counts are based on a seasonal-trend decomposition procedure based on loess (STL) and were developed using data from the 76 EDs of the Indiana surveillance program from 2004 to 2008. Square root …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 5. Eleutherodactylus Coqui, The Coqui Frog (Anura: Leptodactylidae), Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt, Emily A. Price

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The nocturnal, terrestrial frog Eleutherodactylus coqui, known as the Coqui, is endemic to Puerto Rico and was accidentally introduced to Hawai‘i via nursery plants in the late 1980s. Over the past two decades E. coqui has spread to the four main Hawaiian Islands, and a major campaign was launched to eliminate and control it. One of the primary reasons this frog has received attention is its loud mating call (85–90 dB at 0.5 m). Many homeowners do not want the frogs on their property, and their presence has influenced housing prices. In addition, E. coqui has indirectly impacted the …

Surveillance For Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Wild Birds In The Usa, Thomas J. Deliberto, Seth R. Swafford, Dale L. Nolte, Kerri Pedersen, Mark W. Lutman, Brandon S.. Schmit, John A. Baroch, Dennis J. Kohler, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As part of the USA’s National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, an Interagency Strategic Plan for the Early Detection of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza in Wild Migratory Birds was developed and implemented. From 1 April 2006 through 31 March 2009, 261 946 samples from wild birds and 101 457 wild bird fecal samples were collected in the USA; no highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected. The United States Department of Agriculture, and state and tribal cooperators accounted for 213 115 (81%) of the wild bird samples collected; 31, 27, 21 and 21% of the samples were collected from the Atlantic, …

The Comparison Of Co-Stimulatory Surface Molecule Expression On Human Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells Infected With Two Strains Of Influenza Virus, Jessie M. Simmon

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Blood Chimerism Confounds Genetic Relative Susceptibility Testing For Classical Scrapie In Sheep, David A. Schneider, Ahmed Tibary, Terje Taudsepp, Pranab J. Das, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Classical scrapie disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of sheep that is enzootic in the United States. Susceptibility of sheep to classical scrapie is linked to single nucleotide polymorphisms in the prion protein gene (PRNP), forming the basis for genetic testing strategies used by national efforts to eradicate scrapie. Such efforts are occasionally hampered by inconclusive results stemming from the detection of ‘‘complex’’ genotypes. Naturally occurring cases of ovine chimerism are thought to account for some of these instances. In the current report, 4 naturally occurring ovine chimeras are documented through cytogenetic and molecular analyses. All 4 of these sheep …

Nor98 Scrapie Identified In The United States, Christie M. Loiacono, Bruce V. Thomsen, S. Mark Hall, Matti Kiupel, Diane Sutton, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Bradd Barr, Lucy Anthenill, Delwyn Keane

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

A distinct strain of scrapie identified in sheep of Norway in 1998 has since been identified in numerous countries throughout Europe. The disease is known as Nor98 or Nor98-like scrapie, among other names. Distinctions between classic scrapie and Nor98 scrapie are made based on histopathology and immunodiagnostic results. There are also differences in the epidemiology, typical signalment, and likelihood of clinical signs being observed. In addition, sheep that have genotypes associated with resistance to classic scrapie are not spared from Nor98 disease. The various differences between classic and Nor98 scrapie have been consistently reported in the vast majority of cases …

Molecular Characterization Of Gastroenteritis Viruses Among Equines And Porcines In Southern Ireland From 2005-2007., P. J, Collins

Theses

Rotaviruses are a major cause of gastroenteritis in humans and animals. To date, seven serogroups (A to G) of rotavirus have been determined. Group A Rotaviruses (GARVs) are enteric pathogens, causing acute watery dehydrating diarrhea in various host species, including birds and mammals. Rotaviruses account for ~611,000 child deaths each year, mainly in developing countries. Likewise, rotavirus-associated enteritis is a major problem in young calves, weaning and post-weaning piglets and foals. Vaccines against the most important serologic group of rotaviruses (GARVs) are available for the prevention of rotavirus diseases in cows and horses, and, more recently, they have been made …

The Detection And Analysis Of Selected Pathogens In The Water Supply Of Dairy Cohort Herds., Niall Drummond

Theses

The issue of food safety is a growing concern to Irish agriculture and to the food industry. In the last twenty years, many novel pathogens, which can cause concern to the food industry, have been identified. Organisms such as Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis and Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which is the major cause of acute renal failure in children in many countries, and it’s presence in food is a cause of growing concern. Other pathogens causing concern are those implicated as causative agents of Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) and these can be bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms.

Consumption …

Disease In The Desert: Las Vegas As A Case Study Of How First Responders And Emergency Managers Understand Novel Threats To Human Health And Plan To Respond During Biological Emergencies, Monique Williamson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over recent years it has become clear that technological advancements, globalization, and ecological change, combined with the onset of increased terrorist incidents, are all currently working to create an extremely hazardous environment in terms of pathogenic invasion. Realizing that infectious diseases are both newly emerging and re-emerging in many parts of the world, the question of how prepared an expansive United States will be in the face of an oncoming global pandemic is easily raised. Using Las Vegas as an example of just how unequipped a largely visited U.S. city may be in the face of such a situation, this …

Factors Influencing Familial Decision-Making Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, Heather L. Gamble, James L. Klosky, Gilbert R. Parra, Mary E. Randolph

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective The purpose of this review is to summarize the research regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake among families with adolescent/preadolescent daughters.

Methods Literature searches (utilizing PubMed and PsychInfo databases) were conducted and research examining psychological and environmental factors which relate to HPV vaccine uptake and intentions was reviewed.

Results Factors such as physician recommendations, perceptions of the beliefs of peers and significant others, history of childhood immunizations, and communication with adolescents regarding sexual topics appear to influence HPV vaccination outcomes.

Conclusions Although primary prevention of cervical and other cancers is available for preadolescent and adolescent girls, rates of HPV …

Psychiatric Illness In The Next-Of-Kin Of Intensive Care Unit Patients, Janelle Katie Moulder

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in next-of-kin (NOK) of intensive care unit (ICU) patients has been reported at higher than 70% when screening is performed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The primary purpose of this study was to assess the ability of the HADS to predict psychiatric illness, diagnosed with the aide of a validated tool, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). In addition, we asked NOK to rate aspects of the ICU experience to determine possible associations with psychiatric diagnosis. Thirty-four NOK were enrolled in this study from July 2006 to November 2006. Subjects were …

Molecular Monitoring Of African Swine Fever Control Areas: Adult-Tick Targeted Re-Evaluation Of Mkuze Game Reserve, South Africa, L. F. Arnot, Johan T. Du Toit, A. D.S. Bastos

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Mkuze Game Reserve (MGR), in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa is an African swine fever virus (ASF) controlled area. In a survey conducted in 1978, ASF prevalence in warthogs and Ornithodoros ticks in MGR was determined to be 2% and 0.06%, respectively. These values, acknowledged as being unusually low compared to other East and southern African ASF-positive sylvatic-cycle host populations, have not been assessed since. The availability of a sensitive PCR-based virus detection method, developed specifically for the sylvatic tampan host, prompted a re-evaluation of ASF virus (ASFV) prevalence in MGR ticks. Of the 98 warthog burrows inspected for …

Client Characteristics And Treatment Retention In An Outpatient Drug-Free Chemical Dependency Program, Jessica A. Thull

Dissertations (1934 -)

Substance abuse and dependence have detrimental effects at both micro and macro societal levels. Even so, these disorders appear to be amenable to treatment and persons who receive treatment for such problems generally achieve positive outcomes. However, reported substance abuse treatment dropout rates have varied greatly and no consistent "treatment dropout" profile has been detected. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of clients entering an intensive outpatient chemical dependency treatment program and to examine how these variables differed between clients who were retained in treatment to completion and clients who dropped out of treatment prematurely. Additionally, it explored whether …

Ecological Determinants Of Survival And Reproduction In The Spotted Hyena, Heather E. Watts

Biology Faculty Works

Large carnivores play a key role in the structuring and dynamics of many ecosystems, yet the factors influencing dynamics of carnivore populations themselves are often poorly understood. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are the most abundant large carnivores in many African ecosystems. We describe demographic patterns in a population of spotted hyenas observed continuously for 15.5 years, and assess the effects of per capita prey availability, interspecific competition, rainfall, anthropogenic disturbance, and disease on 2 key determinants of population dynamics: reproduction and survival. Annual reproduction, survival of juveniles (i.e., recruitment to adulthood), and mortality of adults varied among years of the …

War Of The Worlds: Our Worlds Are Colliding And Infectious Disease Is Winning - Emerging Diseases And The One Health Initiative, Richard French

The University Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Determining Personality In Sanctuary Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes), Rebecca S.A. Brittain, Judith A. Corr

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: Pharmacoepidemiologic Assessment Of Common Medications, Aisling R. Caffrey

Open Access Dissertations

Background. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a prevalent organism, causing serious infections which are difficult and expensive to treat. Despite the implementation of evidence-based infection control practices and development of newer efficacious antibiotics, MRSA infection and colonization rates continue to increase. Treatments for MRSA have received considerable research attention over the past 10 years, yet several gaps in knowledge remain. In particular, controversy regarding the effectiveness of linezolid as compared to vancomycin in treating MRSA infections persists, and few risk factors associated with mupirocin resistance have been identified. Methods. In the first manuscript of this dissertation, we sought to estimate …

Host Defense Mechanisms Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Laurin Nicole Holloway

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the world's most infectious diseases. Approximately 2 million people die each year from Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and one-third of the world's population remains infected. For decades research has focused on uncovering the tactics used by Mycobacterium tuberculosis to evade host immune responses and defense mechanisms used to fight tuberculosis infection. The following review focuses on the host defense mechanisms used to combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis with an emphasis placed on the roles that Toll-like receptors (TLRs), T cells (gamma delta, CD4, CD8), and macrophages play in mounting the innate and adaptive immune responses necessary to eradicate …

The Perils And The Promise Of Comparative Constitutional Law: The New Globalism And The Role Of The United States Shaping Human Rights, Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr.

Articles

No abstract provided.

Trials And Tribulations: What Happens When Historians Enter The Courtroom, David Rosner

Law and Contemporary Problems

In recent years, historians have been brought into legal cases in unprecedented numbers. As the courts have tried to adjudicate responsibility for environmental and occupational diseases, history has played an increasingly central role in decisions that affect the cases themselves and in social policy regarding risk. In suits over tobacco-related diseases, asbestosis, radiation, and other toxic substances, more historians of technology and science, social history, and public health are being sought to provide testimony aimed at assessing responsibility for damages that have arisen years--sometimes decades--after exposure. Here, Rosner traces the use of historians as experts in litigation.

Stopping For Death: Re-Framing Our Perspective On The End Of Life, Ruth C. Stern, J. Herbie Difonzo

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of A Countermeasure: The Expansive Liability Protection Of The Public Readiness And Emergency Preparedness Act Of 2005, Angela Marino

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

The Copyright Revision Act Of 2026, Jessica Litman

The Honorable Helen Wilson Nies Memorial Lecture

Congress may be persuaded to embark on a new round of copyright revision. If history is any guide, a revised copyright law is likely to be longer, broader, more complicated and less flexible than the one we have now. Before committing ourselves to that enterprise, Prof. Litman suggests we take the opportunity to imagine what the copyright system might look like if we were free to write on a blank slate. We should enact a statute that is much shorter and simpler, that gives creators a larger share of copyright goodies and distributors a smaller one, and that builds in …

Ancient Leishmaniasis In A Highland Desert Of Northern Chile, Maria Antonietta Costa, Carney Matheson, Lucia Iachetta, Otto Appenzeller

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease endemic today in many areas of South America.

Methodology

We discovered morphologic and molecular evidence of ancient infections in four female skulls in the archaeological cemetery of Coyo Oriente, in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. The boney facial lesions visible in the skulls could have been caused by a number of chronic infections including chronic Leishmaniasis. This diagnosis was confirmed using PCR-sequenced analyses of bone fragments from the skulls of the affected individuals. Leishmaniasis is not normally found in the high-altitude desert of northern Chile; where the harsh climate does …

Taxonomic Information Exchange And Copyright: The Plazi Approach, Donat Agosti, Willi Egloff

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background

A large part of our knowledge on the world's species is recorded in the corpus of biodiversity literature with well over hundred million pages, and is represented in natural history collections estimated at 2–3 billion specimens. But this body of knowledge is almost entirely in paper-print form and is not directly accessible through the Internet. For the digitization of this literature, new territories have to be chartered in the fields of technical, legal and social issues that presently impede its advance. The taxonomic literature seems especially destined for such a transformation.

Discussion

Plazi was founded as an association with …

A Serological Survey Of Infectious Disease In Yellowstone National Park’S Canid Community, Emily S. Almberg, L. David Mech, Douglas W. Smith, Jennifer W. Sheldon, Robert L. Crabtree

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Background: Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) after a .70 year absence, and as part of recovery efforts, the population has been closely monitored. In 1999 and 2005, pup survival was significantly reduced, suggestive of disease outbreaks.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed sympatric wolf, coyote (Canis latrans), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serologic data from YNP, spanning 1991–2007, to identify long-term patterns of pathogen exposure, identify associated risk factors, and examine evidence for disease-induced mortality among wolves for which there were survival data. We found high, constant exposure to canine …

Characterization Of A Monothiol Glutaredoxin Encoded By Chlorella Virus Pbcv-1, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Yuanzheng Zhang, Gentry L. Lewis, James L. Van Etten

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Annotation of the 330-kb Chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome identified a 237 nucleotide gene (a438l) that codes for a protein with ~35% amino acid identity to glutaredoxins (Grx) found in other organisms. The PBCV-1 protein resembles classical Grxs in both size (9 kDa) and location of the active site (N-terminus). However, the PBCV-1 Grx is unusual because it contains a monothiol active site (CPYS) rather than the typical dithiol active site (CPYC). To examine this unique active site, four sitespecific mutants (CPYC, CPYA, SPYC, and SPYS) were constructed to determine if the N-terminal cysteine is necessary for enzyme activity. …

Human Ubc9 Contributes To Production Of Fully Infectious Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Virions, Tareq Jaber, Christopher R. Bohl, Gentry L. Lewis, Charles Wood, John T. West Jr., Robert A. Weldon Jr.

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Ubc9 was identified as a cellular protein that interacts with the Gag protein of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus. We show here that Ubc9 also interacts with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein and that their interaction is important for virus replication. Gag was found to colocalize with Ubc9 predominantly at perinuclear puncta. While cells in which Ubc9 expression was suppressed with RNA interference produced normal numbers of virions, these particles were 8- to 10-fold less infectious than those produced in the presence of Ubc9. The nature of this defect was assayed for dependence on Ubc9 during viral assembly, …

Expression Of Hpv16 E5 Produces Enlarged Nuclei And Polyploidy Through Endoreplication, Lulin Hu, Tamara A. Potapova, Shibo Li, Susannah Rankin, Gary J. Gorbsky, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Anogenital cancers and head and neck cancers are causally-associated with infection by high-risk

human papillomavirus (HPV). The mechanism by which high-risk HPVs contribute to

oncogenesis is poorly understood. HPV16 encodes three genes (HPV16 E5, E6, and E7) that can

transform cells when expressed independently. HPV16 E6 and E7 have well-described roles

causing genomic instability and unregulated cell cycle progression. The role of HPV16 E5 in cell

transformation remains to be elucidated. Expression of HPV16 E5 results in enlarged, polyploid

nuclei that are dependent on the level and duration of HPV16 E5 expression. Live-cell imaging

data indicate these changes do not …

Human Papillomavirus 16 E5 Induces Bi-Nucleated Cell Formation By Cell-Cell Fusion, Lulin Ha, Kendra Plafker, Valeriya Vorozhoko, Rosemary E. Zuna, Marie H. Hanigan, Gary J. Gorbsky, Scott M. Plafker, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) 16 is a DNA virus encoding three oncogenes – E5, E6, and E7. The E6 and E7 proteins have well-established roles as inhibitors of tumor suppression, but the contribution of E5 to malignant transformation is controversial. Using spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), we demonstrate that expression of HPV16 E5 is necessary and sufficient for the formation of bi-nucleated cells, a common characteristic of precancerous cervical lesions. Expression of E5 from non-carcinogenic HPV6b does not produce bi-nucleate cells. Video microscopy and biochemical analyses reveal that bi-nucleates arise through cell-cell fusion. Although most E5-induced bi-nucleates fail to propagate, …