Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling And Support Tools For Studying Disease Spread In Livestock Using Networks, Joel Francis, Greg Klotz, Neil Harvey, Deborah Stacey

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The natural occurrence or intentional release of highly contagious agents of livestock disease can have serious consequences for any country’s agricultural economy. Successful control and management of animal disease outbreaks require that adequate response strategies be developed beforehand. Disease spread simulation models are being used by veterinary epidemiologists to evaluate strategies for the control of disease spread. These models enable decision-makers and emergency preparedness personnel to explore many different scenarios to determine the effects of control measures such as vaccination, and study the likely size, duration and cost of outbreaks. This paper presents an overview of livestock disease spread modeling …

Modelling Human Health By Levels Of Biological Organization, Wilfred R. Cuff, Clifford Clark, Paulette Richard, Venkata R S K Duvvuri

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The hierarchy of levels in the organization of matter, or the “hierarchy of life”, is a fundamentalconcept in biology, and biologists are used to thinking about their work asbeing at a particular level. Yet medicine, in both research and application, operatessomewhat independently of this concept, working almost exclusively at levels at or belowthe individual. Through the relatively-recent expansion of epidemiology, medicinedoes reach up to the level of the population - but medicine at higher levels of biologicalorganization remains under-developed. In this paper we review the biological idea ofhierarchy of life and explore what medical research and practice might look like …

Grand Challenges In Comparative Physiology: Integration Across Disciplines And Across Levels Of Biological Organization, Donald L. Mykles, Cameron K. Galambor, Jonathon H. Stillman, Lars Tomanek

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 26, Number 2 (July 2010), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Geese as Sentinels for AIV

Feral Swine Issues Survey

A Spate of Footrot

Some Recent SCWDS Awards

Some Worthwhile Causes
Tom Thorne & Beth Williams Memorial Fund
Ed Couvillion Scholarship Fund
Southeastern Wildlife Health Development Fund

Personnel Changes

Recent SCWDS Publications Available

Circulation, Vol. 16, No. 2, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Mike S. Dinniman

CCPO Circulation

Summer 2010 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "CCPO Researchers Focus on the Ross Sea" by Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, and Mike Dinniman

Rethinking Liability For Vaccine Injury, Joanna B. Apolinsky, Jeffrey A. Van Detta

Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Recombinant Factors For Hemostasis, Jennifer Calcaterra

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Trauma deaths are a result of hemorrhage in 37% of civilians and 47% military personnel and are the primary cause of death for individuals under 44 years of age. Current techniques used to treat hemorrhage are inadequate for severe bleeding. Preliminary research indicates that fibrin sealants (FS) alone or in combination with a dressing may be more effective; however, it has not been economically feasible for widespread use because of prohibitive costs related to procuring the proteins. To meet future demands for hemostatic therapies, FS will likely include recombinant human fibrinogen (rFI) and recombinant human Factor XIII (rFXIII). The underlying …

Ethno-Colour Concept Among Some Tribals Inhabiting In Selected Villages Of Ganjam District, Odisha, India, Pradipa Kumar Das

Ethnobotanical Leaflets

The present communication reports on 13 ethno-botanically important plants belonging to 12 families being traditionally used by some tribals of Ganjam district, Odisha, for developing various aesthetic colours and their combinations used in household purposes like decoration, heritage rituals, functions, festivals, dye making and traditional health care .

Detection Of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases Genotypes And Their Association With Cephalosporin Susceptibility In Community Acquired Enterobacteriaceae Infections, Daniel W. Maina

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Background: Infections caused by Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) producing enterobacteriaceae have become a global problem. Initially confined to the hospital set-up, they are increasingly being reported in the community. These infections are often resistant to a wide variety of B- lactams including extended spectrum cephalosporins, with clinical and epidemiological implications for healthcare systems and necessitate surveillance measures based on local data. Local information on the genotypes of ESBLs and their association with cephalosporin resistance in community acquired ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates is scanty, hence the need for this study. Aim: To detect ESBLs genotypes and correlate these with susceptibility to cephalosporins …

Craniocerebral Aspergillosis: A Review Of Advances In Diagnosis And Management, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Ather Enam, Rushna Ali, Saleha Anwar

Section of Neurosurgery

Craniocerebral aspergillosis is a rare but dangerous central nervous system infection. The infection has a spectrum of presenting features, mostly affecting immunocompromised individuals. The incidence appears to be on the rise that has been especially observed in the immunocompetent population. A high index of suspicion, a comprehensive understanding of the infectious process and advanced laboratory and radiological diagnostic techniques, allow early diagnosis. Surgery, followed by systemic antifungal medications, remains the cornerstone of management. Early administration of empirical anti-fungal agents along with immunomodulators may further improve prognosis. Immunocompetent patients tend to have better outcomes as compared to those who are immunocompromised. …

Evidence For A Change In The Rate Of Aging Of Osteological Indicators In American Documented Skeletal Samples, Wendy Elizabeth Potter

Anthropology ETDs

The question of uniformity in skeletal age changes across populations is fundamental to all comparative work in skeletal biology. Whether an aging standard will work on target groups that differ in time, space, and background from the reference sample is essential for reliable, accurate age estimation. This research addressed whether a difference in skeletal senescence exists between older American documented collections and more recent ones. The pubic symphysis, auricular surface, sternal rib end, and suture obliteration were scored for a sample of American Blacks and Whites drawn from the Terry, Hamann-Todd, Bass Documented, Maxwell Museum, and Maricopa County Forensic Science …

Flight Physician - July, 2010, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

A sixteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

Modelling The Spread Of Influenza-Like Illnesses In An Urban Environment, R. Neighbour, M. Borkowski, S. Mukhi1, M. R. Friesen, R. D. Mcleod

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This work extends ongoing development of a framework for modelling the spread of contact-transmission infectious diseases within urban environments, where modelling is augmented with surveillance data and diseases of interest are primarily influenza-like illnesses (ILI). The data sources include socio-ecological elements, in which physical environments (community, neighbourhood) coupled with census data allow inferences relative to targeted populations. The framework is built upon Agent Based Modeling (ABM), with emphasis on urban scale modelling integrated with institutional models of hospital emergency departments. The scenarios presented here include modeling an outbreak of a pH1N1, surges at Hospital emergency departments, demographic data integration, and …

A Geosimulation Tool To Assess Intervention Scenarios In Relation To The Spread Of Infectious Disease And Environmental Factors, Mondher Bouden, Bernard Moulin, Pierre Gosselin

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Several approaches have been proposed to model and simulate the spread ofinfectious diseases such as the West Nile virus (WNV). However, these approaches such asmathematical modeling and cellular automata have some weaknesses when trying to modeland simulate the influence of geographic and climatic features on the disease spread and thespatio-temporal interactions of various kinds of actors (e.g. mosquitoes, birds, mammalsand humans in the WNV case). In this context, we propose to apply a geosimulationapproach to remedy some shortcomings of current methods. Using such an approach wedeveloped WNV-MAGS, a tool allowing public health decision policy makers to assessseveral intervention scenarios in …

Modelling The Spread Of Influenza-Like Illnesses In An Urban Environment, R. Neighbour, M. Borkowski, S. Mukhi1, M. R. Friesen, R. D. Mcleod

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This work extends ongoing development of a framework for modelling the spread of contact-transmission infectious diseases within urban environments, where modelling is augmented with surveillance data and diseases of interest are primarily influenza-like illnesses (ILI). The data sources include socio-ecological elements, in which physical environments (community, neighbourhood) coupled with census data allow inferences relative to targeted populations. The framework is built upon Agent Based Modeling (ABM), with emphasis on urban scale modelling integrated with institutional models of hospital emergency departments. The scenarios presented here include modeling an outbreak of a pH1N1, surges at Hospital emergency departments, demographic data integration, and …

Modelling Human Health By Levels Of Biological Organization, Wilfred R. Cuff, Clifford Clark, Paulette Richard, Venkata R S K Duvvuri

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The hierarchy of levels in the organization of matter, or the “hierarchy of life”, is a fundamentalconcept in biology, and biologists are used to thinking about their work asbeing at a particular level. Yet medicine, in both research and application, operatessomewhat independently of this concept, working almost exclusively at levels at or belowthe individual. Through the relatively-recent expansion of epidemiology, medicinedoes reach up to the level of the population - but medicine at higher levels of biologicalorganization remains under-developed. In this paper we review the biological idea ofhierarchy of life and explore what medical research and practice might look like …

Evaluating The Impact Of Climate Change On Global Hpai H5n1 Outbreaks, Zhijie Zhang, Dongmei Chen, Wenbao Liu, Lei Wang

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses H5N1 have spread throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa in the past decade, raising serious worldwide concerns about a potential new pandemic. Many studies have investigated the spread of the HPAI H5N1 virus and discussed its possible risk factors. However, the climate factor, which can affect the whole process of H5N1 outbreaks, has been greatly ignored. The objective of this preliminary study is to use a GIS-based approach to explore the potential impacts of temperature change on H5N1 outbreaks. We have divided the outbreaks into five epidemic waves. Although the temperature ranges of different epidemic waves …

Temporal Dynamics And Spatial Analysis Of Competing Dengue 2 Virus Strains In The Americas, Stacy O'Neil Scholle

Biology ETDs

The dengue virus is the causative agent of an important re-emerging infectious disease that has become increasingly significant in tropical America and the Caribbean due to the infiltration of a more pathogenic Asian/American strain of dengue serotype 2 into the population. This invading strain is responsible for epidemics of dengue hemorrhagic fever, a life-threatening disease that was not previously a large public health concern in the region. Here, I create a historical map of the invasion and replacement of the endemic American strain of dengue 2 by the Asian/American strain, showing that the timing of invasion spans 25 years, and …

Host Behaviour And Exposure Risk In An Insect-Pathogen Interaction, Benjamin J. Parker, Bret D. Elderd, Greg Dwyer

Faculty Publications

1. Studies of variability in host resistance to disease generally emphasize variability in susceptibility given exposure, neglecting the possibility that hosts may vary in behaviours that affect the risk of exposure. 2. In many insects, horizontal transmission of baculoviruses occurs when larvae consume foliage contaminated by the cadavers of virus-infected conspecific larvae; so, host behaviour may have a strong effect on the risk of infection. 3. We studied variability in the behaviour of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae, which are able to detect and avoid virus-contaminated foliage. 4. Our results show that detection ability can be affected by the family …

Human Papillomavirus And Survival Of Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer., K Kian Ang, Jonathan Harris, Richard Wheeler, Randal Weber, David I Rosenthal, Phuc Felix Nguyen-Tân, William H Westra, Christine H Chung, Richard C Jordan, Charles Lu, Harold Kim, Rita S. Axelrod, Md, C Craig Silverman, Kevin P Redmond, Maura L Gillison

Jefferson Hospital Staff Papers and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinomas caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are associated with favorable survival, but the independent prognostic significance of tumor HPV status remains unknown.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the association between tumor HPV status and survival among patients with stage III or IV oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma who were enrolled in a randomized trial comparing accelerated-fractionation radiotherapy (with acceleration by means of concomitant boost radiotherapy) with standard-fractionation radiotherapy, each combined with cisplatin therapy, in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Proportional-hazards models were used to compare the risk of death among patients with HPV-positive …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 32, No. 1-2, Spring-Summer 2010, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Comparison Of Body Composition Between Physically Active And Inactive Wheelchair Users, Masaru Teramoto

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between regular physical activity and body composition in individuals with physical disabilities. The study was designed to compare body composition parameters between wheelchair users participating in adapted sports programs and those being physically inactive. Male wheelchair users were recruited and classified based on physical activity level (active or inactive) and disability type (paraplegic or quadriplegic). Regional and whole-body percent body fat (%BF), lean body mass (LBM), and bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. These variables were then compared among the groups using a two-way between-groups multivariate …

Prescriptions For Excellence In Health Care Issue 9 Summer 2010 Download Full Pdf

Prescriptions for Excellence in Health Care Newsletter Supplement

No abstract provided.

Contributors, Michael Benton, Alan Clinton

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Information about contributors to articles in volume 10, issue 3 of Reconstruction.

Oxidative Stress In Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Women., Rayah S. Baban

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To investigate biochemical changes in lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, and vitamin E in recurrent pregnancy loss women, and compare these with healthy pregnant, and non-pregnant women. METHODS: A case control study was conducted from September 2008 to December 2009 at Al-Khadimiya Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Ninety-six subjects were included in the study, 32 were patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), and 32 pregnant women in their third trimester, and another 32 non-pregnant women were used as controls. Blood samples were collected from each patient at the time of pregnancy loss. Serum from patients and controls was then used to …

The Mechanisms Of Marine Bacterial Interactions, Grace Phillips

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Bacteria are found in numerous habitats within the vast marine realm. Many marine bacteria live together as a biofilm which allows them to closely interact and intimately influence each other‟s lives, mainly by the production of extracellular compounds such as antibiotics and exopolysaccharides. Coordination of the biofilm and communication between bacteria is controlled by a mechanism known as quorum sensing in which signal molecules called autoinducers are released and detected, resulting in an alteration of behaviour. These activities ultimately have implications on other organisms; controlling populations of invertebrates and algae, and affecting the health of eukaryotes, a major cause for …

Abundance And Diversity Of Anuran Species In Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo, Abigail Porter

The Plymouth Student Scientist

1. Anurans are important components of tropical ecosystems; however, the biodiversity of these species is under threat due to the rapid deforestation of Southeast Asian forests. 2. Abundances and numbers of individuals of anuran species from three different sites were surveyed. One site being that of a relatively undisturbed primary Dipterocarp forest, the other two being disturbed habitats, a secondary forest recovering from logging and a drainage ditch which has formed a pool site. 3. Species abundance and numbers of individuals was significantly different P<0.05 between the three sites. The primary forest site showed higher mean abundances of species and individuals of anuran species, with the secondary forest having the lowest abundances and the pool site having an intermediate value. 4. Variables of temperature and light levels were shown to have an impact upon frog species, with the highest temperatures and light readings found in the sites with less species and individuals. pH was neutral for all three sites so was not seen as a consequence effecting anurans. 5. The differences in anuran abundances and species in the three sites may indicate that environmental factors may be having detrimental impacts on anurans. 6. The need to census amphibians has never been more urgent than it is now. Among herpetologists, there is a growing awareness that amphibians are declining and becoming extinct in many parts of the world.

A Parasitological Paradox: Why Is Ascarid Infection So Rare In The Prehistoric Americas?, Daniela Leles, Karl Reinhard, Martín Horacio Fugassa, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Alena M. Iñiguez, Adauto Araujo

Karl Reinhard Publications

Ascaris lumbricoides (giant roundworm) and Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) are the most common intestinal parasites found in humans worldwide today and they almost always co-occur. However, we find two distinct patterns in archae­ological material. In historical North American and Old World contexts, the association of A. lumbricoides and T. trich­iura is similar to the modern epidemiological picture. In contrast, the co-occurrence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura eggs in prehistoric South America is rare. For prehistoric contexts, T. trichiura is the most common parasite found in ar­chaeological material. Recently molecular biology techniques pointed to a subdiagnosis of roundworm infection in pre- …

Hiv: Make The Diagnosis And Take The Next Step, Julie G. Stewart, Amy R. Weinberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

With the CDC urging screening for all willing patients, providers will be testing and managing a growing number of HIV-positive individuals.

The CDC estimates that with more than 40,000 new infections annually, more than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV-and 24% to 27% may not be aware of their infection status.1 Studies have shown that HIV is often diagnosed late in the disease process, when the individual has already developed AIDS, which typically occurs 8 to 11 years after HIV infection.2 Research also points to missed opportunities to offer HIV testing and diagnose the infection …

The Classic, Summer 2010, Public Relations

The Classic, 2010-2019

Mission in Action, In Box, Ever Green, Global Classroom, Mission: SOS, Sound Learning, Training Mission, Honored Prof, Grade-A Teaching, Creation-Care Efforts, Healthy Glow, Rays of Hope, Moving Music, Face Value: Dean Calsbeek, Pomp and Circumstance, Retirement Calls, Suite Life, On Board, Summer Study, Prize-Winning Poems, New Majors for New Needs, Exemplary Servant, Summer Research, A New Song, New Directors, Building Determination, Red Zone, A Season to Remember, 1000 Words Photo Essay: Musical Light, Pop Culture: An Interview with Jeffrey Keuss, Rebuilding Haiti, Much More Than Dutch, Class Notes, Red Ties, New Arrivals, Marriages, In Memoriam, Track Authority, Our Past, Haiti's …