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Mathematical Biology At An Undergraduate Liberal Arts College, Stephen C. Adolph, Lisette G. De Pillis

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Since 2002 we have offered an undergraduate major in Mathematical Biology at Harvey Mudd College. The major was developed and is administered jointly by the mathematics and biology faculty. In this paper we describe the major, courses, and faculty and student research and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities we have experienced.

Recent Diarrhea Is Associated With Elevated Salivary Igg Responses To Cryptosporidium In Residents Of An Eastern Massachusetts Community, A. I. Egorov, L. M. Montuori Trimble, L. Ascolillo, H. D. Ward, Deborah A. Levy, R. D. Morris, E. N. Naumova, J. K. Griffiths

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Serological data suggest that Cryptosporidium infections are common but underreported. The invasiveness of blood sampling limits the application of serology in epidemiological surveillance. We pilot-tested a non-invasive salivary anti-Cryptosporidium antibody assay in a community survey involving children and adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Families with children were recruited in a Massachusetts community in July; symptoms data were collected at 3 monthly follow-up mail surveys. One saliva sample per person (n = 349) was collected via mail, with the last survey in October. Samples were analyzed for IgG and IgA responses to a recombinant C. hominis gp15 sporozoite protein using a …

Continuous Infusion Of Nafcillin For Sternal Osteomyelitis In An Infant After Cardiac Surgery, Chad A. Knoderer, Jennifer L. Morris, Elaine G. Cox

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

We report the use of the continuous infusion of nafcillin for the treatment of an infant who had methicillinsusceptible Staphylococcus aureus sternal osteomyelitis not responsive to traditional nafcillin dosing. The patient was successfully treated with surgical debridement and the continuous infusion of nafcillin. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the successful use of the continuous infusion of nafcillin to treat an infant who had sternal osteomyelitis after cardiac surgery.

Evaluation Of Pharmacy-Implemented Medication Reconciliation Directed At Antiretroviral Therapy In Hospitalized Hiv/Aids Patients [Letter], Megan A. Corrigan, Kendra Atkinson, Beverly E. Sha, Christopher W. Crank

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Short communications published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 44(1).

Annual Report - 2010, Nctr

U.S. DOT Reporting

No abstract provided.

Periodic Atlas Of The Metroscape: Health And Home: Neighborhood Stability And Hiv Outcomes In The Metroscape, Moriah Mcsharry Mcgrath, Gretchen Luhr

Metroscape

The miasma theory of disease went out of style in the 1850s. The discovery that bacteria, rather than vapors emanating from the soil at night, caused illness launched the modern public health profession. In the intervening 150 years, public health practitioners have focused on controlling disease through sanitary infrastructure and educational campaigns.

Despite these great strides, the geography of HIV illuminates the inconvenient truth that relationships between health and place persist. New York and New Jersey, which together are home to 9.3% of U.S. residents, were the site of 22.3% of AIDS cases recorded by the CDC through 2007. Not …

Linking Environmental Nutrient Enrichment And Disease Emergence In Humans And Wildlife, Pieter T. J. Johnson, Alan R. Townsend, Cory C. Cleveland, Patricia M. Glibert, Robert W. Howarth, Valerie J. Mckenzie, Eliska Rejmankova, Mary H. Ward

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Worldwide increases in human and wildlife diseases have challenged ecologists to understand how large-scale environmental changes affect host–parasite interactions. One of the most profound changes to Earth's ecosystems is the alteration of global nutrient cycles, including those of phosphorus (P) and especially nitrogen (N). Along with the obvious direct benefits of nutrient application for food production, anthropogenic inputs of N and P can indirectly affect the abundance of infectious and noninfectious pathogens. The mechanisms underpinning observed correlations, however, and how such patterns vary with disease type, have long remained conjectural. Here, we highlight recent experimental advances to critically evaluate the …

Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2010, Tennessee. Department Of Correction

Annual Reports

This document is the annual report for the Tennessee Department of Correction during the fiscal year.

Probable Causes Of Increasing Brucellosis In Free-Ranging Elk Of The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, P. C. Cross, E. K. Cole, A. P. Dobson, W. H. Edwards, K. L. Hamlin, Gordon Luikart, A. D. Middleton, B. M. Scurlock, P. J. White

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

While many wildlife species are threatened, some populations have recovered from previous Overexploitation, and data linking these population increases with disease dynamics are limited. We present data suggesting that free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) are a maintenance host for Brucella abortus in new areas of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Brucellosis seroprevalence in free-ranging elk increased from 0-7% in 1991-1992 to 8 20% in 2006-2007 in four of six herd units around the GYE. These levels of brucellosis are comparable to some herd units where elk are artificially aggregated on supplemental feeding grounds. There are several possible mechanisms for this increase …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy, Commitment, And Coping On Occupational Strain In Non-Managerial, Non-Professional Employees, Susan Leslie Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the effects of moderators, self-efficacy and commitment, and mediators, problem-focused coping (strategies used when changeable conditions exist, thereby resulting in the employee taking action [Folkman & Lazarus, 1980]) and emotion-focused coping (perception that conditions are not changeable and emotions are regulated in a variety of ways versus taking action [Folkman & Lazarus, 1980]), on predicting psychological and physical occupational strain in non-managerial, non-professional employees. Ninety-three shift workers in a 24/7 call center from one division of a transportation company located in the western United States participated in the study. The first research objective was to examine …

Full Issue: Volume 3, Number 1

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

Influenza Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers: Ten-Year Experience Of A Large Healthcare Organization, M. Christina Ajenjo, Keith F. Woeltje, Hilary M. Babcock, Nancy Gemeinhart, Marilyn Jones, Victoria J. Fraser

Infectious Diseases Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Defensive Medicine In The United States, J. William Thomas Phd, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Deborah Thayer Mba

Access / Insurance

In this paper we present the costs of defensive medicine in thirty-five clinical specialties to determine whether malpractice liability reforms would greatly reduce health care costs. Defensive medicine includes tests and procedures ordered by physicians principally to reduce perceived threats of medical malpractice liability. The practice is commonly assumed to increase health care costs. The results of studies of the costs of defensive medicine have been inconsistent. We found that estimated savings resulting from a 10 percent decline in medical malpractice premiums would be less than 1 percent of total medical care costs in every specialty. These savings are lower …

Localization Of Phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-Trisphosphate To Phagosomes In Entamoeba Histolytica Achieved Using Glutathione S-Transferase- And Green Fluorescent Protein-Tagged Lipid Biosensors, Yevgeniya A. Byekova, Rhonda R. Powell, Brenda H. Welter, Lesly A. Temesvari

Publications

Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan parasite that causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscess. Phagocytosis by the parasite is a critical virulence process, since it is a prerequisite for tissue invasion and establishment of chronic infection. While the roles of many of the proteins that regulate phagocytosis-related signaling events in E. histolytica have been characterized, the functions of lipids in this cellular process remain largely unknown in this parasite. In other systems, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP₃), a major product of phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3-kinase) activity, is essential for phagocytosis. Pleckstrin homology (PH) domains are protein domains that specifically bind …

Prescription For Failure: Health & Intellectual Property In The Dominican Republic, Georgetown University Law Center, Human Rights Institute

HRI Papers & Reports

No abstract provided.

Scientific Certainty In A Time Of Uncertainty: Predicting Vulnerability Of Canada’S First Nations To The H1n1/09 Pandemic, Nicholas Spence

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

A 10-Year Retrospective Review Of Salmonella Infections At The Children's Hospital In London, Ontario, Tania Cellucci, Jamie A. Seabrook, Yasmine Chagla, Susan L. Bannister, Marina I. Salvadori

Paediatrics Publications

OBJECTIVES: To describe Salmonella infections in children presenting to the Children's Hospital (London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario), to assess risk factors for infection and to examine whether younger children, particularly infants younger than 12 weeks of age, experience higher morbidity than older children. METHODS: A 10-year retrospective review of children with Salmonella infections at the Children's Hospital was conducted. Patient demographics, risk factors for infection, clinical characteristics, bacteriology and outcome were collected from the hospital charts and laboratory records. Data were separated into groups based on age and recent use of antibiotics to analyze differences in outcomes. RESULTS: Sixty-six …

Molecular Investigation Of Heme Acquisition In Staphylococcus Aureus, Catherine Chung

Digitized Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious, Gram-positive, coccoid-shaped bacterium that is pathogenic to humans and animals. It is the culprit of many infectious diseases ranging from boils, impetigo, and food poisoning to more serious diseases such as endocarditis, osteomyelitis,‘ and toxic shock syndrome. However, for S. aureus to survive in the host, nutrients and especially iron must be acquired. S. aureus expresses iron-regulated surface determinant (Isd) proteins that, together, function in the acquisition of heme iron. However, mutants devoid of IsdA or IsdE have only subtle defects in growth on heme as a sole iro» source. Here I demonstrate that an …

Embodied Political Ecologies Of Health: A Case Study Of Alcohol And Infectious Disease In The Upper West Region Of Ghana, Joshua Kane Tobias

Digitized Theses

This research is a case study informed by qualitative methodologies examining perceptions of the misuse of an unregistered gin {akpeteshie), and it's role within the promulgation of hepatitis b in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Four research objectives are addressed: 1) to describe the nature of alcohol use among adults; 2) to explore local perceptions about hepatitis b held by adults in the region; 3) to examine the nature of health accessibility in the region; and, 4) to examine the links between alcohol use and the spread of hepatitis b, including the social­ environmental processes that underwrite these links. …

Parametric Frailty Models For Clustered Data With Arbitrary Censoring: Application To Effect Of Male Circumcision On Hpv Clearance, Xiangrong Kong, Kellie Archer, Lawrence H. Moulton, Ronald H. Gray, Mei-Cheng Wang

Biostatistics Publications

Background

In epidemiological studies, subjects are often followed for a period during which study outcomes are measured at selected time points, such as by diagnostic testing performed on biological samples collected at each visit. Although test results may indicate the presence or absence of a disease or condition, they cannot provide information on when exactly it occurred. Such study designs generate arbitrarily censored time-to-event data, which can include left, interval and right censoring. Adding to this complexity, the data may be clustered such that observations within the same cluster are not independent, such as time to recovery of an infectious …

Genetic Evidence Implicates The Immune System And Cholesterol Metabolism In The Aetiology Of Alzheimer's Disease, Alison M. Goate, Carlos Cruchaga, Petra Nowotny, John C. Morris, Kevin Mayo, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Mhc Class I–Deficient Natural Killer Cells Acquire A Licensed Phenotype After Transfer Into An Mhc Class I–Sufficient Environment, Julie M. Elliott, Joseph A. Wahle, Wayne M. Yokoyama

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Snapshots From The Class Of 2010, Laura Davis, Mardi Mileham

Linfield Magazine

Linfield College said farewell to 525 students at its 2010 spring commencement.

Examination Of Opportunistically Collected Eggs Laid By Whooping Cranes In Florida, Marilyn G. Spalding, Martin J. Folk, Stephen A. Nesbitt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We examined 41 whooping crane (Grus americana) eggs or egg remains from 27 nests in the field (n = 4), in the laboratory (n = 33), or incubated by another pair (n = 1), or in captivity (n = 3). Eggs were collected because the nest was in danger (2 eggs, 1 nest), abandoned (5 eggs, 4 nests), or failed to hatch after 34 days (27 eggs, 16 nests), or they were removed for management purposes (5 eggs, 3 nests). Evidence of fertility was found in 18 eggs (12 nests, 44%) of 33 opened. The remainder were either …

The Direct Autumn Release Of Whooping Cranes Into The Eastern Migratory Population: A Summary Of The First Three Years, Marianne M. Wellington, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

This paper describes methods used in an experimental direct autumn release of captive produced whooping cranes (Grus americana) into a reintroduced migratory population in eastern North America. Eighteen chicks (4 in 2005, 4 in 2006, and 10 in 2007) were eventually released in the vicinity of adult whooping cranes or wild sandhill cranes (G. canadensis). Chicks were reared by costumed aviculturists using strict isolation-rearing techniques at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) and then transferred to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin. Initially, 23 chicks were transferred from ICF to Necedah at ages of 17-46 days. …

Causes Of Embryonic Death In Captive Whooping Cranes, Julia N. Letoutchaia, Kelly Maguire, Barry K. Hartup

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In 2001, the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team and the Whooping Crane Health Advisory Team reemphasized the need for analysis of embryonic deaths within captive breeding flocks to identify preventable deaths and promote increased production of chicks for release programs. We conducted a retrospective study of egg necropsy reports to identify causes of death among developing whooping crane (Grus americana) embryos from captivity. Records from 44 egg necropsies conducted at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) between 2001 and 2008 were reviewed. The eggs were of captive origin (ICF, n = 40; Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, n = 3; …

Pathology Associated With Lightning Strike And Drowning Mortality Of Whooping Cranes In Florida, Marilyn G. Spalding, Scott Terrell, William B. Brooks

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Severe thunderstorms associated with a strong front passing through the Gulf Coast of Florida on the night of 1-2 February 2007 resulted in the death of 17 whooping cranes (Grus americana) penned at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. Postmortem examination of 4 of the birds revealed saline fluid in lungs and airsacs consistent with drowning. Coagulation necrosis and other histologic changes in kidney, peripheral nerve, airsac membranes, and heart muscle further indicated electrocution and are comparable to other cases of electrocution associated with power-line strikes in Florida. Aspiration of seawater was the most likely cause of death of birds …

Status Of Non-Migratory Whooping Cranes In Florida, Martin J. Folk, James A. Rodgers Jr., Timothy A. Dellinger, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Jeannette M. Parker, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen B. Baynes, M. Kathleen Chappell, Stephen T. Schwikert

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We soft-released 289 whooping cranes (Grus americana) into central Florida during 1993-2006 in an effort to establish a non-migratory population. As of September 2008, the population numbered 30 birds (11 pairs), including 12 males and 18 females. Survival and productivity rates have been lower than expected. Males did not survive past 10 years of age, whereas females have lived to at least 15 years of age. Most older males died as a result of predation or from colliding with power lines. We marked power lines and developed a streamlined transmitter to help reduce the number of collisions with …

Leg Problems And Power Line Interactions In The Florida Resident Flock Of Whooping Cranes, Jaimie L. Miller, Marilyn G. Spalding, Martin J. Folk

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We retrospectively reviewed a database with over 1,800 health entries from 296 captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) released in central Florida and 10 wild-fledged chicks from 1992 to 2007. Fifty percent of the study population (n = 306) had 1 or more leg problems that were placed into 4 broad categories: power line interactions (n = 39), other trauma (n = 94), deformities (n = 43), and miscellaneous conditions (n = 106). More males (n = 26, 67%) had power line interactions than females (n = 13, 33%). The majority of these 39 birds died (57%), while the …

Eastern Equine Encephalitis In Florida Whooping Cranes, Marilyn G. Spalding, Lillian M. Stark

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Two whooping cranes (Grus americana) that were part of separate projects to reintroduce whooping cranes in eastern North America died suddenly in Florida following a few days of abnormal behavior. The first case was a semi-captive bird on ultralight-led migration from Wisconsin to Florida in December 2004. The second case was a molting 10-year-old male and successful wild breeder that died in May, 2005. Clinical signs were lethargy, abnormal posture, isolation followed by attack by other birds, collapse, heart murmur, and death. Eastern equine encephalitis virus (alphavirus) was isolated from the liver of both birds. The most severe …