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To Bear Witness: A Journey Of Healing And Solidarity, Updated, Revised, And Expanded Edition, Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.

International Affairs

For more than fifty years, Dr. Cahill has been helping to heal the world, as a leading specialist in tropical medicine and as a driving force in humanitarian assistance and relief efforts around the globe. In this revised and expanded edition, he chronicles extraordinary achievements of compassion and commitment. Bringing together a rich selection of writings, he crafts a fascinating memoir of a life devoted to others. The book includes front-line reports from places under siege—Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Nicaragua, Gaza, and Ireland; there are also visionary essays from the origins of the AIDS epidemic and landmine crises, and no less …

A Simple And Computationally Efficient Approach To Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction Analysis Of Gene-Gene Interactions For Quantitative Traits, Jiang Gui, Jason H. Moore, Scott M. Williams, Peter Andrews, Hillege, Hans L. Hillege, Hans L., Pim Van Der Harst, Gerjan| Navis, Wiek H. Van Gilst, Folkert W. Asselbergs, Diane| Gilbert-Diamond

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present an extension of the two-class multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) algorithm that enables detection and characterization of epistatic SNP-SNP interactions in the context of a quantitative trait. The proposed Quantitative MDR (QMDR) method handles continuous data by modifying MDR’s constructive induction algorithm to use a T-test. QMDR replaces the balanced accuracy metric with a T-test statistic as the score to determine the best interaction model. We used a simulation to identify the empirical distribution of QMDR’s testing score. We then applied QMDR to genetic data from the ongoing prospective Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) study.

Phylogenetic Linkage Among Hiv-Infected Village Residents In Botswana: Estimation Of Clustering Rates In The Presence Of Missing Data, Nicole Bohme Carnegie, Rui Wang, Vladimir Novitsky, Victor G. Degruttola

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Metabolic Syndrome Among Urban Community Residents In China, Li Li, Zheng-Yi Chen, George E. Kikano, Kurt C. Stange, Nathan A. Berger

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Metabolic risk factors and abnormalities such as obesity and hypertension are rapidly rising among the Chinese population following China's tremendous economic growth and widespread westernization of lifestyle in recent decades. Limited information is available about the current burden of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in China. Methods. We analyzed data on metabolic risk factors among 22,457 adults aged ≥ 32 years participating in the "Zhabei Health 2020" survey (2009-2010), a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of community residents in Zhabei District. We defined MetS using Chinese-specific cut-off points for central obesity according to consensus criteria recently endorsed by several international …

The Versatility Of Ether-Bridged Cycloadducts Towards The Synthesis Of Complex Natural Products, Harold Deshaun Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations

The presence of a heterocyclic moiety can be observed in many of today’s bioactive natural products. One of the most commonly observed is furan, an aromatic five-membered ring containing an oxygen atom. Furan is a simple compound, yet versatile enough to be used as a synthetic synthon leading to complex structures such as the antioxidant Phelligridin G and the antibacterial agent Platensimycin. In the former, it is spiro-fused to the five-membered carbocycle of the 6-5-5 tricyclic domain while in the latter it makes up the ether-bridged cycloadduct of the hydrophobic cage. Conventionally, furan can undergo cycloadditions in the presence of …

Modelling Infertility With Markov Chains, Rebecca Dorff

Theses and Dissertations

Infertility affects approximately 15% of couples. Testing and interventions are costly, in time, money, and emotional energy. This paper will discuss using Markov decision and multi-armed bandit processes to identify a systematic approach of interventions that will lead to the desired baby while minimizing costs.

Early Detection Of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases, Thomas Cotter, Earl Stoddard Iii

Homeland Security Publications

No abstract provided.

Does Research With Children Violate The Best Interests Standard? An Empirical And Conceptual Analysis, Seema Shah

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Even as research with children has increasingly been recognized as urgently needed for generating effective treatments for childhood diseases, drug formulations for infants and young children, and dosages appropriate for children, it has remained controversial. Scholars have engaged in heated debates over whether non-beneficial research with children is morally and legally justified. On one point, however, there has been agreement: Whether they support or criticize pediatric research, commentators generally assume that pediatric research should be justified under the “best interests of the child” legal standard. This assumption not only threatens important research and public health interventions, but it is also …

The Genesis Of Malaria: The Origin Of Mosquitoes And Their Protistan Cargo, Plasmodium Falciparum, Alan L. Gillen, Frank Sherwin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Malaria is caused by the parasite belonging to the genus Plasmodium; however, creation biologists maintain this organism was not always parasitic. Plasmodium is probably a degenerate form of algae. Mosquitoes, the vector of Plasmodium, were probably designed to be pollinators, not parasite vectors. In this article, we present both the evolutionary and creation explanation for the origin of malaria with a mention to its vector, the mosquito.

The purpose of this article is to provide a reasonable explanation for the genesis of malaria. Microbiology and parasitology research based on the creation paradigm appears to provide some answers to these puzzling …

Maximizing The Delivery Performance Of Point-Of-Care Cd4+ T-Cell Counting Tests In Resource-Limited Settings - A Policy Brief, Nan Kong, J. Paul Robinson, Fenggang Yang

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

Managing HIV/AIDS presents challenges to public health policymakers, frontline workers, and researchers worldwide. A key strategy in the disease management is early diagnosis and rapid treatment initiation. While the technological field of point‐of‐care HIV/AIDS diagnostics has advanced significantly in the past two decades, several critical issues remain that hinder the deployment of point‐of‐care testing devices in resource‐deprived settings. In this policy brief, we discuss these issues, including technological specifics of point‐of‐care CD4⁺ T‐cell counting approaches and requirements of deploying them. We also discuss cultural and religious concerns on the deployment. At the end of the brief, we propose a …

Developing An Instrument To Assess Immunization Requirements Among Utah Health Care Workers In The Outpatient Setting, Nathan Wiley, Dr. Beth Luthy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The health care environment is ideal for the spread of immunization-preventable and communicable diseases (Goldstein, Kincade, Gamble, & Bearman, 2004). Communicable diseases, such as pertussis, are highly contagious and easily transmitted by health care workers (HCWs) to at-risk patients (CDC, 1997; Sandora, Gidengil, & Lee, 2008). Pediatric patients, especially those under 5 years of age, are especially vulnerable to immunization-preventable diseases since they have not yet completed all immunizations in a given series. Since 2006, the CDC has recommended the cocoon immunization strategy, a program that aims to protect newborns from pertussis by immunizing caregivers of the infant (TCH, 2010). …

Informative Retesting For Hierarchical Group Testing, Michael S. Black

Department of Statistics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Group testing is the process of pooling samples (e.g., blood, chemical compounds) from multiple sources and testing the pooled material for some binary characteristic. It is used in pathogen screening for humans and animals, drug discovery studies, electrical systems testing, and many other applications. Group testing has traditionally been used for two main types of investigations: 1) the identification of positive specimens and 2) the estimation of a characteristic’s prevalence in a population. This dissertation focuses on the identification process. We propose new identification procedures that exploit the heterogeneity among samples in order to reduce the number of tests needed …

Postconcussive Symptoms, Ptsd, And Disease Burden In U.S. Oef And Oif Veterans: A Mediational Model, Joah Landon Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The most common psychological and cognitive sequelae associated with deployments to Afghanistan (OEF) and Iraq (OIF) are mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Each of these injuries places Veterans at risk for long-term health problems. One long-term problem associated with mTBI is the development of persistent, postconcussive symptoms, although relations between postconcussive symptoms, PTSD, and objective and subjective health indices have not been empirically explored. This study examined whether PTSD mediates relations between persistent, postconcussive symptoms related to mTBI and two indices of medical disease burden: the number of disease categories positive for a diagnosis, or …

Eastern Washington University Commencement Program, 2013, Eastern Washington University

Commencement Programs

Program for Eastern Washington University's spring commencement in 2013

Prescribed Reading: June 2013, Centracare Clinic

Prescribed Reading

• Health Care Matters: Let’s make it easier to support healthy habits
• We ALL are caregivers!
• Welcome to these new employees
• Recognition for years of service
• Welcome to our new CentraCare providers
• Thank you to our generous employees
• Leadership changes at Women & Children
• Kudos to . . .
• Whooping cough on the rise — get the shot!
• Little Falls site moves, changes hours
• Big Lake Clinic to change name July 1
• Need an interpreter? Call ARCH
• Rain or shine, golf for a cause
• Loop the Plaza planned for Aug. 24
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit open house
• Meet with your Fidelity …

When To Start Antiretroviral Therapy: The Need For An Evidence Base During Early Hiv Infection, James D. Lundgren, Abdel G. Babiker, Fred M. Gordin, Alvaro H. Borges, James D. Neaton

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

Strategies for use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have traditionally focused on providing treatment to persons who stand to benefit immediately from initiating the therapy. There is global consensus that any HIV+ person with CD4 counts less than 350 cells/μl should initiate ART. However, it remains controversial whether ART is indicated in asymptomatic HIV-infected persons with CD4 counts above 350 cells/μl, or whether it is more advisable to defer initiation until the CD4 count has dropped to 350 cells/μl. The question of when the best time is to initiate ART during early HIV infection has always been vigorously debated. The …

The Challenges Of Cognitive Aging: Integrating Approaches From Science To Intergenerational Relationships, Peter J. Whitehouse

Faculty Scholarship

The individual and social challenges created by population aging and especially the growing number of people labeled with dementia demand new innovative and comprehensive approaches. A broader integrative biology needs to replace reductionist, overly simplistic biomedical solutions that dominate today's scientific discourse, particularly with regards to cognitive aging. Alzheimer's disease is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized more fully at a system rather than molecular level. Coordinated scientific and community responses are needed including new attention to intergenerational relationships, innovative learning organizations, and empowering health practices. The Intergenerational School is a successful public charter school which provides learning opportunities for elementary school …

Envelope Determinants Of Equine Lentiviral Vaccine Protection, Jodi K. Craigo, Corin Ezzelarab, Sheila J. Cook, Chong Liu, David W. Horohov, Charles J. Issel, Ronald C. Montelaro

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Lentiviral envelope (Env) antigenic variation and associated immune evasion present major obstacles to vaccine development. The concept that Env is a critical determinant for vaccine efficacy is well accepted, however defined correlates of protection associated with Env variation have yet to be determined. We reported an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral Env sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study identified a significant, inverse, linear correlation between vaccine efficacy and increasing divergence of the challenge virus Env gp90 protein compared to the vaccine virus gp90. The report demonstrated approximately 100% protection …

A Novel Lactococcal Vaccine Expressing A Peptide From The M2 Antigen Of H5n2 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A Virus Prolongs Survival Of Vaccinated Chickens, Kaleb A. Reese, Christopher R. Lupfer, Rudd C. Johnson, Georgi M. Mitev, Valerie M. Mullen, Bruce L. Geller, Manoj Pastey

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

A cost-effective and efficacious influenza vaccine for use in commercial poultry farms would help protect against avian influenza outbreaks. Current influenza vaccines for poultry are expensive and subtype specific, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop a universal avian influenza vaccine. We have constructed a live bacterial vaccine against avian influenza by expressing a conserved peptide from the ectodomain of M2 antigen (M2e) on the surface of Lactococcus lactis (LL). Chickens were vaccinated intranasally with the lactococcal vaccine (LL-M2e) or subcutaneously with keyhole-limpet-hemocyanin conjugated M2e (KLH-M2e). Vaccinated and nonvaccinated birds were challenged with high pathogenic avian influenza virus …

The Public Health Pbrn Program: Building The Science Of Public Health Delivery, Glen P. Mays, Anna Goodman Hoover

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This session describes public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) and emerging opportunities for collaboration with injury control research centers to advance the science of injury prevention practice.

Research Fatigue Among Injecting Drug Users In Karachi, Pakistan, Aysha Zahidie, Arshad Altaf, Adeel Ahsan, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Background

Karachi is the largest metropolis of Pakistan and its economic hub attracting domestic migrants for economic opportunities. It is also the epicenter of HIV epidemic in the country. Since 2004, one pilot study and four behavioral and biological surveillance rounds have been conducted in Karachi. In addition many student research projects have also focused on key risk groups including injection drug users (IDUs). As a result of this extra ordinary exposure of same kind of questions, IDUs know how to respond to high value questions related to sharing of needles or unsafe sexual practices. The purpose of the study …

Ectoparasites Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana), Raccoon (Procyon Lotor), And Striped Skunk (Mephitis Mephitis) From Keith County, Nebraska, Lance A. Durden, Dennis J. Richardson

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Six Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), nine raccoons (Procyon lotor) and one striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) collected from Keith County Nebraska were examined for ectoparasites. All three host species were parasitized by adults of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. Opossums were also parasitized by the flea Pulex simulans and the tiny fur mite Didelphilichus serri­fer; the latter species represents a new state record for Nebraska. Raccoons were also parasitized by P. simulans and by the lago­morph-associated flea Euhoplopsyllus glacialis affinis, whereas the skunk was also parasitized by the chewing louse Neotrichodectes …

Vitamin D Deficiency And Acute Lower Respiratory Infections In Children Under 5 Years Of Age: A Systematic Review, Allison Larkin

Student Works

Introduction: Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is the leading cause of mortality in children 5 years and younger. The purposes of this literature review were to examine vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and ALRI in children 5 years and younger and make recommendations regarding vitamin D to prevent ALRI. Method: Databases were searched for studies investigating VDD and ALRI in children 5 years and younger. Two independent reviewers assessed internal validity using the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force grading criteria. Results: Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. VDD was associated with increased risk or increased severity of ALRI in 13 studies, but …

Estudios Científicos En El Estado De Hidalgo Y Zonas Aledañas, Volumen Ii, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks

Zea E-Books Collection

Los 16 capítulos que conforman este libro son una contribución al conocimiento de la biodiversidad y conservación de los recursos naturales en el estado de Hidalgo, México.

Se aborda el derecho de propiedad intelectual en la biodiversidad, citando algunos ejemplos de México. Así mismo, se presenta un estudio de la biodiversidad y distribución de la herpetofauna en cuatro tipos de vegetación. Desde el punto de vista de la helmintología se presentan dos estudios de los helmintos parásitos de vertebrados silvestres; con nuevos registros de hospederos y localidades de algunas especies de helmintos para Hidalgo. También, se aborda el uso de …

Cardboard Hospital: Prototyping Patient-Centric Environments And Services, Juha Kronqvist, Heini Erving, Teemu Leinonen

Nordes Conference Series

Cardboard hospital is a co-design method and prototyping environment for creating patientcentric hospital spaces and services. The method development was situated within a building project of a hospital wing in which the aim was to find new ways for including patients in the design process. The method was developed through combining participatory design methodology with the professional capabilities of a set designer. Cardboard hospital provides an environment that supports participatory design processes and guides participants towards participation as an artistic practice. The paper is situated in the theoretical framework of pragmatic aesthetics and builds on the notion of an aesthetic …

Harnessing The Power Of Public Health Systems For Injury Prevention & Control, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Efforts to improve population health hinge on a vast yet diffuse constellation of government agencies, health care providers, and community organizations that assume responsibilities in implementing prevention programs and policies across the U.S. Realizing the full health and economic benefits of injury prevention and control initiatives requires mobilizing and managing these complex and heterogeneous public health delivery systems. This session will explore the emerging science of public health delivery systems and what it tells us about improving injury prevention and control amid policy and economic change.

A Longitudinal Examination Of Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Drug Use And Unsafe Sex Among Young African American Females, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

This study prospectively examined associations among multiple theoretically informed risk (e.g., depression, sexual sensation seeking, and risky peers norms) and protective factors (e.g., social support, STI knowledge, and refusal to have sex self efficacy) on unsafe sex among 715 African American adolescent females aged 15-21 who participated in an STI/HIV prevention intervention. Generalized estimating equation models were used to assess associations between baseline characteristics and sexual risk over a 12-month follow-up period. Overall risk in this population was high: at baseline, nearly a third of women reported sex under the influence of alcohol or substances; ≥ 2 partners for vaginal …

Bridging The Missing Link Between "Top-Down" And "Bottom-Up": A Strategic Policy Model For International Collaboration In Science And Technology, Pattharaporn Suntharasaj

Dissertations and Theses

Success in International Collaboration in Science and Technology (ICST) depends on various factors, different players have different perspectives. Governments participate in collaboration in order to meet their country's policy goals. Scientists and researchers establish their contacts through their personal channels or scientific networks in order to pursue their own academic interest. There are two significant approaches in ICST Policy making which are "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches. Both approaches are important. One approach can not fit all. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. A balance between these two approaches is necessary.

The objective of this research is to develop …

Building Partnership In Service-Learning : Some Reflections, Nirmala Jeyaraj

Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning 亞太地區服務研習會議

Service-Learning is a proven pedagogy for holistic learning and is practiced across the globe by educators both at secondary and tertiary levels. Different models and methods have been developed and adopted to suit one’s educational system, discipline of the learner, socio-cultural context and needs of the community. However the basic philosophy of service learning to mutually benefit the learner and the community remains the same. The success of S-L depends largely upon the partnership involved in the learning process. At micro level (within an educational institution) academic service learning involves two major players other than the community namely, the teacher …

We Are...Marshall, June 5, 2013, Office Of Marshall University Communications

We Are ... Marshall: the Newsletter for Marshall University 1999-2023

No abstract provided.