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Infant Mortality In American Indians And Alaska Natives 1995–1999 And 2000–2004, Patrik Johansson, Weston Williams, Ayman El-Mohandes

Publications and Research

Objectives. (1) To determine the infant mortality rate (IMR) in American Indians/ Alaska Natives (AI/AN) and Whites between 1995–1999 and 2000–2004. (2) To compare the leading causes of infant mortality in AI/AN and Whites. (3) To examine differences in neonatal vs. postneonatal causes of death in Whites and AI/AN.

Methods. Using the 1995–99 and 2000–04 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics national linked birth/infant death data, we examined neonatal and postneonatal IMR among AI/AN and Whites.

Results. AI/AN experienced significantly greater overall IMR in 1995–1999 and 2000–2004 than Whites. While the reduction in …

The Role Of Parental Self-Efficacy: The Voices Of Mothers With Low-Income Navigating Supports, Services, And Obstacles, Sarah M. Bond

Master's Theses and Capstones

Through semi-structured interviews, the current study examined the role of parental self-efficacy as mothers with low-income navigated challenging contexts and experiences while receiving formal and informal supports. Mothers shared their unique experiences, which provided insight into their lives and how contextual variables influenced parental self-efficacy. As a result of this study, four themes emerged: 1) the function of mental health, 2) sense of community, 3) stability, and 4) the perceptions of child development and growth. Findings indicated that a sense of stability mediated contextual challenges and increased parental self-efficacy, identified that informal and formal supports contribute to both high and …

Characterizing Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes Americanus) Nursery Areas Using Otolith Microstructure And Microchemical Techniques, David Bailey

Master's Theses and Capstones

A preliminary study, using young-of-the-year winter flounder from 12 nursery areas from New Jersey to New Hampshire, evaluated indirect and direct measurements of nursery quality. Growth and condition indices (length d --1, weight d--1, Fulton's K and relative weight) were calculated from otolith microstructure to indirectly evaluate nursery quality. Boston Harbor, MA and Great Bay, NH were found to be the healthiest nurseries and the Niantic River, CT was found to be the least healthy nursery. In addition to these indirect indices, we conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of otolith microchemistry as a direct measurement of nursery habitat. …

Production Of Bio-Jet Fuel From Microalgae, Marian Elmoraghy

Master's Theses and Capstones

The increase in petroleum-based aviation fuel consumption, the decrease in petroleum resources, the fluctuation of the crude oil price, the increase in greenhouse gas emission and the need for energy security are motivating the development of an alternate jet fuel. Bio-jet fuel has to be a drop in fuel, technically and economically feasible, environmentally friendly, greener than jet fuel, produced locally and low gallon per Btu. Bic jet fuel has been produced by blending petro-based jet fuel with microalgae biodiesel (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, or simply FAME). Indoor microalgae growth, lipids extraction and transetrification to biodiesel are energy and fresh …

Ecology And Management Of Moose In Northern New England, Haley A. Andreozzi

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examined three facets of moose ecology in northern New England: impact of moose browsing on forest regeneration, physical characteristics of harvested bull moose, and winter habitat use. Forest regeneration was not considered a major problem in northern Vermont based on stocking levels of commercial tree species. Increasing dominance of softwood species coupled with suppressed growth of hardwoods suggests possible local shifts in composition. Bull moose in Maine had stable body weight and antler spread, and selective harvest of trophy bulls was not apparent over 30 years. Winter locations from aerial surveys indicated that moose preferentially used deciduous/mixed forest …

Thermal Behavior Of Coal, Locally Sourced Biomass, And Their Blends Via Pyrolysis And Oxidation, Ana Maria Celaya

Master's Theses and Capstones

Co-combustion of biomass in existing coal-fired power plants may increase the use of renewable fuels. Designing equipment for these blends requires knowledge of pyrolysis and oxidation characteristics to optimize fuel ratios. Thermogravimetric analysis for pyrolysis and oxidation of three coals (Illinois No. 6, Pennsylvania, and Venezuela), three biomasses (brewer's spent grain, cocoa bean shells, corn stover), and their blends indicated there to be minimal effect of particle size and high dependency on rate of heat transfer for thermal decomposition of the fuels. Apparent activation energy of devolatilization of components and corresponding temperature ranges indicated non-synergistic, additive nature of the blends. …

Individual And Population Responses Of The Caribbean Sponge, Aplysina Cauliformis, To Natural And Anthropogenic Stressors, Cole Gregory Easson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are under increasing threat from a diversity of stressors. These reefs have undergone a phase shift from coral-dominated to algal-dominated ecosystems, and in many cases other functional groups such as sponges are now the predominant organisms on many reefs. This dissertation investigated the responses of a combranching sponge, Aplysina cauliformis, to algal contact, eutrophication, hurricanes, and disease. The effects of algal competition, anthropogenic nutrients and a combination of these stressors on A. cauliformis were examined using factorial designed field experiments on Bahamian reefs. These experiments demonstrated a complex interaction between sponge and alga, in which the green alga, …

Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda

Turkish Journal of Botany

Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize …

Calcifying Nanoparticles As Novel Etiologic Agents Of Idiopathic Preterm Birth And Preterm Premature Rupture Of The Membranes, Lydia Shook

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. In many cases, preterm birth is preceded by preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM) without any identifiable cause. Pathological calcification, i.e. the deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) in non-skeletal tissue, has been implicated in degenerative diseases of soft tissue, such as atherosclerosis. Multiple pathogenic mechanisms have been described, including the aberrant aggregation of HA into calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs) and the HA-induced differentiation of mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts in a process called ectopic osteogenesis. The objective of this thesis was to explore the possibility that CNPs form in human …

Novel Strategies In The Prevention And Treatment Of Childhood Obesity: The Importance Of Lifestyle Counseling And Psychological Resiliency, Stacey Kallem

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Efforts to prevent and treat childhood obesity have had only modest results. Novel strategies are needed. The aims and hypotheses of this thesis are to: 1) Document the self-reported receipt of lifestyle counseling from physicians and other health care providers by BMI status. We hypothesize that despite recommendations for universal lifestyle counseling, few children will be counseled by their health care providers, though children who are obese will report receiving the most counseling. 2) Test the hypothesis that psychological resiliency (i.e., "shift and persist") protects low socioeconomic status children from obesity. Physical assessments and health surveys were collected from two …

The Role Of Family Functioning In A Family-Based Diabetes Prevention Program, Julia Lubsen

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Background: Family functioning is a family's ability to communicate, solve problems, carry out tasks and support each other. Unhealthy family functioning may be a risk factor for obesity and non-adherence to treatment of chronic diseases. Fair Haven Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center in New Haven serving a patient population with high rates of obesity and diabetes, holds screenings for prediabetes and diabetes to identify patients who are eligible to participate in the family-based Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for prediabetic adults and the Bright Bodies (BB) program for overweight children.

Hypotheses: Unhealthy family functioning is associated with obesity …

The Fda’S Graphic Tobacco Warning And The First Amendment, David Orentlicher

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Conflicts Of Interest In Medicine, Research, And Law: A Comparison, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

Several of the remarks and articles presented in this symposium have addressed conflicts of interest arising during the provision of legal counsel to individuals who are elderly, including specific conflicts of interest implicated by estate planning, retirement planning, and long-term care planning. Topics examined thus far include conflicts of interest with respect to the application of rules of confidentiality within state rules of professional conduct to elderly clients with impaired decision-making capacity; conflicts of interest involving representative payees for Social Security benefits; conflicts of interest in distributions when parents enter into marriages that are unprotected by law; and conflicts of …

When Certainty Dissolves Into Probability: A Legal Vision Of Toxic Causation For The Post-Genomic Era, Steve C. Gold

Washington and Lee Law Review

Proof of causation in toxic torts has presented persistent problems for the legal system, because the probabilities that science can know fit poorly with the demands for particularistic proof imposed by the law’s deterministic model of causation. Some scholars have hoped that genomic and molecular information will at last provide scientific certainty—definitive, individualized proof of toxic causation. This Article argues that the opposite is true. Scientific research will increasingly elucidate the ways in which environmental exposures and human genes interact to produce disease, but this deeper knowledge will extend rather than resolve the problem of causal indeterminacy in toxic torts. …

Risk-Based Student Loans , Michael Simkovic

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Validation Of The Ottawa Ankle Rules At A Tertiary Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study, Mark Karanja Tharao

Master of Medicine in General Surgery

Introduction: Ankle joint and foot injuries are among the commonest injuries seen at the Accident and Emergency Department of any hospital. Within the United States it is the second most common musculoskeletal injury seen by physicians. Assessment of these injuries is done clinically and when deemed necessary a radiograph is requested. Studies have shown that radiographs are ordered in over 95% of cases yet the prevalence of fractures is in the range of 15-20%. This means that more than 80% of patients are exposed to unnecessary radiation. The Ottawa ankle rules have been designed to reduce the need for performing …

Dietary Quality In A Sample Of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Ireland; A Cross-Sectional Case Control Study, A Murray, A Mc Morrow, E O Connor, C Kiely, Oscar Mac Ananey, D O'Shea, M Egana, F Lithander

Articles

BACKGROUND:

A number of dietary quality indices (DQIs) have been developed to assess the quality of dietary intake. Analysis of the intake of individual nutrients does not reflect the complexity of dietary behaviours and their association with health and disease. The aim of this study was to determine the dietary quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using a variety of validated DQIs.

METHODS:

In this cross-sectional analysis of 111 Caucasian adults, 65 cases with T2DM were recruited from the Diabetes Day Care Services of St. Columcille's and St. Vincent's Hospitals, Dublin, Ireland. Forty-six controls did not have …

Lipid Targets In Clinical Practice: Successes, Failures And Lessons To Be Learned, M Dunne, Oscar Mac Ananey, V Maher

Articles

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Optimal risk factor control is integral to managing patients with proven coronary heart disease (CHD+) and for those at risk of coronary heart disease (CHD-). The primary aim of the study was to assess the success rate of reaching lipid risk factor targets in a multiple risk factor clinic.

METHODS:

A retrospective audit was conducted in 488 patients (CHD+, n = 112; CHD-, n = 376) who attended the Cardiovascular Risk Factor Clinic at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin in 2009 and 2010.

RESULTS:

Risk factor targets achieved in CHD+ and CHD- patients were LDLc (54/62 %), HDLc (67/67 %), …

Maternal Hydration And Infant Weight: A Case-Control Study In Breastfeeding Infants Delivered By Cesarean Section, Diane J. Thulier

Open Access Dissertations

Growing evidence suggests that infants may experience increased weight loss due to maternal medical interventions during labor such as intravenous fluid hydration. When breast fed infants lose ≥ 7% of their birth weight, formula supplementation is often initiated. Formula supplementation is a variable unequivocally associated with shorter breastfeeding duration. Supplementation should not be initiated if the cause of infant weight loss is unrelated to breastfeeding adequacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of intrapartum maternal hydration and regional anesthesia on infant weight.

A retrospective, case-control research study was designed. Data was collected from maternal and infant …

The Impact Of Predator-Prey Relationships On The Formation Of Harmful Algal Blooms In Heterosigma Akashiwo, Elizabeth L. Harvey

Open Access Dissertations

Heterotrophic protists are the primary grazers of phytoplankton in the marine environment, and changes in the rates of consumption will influence phytoplankton abundance, community composition, and ecological function. The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of predators on the formation and promotion of harmful algal blooms (HABs), specifically blooms of the toxic raphidophyte alga, Heterosigma akashiwo. To observe microscopic predator-prey interactions and their macroscopic distributions, video and image analysis were used to simultaneously quantify population distributions and individual 3D movements of both protistan predators and prey cells in laboratory tanks with realistic salinity structures. In behavioral experiments, …

Debt And Discipline: Neoliberal Political Economy And The Working Classes, Tayyab Mahmud

Faculty Articles

Over the last three decades, neoliberal restructuring of the economy created a symbiosis of debt and discipline. New legal regimes and strategic use of monetary policy displaced Keynesian welfare, facilitated financialization of the economy, broke the power of organized labor, and expanded debt to sustain aggregate demand. Public laws and policies created a field of possibility within which financial markets extended their reach and brought ever-increasing sections of the working classes and the marginalized within the ambit of the credit economy. Reordered public policies and new norms of personal responsibility demarcated the horizon within which the economically vulnerable pursued strategies …

Comparison Of Healthcare Experiences In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Facilitated By An Academic-Community Partnership, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Sebastian Dern, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy, Amelia E.V. Baggs

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the healthcare experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. Moreover, autistic adults have rarely been included as partners in autism research.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic adults via an online survey.

METHODS

We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt survey instruments to be accessible to autistic adults and to conduct an online cross-sectional survey. We assessed preliminary psychometric data on the adapted scales. We used multivariate analyses to compare healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic participants.

RESULTS

Four hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the survey (209 autistic, …

Relationships Between Childhood Trauma And Eating Pathology, Lindsay Katherine Crosby

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Past research has demonstrated that a correlation exists between trauma exposure and eating disorder pathology. Specifically, sexual abuse has been implicated in the development of eating disorders, with particular attention focused on bulimia nervosa. However, the relationship between other types of trauma exposure and eating pathology has yet to be delineated, particularly how different types of trauma exposure may be related to disordered eating behaviors. The current study explored this relationship. Results showed while some experiences of trauma history predicted a proportion of the variance associated with disordered eating behaviors, others showed a positive but not significant correlation. Clinical implications, …

National Security Pedagogy: The Role Of Simulations, Laura K. Donohue

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article challenges the dominant pedagogical assumptions in the legal academy. It begins by briefly considering the state of the field of national security, noting the rapid expansion in employment and the breadth of related positions that have been created post-9/11. It considers, in the process, how the legal academy has, as an institutional matter, responded to the demand.

Part III examines traditional legal pedagogy, grounding the discussion in studies initiated by the American Bar Association, the Carnegie Foundation, and others. It suggests that using the law-writ-large as a starting point for those interested in national security law is a …

Comparison Of Wild-Domestic Sheep Interaction Policies In Bighorn Disease Outbreak Locations In The Continental U.S., 1990-2010, Tristan Howard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

For over 100 years, disease has significantly limited bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the western U.S. Interaction with domestic sheep (Ovis aries) has been a primary cause of fatal bighorn disease (typically pneumonia), which has severely reduced or eliminated entire populations. Various wild-domestic sheep interaction policies exist to address the disease problem. In this analysis, six case study locations are compared and analyzed in an effort to evaluate policy efficacy. Locations examined and their bighorn die-off dates include: the Tobin Range, NV (1991); Aldrich Mountain, OR (1991); the Highland/Pioneer Mountains, MT (1994-1995); the Tarryall/Kenosha Mountains, CO (1997-2000); the Hays Canyon …

Two Conflicts In Context: Lessons From The Schiavo And Bland Cases And The Role Of Best Interests Analysis In The United Kingdom, Barbara A. Noah

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay considers the different approaches to end of life decision making for incapacitated patients in the United States and in the United Kingdom. In the United States, individual patient autonomy is the primary guidepost for making end of life decisions for incapacitated patients. In the United Kingdom, patient preference is openly and deliberately supplemented with a careful consideration of the patient’s best interest. To contrast the two approaches, the Essay focuses on two cases involving patients in permanent vegetative states (PVS) for whom little was known about their respective individual preferences, and it analyzes the differences in conceptualization and …

Inclusion Of Lupin Meal And Effect Of A Commercial Feed Supplement (Synergen™) In Diets For Carp, Cyprinus Carpio, Ayub Anwar

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Abstract Plant proteins are mainly used to formulate diets for carp. Soybean meal (SBM) is one of the most nutritious of all plant protein sources in carp feeds. However, an increase in the use of soybean meal for human consumption and animal feed in both developed and developing countries has resulted in an increase market price of soybean meal globally. Therefore, using other inexpensive plant protein sources in carp feeds would be beneficial to reduce feed cost and contribute to food security as well as to sustain aquaculture production. Anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) are believed to be the most important factors …

The Effects Of Environmental Conditions On Quorum Sensing And Community Interactions In Coral-Associated Bacteria, Emma Ransome

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The coral holobiont contains diverse communities of bacteria that play a role in the maintenance of coral ecosystems, however little is known about the structure and conservation of the host-bacterial relationship. Declines in coral ecosystems have been partly attributed to outbreaks of disease in tropical and sub-tropical regions, which have been linked to increasing temperatures. Bacteria are thought to play a role in some of these diseases, however little is understood about the mechanisms behind disease progression or the series of events involved in the shifts of coral-associated bacteria from conserved, potentially beneficial communities to those including potential pathogens. Investigations …

Signalling And Behaviour Of Globodera Pallida In The Rhizosphere Of The Trap Crop Solanum Sisymbriifolium, Ayano Sasaki-Crawley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Potato cyst nematodes (PCN), Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida, are economically important pests of potato (Solanum tuberosum) crops in potato growing regions worldwide. Integrated management is under threat, with effective nematicides increasingly being withdrawn on environmental and health grounds. Alternative strategies are urgently needed and trap cropping could be one of them. The non-tuber-bearing Solanum sisymbriifolium is regarded as an effective trap crop for PCN with strong hatching ability and immunity to PCN infection and has been used in the UK and The Netherlands. However, its mode of action is unknown. In order to shed light on the mode of …

Behavioural Analysis Of Marine Predator Movements In Relation To Heterogeneous Environments, Nicolas Edmund Humphries

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

An understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of marine predator populations is essential for the sustainable management of marine resources. Tagging studies are providing ever more information about the movements and migrations of marine predators and much has been learned about where these predators spend their time. However little is known about their underlying motivations, making it difficult to make predictions about how apex predators will respond to changing environments. While much progress has been made in behavioural ecology through the use of optimality models, in the marine environment the necessary costs and benefits are difficult to quantify making this approach …