Digital Commons Network^™

Aetiology Of Acute Febrile Episodes In Children Attending Korogwe District Hospital In North-Eastern Tanzania, C. Mahende, B. Ngasala, J. Lusingu, A. Butichi, P. Lushino, M. Lemnge, Zul Premji

Pathology, East Africa

Introduction: Although the burden of malaria in many parts of Tanzania has declined, the proportion of children with fever has not changed. This situation underscores the need to explore the possible causes of febrile episodes in patients presenting with symptoms at the Korogwe District Hospital (KDH).

Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at KDH, north-eastern Tanzania. Patients aged 2 to 59 months presenting at the outpatient department with an acute medical condition and fever (measured axillary temperature ≥37.5°C) were enrolled. Blood samples were examined for malaria parasites, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and bacterial infections. A urine culture was …

Using Verbal Autopsy To Measure Causes Of Death: The Comparative Performance Of Existing Methods, C.J.L. Mahende, R. Lozano, A.D. Flaxman, P. Serina, D. Phillips, A. Stewart, S.L. James, A. Vahdatpour, C. Atkinson, M.K. Freeman, S.L. Ohno, R. Black, S.M. Ali, A.H. Baqui, L. Dandona, E. Dantzer, G.L. Darmstadt, V. Das, U. Dhingra, A. Dutta, W. Fawzi, S. Gomez, B. Hernandez, R. Joshi, H.D. Kalter, A. Kumar, V. Kumar, M. Lucero, S. Mehta, Zul Premji, D. Ramirez-Villalobos, H. Remolador, I. Riley, M. Romero, M. Said, D. Sanvictores, S. Sazawal, V. Tallo, A. D. Lopez

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Monitoring progress with disease and injury reduction in many populations will require widespread use of verbal autopsy (VA). Multiple methods have been developed for assigning cause of death from a VA but their application is restricted by uncertainty about their reliability.

Methods: We investigated the validity of five automated VA methods for assigning cause of death: InterVA-4, Random Forest (RF), Simplified Symptom Pattern (SSP), Tariff method (Tariff), and King-Lu (KL), in addition to physician review of VA forms (PCVA), based on 12,535 cases from diverse populations for which the true cause of death had been reliably established. For adults, …

Harnessing Microbiome And Probiotic Research In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations From An African Workshop, Gregor Reid, Nicholas Nduti, Wilbert Sybesma, Remco Kort, Tobias R. Kollmann, Rodney Adam, Hamadi Boga, Eric M. Brown, Alexandra Einerhand, Hani El-Nezami, Gregory B. Gloor, Irene I. Kavere, Johanna Lindahl, Amee Manges, Wondu Mamo, Rocio Martin, Amy Mcmillan, Jael Obiero, Pamela A. Ochieng’, Arnold Onyango, Stephen Rulisa, Eeva Salminen, Seppo Salminen, Antony Sije, Jonathan R. Swann, William Van Treuren, Daniel Waweru, Steve J. Kemp

Pathology, East Africa

To augment capacity-building for microbiome and probiotic research in Africa, a workshop was held in Nairobi, Kenya, at which researchers discussed human, animal, insect, and agricultural microbiome and probiotics/prebiotics topics. Five recommendations were made to promote future basic and translational research that benefits Africans.

Functional Characterization Of A Novel Thioredoxin Domain-Containing Protein Of The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium, Rachel Kooistra

Master's Theses

A novel thioredoxin domain-containing protein of the malaria parasite Plasmodium was identified and found to be conserved among eukaryotes. This protein belongs to the phosducin-like family of proteins (PhLPs), and was therefore assigned the name PhLP1, since it is the first phosducin-like protein to be identified in Plasmodium. PhLPs have been found to have various roles in G-protein signaling, cell cycle progression, and protein folding. However, the biochemical mechanism by which PhLPs perform their function is unknown. Here is described the cloning and biochemical characterization of both PhLP1 and its human homolog TXNDC9. Both purified PhLP1 and TXNDC9 showed enzymatic …

The Perceived Threat Of Secularism And Militancy Among Religious Fundamentalists, Chase Wilson

Master's Theses

Religious fundamentalism has been found to predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, such as the use of severe interrogations and pre-emptive military attacks (e.g. Barnes, Brown & Osterman, 2012). The present study tested whether a perceived increase in secularism constitutes a psychological threat to American religious fundamentalists, and thus increases endorsement of such counterterrorism tactics. Replicating previous research, religious fundamentalism was found to positively predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, even when controlling for ideology and party identification. Contrary to hypothesis, the secularism prime had no effect. An unpredicted finding of this study was that religious fundamentalism only related to …

High-Stakes Testing: The Student Voice, Julianna Marie Cechowski

Master's Theses

There has been an intense debate about standardized testing since they were first introduced into public schools in the nineteenth century. In this research, it is important to know why standardized tests were created and how they have been debated. Roy C. Owens said. "We cannot know where we're going if we don't know where we've come from." Past information is important in this research because it will show how far we have progressed since the start of the standardized testing movement.

What started out as standardized testing later changed into high-stakes testing. The high-stakes were created by tying student …

Life Histories, Diets, And Secondary Production Of Odonata Along A Temperature Gradient On The Copper River Delta, Alaska, Nicole Emilie Furlan

Master's Theses

Dragonflies (Odonata: Epiprocta) and damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) are a conspicuous aspect of the biota in ponds on southcentral Alaska's Copper River Delta (CRD). Odonate densities, secondary production, and diets were assessed in sixteen ponds classified by delta region (east vs. west) and landscape type (outwash plain (OP) vs uplifted marsh (UM)).

Enallagma boreale (Coenagrionidae) comprised 48.5% of collected odonates. Leucorrhinia hudsonica (Libellulidae) and Aeshna juncea (Aeshnidae) comprised 36.6% and 10.4% of collected odonates, respectively. L. hudsonica densities and secondary production were significantly higher (p<0.001) in west UM ponds than in other pond types. Ostracods (Ostracoda) and water boatmen (Corixidae) dominated west OP A. juncea diets. Midge larvae (Chironomidae) dominated A. juncea diets in remaining pond types, occurring in 68% of foreguts. 27% of A. juncea foreguts demonstrated intraguild predation, and 6% of foreguts demonstrated cannibalism. Foreguts containing threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) revealed A. juncea's apex predator role in CRD ponds.

Identifying Oncogenic Drivers In Nsclc Cells Harboring Egfr Kinase Domain Mutation With Resistance To Egfr Tki And Mesenchymal Phenotype, Yandi Gao

Master's Theses

EGFR kinase domain mutant NSCLC cells are exquisitely dependent on mutant EGFR for cell survival and proliferation. Patients with mutant EGFR respond well to the EGFR inhibitors. However, acquired drug resistance greatly limits the efficacy of the treatment. About 15% of the resistant tumors present an evidence of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We hypothesize that the induction of mesenchymal promotes aberrant upregulation of other oncogenic drivers to replace the oncogenic mutant EGFR.

We observed overexpression of CXCR7 in NSCLC models of acquired resistance to EGFR TKI with mesenchymal phenotype. Additionally, our studies demonstrate that ectopically overexpressing CXCR7 in EGFR …

Characterizing The Mechanisms By Which Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Influences Keratinocyte Innate Immune Responses During Recurrent Infection, Ashley Lynn Larm

Master's Theses

Community associated–methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA–MRSA) infection has become a major health concern. In human epidermal keratinocytes, S. aureus is mainly recognized through toll–like receptor 2 (TLR2) and its co–receptor, CD14. We hypothesize that CA–MRSA isolates cause recurrent infections by interrupting TLR2–mediated inflammation in keratinocytes. Recurrent CA–MRSA bacterial culture supernatant exposure to keratinocytes in vitro resulted in significant decreases in pro and anti–inflammatory cytokine and HMGB1 secretion from keratinocytes as assessed by ELISAs. Recurrent CA–MRSA live infection did not result in significant changes in cytokine or HMGB1 secretion, surface receptor expression, or NFκB activation post infection as assessed by ELISA …

Characterization Of The Female Urinary Microbiota And Their Association With The Female Bladder Uroepithelium, Evann Elizabeth Hilt

Master's Theses

The current clinical dogma assumes that urine is sterile in the absence of clinically relevant infection. However, recent evidence has demonstrated the existence of a female urinary microbiota in women with and without lower urinary tract symptoms. With the knowledge that the lower urinary tract possesses its own unique microbiota, I hypothesize that certain bacterial species of the female microbiota may be the cause or play a role in lower urinary tract syndromes such as overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). About 40-50% of OAB patients do not respond to conventional anti-muscarinic and beta-3 adrenergic agonist drug treatment. One possible explanation for …

An Investigation Of The Role Of Vibrio Vulnificus Rbda And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Sypa In Biofilm Formation, Cecilia Thompson

Master's Theses

Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are both bacteria that cause human infection. V. vulnificus has a polysaccharide locus, rbd, responsible for bacterial aggregation, a form of biofilm. This locus is conserved in V. parahaemolyticus and in the non-pathogen V. fischeri.

In V. fischeri, the polysaccharide locus, syp, has been extensively characterized and shown to be important for biofilm formation. In V. fischeri, the first gene, sypA, is critical for biofilm formation. V. fischeri biofilm-proficient strains form wrinkled colonies. In contrast, sypA mutants form smooth colonies, indicating a lack of biofilm formation.

To understand the function of RbdA and SypAVP, proteins …

Teacher Attrition: The Job Choices Of Ex-Teachers, Becky Wock

Master's Theses

Teacher attrition is a phenomenon occurring in education systems throughout the world. As education policies alter and add to the demands of teachers, one solution for teachers is to leave the profession all together. While not all teachers have the option to find alternative employment and explore new careers, some regions boast plenty of employment opportunities. This research project focuses on the job choices of ex-teachers in the southeast region of Saskatchewan, Canada. The oil industry has made jobs plentiful throughout the province. This study seeks to further understand the factors impacting decisions to leave teaching and presents findings that …

Self-Objectification And Self-Surveillance In African American And Latina Girls: Links To Body Dissatisfaction And Self-Worth, Kimberly A. Burdette

Master's Theses

Drawing on a sample of low-income African American and Latina girls, the goal of the present investigation was to examine the relevance of self-objectification and self-surveillance to body dissatisfaction and self-worth. Body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and perceived athletic competence were examined as moderators of these relations. Participants were 10- to 14-year-old African American and Latina girls recruited from a summer camp targeting low-income, urban girls. Surveys that include measures of self-objectification, self-surveillance, body dissatisfaction, self-worth, and perceived athletic competence were individually administered to participants by a research assistant. Height and weight were measured to calculate BMI. Ethnicity information was …

Chicago Housing: Understanding How Local Organizations Mobilize To Preserve Public And Affordable Housing, Cameron Williams

Master's Theses

Under the Plan for Transformation section 8 voucher use and mixed-income developments have increased in Chicago. Several developments have been demolished and replaced with mixed-income developments that are argued to provide better conditions and opportunities for public housing residents, but empirically have mixed results. Lathrop Homes is a public housing development that has withstood the mass demolitions and efforts to make it mixed-income because of resident and organizer challenges to the Chicago Housing Authority. Resident and organizer input for this study reveals their strong stance against the mixed-income development Lathrop Homes could become. The interests behind opposition might diverge, but …

Revisiting British Royalty Myths In Alan Bennett’S The Uncommon Reader, Mihaela Culea

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In his novella The Uncommon Reader (2006/2008) English writer Alan Bennett (1934 – ) fictionally depicts the way in which one of the most prestigious institutions of Britishness, Queen Elizabeth II (1952 – ), turns from a highly institutionalized symbol into a real person and a very uncommon reader. The article explores Bennett’s fictional reconsideration of common myths connected to the British monarchy, a process which is activated by the Queen’s new fondness for reading. The paper develops a possible reinterpretation of these myths, seeking to prove that Bennett’s fictional exercise also sparks off the reflection of a number of …

A Comparative Study Of Shifts In English Translations Of The Quran: A Case Study On “Yusuf” Chapter, Reza Rezvani, Peyman Nouraey

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Long since Translation Studies emerged as a nascent academic discipline, it has seen a considerable number of descriptive theories and models, among which, Catford’s (1965) translation ‘shift’ approach has garnered particular attention within the realm of translational comparative studies. Quranic texts have constantly been the center of attention, as the Quran has established itself as the most famous and sublime text in Arabic. As such, the present comparative study aimed at investigating the frequencies of different types of translation shifts occurring in translations form Arabic into English drawing on Catford’s (1956) shift typology. To this end, seven translations of the …

Preparing Young Writers For Invoking And Addressing Today’S Interactive Digital Audiences, Ewa Mcgrail, J. Patrick Mcgrail

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Twenty-first century technologies, in particular the Internet and Web 2.0 applications, have transformed the practice of writing and exposed it to interactivity. One interactive method that has received a lot of critical attention is blogging. The authors sought to understand more fully whom young bloggers both invoked in their blogging (their idealized, intentional audience) and whom they addressed (whom they actually blogged to, following interactive posts). They studied the complete, yearlong blog histories of fifteen fifth-graders, with an eye toward understanding how these students constructed audiences and modified them, according to feedback they received from teachers as well as peers …

Speaking Of Science: Introducing Notice And Comment Into The Legislative Process, Gregory Dolin

All Faculty Scholarship

Congress enacts, on a nearly continuous basis, a variety of laws that affect scientific research and progress. Some of these laws have an unquestionably positive effect. For instance, Congress's creation of the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, and NASA; its various appropriations to fund ground-breaking research; and a multitude of other laws have incalculably advanced human knowledge, and it is to Congress's great credit that these laws have been and are continuing to be enacted. However, not all laws that affect the progress of sciences are an unalloyed good. Quite the opposite, often the laws aim …

Resolving The Original Sin Of Bolling V. Sharpe, Gregory Dolin

All Faculty Scholarship

On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court handed down two decisions that for the first time categorically held that racial segregation in public schools was per se unlawful – Brown v. Board of Education and Bolling v. Sharpe. Ostensibly, both cases dealt with a same question; however, in Brown the entity accused of discrimination was a creature of the State of Kansas, while in Bolling the discrimination was practiced by the federal government. The problem that the Supreme Court faced was the language of the Fourteenth Amendment, which, by its own terms, guaranteed “equal protection of the laws” only vis-à-vis …

Crime? No, It Wasn't Really Crime': Using Oral History And Memoirs To Teach Crime History, Rosalind Watkiss-Singleton

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

This article suggests that oral interviews, autobiographies and memoirs provide a new perspective on the teaching of crime history. Oral testimony can augment the traditional sources which are generally used for this purpose, giving fresh insights into popular attitudes to criminal activities and behaviour. Through the use of interviews, either student-generated or culled from existing oral history archives, the words and opinions of the perpetrators, victims and the general public will allow students and lecturers to supplement existing evidence in a way which will enhance both their critical understanding of behavioural patterns and developments within society. Student motivation may be …

Outrageous Violations: Enabling Students To Interpret Nineteenth Century Newspaper Reports Of Sexual Assault And Rape, Kim Stevenson

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

This article is divided into two parts: the first highlights some of the difficulties and limitations for students and tutors who wish to explore the historiography of rape and sexual assault. In particular it addresses the problematic issue of accessing and interpreting the official records of such proceedings in the criminal courts. As an alternative it is suggested that nineteenth century newspaper reports written by professional lawyer-reporters can provide an effective substitute and can be justified as a primary research source. The second part offers a series of four case studies of sexual assaults as reported in The Times newspaper …

Putting Undergraduates On Trial: Using The Old Bailey Online As A Teaching And Assessment Tool, David Gray

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Researching The Arcane: The Duchy Of Cornwall And How A Country Lawyer Was Radicalised, John Kirkhope

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Smedley D. Butler And The Militarisation Of The Philadelphia Police, 1924-1925, Ellen Leichtman

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

The importance of the military as a police model in the U.S. had been eliminated, for the most part, from criminal justice and police studies until the 1980s-1990s, even as the professional model was studied extensively. The military, however, had been a strong presence since at least the turn of the last century. As reformers from that time began to fight against machine rule in city after city, they often adopted the military paradigm as their police model, and sought those with military backgrounds to head police departments. The new mayor of Philadelphia chose a Marine Brigadier General, Smedley D. …

The Prisoners' Counsel Act 1836: Doctrine, Advocacy And The Criminal Trial, Cerian Charlotte Griffiths

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

In recent years greater numbers of thinkers have considered the Prisoners' Counsel Act 1836 but have viewed the Act through the lens of Whig history, as a further manifestation of the modernisation of criminal justice in the inevitable march towards adversarialism. This article addresses how the Act has been understood within broader literature concerning the nineteenth century felony trial. In particular, greater attention is paid to how counsel reacted to the Act, considering the nature of the contemporary Bar, the apparent silence from the Bar in reaction to the Act, what evidence might be drawn upon to gauge how members …

Empathy Or Entertainment? The Form And Function Of Violent Crime Narratives In Early-Nineteenth Century Broadsides, Kate Bates

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

This article will explore the meaning and morality of popular accounts of violent crime in early-nineteenth century broadsides. Broadsides were a form of street literature and, for almost 300 years until the latter half of the nineteenth century, they were a forerunner to our modern tabloid newspapers. These flimsy sheets were published on a wide range of topics, but by far the most prevalent were those covering violent crime, especially murder. The publication of these broadsides reached a peak in the first half of the nineteenth century and their popular appeal was greatest among the labouring poor. This has led …

Our Free Society Is Worthy Of Better': Caryl Chessman, Capital Punishment, And Cold War Culture, David Ruth

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

Convict author Caryl Chessman was the focus of international attention from 1954 until his 1960 execution at San Quentin. Americans used Chessman to articulate understandings about themselves, their society, and their place in the world. Many used the case to comment on new understandings of behaviour and its modifiability, the apparent post-war rise in juvenile delinquency, and the prospects for individual autonomy in an increasingly conformist society. Cold War concerns profoundly shaped the discourse about Chessman. For some activists, global save-Chessman sentiment pointed to the possibility of transcending bitter international divisions. Execution opponents believed commutation would highlight the progressive social …

Editorial, Judith Rowbotham, Kim Stevenson, Samantha Pegg

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Conceptualising Media Representations Of Crime And Justice Within Historical And Contemporary Criminology, Ian Marsh

SOLON Law, Crime and History (previously SOLON Crimes and Misdemeanours: Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective)

No abstract provided.

Just Water: A Feminist Catholic Response To The Commodification Of Water, Rachel Noelle Hart Winter

Dissertations

Any Catholic ecological ethic today that does not focus sustained attention to our worldwide water crisis is inadequate, for it fails to engage one of today's core social justice violations and neglects to offer any moral guidance for one of the human family's most pressing challenges. A responsible Catholic approach to water justice that addresses the problems stemming from a commodified view of water must be informed by ecofeminist concerns and by the Catholic social justice tradition of moral reasoning. As populations grow and water sources run dry, access to water has become a pressing ethical issue. Today, nearly one …