Digital Commons Network^™

Practice What You Preach: Does The National School Lunch Program Meet Nutritional Recommendations Set By Other Usda Programs?, ‘Lizabeth Disiena

Journal of Law and Health

Part II of this Note provides a historical background of the National School Lunch Program,20 specifically analyzing the purpose, implementation, and current state of the program. Part III begins by explaining why consideration of calories plays an important role in achieving proper weight management. It then concludes with a comparison between the caloric intake requirements of the National School Lunch Program,21 and the nutritional recommendations by other USDA government health initiatives,22 and non-governmental programs.23 Finally, Part IV proposes that the National School Lunch Program24 provide nutrition options for students that appropriately consider age, gender, and activity level in determination of …

The Threat Lives On: How To Exclude Expectant Mothers From Prosecution For Mere Exposure Of Hiv To Their Fetuses And Infants, Shahabudeen K. Khan

Cleveland State Law Review

There is a renewed interest in HIV/AIDS issues given that better treatment is available. The Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, recently published best practice guidelines to reform HIV-specific criminal laws to conform to modern science. The DOJ’s latest guidelines urge states to “reform and modernize” the laws to reflect modern science. There is a lot of unfinished work regarding the ineffectiveness and stigma associated with HIV criminal transmission laws as a whole. These laws are “no good” and counterintuitive in the fight against this unfortunate disease. There have been calls to repeal these laws in their entirety. That …

Needle Stick Injuries And Blood Born Pathogen Exposures Among Health Care Workers In University Of Kentucky Health Care Facilities, Haider Sahmsulddin

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives:

The number of cases of needle stick and sharps-related injuries among healthcare workers are difficult to estimate due to underreporting. Multiple research studies have been done in this area but the scale of the problem is substantial and requires further attention. This study focuses on the cases of needle stick injuries and blood born pathogen exposure among health care workers at the University of Kentucky. The purpose of this study is to examine the rates of needle stick vs splash related injuries among the University of Kentucky health care workers from 2009 to 2014, and stratify the frequencies of …

Implementing (Environmental) Justice: Equity And Performance In California's S.B. 535, Meagan Tokunaga

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis evaluates the equity performance of a recent state environmental justice policy, California’s Senate Bill 535 (S.B. 535). “Environmental justice” refers to the disproportionate environmental harm imposed on low-income and minority communities. S.B. 535 uses competitive grants to provide funding to these communities. The research is centered around two questions: (1) to what extent has S.B. 535 experienced successful implementation in its first year of operation, and (2) how can policy actors improve implementation while balancing performance and equity goals? In regards to the first question, I utilize a case study of the policy’s implementation within 17 local governments …

Varying Levels Of Morality Awareness In Corrections Officers, William L. Hanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Morality has been a focus in criminal justice with recent events involving officers. This quantitative study offered research in the criminal justice field regarding the moral awareness of corrections officers. The main research question investigated the relationship between the security level of the prison unit in which a corrections officer works and his or her level of morality awareness. The study surveyed corrections officers of prison units in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections and focused on morality awareness of corrections officers. The independent variable was the security level of the prison unit worked in. The dependent variables were …

The Lived Experiences Of Limited English Proficiency, Spanish-Speaking Male Ex-Offenders, Paula Nery Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Spanish-speaking men in the United States with limited English proficiency following their release from prison. The study specifically examined the experiences of these men in their efforts to access health care treatment, housing, education, and employment in Central Pennsylvania. An empirical, phenomenological research design was employed that used self-stigma, critical race, and self-determination theories for in-depth interviews with 8 men who spent 5 to 24 years in prison. A tiered coding method was used to generate 6 interconnected themes that tell the story of these men's lives: …

Providers' Knowledge Of The U.S. Health Care System And Their Medical Practice Choices: A Study Of Physicians, Residents, And Non-Physician Practitioners, Cora Case

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The expansion of health insurance through health care reform has reduced the number of uninsured. but access to providers has not been addressed. Understanding the relationship between practice choices and aptitude of health policy and delivery is essential to determine other factors or motivators that contribute to the development of health care access policies. This descriptive study explored the value-laden elements of health care reform, such as social constructions, to learn whether there are implicit ways to address the issue of access to health care in the United States. Schneider and Ingrams's conceptualization of policy making through social construction was …

The Role Of Religious Vaccination Exemptions In The Ocean County, New Jersey Pertussis Outbreak, Siobhan Bridget Pappas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a vaccine-preventable disease that is on the rise in the United States, a trend which has been attributed to vaccination exemption. Indeed, the pertussis outbreak that occurred in February, 2012 in Ocean County, New Jersey was associated with vaccine exemption. Considering that pertussis is deadly to young children, it is important to understand why this disease rate is on the rise. The research questions were focused on whether a relationship existed between pertussis status (no, yes) and exemption status (no, yes), sex (male, female), and county type (Middlesex, Ocean, or Other), using a …

Depression And Hiv Risk Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men, Sonya Anyaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) are at a greater risk of contracting HIV than any other ethnic group, subpopulation, or race. Personal, environmental, and social variables can affect risk behavior. Driven by Beck's cognitive theory of depression, this quantitative study examined the relationship between depression and HIV risk behaviors in a sample of AAMSM (n = 108). Data was gathered via the Beck Depression Inventory and the HIV Risk Behavior Questionnaire. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data to determine the correlation between HIV risk behavior and depression. According to study …

Herpes Virus Infections, Inflammatory Markers And Risk Of Developing T2dm And Cvd: An Analysis Of Nhanes With Adults, Aged 20-49, 1999-2010, Margarita Irizarry-De La Cruz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs), are among the most virulent and widespread pathogens; they affect 60-90% of the population worldwide. Substantial evidence indicates a possible association between pathogens and chronic disease. HSVs, among other viruses, have been associated with increased risk for inflammatory diseases. However, prior findings have been inconsistent on the role of infection in triggering autoimmune response and chronic disease. This study builds on the premise that pathogens can induce an inflammatory response and increase the risk for disease development. A representative U.S. sample from NHANES, a national population-based cross-sectional survey, was used to examine the relationship between HSVs …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Influenza Vaccination Program For Nurses, Marlene Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this educational influenza vaccination project was to increase nurses' influenza vaccination rates. Nationally, 41% of nurses were vaccinated, which is far below the Healthy People 2020 goal of an influenza vaccination rate of 90%. Literature suggests that the low nurses' vaccination rate is responsible for inpatient healthcare associated influenza, mortality, and influenza-like illness. Healthcare facilities will not be reimbursed for treatment of healthcare associated infection. Despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for nurses to become vaccinated, only 20% of the 800 nurses at a healthcare facility in Baltimore were vaccinated for the past …

Completion Of Preventive Health Care Actions By Older Women With Hiv/Aids, Patricia Kay Correll

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has resulted in longer lifespans for HIV seropositive women in the United States, during which preventive health care is recommended. Failing to complete recommended cancer screening tests can result in cancer being diagnosed at a later stage with a poorer prognosis. The purpose of the study, based on the ecosocial theory, was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical variables of HIV seropositive women who failed to complete recommended screening tests for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, and determine if the presence of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, depression, or tobacco use impacted the …

Support Of Maternity Care Practices To Increase Breastfeeding Among First-Time Mothers, Jessica Strauch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding offers numerous health benefits to both the mother and infant, yet it is not routinely practiced due to a number of internal and external factors that influence the mother's decision. Guided by the social ecological model, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of required reporting to The Joint Commission on perinatal measures, a proxy measure for maternity care practices, and those professional effects on breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity for first-time mothers. The hypotheses were that the mandatory reporting, and thus an increase in maternity care practices, would increase the initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding …

The Impact Of Immigration Variables On Tuberculosis Rates In South Carolina, Lisa J. Dimitriadis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) is the deadliest single infectious agent worldwide; globally in 2013, 1.5 million people died of the disease. Although TB infection rates in the United States are low compared to that of other countries, TB still remains a threat to public health in the U.S., especially among immigrant populations. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between the independent variables of immigration status, years of residence, and race/ethnicity and the dependent variable of TB infection within South Carolina between 2006 and 2012. To examine these possible relationships, this quantitative study employed the ecological …

The Value Of Diagnostic Software And Doctors' Decision Making, Babatunde Ayodele Alaofin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of medical misdiagnosis has remained high despite the adoption of diagnostic software. This ongoing controversy about the role of technology in mitigating the problem of misdiagnosis centers on the question of whether diagnostic software does reduce the incidence of misdiagnosis if properly relied upon by physicians. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study based on planned behavior theory was to measure doctors' opinions of diagnostic technology's medical utility. Recruitment e-mails were sent to 3,100 AMA-accredited physicians through their database that yielded a sample of 99 physicians for the study. One-sample t tests and, where appropriate because of non-normal …

Cortisol Levels And Voltage Conditions Of College Students, Adriana Steffens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a limited research base on low voltage brain conditions, which are characterized by electrical activity being measured at below 20 microvolts. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between saliva cortisol levels and voltage using an EGG in a college student population. Illuminating this relationship is important to inform how low voltage conditions can affect daily memory and cognitive functioning of undergraduate college students that may be a result of stress. The college student population may be vulnerable to the low voltage condition because of stress from the transition between teenage and adult life and …

Regulating Farming: Balancing Food Safety And Environmental Protection In A Cooperative Governance Regime, Margot J. Pollans

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

After providing a brief overview of regulation in each area, Part I of this Article identifies three types of discordance between produce safety and environmental protection on farms. First, because of limited resources, farmers will have to choose between implementing food safety practices and implementing environmental practices. Second, indirect trade-offs between the two regulatory goals result in damaging collateral consequences for the environment. Food safety regulation may exacerbate a range of existing environmental harms. Third, there is at least one direct clash that may make compliance with food safety law incompatible with participation in certain environmental programs. Part I also …

Saving Our Sisters: Effects Of A Computer-Based Version Of Sista On The Hiv-Related Behaviors Of African American Women, Krystal Frieson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are infectious diseases wreaking irreparable havoc on the lives of millions all around the world. Of those infected and affected by HIV in the United States, African Americans disproportionately bear the burden of this disease, which has resulted in a major crisis within the African American community. In 2010, African Americans accounted for approximately 44% of all new HIV infections among adolescents, 13 years of age and older, and adults [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012). These statistics become even more dismal when both race and gender enter the …

The Role Of Alternative Splicing In The Control Of Immune Homeostasis And Cellular Differentiation, Mehmet Yabas, Hannah Elliott, Gerard F. Hoyne

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA helps to enhance the genetic diversity within mammalian cells by increasing the number of protein isoforms that can be generated from one gene product. This provides a great deal of flexibility to the host cell to alter protein function, but when dysregulation in splicing occurs this can have important impact on health and disease. Alternative splicing is widely used in the mammalian immune system to control the development and function of antigen specific lymphocytes. In this review we will examine the splicing of pre-mRNAs yielding key proteins in the immune system that regulate apoptosis, lymphocyte differentiation, …

Modeling Network Worm Outbreaks, Evan Foley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to their convenience, computers have become a standard in society and therefore, need the utmost care. It is convenient and useful to model the behavior of digital virus outbreaks that occur, globally or locally. Compartmental models will be used to analyze the mannerisms and behaviors of computer malware. This paper will focus on a computer worm, a type of malware, spread within a business network. A mathematical model is proposed consisting of four compartments labeled as Susceptible, Infectious, Treatment, and Antidotal. We shall show that allocating resources into treating infectious computers leads to a reduced peak of infections across …

Pre And Post Implementation Evaluation Of An Emergency Department Severe Sepsis Alert And Practice Protocol, Darleen Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Severe sepsis kills an estimated 1,400 people worldwide every day. This often fatal infectious process accounts for an estimated 215,000 deaths in the United States (US) annually. The main goal of this project was to evaluate the impact of the Emergency Department Severe Sepsis Alert and Practice Protocol (EDSSAPP) post implementation, on time to first antibiotic administration, length of stay, and mortality in patients admitted via the ORMC ED with severe sepsis. This study evaluated the time to first antibiotic administration, total ED and hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality of severe sepsis patients either with a severe sepsis …

Observed Antagonistic Effect Of Linezolid On Daptomycin Or Vancomycin Activity Against Biofilm-Forming Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In An In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Model, Megan Luther, L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Pharmacodynamic activity in antibiotic combinations of daptomycin, vancomycin and linezolid was investigated in a 48h in vitro pharmacodynamic model. Using free human-simulated concentrations, activity against clinical biofilm-forming methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates was evaluated. Linezolid antagonized vancomycin activity at 24 and 48h. Linezolid antagonized daptomycin at 24 and 48h depending on dose and strain. Adding daptomycin increased vancomycin activity at 48h (P < 0.03). These results may be strain dependent and require further clinical investigation.

Hiv Genotyping Cost Analysis With Follow-Up As An Indicator, Laura Biederman, Md, Amity L. Roberts, Phd, D(Abmm)

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Resident's Posters

HIV-1 genotype (GHIV), HIV-1 Integrase (HIV1I) and HIV-1 Trophile (HIV1T) assays are sendout tests that incur a significant financial burden on the laboratory when ordered on inpatients who do not receive follow-up clinic visits. For these assays to be utilized in guiding antiretroviral therapy, the patient must receive follow-up. It will reduce the sendout budget by restricting these tests to the outpatient clinic setting.

Regulating Life, Disease, And Death: The Legal, Ethical And Moral Implications Of Science, Medicine, And Technology, Jae Yeon Kim

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

On March 19, 2015, the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy hosted a symposium to address the changing landscape of medicine, science, and technology. The Journal made this selection because advancements in these fields pose unique challenges to society’s understanding of the law’s role in regulating and shaping public discourse on life, disease, and death.

Ebola Cases And Health System Demand In Liberia, John M. Drake, Rajreni B. Kaul, Laura W. Alexander, Suzanne M. O’Regan, Andrew M. Kramer, J. Tomlin Pulliam, Matthew J. Ferrari, Andrew W. Park

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2014, a major epidemic of human Ebola virus disease emerged in West Africa, where human-to-human transmission has now been sustained for greater than 12 months. In the summer of 2014, there was great uncertainty about the answers to several key policy questions concerning the path to containment. What is the relative importance of nosocomial transmission compared with community-acquired infection? How much must hospital capacity increase to provide care for the anticipated patient burden? To which interventions will Ebola transmission be most responsive? What must be done to achieve containment? In recent years, epidemic models have been used to guide …

Widespread Dissemination Of Diarrhea Due To Rotavirus Serotype G9p8 In The Solomon Islands After A Focal Flood-Related Outbreak, Forrest Kirby Jones

Public Health Theses

Background

Extreme weather events can precipitate epidemic transmission of diarrhea. We describe a large nationwide epidemic in the Solomon Islands following a focal flash flood disaster on April 3-5, 2015 in the capital city of Honiara.

Methods

The Early Warning Alert and Response Network surveillance system (EWARN) detected an outbreak of diarrhea in Honiara. We identified cases from EWARN and retrospective review of outpatient registries in Honiara prior to and during the outbreak. We reviewed data from the public adverse event system to identify diarrhea-related deaths. Rapid diagnostic testing for rotavirus was performed on stool samples from cases. RT-PCR analysis …

Polio Eradication And Health Systems In Karachi: Vaccine Refusals In Context, Svea Closser, Rashid Jooma, Emma Varley, Naina Qayyum, Sonia Rodrigues, Akasha Sarwar, Patricia Omidian

Section of Neurosurgery

Community and health worker engagement will be key to polio eradication in Karachi, Pakistan. In this study, the authors conducted participant observation, interviews, and a document review in SITE Town, Karachi, an area that in recent years has harbored poliovirus. SITE’s diverse population includes large numbers of internally displaced persons who are disproportionately affected by polio and are more likely than other populations to refuse the polio vaccine. Vaccine acceptance and worker motivation in SITE Town were shaped by the discrepancy in funding and attention for polio eradication campaigns as compared with routine services. Parental vaccine refusals stemmed from a …

Unm Health Sciences Center Research Annual Report 2015, Michael Haederle, Sara Mota, Furhana Afrid, John Arnold, Cindy Foster, Luke Frank, Leslie Linthicum, Pari Noskin, Heidi Rishel Brakey, Michele Sequeira, Rebecca Gustaf

Research Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Using Gatt-Trips To Improve Development Opportunities: A Proposal For Central America, Cecily Anne O’Regan, Patrick T. O’Regan

UC Law Science and Technology Journal

Given the geographic and natural resource advantages that countries in the Americas have which will likely shape the business and trade climate in the 21st century, accelerating the development process for developing countries in the region takes on new significance for all involved. This work assesses ways in which Central American countries can use compliance with GATT-TRIPs and TRIPs-plus bilateral agreements to promote their economic development. The first section describes current approaches to IP protection in Costa Rica and El Salvador. The final section goes on to propose regional strategies and legal changes, which are GATT-TRIPs compliant that could potentially …

Modeling Undetected Live Poliovirus Circulation After Apparent Interruption Of Transmission: Implications For Surveillance And Vaccination, Dominika A. Kalkowska, Radboud J. Duintjer Tebbens, Mark A. Pallanscha, Stephen L. Cochi, Steven G. F. Wassilak, Kimberly M. Thompson

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: Most poliovirus infections occur with no symptoms and this leads to the possibility of silent circulation, which complicates the confirmation of global goals to permanently end poliovirus transmission. Previous simple models based on hypothetical populations assumed perfect detection of symptomatic cases and suggested the need to observe no paralytic cases from wild polioviruses (WPVs) for approximately 3-4 years to achieve 95% confidence about eradication, but the complexities in real populations and the imperfect nature of surveillance require consideration. Methods: We revisit the probability of undetected poliovirus circulation using a more comprehensive model that reflects the conditions in a number …