Digital Commons Network^™

A Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Predicted Serine Protease Is Associated With Acid Stress And Intraphagosomal Survival, Abirami Kugadas, Elise A. Lamont, John Bannantine, Fernanda Miyagaki Shoyama, Evan Brenner, Harish K. Janagama, Srinand Sreevatsan

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The ability to maintain intra-cellular pH is crucial for bacteria and other microbes to survive in diverse environments, particularly those that undergo fluctuations in pH. Mechanisms of acid resistance remain poorly understood in mycobacteria. Although, studies investigating acid stress in M. tuberculosis are gaining traction, few center on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the etiological agent of chronic enteritis in ruminants. We identified a MAP acid stress response network involved in macrophage infection. The central node of this network was MAP0403, a predicted serine protease that shared an 86% amino acid identity with MarP in M. tuberculosis. Previous studies confirmed …

Themes In Therapy With Emerging Adults: A Qualitative Study, Brian Louie

Theses and Dissertations

The path to adulthood has traditionally been marked by demographic transitions, such as graduating from college, attaining employment, becoming married, and having a child. Previous models of development have conceptualized adolescence as a time of identity exploration and consolidation. However, in the US, as well as many other countries, the timeline for attaining the aforementioned markers has been delayed. Additionally, a significant portion of individuals between the ages of 18 to 29, across several counties, report not seeing themselves fully as adults, and ascribing internal changes, such as taking responsibility for one’s actions, as more indicative of adulthood status. Emerging …

Inferring Invasive Species Abundance Using Removal Data From Management Actions, Amy J. Davis, Mevin B. Hooten, Ryan S. Miller, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Jesse Lewis, Michael Moxcey, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Evaluation of the progress of management programs for invasive species is crucial for demonstrating impacts to stakeholders and strategic planning of resource allocation. Estimates of abundance before and after management activities can serve as a useful metric of population management programs. However, many methods of estimating population size are too labor intensive and costly to implement, posing restrictive levels of burden on operational programs. Removal models are a reliable method for estimating abundance before and after management using data from the removal activities exclusively, thus requiring no work in addition to management. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate …

Themes In Therapy With Emerging Adults : A Qualitative Study, Brian Louie

Theses and Dissertations

The path to adulthood has traditionally been marked by demographic transitions, such as graduating from college, attaining employment, becoming married, and having a child. Previous models of development have conceptualized adolescence as a time of identity exploration and consolidation. However, in the US, as well as many other countries, the timeline for attaining the aforementioned markers has been delayed. Additionally, a significant portion of individuals between the ages of 18 to 29, across several counties, report not seeing themselves fully as adults, and ascribing internal changes, such as taking responsibility for one’s actions, as more indicative of adulthood status. Emerging …

Clinical Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci; Identification, Characterisation And Treatment, Emma Gabriel

Theses

The work presented in this thesis focuses on clinically significant staphylococci (with an emphasis on coagulase-negative staphylococci) in terms of their isolation, identification, characterisation, and biocontrol.

CoNS are increasingly being recognised as true nosocomial pathogens yet remain under-characterised, particularly from an Irish clinical perspective. We examined a large cohort of clinically-derived CoNS, isolated from blood (n=l35), identifying them to species level. Extensive antibiotic resistance against nine clinically-relevant antibiotics was recorded. Additionally, widespread biofilm forming capabilities associated with increased virulence was detected both phenotypically and genotypically. We identified multiple species of CoNS in circulation in an Irish healthcare setting, and determined …

An Investigation Of The Use Of Natural Agents To Control Mycobacteria, Olga Lesniak

Theses

Economic losses that are caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) infections represent a major obstacle for farmers and also for the dairy industry. In order to control the population of MAP, alternative control agents must be investigated. One of the studies described in this thesis focused on using a bacteriophage therapy based approach to assess its efficacy on simulated industrial environments and food models. Another study described in this thesis investigated the antimicrobial effects of parsley and garlic on a range of mycobacteria species. Both studies used conventional microbiological methods such as plaque assays, AlamarBlue assay (MABA) and growth curves, …

I'M Still Standing, But I'M Not Standing Still, Janice E. Hawkins

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) When I made the decision to return to school for a PhD, I anticipated hard work, challenges, and a demanding schedule. Two years into my part-time program, I proudly informed readers of Reflections on Nursing Leadership that I was still standing and happy with my decision (Hawkins, 2014). Two years later, I'm not quite done.

Knowledge-Based Tweet Classification For Disease Sentiment Monitoring, Xiang Ji, Soon Ae Chun, James Geller

Publications and Research

Disease monitoring and tracking is of tremendous value, not only for containing the spread of contagious diseases but also for avoiding unnecessary public concerns and even panic. In this chapter, we present a near real-time sentiment analysis service of public health-related tweets. Traditionally, it is impossible for humans to effectively measure the degree of public health concerns due to limited resources and significant time delays. To solve this problem, we have developed a computational intelligence approach for Epidemic Sentiment Monitoring System (ESMOS) to automatically analyze the disease sentiments and gauge the Measure of Concern (MOC) expressed by Twitter users. More …

Two Related Occupational Cases Of Legionella Longbeachae Infection, Quebec, Canada, Marianne Picard-Masson, Élisabeth Lajoie, Judith Lord, Cindy Lalancette, Geneviève Marchand, Éric Levac, Marc-André Lemieux, Patricia Hudson, Louise Lajoie

Études primaires

Two patients with no exposure to gardening compost had related Legionella longbeachae infections in Quebec, Canada. Epidemiologic investigation and laboratory results from patient and soil samples identified the patients’ workplace, a metal recycling plant, as the likely source of infection, indicating a need to suspect occupational exposure for L. longbeachae infections.

Finding A Place In General Education Classrooms For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Trista Kirchgesler

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Best Practices For A State Alzheimer's Disease Registry: Lessons From Georgia, Elizabeth Weeks Leonard, Rui Bu, Amanda Alexandra Brown

Scholarly Works

In May 2014, the Georgia General Assembly enacted legislation establishing the Alzheimer’s Disease Registry (“Registry”) in order to generate new data for research and policy planning. The Task Force bill followed similar federal legislation. This state action has not only drawn tremendous attention to the continued prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among the population of Georgia but also raised a series of questions regarding the practicability, legality, and effectiveness of the Registry. The lessons learned in Georgia, as Registry implementation moves forward, will provide guidance for other states interested in collecting similar data. In Part I of this article we describe …

Social Contexts Of Infant Feeding And Infant Feeding Decisions, Ellen J. Schafer, Natalie A. Williams, Siri Digney, Marion E. Hare, Sato Ashida

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: Infant feeding takes place within a network of social relationships. However, the social context in which infant feeding advice is received remains underresearched.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the social contexts of infant feeding by examining individual and relationship characteristics of mothers and network members associated with advice to exclusively breastfeed, exclusively formula feed, or use a combination of breast milk and formula.

Methods: Information about 287 network members was reported by 80 low-income mothers during a one-time survey. Characteristics of relationships associated with mothers receiving advice (exclusively breastfeed/formula feed, combination feed) from each network …

Gi Zoonoses In Companion Pets Of The Homeless : The Effects Of Environment And Behavior On The Prevalence Of Gi Parasites, And The Role Of Veterinarians In Public Health Education, Matthew Edwards

University Honors Theses

Veterinarians are the front-line in the world of pet-health and zoonoses which means they are also at the front-line of human health and have an important role of educating clients on behaviors that would both reduce the risk of human and pet contracting a disease. In this study we collected 85 stool samples in Portland OR, USA and examined these by centrifugal fecal flotation, direct smears and for a small number (n=15) ELISA snap-tests. Parasitic prevalence was found to be 27.1% total including 2.4% Ancyclostoma Sp., 4.7% Cryptosporidium Sp., 7.1% Cystoisopora Sp., 9.4% Taenia Sp., 2.4% Giardia Sp., and 2.4% …

Amphibian Community Composition And Disease Susceptibility In Ridge-Top Wetlands Of The Daniel Boone National Forest, Audrey Lauren Mctaggart

Online Theses and Dissertations

Ephemeral wetlands are a natural feature of the ridge-top ecosystem in the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF) in eastern Kentucky, and support a diverse amphibian assemblage characterized by species with short larval periods. However, hundreds of hydrologically permanent ponds have been constructed along the ridge-top system in the last 50 years. The results of previous studies suggest that constructed ponds act as sinks for some historic ridge-top species because they provide habitat for amphibian predators with long larval periods or aquatic adult stages. My objectives were to determine (1) if natural wetlands differ from constructed wetlands in amphibian community composition, …

Mucormycosis: A 10-Year Experience At A Tertiary Care Center In Turkey, Süheyla Kömür, Ayşe Seza İnal, Behi̇ce Kurtaran, Aslihan Ulu, Aysun Uğuz, Hasan Sali̇h Zeki̇ Aksu, Yeşi̇m Taşova

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Mucormycosis is a rare invasive fungal infection most commonly encountered in the immunocompromised host. We analyzed 51 adult patients treated for mucormycosis between 2003 and 2013 and recorded at a tertiary university hospital in Turkey. Materials and methods: We examined the following data for all patients: age, sex, predisposing disease, symptoms, treatment, surgical procedure, concomitant infections, intensive care requirement, and outcomes. Results: During the study period 51 cases of mucormycosis were documented; 54.9% of the patients were female. The mean age was 44.2 ± 18.2 years. Rhinocerebral presentation was reported in 94.1% of patients. Almost all patients (88.2%) had …

In Ovo Feeding With Ss-Hydroxy Ss-Methylbutyrate And Broilerperformance, Intestinal Health, And Immunity Status, Ömer Hakan Muğlali, Mustafa Salman, Ayhan Gacar, Fi̇li̇z Akdağ, Mustafa Yavuz Gülbahar, Alper Çi̇ftçi̇, Ertan Emek Onuk, Fi̇li̇z Karadaş, Hüseyi̇n Eseceli̇

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The effects of in ovo administration of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on broiler performance, intestinal health, and immunity were investigated. At day 18 of incubation, fertile eggs were divided into negative (no injection) and positive (physiologic serum injection) controls and three HMB treatment groups. HMB solution was injected at 0.1% (Group 1), 0.2% (Group 2), and 0.3% (Group 3) concentrations. There were no significant differences between the groups for live weight gain, feed conversion rate, and hot carcass, breast meat, liver, and heart weight. However, the gizzard weight in Group 1 was significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). Although the intestinal villi lengths in the treatment Groups 1 and 3 on day 20 were greater than those in the control groups (P < 0.01), at the end of the experiment there were no significant differences among the groups. For antibody levels, the differences between groups on days 4 and 42 were highly significant (P < 0.01), and the antibody levels in Group 2 were higher than those in the other groups. Separately, growth performance and antibody levels were positively correlated with the length of villi in Group 2 (HMB 0.2%).

Purification Of Avian Influenza Virus (H9n2) From Allantoic Fluidby Size-Exclusion Chromatography, Ali Nazari Shirvan, Maedeh Samianifard, Naser Ghodsian

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Avian influenza viruses represent a rising threat of pandemic influenza. Allantoic fluid including influenza virus H9N2 was run on downstream processing to purify the virus. To do this, allantoic fluid was clarified and concentrated. It was applied to size exclusion chromatography. Different parameters such as ovalbumin, protein content, and hemagglutinin activity were determined to confirm the purity. The results may suggest that this method is quite efficient for achieving a purified H9N2 influenza virus and further reveal that size-exclusion chromatography is a practical method for purifying avian influenza viruses. In conclusion, this procedure can be used in vaccine production and …

The Efficacy Of Kaolin Clay In Reducing The Duration And Severity Of `Heat' Diarrhea In Foals, Magdalena Pieszka, Jaroslaw Luszczynski, Magdalena Hedrzak, Katerina Goncharova, Stefan G. Pierzynowski

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

'Heat' diarrhea in foals is an onerous but not life-threatening ailment, which indicates that it may be of osmotic origin. This was confirmed by a successful attempt, presented in this paper, to alleviate the severity and duration of foal heat diarrhea with the use of a typical absorbent, kaolin clay, as a feed additive, usually applied in feed production as an anticaking agent. Based on the present results, it can be concluded that treatment of foals maintained on different stud farms with a kaolin paste reduced the duration of heat diarrhea and alleviated its severity (P < 0.05 and P = 0.001). The observed action of kaolin clay, an excellent absorbent, suggests that the so-called heat diarrhea can be caused by disturbances in the intestinal osmotic balance at this specific age of foals. The use of this preparation can reduce the risk of secondary pathological viral or bacterial diarrhea and the requirement for veterinary intervention in foal management. It can also shorten the care period and increase foal well-being, essential for the normal development of a young horse. In addition, prophylactic application of an antidiarrheal preparation based on an industrial by-product, i.e. A cheap component, will reduce the costs of foal care.

A Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Precursor Induces Mortality In The Marine Coccolithophore, Emiliania Huxleyi, Elizabeth L. Harvey, Robert W. Deering, David C. Rowley, Kristen E. Whalen

Biology Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Platform Gratifications: Tinder Vs. Match.Com, Cassandra Lang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examined user's experiences using dating applications by applying a uses and gratifications lens to investigate the gratifications of two different dating platforms. Specifically, this study drew upon past computer-mediated research to compare the gratifications obtained from a Tinder-like platform and a Match.com-like platform. The experiment found no significant differences between the gratifications levels of the two platforms types. However, female participants reported significantly lower levels of the "relaxation" gratification levels then males. The study also found identical ordinal gratification levels for the two platforms explored. The findings expand the study of mobile dating applications.

Design For Mosquito Abundance, Diversity, And Phenology Sampling Within The National Ecological Observatory Network, David Hoekman, Y. P. Springer, C. M. Barker, R. Barrera, M. S. Blackmore, W. E. Bradshaw, D. H. Foley, H. S. Ginsberg, M. H. Hayden, C. M. Holzapfel, Steven A. Juliano, L. D. Kramer, S. L. Ladeau, T. P. Livdahl, C. G. Moore, R. S. Nasci, W. K. Reisen, H. M. Savage

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) intends to monitor mosquito populations across its broad geographical range of sites because of their prevalence in food webs, sensitivity to abiotic factors, and relevance for human health. We describe the design of mosquito population sampling in the context of NEON's long-term continental scale monitoring program, emphasizing the sampling design schedule, priorities, and collection methods. Freely available NEON data and associated field and laboratory samples, will increase our understanding of how mosquito abundance, demography, diversity, and phenology are responding to land use and climate change.

Comparing The Unmatched Count Technique And Direct Self-Report For Sensitive Health-Risk Behaviors In Hiv+ Adults, Alyssa Arentoft, Kathleen Van Dyk, April D. Thames, Philip Sayegh, Nicholas Thaler, Daniel Schonfeld, Joseph W. Labrie, Charles H. Hinkin

Heads Up!

Researchers often rely on self-report measures to assess sensitive health-risk behaviors in HIV+ individuals, yet the accuracy of self-report has been questioned, particularly when inquiring about behaviors that may be embarrassing, risky, and/or taboo. We compared an anonymous reporting method—the Unmatched Count Technique (UCT)—to direct self-report in order to assess reporting differences for several health-risk behaviors related to medication adherence and sexual risk. Contrary to hypotheses, the UCT only produced a significantly higher estimated base rate for one sensitive behavior: reporting medication adherence to one's physician, which may have been contextually-primed by our study design. Our results suggest that anonymous …

Understanding Cultural Health Beliefs And Practices In Ghana, Africa, Jamie Wossilek, Rachel Patterson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and perceptions of university students and faculty after going on a medical mission trip to Ghana, Africa related to the health and illness beliefs of the Ghanaian people.

Background. Many organizations plan and conduct health mission trips. Although, many organizations are focused on improving health in developing countries, some may not understand cultural values and the health problems in those countries. “Improving health” is a complicated problem in developing countries and is hard to understand how those in the countries recognize health and illness.

Methodology. A purposeful, convenience …

Examining The Strain-Crime Relationship Among African American Women: An Empirical Test Of Agnew's General Strain Theory, Nathan Lowe

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Agnew’s (1992; 2006) general strain theory (GST) has become one of the foremost theories to explain crime in contemporary criminology. While it has undergone several empirical tests over the years, there remain many understudied aspects of the theory. The current study addresses some of these aspects by longitudinally exploring the relationship between multiple types of strain and drug and non-drug crime among a sample of African American women.

Data for this study were collected as part of a larger study on how drug use and criminality are related to health disparities, particularly HIV, and service utilization among African American drug-using …

The “Weight” Of Socio-Economic Status, Race/Ethnicity, And Gender: A Systematic Examination Of Obesity And Its Co-Morbidities, Gabriele Ciciurkaite

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Although extensive research exists on the association between SES and obesity and its patterning across separate gender and racial/ethnic groups, critical gaps remain. In particular, the majority of studies on the SES-BMI association have examined it in additive models without simultaneously considering the influence of gender and race/ethnicity. An additional limitation of the current obesity scholarship concerns the lack of scholarship addressing the interplay between social factors, such as SES, race/ethnicity, gender, and proximate health risk factors, such as BMI, in shaping obesity-related chronic health outcomes, especially considering that health outcomes may vary in the extent to which they may …

Elucidating Binding, Fusion And Entry Of Human Metapneumovirus, Edita M. Klimyte

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory pathogen in the Paramyxoviridae family that infects nearly 100% of the world population. This enveloped RNA virus causes severe viral respiratory disease in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients worldwide. Despite its prevalence and importance to human health, no therapies are available against this pathogen. Entry of paramyxoviruses into host cells generally requires the coordinated activity of the attachment glycoprotein, G, which interacts with a cell receptor, and the fusion glycoprotein, F, which promotes subsequent fusion of viral and cellular membranes. However, HMPV F is the primary viral protein mediating both binding and fusion …

Prescribing Hiv Prep And The Need For Education Among Care Providers, Martin Kokou Logo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an innovative biomedical approach that has been used over the past 6 years to avert the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Under-prescribing of PrEP could increase the probability of HIV exposure among serodiscordant couples/partners and those who do not practice safe sex. Previous PrEP research has not assessed the association between awareness of PrEP, years of experience of providers, provider types, and the frequency of PrEP prescription among physicians. Precaution adoption model framed this study, which aimed to evaluate the bond between the independent variables relating to awareness of PrEP, years of experience, and provider …

Differences In Treatment-Seeking And Treatment-Adherence Factors For Tuberculosis In Armenian Versus Non-Armenian Populations Of Los Angeles County, Tanya Marie Ferguson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly, yet curable, infectious disease that continues to be a global health threat. Armenia suffers from rising TB incidence and mortality rates. Armenians living in Los Angeles (LA) County, where TB incidence is higher than national averages, is the second largest Armenian community in the world; therefore implications are that many TB cases are attributed to this group. Using the social ecological model as a theoretical framework, this concurrent, mixed-methods study compared Armenians to non-Armenians in LA County about their knowledge of TB and perceived barriers to seeking and adhering to treatment. Bivariate chi-square analysis from …

Socioeconomic Status As A Predictor Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Hilaire Saint-Pierre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While epidemiological research has generated new knowledge about the treatment and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through smoking secession, the socioeconomic status (SES) of people with the disease has been under investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the predictability of association between SES and COPD. This study was based on the ecological theory, which states that health and disease may have multiple underlying factors. This study was a secondary analysis of archived data from the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The dataset was collected for the National Survey of Midlife Development …

An Evidence-Based Strategy To Improve Influenza Vaccination Rates Among Registered Nurses In Hospitals, Terri Lynn Spoltore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Seasonal influenza, or the flu, impacts over 3 million people each year. Within the health sector, nosocomial infection and absenteeism are frequently associated with the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend flu vaccination for all eligible individuals, especially health care workers (HCWs). Interventions associated with increased HCW vaccination include educational programs and occupational health campaigns to address misconceptions regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. This project evaluated the impact of a voluntary, web-based education module to encourage registered nurse (RN) vaccination. The logic and health belief models served as the theoretical frameworks. In a nonequivalent group design, …