Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Relationships Between Angling Effort And Larval Trematodes In Small Bluegill, Alexis Park

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I wanted to determine if catch-and-release angling increased larval trematodes in small (50-160 mm) bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). I used angling effort as a proxy for amount of catch-and-release angling. I assumed bluegill assessed, due to their size and age, experienced catch-and-release events. I assessed larval trematode intensity, black spot (Crassiphiala bulboglossa), and white grub (Posthodiplostomum minimum centrarchi), in 750 bluegill. The first objective was to quantify the association between angling effort and reservoir area. Angling effort and reservoir area were positively correlated. The second objective was to determine if angling effort, reservoir area, bluegill …

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Alternative And Prescription Antibiotics Against Gram-Positive Bacteria, Rachel Jenkins, Roan Dickenson, Sam Turnbull, Marcela Torres

Senior Theses

The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global public health concern that threatens the efficacy of antibiotic drugs. We found that natural remedies, specifically coconut oil, honey and cinnamon essential oil, have the potential to be used as a clinical alternative to treat antibiotic-resistant infections. In this experiment, we performed a disk diffusion test and measured the area of inhibition of each treatment to compare the effectiveness of natural and prescription antibiotics. Cinnamon essential oil showed significantly greater antibiotic activity compared to a prescription treatment, amoxicillin. With bacterial resistance continuously expanding, more work needs to be done to determine …

Altering The Expression Of Artemisinin Through Osmotic Manipulation, Tyler Friesen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Artemisinin is an anti-malarial drug used in combination therapy to treat all malarial parasites in the blood stage. The expression of artemisinin within the plant Artemisia annua is only 1% of the dry weight. Methods for increasing the level of artemisinin within the plant were proposed. This paper looks into finding homologous enzymes across multiple species in order to find species where genetic manipulations will be useful. The second part of this paper looks at the use of osmotic stress to increase the reactive oxygen species in order to increase the amount of artemisinin within the plant. The database portion …

Acculturation And Causes Of Death Among Filipinos In The Us: Focus On Cancer, Abegail Terso Reyes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Filipinos in the US are 3.4 million, yet the main causes of death among this primarily immigrant population have not been well characterized nor compared with the mortality experience of their counterparts in the Philippines. Age-adjusted mortality rates were computed for the main causes of death for three populations: Filipinos living in the Philippines (FPHs), Filipinos living in California (FCAs), and non-Hispanic whites in California (WCAs). Regression-derived mortality rate ratios stratified by sex were used to compare the populations, using WCA as the referent population. Included causes of death were ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease, …

Emerging Infectious Disease And The Imperiled Relict Leopard Frog, Anthony Wayne Waddle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has emerged as a major contributing factor for worldwide amphibian declines. Although relatively recently described, the impacts from the disease this pathogen causes have been definitively tied to amphibian declines, including some that occurred decades ago. In some cases, declines of individual species occurred with little documentation and are thus poorly understood. The relict leopard frog (Rana onca = Lithobates onca) has experienced such a decline and by the latter part of the 20th century only occurred in two general areas in southern Nevada. Recent research has found …

Nasal Carriage Of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) Among Inpatients Of A Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Study, Myron Anthony Godinho, Arjan Dhillon, Gan Kim Kun, Shobana Raj, Yong Kok Jen, Sreejith Govindan

Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Context: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a nosocomial pathogen, which often exhibits multidrug resistance. It colonizes the anterior nares of humans, from where it can be transmitted to vulnerable individuals, causing life threatening infections. Using various phenotypic and genotypic methods, two types of strains have been identified such as hospital associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). Aims: To evaluate the status of MRSA nasal colonization among inpatients of a tertiary care centre and classify them by antibiogram, Panton Valentine leucocidin (PVL) assay and staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec typing. Methodology: A hospital based, cross-sectional study was conducted, …

Fluorescence-Reported Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis Reveals A Role For Chlamydia Trachomatis Tmea In Invasion That Is Independent Of Host Ahnak, M. J. Mckuen, Konrad E. Mueller, Y. S. Bae, Kenneth A. Fields

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Development of approaches to genetically manipulate Chlamydia is fostering important advances in understanding pathogenesis. Fluorescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM) now enables the complete deletion of specific genes in C. trachomatis L2. We have leveraged this technology to delete the coding sequences for a known type III effector. The evidence provided here indicates that CT694/CTL0063 is a virulence protein involved in chlamydial invasion. Based on our findings, we designate the gene product corresponding to ct694-ctl0063 translocated membrane-associated effector A (TmeA). Deletion of tmeA did not impact development of intracellular chlamydiae. However, the absence of TmeA manifested as a decrease in infectivity …

Surveillance Of Wisconsin Organisms For Trends In Antimicrobial Resistance And Epidemiology (Swotare): Epidemiologic Correlates For 2016 Surveillance Isolates, Erik Munson, Heather Zeman, Erin Hueppchen

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate data collection and monitoring as one facet of a comprehensive approach to combat antimicrobial resistance in the United States. However, a paucity of such data exists at the local/state level for common disease-causing organisms.

Methods: To begin to characterize epidemiologic correlates of antibacterial resistance in Wisconsin, data analyses were performed with respect to isolates in the Surveillance of Wisconsin Organisms for Trends in Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology (SWOTARE) 2016 collection. In addition to submitting isolates of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, participating laboratories were also requested to …

A License To Kill: Understanding Natural Killer Cell Licensing To Fight Cancer, Jolie Schafer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Natural killer (NK) cell education is an essential developmental process for NK cell effector function, that renders some NK cells “licensed” and others “unlicensed” (with heightened or lowered effector function potential, respectively) against tumor and targets lacking self-molecules. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the heightened effector responses of licensed cells remain unknown. Using NK cells derived from humans and expanded ex vivo we performed high-throughput protein expression analysis, and identified multiple proteins that are differentially regulated in licensed and unlicensed human NK cells before and after inhibition by killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and activation by the NKp46 natural cytotoxicity …

Developing A Clinical Guideline With Embedded Algorithm For The Dosing Frequency Of Amoxicillin In Pediatric Group A-Beta Hemolytic Streptococcal Pharyngitis, Derek R. Doorn

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Group A-beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis, commonly called “strep throat,” is a commonly seen diagnosis in primary care--most commonly seen in individuals aged 5-15 years. Worldwide, 616 million estimated cases of GABHS pharyngitis occur annually. Rheumatic heart disease, which might be a consequence of GABHS pharyngitis, is estimated to cause about 6 million years of life lost annually. In spite of the wide prevalence of the disease, in the current literature, there are differing guidelines regarding treatment of GABHS pharyngitis, specifically with regard to the dosing frequency of amoxicillin. Amoxicillin is a frequently recommended and utilized drug in the treatment …

Nonspreading Solutions In Integro-Difference Models With Allee And Overcompensation Effects., Garrett Luther Otto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work in Integro-Difference models have generally considered Allee effects and over-compensation separately, and have either focused on bounded domain problems or asymptotic spreading results. Some recent results by Sullivan et al. (2017 PNAS 114(19), 5053-5058) combining Allee and over-compensation in an Integro-Difference framework have shown chaotic fluctuating spreading speeds. In this thesis, using a tractable parameterized growth function, we analytically demonstrate that when Allee and over-compensation are present solutions which persist but essentially remain in a compact domain exist. We investigate the stability of these solutions numerically. We also numerically demonstrate the existence of such solutions for more general …

Behavioral Ecology And Associated Virology Of Mosquito-Host Interactions In Southern California, Oliver Eshun

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Elucidating characteristics of mosquito-host interactions are critical for understanding the ecology and epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. In this dissertation, I conducted three studies to explore potential mosquito-host interactions and associated virus infection rates. I first demonstrated that mosquito captures at CO2-baited traps decreased most markedly with height above ground, and also decreased with distance from water at a riparian area but not at an open water source lacking a vegetated border. Birds might therefore prefer elevated nests or roosts to avoid mosquitoes. The second study examined the anti-mosquito behaviors of budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in a laboratory study. The birds defended …

Mechanism Of Candida Albicans Biofilm And Virulence Inhibition By A Bacterial Secreted Factor, Carrie Graham

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The human microbiome is a diverse polymicrobial population comprised of both fungi and bacteria. Perturbations of the normal microbiome can have a profound impact on health, including the development of infections. Exploitation of these polymicrobial interactions has the potential to provide novel treatment and prevention strategies for infectious diseases. Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacterium, and Candida albicans, a polymorphic fungus, occupy overlapping niches as ubiquitous constituents of the gastrointestinal and oral microbiome. Both species are also amongst the most important and problematic, opportunistic nosocomial pathogens and are often co-isolated during infection. Surprisingly, these two species antagonize each other’s …

Acute Kidney Injury, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, And The Infection That Binds Them Together: Disseminated Histoplasmosis, Pooja Sethi, Jennifer Treece, Chidinma Onweni, Vandana Pai, Sowminya Arikapudi, Lakshmi Kallur, Varun Kohli, Jonathan Moorman

ETSU Faculty Works

Untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be complicated by opportunistic infections, including disseminated histoplasmosis (DH). Although endemic to portions of the United States and usually benign, DH can rarely act as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients presenting with uncommon complications such as acute kidney injury and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. We report a rare presentation of DH presenting with acute kidney injury and immune thrombocytopenic purpura in an immunocompromised patient with HIV.

Association Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Alzheimer's Disease, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in 105 …

Prevention Of Anthrax Epidemic In Sheep And Goats With Anthracinum 200, Balakrishna Dabbir

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Objective: To study the effect of Anthracinum CH 200 to prevent anthrax in sheep and goats in less and highly endemic villages of Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India was studied. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 159,250 sheep and goats, in anthrax-endemic Kadapa district in India, from 2003 to 2008, consecutively covering 1 endemic and 17 less endemic villages. Fifteen millilitres of Anthracinum 200 dilution was mixed thoroughly with 1 L of 2.5% albendazole suspension and drenched orally either with a drenching gun or with a 10-ml syringe, in a single bolus of 10 ml for adults and …

The Use Of Electronic Health Records Data For Public Health: A Snapshot Of Current Practices In Nebraska’S Local Health Departments, Kushal Karan

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Public health issues are constantly changing and require local health departments (LHDs) to continually evolve in their approaches to address these issues. Advancements in health information technology (HIT), such as electronic health records (EHRs), play an important role in the collection of data that can be used to improve population health.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to assess the current use of electronic health records data by Nebraska’s local health departments and identify the data or tools they are using to address the health needs of the populations they serve.

Methods: In this study, a Mixed-Methods approach …

Implementation Of A Parental Notification System For The Improvement Of Well-Child Care Delivery, Frances Narvaiz

Doctor of Nursing Practice

This quality improvement project aimed to improve routine well-child exam rates in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Texas Health Steps recommendations through the implementation of a parental notification system. Missed well-child appointments impact health care by disturbing continuity of care and complicating preventive care services. Implementation of the parental notification system during June 2017 to August 2017 consisted of 100 patients from birth to 18 years of age for scheduled well-child visits in a pediatric clinic with a large Hispanic and Medicaid population. Interventions consisted of staff training, reminder phone calls 24 to 48 hours prior to …

Effect Of Land Use Change On South Texas Bats, Katharine Leigh Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Bats were acoustically recorded in South Texas over the summer of 2017. Nine species of bats were recorded and identified.

Prescription Drug Abuse And Provider-Patient Communication: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Perspectives Of Prescribers And Patients, Stephanie M. Mathis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prescription drug abuse is a public health problem of epidemic proportions in the United States. Provider-patient communication underpins many initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing the public health burden of prescription drug abuse. The characteristics of and factors contributing to this interpersonal process, however, have not been fully explored.

The purpose of this research was to examine: 1) the overall problem of prescription drug abuse and provider-patient communication about prescription drug abuse from the patient perspective; and 2) provider-patient communication about prescription drug abuse from the prescriber perspective. In 2014-2015, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 patients from primary care …

Zika Virus Encoding Nonglycosylated Envelope Protein Is Attenuated And Defective In Neuroinvasion, Arun Saravanakumar Annamalai, Aryamav Pattnaik, Bikash R. Sahoo, Ezhumalai Muthukrishnan, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, David Steffen, Hiep Vu, Gustavo A. Delhon, Fernando Osorio, Thomas M. Petro, Shi-Hua Xiang, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus responsible for sporadic outbreaks of mild and febrile illness in Africa and Asia, reemerged in the last decade causing serious human diseases, including microcephaly, congenital malformations, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Although genomic and phylogenetic analyses suggest that genetic evolution may have led to the enhanced virulence of ZIKV, experimental evidence supporting the role of specific genetic changes in virulence is currently lacking. One sequence motif, VNDT, containing an N-linked glycosylation site in the envelope (E) protein, is polymorphic; it is absent in many of the African isolates but present in all isolates from the …

Narcolepsy In Saudi Patients Before And After The 2009 H1n1 Vaccination: The Experience Of 2 Referral Centers, Shaden O. Qasrawi, Ali M. Albarrak, Adel S. Alharbi, Samar Nashwan, Aljohara S. Almeneessier, Seithikurippu R. Pandi-Perumal, Muslim M. Alsaadi, Ahmed S. Bahammam

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the number of Saudi patients diagnosed with narcolepsy in 2 tertiary centers before and after the introduction of the 2009 A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine. Methods: We started collecting data after the first international report of an association between the A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine and narcolepsy between January 2010 and December 2016. All patients diagnosed with narcolepsy after 2009 were included and data were collected for 7 years to account for any possible delays in the diagnosis of narcolepsy. Results: One-hundred and seventy-three patients with narcolepsy were identified. The majority (144 patients, 83%) had symptom onset before June 2009. Only 29 patients …

New Global Commitment To End Tuberculosis

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Proactive Sequential Resource (Re)Distribution For Improving Efficiency In Urban Environments, Supriyo Ghosh

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Due to the increasing population and lack of coordination, there is a mismatch in supply and demand of common resources (e.g., shared bikes, ambulances, taxis) in urban environments, which has deteriorated a wide variety of quality of life metrics such as success rate in issuing shared bikes, response times for emergency needs, waiting times in queues etc. Thus, in my thesis, I propose efficient algorithms that optimise the quality of life metrics by proactively redistributing the resources using intelligent operational (day-to-day) and strategic (long-term) decisions in the context of urban transportation and health & safety. For urban transportation, Bike Sharing …

Examination Of The Role Of Religious And Psychosocial Factors In Hiv Medication Adherence Rates, Safiya George Dalmida, Katryna Mccoy, Harold C. Koenig, Aretha Miller, Marcia Mcdonnell Holstad, Tami Thomas, Dora L. Clayton-Jones, Mary Margaret Grant, Terri Fleming, Menka Munira Wirani, George Mugoya

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is associated with favorable HIV outcomes, including higher CD4 cell counts, HIV virus suppression and a lower risk of HIV transmission. However, only 25% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in the USA are virally suppressed. Sub-optimal adherence (p< 0.05). Social support satisfaction was also significantly associated with ART adherence (OR = 1.52, 95% CI [1.11–2.08], p < 0.05) and energy/fatigue/vitality (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.00–1.05], p < 0.05).

The Emmett Till Generation: The Birmingham Children's Crusade And The Renewed Civil Rights Movement, Rebecca Sherman

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

In 1954, two white men murdered an African American boy named Emmett Till; his death sparked a generation of children to take part in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. One particular event in Birmingham, Alabama sparked nationwide sympathy for the movement. This event, called the Children's Crusade, highlighted the civil rights struggle in Birmingham by publishing images of children violently attacked by the police in newspapers and on television across the country. This media frenzy garnered sympathy from all Americans and ultimately led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, landmark civil rights legislation.

Prevalence Of Psychiatric Morbidity In A Community Sample In Western Kenya, Edith Kwobah, Steve Epstein, Ann Mwangi, Debra Litzelman, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background:About 25% of the worldwide population suffers from mental, neurological and substance use disorders but unfortunately, up to 75% of affected persons do not have access to the treatment they need. Data on the magnitude of the mental health problem in Kenya is scarce.

The objectives of this study were to establish the prevalence and the socio-demographic factors associated with mental and substance use disorders in Kosirai division, Nandi County, Western Kenya.

Methods:This was a cross sectional descriptive study in which participants were selected by simple random sampling. The sampling frame was obtained from a data base of …

Memory Potential, Molecular Characterization, And Translational Applications Of The Novel Theo/Tceo T Cell Phenotype, Todd Bartkowiak, Todd Bartkowiak

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

T cells comprise a substantial arm of the immune system and are exquisitely adapted to combat pathogens and tumors. The inflammatory environment largely dictates the nature of T cell response. A hallmark of T cell-mediated immunity is formation of immunological memory; the ability to respond more potently to re-encounter with pathogens. The immune system is also capable of recognizing tumors as foreign, much like viral or bacterial pathogens. Tumors have evolved, though, to generate an immunosuppressive environment to avoid destruction. The field of immunotherapy seeks to overcome immune suppression, in part by targeting T cell co-receptors on the cell surface …

Dynamic Assessment Of Nk Cell Interactions With Pediatric Tumor Cells To Predict Response To Immunotherapy, Arianexys Aquino Lopez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Due to Natural Killer (NK) cells’ capacity to target tumor cells without prior sensitization, adoptive NK cell therapy represents a promising immunotherapy approach for pediatric cancer patients. Our laboratory has developed an NK cell expansion protocol that generates large quantities of NK cells for therapeutic infusion. Given that NK cells are heterogeneous, with variable receptor expression and potential to target tumor cells, the purpose of my study was to determine whether subpopulations of NK cells with enhanced anti-tumor potential could be identified for increased potency of the NK cell infusion product. In addition, we previously showed that our expanded NK …

Membrane Bound Il21 Promotes Natural Killer Cell Expansion Through Mir 124-3p Mediated Regulation, Anitha Somanchi

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Natural Killer (NK) cells are cells of the innate immune system that act as first line of defense against viral infections and participate in tumor immune surveillance. NK cells do not cause graft versus host disease (GvHD), or require prior antigen exposure to exert anti-tumor activity, hence are an attractive choice for immunotherapy applications. Owing to small numbers of NK cells in peripheral blood (1-32%, with a 6% median), ex vivo expansion of NK cells is critical for NK cell adoptive immunotherapy, various expansion platforms have been explored over the decades. We developed a robust platform for ex vivo expansion …