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Living, Dying, After Death: Achieving A "Good" Death In The Time Of Aids Orphan Care, Ellen Block

Sociology Faculty Publications

AIDS has devastated communities across southern Africa, leaving many children orphaned. Grandmothers are considered ideal caregivers because of cultural expectations of intergenerational care, and because they have not been decimated by AIDS to the same extent as younger adults. However, these grandmothers, who currently carry the majority of the burden of care for AIDS orphans, are themselves aging and dying. I argue here that in Lesotho, the caregiving demanded of grandmothers late into their lives not only alters kin relations for the living, but has increasingly made a “good death” unachievable for elderly caregivers.

The Small Rna Complement Of Adult Schistosoma Haematobium., Andreas J Stroehlein, Neil D Young, Pasi K Korhonen, Ross S Hall, Aaron R Jex, Bonnie L Webster, David Rollinson, Paul J Brindley, Robin B Gasser

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma cause schistosomiasis-a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Studies of schistosome genomes have improved our understanding of the molecular biology of flatworms, but most of them have focused largely on protein-coding genes. Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) have been explored in selected schistosome species and are suggested to play essential roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes, and in modulating flatworm-host interactions. However, genome-wide small RNA data are currently lacking for key schistosomes including Schistosoma haematobium-the causative agent of urogenital schistosomiasis of humans.

METHODOLOGY: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and other …

Using An Implementation Research Framework To Identify Potential Facilitators And Barriers Of An Intervention To Increase Hpv Vaccine Uptake, Rebecca Selove, Maya Foster, Raquel Mack, Maureen Sanderson, Pamela C. Hull

Center for Prevention Research Publications

Background:

Although the incidence of cervical cancer has been decreasing in the United States over the last decade, Hispanic and African American women have substantially higher rates than Caucasian women. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary, although insufficient, cause of cervical cancer. In the United States in 2013, only 37.6% of girls 13 to 17 years of age received the recommended 3 doses of a vaccine that is almost 100% efficacious for preventing infection with viruses that are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. Implementation research has been underutilized in interventions for increasing vaccine uptake. The Consolidated Framework for …

Disulfiram-Based Disulfides As Narrow-Spectrum Antibacterial Agents, Jordan G. Sheppard, Keely R. Frazier, Pushkar Saralkar, Mohammad F. Hossain, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Timothy E. Long

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Sixteen disulfides derived from disulfiram (Antabuse™) were evaluated as antibacterial agents. Derivatives with hydrocarbon chains of seven and eight carbons in length exhibited antibacterial activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Listeria spp. A comparison of the cytotoxicity and microsomal stability with disulfiram further revealed that the eight carbon chain analog was of lower toxicity to human hepatocytes and has a longer metabolic half-life. In the final analysis, this investigation concluded that the S-octylthio derivative is a more effective growth inhibitor of Gram-positive bacteria than disulfiram and exhibits more favorable cytotoxic and metabolic parameters over disulfiram.

The Influence Of Manual And Hydraulic Stretchers On Recruitment, Retention, And Turnover In The Emergency Medical Services Workforce, Gregory Cole

Dissertations

The Department of Labor predicts an increase in demand for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as the United States’ population grows older. The leaders of EMS must confront the difficulties surrounding recruitment, retention, and employment turnover of the EMS workforce to ensure a solvent employment pipeline to meet the predicted service demands. Previous researchers found that hydraulic stretchers reduced the number of occupationally acquired injuries among the EMS workforce. Grounded in human capital development and corporate social responsibility theories, this study extended from the work of Brice et al. (2012), Fredericks, Butt, and Hovenkamp (2009), and Studnek, Crawford, & Fernandez, (2011) …

The Ethical Principle Of Vulnerability And The Case Against Human Organ Trafficking, Peter A. Depergola Ii

Journal of Health Ethics

An increasingly blurred understanding of the ethical significance of global "transplant transactions" - a curious combination of altruism and commerce, consent and coercion, gifts and theft, science and sorcery, care and human sacrifice - suggest a critical need to revisit the fundamental moral normlessness of the trafficking enterprise. This essay grounds its arguments in two, straightforward premises: (i) the ethical principle of respect for human vulnerability is an indispensable measure of the licitness of most, if not all, moral actions; and (ii) human organ trafficking violates the ethical principle of respect for human vulnerability. Drawing from this syllogism, the aim …

A Time Course Study Of Rotavirus-Infected Intestinal Cells Treated With Stilbenoids And The Regulation Of Apoptosis, Rebecca D. Parr, Caleb M. Witcher, Rebekah Napier-Jameson, Hannah L. Wilson, Stormey Wisdom, Macie N. Mattila, Essence B. Strange, Josephine Taylor, Beatrice Clack, Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, Judith M. Ball

Faculty Publications

This is a time course study of virus –host interactions that are modified with the addition of two small natural products. They appear to effect virus replication and the host response to the infection.

Raman Spectral Analysis For Rapid Screening Of Dengue Infection, Tahir Mahmood, Haq Nawaz, A. Ditta, M.I. Majeed, M.A. Hanif, N. Rashid, H.N. Bhatti, H.F. Nargis, M. Saleem, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Infection with the dengue virus is currently clinically detected according to different biomarkers in human blood plasma, commonly measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, including non-structural proteins (Ns1), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG). However, there is little or no mutual correlation between the biomarkers, as demonstrated in this study by a comparison of their levels in samples from 17 patients. As an alternative, the label free, rapid screening technique, Raman spectroscopy has been used for the characterisation/diagnosis of healthy and dengue infected human blood plasma samples. In dengue positive samples, changes in specific Raman spectral bands associated with …

Expression, Purification, And Inhibition Profile Of Dihydrofolate Reductase From The Filarial Nematode Wuchereria Bancrofti, Andrew M. Tobias, Dea Toska, Keith Lange, Tyler Eck, Rohit Bhat, Cheryl A. Janson, David P. Rotella, Ueli Gubler, Nina M. Goodey

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Filariasis is a tropical disease caused by the parasitic nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi. Known inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) have been previously shown to kill Brugia malayi nematodes and to inhibit Brugia malayi DHFR (BmDHFR) at nanomolar concentrations. These data suggest that BmDHFR is a potential target for the treatment of filariasis. Here, protocols for cloning, expression and purification of Wuchereria bancrofti DHFR (WbDHFR) were developed. The Uniprot entry J9F199-1 predicts a 172 amino acid protein for WbDHFR but alignment of this sequence to the previously described BmDHFR shows that this WbDHFR sequence lacks a crucial, conserved 13 …

Measuring Transmissibility Of Sin Nombre Hantavirus In Deermice, Angela Luis

University Grant Program Reports

The purpose of this UGP proposal was to develop methods to measure transmissibility of SNV in deermice. Transmissibility is the probability of transmission of the virus to a susceptible mouse, given contact with an infected mouse, and is a function of each animal’s physiological stress level and immunity. If an animal is more stressed, its immunity will be depressed, which will increase susceptibility (of uninfected mice) and infectiousness (of infected mice). Therefore, in order to measure transmissibility, we need to develop methods to measure stress levels, immune function, and viral loads in deermice. With this UGP seed grant, we developed …

Graduate Internship Report- Salinas High School, Rachel Nicole Martinez

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This AgEd 539 Graduate Internship report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are currently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Salinas High School.The internship project includes the creation of an Agriculture Advisory Committee for Salinas High School. The included information and supporting materials are required to received local and state funding. An overview of the Salinas High School Program can be found in the Comprehensive Program Plan that is included in this document.

Association Between Toxoplasma Gondii Seropositivity And Memory Function In Non-Demented Older Adults, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman, Shawn D. Gale, Ariana Hedges-Muncy, Lance D. Erickson, Eric Wilson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 non-demented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there …

Recurrent Idiopathic Anaphylaxis In A Woman After Suspected Food Poisoning, Carl B. Lauter, Shalini Koppisetty

Articles

Rationale:Recurrent idiopathic anaphylaxis represents a vexing clinical problem associated with stress for patients and allergists. The cause is often not identified despite exhaustive testing. Methods The history of a 54-year old woman with repeated bouts of unexplained anaphylaxis is reviewed. The relationship between preceding or active infection (emphasis on gastrointestinal infections) and chronic idiopathic urticaria and anaphylaxis was explored by electronic media search (PubMed, Google) and review of reference lists of published articles. The literature on the relationship of Campylobacter jejuni infection and urticaria is reviewed. Gastrointestinal infections (Giardia, Anisakis) have been better documented in such patients. Results The patient …

Developing An Hpv Infection Risk Prediction Model For Adult Females, Rachel Holmer

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in four people are currently infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) in the United States. Although most people with HPV never experience symptoms, there is a risk of developing different types of HPV-related cancers after infection. These cancers and other related diseases result in almost $8 billion spent annually for treatment. Currently, all boys and girls ages 11 or 12 years are recommended to receive HPV vaccination. Catch-up vaccines are recommended for males and females through the age of 21 and 26, respectively, if they did not get vaccinated …

Extracellular Vesicle Rnas Reflect Placenta Dysfunction And Are A Biomarker Source For Preterm Labour., Shannon Fallen, David Baxter, Xiaogang Wu, Taek-Kyun Kim, Oksana Shynlova, Min Young Lee, Kelsey Scherler, Stephen Lye, Leroy Hood, Kai Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Preterm birth (PTB) can lead to lifelong complications and challenges. Identifying and monitoring molecular signals in easily accessible biological samples that can diagnose or predict the risk of preterm labour (PTL) in pregnant women will reduce or prevent PTBs. A number of studies identified putative biomarkers for PTL including protein, miRNA and hormones from various body fluids. However, biomarkers identified from these studies usually lack consistency and reproducibility. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in circulation have gained significant interest in recent years as these vesicles may be involved in cell-cell communication. We have used an improved small RNA library construction protocol and …

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Cenicriviroc For Treatment Of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis With Fibrosis., Scott L Friedman, Vlad Ratziu, Stephen A Harrison, Manal F Abdelmalek, Guruprasad P Aithal, Juan Caballeria, Sven Francque, Geoffrey Farrell, Kris V Kowdley, Antonio Craxi, Krzysztof Simon, Laurent Fischer, Liza Melchor-Khan, Jeffrey Vest, Brian L Wiens, Pamela Vig, Star Seyedkazemi, Zachary Goodman, Vincent Wai-Sun Wong, Rohit Loomba, Frank Tacke, Arun Sanyal, Eric Lefebvre

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The aim of this study was to evaluate cenicriviroc (CVC), a dual antagonist of CC chemokine receptor types 2 and 5, for treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with liver fibrosis (LF). A randomized, double-blind, multinational phase 2b study enrolled subjects with NASH, a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) ≥4, and LF (stages 1-3, NASH Clinical Research Network) at 81 clinical sites. Subjects (N = 289) were randomly assigned CVC 150 mg or placebo. Primary outcome was ≥2-point improvement in NAS and no worsening of fibrosis at year 1. Key secondary outcomes were: resolution of steatohepatitis (SH) and no …

Carcinonemertes Conanobrieni - A Nemertean Parasite Infecting The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus. Species Description, Host-Use, And Effect On Host Reproductive Health, Lunden A. Simpson

All Theses

Marine ecosystems are one of the world’s most heavily used and valuable natural systems. However, over the past decades, they have seen changes in the oceans’ pH, temperature, salinity, and other abiotic factors - all of which appear to have impacted the health of these systems, and there seems to be a global trend indicating that diseases in marine environments are emerging at an increased rate. Infection by a disease can result in a variety of negative effects on the health of a host, all of which are especially relevant in instances where commercially important hosts are infected. Disease can …

Poct Testing And Importance Of Operator Lock-Out, Nuha Fadlalla

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) is usually performed at the patient’s bedside by healthcare providers other than laboratory- trained professionals. Rapid growth of POCT is supported by numerous factors which include healthcare provider efficiency, improving diagnostic insight and better patient outcomes. This project study is done to make sure POCT users have adequate training to ensure and enhance the quality and patient safety. The individual performing these tests to be trained properly before he/she is approved to operate the POC devices. One method to ensure POCT operators have met the required training is the lock out approach which will not allow them …

Infections Not Fought: Antibiotic Resistance In Underserved Communities, Derek Lillestolen

Senior Honors Theses

In 1928, the profound effects of penicillin were discovered and antibiotic treatments became extremely popular. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, like tetracyclines, have been since branded as cure-all prescriptions and used profusely in the Western World and abroad. Due to ignorance of specific biochemical mechanisms and the misuse of antibiotics these drugs inadvertently allowed the rise in prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains of certain bacteria as the century progressed. Now, the specific genetic causes and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance are being understood, but the fight against antimicrobial resistance is far from over. In the United States, thousands of fatalities are caused annually by …

Mothers’ Stories: How Family And Community Influences Affect Generations Of Literacy Challenges, April Arfaras

All Theses And Dissertations

This study critically examines America’s literacy crisis and focuses on the most affected: at-risk single-parent mothers of infant-toddlers. Illiteracy is a social justice concern that contributes to poverty, poor health, and crime, and affects the economy and America’s status as the former world leader in education. There is contention among academic, corporate, private, and government sources regarding the conflicting statistics of the severity of the literacy crisis (Amarao, 2016; Khazan, 2014; Layton, 2015; Rasco, 2017; Sugrue, 2008). Little is known from mothers closest to the problem (Knowles, 2015). The research questions addressed in this study are (1.) How do at-risk …

Improving Hotel Demand Forecasting Accuracy By Identifying Seasonality-Adjusted Outliers, Tingting Duan

Open Access Theses

Forecasting accuracy determines the effectiveness of revenue optimization. Although researchers have evaluated demand forecasting models applied to various types of hotel, their results have differed considerably because the forecasting methods tested were based on varying hotel demand patterns. The objectives of this thesis are to improve forecasting accuracy and to provide general guidance on method selection. To achieve the objectives, the author proposes two stages. In the first stage, the author tests the performance of each of the selected forecasting models in 13 scenarios classified by location and scale. The selected forecasting methods are (1) Same Day Last Year (SD), …

Visualizing The Motion Flow Of Crowds, Zheng Zhao

Open Access Theses

In modern cities, massive population causes problems, like congestion, accident, violence and crime everywhere. Video surveillance system such as closed-circuit television cameras is widely used by security guards to monitor human behaviors and activities to manage, direct, or protect people. With the quantity and prolonged duration of the recorded videos, it requires a huge amount of human resources to examine these video recordings and keep track of activities and events. In recent years, new techniques in computer vision field reduce the barrier of entry, allowing developers to experiment more with intelligent surveillance video system. Different from previous research, this dissertation …

Adenovirus Vector-Based Vaccine Approach For Emerging Influenza Viruses, Ekramy E. Sayedahmed

Open Access Dissertations

Since 1996, there have been numerous reports of human infections with avian influenza A viruses of subtypes H5N1, H7N7 and H9N2. In 2013, a new avian influenza virus strain of H7N9 subtype emerged in China causing more than 1559 infections in humans resulting in 616 deaths so far. Although human-to-human transmission has been infrequent and limited, genetic reassortment between avian and human/porcine influenza viruses or mutations in some of the genes leading to virus replication in the upper respiratory tract in humans could result in the generation of a novel pandemic influenza virus strain that not only can infect but …

Modeling And Optimization Of Dynamical Systems In Epidemiology Using Sparse Grid Interpolation, Aditya P. Sai

Open Access Dissertations

Infectious diseases pose a perpetual threat across the globe, devastating communities, and straining public health resources to their limit. The ease and speed of modern communications and transportation networks means policy makers are often playing catch-up to nascent epidemics, formulating critical, yet hasty, responses with insufficient, possibly inaccurate, information. In light of these difficulties, it is crucial to first understand the causes of a disease, then to predict its course, and finally to develop ways of controlling it. Mathematical modeling provides a methodical, in silico solution to all of these challenges, as we explore in this work. We accomplish these …

Protecting Cultural Rights In The South Pacific Islands: Using Unesco And Marine Protected Areas To Plan For Climate Change, Elizabeth Thomas

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Whose Sperm Is It Anyways In The Wild, Wild West Of The Fertility Industry?, Tatiana E. Posada

Georgia State University Law Review

Imagine a couple that is unable to conceive a child naturally. Luckily, they had the money and resources available to them to conceive a child through assisted reproductive technology (ART), so they decided to start their family through the use of intrauterine insemination. They selected a sperm bank and began the arduous process of selecting a sperm donor who fit the desired traits and characteristics for their child. The sperm bank matched them with an anonymous donor, Donor 9623, and assured the couple that the donor was “a healthy male with an IQ of 160, a bachelor’s of science in …

Green Tea Polyphenol Egcg-S As An Antimicrobial Agent, Theresa Renee Aponte

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In recent years, a growing concern in the medical field has been the ability to treat infectious diseases. The microorganisms that cause these diseases have developed invasive mechanisms that elude possible treatments and increase their virulence. Some virulent factors that have been observed in microorganisms are biofilm and endospore formation. Development of new antimicrobial agents are needed to combat these microorganisms.

Green tea from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, has many health benefits, such as anti-bacterial, anti-spore, anti-cariogenic and anti-viral properties. Epigallocatechin-3- gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin and contributes to these effects. Due to the instability of EGCG, …

Emergency Preparedness Among College Students At The University Of Arkansas, Mary Gadberry

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Students at the University of Arkansas could be susceptible to multiple forms of disaster including severe winter weather, earthquakes, tornadoes, lightning, floods, toxin release, radiological release from nuclear power plant, infectious diseases, food contamination, fires, active shooters, and bomb threats (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2013). The unpredictability of natural disasters, coupled with the increase in targeted school violence, served as the impetus for various federal initiatives intended to protect university populations (FEMA, 2003). The purpose of this study was to determine the emergency preparedness levels of college students at the University of Arkansas. Only 50% of students were concerned …

Evidence-Based Tuburculosis Screening And Testing Clinical Protocol For Public Health And Primary Care Providers, Kimberly Senn

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Tuberculosis is a treatable and preventable disease; however, tuberculosis continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. Per the World Health Organization (2016), tuberculosis (TB) disease was responsible for 10.4 million illnesses and 1.8 million deaths in 2015. Strategic plans by public health entities are continually under development at the global, national, and state levels to utilize innovative methods for identifying, treating, and preventing transmission of TB. Newer testing technologies and recommendations, are available for screening patients at risk for developing TB disease, creating an opportunity for development of a new tuberculosis screening and testing …

Nomads Of The Body, Exiles Of The Mind: Twentieth Century Transnational African American Mexican Art And Literature, Anahi A. Douglas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the migration of African Americans from the U.S. to Mexico; however, these paths extend well beyond the North American continent and intersect with a much larger migration: the African Diaspora. The journeys of Langston Hughes, Audre Lorde, Willard Motley, and Elizabeth Catlett to Mexico illustrate an intricate web of rhizomatic connections spanning the Black Atlantic, the Caribbean Ocean, the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande. This dissertation examines the history of African American migration to Mexico during the twentieth century a well-documented, yet understudied area of research. These migrations offer an opportunity to reevaluate canon formation, Border …