Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Violent-Crime Recidivism, J.J. Prescott, Benjamin Pyle, Sonja B. Starr

Notre Dame Law Review

People convicted of violent crimes constitute a majority of the imprisoned population but are generally ignored by existing policies aimed at reducing mass incarceration. Serious efforts to shrink the large footprint of the prison system will need to recognize this fact. This point is especially pressing at the time of this writing, as states and the federal system consider large-scale prison releases motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those convicted of violent crimes constitute a large majority of older prisoners, who are extremely vulnerable to the spread of the virus behind bars. Excluding them from protective measures will deeply undermine those …

Global Estimated Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (Dalys) Of Diarrheal Diseases: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2017, Natacha Karambizi

All Theses

Summary Background

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 is the most comprehensive study ever carried out to report on the state of global public health for the previous 28 years (1990-2017). In 2017, it covered 359 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories.

Our study sought to provide an up-to-date analysis of the progress that has been made to eradicate diarrheal diseases using the GBD2017 data. Although significant progress has been made in reducing the number of deaths due to diarrhea, diarrheal diseases incidences and associated morbidity have not experienced the same level …

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Antibiotic Resistance Genes And Potential Drivers In The Aquatic Environments, Shuo Shen

Dissertations

As antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environment have been increasing across the world, affecting water quality and public health, many studies documented concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes and some studies discussed their potential drivers. However, systematic and quantitative reviews that link antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to anthropogenic and environmental factors are limited. Nevertheless, this information will be important for developing regulation policy on controlling antibiotic use and therefore reducing potential risks to antibiotic resistance. I conducted meta-analysis of ARGs concentration at a global scale using Bayesian inference to explore climatic and socio-economic factors as drivers. I found local-scale climatic variables …

Filifactor Alocis: Resilience And Manipulation Against Neutrophil Effector Functions In A Dysbiotic Oral Environment., Max N. Rogers

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Periodontitis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory infectious disease that affects around 50% of the adult population in the USA. Neutrophils, which are the primary immune cells recruited to restore health at sites of infection, are profuse in the gingival space during oral infections. In a community-wide effort, pathogenic oral bacteria hijack neutrophil effector functions to evade killing, resulting in an uncontrollable inflammatory loop that leads into inflammation-mediated tissue injury. One of these harmful emerging oral pathogens, Filifactor alocis, has been shown to evade neutrophil killing and contribute to disease progression. The purpose of this study is to gain a …

Barriers To The Implementation Of Telehealth In Rural Communities And Potential Solutions, Mariana Barreiro, Ashley Coles, Caris Conradt, Emma Hales, Elizabeth Zellmer

Anna Vaughn School of Nursing Undergraduate Work

Telehealth is an ever-growing health care system, providing health services from a distance. Telehealth provides medical care through teletechnologies and two-way video and audio communication to connect doctors to patients. A detailed review was created to show the barriers and interventions of implementing a telehealth program in a rural area. The overall purpose of the systematic review was to find and explore relevant research and answer the question, “What are commonly encountered barriers to implementing telehealth in rural areas and what interventions can nurses implement to overcome these barriers?” The approach used to obtain quality data and research was convenience …

Understanding Violent-Crime Recidivism, J.J. Prescott, Benjamin Pyle, Sonja B. Starr

Articles

People convicted of violent crimes constitute a majority of the imprisoned population but are generally ignored by existing policies aimed at reducing mass incarceration. Serious efforts to shrink the large footprint of the prison system will need to recognize this fact. This point is especially pressing at the time of this writing, as states and the federal system consider large-scale prison releases motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those convicted of violent crimes constitute a large majority of older prisoners, who are extremely vulnerable to the spread of the virus behind bars. Excluding them from protective measures will deeply undermine those …

The Borders Between Us: Analyzing The United States’ Border Policies & Repercussions, Louise De Oliveira

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This poster addresses the United States’ current southern border situation. It begins by analyzing the historical precedent for discrimination against immigrants to provide a background of understanding for the current situation. It then explains how this aided in President Trump’s election and his resolution to curb illegal immigration by reinforcing the southern border. It also analyzes the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy that led to family separation and the personal and political effects of the policy. Furthermore, the poster analyzes the executive order that attempted to end family separations. Finally, the poster examines the current state of border conditions and immigration …

Preservation And Utilization Of Wet Brewer's Grains In Diets Of Dairy Heifers, Eric Hatungimana

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

PRESERVATION AND UTILIZATION OF WET BREWER’S GRAINS IN DIETS OF DAIRY HEIFERS

By

Eric Hatungimana

University of New Hampshire, May 2020

Three experiments were conducted. The objective of Experiment 1 was 2-fold: 1) to evaluate the effect of storage of wet brewer’s grains (WBG) treated with salt or a commercial preservative (PRES) on yeast and mold growth and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and 2) to evaluate in situ dry matter (DM) and protein digestibility of WBG treated with salt and PRES. Seven treatments were used for objective 1: control (0%), PRES (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%); or salt (1.4%, …

Responses Of Bats To White-Nose Syndrome And Implications For Conservation, Meghan Stark

Doctoral Dissertations

The appearance and spread of emerging infectious diseases pose a significant threat to wildlife populations worldwide having resulted in declines far surpassing those in recorded history. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), is currently one of the most pervasive wildlife diseases, with devastating impacts on several North American bat species. Since its initial detection in 2006, Pd has spread rapidly across North America and population declines at hibernating sites have been severe; however, mortality rates from WNS vary among species. While environmental conditions in hibernacula may be strong predictors of disease impacts on individual species, variation in susceptibility …

In Vitro Immune Activation By Treponema Pallidum And The Effect On Osteoclastogenesis: First Experimental Step Towards An Integration Between Osteoimmunology And Paleopathology., Emily Ann Rich

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The presence of pathogens in the human body influences the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by activated immune cells. These cytokines, and other factors, regulate osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast activity. Through experimental osteoimmunology, interactions between the inflammatory response and bone cell physiology may provide insight into how immune processes can be translated into the lesions or abnormalities observed in the osteological record. In this research, our objective was to determine if the cytokines produced by activated immune cells increase osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast activity. To evaluate this hypothesis, we used two main protocols, one for immune activation and one for osteoclastogenesis, that utilized …

Teaching In Ghana: Respiratory Illnesses, Rachel Pruitt

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

For participants of this teaching project about respiratory illnesses related to smoke, four goals were created. Our first goal was that participants would be able to recognize the health hazards associated with the populations’ current cooking situation using wood stoves. Secondly, participants would be able to verbalize the benefits of utilizing ceramic coal pots for cooking. Another goal was that participants would be able to explain a simple way to protect their family members from smoke exposure and developing respiratory illnesses. Our final goal was that participants would be able to verbalize and/or demonstrate how to use the new ceramic …

Maternal And Newborn Outcomes For Women Living With Hiv In Adapted Group Prenatal Care, Jodi Behr

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: For women living with HIV (WLWH), managing HIV and their pregnancy can be challenging. WLWH have been identified at risk for lower adherence to prenatal care, increased maternal HIV Plasma RNA levels, decreased newborn gestational age, and newborn birth weight. Improved outcomes have been found with group prenatal care. Maternal and newborn outcomes for WLWH and their newborns in group prenatal care compared to WLWH and their newborns in individual care have not been evaluated.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to evaluate group differences between WLWH who attended individual prenatal care appointments (IC) compared to WLWH who …

An Assessment Of Outpatient Clinic Room Ventilation Systems And Possible Relationship To Disease Transmission, Kristin G. King

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The delivery of healthcare in the United States is shifting from a largely inpatient model to an outpatient services model, but the physical infrastructure for outpatient clinics or medical offices may not be as robust as inpatient hospitals regarding whole room ventilation requirements. Guidelines for the design of healthcare facilities and national standards for ventilation establish generally acceptable ventilation rates for outpatient clinics, but it is unclear if these standards are actually being integrated into these settings. Published peer reviewed literature indicates that inadequate ventilation rates can be a risk factor in airborne transmission of infectious diseases in outpatient clinics, …

Understanding Factors That Impact Health Behaviors And Access To Healthcare Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Kathryn Rosales Gallardo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) have a high risk of adverse health outcomes and their utilization of healthcare services is low. This dissertation aims to further understand factors that impact YEH’s health behaviors and access to healthcare services. This dissertation is in the form of three manuscripts that each contribute to the overall aim. In manuscript 1, we examined the rates and correlates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and completion among a sample of YEH in seven U.S. cities using logistic regression models. We found that HPV vaccination completion is low among male (19%) and female (37%) YEH. Among male …

Trends In Injection Drug Use In Texas Treatment Facility Admissions, Cara Dahlhausen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This is a serial cross-sectional secondary analysis of drug treatment admissions records from the TEDS-A from years 2013-2017. The prevalence of injected drug use was calculated for each year and analyzed across the five-year period using a chi-square test to determine the presence of significant change in injection drug use from 2013 to 2017. Prevalence of injection drug use also will be calculated for each year by drug type (heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine), age, sex, ethnicity and race, and will be analyzed for trends using a chi-square test.

Exploration Of Breastfeeding As A Protective Factor For Breast Cancer In South African Women: A Nested Case-Control Study, Booker S. Quiera

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background. South African’s (SA) breast cancer incidence rate is continually increasing (39 per 100,000 (2012) versus 46.2 per 100,000 (2018) with trends towards later-stage diagnosis. In previous literature, breastfeeding has been assessed as a protective factor for breast cancer; however, the SA population experiences inconsistent breastfeeding trends, rates, and support services. Therefore, this study will evaluate the inverse association between breast cancer and breastfeeding history. Methods. Cases (breast cancer) and controls (mastalgia) were matched 1:1 on clinical visit from May-August 2019 at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Breastfeeding history, breast carcinoma diagnosis, and clinically …

Exploration Of Breastfeeding As A Protective Factor For Breast Cancer In South African Women: A Nested Case-Control Study, Quiera S. Booker

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

South African’s (SA) breast cancer incidence rate is continually increasing (39 per 100,000 (2012) versus 46.2 per 100,000 (2018) with trends towards later-stage diagnosis. In previous literature, breastfeeding has been assessed as a protective factor for breast cancer; however, the SA population experiences inconsistent breastfeeding trends, rates, and support services. Therefore, this study will evaluate the inverse association between breast cancer and breastfeeding history. Methods. Cases (breast cancer) and controls (mastalgia) were matched 1:1 on clinical visit from May-August 2019 at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Breastfeeding history, breast carcinoma diagnosis, and clinically relevant …

Impact Of Domestic Animals On Prevalence Of Vector-Borne Diseases In Humans, Md Mondal Hasan Zahid

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

Vector-borne infectious diseases are one of the leading problems for public health worldwide, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries. These diseases infect humans through the bite of infected vectors. The effect of host diversity on disease persistence, well studied in ecological literature, is examined here in a domestic setting. Some additional hosts dilute infection, while others amplify certain disease infections. Domestic animals can play an important role, as an additional host, in the disease dynamics by affecting host-pathogen interactions. However, the effect of additional hosts is not always straightforward since their presence impacts negatively by helping the vector population grow …

Anosmia And Ageusia As The Only Indicators Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan, Shahrzad Abdollahi, Travis C. Nace

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

The patient is a 60-year-old woman with a history of vertigo and seasonal allergies who presented to the hospital with the chief complaint of headache. Radiological findings were negative for intracranial abnormalities. The headache was due to trigeminal neuralgia. She had concurrent complaints of anosmia and ageusia without fever, respiratory symptoms, or obvious risk factors. However, it was determined to test the patient for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection despite extremely low clinical suspicion. Unfortunately, she was found to be COVID-19 positive after she was discharged from the hospital while she remained asymptomatic. There is currently a lack of published …

Service Learning In Bolgatanga, Ghana: Women’S Health Teaching —Empowering School-Aged Girls In An Underdeveloped Nation—, Margaret Temofeew

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this service learning experience, I noticed cultural, economic, and educational barriers to menstrual hygiene in Bolgatanga, Ghana. These barriers affect the health and education of school-aged girls in Bolgatanga.

The Presence Of Legionellae In Respiratory Devices: Convenience Sampling Of Idaho Long Term Care Facilities, Andrew Nutting

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Legionella is a bacterium found naturally in moist environments. Persons can become infected when they inhale airborne droplets of water containing such bacteria. Legionellosis cases associated with the use of respiratory devices such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) units, jet nebulizers, portable room humidifiers, and respiratory ventilation equipment have been identified in context of a Legionellosis outbreak. However, a systematic search for the presence of Legionella bacteria in respiratory devices outside of a Legionellosis outbreak has not been reported. The goal of this study was to carry out such a survey on different types of respiratory devices in long …

Severe Covid 19 Case With Atypical Presentation, Collin Richards, Raef Fadel, Odaliz Abreu-Lanfranco, Indira Brar, Geehan Suleyman

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

Introduction: COVID-19 was brought to the attention of the WHO on December 31st, 2019 and classified a global pandemic on March 11th. As of March 26th, there were 2,856 cases and 60 deaths in Michigan, with 851 cases and 15 deaths in Detroit. Efforts to characterize risk factors for severe disease may improve clinical outcomes and inform resource allocation. Better understanding of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 are essential to slowing transmission and treating patients. Below we detail the clinical features of a COVID-19 positive patient seen in early March, 2020.

Case Report: An 80-year-old female presented to …

Atypical Presentation Of Covid-19 Causing Rhabdomyolysis: A Case Report, Gulmohar Singh-Kucukarslan, Danielle Heidemann

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

An otherwise healthy 42-year-old male presented with lower back pain and thigh pain. On presentation, he was found to have a CPK of 4100 and a creatinine of 2.99 (baseline 1). Lumbar x-ray was negative for an acute process. Urine drug screen was negative. However, repeat CPK revealed a CPK of 313,000 and a creatinine of 4.11. Upon further questioning, the patient denied any sort of trauma or injury. Given concern for crackles that were heard on exam, chest x-ray was completed and revealed multifocal opacities. The patient denied any sort of respiratory symptoms, however given that the patient presented …

A Unique Presentation Of Cryptococcus Neoformans And Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pjp ) Co Infection In A Newly Diagnosed Hiv Patient, Zain Tariq, Shereen Zia, Daniel Schultz, Indira Brar, Robert J. Tibbetts

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

One week prior to demise, a 30 years old smoker male with a past medical history significant for intermittent asthma presented to emergency with shortness of breath, wheezing, productive cough, and generalized fatigue for 1 week. He was afebrile, normotensive, tachycardic and had O2 saturation of 96% on room air. Physical examination showed cachexia, audible wheezes and oropharyngeal erythema. Labs showed WBC 3600/uL with lymphocyte count of 700/uL and mild thrombocytopenia. Chest X ray was clear. Serology was reactive for HIV, pending viral load. Working diagnosis was asthma exacerbation in the setting of a possible viral infection for which he …

An Unusual Case Of Urban Actinomyces Pyogenes Infective Endocarditis, Maher Musleh, Anita Ukani, Zain Tariq, Erica Herc

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

Actinomyces pyogenes is a gram positive bacillus known to cause pyogenic infections in animals with rare reports in humans with farm animal exposure. A 52-year-old male who was an active injection drug user presented to the emergency department with right-sided weakness, expressive aphasia, and altered mental status. He was found to be tachycardic and febrile. The patient was admitted two weeks prior for bilateral pneumonia and blood cultures grew Actinomyces pyogenes. Infectious Diseases was not consulted during that admission. On this admission, CT head showed a large left MCA ischemic stroke. Further imaging was concerning for septic emboli to the …

Pandemic Emergency Department Triage Screening: Symptoms Increase Sensitivity, Aaron Sherwood, Tessa Lewitt, Raef Fadel, Joseph B. Miller, Geehan Suleyman, Odaliz Abreu-Lanfranco, Indira Brar

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

INTRODUCTION: In the weeks following the January 20, 2020, announcement of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States, valuable data was published on the clinical characteristics, including the most common presenting symptoms of individuals affected with the disease. One study in Wuhan, China, identified fever (43.8% on admission and 88.7% during hospitalization) and cough (67.8%) as common symptoms. A second study in Washington State identified shortness of breath as an initial symptom in 76% of patients. This case highlights the importance of rapid incorporation of updated data on the symptomatology of diseases into triage screening questionnaires during …

Rituximab-Induced Procalcitonin Elevation, Zachery Bauer, Junior Uduman

MERF 2020 - Case Reports

Procalcitonin has been studied as a marker of bacterial lung infection. It frequently guides clinical practice and antibiotic management. However, procalcitonin is known to have false positive results in certain scenarios. This case describes an 86 year old African American woman with mantle cell lymphoma who presented with acute on chronic dyspnea. Diagnostic tests found a white blood cell count of 632 k/uL (95% lymphocytes) and procalcitonin of 1.29 ng/mL. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated a right lung consolidation and hilar lymphadenopathy. She was treated empirically for pneumonia with ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Additionally, she received induction chemotherapy with rituximab …

Magnetic Field–Driven Assembly And Reconfiguration Of Multicomponent Supraparticles, A. Al Harraq, J. G. Lee, B. Bharti

Faculty Publications

Suprastructures at the colloidal scale must be assembled with precise control over local interactions to accurately mimic biological complexes. The toughest design requirements include breaking the symmetry of assembly in a simple and reversible fashion to unlock functions and properties so far limited to living matter. We demonstrate a simple experimental technique to program magnetic field–induced interactions between metallodielectric patchy particles and isotropic, nonmagnetic “satellite” particles. By controlling the connectivity, composition, and distribution of building blocks, we show the assembly of three-dimensional, multicomponent supraparticles that can dynamically reconfigure in response to change in external field strength. The local arrangement of …

Protective Clothes And Equipment For Healthcare Workers To Prevent Them Catching Coronavirus And Other Highly Infectious Diseases

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Dual Schistosome Infection Prevalence From Urine In An Endemic Community Of Ghana By Molecular Diagnostic Approach, William K. Anyan, Brittany R. Pulkkila, Clare E. Dyra, Miriam Price, Jean M. Naples, Joseph Quartey, Abraham K. Anang, Nilanjan Lodh

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Schistosomiasis is an important Neglected Tropical Disease caused by blood parasites called schistosomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, two major human schistosomes, namely Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, often occur sympatrically and is responsible for almost 90% of the affected 290 million people worldwide. We have utilized a highly sensitive and specific assay by amplifying species-specific cell-free repeat DNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction to detect either single or dual schistosome infection from a single urine sample from a broad age group. In this study, we have tested filtered urine samples collected from 163 individuals aged 3–63 years, mostly children (median …