Digital Commons Network^™

Immunization Strategies In Networks With Missing Data, Samuel F. Rosenblatt, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Network-based intervention strategies can be effective and cost-efficient approaches to curtailing harmful contagions in myriad settings. As studied, these strategies are often impractical to implement, as they typically assume complete knowledge of the network structure, which is unusual in practice. In this paper, we investigate how different immunization strategies perform under realistic conditions—where the strategies are informed by partially- observed network data. Our results suggest that global immunization strategies, like degree immunization, are optimal in most cases; the exception is at very high levels of missing data, where stochastic strategies, like acquaintance immunization, begin to outstrip them in minimizing outbreaks. …

Competing Forces Of Withdrawal And Disease Avoidance In The Risk Networks Of People Who Inject Drugs, Elspeth Ready, Patrick Habecker, Roberto Abadie, Bilal Khan, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We analyze a network of needle-sharing ties among 117 people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural Puerto Rico, using exponential random graph modeling to examine whether network members engage in partner restriction to lower their risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis C (HCV), or in informed altruism to prevent others from contracting these infections. Although sharing of used syringes is a significant risk factor for transmission of these diseases among PWID, we find limited evidence for partner restriction or informed altruism in the network of reported needle-sharing ties. We find however that sharing of needles is strongly reciprocal, and individuals …

Immunization Strategies In Networks With Missing Data, Samuel Frederick Rosenblatt, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Network-based intervention strategies can be effective and cost-efficient approaches to cur- tailing harmful contagions in myriad settings. As studied, these strategies are often impracti- cal to implement, as they typically assume complete knowledge of the network structure, which is unusual in practice. In this paper, we investigate how different immunization strategies perform under realistic conditions—where the strategies are informed by partially-observed network data. Our results suggest that global immunization strategies, like degree immunization, are optimal in most cases; the exception is at very high levels of missing data, where stochastic strategies, like acquaintance immunization, begin to outstrip them in mini- …

Exploring Strategies To Enhance Access To Mental Health Services During Covid-19 Among Expectant Mothers In Medically Underserved Communities, Janet Choongo, Dziyana Nazaruk

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Long Acting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) In Rural Communities, William Mase, Ellie Purdy

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

A Pragmatist Context-Based Assessment Of The Economic Implications Of Eating Patterns In A Small Sub-Saharan Developing Economy: Focus On Togo, Corinne D. Tomta-Heinrich

Plymouth Business School Theses

Healthy nutrition is recognized as essential to a productive workforce and strategic in preventing healthcare costs. Meanwhile, food supply system proficiency requires socially coherent organizational efficiency. Sub-Saharan Africa is widely presented in agro-food economics literature as a cultural block whereas it enfolds context-specific nations with specific biophysical and historical ties. This thesis aims to determine the importance of investigating country-specific diets’ effects on economic welfare. Equally, it emphases national food system governance on which globalization, socio-economic and demographic transitions are increasingly influential. Normative, critical and grounded in poststructuralism and cultural/relativist pragmatism, the thesis shifts focus from generic material challenges emphasized …

Using Phytoglycogen-Based Nanoparticles To Enhance Inosine Monophsophate Delivery Using Rainbow Trout And Bovine Models, Kristof Jenik

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Recently, there has been interest in the use of nucleotides in industrials feeds, with inosine monophosphate showing the most promising effects on growth and immunity. Rainbow trout and Alberta cattle are two of Canadas most profitable farmed animals, if their growth rates and immunity could be enhanced this would further improve their value. The impacts of IMP, a phytoglycogen-based nanoparticle (NP) and inosine monophosphate cationically bound to the phytoglycogen-based nanoparticle (IMP-NP) were characterized in rainbow trout in vivo and in vitro and in vitro in bovine cells. Rainbow trout that were fed an IMP-NP containing feed on average had higher …

The Complex Legacy Of R. V. Cuerrier: Hiv Nondisclosure Prosecutions And Their Impact On Sexual Assault Law, Isabel Grant

All Faculty Publications

This article examines the impact of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Cuerrier from two vantage points. First, the article examines the impact of the decision on HIV nondisclosure prosecutions. Second, it examines the damage done by Cuerrier to sexual assault law outside of the HIV context. The article argues that Cuerrier has both overcriminalized people living with HIV and distorted the law of sexual assault. Through Cuerrier, and subsequent cases, the Supreme Court of Canada has unduly limited the concept of consent and its voluntariness requirement, and distorted the concept of fraud such that deceptions around …

Investigation Of Rna Interference (Rnai)-Mediated Gene Silencing In Rainbow Trout, Sarah Au

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

RNA interference (RNAi) was first characterized in plants and invertebrates as an antiviral innate immune response. It is a natural antiviral defence mechanism to degrade viral RNA by virus-induced gene silencing. Studies showed synthetic long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA; >30bp) degraded Caenorhabditis elegans messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts, resulting in sequence-dependent gene silencing. Currently, there is only limited research on RNAi in fish, particularly the use of long dsRNA to trigger sequence-specific gene silencing. This is because studies have shown long dsRNAs trigger interferon response that could mask gene-specific RNAi effects. This thesis explored long dsRNA-mediated RNAi pathways in rainbow trout cells …

Exploring The Relationship Between Gender, Race, And Space, And Toronto Community Housing Policy, Anita Rachel Ewan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation presents the racial-gendered lived experiences of Black women living in Toronto Community Housing (TCH; subsidized housing). This research found that Black women and their families are disproportionately faced with challenges due to barriers caused by housing policy and procedures that also affect the overall development and wellbeing of their children. It also highlights the ways in which Black women continue to thrive and survive in the face of detrimental and derelict living conditions; accomplished through community development and support initiatives, and fostering strong communities.

This is a qualitative research project that includes an art-based method. Utilizing a feminist …

Rural Malawian Women’S Resistance To Systematic Oppression, Violence, And Abuse By Their Husbands, Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, Wendy S. Bauer, Patricia E. Stevens, Loren W. Galvao, Katarina M. Grande, April Yerges, Lindsay Emer, Thokozani Mwenyekonde, Lance Weinhardt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

In Malawi, 41% of women aged 15 to 49 report ever experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). Although there is evidence of the pervasiveness of IPV in Malawian society, the context in which it occurs and how women respond is not well described. The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of IPV of rural Malawian women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 55 rural Malawian women aged 21 to 75 years (M = 39) as part of a larger, mixed-methods study. This qualitative thematic analysis highlights husbands’ IPV against wives and women’s actions to protect themselves and their children, …

Transition Metal Chalcogenide Hybrid Systems As Catalysts For Energy Conversion And Biosensing, Siddesh Umapathi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Generation of hydrogen and oxygen through catalyst-aided water splitting which has immense applications in metal air batteries, PEM fuel cells and solar to fuel energy production, has been one of the critical topics in recent times. The state of art oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts are mostly comprised of precious metals. The current challenge lies in replacing these precious metal-based catalysts with non-precious earth-abundant materials without compromising catalytic efficiency.

This research explores mixed metal selenides containing Fe-Ni, Fe-Co and RhSe which were hydrothermally synthesized and/or electrodeposited and tested for OER and ORR …

I Was Determined To Breastfeed, And I Always Found A Solution: Successful Experiences Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Chinese Mothers In Ireland, John Kearney, Qianling Zhou, Haoyue Chen, Katherine Younger, Tanya M. Cassidy

Articles

Background: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months was previously found to be very low among Chinese immigrants in Ireland, at 5.8% (Zhou et al., Front Public Health 6:351, 2018). This study investigates the successful experiences of Chinese mothers living in Ireland who exclusively breastfeed for between four and 6 months.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the sample of the Ireland Chinese Mother Survey. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen participants in their homes or public places.

Results: A content analysis revealed that various factors contributed to a successful experience of exclusive breastfeeding among the group …

Breastfeeding Practices 2008–2009 Among Chinese Mothers Living In Ireland: A Mixed Methods Study, Qianling Zhou, Katherine Younger, Tanya M. Cassidey, Wenyi Wang, John Kearney

Articles

Background

Migration to another country has a potential influence on breastfeeding practices. A significant difference in breastfeeding rates between Irish nationals and non-nationals has been reported. This study was conducted to explore breastfeeding practices of the Chinese in Ireland, one of the largest Irish ethnic groups, and to explore the influence of living in Ireland on breastfeeding practices. This is the first and the only migration study so far on breastfeeding practices among the Chinese in Ireland.

Methods

A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was adopted. The first phase was a cross-sectional self-administered retrospective mailed survey, to explore breastfeeding practices …

Physician Attitudes Towards-And Adoption Of-Mobile Health, Tracie Kong, Mary Morgan Scott, Yang Li, Cynthia Wichelman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Smartphone apps and mobile devices are an emerging method of healthcare data collection. This study sought to understand how physicians currently view mobile health (mHealth) technologies and use them in patient care.

METHODS: A total of 186 physicians affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, USA completed a survey in 2016 regarding their current implementation of mHealth technologies for patient care and support for further development.

RESULTS: More than half of respondents were willing to discuss health apps and mobile devices with patients. However, most were not currently recommending them to patients. Apps/devices that encouraged …

‘Coronated’ Consumption In The Viral Market, Soonkwan Hong

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The universal exposure to the virus has disrupted institutions, redefined values, and reshaped systems, including the market. Idling, uncertainty, and liquidity encapsulate the ever-precarious individual lives and the reflexive socio-politico-cultural changes. These conditions and consequences nonetheless create paradoxical opportunities in the viral market. The new meaning of connectivity that promotes high-viscosity relationships and high-visibility identities will transform the market to better acknowledge and support humans and the new sociality.

Shifting Courses: Achieving Equity In High School Stem, 100kin10, Jeanne Norris

Institute for School Partnership: Research & Publications

Strategies to achieve science equity through high school course offerings, supporting teachers to facilitate active and applied STEM learning, and creating systems to ensure equitable teaching and learning with examples from mySci.

Evaluating The Effects Of Medications For Opioid Use Disorder On Hiv Risk Behaviors Among A Network Of People Who Inject Drugs, Joseph Puleo

Open Access Master's Theses

People who inject drugs (PWID) are a population with increased HIV risk due in part to sharing drug injection equipment. In networks of people connected through risk behavior, individuals can exert influence on each other. Evidence suggests that receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) can reduce HIV risk behaviors. However, limited studies have been conducted to determine if there are direct effects (among the participants treated) or disseminated effects (among participants who were not treated themselves, but shared connections with those treated) of MOUD among networks of PWID.

The main goal of this thesis is to evaluate if receiving …

Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (Hand) Biomarker Identification: Significance Analysis Of Microarrays And Two Persuasive Approaches With Random Forest, Hansapani Rodrigo, Bryan Martinez, Roberto De La Garza, Upal Roy

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: HIV Associated Neurological Disorders (HAND) is relatively common among people with HIV-1 infection, even those taking combined antiretroviral treatment (cART). Genome-wide screening of transcription regulation in brain tissue helps in identifying substantial abnormalities present in patients’ gene transcripts and to discover possible biomarkers for HAND. This study explores the possibility of identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes, which can serve as potential biomarkers to detect HAND. In this study, we have investigated the gene expression levels of three subject groups with different impairment levels of HAND along with a control group in three distinct brain sectors: white matter, frontal cortex, …

Multi-Use Books In Waiting Rooms: Summary, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Clinical Critically Appraised Topics

No abstract provided.

Igg Glycosylation Profile And The Glycan Score Are Associated With Type 2 Diabetes In Independent Chinese Populations: A Case-Control Study, Zhiyuan Wu, Haibin Li, Di Liu, Lixin Tao, Jie Zhang, Baolu Liang, Xiangtong Liu, Xiaonan Wang, Xia Li, Youxin Wang, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background. The relationship between the IgG glycan panel and type 2 diabetes remains unclear in Chinese population. We aimed to investigate the association of the IgG glycan profile and glycan score with type 2 diabetes. Methods. In the discovery population, 162 individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 162 matched controls from Beijing health management cohort were included. We analyzed the IgG glycan profile and composed a glycan score for type 2 diabetes. Findings were validated in the replication population from Beijing Xuanwu community cohort (280 cases and 508 controls). Area under curve (AUC) using 10-fold and bootstrap validation, net …

Global Variability Of The Human Igg Glycome, Jerko Stambuk, Natali Nakic, Frano Vuckovic, Maja Pucic-Bakovic, Genadij Razdorov, Irena Trbojevic-Akmacic, Mislav Novokmet, Toma Keser, Marija Vilaj, Tamara Stambuk, Ivan Gudelj, Mirna Simurina, Manshu Song, Hao Wang, Marijana Pericic Salihovic, Harry Campbell, Igor Rudan, Ivana Kolcic, Leigh Anne Eller, Paul Mckeigue, Merlin L. Robb, Jonas Halfvarson, Metin Kurtoglu, Vito Annese, Tatjana Skaric-Juric, Mariam Molokhia, Ozren Polasek, Caroline Hayward, Hannah Kibuuka, Kujtim Thaqi, Dragan Primorac, Christian Geieger, Sorachai Nitayaphan, Tim Spector, Youxin Wang, Therese Tillin, Nish Chaturvedi, James F. Wilson, Moses Schanfield, Maxim Filipenko, Wei Wang, Gordan Lauc

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most abundant serum antibody which structural characteristics and effector functions are modulated through the attachment of various sugar moieties called glycans. Composition of the IgG N-glycome changes with age of an individual and in different diseases. Variability of IgG glycosylation within a population is well studied and is known to be affected by both genetic and environmental factors. However, global inter-population differences in IgG glycosylation have never been properly addressed. Here we present population-specific N-glycosylation patterns of IgG, analyzed in 5 different populations totaling 10,482 IgG glycomes, and of IgG’s fragment crystallizable region (Fc), analyzed …

Antimicrobial Resistance In Clostridium Difficile Ribotype 017, Korakrit Imwattana, Daniel R. Knight, Brian Kullin, Deirdre A. Collins, Papanin Putsathit, Pattarachai Kiratisin, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) played an important role in the initial outbreaks of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the 1970s. C. difficile ribotype (RT) 017 has emerged as the major strain of C. difficile in Asia, where antimicrobial use is poorly regulated. This strain has also caused CDI outbreaks around the world for almost 30 years. Many of these outbreaks were associated with clindamycin and fluoroquinolone resistance. AMR and selective pressure is likely to be responsible for the success of this RT and may drive future outbreaks.

Areas covered: This narrative journalarticle summarizes the prevalence and mechanisms of AMR in …

Analysis Of A Large Spatiotemporal Groundwater Quality Dataset, Ontario 2010–2017: Informing Human Health Risk Assessment And Testing Guidance For Private Drinking Water Wells, Tessa Latchmore, Paul Hynds, R. Stephen Brown, Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Sarah Dickson-Anderson, Kevin Mcdermott, Anna Majury

Articles

Approximately 1.5 million individuals in Ontario are supplied by private water wells (private groundwater supplies). Unlike municipal supplies, private well water quality remains unregulated, with owners responsible for testing, treating, and maintaining their own water supplies. The primary goal of this study was to assess the effect of repeat sampling of private well water in Ontario and investigate the efficacy of geographically- and/or temporally specific testing recommendations and health risk assessments. The current study combines the Well Water Information System Dataset and the Well Water Testing Dataset from 2010 to 2017, inclusive. These two large existing province-wide datasets collated over …

After The Fire: Post-Pandemic Reflections, Daniel Martin

Peninsula Medical School

Over the space of a few months virtually everything we know has been turned on its head. In Wuhan (China) during the closing months of 2019 a spillover event occurred in which the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was transferred from its animal host population into humans 1, 2. Spread mainly by respiratory droplets, the virus has a basic reproduction number (R0) of between 2-6 in an unprotected population making it more contagious than influenza, but considerably less so than measles. As SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread across the planet, aided by our love of intercontinental travel, the local market …

A Novel Lung Health Programme Addressing Awareness And Behaviour-Change Aiming To Prevent Chronic Respiratory Diseases In Rural Uganda: A Two-Year Train-The-Trainer Programme, R Jones, B Kirenga, S Buteme, S Williams, Gemert F Van

Peninsula Medical School

Chronic lung disease is a huge, growing, but under reported problem in Africa. Following a survey in rural Uganda, which found 16% of the adult population had COPD, we developed a lung health programme aiming to raise awareness in the community of the risk factors for developing chronic lung disease and how to reduce the risks. A two-year train-the-trainer programme was conducted by healthcare workers (HCWs) in Masindi District, Uganda. Strategy and preliminary education materials were co-developed in a series of meetings with stakeholders including clinicians and community members. An initial group of HCWs were trained and further refned the …

Use Of An Outbred Rat Hepacivirus Challenge Model For Design And Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Different Immunization Strategies For Hepatitis C Virus, Erwan Atcheson, Wenqin Li, Carly M. Bliss, Senthil Chinnakannan, Kathrin Heim, Hannah Sharpe, Claire Hutchings, Isabelle Dietrich, Dung Nguyen, Amit Kapoor, Michael A. Jarvis, Paul Klenerman, Eleanor Barnes, Peter Simmonds

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Multiple Dna Viruses Identified In Multimammate Mouse (Mastomys Natalensis) Populations From Across Regions Of Sub-Saharan Africa, Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer, Léonce Kouadio, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Nafomon Sogoba, Kyle Rosenke, Andrew J. Davison, Fabian Leendertz, Michael A. Jarvis, Heinz Feldmann, Bernhard Ehlers

School of Biomedical Sciences

Abstract The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis; M. natalensis) serves as the main reservoir for the zoonotic arenavirus Lassa virus (LASV), and this has led to considerable investigation into the distribution of LASV and other related arenaviruses in this host species. In contrast to the situation with arenaviruses, the presence of other viruses in M. natalensis remains largely unexplored. In this study, herpesviruses and polyomaviruses were identified and partially characterized by PCR methods, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. In tissues sampled from M. natalensis populations in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, six new DNA viruses (four betaherpesviruses, one gammaherpesvirus and one polyomavirus) were …

The World Is Its Own Best Model: Modelling And Future Pandemic Planning In Dentistry, M-S Howe

Peninsula Dental School

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has and continues to create a huge number of challenges to the globaleconomy and its associated healthcare systems, including dentistry. In the early stages, we have had to rely onmathematical modelling and plans developed from previous healthcare emergencies. As the emergency develops, itis vitally important that policymakers understand the diference between the science and the real-world evidence sothat policy can adapt rapidly to the changing environment. Efective management of future crises will require openchannels of communication across the whole profession, not only to collect, clean, curate and evaluate data but alsoto assess the benefts and harms …

Clocktower, Cholera And Covid19: Script For Television Program Broadcast As "With You In Spirit:Short Messages Of Hope And Encouragement From People Of Many Faiths And None., Alan Hilliard

Other

No abstract provided.