Identifying The Distinct Adaptive And Plastic Gene Expression Patterns And Microbial Indicators That Mediate Coral Disease Resistance, Nicholas James Macknight

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Infectious diseases are an increasing threat to coral reefs, resulting in altered community structure and hindering the functional contributions of disease susceptible species. While forecasting disease outbreaks based on environmental factors has progressed, we still lack a comparative understanding of susceptibility among coral species that would help predict disease impacts on coral communities. This dissertation compared the phenotypic, microbial, and coral host gene expression responses of seven diverse Caribbean coral species after exposure to white plague disease. Disease incidence and lesion progression rates were evaluated over a seven-day exposure. Coral microbiomes and RNA were sampled after lesion appearance or at …

An Investigation Into The Roles Of Aldose Reductase And Acetate Kinase In The Metabolism Of Entamoeba Histolytica, Matthew B. Angel

All Dissertations

Entamoeba histolytica is an amoebic parasite that infects an estimated 90 million people worldwide and causes approximately 100,000 deaths per year. As the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, this food- and water-borne pathogen represents a significant public health burden worldwide, particularly in areas with poor sanitation. While treatments for amoebiasis exist, they are often limited in their effectiveness. Thus, efforts to better understand the biology and physiology of this organism are vital to the development of novel treatments for this disease.

E. histolytica lacks the enzymes for many common metabolic pathways such as the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation …

Novel And Extendable Genotyping System For Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Based On Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis, Jiani Chen, Xueting Qiu, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Samuel S Shepard, Do-Kyun Kim, James Hixson, Pedro A Piedra, Justin Bahl

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of respiratory infections, especially in infants and young children. Previous RSV sequencing studies have primarily focused on partial sequencing of G gene (200-300 nucleotides) for genotype characterization or diagnostics. However, the genotype assignment with G gene has not recapitulated the phylogenetic signal of other genes, and there is no consensus on RSV genotype definition.

METHODS: We conducted maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis with 10 RSV individual genes and whole-genome sequence (WGS) that are published in GenBank. RSV genotypes were determined by using phylogenetic analysis and pair-wise node distances.

RESULTS: …

Can Bioethics Guide Governance In Public Health Emergencies? Lessons From The Pandemic, John Conley, Arlene Davis

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of Extended Ventilation Requirements Related To Comorbidities., Kaitlyn Horrell

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mechanical ventilation is a machine that that allows patients to breathe when they are unable to adequately do it themselves. This could be due to illness or injury. Ventilators pump oxygen into the lungs through a tube that travels through the trachea. When a patient is put on a ventilator, they will be placed in the Intensive Care Unit. While ventilation is typically a short-term intervention, some patients require ventilation for extended periods of time, and some may not come off the ventilator, eventually dying. Dozens of patients were ventilated in the ICU at Mercy, and most of them spent …

To Flash Or Not To Flash, Christy Overly

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

In 2015, healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevalence survey found that there were an estimated 110,800 surgical site infections (SSIs) associated with inpatient surgeries in 2015. Consequently, instruments and implants sterilized by immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS) have been found to increase the patient’s risk for an SSIs. Due to these risks, the Joint Commission (TJC) determined that organizations should implement evidenced-based protocols to reduce IUSS use. A needs assessment revealed a gap in care in that the increasing SSI rates appeared to be correlated with the misuse of IUSS at the physician owned surgical hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This Doctor of …

Target Internship During The Covid Pandemic, Laura Jo Randall

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered both social and economic changes around the world. Retail companies have been at the forefront of these changes due to widespread supply chain disruptions and supply shortages. Companies have struggled to meet the challenges caused by the pandemic including supply shortages and social distancing. Target Corporation is the eighth largest big box retail chain in the United States (Tanha, 2022). It has faced the challenges with innovation and implementation of new programs this year. During the summer of 2021, I had the pleasure to intern at Target and witness firsthand how this large corporation embraced …

Child Mortality In Africa And South Asia: A Multidimensional Research And Policy Framework, Rachel Kimani, Samwel Gatimu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Globally, progress has been made to address the diagnosis and management of common and avoidable acute illnesses that contribute to child mortality. Nevertheless, regions across sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia continue to have the highest rates of mortality in children younger than 5 years, with most deaths occurring after discharge from health facilities, indicating a gap in care following hospitalisation.

Perinatal Care In Western Uganda: Prevalence And Factors Associated With Appropriate Care Among Women Attending Three District Hospitals, Mercy Muwema, Dan K. Kaye, Grace Edwards, Gorrette Nalwadda, Joanita Nangendo, Jaffer Okiring, Wilson Mwanja, Elizabeth N. Ekong, Joan N. Kalyango, Joaniter I. Nankabirwa

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Perinatal mortality remains high globally and remains an important indicator of the quality of a health care system. To reduce this mortality, it is important to provide the recommended care during the perinatal period. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with appropriate perinatal care (antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum) in Bunyoro region, Uganda. Results from this study provide valuable information on the perinatal care services and highlight areas of improvement for better perinatal outcomes.

Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among postpartum mothers attending care at three district hospitals in Bunyoro. Following consent, a questionnaire was …

Hiv Among Cancer Patients: Prevalence And Cancer Description By Hiv Status, Diana Wambui Muturi

Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in a higher life expectancy of persons living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV) leading to an aging population at risk for non-AIDS defining cancers (NADCs) rather than AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs). Identification of HIV-cancer comorbidity through diagnostic HIV testing of patients presenting for cancer care is not offered routinely. The HIV prevalence among cancer patients in Kenya is undefined. In addition, the spectrum of malignancies in PLHIV has not been well characterized outside of ADCs. Objective: Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence of HIV among patients with cancer. Secondary objectives were to determine …

Potent Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Efficacy Of Covid-19 Hyperimmune Globulin From Vaccine-Immunized Plasma, Ding Yu, Yu Feng Li, Hong Liang, Jun Zheng Wu, Yong Hu, Yan Peng, Tao Jing Li, Ji Feng Hou, Wei Jin Huang, Li Dong Guan, Ren Han, Yan Tao Xing, Yong Zhang, Jia Liu, Lu Feng, Chun Yan Li, Xiao Long Liang, Ya Ling Ding, Zhi Jun Zhou, De Ming Ji, Fei Fei Wang, Jian Hong Yu, Kun Deng, Dong Mei Xia, De Mei Dong, Heng Rui Hu, Ya Jie Liu, Dao Xing Fu, Yan Lin He, Dong Bo Zhou, Hui Chuan Yang, Rui Jia, Chang Wen Ke, Tao Du

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global public health threat. Hence, more effective and specific antivirals are urgently needed. Here, COVID-19 hyperimmune globulin (COVID-HIG), a passive immunotherapy, is prepared from the plasma of healthy donors vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine). COVID-HIG shows high-affinity binding to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein, the receptor-binding domain (RBD), the N-terminal domain of the S protein, and the nucleocapsid protein; and blocks RBD binding to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). Pseudotyped and authentic virus-based assays show that COVID-HIG displays broad-spectrum neutralization effects on a wide variety of SARS-CoV-2 variants, …

Bridging The Research Gap Between Live Collections In Zoos And Preserved Collections In Natural History Museums, Sinlan Poo, Steven M. Whitfield, Alexander Shepack, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Gil Nelson, Jillian Goodwin, Allison Bogisich, Patricia L.R. Brennan, Jennifer D'Agostino, Michelle S. Koo, Joseph R. Mendelson, Rebecca Snyder, Sandra Wilson, Gary P. Aronsen, Andrew C. Bentley, David C. Blackburn, Matthew R. Borths, Mariel L. Campbell, Dalia A. Conde, Joseph A. Cook, Juan D. Daza, Daniel P. Dembiec, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Catherine M. Early, Adam W. Ferguson, Amanda Greene, Robert Guralnick, Courtney Janney, Debbie Johnson, Felicia Knightly, Stephane Poulin, Luiz Rocha, Pamela S. Soltis

Faculty Publications

Zoos and natural history museums are both collections-based institutions with important missions in biodiversity research and education. Animals in zoos are a repository and living record of the world's biodiversity, whereas natural history museums are a permanent historical record of snapshots of biodiversity in time. Surprisingly, despite significant overlap in institutional missions, formal partnerships between these institution types are infrequent. Life history information, pedigrees, and medical records maintained at zoos should be seen as complementary to historical records of morphology, genetics, and distribution kept at museums. Through examining both institution types, we synthesize the benefits and challenges of cross-institutional exchanges …

From Madness To Medicine: How Nazi Medical Experimentation Morphed Into Today’S Medical Field, Alexandria Daughn Kerby

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

It is no secret that many of our current scientific and medical advancements stem from a long history of research, trials, and experimentation, but not enough is known about the origins of our routine practices. The Holocaust enabled Nazi doctors to explore countless victims in search of the ultimate answer to the Jewish question. The answer: to alleviate the burden that those deemed “unworthy of life” placed on the greater society. The mass extermination practices which highlight the atrocities of the Holocaust are the end result of constant scientific developments disguised as medicine. Tiergarten 4 (T4) serves as the beginning …

Risk Factors Associated With Hospitalization And Death In Covid-19 Breakthrough Infections, Geehan Suleyman, Raef Fadel, Indira Brar, Rita Kassab, Rafa Khansa, Nicholas Sturla, Ayman Alsaadi, Katie Latack, Joseph B. Miller Md, Robert J. Tibbetts, Linoj Samuel, George Alangaden, Mayur Ramesh

Infectious Diseases Articles

BACKGROUND: Characterizations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine breakthrough infections are limited. We aim to characterize breakthrough infections and identify risk factors associated with outcomes.

METHODS: This was a retrospective case series of consecutive fully vaccinated patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a multicenter academic center in Southeast Michigan, between December 30, 2020, and September 15, 2021.

RESULTS: A total of 982 patients were identified; the mean age was 57.9 years, 565 (59%) were female, 774 (79%) were White, and 255 (26%) were health care workers (HCWs). The median number of comorbidities was 2; 225 (23%) …

Hiv Virological Non-Suppression Is Highly Prevalent Among 18- To 24-Year-Old Youths On Antiretroviral Therapy At The Kenyan Coast, Moses K. Nyongesa, Mwaganyuma H. Mwatasa, Vincent A. Kagonya, Gabriel Mwambingu, Caroline Ngetsa, Charles R. J. C. Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, data on virologic outcomes of young people living with HIV (YLWH) enrolled on antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains scarce. In this study, we describe the prevalence of HIV virological non-suppression (VNS) and its associated factors among YLWH aged 18–24 years from the Kenyan coast.

Methods: Data were analyzed for 384 YLWH who participated in a larger cross-sectional study conducted between November 2018 and September 2019 in two counties at the Kenyan coast (Kilif and Mombasa). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sample characteristics and logistic regression was used for statistical modeling of factors associated with …

A Community-Based Approach To Cervical Cancer Prevention In Western Kenya: An Ampath Feasibility Project, Elkanah Omenge, Philip Tonui, Kapten Muthoka, Stephen Kiptoo, Titus Maina, Mercy Agosa, Aaron Ermel, Yan Tong, Darron Brown

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objectives: Centralized programs have been ineffective in reducing the burden of cervical cancer among Kenyan women. A community-based pilot study was initiated to screen Kenyan women for cervical cancer and to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV).

Methods: Women were educated about cervical cancer prevention at community meetings. Women then provided self-collected vaginal swabs for oncogenic HPV testing using the Roche Cobas Assay. All women were then referred to the local clinic for Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA). Women were offered the quadrivalent HPV vaccine for their children if and when it became available for the …

Evaluation Of Ranavirus Major Capsid Protein Gene Sequence Mutations In United States East Coast Frog And Tadpole Populations, Erin Marie Tyll

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infectious disease is a leading cause of death in ectothermic taxa including amphibians, reptiles, and bony fish. Frog Virus 3 (FV3) Ranavirus is a prominent pathogen that infects frog and tadpole populations with lethal consequences, especially for pre-metamorphosed individuals. Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are particularly susceptible to FV3 infection and mortality events. Conservation of this animal is a critical effort for the maintenance of these ecologically significant animals. Amphibians contribute to the regulation of insect pest levels, energy transfer between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, algae community productivity and function, and vertebrate biomass. Understanding genetic variations of FV3 is crucial to …

The Impact Of Social Controls And Vaccination On The Spread Of Covid-19 In New Jersey, Ariel J. Bonneau

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 has led to a global pandemic (COVID-19) which continues to cause enormous public health and economic challenges around the world. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 as well as to investigate how one might contain or stop the spread of COVID-19 via different control measures. In this thesis, we consider a COVID-19 model based on an SEIR compartmental model. The model includes susceptible, vaccinated, exposed, pre-symptomatic, symptomatic infectious, asymptomatic infectious, hospitalized, recovered, and deceased compartments, each of which is sub-divided into …

Covid-19 And Digital Health Literacy In University Students / Narrative Competence And Cognitive Mapping As A Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In The Education Of Emergent Bilinguals, Molly Kathleen Hadley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Early in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became a global public health concern. College students became dependent on the online environment for learning, but also for receiving COVID-19 information. Understanding digital health literacy (DHL) in this unique population and subsequent prevention behaviors in a digitally connected population during a public health crisis is crucial to prepare for future pandemics. This study explored DHL in college students, their main sources of pandemic information and other information seeking behaviors, adherence to public health guidelines, and intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. During the summer of 2020, 245 New York state college students completed …

Characterization Of The Role Of The Replicase And Quasispecies Diversity In Flaviviral Evolution And Host Adaptation, Haley Caldwell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Flaviviruses include several emerging and re-emerging arboviruses that cause millions of infections each year. Although relatively well-studied, much remains unknown regarding the mechanisms and means by which these viruses adapt to different hosts and rapidly alternate between hosts. Different aspects of flaviviral biology impact host switching, viral fitness, and the generation of viral diversity during genome replication by the NS3 and NS5 proteins. Together these factors may impact host plasticity.

An Examination Of Historical Health Disparities Of The Black Population In America, And Their Effects On Contemporary Health Disparities In Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Sophia-Evelyne Blake Nehama

Public Health Undergraduate Program

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significant health disparities that the African American population faces in comparison to White Americans. The Tuskegee Syphilis study is often cited to support the theory that medical mistrust is responsible for these disparities despite conflicting opinions that medical distrust is not the main reason for disparities. This study examines the effects that historical health disparities in Black populations have on contemporary vaccine hesitancy. An analysis of recent sources, including peer reviewed historical analysis and news articles with accredited sources was used to make up the entirety of the literary review. For data on contemporary …

Taking A User-Centered Design Approach To Develop A Data Dashboard For New York State Department Of Health And Implications For Improving The Usability Of Public Data Dashboards / Narrative Competence And Cognitive Mapping As A Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In The Education Of Emergent Bilinguals, Bahareh Ansari

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In recent years, the increased availability of public data dashboards provided opportunities to democratize data access by summarizing large amounts of data into accessible snapshots to facilitate educational efforts and encourage evidence-based decision-making. However, many current practices have not reached their full potential because the dashboard design has not accounted for users’ needs and preferences. This dissertation employed the user-centered design framework with three studies. Study 1 investigated the usability problems of existing public health data dashboards through an expert review of existing dashboards on government websites. Study 2 established the requirements of a usable design for public health data …

Attitudes Towards Covid-19 Vaccination: Literature Review And Attitudes Of Individuals Who Delayed Vaccination, Sydney Hornberger '22

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis examines attitudes towards and ethics of receiving one of the fastest vaccines ever developed— the COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) in the U.S. has granted either Emergency Use Authorization or full approval to three vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna-NIAID vaccines. However, although the FDA approved and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting the vaccines, that does not necessarily mean people have an ethical responsibility or a positive attitude towards getting vaccinated against COVID-19; this current paper explores both of these ideas as related to COVID-19 vaccination. First, it …

Visitor Restrictions And Patient- And Family-Centered Care In Pediatric Nursing, Carney Morrow

Nursing | Senior Theses

This research proposal will explore the impacts of visiting restrictions on the ability of pediatric nurses to provide patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). Literature evaluated will pertain to the benefits of PFCC for patients, families, and staff in terms of both emotional and physical outcomes, as well as the impacts of recent visitor restrictions, largely implemented due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this study is to determine the current perceptions of pediatric nurses on their ability to provide PFCC to patients, and how this has changed before and after visitation restrictions were put into place. The proposed study …

Planning And Implementing A Large-Scale Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic Recommendations, Reflections And Lessons Learned & A Guide For Maine Communities, Melissa Fochesato

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In November 2020, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) requested assistance from Maine hospitals to dispense COVID-19 vaccines. Mid Coast Hospital became a point of dispensing for Sagadahoc and Northern Cumberland Counties. Mid Coast Hospital became a MaineHealth member in January 2021, and benefitted from policies, procedures, and support of the larger MaineHealth system but did not adopt the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system used by MaineHealth to schedule appointments, register patients and document vaccination until November 2021. The inability to use the EMR system required and allowed Mid Coast Hospital to make adaptations to the …

The Effects Of Human Activity On Reintroduced Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis) Populations, Justine Cherovsky

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Since the decimation of North America’s bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations due to human impacts, translocations have been the primary conservation strategy to repopulate the native habitat. Following the extirpation of the species in Nebraska, bighorns were reintroduced with the hope to establish a stable population, but nearly four decades of management has resulted in large-scale die-offs and unstable herds. Ongoing human impacts have created similar results across the country as reintroductions struggle to establish independent bighorn herds. A systematic literature review was conducted to analyze current human related effects, evaluate the effectiveness of management practices, and compare these findings …

The Impact Of Political Systems On Addiction Policy In Industrialized Democracies., Lexi Renee Raikes

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Drug use is a global problem that impacts every country around the world. Although this issue is international in nature, there is no one shared response to addiction globally. The approach utilized by each country can generally be characterized as punitive or rehabilitative. Rehabilitative approaches, which center around the employment of harm reduction services, focus on reducing the negative consequences of drug use, while punitive approaches respond to substance use with prison sentences. Considering this lack of commonality in response, I sought to better understand potential causes for this disparity and was especially curious if government structure impacts the policy …

Commercial Transportation, Madeline E. Mcneeley, Sarah L. Adle, Joshua H. Dorminy, Elizabeth M. Brooks, Stephen G. Lowry

Mercer Law Review

Commercial transportation involves all the significant forms of passenger and freight transportation across the United States. This Article surveys significant judicial, regulatory, and legislative developments in federal commercial transportation law affecting Georgia, Florida, and Alabama during the period from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. The first three areas discussed here are subject to heavy federal regulation due to their far-reaching effects on interstate commerce: aviation, trucking and other commercial motor vehicles, and railroads. The remaining subjects covered in this Article— autonomous-vehicle technology, shareable electric bicycles, and shareable scooters—remain regulated primarily at the state and local levels but are …

Native And Non-Native Ant Impacts On Soil Microbes, Hannah A. Stewart

Biology Theses

Organisms produce chemical weapons for defense, but target organisms can develop resistance. In their introduced range, non-native species may bring “novel weapons” against which native organisms have not co-evolved resistance. The invasive European fire ant (Myrmica rubra) may have brought antimicrobial secretions to the Northeastern United States that are novel weapons against native fungal and bacterial soil organisms. I hypothesized that M. rubra would better inhibit seed pathogens resulting in greater emergence of native myrmecochorous Viola sororia seeds and, as a side effect, more strongly inhibit arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi than a native seed dispersing ant (Aphaenogaster picea …

The Ethics Of Masking During A Pandemic, Mason Bennett

Philosophy Undergraduate Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been disastrous, approaching a million deaths in the United States alone, and has demonstrated the world’s lack of preparation for a severe airborne virus. Countermeasures to infection are important to implement in order to lessen loss of life, but also must be justified and shown to be ethical. A countermeasure which is especially viable is wearing masks because of their high efficacy in preventing disease transmission compared to their relatively low restriction of liberty; studies have shown that mask wearing effectively impairs the spread of airborne pathogens and creates little physical or social harm. I argue …