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Characterizing The Cutaneous Microbiome Of Eurycea Lucifuga As A Potential Defense Against Chytridiomycosis, Madeline Key

Senior Honors Theses

Chytridiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease that is significantly reducing global amphibian populations. The disease is caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungus that lethally modifies amphibian skin. Recent research has suggested that the cutaneous microbiome of individual amphibians may play a role in susceptibility to the pathogen. In this study, twelve cave salamanders (Eurycea lucifuga) were collected. Cutaneous bacteria from each salamander were isolated and identified using Sanger Sequencing. Additionally, a Bd-challenge assay was performed to determine each isolate’s antifungal activity. Results indicated many microbial isolates possessed inhibitory capabilities against Bd, which may …

Increasing The Prescribing Of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) With A Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Screening Tool, Cassey Hall

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the leading pandemics in the world. In 2019, 38 million people were living with HIV around the world. Of those, roughly 87% were aware of their HIV status.

PICOT: In patients with high risk for HIV, how does implementing a pre-exposure (PrEP) screening tool compared to randomly screening for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) affect the prescribing of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) within eight weeks?

Evidence: In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended PrEP for the prevention of HIV in high-risk individuals. The patients include men who have sex with …

Social Networks, High-Risk Anal Hpv And Coinfection With Hiv In Young Sexual Minority Men, Kayo Fujimoto, Alan G Nyitray, Jacky Kuo, Jing Zhao, Lu-Yu Hwang, Elizabeth Chiao, Anna R Giuliano, John A Schneider, Aditya Khanna

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Young sexual minority men (SMM) exhibit a high prevalence and incidence of high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hrHPV) anal infections and a confluence of a high prevalence of HIV and rectal STIs. Social determinants of health (SDOHs) are linked to social network contexts that generate and maintain racial disparities in HIV and STIs. A network perspective was provided to advance our knowledge of drivers of genotype-specific hrHPV infection and coinfection with HIV. The study also examined whether socially connected men are infected with the same high-risk HPV genotypes and, if so, whether this tendency is conditioned on coinfection with …

Understanding And Targeting The Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment, Li Cai, Li Cai

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti-PD1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4, have shown impressive antitumor efficacy by improving the activity of T cells. While these inhibitors work in many patients with various cancer types, they have minimal or no effect in many more patients. Mounting evidence indicates that, besides current known immune checkpoints, other immunosuppressive components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) need to be targeted to elicit the full immune responses.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of immunosuppressive myeloid cells that are involved in cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. In this work, we demonstrated the essential role of MDSCs …

Shelf-Life Extension And Campylobacter Jejuni Inhibition By Application Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles In Chicken Fillets, Amina Elrais, Reyad Rabea, Wlaa Abdel Megid, Mona Abdallah, Walid Sobhy Arab

Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal

Because of its unique physical and chemical features, zinc oxide can be considered a versatile material. Campylobacter jejuni was intentionally inoculated into broiler breast fillets, and the practical application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) suspension with varying concentrations (5 mM and 10 mM) with 3 different sizes (25 nm, 50 nm, and 75 nm) for each concentration was examined. The results showed that ZnO suspensions had a strong inhibitory effect on Campylobacter jejuni growth after 8 days in the refrigerator at 4°C. When compared to other concentrations of 5 mM, ZnO NPs, 10 mM demonstrated the largest reduction percentage …

Molecular Characterization Of Some Pathogenic Bacterial Strains And Hematobiochemical Profile In Barki Sheep With Diarrhea In Siwa Oasis, Amani A. Hafez, Mohamed T. Ragab, Marwa A. Fawzy, Adel M. El-Kattan, Ahmed A. Elsayed

Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal

Objective: To explore the incidence of several bacterial enteropathogens in Barki sheep with diarrhea and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends and their hematobiochemical alteration in Siwa Oasis.Design: Descriptive study.Animals: A total of 500 adult Barki sheep were allocated into two equal-sized groups: 250 Barki ewes with diarrhea and 250 normal sheep taken as the control group. 250 faecal samples were taken from sheep with diarrhea. The bacterial enteropathogens were extracted, identified biochemically and determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Kirby-Bauer Disk-Diffusion Method was used to determine the sensitivity of positive samples from each organism to ten antimicrobials. Blood samples …

Machine Learning Solutions For Biomedical Applications, Madeleine St. Ville

All Dissertations

This dissertation proposes three novel Bayesian modeling techniques to addresses the challenges arising from the complex, underlying features of biomedical data. These models are motivated by three different biomedical studies. The first is an analysis of data collected from six efficacy and safety clinical trials of buprenorphine maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder. The focus of this study is to overcome the problem of non-adherence by trial participants that, if left unaccounted for, obscures the true effect of buprenorphine on illicit opioid use. The second study is the assessment of hemodialysis cannulation skill through the use of a sensor-based simulator …

Heat Waves And A Public-Private Partnership In Alaska, Sarah A. Matsumoto, Karen Sandrik

Publications

No abstract provided.

A New Feudalism: Selfish Genes, Great Wealth, And The Rise Of The Dynastic Family Trust (Dft), Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Today’s record levels of economic inequality are infecting our future as the top 0.01% bequeath vast wealth to their descendants. With the death of the Rule Against Perpetuities (RAP), this inequality has the potential to harden social class lines—not just for a generation or two, but forever. Although it may sound implausible, interviews with estate lawyers serving very high-net-worth clients reveal that some members of the wealthiest tier of testators are already exploiting the RAP’s elimination, along with a tax loophole, to establish dynasty trusts that will financially empower their bloodline as long as it continues. Recent work in evolutionary …

A Comparison Of The Mental Health Of Police Officers And Correctional Officers In Rural Appalachia, Sierra Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of mental health among police officers and correctional officers within rural Appalachia. The main goal of this research was to better understand how the occupational demands of working in the criminal justice field can impact one’s mental health over time. Several research questions were explored, including the prevalence of various mental health problems, associated stressors, the structure of support among officers, and the perceptions of mental health treatment services. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 21 police and correctional officers located in rural Appalachia. Results provided a better understanding of …

Direct Cd32 T-Cell Cytotoxicity: Implications For Breast Cancer Prognosis And Treatment, Giuseppe Sconocchia, Giulia Lanzilli, Valeriana Cesarini, Domenico A Silvestris, Katayoun Rezvani, Roberto Arriga, Sara Caratelli, Ken Chen, Jinzhuang Dou, Carlo Cenciarelli, Gabriele Toietta, Silvia Baldari, Tommaso Sconocchia, Francesca De Paolis, Anna Aureli, Giandomenica Iezzi, Maria Irno Consalvo, Francesco Buccisano, Maria I Del Principe, Luca Maurillo, Adriano Venditti, Alessio Ottaviani, Giulio C Spagnoli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The FcγRII (CD32) ligands are IgFc fragments and pentraxins. The existence of additional ligands is unknown. We engineered T cells with human chimeric receptors resulting from the fusion between CD32 extracellular portion and transmembrane CD8α linked to CD28/ζ chain intracellular moiety (CD32-CR). Transduced T cells recognized three breast cancer (BC) and one colon cancer cell line among 15 tested in the absence of targeting antibodies. Sensitive BC cell conjugation with CD32-CR T cells induced CD32 polarization and down-regulation, CD107a release, mutual elimination, and proinflammatory cytokine production unaffected by human IgGs but enhanced by cetuximab. CD32-CR T cells protected immunodeficient mice …

'I Need Time To Start Antiretroviral Therapy': Understanding Reasons For Delayed Art Initiation Among People Diagnosed With Hiv In Lusaka, Zambia, Chanda Mwamba, Laura K Beres, Stephanie M Topp, Njekwa Mukamba, Sandra Simbeza, Kombatende Sikombe, Aaloke Mody, Elvin Geng, Charles B Holmes, Caitlin E Kennedy, Izukanji Sikazwe, Julie A Denison, Carolyn Bolton Moore

Open Access Publications

INTRODUCTION: Rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation can improve patient outcomes such as viral suppression and prevent new infections. However, not everyone who can start ART does so immediately.

METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study to inform interventions supporting rapid initiation in the 'Test and Start' era. We purposively sampled 20 adult patients living with HIV and a previous gap in care from ten health facilities in Lusaka, Zambia for interviews. We inductively analysed transcripts using a thematic, narrative approach. In their narratives, seven participants discussed delaying ART initiation.

RESULTS: Drawing on messages gleaned from facility-based counselling and community information, many …

Beyond The Boundaries Of Nursing Care: A Phenomenological Study, Tri Ismu Pujiyanto, Shindi Hapsari, Umi Hani

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic created an emergency and challenging situation, especially for nurses, who have experienced feelings including fear and questions concerning their job responsibilities and professional ethics. They needed to maintain safety on the basis of their knowledge and skills. This study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences related to the pandemic. This research was conducted by using qualitative research with a descriptive phenomenological design. The participants were 15 nurses on duty in COVID-19 units at hospitals and who were delivering or had delivered direct care to patients with COVID-19. Data were collected from in-depth interview and analyzed with Colaizzi technique. …

An Epidemiological Synthesis Of Emerging And Re-Emerging Zoonotic Disease Threats In Cameroon, 2000-2022 And Community Stakeholder Mapping, Nancy Tahmo

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Introduction: Population factors such as urbanization, socio-economic, and environmental factors are driving forces for emerging/re-emerging diseases in Cameroon, and the effects of these are experienced differently across demographics. Indigenous rainforest communities in the Congo Basin, for example, suffer worse health outcomes compared to neighboring communities, like the Pygmies, who have a life expectancy of 22 years less than neighboring Bantus. It is important to characterize the risk of exposure of these vulnerable communities and map out, through a systematic review, descriptive epidemiological data around zoonoses, to inform preparedness and research efforts.

Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a protocol was registered …

Evaluating How Physical Activity Affects The Perception Of Resilience In Box Butte County, Nebraska, Eric Pulver

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Physical activity is one of the modern hallmarks for good health in individuals and the public, in general. Resiliency is a growing concentration in all levels of disaster preparedness where the focus is on how to deal with the growing number of disasters stemming from global climate change. This research project’s aim is to look at the possible relationships between physical activity and resiliency in a rural Nebraska population. This was done with the use of a cross-sectional study utilizing a fifteen-question survey to gather demographics, assess the amount of physical activity, and then apply a perception of resilience tool …

Evaluating How The Impacts Of Climate Change On Arizona's Water Supply Will Influence Public Health, Patricia Wrona

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Over the last century, Arizona’s climate has increased more than 1.1 to 1.4 degrees Celsius or 2 to 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature in Arizona is expected to increase an additional 2.2°C to 2.8°C in the next 40 years. Climate change poses various health and environmental hazards for the residents of Arizona. One of the most significant impacts is on water supply. As temperatures continue to rise in the desert, the demand for water will increase while the water supply will reduce. A literature review and program evaluation were conducted to evaluate how the impacts of climate change on Arizona’s …

An Analysis Of Climate Factors And Their Relationship With Lyme Disease And West Nile Virus In California From 2011 To 2020, Emma Dubas

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one-sixth of illnesses and disabilities suffered worldwide are due to vector-borne diseases, and more than half of the world’s population is at risk. Additionally, vector-borne diseases have significant socioeconomic impacts and inflate health inequities, with the greatest burden on poor populations. Lyme disease is the top tick-borne disease in the state of California and West Nile virus (WNV) is the top mosquito-borne disease in the state of California. Vector-borne diseases have a high sensitivity to climatic factors. Research shows that ongoing trends of increasing temperature and varying weather conditions will weaken recent global …

Rsif Rwanda Country Report 2022, Regional Scholarship And Innovation Fund (Rsif)

Rsif Country Progress Reports

. Rwanda is the current chair of PASET and the first country to make a second additional USD 2 million contribution to Rsif. There are 22 competitively selected Rwandan Rsif PhD students in five thematic areas in eight different African Host Universities across the continent. There are so far four Rwandan Rsif alumni and 39 publications by Rwandan Rsif students. University of Rwanda was competitively selected as an Rsif African host university in ICT, including artificial intelligence and data science in 2019. The ACE Internet of Things (IoT) is hosting 18 Rsif funded students (44% women) from eleven different nationalities. …

A Thematic Analysis Of Resilient Experiences Of People Who Use Drugs And Are Living With Hiv Adhering To Hiv Medicine, Valeria Duenas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a disease acquired through sex, from mother to child, sharing needles, and open wound exposure to the blood-borne virus. The disease leads to the rapid weakening of the immune system which renders the individual vulnerable to various opportunistic infections, cancer, disease progression into acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS), and possibly death. Unfortunately, US Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV as they account for nearly 30% of all new HIV infections. A subpopulation disproportionately affected also are people who inject drugs (PWID) which account for 1 in 10 HIV diagnosis in the U.S. Modern medicine has allowed …

Modulation Of Non-Diffracting Hermite Gaussian Beams And Nonlinear Optical Microscopy For Nanoscale Sulfur Imaging, Gilberto Navarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hermite Gaussian beams are the solutions of the scalar paraxial wave equation in Cartesian coordinates. A method was developed to modulate the intensity profile of non-diffracting Hermite Gaussian (HG) beams. The original HG beamâ??s intensity profile consists of high intense corner lobes and low intense central lobes which is not ideal for structured illumination in light-field microscopy. The modulated HG beams were generated by multiplying the original HGâ??s beam envelope by a super-Gaussian envelope to modify the intensity profile to attain equal intensity lobes. The propagation of the original HG beam and modulated HG beam were compared to determine that …

Survey Of Fleas And Ticks For Rickettsia Rickettsii And Rickettsia Typhi And Surveys Of Humans And Wild Animals For Serological Evidence Of Infection By These Rickettsiae In Rural And Urban Areas Of El Paso, Texas And Other Areas Of Texas, Karen Rocio Valdez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The ecology and epidemiology of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and typhus fever pathogens are poorly understood along the United Statesâ??Mexico border, especially in the far Southwestern region of Texas. The objective of this dissertation was to understand the prevalence and distribution of Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia typhi and associated tick and flea species and the prevalence of these Rickettsiae in domestic and feral mammals in urban and rural areas of the El Paso community and other areas of Texas. Also, the goal was to determine if humans are being infected by R. rickettsii and R. typhi in the El Paso …

Mechanisms Underlying Childhood Exposure To Blue Spaces And Adult Subjective Well-Being: An 18-Country Analysis, Valeria Vitale, Leanne Martin, Mathew P. White, Lewis R. Elliott, Kayleigh J. Wyles, Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Sabine Pahl, Patricia Stehl, Simon Bell, Gregory N. Bratman, Mireia Gascon, James Grellier, Maria L. Lima, Mare Lõhmus, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Ann Ojala, Jane Taylor, Matilda Van Den Bosch, Netta Weinstein, Lora E. Fleming

School of Psychology

Contact with natural environments is associated with good health and well-being. Although childhood nature experiences may be important in the development of an individual's relationship with nature and subsequent well-being, previous studies have tended to focus on ‘nature’ in general, and the mechanisms by which childhood experiences influence well-being in adulthood remain insufficiently studied. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data from an 18-country sample (N = 15,743) the current work extended previous research by examining: a) blue spaces (coasts, rivers, lakes, etc.) in particular; b) associations between adults' recalled childhood exposure to blue spaces, frequency of recent visits to green and …

Low Resource Assay For Tracking Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater, Julissa Van Renselaar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) allows for the tracking of nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater which gives the opportunity for the public and government officials to be informed about the infectivity of the virus in a community. Advances have been made in WBE that have allowed for higher performance, lower resource use, and faster turnaround time. An adapted concentration method of spin column direct extraction has yielded a proxy virus recovery of 83%, consumable cost of $2.01 per sample, and a turnaround time of 0.33 hour/sample. Other concentration methods have lower proxy virus recoveries, comparable cost, and comparable turnaround time. …

Bugs, Bullets And Birds: Factors Affecting The Health And Survival Of Ferruginous Hawk Nestlings In The Intermountain West, Ellis A. Juhlin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ferruginous Hawks are a bird of prey species that nest in sagebrush steppe and grassland habitat. These birds are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation from urbanization, rural development, oil and natural gas extraction, habitat treatment projects, and wildfires, and experiencing widespread population declines across their breeding range. Because of this, Ferruginous Hawks (FEHAs) have been deemed a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by state management agencies in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada. The health and survival of Ferruginous Hawk (FEHA) nestlings is crucial to long-term population viability. Understanding the threats these birds are facing as nestlings can provide valuable …

Insecticide Susceptibility And Resistance Detection In Phlebotomus Argentipes Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), Shawna M. Hennings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Leishmaniasis is an understudied disease found predominantly in high heat and humidity areas. The disease is transmitted by sandflies which are blood-feeding, biting insects. There is currently no known vaccine for any form of leishmaniasis and treatment imposes a significant economic impact on already poor and marginalized populations, as well as severe, lingering side effects for afflicted individuals. Annually, there are millions of people around the world afflicted with a form of Leishmaniasis that is transmitted by species of sandflies. The primary sandfly population control method for over half a century has been indoor residual spraying using insecticides. The selective …

Optimization Of Clostridium Septicum Antigen Production And Evaluation Of Vaccine Administration Parameters For A Candidate Bacterin-Toxoid To Prevent Dermatitis In Commercial Turkeys, Aaron Forga

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to optimize the hemolytic activity of two isolates of Clostridium septicum to evaluate if hemolytic titer of C. septicum antigen at time of formalin inactivation corresponded to increased serum antibody titer to the C. septicum alpha-toxin of turkeys immunized with an experimental formalin inactivated bacterin-toxoid vaccine. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the thesis. Chapter 2 consists of a literature review focused on clostridial dermatitis, specifically C. septicum-associated dermatitis (cellulitis) that affects commercial turkeys. Chapter 3 outlines our attempts to optimize an experimental autogenous bacterin-toxoid vaccine as a potential strategy to mitigate clostridial …

Differential Impacts Of Hhv-6a Versus Hhv-6b Infection In Differentiated Human Neural Stem Cells, Elham Bahramian

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the family Herpesviridae, sub-family β-herpesvirinae, and genus Roseolovirus, there areonly three human herpesviruses that have been described: HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7. Initially, HHV-6A and HHV-6B were considered as two variants of the same virus (i.e., HHV6). Despite high overall genetic sequence identity (~90%), HHV-6A and HHV-6B are now recognized as two distinct viruses. Sequence divergence (e.g., >30%) in key coding regions and significant differences in physiological and biochemical profiles (e.g., use of different receptors for viral entry) underscores the conclusion that HHV-6A and HHV-6B are distinct viruses of the β-herpesvirinae. Despite these viruses being implicated as causative agents in …

Environmental Determination Of Gastrointestinal Parasitism In Katahdin Sheep, Brian Arisman

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) negatively affect the performance and wellbeing of sheep and are difficult to control due to anthelmintic resistance. Producers are therefore choosing breeds naturally resistant to GIN infection, such as the Katahdin. Katahdin are raised in various climates and management systems in the U.S., and those environmental factors can be combined into eco-management clusters. We hypothesized that GIN challenge varies predictably based on the characteristics of these clusters. Katahdin producers from across the U.S. were surveyed for management information. Body weights (BW), fecal egg counts (FEC) and FAMACHA scores (FAM) were collected on 3,527 Katahdin lambs around 90 …

The Medical Study Of Denture Base Resin Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Reinforced By Zno And Tcp Nanoparticles, Fatin Asim, Entessar Al-Mosawe, Wafaa Hussain

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

Denture base poly (methyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin is one of the most frequently used materials in denture base synthesis, but due to its poor mechanical properties, PMMA can be considered a medium for the attachment and growth of a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, particularly due to PMMA's pores and rough surface. The porosity percentage and surface roughness of the PMMA resin sample was lowered in this study, which resulted in a reduction in microorganisms' surface adhesion by varying the ratios of additives such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) nanoparticles with (1, 2, 3, and 10% …

Immunological Conversion Of Solid Tumours Using A Bispecific Nanobioconjugate For Cancer Immunotherapy, Yifei Lu, Kristin Huntoon, Daeyong Lee, Yifan Wang, Jonghoon Ha, Yaqing Qie, Xuefeng Li, Benjamin R Schrank, Shiyan Dong, Thomas D Gallup, Minjeong Kang, Hai Zhao, Yi An, Zhaogang Yang, Jing Li, Betty Y S Kim, Wen Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Solid tumours display a limited response to immunotherapies. By contrast, haematological malignancies exhibit significantly higher response rates to immunotherapies as compared with solid tumours. Among several microenvironmental and biological disparities, the differential expression of unique immune regulatory molecules contributes significantly to the interaction of blood cancer cells with immune cells. The self-ligand receptor of the signalling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 7 (SLAMF7), a molecule that is critical in promoting the body's innate immune cells to detect and engulf cancer cells, is expressed nearly exclusively on the cell surface of haematologic tumours, but not on solid ones. Here we show …