Digital Commons Network^™

Power, Pleasure, And Privilege: Defining Depauw’S Hookup Culture And Its Mental Health Implications, Reanna Stiehler '23

Honor Scholar Theses

Hookup culture is not primarily about sex, pleasure, connection, or freedom. Hookup culture is about power—how power is used, distributed, and desired. Previous work in hookup culture discusses a discourse of desire; however, the root and nature of this desire are unclear. I posit that hookup culture, as it currently exists, is strongly related to rape culture. In this thesis, I will explicate my anecdotal, qualitative, and quantitative evidence supporting this hypothesis.

Synthetic Or Not: Implications Of Hormonal Birth Control On Women’S Hormones And The Cortisol Stress Response, Maddie Perry '23

Honor Scholar Theses

Women’s bodies are the subject of decision-making and control, yet women’s lives are dismally ignored. The field of women’s health is highly understudied, and the demand for that adequate research must be granted to the women’s health field. This interdisciplinary research study investigated stress response differences between hormonal birth control users and non-users. Hormonal birth control (HBC) is one of the greatest technologies afforded to women and further research is necessary to ensure women are guaranteed bodily autonomy and women’s health education. Due to altered hormonal signaling, HBC has been linked to behavioral and decision making differences in women. Building …

Transmission And The Evolution Of Diseases Caused By Chlamydia Trachomatis, Sars-Cov-2, And Plasmodium Species., Nathan Steffens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principles of natural selection have proven valuable for explaining why pathogens cause the diseases that they do. In theory, the evolved level of host exploitation should reflect how dependent a pathogen is on host health for transmission. This dependency is shaped by transmission mode and transmission opportunity, which should therefore be predictors of disease manifestations. In this dissertation, I apply these principles to investigations of depression in Chlamydia trachomatis and virulence of SARS-COV-2 and Plasmodium species. This dissertation has five chapters. In chapter I, I describe the theoretical foundation of my dissertation research. I also briefly introduce each study system. …

Removing Barriers To Tecovirimat For Mpox-Infected Individuals Via Novel Models Of Care Delivery, Michael Mccarthy, Ba, Joe Glowacki, Do, Ms, Rostislav Livinsky, Pa, Daniel Taupin, Md, Mhqs, Dagan Coppock, Md. Msce

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Posters

Problem Statement

During the 2022 mpox outbreak, the CDC’s expanded access Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol created a practical barrier to the outpatient provision of tecovirimat. We rapidly implemented a tecovirimat prescription program for individuals infected with mpox to improves access to care.

Project AIM

Primary aim: describe how we rapidly implemented a program for increasing tecovirimat distribution in a metropolitan area.

Secondary aims: describe the patient population who received tecovirimat as treatment for mpox at our clinic and analyze several clinically relevant time intervals along the continuum of care delivery.

Nebraska’S Medico-Legal System: A Death Investigation Analysis, Ashley Novak

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

A large part of the founding of the United States of America focused on the idea of state control over their internal affairs. For this reason, the United States is home to a largely decentralized medico-legal system. The State of Nebraska hosts a coroner-based death investigation system as is written into their legislation regarding the establishment of their medico-legal system. By studying legislation, federal and state reports, as well as publications by academics within the field, merits and weaknesses of the Nebraskan coroner system can be uncovered. Additional considerations and understandings that are needed to be understood include: understanding what …

Leveraging Population Genomics Across Two Taxonomically Diverse Non-Model Systems To Understand Patterns Of Disease Transmission And Consequences Of Hybridization, Zachary Lamar Nikolakis

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The field of population genomics has been mainly applied to questions centered around understanding molecular variation, impacts of evolutionary processes, and the history of populations. Here I leverage population genomic techniques across two different systems to understand patterns of disease transmission across heavily monitored and controlled parasite populations and consequences of hybridization between divergent rattlesnake lineages. I employed multiple genome sequencing techniques with new methods to infer close-order relatedness from highly inbred human blood fluke populations in order to understand transmission pathways across a region experiencing a resurgence in disease. I then use a comparative population genomic approach by sampling …

Roles For Mycobacterial Dinb2 In Frameshift And Substitution Mutagenesis, Pierre Dupuy, Shreya Ghosh, Allison Fay, Oyindamola Adefisayo, Richa Gupta, Stewart Shuman, Michael S. Glickman

Publications and Research

Translesion synthesis by translesion polymerases is a conserved mechanism of DNA damage tolerance. In bacteria, DinB enzymes are the widely distributed promutagenic translesion polymerases. The role of DinBs in mycobacterial mutagenesis was unclear until recent studies revealed a role for mycobacterial DinB1 in substitution and frameshift mutagenesis, overlapping with that of translesion polymerase DnaE2. Mycobacterium smegmatis encodes two additional DinBs (DinB2 and DinB3) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes DinB2, but the roles of these polymerases in mycobacterial damage tolerance and mutagenesis is unknown. The biochemical properties of DinB2, including facile utilization of ribonucleotides and 8-oxo- guanine, suggest that DinB2 could be …

Harnessing Technology And Innovation To Address Emerging Issues: Covid-19 Opportunities And Challenges, Mercy Igoki, Jackson Langat

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This study explores the opportunities and challenges presented through harnessing technology and innovation to address COVID-19 as an emerging issue in higher education institutions in Kenya. COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in Kenya. The pandemic forced institutions to migrate to online learning, impacting the quality of education, enrollment rates, and mental health challenges students face. The study used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating secondary sources of information and primary data from experts such as Ministry of Education officials, university management, students' counsellors, and teaching staff from Kenyan universities. It focused on teaching …

Behavior Determined By Biological Processes, Alyss Kerl

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

The paper is about the condition known as Human Colony Collapse Disorder (HCCD), which has been seen in several communities around the world, is characterized by a sharp fall in population, social cohesion, and economic stability. This study seeks to investigate the root causes and potential remedies for HCCD. The well-known Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which affects honeybee populations and causes entire hives to collapse owing to a confluence of variables including environmental stressors, illness, and inadequate nutrition, is comparable to HCCD in certain ways. This project's goal is to look at probable HCCD causes and contributing variables, as well …

Speak Up For Hand Hygiene And Decrease Healthcare Associated Infections, Bernadette Priya Pandya-Orozco

Doctoral Projects

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is one of the most cost-effective and simplest ways to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs). Incorporating Speak Up for hand hygiene enables healthcare workers (HCW) to communicate without fear when they observe noncompliance with HH requirements.
Objective: To increase HH compliance by utilizing Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) TeamSTEPPS education to encourage Speak Up for HH and lead to reduction in HAIs.
Methods: The researcher provided educational training on “Speak Up for Hand Hygiene” and performed regular audits to examine its effects on one hospital unit in a California Bay Area healthcare system. A …

Comparison Of Covid-19 Diagnostic Testing Methodologies In The U.S., Joseph Blommel

All Dissertations

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a world in which diagnostic testing for the virus that is responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, became commonplace. Diagnostic testing was required for myriad reasons beyond simple diagnosis. We set out to compare SARS-CoV-2 testing methods, see if differences sensitivity correlated to increased positivity, and to evaluate self-collection methods.

In examining the Limit of Detection (LoD) of tests receiving FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), our findings indicated that there were considerable differences in LoD. However, these differences in observed sensitivity were not correlated with the methodologic differences as reported in EUA documentation.

We …

Diagnosis Of Urinary Tract Infections And Rapid Molecular Characterization Of Antibiotic Resistance, Mohammed Harris

All Dissertations

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious clinical entities in both community and hospital settings. They have a broad range of clinical severity yet inflict large epidemiological burden of morbidity and mortality on patients and the healthcare system with billions of dollars in cost of treatment. Understanding what methods are optimal for diagnosing UTIs are critical to mitigate the marked impact and cost of these infections.

Chapter 1 and 2 in this work surveys the broad array of diagnostic modalities for UTIs and highlights their advantages and limitations in the context of the current standard of …

Filth Flies As A Vector For Some Pathogenic Bacteria Transfer, Ahmet Buyukyavuz

All Dissertations

Two separate sets of experiments were conducted to determine the transfer of bacteria by flies. An Escherichia coli ampicillin-resistant strain with a fluorescent gene was used during the experiments. The first set of experiments were divided into two trials to measure the transfer of E. coli by fruit flies to apple slices and bologna during short term exposure. Short time exposure (1, 5 and 15 min) of flies to inoculated apple slices were tested in the first trial to determine the transfer of E. coli to flies. No difference (P>0.05) in the number of bacteria transferred to flies were …

Cultivating A Robust Safety Culture Through Identifying And Overcoming Barriers Within Organizations, Morgan Shradar

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The hierarchical power structure within healthcare and response teams may impede communication about safety risks and violations. In developing or enhancing the safety culture within the emergency response to infectious disease events in healthcare organizations, the hierarchy of controls can be utilized to evaluate successful transmission prevention or further harm to responding teams. Within the tool, administrative controls focus on policies, procedures, and practices that minimize the risk of exposure/transmission. The idea of a safe culture emerged following the Chernobyl Disaster, in which a combination of human and system failures led to this emergency. Safety culture has been integrated into …

Association Between Socioeconomic And Behavioral Characteristics With Urinary Neonicotinoid Levels In The United States, 2015-2016, Komi Nomessi Akliku

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Neonicotinoids are a class of pesticides developed in the 1980s and widely used in agriculture and households. They are sources of health damage in mammals, as identified in experimental studies in rats. The health effects identified were acetamiprid: memory dysfunction, respiratory failure, and digestive troubles; imidacloprid: liver and brain cell necrosis through Nitric Oxide formation: Thiacloprid induces an increase of cytokine proinflammation and causes cell division disturbance and genotoxicity; thiamethoxam is incriminated in reproductive system toxicity and cardiotoxicity; clothianidin is found to be associated with fertility troubles affecting spermatozoids’ motility. They have been said to be associated with thyroid cancer …

Assessing Occupational Exposure Risk And Covid-19 Incidence Rates In Nebraska By Industry And Occupation, 2020, Christopher Austin

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Occupational outbreaks of COVID-19 have been described during the pandemic, yet the epidemiology of COVID-19 across a larger workforce population is currently not well characterized in the United States. Describing COVID-19 incident rates by industry and occupation will elucidate how the pandemic affected the workforce in Nebraska. However, nonresponse bias occurs in the employment information when participants are unwilling or unable to respond to contract tracer questions, thus affecting the results. Nonresponse bias will be analyzed, and appropriate statistical approaches will be utilized to adjust for any bias in the data. Adjusting for bias, incidence rates by detailed industry and …

Assessing The Impact Of Ebola Virus Inoculum Size On Likelihood Of Infection, Joseph Lukowski

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Indirect transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is not uncommon but is poorly understood. Improving the understanding of the potential risk of EVD transmission from fomites should result in new or updated prevention or control measures for suspected or confirmed EVD cases or outbreaks.

Objective: This study aims to compile and understand pertinent data from peer-reviewed literature, establish the dose-response relationship between inoculum doses introduced to mucous membranes, and finally estimate the risk of EVD transmission from fomites.

Methods: A literature search was conducted through PubMed to obtain relevant data. This study employed this data to perform Poisson regression …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Rabies Lyssavirus Animal Testing In Nebraska, 2012 Through 2021, Elijah Theye

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by a neurotropic virus that has been a public health issue for over 4,000 years, killing roughly 59,000 humans globally each year. This study examined the seasonality of bat-human exposures, the association between animal-human exposure types and animal rabies positivity, and using skunk monthly positivity rates to predict all non-skunk non-bat animal positivity rates with a lag time of six months, in Nebraska.

Methods: Animal rabies testing data from 2012-21 were extracted from Nebraska’s Electronic Disease Surveillance System. Animal tests that had a valid animal rabies test were included in the analyses. To …

Sex Differences In Host Resistance And Tolerance To The Common Avian Pathogen Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, Chloe Connelly

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

As we face the threat of global pandemics, one thing becomes clear: biological research is not just about the pursuit of the unknown, but about protecting our future. Understanding disease transmission and predicting pathogen epidemics is more important than ever. Prior studies have indicated that in populations where one sex engages in more social behaviors and movement that sex may drive disease transmission. This supports sex as a factor to consider in the study of epidemic dynamics. Host physiology and immune strategies are another factor that can influence epidemics. Two commonly examined strategies are tolerance and resistance. Tolerance is the …

Development Of A Novel Environmental Dna (Edna) Tool For Monitoring Vulnerable Freckled Guitarfish, Pseudobatos Lentiginosus, In The Western Central Atlantic, Sarah Toepfer

Honors Theses

Rhino-rays are the most threatened group of elasmobranchs, having experienced widespread declines due to mortalities in fisheries and habitat degradation. Within the Western Central Atlantic, there are two extant species of Rhino-rays, the Critically Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis pectinata, and the Vulnerable Freckled Guitarfish, Pseudobatos lentiginosus. Although there is research committed to P. pectinata in this region, less is known about the distribution status of P. lentiginosus. Over the past 50 years, P. lentiginosus have undergone a presumed range contraction in U.S. waters; once found from North Carolina to Texas, and historically common in the north central …

The Routine Use And Cost Analysis Of Acid-Fast Bacilli And Fungal Cultures In Foot And Ankle Surgery: A Retrospective Study, Margaret Bohr, Robert Dean, Zein El-Zein, Megan Audet, Paul Fortin, Zachary Vaupel

Posters

Infection is a significant complication seen in orthopaedic surgery. In such cases, samples are sent to be cultured for aerobes, anaerobes, acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and fungi. AFB and fungi are generally slow-growing, difficult to culture, and rarely the pathogen, whereas aerobic and anaerobic cultures are routinely positive and guide antibiotic treatment. The goal of this study is to evaluate the value of routinely ordering AFB and fungal cultures in the setting of foot and ankle surgery.

Play That Funky Music: A Study Of Bacterial Contamination Of Wind Instruments, Ashley Clark

Honors Theses

Should there be standards to routinely clean instruments and what methods are available for that? It has been found that the bacteria and other microorganisms inside of musical instruments may be the culprit of respiratory infections in musicians (King et al. 2016). This project was divided into two experiments. First, clarinet reeds were introduced to three different species of bacteria. Then mouthpieces of trombonists and clarinetists of Eastern Kentucky University were swabbed and analyzed using a Colony Forming Unit assay. Bacteria was found to live on unused reeds for up to 30 days. Mouthpieces house millions of bacteria, determined by …

Advancement Of Detection And Treatment For Triple-Negative Breast Cancer And Infectious Disease, Austin Smothers

All Dissertations

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) continues to be one of the leading causes of death in women, making up 7% of all cancer deaths. Tumor-treating electric fields (TTFields) are low-energy, low-frequency oscillating electric fields (OEF) that have been shown to induce an anti-proliferative effect on mitotic cells in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and ovarian cancer. Currently, tumor-treating field (TTField) therapy utilizes “optimal” frequencies of electric fields to achieve maximal cell death by cell line. However, because of differences in cell size, shape, and ploidy during mitosis, optimal electric field characteristics for maximal cell death may not exist. …

Medication Errors In Pediatric Care And Preventative Solutions, Tyler Tidwell

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The research presented extensively examines previous reports covering pediatric medication errors (PMEs). Utilizing specific studies into the frequency and types of medication errors along with public surveys and policy discussion, the data and suggestions here provide commentary on the scope of PMEs, suggested institutional reform, and most importantly, legislative recommended action necessary to stymie the tide of PMEs. A significant portion of the research contained fixates on the literature review to provide ample familiarity with the background and scope of PMEs, but the subsequent sections will discuss their implication. After providing details on the magnitude of the issue, regulatory and …

A Pathophysiological, Clinical, And Epidemiological View Of Malaria, Alyssa Watt

Senior Honors Theses

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is common among all ages in tropical and subtropical countries. Annually, there are an estimated 3.3 billion people in 97 countries at risk of contracting malaria. Malaria has been a major global health problem throughout history and is a leading cause of death and disease for many within tropical regions. In the past decade, efforts, such advances in medicine and insecticide techniques, have reduced the prevalence of malaria by 50% which suggests that the elimination of this disease is possible. With the prevalence of malaria and recent reduction, it is vital to aid in …

High Prevalence Of Vaccine-Preventable Anal Human Papillomavirus Infections Is Associated With Hiv Infection Among Gay, Bisexual, And Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nairobi, Kenya, Myo Minn Oo, Samantha Moore, Suzanne Gibbons, Wendy Adhiambo, Peter Muthoga, Naomi Siele, Maureen Akolo, Henok Gebrebrhan, Aida Sivro, Blake T. Ball

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with anal cancers and is more prevalent in gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (gbMSM), partly due to their vulnerability to HIV infection. Baseline HPV genotype distributions and risk factors can inform the design of next-generation HPV vaccines to prevent anal cancer.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among gbMSM receiving care at a HIV/STI clinic in Nairobi, Kenya. Anal swabs were genotyped using a Luminex microsphere array. Multiple logistic regression methods were used to identify risk factors for four HPV outcomes (any HPV, any HR-HPV, and 4- …

Glycolytic Inhibitors As Leads For Drug Discovery In The Pathogenic Free-Living Amoebae, Jillian Milanes

All Dissertations

The free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, can cause a rare yet usually lethal infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Because of poor diagnostics and limited treatment options, the mortality rate associated with the disease is >97%. Due to our finding that glucose is critical for trophozoite growth in culture, we have been interested in exploiting amoebae glucose metabolism to identify new potential drug targets. We have characterized the first enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, glucokinase (Glck), from N. fowleri and two other pathogenic free-living amoeba, Acanthamoeba castellanii and Balamuthia mandrillaris. We have assessed their biochemical properties and …

Mathematics Library News, Aaron Lercher

Faculty Publications

Mathematics Library News is an LSU Libraries newsletter for members of the Mathematics and Experimental Statistics Departments, published roughly once each semester.

Reducing Urinary Catheter Usage In The Intensive Care Unit Setting And Education Related To Preventing Cautis: A Qi Project, Kristina Diurno

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are common but preventable hospital-associated infections. The inappropriate and prolonged use of indwelling urinary catheters can pose a significant risk for patients and healthcare organizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified that the most important factor related to an increased risk of CAUTI is the length of time an indwelling catheter remains in place. This DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) project assessed the barriers to removing indwelling catheters in the intensive care unit (ICU) while providing encouragement of prompt removal.

Purpose: Three aims were developed for this quality improvement project: …

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Provide Evidence For Kidney-Brain Axis Involvement In Cerebral Malaria Pathogenesis, Andrea L. Conroy, Dibyadyuti Datta, Robert Opoka, Anthony Batte, Paul Bangirana, Adnan Gopinadhan, Kagan A. Mellencamp, Ayse Akcan-Arikan, Richard Idro, Chandy C. John

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Cerebral malaria is one of the most severe manifestations of malaria and is a leading cause of acquired neurodisability in African children. Recent studies suggest acute kidney injury (AKI) is a risk factor for brain injury in cerebral malaria. The present study evaluates potential mechanisms of brain injury in cerebral malaria by evaluating changes in cerebrospinal fluid measures of brain injury with respect to severe malaria complications. Specifically, we attempt to delineate mechanisms of injury focusing on blood-brain-barrier integrity and acute metabolic changes that may underlie kidney-brain crosstalk in severe malaria.

Methods: We evaluated 30 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers …