The Erasure of Black Women

To what do we owe Black women? Everything. To be Black and female in America means that you are ignored, silenced, and sometimes erased. the very fabric of history would be quite different for all of us without the contributions, tears, blood, and love of Black women. As a result of the intersection of patriarchy and white supremacy, Black women are too often left exhausted, overworked, and left out of the historical narrative. This multi-modal creative work is a call to action to end the erasure of Black women with scholarship, visual art, and poetry

Master of Science

thesisMetabolic gas analysis systems are important devices that are used to analyze respiratory gas exchange including volumetric flow rates and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations. This information provides useful insights into metabolic function. Traditionally, these systems were limited by their size and the functional requirements of the gas sensors including its sensitivity to water vapor and the alignment of flow and gas signals for real time analysis. Recently, Phillips-Respironics has developed a novel oxygen sensor that utilizes luminescence technology for oxygen analysis. When combined with a differential-pressure transducer and an on-airway nondispersive infrared CO2 sensor, the result is a compact system suitable for real time breath-by-breath gas analysis. The system has been validated for use in a critical care environment with low respiratory flows of ±180 L/min. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility by modifying the existing breathing circuit to accommodate higher volumetric gas flows (±400 L/min) for exercise stress testing applications. Several variations of the prototype systems were constructed. To increase the flow, a differential pressure flow transducer was obtained from a commercially available system used for exercise testing. The gas analysis sensors were then inserted into the main lumen at a 45o angle so that the signal strength across the differential pressure drop was greater than 5 cm H2O at 400 L/min and produced minimal back pressure resistance. Characterization of the flow required the use of a flow coefficient, indexed by the Reynolds number, to adjust for head losses created by the differential pressure sensor. With the flow coefficient adjustments, the accuracy of the flow compared to the theoretical flow value was within ±3% or ±1 L. A propane combustion chamber that simulated oxygen consumption was used to validate the luminescence-quenching oxygen sensor. The fraction of expired oxygen was determined theoretically based on the complete combustion of propane and compared to the actual recorded valued. The sensor was found to be accurate to within 6% across the range of flow

Evaluation of a Memory Book Intervention With Orphaned Children in South Africa

The purpose of this collaborative research study was to evaluate the use of the Memory Book intervention for orphaned children\u27s grief and loss recovery. A qualitative phenomenological approach was implemented to evaluate the Memory Book intervention with orphaned children at two children\u27s homes in South Africa. Study findings support the ability of children to work through loss and grief when they are assisted in preserving and telling their story. The Memory Book intervention assists children to chronicle their lives and demonstrates the potential to guide future interventions by care providers and nurses in this context

Zoonoses and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population: A One Health scoping review

With limited access to animal health services, and high disease burdens among domesticated animals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia face higher risk of disease including zoonoses. However, we lack understanding of the contribution of often preventable zoonoses to the health of these communities, which would enable us to enhance public health strategies and improve health outcomes. We conducted a scoping review to identify the current state of evidence on zoonoses in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. We examined the size, scope and characteristics of the evidence base and analysed the zoonoses detected in the studies within a One Health framework. We identified 18 studies that detected 22 zoonotic pathogens in animals, people, and the environment, with most studies detecting pathogens in a single One Health sector and no studies investigating pathogens in all three sectors. Findings indicate that despite the strong conceptual foundations of One Health throughout the evidence base, evidence is lacking in application of this concept. There is a need to undertake further research that prioritises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, considers the contribution of human, animal and environmental health factors, and investigates the prevalence and impact of zoonoses in communities through a One Health approach

Helminth Parasites of Two Species of Lepomis (Osteichthyes: Centrarchidae) from an Urban Watershed and their Potential Use in Environmental Monitoring

We provide a checklist of the common parasites of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) collected from eight creeks within an urban watershed located in Columbus, Georgia. A total of 12 parasite species were observed from 427 fish dissected. Bluegill (n = 222) were infected with 11 species, which included five species of larval helminths (Proteocephalus sp., Bothriocephalus sp., Posthodiplostomum minimum, Diplostomulum sp. and Clinostomum complanatum), one adult trematode (Pisciamphistoma stunkardi), four adult nematodes (Philometra sp., Philometra intraoculus, Spinetectus carolini and Camallanus oxycephalus) and one adult acanthocephalan (Neochinorhynchus cylindratus). Redbreast sunfish (n = 205) were infected with the same parasite species, except for the absence of larval Bothriocephalus sp. and the presence of an adult trematode (Crepidostomum cooperi). Metacercariae of the trematode P. minimum were the most common parasite in both fish species. Similar parasite communities in these sunfishes suggest that these species share similar microhabitats within the watershed, food resources and foraging sites. Seasonal comparison between the number of summer and winter parasites indicate a greater mean number of parasites per host in summer. We discuss the utility of such baseline parasite data in the potential environmental monitoring of the Bull and Upatoi Creeks watershed

Data Analysis of Zoonoses Notifications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Australia 1996-2021: Implications for One Health

Introduction: Zoonoses are a health concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia that face elevated risk of disease related to the environment and animals. Internationally, One Health is encouraged to effectively manage zoonoses by taking integrated approaches involving animal, human, and environmental health sectors to improve health outcomes. However, Australia’s health systems manage zoonotic diseases in animals and people separately which does not support a One Health approach. For the effective management of zoonoses, a strong evidence base and database regarding the epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens is needed. However, we currently lack this evidence limiting our understanding of the impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.Methods: As a first step towards building the evidence base, we undertook a descriptive analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander zoonotic notifications in Australia from 1996 to 2021. We presented notifications as annual notification rates per 100,000 population, and percentages of notifications by state, remoteness, sex, and age group.Results: Salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis were the most notified zoonoses with the highest annual notification rates of 99.75 and 87.46 per 100,000 population, respectively. The north of Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), remote and outer regional areas, and young children (0–4 years of age) had the highest percentages of notifications.Discussion: To our knowledge, these findings are the first national presentation of the epidemiology of zoonoses within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. A greater understanding of transmission, prevalence and impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (including animal and environmental health factors) is required to inform their effective management through a One Health approach