Influence of Enteric Infections on Response to Oral Poliovirus Vaccine: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The impaired immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in low-income countries has been apparent since the early field trials of this vaccine. Infection with enteropathogens at the time of vaccination may contribute to this phenomenon. However, the relative influence of these infections on OPV performance remains uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to examine the impact of concurrent enteric infections on OPV response. Using random-effects models, we assessed the effects of nonpolio enteroviruses (NPEVs) and diarrhea on the odds of seroconversion and/or vaccine virus shedding. RESULTS: We identified 25 trials in which OPV outcomes were compared according to the presence or absence of enteric infections, the majority of which (n = 17) reported only on NPEVs. Concurrent NPEVs significantly reduced the odds of per-dose seroconversion for type 1 poliovirus (odds ratio [OR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.23-0.84), but not type 2 (OR 0.53 [0.19-1.46]) or type 3 (OR 0.56 [0.27-1.12]). A similar reduction, significant for type 1 poliovirus (OR 0.50 [0.28-0.89]), was observed in the odds of vaccine virus shedding among NPEV-infected individuals. Concurrent diarrhea significantly inhibited per-dose seroconversion overall (OR 0.61 [0.38-0.87]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with an inhibitory effect of concurrent enteric infections on OPV response

Two Theories Of The United States Prison System

This project is divided into two parts. The first is a social and historical account of racism and prisons in the United States. It relies on an interpretation of Jacques Derrida’s concept of structured center to assert that America cannot exist without a racialized pariah caste. The purpose of “Part 1” is to establish the philosophical importance of prisons and to connect the social notion of invisibility to structural immobility, tracing this through the broader analysis of social, legal, and economic influences which converge in the site of the prison. “Part 2” argues that prisons can be understood as an inefficient burden of excess energy, one that is not sporadic, but regularized through the emergence of biopolitics in the 20th century. The divisions between race and class which become examples of nebulous biopower are manipulated politically to ‘kill’ aspects of the citizen, particularly in the case of the prison labeled. This death allows for economic life to replace the missing pieces of the citizen, resurrecting them into the sphere of productivity (i.e. prison labor). These forces combined create a caste of citizen who are ‘undead.’ That is to say, socially dead, but economically productive

Oppression, suppression, detachment, growth

Since 2007 I have been creating installation art with the plant kudzu as the primary medium. My work often develops by changing over a period of time. In some of my work I use the pared down, dried kudzu vine as 3-dimensional “drawings” that emphasize pure form, lines, and shape. In other installations, I am inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy and Louise Bourgeois where the materials used, support the idea behind the art. In these I make metaphorical references to what the kudzu does: overwhelm almost everything in its path. This focus evolved into my thesis installation titled, Oppression, Suppression, Detachment, Growth. The work has been documented since May 2009. In it, I used growing kudzu and personal objects related to my family. Both the kudzu and objects are saturated with meaning. Together, given time in their environment, they convey a narrative of family dysfunction and abuse. This documented thesis and museum installation began by my clearing a twentyfoot by twenty-foot kudzu infested hillside in Sylva. This outdoor environment was chosen to inform and develop the art. The majority of the objects included in this installation originally belonged to three generations of my family. Their arrangements are a reflection of my family history, one of oppression and suppression and my subsequent detachment from family events. The installation changed with the seasons and became more focused to a specific and inevitable outcome due to the damaging effects of the ruthless kudzu growth. Metaphorically, the results of this study illustrate a dichotomy: that tenacious growth can be positive and that family dysfunction can easily reoccur

The effects of environmental stressors on biofilm formation of Chlorella vulgaris

Biofilm formation has been explored as a means of harvesting microalgae for bioprocessing applications. Recently, environmental stressors have been implicated in the induction of biofilm formation; however, it is unclear whether all stressors, or a select few, are responsible for this phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate the effects of three stressors on biofilm formation of Chlorella vulgaris. We hypothesized that C. vulgaris would experience stress in response to nitrogen depletion (glyoxylate treatment), reduced or elongated day lengths, and with increased culture turbulence. Additionally, we hypothesized that common indicators of stress, such as growth inhibition, cell size changes, and production of reactive oxygen species, would correlate with biofilm formation. A turbulence level of 300-rpm decreased growth while increasing superoxide production and flocculation efficiency. Although a significant increase in EPS secretion was measured in both short and long day lengths, stress responses to day length changes were not observed. Nitrogen depletion induced low-level superoxide production for the highest glyoxylate concentrations. Collectively, the results indicate that stress response varies according to the applied stress, biofilm formation is not linked to a particular stress indicator, and that C. vulgaris uses cell stickiness both as a mechanism for substrate adherence and cellular aggregation

Synthesis of Ag:SiO2:Ag Core:spacer:shell nanoparticles via the hydrogen reduction method and the characterization of their optical properties

Plasmonic nanostructures are of considerable interest due to their unique mechanism for light interaction and the considerable number of applications that result from, or are enhanced by, these interactions. Extensive work has been reported on the synthesis, modeling, and utilization of various morphologies of plasmonic structures. As such, there is an increasing need to better define the optical properties of these materials to better understand and refine current theories in order to adapt to future applications. Herein the synthesis of Ag:SiO2:Ag core:spacer:shell (CSS) nanoparticles of varying geometries is reported. CSS synthesis utilizes an adaptation of the hydrogen reduction method and results in highly crystalline particles free of surface-modifying groups. This is advantageous as any molecule on the surface of the particle will influence the plasmonic properties. Extinction efficiencies of the composite CSS particles as well as the effect of varying shell and spacer thicknesses on the relative ratio of the scattering and absorptive plasmon relaxation modes are reported. Likewise, the relationship between CSS particle geometry and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enhancement factor is explored

Agents Of The Devil?: Women, Witchcraft, And Medicine In Early America

This thesis argues that early American women healers were especially vulnerable to witchcraft accusations because their positions of power threatened patriarchal society and their colonial communities. Colonial society already viewed early American women as more susceptible to witchcraft than men because they believed women were more vulnerable to temptations by the devil. In particular, women healers faced accusations of witchcraft because they had it within their power to cure or to hurt. Women healers were involved in early American witchcraft trials as character witnesses and inspectors for witches’ marks. However, their abilities to recognize witchcraft-induced illness, injuries, and deaths contributed to the fears of their neighbors who did not possess such skills. Because of their power and influence, women healers represent a prime example of revolutionary women who acted as agents of change within their own lives. This thesis contributes to scholarship through a complex look at women healers’ specific involvement in early American witchcraft trials as opposed to women in general

The Upset: Unlikely Sports Success And Its Effect On Incoming Student Quality And Quantity

The role of college athletics in the University system has long been a topic of interest. Previous studies have addressed the effects of general success in athletics on incoming student quantity and quality at a university, finding that there is some positive correlation. This study focuses on a specific type of sports success, an upset, and attempts to explain its effects on the quantity and quality of incoming students. This research suggests a strong positive correlation between upset wins and the quantity of incoming students. This study does not find any statistically significant correlation between an upset and the incoming student quality at a University. These findings suggest that prospective students perceive a University’s athletics program as a form of signal regarding the quality of the institution

The Public Intellectual And Myth Of Heroic Resistance: A Critique Of Brecht's Post-Atomic Bomb Version Of Galileo

This thesis focuses on German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s second version of his play Galileo, which he worked on in collaboration with actor Charles Laughton during the fallout of the United States’ atomic bombings. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the playwright’s notion of the public intellectual in the play as an individual who should sacrifice everything to thwart injustices and acts of violence within society. This thesis argues that, while individuals comprise systems and institutions, those structural forms of state power also create and enforce limitations upon the personal agency of people who challenge their authority. By addressing these limits and the violence of repressive institutions or systems, this thesis criticizes the expectation of “heroic” resistance as a form of romanticized overdetermination of a scholar’s agency

Gender Differences in Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement in Third Through Eighth Grade Students

Many studies have found gender differences in certain areas of academic achievement, such as reading and math (Davenport et al., 2002; Gibb, Fergusson, & Horwood, 2008; Klecker, 2005; Marks, 2008). Fewer studies have focused on gender differences in writing skills. The current study examined gender differences in written expression performance. Participants were 1,240 (600 males and 640 females) students in third through eighth grade representing five schools in a rural southeastern school district. Each student was administered an AIMSweb curriculum-based measurement writing probe. All measures were scored for total words written (TWW) and correct writing sequences (CWS). Both measures take into account how much the student has written within the time limit. Students completed these probes during the district’s regularly scheduled fall, winter, and spring benchmarks. Each student wrote a story for three minutes based on an age-appropriate story starter. Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance were used to determine if differences existed in the sample. A significant female advantage was found on both scoring indices at each grade level. Findings indicate that females not only wrote more words than males, but they also tended to be more correct in the use of these words. These findings have strong instructional and theoretical implications for practicing school psychologists and other educators

Diversity and Rate of Infection of Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi That Colonize Rhododendron Maximum Along an Elevational Gradient and Their Potential To Degrade Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons Using Lignin Degrading Enzymes

This study focuses on the dynamics of ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungal colonization levels and diversity in R. maximum roots along elevational gradients in the southern Appalachian Mountains. First we hypothesized that overall ErM colonization levels in fine roots would increase with an increase in elevation due to an increased need for nutrient acquisition by the fungal symbionts for the plant. We also hypothesized that community composition of the fungi would change along an elevation gradient because some fungi are likely to be better adapted to potentially more xeric and nutrient poor conditions on the tops of mountains or other associated factors. To address this question we sampled roots and soils from three elevational transects at two locations. Root associated fungi were cultured and the DNA amplified from these cultures was typed by RFLP analysis of the ITS regions. Root colonization was quantified by counting mycorrhizal hyphae at random locations within the root using light microscopy. Colonization was shown to increase at both sites at higher elevations. Changes in abundance, frequency and species composition of the fungal communities tracked elevational differences at the two locations. Differences in species composition at Unaka Mountain were clearer, showing separation of fungal communities by elevation