Dynamic Prediction of Treatment Outcomes for Recurrent Tuberculosis Patients

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that affects people around the world, especially people in underdeveloped countries. TB is one of the top ten causes of death globally so improvement in understanding diagnosis and treatment of TB affected patients could lead to major improvements in world health. This thesis research evaluated relapse patients specifically, deeming a relapse patient as one who has either been cured or completed their last treatment and then is diagnosed with TB again. This research uses dynamic predictive modeling, based upon the random forest algorithm, to predict treatment outcomes for recurrent TB patients using demographic and follow-up clinical data. The model identifies variables and time periods that are significant in predicting whether the patient will be cured. The model is applied to data provided by the Evaluation System of National Control Program of Tuberculosis in the Republic of Moldova. Our results reveal insights that could be used by physicians to improve treatment strategy and monitor patients more effectively throughout the treatment trajectory

Fight, And If You Can\u27t Fight, Kick; If You Can\u27t Kick, Then Bite : A Comparative History of Afro-Brazilian and U.S. Black Women’s Stories of Resistance

This thesis is an intellectual and cultural exploration of U.S. Black and Afro-Brazilian feminism(s). Each chapter begins with history and scholarship from Brazil to shift the conversation away from an Anglophone-Americentric perspective. Within U.S. Black feminist thought, there is an over-representation of voices and experiences of English-speaking Black women. This is not to say that U.S. Black feminists have not reached across socially-constructed borders to incorporate scholarship from women living in other parts of the Black diaspora. However, there has not been nearly enough cross-cultural and transnational dialogue happening between U.S Black and Afro-Brazilian feminists. The time frame of this project begins with the colonial history (a period marked by racialized gender violence and the various ways Black women resisted) to enter the post-abolition era (where we see the development of the myth of racial democracy in Brazil), and finally into the height of anti-racism and anti-sexism movements, such as the Unified Black Movement in Brazil and second-wave feminism in Brazil and the U.S. The goal of this thesis is to assist in bridging this diasporic divide by demonstrating that Afro-Brazilian women’s intellectual knowledge should move from the margin to the center within mainstream Black feminist thought. Multicultural communication is a vital component in any liberation struggle. It is a way for individuals and collectives to learn about people’s different struggles as well as how to struggle together. In constructing these converging herstories, my hope is for future Black feminists to not allow differences in cultures and languages to deter them from reimagining a more inclusive and diverse feminism

A characterization of a Southeast Florida stony coral assemblage after a disease event

Coral reefs have declined globally due to anthropogenic stressors increasing the frequency and severity of bleaching and disease events. In 2014, a stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) outbreak occurred off the coast of southeast Florida and subsequently spread throughout the region. Data collected by the Southeast Florida Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP) were used to examine the regional impacts of the disease event on the Southeast Florida stony coral assemblage. A long-term annual monitoring project, SECREMP samples permanent sites along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract (SEFRT) from Miami-Dade County north to Martin County. Analysis of stony coral demographic data from 21 sites revealed regional SCTLD prevalence increased significantly, and significant region-wide declines in stony coral diversity and density were observed. From 2014 to 2018, species-specific susceptibility to the disease were evident, with Meandrina meandritesand Dichocoenia stokesiboth losing \u3e 90% of all live tissue by 2016. The reef building, complexity-contributing species Montastraea cavernosaand Orbicellaspp. lost significant tissue (55% and 70% respectively) as a result of this disease event. Overall, up to 64% of all live tissue was lost and at least 11 of 28 total species were impacted by SCTLD. Of the colonies that suffered complete mortality, many were among the largest individuals in the dataset. Loss of large, sexually mature colonies lowers reproductive capabilities and thus severely inhibits the potential for recovery. Juvenile surveys showed many of the large, structurally complex species had little to no juveniles within the sample sites, while eurytopic generalist species made up more than 76% of all juveniles. This disease event resulted in acute mortality and altered ecosystem function to the point where recovery is uncertain. To facilitate recovery, local resource managers need to understand the severity of the disease outbreak on the coral assemblage and mitigate local anthropogenic stressors

Drought and Health in the Context of Public Engagement

Droughts have profoundly affected societies around the world from the earliest beginnings. A recent estimate from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) claims that more than 1 billion people have been affected by drought during the twenty-year period between 1994 and 2013. Because of the characteristics of drought, drought impacts are often difficult to identify and quantify, and this is especially true with public health-oriented drought consequences, including those resulting from low water quantities, poor water quality, mental health and stress, dust and windblown agents, and wildlife intrusion. However, when officials emphasize adopting a proactive risk management approach to address drought, opportunities increase for reducing future public health risks. This chapter provides an overview of drought and describes drought risk management. The chapter ends with several case studies illustrating how public engagement can greatly assist in preparing a region for future droughts. Preparedness for drought is important as the competition for valuable and finite water resources increases, and as climate change potentially increases drought frequency and severity

Accuracy of the TeacherInsight Online Perceiver Tool in Determining the Effectiveness of High Rated and Low Rated Math and Science New Hire Teachers Following One Year and Three Years of Single School District Employment

The combined goals of recruiting and retaining effective teachers are often difficult to realize due to fluctuating student enrollments and class-size targets, teaching-load norms or requirements, and budgetary and resource constraints. While schools and districts market and recruit bright new teachers to the field, they too, struggle to maintain enticing career development standards that would retain the most effective teachers in the district (Guirano, Santibanez, & Daley, 2006). With the high turnover in schools, student achievement suffers. Teacher attrition has grown by 50% over the past fifteen years. The national teacher turnover rate has risen to 16.8%. In urban schools, it is over 20% and, in some schools and districts, the teacher dropout rate is actually higher than the student dropout rate. School districts fall into a chronic cycle of hiring and replacing teachers whereas the funding to develop effective teachers is financially strained (NCTAF, 2003). Human Resources is challenged by the startling facts of staffing highly effective teachers in hard-to-staff positions. Although states are beginning to take action to recruit and retain skilled teachers, few of those efforts are directed at finding teachers for the students who need them most (Atwell, 2007). Considerable research supports that poor and minority students are more likely to be taught by teachers less qualified as compared to teachers in more wealthy schools and fewer minority students (Carroll, Reichardt, & Guarino, 2000, Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002). Urban schools nationwide educate approximately 40% to 50% of the students who are not proficient in English, about 50% of minority students, and 40% of the country’s low-income students (Council of Great City Schools, 2000). The report continues to explain that compared to other districts, the urban districts are competing for quality teaching staff while serving students with lower academic achievement scores, greater dropout rates, and a larger population of special needs students to serve in the classroom. The challenge to recruit and retain quality teachers has encouraged many districts, particularly urban districts, to develop strategic recruitment efforts, hiring practices, and retention programs

Controlling an Invasive Forest Pest, the Asiatic Oak Weevil (cyrtepistomus castaneus), Using Prescribed Fire

Invasive species are non-native species whose presence is already or is likely to cause harm to the local ecosystem or economy, or human, animal, and plant health (Beck et al, 2006, p.415). The invasive Asiatic oak weevil is the primary leaf-feeding insect on oak trees in the Missouri Ozarks with larvae feeding on the roots of trees and the adults on the leaves (Marquis and Bhatti-Catano, 2017). The goal of this study was to determine if prescribed burns lower the abundance of adult and larval weevils. Eight pairs of 200 m x 200 m plots in the oak-hickory forest at the Tyson Research Station near Eureka, MO were used for the experimental environment. One of each plot pairs were surface-burned in early Spring 2018. In June 2018, mesh emergence traps with jars secured on top were placed under four white and four black oak trees on each plot. From late June-August 2018 the weevils were counted as they emerged and analyzed to determine effects of the sampling date, tree species, aspect, slope, weight, and ultimately weevil density in burned versus unburned plots. Notable differences in the density of weevils on burned vs. unburned plots were observed in favor of the hypothesis. These findings support the need for prescribed fire in the management of Missouri’s forests. References Beck, G. K. Zimmerman, J.D. Schardt, J. Stone, R.R. Lukens, S. Reichard, J. Randall, A.A. Cangelosi, D. Cooper, and J.P. Thompson. 2006. Invasive Species Defined in a Policy Context: Recommendations from the Federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Invasive Plant Science and Management 1(4):414-421. Marquis, R. J., & Bhatti-Catano, L. (2017). Impacts of the Asiatic oak weevil (Cyrtepistomus castaneus) on the growth and survivorship of black oak (Quercus velutina) seedlings. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://tyson.wustl.edu/allprojects/2017/10/4/impacts of-the-asiatic-oak-weevil-icyrtepistomus-castaneusi-on-the-growth-and-survivorship-of black-oak-iquercus-velutinai-seedling

The Effects of a Multicultural Overseas Community on Military Adolescents

Several reserachers have identified the challenges faced by military adolescent dependents. However, scholarly literature provides little evidence regarding examples of the impact of military adolescents\u27 transition and adjustment to residing in a multicultural community overseas. A qualitative case study was conducted of 6 former military adolescents between the ages of 18 and 25, regarding their perceptions of the experiences and challenges they encountered while residing in a multicultural overseas community as a military dependent between grades 8-12. Benet\u27s polarities of democracy served as the theoretical framework. All data were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis from which 5 themes emerged. Participants unanimously agreed that the lack of needed information while discussing transition with their parents led to negative experiences. Participants also agreed that they have not been included in policy development regarding military adolescent programs, which negatively impacted their integration into the overseas communities. Overall, the results of this study highlight the challenges this population encounters and indicates that the polarity pairs have not been leveraged well, thereby negatively impacting the participants\u27 overall overseas experience. This study may encourage positive social change by informing Department of Defense policy makers and local installation leaders regarding the enactment of programs that better support military families with adolescent dependents living in an overseas environment. Such policy changes may enhance the experience of dependent military adolescents, encourage the military personnel\u27s future commitment to military service, and support service member retention

Impacts of a Regional, Multi-Year, Multi-Species Coral Disease Outbreak in Southeast Florida

Globally coral reefs have been declining at alarming rates as a result of anthropogenic stressors, leading to increased frequency and severity of widespread bleaching and disease events. These events are often associated with increased water temperatures due to climate change as well as regional and local stress from nutrient enrichment through runoff and sedimentation from coastal development. In late 2014, a white syndrome disease outbreak was reported off the coast of southeast Florida and was subsequently documented spreading throughout the region. This study examined the regional impacts of the disease event on the southeast Florida stony coral population utilizing stony coral demographic data from the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP). SECREMP is a long-term monitoring project examining 22 sites distributed from Miami-Dade County north to Martin County, Florida. The results revealed significant region-wide declines in stony coral diversity, density, and live tissue area corresponding with increased disease prevalence, which reached its maximum for the study period in 2016. Regional declines in coral density approached 30% loss and live tissue was upward of 60% as a result of the disease outbreak. Additionally, multiple species were severely impacted, especially the reef building, complexity-contributing species Montastraea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites, and Siderastrea siderea. The disease outbreak resulted in acute mortality and altered the ecosystem function to a point such that recovery is uncertain. This multiyear, region-wide disease outbreak has been indiscriminate relative to coral species impacted and was arguably the most devastating disturbance event documented on the Southeast Florida Reef Tract