Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Peter C. Chu, Steven D. Haeger. Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-119). Also available online.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed Nov. 15, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177). Online version of the print original.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral--Kyŏngsŏngdae) / Includes bibliographical references and indexes. "Parhaesa nonjŏ mongnok (inmyŏngbyŏl)"--p. 305-347 ; "Parhaesa nonjŏ mongnok (pullyubyŏl : yŏndaesun)"--p. 348-388.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177).

Healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) are a complex and multi-factorial problem associated with high morbidity, mortality, and cost. Toothbrushes (TBs) may be at risk for contamination with potential pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs) from the patient care environment or autoinnoculation from the patient. We focused on three PPMs: multiply resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and Acinetobacter. Specific aims were to (1) describe environmental factors associated with TB contamination in the ICU; (2) describe the relationship between TB contamination and oral colonization in critically ill adults.

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of English

A Study of Hwang-Hai's Works Yi-jin Lin Abstract In the study, Hwang-hai's science fiction is researched with various definition by the east and western scholars. Ttracing back his life and writing experience results in the deep comprehension of his writing theme ¡X the reflection upon science and civilization. The research range includes Hwang-hai's writing art and skills of science fiction, such as fantastic time and space, characters and plots arrangements, and styles with the reference of western narrative theories, traditional literary theories, and science fiction theories. Hwang-hai's writing pioneering creativities are the fairy tales characteristics between the children literature and adult. That can be helpful to distinguish Hwang-hai from other science fiction writers in Taiwan with the viewpoints of education and literary sociology. The relative multi-pronged research can bring out not only the prospective future of science fiction in Taiwan but also the meaning of Hwang-hai's science fiction in our days, by the concepts of the literary artistic worth to social educational function from his works. Keywords: Hwang-hai, Science fiction, Children Literature, Black Comedy.

West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis Encephalitis (SLEV) are arthropod-borne viruses belonging to the genus Flavivirus and are classified as significant human pathogens of global epidemiological importance. Since its introduction into the United States in 1999, WNV has spread throughout most of the country and has caused major epidemics of neuroinvasive disease (Hayes and Gubler, 2005). SLEV is endemic to the United States and is maintained in an enzootic transmission cycle in Florida.The Florida Sentinel Chicken Arboviral Surveillance Network was established in 1978 following a widespread rural epidemic of SLEV in central Florida to monitor the activity of arboviruses (Day and Stark, 1996). This program ultimately impacts vector control strategies and may warrant medical alerts to warn the population. Current serological detection methods for sentinel chickens include hemagglutination inhibition antibody test (HAI), IgM antibody capture enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA), and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT).These serological assays may take over three weeks to generate a final result. A more rapid and equally sensitive test to replace these current serological methods would be of benefit. Microsphere-based immunoassays (MIAs) are a more rapid serological option for laboratory diagnosis of many diseases (Kellar et al, 2001). The objective of this study was to develop and validate a protocol for a MIA to detect antibodies to WNV and SLEV in sentinel chicken sera. A total of 385 sentinel chicken sera from 2005 were assayed using the MIA for WNV and 424 sera from multiple years were assayed for SLEV. The capability of the MIA to multiplex allowed for simultaneous detection of antibodies to WNV and SLEV in sentinel chicken sera. The MIA was found to be more sensitive and specific than both the HAI and MAC-ELISA for the detection of antibodies to WNV, and just as sensitive and specific as the MAC-ELISA for the detection of antibodies to SLEV in sentinel chicken sera. These results indicate that there is a potential of the MIA to decrease turn-around time and allow for earlier detection and improvement to the current surveillance system.

A Hepatite Autoimune (HAI) é uma doença inflamatória crônica oriunda de autoimunidade, ocasionando fibrose hepática. O objetivo desse estudo foi verificar possíveis inter-relações entre HLA-G, BAMBI e processos inflamatórios/fibrogênicos hepáticos na Hepatite Autoimune, tanto em biópsias de pacientes pré quanto póstratamento com imunossupressores. Foram selecionadas noventa e cinco biópsias de pacientes do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto diagnosticados com HAI, associados ou não a depósitos de ferro no fígado. As biópsias foram submetidas à imuno-histoquímica para marcação das proteínas HLAG e BAMBI. As estatísticas foram determinadas pelos testes Mann-Whitney e correlação de Spearman. A expressão de HLA-G e de BAMBI se apresentou aumentados conforme o agravamento da inflamação e fibrose em pacientes pré- tratamento com boa ou má resposta ao tratamento. No entanto, a expressão de HLAG e de BAMBI foi reduzida nas biópsias pós-tratamento apenas nos pacientes bom respondedores (diminuição da fibrose). Não houve quaisquer relações entre as quantificações de HLA-G e BAMBI com o número de plasmócitos ou com depósitos de ferro no fígado tanto em pacientes pré quanto pós-tratamento. Os resultados sugerem que tanto HLA-G quanto BAMBI são imunorreguladores sensíveis à intensidade do processo inflamatório no fígado, tendo suas expressões aumentadas ou diminuídas de acordo com a demanda por substâncias que regulem compostos e células imunológicas na HAI. Sugerem também que o infiltrado plasmocitário não é regulado diretamente pelo HLA-G ou BAMBI, e que os depósitos de ferro no fígado não são capazes de influenciar nem o grau inflamatório, nem as expressões de HLAG e BAMBI. / Autoimmune Hepatitis (HAI) is a chronic inflammatory disease originating from autoimmunity, causing liver fibrosis. The objective of this study was to verify possible interrelations between HLA-G, BAMBI and inflammatory / fibrogenic hepatic processes in Autoimmune Hepatitis, both in pre and post-treatment immunosuppressive biopsies. Ninety-five biopsies of patients from the Clinical Hospital of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto diagnosed with HAI, associated or not with iron deposits in the liver, were selected. Biopsies were submitted to immunohistochemistry for the labeling of HLA-G and BAMBI proteins. The statistics were determined by the Mann-Whitney tests and Spearman\'s correlation. The expression of HLA-G and BAMBI was increased as worsening of inflammation and fibrosis in pre-treatment patients with good or poor response to treatment. However, the expression of HLA-G and BAMBI was reduced in post-treatment biopsies only in patients with good responders (decreased fibrosis). There were no relationships between the quantifications of HLA-G and BAMBI with the number of plasma cells or with liver iron deposits in both pre and post-treatment patients. The results suggest that both HLA-G and BAMBI are immunoregulators sensitive to the intensity of the inflammatory process in the liver, their expressions being increased or decreased according to the demand for substances that regulate immune cells and compounds in HAI. They also suggest that plasmacytic infiltrate is not directly regulated by HLA-G or BAMBI, and that the liver iron deposits are not capable of influencing either the inflammatory grade or the expressions of HLA-G and BAMBI.