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Class of 2013 Abstract / Specific Aims: Metronidazole and clindamycin can be prescribed for anaerobic infections; however, patients are periodically prescribed a second agent with duplicate anaerobic coverage. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the frequency, appropriateness, and potential consequences of combination therapy against anaerobic organisms in patients prescribed metronidazole or clindamycin. Methods: In this IRB approved project, adult patients who were prescribed either intravenous metronidazole or intravenous clindamycin with or without another agent with anaerobic coverage for at least 48 hours at an academic medical center between May 2010 and April 2012 were evaluated. Subjects were excluded if documented Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea within 14 days prior to intravenous metronidazole, if use of oral vancomycin within 14 days prior to intravenous metronidazole, or if presence of diarrhea with more than six unformed stools 48 hours prior to intravenous metronidazole. Data collected includes demographic information, site of infection, surgical interventions, antibiotic therapy prescribed, therapy outcomes, and reported adverse events. The odds ratio for combination anti-anaerobic therapy was calculated for metronidazole and clindamycin. The appropriateness of combination anaerobic coverage therapy was evaluated based on expert opinion and guideline statements. The frequency of potential complications such as adverse drug events, Clostridium difficile infection, other diarrheal illness and superinfections associated with enteric organisms within 30 days after starting anaerobic therapy will be reported Main Results: In Progress Conclusion: To be determined

yes / Drawing from the Non-Lethal Weapons Database this report summarises and reviews: non-lethal technology research and development issues, themes and trends developments in non-lethal military organisation and co-ordination capacity recent developments in selected non-lethal technologies commercial opportunities and applications of non-lethal technology ethical and social implications of non-lethal technolgy non-lethal human bioeffect research

Published Article / Personalised funerals are defined as modernised, innovative, customised and specialised types of funerals. Personalised funerals are performed to reflect the individual's life and what he or she has accomplished (Broadbent 2002; Wolcott 1999). The aim of this study was to establish if there is a niche in South Africa for graphic material for personalised funerals. The importance of a personalised funeral is to comfort the attendees and avoid the funeral being too traumatic. One of the main questions that arose during this study is how well South Africans react to the idea of personalised funerals? Traditional funerals are gradually being improved by means of creating a more modernised and customised funeral. Funerals now include pictures, photographs and even slide shows of the deceased person (Jenga 2001). Informal receptions with bright colours and even a party after the services are becoming the preferred method (Edwards 2002). Orchids instead of roses, favourite songs instead of Bach, touching poems instead of traditional prayers (Wolcott 1999), slay coffins instead of a plain wooden coffin (Eybers 2007) all emphasise the need for personalised funerals. The aim of the first questionnaire was to establish if there is a niche in South Africa for graphic design material for personalised funerals and to assist with the various design implications that can be used in a funeral pamphlet. A second questionnaire was developed in order to include the opinion of a professional in the funeral industry, which could be beneficial in the design process. Through analysing these questionnaires, various design concepts were developed and applied to funeral pamphlets. The funeral industry already provides various services, for example catering, hiring of tents and vehicles. Why not graphic designers? The author of this study postulates that this could possibly develop a trend or need in South Africa, and expose more and more South Africans to personalised funerals.

Although there has been a phenomenal growth in the utilization of paraprofessionals in inclusive classrooms in recent years, few researchers have addressed key issues surrounding role changes. A review of the literature indicated a need for additional research in the areas of efficacy of utilization, identification of task assignments, and development of training programs for teachers and paraprofessionals. Often special education and general education teachers are given the responsibility of determining what tasks will be performed by paraprofessionals without receiving guidelines or supervisory training. The purposes of this project were to determine what factors influenced the decisions made about task assignments for paraprofessionals and to ascertain what training programs would be appropriate and helpful. Subjects included in this study were the special education teachers, general education teachers, and paraprofessionals serving students in five, elementary inclusive classes in three school divisions in Virginia. Two observations were conducted in each class to identify the tasks performed by paraprofessionals. The general education teachers, the special education teachers, and the paraprofessionals working in each selected class were interviewed for information about their perceptions of paraprofessional task assignments. Other characteristics that might influence decision-making were examined by collecting demographic information on background, education, and training. Tasks performed by paraprofessionals were categorized by using a competency level checklist adapted from a list developed by Pickett (1994). Competency levels were : Level I (Teacher Aide), Level II (Instructional Assistant), and Level III (Assistant Teacher). Observations conducted in the three school divisions revealed that paraprofessionals usually performed Level II tasks. These tasks involved providing assistance with mobility issues, self-help needs, on task behavior, and assisting with individual programs of study. During the interviews paraprofessionals stated that they did not receive credit for their abilities nor did they receive personal respect. Both teachers and paraprofessionals expressed a desire for more collaborative planning time; paraprofessionals desired more specific training, especially on medical and legal issues. / Ph. D.

The overall theme that drove my research was the concern for public health and its possible compromise due to the colonization of large areas of the United States by the disease-vectoring Aedes albopictus. The main objective is to determine the elements that make an environment conducive to Aedes albopictus populations. Specifically, the objective of this research is to identify the socio-economic impact of Aedes albopictus on residents in the Hampton Roads area in southeast Virginia and determine if there is an identifiable environment in which A. albopictus could be found. Data were collected at the Census block group level (demographic variables) and at the single household level (survey and physical-cultural variables). The variables were then correlated (Pearson) and the results were analyzed. Only variables that were less than (.1) significance were examined. The following physical-cultural variables were found to be associated with the reduction of A. albopictus activity: having a sea breeze, being near an oceanfront, cutting the grass frequently, and keeping the overall neatness of a property high. Secondary variables that are related to the decrease in A. albopictus populations are sunny yards, yards with no containers that can hold water, and yards that contain coniferous trees versus deciduous trees. The primary socio-economic variables that can signify an environment with high A. albopictus activity are: lower house value and median rent value, lower levels of education, and a lower median income level. Other demographic variables that help determine the size of an A. albopictus population are (in order of significance): ethnicity (white or black), poverty/unemployed, owner/renter occupied, and the year a house was built. These secondary variables increase A. albopictus numbers if the following trends exist: high percent of persons in poverty and unemployed, higher percent of renter occupied homes, and older houses. / Master of Science

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Okinawa serves as a strategic base for U.S. forces in maintaining regional security and protecting Japanese and American interests based on the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States and its 1951 predecessor. This thesis assesses the developing factors in Japan's constitutional debate after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It examines the myriad issues influencing the reinterpretation or potential revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution and what implications revision would have on Japan-based U.S. forces stationed primarily in Okinawa. This thesis argues that Tokyo's reinterpretation or revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution would not require a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Okinawa. Regional threats still validate the half-century old U.S.-Japan Security Alliance and most of its current structure. The major questions the thesis addresses are how and why Japan is reinterpreting or may revise its constitution, what dangers threaten Japanese and American security and interests, and how Okinawa's bases contribute to the security and stability of the region and at what price. Furthermore, this thesis evaluates the validity of perceptions regarding U.S. troops on Okinawa, and it seeks to clarify the situation on Okinawa. This thesis' arguments set the stage for a policy-prescriptive conclusion which is predicated on six individual premises. A major point is the validation of a viable and proven U.S. expeditionary force to remain stationed within Japan. Also, it offers practical recommendations for what is next for U.S. forces on Okinawa, including maintaining the status quo with certain adjustments, overhauling public relations and media interactions, and examining the merits of Kadena Air Base and Ie Island for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. / Captain, United States Marine Corps

La micro-fondation de l’analyse économique n’est pas nouvelle. L’analyse du commerce international a connu un renouveau depuis que l’hétérogénéité des exportateurs a été mise en évidence. Ma thèse contribue à la littérature en mettant en évidence de nouvelles dimensions sur lesquelles les exportateurs sont hétérogènes, à partir desquelles je dérive des conséquences agrégées non-triviales. Dans le premier chapitre, j’estime l’effet pro-commercial des travailleurs migrants. En utilisant des données exhaustives de l’emploi des firmes françaises, je montre que les firmes sont hétérogènes dans l’emploi de travailleurs nés à l’étranger et que l’emploi de ces travailleurs étrangers génère un effet pro-commercial qui peut être rationalisé par deux canaux. D’une part, l’emploi de ces travailleurs est associé à une augmentation de la productivité, favorisant l’exportation. D’autre part, les travailleurs migrants apportent de l’information sur leur pays d’origine à leur entreprise. Dans le deuxième chapitre, j’explique pourquoi la volatilité du taux de change n’est pas associée à des exportations agrégées plus faibles. Je montre que les firmes qui servent plusieurs destinations, et qui déterminent donc les exportations agrégées, réagissent à la volatilité en réallouant leurs exportations vers d’autres destinations, laissant donc les exportations agrégées inchangées. Dans le chapitre 3, en utilisant des données agrégées pour les pays de l’OCDE, je montre que la réponse des comptes courants aux variations de couts de commerce dépend de l’intensité capitalistique agrégée des exportations et de la profondeur des accords régionaux favorisant la mobilité des facteurs. La prise en compte de l’hétérogénéité sectorielle est alors cruciale pour évaluer les conséquences de la libéralisation commerciale. / Micro-foundation of economic analysis is nothing new. In the last two decades, international trade stepped into that direction by documenting how observed trade flows were made of heterogeneous exporting firms, that differ from each other along many dimensions. Yet, accounting for this heterogeneity is just a first step. My thesis contributes to the literature by providing additional insights on exporters’ behavior and, crucially, by deriving aggregate non-trivial aggregate implications from this micro-level heterogeneity, of particular importance for both academics and policymakers. In chapter 1, I estimate the pro-trade effect of migrants. Using exhaustive administrative data of French firms’ employment, I show that firms are heterogeneous in their employment of foreign-born workers. I also show that employing migrant workers generates a pro-trade effect that occurs both through increased access to information on the partner country and through increased productivity within the firm boundaries. In chapter 2, I solve a puzzle relating exchange-rate volatility and trade flows. I show that multi-destination firms, who account for the bulk of aggregate exports, react to an adverse shock of exchange-rate volatility transferring trade to other and less volatile destinations, thus leaving exports unchanged at the aggregate level. In chapter 3, using aggregate data for the OECD countries, I provide evidence that the response of current accounts to changes in trade costs depends on the capital intensity of production and on the depth of regional agreements on trade and factor mobility. Accounting for sectoral composition of trade is thus crucial to assess the consequences of trade liberalization.

This study used family systems theory as a lens to examine fathers' relationships with young adolescent children as it relates to the areas of time spent together, communication between generations, and paternal satisfaction in raising an early adolescent child. Similarities and differences of scores on the Parent Success Indicator were examined for 191 Caucasian American (n=110) and African American (n=81) fathers of 10- to 14-year-old-children. Results showed that increased amounts of time that fathers report spending with children was significantly associated with paternal satisfaction, communication between generations, fathers' use of time, parental frustration, and parental teaching. Implications for training and family therapy involving fathers were also explored.

An algorithm is presented which partitions space among mapped plants according to their relative sizes and positions using one of eight rules for locating boundaries between individuals. The performance of those rules is examined using several natural and artificial data sets with diverse measures of individual size. The relative performance of the rules was the same for all natural data sets examined. The best rule, as measured by a high correlation between individual size and assigned space, placed the boundary at a distance between neighbors proportional to the relative sizes of neighbors as long as a maximum distance (also a function of size) was not exceeded. It is inferred that the algorithm identifies contact neighbors and quantifies the extent of their contact. Afield experiment is proposed to test this inference.