Master of Public Health / Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology / Michael W. Sanderson / A zoonotic disease is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Over 200 zoonoses have been described (Zoonoses and the Human-Animal-Ecosystems Interface, 2013). Many zoonotic viruses are arboviruses, viruses transmitted by an infected, blood-sucking, arthropod vector (Hunt, 2010). There are several endemic arboviruses in the United States; some foreign arboviruses, such as Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus, are potential bioterrorism agents (Dar, 2013). Arboviruses, both endemic and foreign, threaten public health (Gubler, 2002) and therefore disease surveillance, vector control and public education are all vital steps in minimizing arboviral disease impact in the United States. Mosquito-borne disease threats, such as West Nile virus and Rift Valley fever, are constant concerns in the United States and globally. Current strategies to prevent and control mosquito-borne diseases utilize vector distribution, seasonal and daylight timing, and variation in population numbers. Climate factors, such as availability of still water for development of immature mosquitoes, shade, and rainfall, are known to influence population dynamics of mosquitoes. Using 1995-2011 mosquito population surveillance data from Fort Riley, Kansas, we compared population numbers of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae), a vector of several arboviruses including West Nile virus and potentially Rift Valley fever, to a satellite-derived index of climate, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomaly. No correlation between the population numbers and NDVI anomaly was observed, which contrasts with results from similar analyses in other locations. These findings suggest a need for continued investigation into mosquito population dynamics in additional ecological regions of the United States to better describe the heterogeneity of environment-population relationships within and among mosquito species.

This dissertation consists of a development of the notion of equilibrium in non-cooperative games (introduced by John Nash in his doctoral dissertation submitted in May 1950) from the point of view of games played by complex adaptive systems (such as States) who adapt to an asymmetric distribution of bargaining power. The main ingredient of this dissertation is the notion of the contextually normalized solution, that implies that players routinely repeat strategies that work, and that an asymmetric complex game will be in a stable state so long as the set of normal strategies consists of the stronger players’ most preferred and the weaker players’ least disliked strategies. There is no other generality in rational behaviour; all else is relative to the frame of reference.

A dose glandular média é a grandeza utilizada para dosimetria em mamografia. Esta grandeza apresenta grande dependência com propriedades específicas referentes ao tipo de mama a ser avaliada, tais como sua glandularidade e espessura comprimida. Depende também das propriedades do espectro de raios X, tais como a combinação anodo/filtro e a tensão aplicada ao tubo, que modificam a camada semirredutora do feixe. A caracterização do feixe de raios X através da medição direta do seu espectro é um procedimento de alta complexidade e de difícil execução em sistemas de mamografia, devido à arquitetura dos equipamentos e da alta taxa de fluência de fótons característica dos feixes. Estes espectros representam a fonte de informações quantitativas e qualitativas mais completa do feixe. O objetivo geral desse trabalho é estimar distribuições de dose glandular em diferentes profundidades de materiais simuladores de tecido mamário por meio de espectros de raios X medidos em mamógrafos. Para isso, foram utilizadas técnicas radiográficas comumente empregadas na mamografia para o rastreamento do câncer de mama. Foi avaliado o comportamento da dose glandular média normalizada pelo kerma no ar incidente (DgNp) com parâmetros relacionados à mama (glandularidade e espessura) e aos espectros (camada semirredutora, tensão, combinação alvo/filtro). Primeiramente, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia experimental para medição dos espectros de raios X nos mamógrafos. Em seguida, foram propostos os seguintes métodos de cálculo da DgNp utilizando esses espectros: Método I, que calcula a DgNp com espectros incidentes; Método II, que utiliza espectros incidentes e transmitidos para este cálculo e Método III, que usa espectros incidentes e transmitidos para estimar a distribuição de dose em profundidade. Por fim, para efeito de comparação, a distribuição da DgNp também foi estimada utilizando dosímetros termoluminescentes (TLDs). A metodologia desenvolvida para medição de espectros mostrou-se eficaz para posicionamento e alinhamento adequados do detector no feixe e consequentemente a medição dos espectros diretos. Os espectros incidentes experimentais mostraram boa concordância com espectros simulados. Os resultados mostraram uma distribuição bem-comportada desses coeficientes (DgNp), com tendência linear ou exponencial, com relação aos parâmetros analisados. Para um dado espectro, os valores de DgNp apresentaram decrescimento exponencial com a espessura do material simulador ao tecido mamário e dependencia linear com a glandularidade. Além disso, esses coeficientes crescem linearmente com o aumento da camada semirredutora e, consequentemente, com a energia efetiva. A partir das distribuições de DgNp (obtidas pelo Método III) foi possível estimar a dose no volume completo da mama com diferença máxima de 5,2% dos valores obtidos com o Método II. A variação da DgNp com a profundidade obtidas com TLDs mostrou-se bastante coerente com os resultados observados com a utilização do Método III. Conclui-se que é possível avaliar a dose glandular em mamografia utilizando espectros de raios X e que a metodologia proposta tem potencial para ser aplicada como procedimentos alternativos para dosimetria em mamografia. / The mean glandular dose is the quantity used for dosimetry in mammography. This quantity has a strong dependence with some properties of the evaluated breast, such as its glandularity and compressed thickness. It also depends on the X-ray spectrum used for the mammographic image production, such as the target/filter combination and the tube voltage, which are related to the half value layer (HVL) of the beam. The X-ray beam characterization by means of the direct measurement of its spectrum is a complex procedure, and it is difficult to be implemented in clinical systems due to the architecture of the mammography equipment and the high photon fluence rates. These spectra provide a complete qualitative and quantitative information of the X-ray beam. The general objective of this work is to estimate mean glandular dose distributions in different depths of breast tissue-equivalent materials (bTEM) considering the X-ray spectra measured in clinical mammography devices. Radiographic techniques commonly applied for breast cancer screening were used. The behavior of the mean glandular dose normalized to the incident air kerma (DgNp), with parameters related to the breast (glandularity and compressed thickness) and to the mammographic spectra (HVL, tube voltage, target/filter combination), was evaluated. First, an experimental methodology was developed to measure X-ray spectra in clinical mammography devices. Then, the following methods for calculating the DgNp using these spectra were considered: Method I, which calculates the DgNp using the incident spectra; Method II, which uses incident and transmitted spectra by the bTEMs, and Method III, which uses incident and transmitted spectra to estimate the dose distributions in depth of the breast equivalent materials. Finally, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were used as a comparative method to evaluate DgNp distributions. The methodology developed for measuring spectra proved to be efficient for the proper positioning and alignment of the detector and, consequently, for the measurement of direct X-ray spectra. The experimental incident spectra showed good agreement with spectra simulated in similar conditions. The results showed well-defined trends (either linear or exponential) of the distributions of these coefficients (DgNp) regarding the analyzed parameters. The DgNp values presented an exponential decay with the bTEM thickness and linear decrease with the glandularity. In addition, these coefficients increase linearly with the increase of the HVL and, consequently, with the increase of the effective energy. From the distributions of DgNp (obtained by Method III) it was possible to estimate the DgNp in the whole breast with a maximum difference of 5.2% from the values obtained using the Method II. The variation of the DgNp with the depth, obtained with TLDs, showed to be consistent with the results observed using the Method III. In conclusion, it is possible to evaluate the glandular dose in mammography examinations using X-ray spectra and the suggested methodology, with some adaptations, can be applied as an alternative procedure for dosimetry in mammography.

Orientador: Glauco de Souza Rolim / Coorientador: Newton La Scala Júnior / Banca: Jansle Vieira Rocha / Banca: Teresa Cristina Tarle Pissarra / Resumo: O sensoriamento remoto é uma ferramenta importante no monitoramento e na previsão da qualidade e da quantidade de cultivos. Nos últimos anos, surgiram satélites com melhores resoluções espaciais, temporais e, principalmente, novos produtos, como a fluorescência da clorofila induzida pelo sol (SIF), a coluna média de CO2 atmosférico (XCO2), além do Índice da Vegetação da Diferença Normalizada (NDVI). A cana-de-açúcar é o principal cultivo para a produção de açúcar e bioenergia no mundo. A hipótese deste estudo é que o SIF e o XCO2 têm correlação com a taxa fotossintética, e o NDVI avalia o vigor do dossel ligado à biomassa verde. O estudo teve como objetivo analisar a relação entre SIF, Xco2 e NDVI com a produtividade e o nível de açúcar da cana-de-açúcar. O estudo foi realizado em locais representativos de uma das principais regiões de produção de cana-de-açúcar do mundo, na região Centro-Sul do Brasil. Quatro locais de estudo foram identificados para representar a região, sendo Pradópolis, Araraquara e Iracemápolis, no Estado de São Paulo, e Quirinópolis, no Estado Goiás, Brasil. Os dados foram coletados no período de 2015 a 2016, em sistemas de dados orbitais. Para as análises meteorológicas, foram utilizados dados diários ajustados na escala mensal. Os dados de toneladas de cana por hectare (TCH, em t ha-1) e o açúcar total recuperável (TSR, em kg t-1) foram coletados de talhões de cana- -de-açúcar de empresas da região e estratificados por nível de município, no período e... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Remote sensing is an important tool for monitoring and forecasting the quality and quantity of crops. In recent years, satellites with better spatial and temporal resolutions and, mainly, new products, such as the S olar - induced c hlorophyll F luorescence (SIF), the average column of atmospheric CO 2 and normalized difference vegetation index. The Sugarcane is the main crop for sugar and bioenergy production in the world. Our hypothesis is that SIF and Xco 2 have a correlation with the photosynt hetic rate and NDVI evaluate the canopy vigor, linked to the green biomass of crops. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between SIF, Xco 2, and NDVI with sugarcane yield and sugar level. The study was conducted in representati ve locations of one of the main regions of sugarcane production in the world, in the C enter - S outh region of Brazil. Four study locations were identified to represent the region being, Pradópolis, Araraquara, and Iracemápolis in the São Paulo (SP) state and Quirinópolis in the Goiás (GO) state, Brazil. The data were collected in the period from 2015 to 2016 in orbital data systems. The meteorological analyses were used daily data adjusted in the monthly scale. The data of tons of cane per hectare (TCH, in t ha - 1 ) and total sugar recovery (TSR, in kg t - 1 ) were collected from sugarcane plots of companies in the region and stratified by level of the municipality in the period between April and November of the growing seaso... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Varfarina é o anticoagulante oral prescrito com maior frequência, no entanto há difi-culdades em seu manejo na prática clínica. Embora tenha eficácia bem estabelecida é considerado um medicamento potencialmente perigoso, que está associado a erros de medicação fatais na atenção primária à saúde. Para garantir a segurança do paciente, seu uso requer o monitoramento dos níveis de anticoagulação, sendo importante a ade-são ao tratamento e a informação dos pacientes quanto aos cuidados durante o trata-mento. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar o nível de informações dos pacien-tes quanto à prescrição, o nível de informações prestadas pela equipe de saúde aos pa-cientes, a adesão ao tratamento e os níveis de controle da anticoagulação através do valor do Coeficiente Internacional Normatizado (INR). Foi realizado estudo transver-sal, a partir de uma coorte prospectiva, com 60 pacientes atendidos na atenção primá-ria à saúde no município de Ijuí, utilizando-se questionário para verificar o nível de informação prestada aos pacientes pela equipe de sáude, a Escala de Adesão Terapêu-tica de Morisky de Oito Itens para verificar a adesão, e o exame do tempo de protrom-bina para verificar o valor INR. De acordo com os critérios adotados, verificou-se um nível insuficiente de informações prestada pela equipe de saúde, baixa adesão ao tra-tamento, com a maioria dos pacientes fora do intervalo terapêutico adequado. Verifica-se a necessidade de melhoria da qualidade das informações prestadas aos usuários, incentivo da adesão ao tratamento e melhor monitoramento da anticoagulação visando à segurança do paciente. / Warfarin is the oral anticoagulant most frequently prescribed, although is difficult handling warfarin in clinical practice. It’s has a well-established efficacy, but is con-sidered a potentially dangerous drug, and in primary health care is associated with fatal medication errors. To ensure patient safety, its use requires requires anticoagulation levels monitoring ,, so medication adherence and care information’s about anticoagula-tion therapy are important. The aim of this study was to verify the information level about the prescription, information level provided by the health care team, medication adherence and anticoagulation control levels by the International Normalized Ratio (INR) value. A cross-sectional study, from a prospective cohort, was realized with 60 patients seen in primary health care in Ijuí city, a questionnaire was use to check the information level to the patients by the health team, Eight Item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale was use to verify adherence, and prothrombin time exam was use to check the INR value. According to the criteria adopted, was observed insufficient in-formation level provided by health care team, poor adherence to treatment and most patients was out of the therapeutic range. It’s necessary improve the quality of infor-mation provided to the patients, promote medication adherence and improve the anti-coagulation monitoring for patient safety in the treatment.

Este estudo apresenta padrões de flutuações das geleiras do Nevado Cololo, Bolívia, no período 1975–2011, determinado partir de dados orbitais, cartográficos e climáticos. As massas de gelo do Nevado Cololo são representativas das geleiras tropicais andinas que estão sujeitas a alternância entre condições atmosféricas úmidas (novembro-abril) e secas (maio-outubro) (outer tropics). Essa sazonalidade é determinada pela oscilação latitudinal da Zona de Convergência Intertropical (ZCIT) e perturbada pelos eventos não sazonais do fenômeno ENOS. A fase positiva, o El Niño, contribui negativamente para o balanço de massa dessas geleiras e foi frequente no intervalo investigado. Esse trabalho usou imagens TM/Landsat-5 para determinar a cobertura de gelo em 1989, 1997, 2008 e 2011. Aplicando o Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), que utiliza as características espectrais opostas das massas de gelo no visível e no infravermelho próximo, este trabalho delimitou as geleiras do Nevado Cololo. Utilizando as informações de carta topográfica foi obtido um Modelo Digital de Elevação (MDE), elaborado pela interpolação de pontos de elevação usando o método geoestatístico krigagem ordinária. As informações obtidas do sensoriamento remoto e da cartografia foram incorporadas a um Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) para se obter parâmetros das geleiras. A análise da séries temporais de precipitação e temperatura usaram dados do Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC)/NOAA, do Climate Research Unit Time Series (CRUTS)/University of East Anglia e de duas estações meteorológicas. Os dados climáticos não apresentam tendências estatisticamente significativas, mas há uma fraca redução da precipitação durante os meses de novembro, dezembro e abril, condições essa que podem indicar menor nebulosidade durante o verão. Em 2011 só restavam 48 das 122 geleiras identificadas em 1975. Geleiras pequenas (< 0,1 km²) com cotas máximas baixas foram as mais afetadas e atualmente não existem geleiras abaixo de 4.626 m a.n.m. A cobertura de gelo era de 24,77 ±0,00032 km² em 2011, 42,02% menor do que em 1975. A perda superficial ocorreu em todas as vertentes, independente de orientação, mas as geleiras voltadas a leste foram mais afetadas. Mesmo a maior geleira do Nevado Cololo, face SW, perdeu 21,6% de sua área total e sua frente retraiu cerca de 1 km durante o intervalo de 36 anos. Proporcionalmente, houve o aumento do número de geleiras cuja declividade média está entre 30° e 40°. A redução da espessura gelo é atestada pela fragmentação de geleiras e afloramentos do embasamento em suas partes internas. A perda de massa dessas geleiras estudadas foi provavelmente causada pela intensificação dos processos de ablação. / This study presents fluctuations patterns for the Nevado Cololo glaciers, Bolivia, in the period 1975–2011, as determined from orbital, cartographic and climatic data. Nevado Cololo ice masses are representative of Andean tropical glaciers subjected to alternations of humid (November to April) and dry (May to October) (outer tropics) atmospheric conditions. This seasonality is determined by the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) latitudinal oscillation and disturbed by the no seasonal ENSO phenomena. The positive phase, El Niño, contributes negatively to these glaciers mass balance and was frequent during the investigated time period. This work used TM/ Landsat-5 imagery to determine the ice cover in 1989, 1997, 2008 and 2011. Applying the Normalized Snow Difference Index (NDIS), which uses the opposite spectral characteristics of ice masses in the visible and near infrared region, this work delimited the Nevado Cololo glaciers. Based on information from a topographic chart, we obtained a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using elevation points interpolated by the ordinary kriging geostatistical method. Information derived from remote sensing and cartographic sources was incorporated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) to obtain glaciers parameters. The analyses of precipitation and temperature time series used data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC)/NOAA, the Climate Research Unit Time Series (CRUTS)/University of East Anglia and from two meteorological stations. Climatic data show no statistically significant trend, but there was a weak precipitation reduction during November, December and April months, a condition that may indicate low cloudiness during the summer. By 2011, there were only 48 of the 122 glaciers identified in 1975. Small glaciers (<0.1 km²) with low maximum elevations were most affected and currently there are no glaciers below 4,626 m asl. The ice covered 24.77 km² in 2011, 42.02% less than in 1975. Surface loss occurred in all slopes, regardless of orientation, but glaciers facing east were most affected. Even the largest glacier in Nevado Cololo, SW face, lost 21.6% of its total area and its front retreated about 1 km during the 36 years period. Proportionately, there was an increase in the number of glaciers whose average slope is between 30° and 40°. The ice thickness reduction is attested by glaciers break up and bedrock outcrops in its internal parts. These glaciers mass loss was probably caused by the intensification of ablation processes.

The ability to count people from video is a challenging problem. The scientific challenge arises from the fact that although the task is pretty well defined, the imaging scenario is not well constrained. The background scene is uncontrolled. Lighting is complex and varying. And, image resolution, both in terms of spatial and temporal is usually poor, especially in pre-stored surveillance videos. Passive counting of people from video has many practical applications such as in monitoring the number of people sitting in front of a TV set, counting people in an elevator, counting people passing through a security door, and counting people in a mall. This has led to some research in automated counting of people. The context of most of the work in people counting is in counting pedestrians in outdoor settings or moving subjects in indoor settings. There is little work done in counting of people who are not moving around and very little work done in people counting that can handle harsh variations in illumination conditions. In this thesis, we explore a design that handles such issues at pixel level using photometry based normalization and at feature level by exploiting spatiotemporal coherence that is present in the change seen in the video. We have worked on home and laboratory dataset. The home dataset has subjects watching television and the laboratory dataset has subjects working. The design of the people counter is based on video data that is temporally sparsely sampled at 15 seconds of time difference between consecutive frames. Specific computer vision methods used involves image intensity normalization, frame to frame differencing, motion accumulation using autoregressive model and grouping in spatio-temporal volume. The experimental results show: The algorithm is less susceptible to lighting changes. Given an empty scene with just lighting change it usually produces a count of zero. It can count in varying illumination conditions. It can count people even if they are partially visible. Counts are generated for any moving objects in the scene. It does not yet try to distinguish between humans and non-humans. Counting errors are concentrated around frames with large motion events, such as a person moving out from a scene.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and geostatistical techniques were used to predict diet quality of sub-Saharan African (SSA) livestock, and to create cokriged estimated diet quality maps for cattle across a landscape. Rations of native vegetation were stall-fed to cattle (Bos indicus), sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) to generate diet-fecal pair data. Trials were conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Historical data from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Niger were included. Diet samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP%), and digestible organic matter (DOM%), while feces were scanned for NIR spectra. NIRS equations were developed from data using modified partial least square (MPLS) regression. Coefficients of determination (R2) of CP for cattle, sheep, and goats were 0.92, 0.95, and 0.97, with corresponding standard errors of calibration (SEC) being 0.90, 0.79, and 0.80, respectively. Standard errors of cross validation (SECV) for CP were 1.12%, 1.08%, and 1.03% for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. R2 and SEC values for DOM were 0.88, 0.94, 0.94 and 2.82%, 1.68%, and 2.65%, for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. Corresponding SECV values for DOM were 3.26%, 2.07%, and 3.30%, respectively. The statistics reported were within the acceptable limits for NIRS calibrations. The results indicate that dietary CP and DOM of free-ranging SSA livestock can be predicted with the same precision as that of conventional wet chemistry methods. The cattle equation was used to predict cattle fecal samples collected, from February to August 2000, from selected households located within the northern Ghana savanna. The predicted CP% and DOM% were used with Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, and cokriging technique to create diet quality maps for March and July 2000 for the northern Ghana savanna. Cross validation results indicated a moderate capability of cokriging to estimate predicted CP% for March (r2 = 0.687, SEp = 1.736) and July (r2 = 0.513, SEp = 1.558). Cokriged-estimated DOM value for July was above average (r2 = 0.584, SEp = 3.611), while March DOM% estimation was rather poor (r2 = 0.132, SEp = 3.891). The techniques of cokriging and creation of diet quality maps were moderately successful in this study.

Eddy-covariance (EC) CO₂ flux data were analysed and annual carbon (C) balances estimated for a four-year period (2004-2007) following clearcut harvesting of a boreal jack pine stand in northern Saskatchewan. The site was a source of C to the atmosphere for all years, with annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) increasing from -153 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ in 2004 to -63 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ in 2007. This increase was mainly due to gross primary productivity (GPP) increasing significantly from 78 to 200 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ , while ecosystem respiration (R) increased only slightly from 231 to 263 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ over the same period. In the 2006 growing season (GS), a field campaign was conducted to investigate the relationships between monthly destructive measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and daily measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and photosynthetic capacity (Amax). The latter was derived from 5-day, 16-day, 30-day and annual Michaelis-Menten light response analyses using daytime measurements of NEP and incident photosynthetically active radiation. Digital-camera data were used to evaluate the potential of using the rectilinear-lens vegetation index (RLVI) as a surrogate for NDVI of a young forest stand. Results showed that LAI was linearly related to NDVI and RLVI, which was largely the result of changes in the deciduous vegetation component across the GS. These results indicate that RLVI could be used as a surrogate for NDVI up to a GS maximum LAI of 0.91 m2 m⁻² observed in 2006. Measured mean (± 1 S.D.) GS LAI was 0.67 (± 0.24) m² m⁻² in 2006. LAI accounted for the majority of the variability in Amax at the 30-day time scale, while at shorter time scales air temperature was the dominant control. For 2004 to 2007, mean spring estimates of LAI were 0.25, 0.29, 0.38 (compared to 0.40 m² m⁻² from measurements) and 0.41 m² m⁻², respectively. Results suggest that a steady increase in the jack pine LAI component accounted for the annual increases in GPP and hence NEP over the four years.

Previous studies have shown that many students have misconceptions about basic concepts in physics which persist after instruction. It has been concluded that one of the challenges lies in the teaching methodology. To address this, Georgia State University (GSU) has begun teaching studio algebra-based physics. Although many institutions have implemented studio physics, most have done so in calculus-based sequences. Additionally, the unique environment of GSU’s population as a diverse, urban research institution is considered. The effectiveness of the studio approach for this demographic in an algebra-based introductory physics course was assessed. This five-semester pilot study presents demographic survey results and compares the results of student pre- and post-tests using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). FCI results show that 1) the studio approach yields higher learning gains than the conventional course, 2) there are significant performance differences among ethnic groups, and 3) a gender gaps exists regardless of instructional method.