Genetic disorders like Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and X-linked Diseases (XLD) are inherited by offspring from parents who are healthy carriers of the autosomal recessive or allosomal genes. About 10-million Americans are healthy carriers of a mutant cysticfibrosis gene (predominantly F508del) and about 4% of newborns are at risk of being born with an X-linked disease. The current clinically approved mitigation plan for preventing genetic disorders in newborns from “at-risk couples” is to consider Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenetic diseases (PGT-M). PGT-M involves an invasive microsurgical procedure that requires the removal of cells from 3-5day old embryos. To minimize this invasiveness, we proposed a less invasive approach to prevent genetic disorders in newborns by genotypically sorting sperm cells which may be used for fertilization events (IUI/IVF/ICSI) with specially characterized antigens on the sperm surface membrane. For the disease models being adopted in our study – CF and XLD; we utilized certain monoclonal antibodies (mab) to target the H-Y male antigen and the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein which are both selectively expressed on the sperm surface. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Host plant selection is an important process during the life cycle of lepidopterans, providing ovipositing sites for adults and food resources for the larvae. The processes behind host plant selection have been extensively studied, especially in closely related species in the context of niche separation. Empirical and theoretical studies have shown that multiple processes, such as resource competition, parasitoid avoidance and reproductive interference between interspecific individuals can affect host plant selection, often leading to niche separation. The aim of this study was to create and analyze a mathematical model using the adaptive dynamics techniques, in order to study the evolution of habitat selection. Our model incorporated three processes: Resource competition in the form of density dependent growth, parasitoid attacks and repro- ductive interference in a two species-two habitat system. It was hypothesized that the presence of parasitoids would promote co-existence through top-down control, while reproductive inter- ference would promote niche separation. The results confirmed both hypotheses. The analysis incorporating only the effect of parasitism showed the evolution of habitat separation when parasitoids attacked randomly and the evolution of co-existence in both habitats in the case of switching parasitoids. On the other hand, incorporating reproductive interference promoted the evolution of partial or complete niche separation. The extent of this process was shown to depend on the strength of reproductive interference and the initial habitat choice of the two species. Stronger reproductive interference increased the size of the set of initial conditions leading to the evolution of complete niche separation. The analysis conducted in this study demonstrated the opposing effects of parasitism and reproductive interference on the evolution of habitat selection, promoting co-existence and separation respectively.

Free-standing birth centres (FSBCs) were formed in Ontario in 2014 and operate with the support of birth centre aides (BCAs), a novel birth worker role. As a recent introduction to the Ontario maternity care system, there have been no academic inquiries into BCAs and only a hand full of investigations on birth centres (Mattison, 2015; Mattison et al., 2020; Murray-Davis et al., 2014; Sprague et al., 2018). From a feminist perspective, an analysis of the BCA role offers a unique opportunity to conduct a feminist analysis of work in healthcare between largely women care providers (i.e., midwives and BCAs), leadership, and reproductive justice activism. My dissertation consists of three standalone papers based on empirical data gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and document analysis at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre (OBWC). For my first paper, “Mapping the Development of Birth Centre Aides at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre”, I applied a feminist sociology of professions framework (Davies, 1996; Witz, 1992) and employed an institutional ethnographic methodology (Smith, 1990) to understand how the BCA role was developed and operationalized in the OBWC. I mapped the development of the BCA role at the OBWC descriptively and visually using the documentary and interview data with key stakeholders from the OBWC (n=16), including BCAs, administrators, and midwives. In the second paper, “Feminist Leadership in Healthcare: The Case of Birth Centre Aides and the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre,” I integrated Tronto’s (1993) ethic of care with Dickson and Tholl’s (2014) LEADS in a Caring Environment leadership framework in an instrumental case study (Stake, 2005) to understand how BCAs lead from their position within the OBWC and how they experience feminist leadership practices in the OBWC. Finally, in my third paper, “Birth Work as Reproductive Activism: The Case of Birth Centre Aides at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre,” I applied a reproductive justice theoretical framework (Ross, 2017; SisterSong, 2015) through an instrumental case study (Stake, 2005) to understand how BCAs undertake quiet reproductive activism at the OBWC. Taken together, my dissertation offers new knowledge on the role and development of BCAs in the OBWC and contributes to advancing feminist scholarship on healthcare leadership and reproductive justice activism.

Women living in rural areas experience barriers in accessing contraceptives, including those related to geographic distance, cost, and the lack of health care providers. Further, conscientious objection to provision of sexual and reproductive health services has a more significant impact in these settings given limited alternatives. The overarching dynamics likely have an even greater impact on adolescents, as young people are less able to navigate complex systems or secure the necessary resources to overcome financial and travel barriers. This multi-method qualitative study investigated the contraceptive experiences of adolescents living in rural Ontario through the use of an online survey, in-depth interviews with adolescents, and key informant interviews. We found that the available sexual health information is difficult to navigate and inconsistent in quality. The services offered in rural areas are limited. The need for more readily accessible information and contraceptive services in rural Ontario is considerable.

The study investigates the impediments caused by criminalisation of abortion in cases of forced pregnancy as a result of rape. It focuses on the premise that restrictive abortion laws and practices in such cases has devastating impact on women’s lives as they are likely to engage in unsafe abortion. Focuses on rape and abortion in Swaziland in relation to cultural norms and traditional beliefs on the issue of access to legal abortion by rape victims. Also discusses the law on abortion in Ethiopia. / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Girmachew Alemu Aneme, Faculty of Law, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

MAAS / Department of African Studies / This study explored into the effects of traditional medicine on reproductive health of rural women. Negative reports associated with traditional medicine due to bogus traditional practitioners expose most women to the harmful consequences of concoctions supplied and administered on them. However, factors such as people’s great confidence in traditional medicine and high costs associated with conventional Western medical treatments lead most rural women to traditional medicine usage. The study examined women’s perspectives on traditional medicine, factors which led rural women to use traditional medicine, meanings that people make about women and reproductive health, reproductive health implications of using traditional medicine as well as remedies for ensuring that traditional medicine is safe for women’s reproductive health. The study was grounded on the critical and socio-cultural theory. An explorative qualitative research was used. Data was collected through open-ended questions, observation as well as focus group interviews and then analysed using the thematic analysis method. The study participants consisted of rural women, traditional healers, elderly people and Western-trained doctors who were all sampled using non-probability sampling methods. The findings of the study showed that African traditional medicine plays a pivotal role in reproductive health care by offering readily available, cheap, culturally-oriented and accessible health care for most rural women. However, it was noted that the use of African traditional medicine by unqualified practitioners and the incorrect usage of the medicine by patients resulted in negative results that could lead to death or barrenness. Thus, the study recommends an introduction of a regulatory framework on the production, storage, use and trade of African traditional medicine. / NRF

This study details the Medically Assisted Procreation regulations in thirty-five nation-states, and explores the influence of national identity, social cultural and demographic differences on these regulations. Detailed data were gathered from ministries of health, offices of prime ministers, embassy staff, and others on regulations for each nation. These data were used to categorize the nations in regard to MAP legislation status and regulatory policy regarding marital or age restrictions; posthumous conception; sperm, ovum, or embryo donation, surrogacy; and policy on handling donors. Possible associations between national identity, social cultural, and demographic data for each nation and their regulations were explained. The thirty-five nations were treated as a population with common geographical and political ties. PRE methods, and eta coefficients were used to assess the associations. Sixteen nations have adopted MAP legislation, eight nations have either alternative regulatory guidelines or partial structures, four nations have legislation pending and possibly some laws, and seven nations are unregulated. Based upon statistical analysis, language group emerges as an important indicator for differences in MAP regulations. For example knowing a nation's language group enabled percent improved prediction of that nation's regulatory handling of embryo donation. The percent GDP spent on health care was found to have a substantial or moderate association with most regulations. The findings of this study indicate that the cultural roots associated with national identity as well as economic circumstances such as health care budgets impact the policy making process responsible for the regulation of MAP in Europe. Among other mediating circumstances, MAP related family law cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights create an accumulation of judge-made law, which help create a common European standard. This study of the European region provides a baseline for further research and a reference for cross cultural comparisons.

While many studies have shown harmful effects of space flight on many tissues and systems of the human body, few studies have been done on the effects of space flight on the reproductive system. While the microgravity conditions of space flight are common knowledge, there is another component of space flight, that being higher than ambient (on Earth) levels of radiation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of simulated space flight on follicular development in the ovaries of mice, and to determine which component of spaceflight, i.e. microgravity, radiation, or a combination of the two, might be responsible for any changes in this follicular development. To simulate the environment of space, mice were exposed to higher levels of radiation by the use of cobalt plates and to simulated microgravity using a technique known as hind limb unloading. Four groups of mice-were used in this study; a control or untreated group, a group exposed to higher levels of radiation, a group exposed to simulated microgravity, and a group treated in both high radiation and simulated microgravity. The mice were further subdivided within these groups based on the amount of time they were kept alive after treatment/exposure (one, four, and nine months). The ovarian tissues were then analyzed to see the effects of these simulated conditions on the development of follicles. In all three treatment groups, development of follicles was restricted compared to the control group. Follicles from the various treatment groups appeared to be in the early stages of their development. It should be noted that these are preliminary results as the study is still in progress. One of the overarching questions that has been put forth by NASA over the last few decades is, can an organism, in this case a mammalian organism, complete an entire life cycle in space? This study may help to answer some of that question. If any of the components of space flight proves to be harmful to the female reproductive tissues human colonization of space would be problematic. If the damage incurred during space flight is irreversible, colonization of other worlds would also be problematic.

The primary function of the testis is twofold: 1, it is responsible for production of testosterone and 2, it is responsible for spermatogenesis. Previous studies in alcohol fed mice have shown that chronic alcohol consumption causes reduced sperm counts and testicular lesions. CTRP3 is a novel adipokine which has been shown to promote follicular proliferation and reduce apoptosis in granulosa cells in the ovaries. Both folliculogenesis and spermatogenesis occur via the process of meiosis and therefore have some similarities. Since CTRP3 has been shown to be involved in folliculogenesis it would be reasonable to assume that it will play a role in spermatogenesis. CTRP3 has been shown to have protective properties in some organs in alcohol fed mice. This study was designed to determine if CTRP3 conveyed protective properties to the testicular tissue in chronic alcohol fed mice by comparing testicular morphology across 4 treatment groups: wild-type control mice, wild-type mice on a high alcohol diet, CTRP3 over expressing mice, and CTRP3 over expressing alcohol fed mice. To date this study indicates that alcohol did decrease germ cells due to apoptosis in the wild-type mice. Our study indicates that apoptosis of germ cells increased the intercellular space in seminiferous tubules and separated spermatogenic cells in the wild type mice. The CTRP3 mice do not show as aggressive results, indicating that CTRP3 may be playing a protective role. At this time, only a small number of tissues from the study have been analyzed so these results should be considered to be preliminary.

Unintended pregnancy leads to many public health consequences like lower educational attainment and diminished career opportunities, with higher rates of unintended pregnancies occurring in lower income communities and among women with drug addiction. Beyond preventing unintended pregnancies, effective contraception helps prevent poor birth spacing, thereby reducing the risk of both premature and low-weight births and maternal mortality and morbidity during the peripartum period. Long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, are considered the birth control of choice for women of reproductive potential as they possess a number of advantages: cost-effectiveness, minimal maintenance for 3 to 10 years, reversibility, and high efficacy and continuation rates. Despite these benefits, LARCs have been widely underused in rural communities as a result of many factors including hospital and gynecology department closures, workforce shortages, provider knowledge, and access to care challenges that arise from complex social determinants of health specific to rural US communities. We therefore investigated the knowledge and current practice of clinical providers regarding LARCs counseling and provision in Hawkins County of Northeast Tennessee. Hawkins County is a primarily rural county with clinics serving a large lower income population with a high prevalence of substance use, therefore making it at risk for higher rates of unintended pregnancies. An online survey was sent to all consenting medical providers (NPs, PAs, and physicians) (n=7) to collect information on their practices related to contraception, including LARCs. Following completion of online surveys, semi-structured interviews (n=2) were planned to qualitatively explore providers’ perspectives. Quantitative analysis of survey data and thematic analysis of interviews were conducted. Analysis of survey data shows that though non-OB/GYN primary care providers reported on being somewhat comfortable to comfortable in their ability to counsel patients on LARCs, they reported low levels of actually counseling on LARCs, compared with oral contraception. Furthermore, the survey data also shows low levels of LARC insertion/removal among non-OB/GYN primary care providers, with most noting preference to refer patients to a private OB/GYN provider within the community or the health department. Additionally, non-OB/GYN primary care providers reported little to no interest in including insertion/removal of LARCs within their scope of practice, citing clinic supply, no time for procedures, and low patient desire as reasons. All providers reported believing that there are little to no barriers to obtaining LARCs by patients within Hawkins County.The semi-structured interviews, including one with the county’s main OB/GYN provider, indicated that though there is access to LARCs within Hawkins County, there may still be multiple barriers including possible poor quality of counseling on LARCs by non-OB/GYN primary care providers and preference for counseling specific populations on LARCs rather than all patients of reproductive potential, both of which may contribute to low patient desire for LARCs. This work is a useful starting place for increasing utilization of LARCs within Hawkins County. By exploring current knowledge and practices of primary care providers, we can better address potential systematic barriers to improve access to and utilization of LARCs in rural communities.