Inaug-diss.--Würzberg.

Inaug-diss.--Würzberg.

Master of Science / Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health / Mark D. Haub / Research has shown that many consumers do not use the proper food safety practices when cooking in the home. Although many studies have been conducted to observe the food safety behaviors and practices in a domestic home kitchen, the food safety behaviors of consumers when using an outside grill has not been vastly explored. The objective of this study was to gain insight on consumers' food safety practices and behaviors when preparing meat and poultry on an outdoor grill. A nationwide survey of grilling consumers (n=1024) was conducted to evaluate the food handling behaviors of consumers who use an outdoor grill to prepare meat and poultry. The survey consisted of 50 questions based on the four core practices of food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill. The results showed that there was low adherence to consumers not rinsing meat or poultry before preparation, separating utensils for raw and cooked meat, and using a thermometer to ensure doneness. Respondents who grilled poultry followed safer food handling practices than respondents who grilled meat. An observational study (n=30) was conducted to observe consumers prepare poultry products on an outdoor grill. Participants were assessed on handwashing skills, cross contamination behavior, and how they determined the doneness of the poultry. This study illustrated that consumers were not washing their hands thoroughly, especially after handling packaging. Many consumers were observed contaminating surfaces or items in their kitchen after touching the raw poultry. Consumers also failed to use clean utensils for the cooked poultry after using the utensil on raw poultry. Consumers used several methods to determine the doneness of the poultry. Visual cues such as looking at the appearance or color of the poultry was primarily used by consumers to check if the poultry was fully cooked, followed by piercing or cutting the poultry open and using a thermometer. Thermometer use in this study was found to be higher than the usage in prior studies. A separate study assessed poultry grilling recipes (n= 242) for a specified temperature of doneness and additional food safety information. Recipes from cookbooks, magazines, and online sources were evaluated. Over half of the recipes did not specify a temperature of doneness, but used time, visual or textural indications to determine doneness. The findings of this research show that consumers could benefit from education to improve their food handling skills when preparing meat or poultry on an outdoor grill. Educational efforts should focus on proper handwashing procedures, how to reduce cross contamination and the importance of using a thermometer to ensure doneness.

Oklahoma is in the middle of Tornado Alley, a name resulting from the large number of tornadoes that hit the region yearly. These storms are costly to life and property. The housing in Oklahoma is currently not well enough engineered to withstand tornados. This thesis proposes a three stage response combining construction technology and the use of landscape to better protect the homes and residents of Oklahoma.

This thesis aims to explore the disconnect between calls for safe zones as a tool of humanitarian intervention, and the dark history of safe zone failure. This thesis begins with a brief discussion of current calls for safe zones in Syria, and how a proper theoretical framework and historical understanding are needed to discuss whether or not safe zones can be successfully implemented in Syria. The following literature review discusses not only prominent academic arguments and the history of humanitarian intervention, but it suggests a framework for deconstructing case studies. This framework looks first at the interests of an intervening actor. The level of interest of that actor directly informs its willingness to overcome the challenges of safe zone implementation. The challenges of safe zone implementation are both practical and existential. If an actor’s interest in a given crisis is not great enough to make it willing to overcome these practical and existential challenges, or the actor is willing to overcome them but lacks the ability to do so, the safe zone will fail. In most cases of failed safe zones, moral hazard plays a role. Moral hazard can be evident in either the intervening actor’s decisions or the decisions of the international community to support or not support the intervention. This thesis then deconstructs three historical cases of safe zones with this method: Srebrenica in Bosnia, Operation Provide Comfort in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Operation Turquoise in Rwanda. Following these three case studies, this paper discusses safe zones in Syria with the help of this method and the broad historical understanding of safe zones established through the case studies. This thesis concludes with a discussion of how the analysis and available historical cases show that safe zones are dangerous tools of humanitarian intervention and should not be undertaken without adequate levels of interest and willingness to address challenges.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Dustin L. Pendell / This research focuses on the cattle producer’s overall awareness of an internal deworming product available in the U.S. cattle market. Parasitism in cattle can be very costly for the producer, and identifying a need for deworming is instrumental to the decision-making process for animal health protocols. The additional cost of deworming products can be beneficial for profitability for cattle producers when used properly. Likewise, when there is no proven need for deworming products in certain operations, the additional cost is an unnecessary expense that can be avoided. Proper awareness and education regarding deworming products and the benefits they can provide is one crucial piece to improving herd health, better rates of gain, and increased profitability. The main objective of this study is to determine the awareness of non-handling formulations of Safe-Guard. To understand and assess awareness, a survey was used. A population of participants was developed and asked to participate in the survey either online or in hard copy. A binary logit is used to analyze how cattle producers make decisions in adopting animal health products into their operations. Influencing factors of operation type, size, location, producer’s age, and information sources are used in the assessment. Factors that were the most influential to the decision-making processes for producers were discussions with veterinarians, nutritionists, and animal health sales representatives. In addition to face-to-face discussions with neighboring producers/friends, industry meetings, and reading industry journals and publications were also important. These producers were aware of a few formulations of Safe-Guard, and used them within the previous twelve months of taking the survey. However, participants were generally unaware of the product, and its different formulations. Upon review of the assessed unawareness of the product formulations, it is apparent that the company needs to identify and select a better way to make producers aware. Different approaches to targeted marketing campaigns and more in depth product training for the animal health company’s sales representatives should be implemented to increase awareness and sales.

This thesis examines whether measurement of morbidity prevalence through survey methods provides a suitable alternative to mortality measurement for safe motherhood programme needs assessment. It considers the validity of a survey instrument by comparing results from a questionnaire on near-miss obstetric complications to hospital clinical data. Three groups of women -with severe obstetric complications, mild obstetric complications and with a normal delivery - were identified retrospectively in three hospitals in South Benin and interviewed at home using a questionnaire. The complications of interest were eclampsia, haemorrhage, dystocia and infections of the genital tract. The concept of near-miss death event was used to identify women with severe episodes of morbidity. The aim of the analysis was to find questions with very high specificity for measuring the prevalence of obstetric conditions even at the expense of sensitivity. The questionnaire was able to detect, with sufficient accuracy, eclamptic fits, abnormal bleeding in the third trimester for a recall period of at least 3-4 years, and all episodes of haemorrhage independent of timing within a shorter period of 2 years. The specificity of questions and combinations of questions for dystocia and infections of the genital tract was weak, and generated disappointing results except when information on treatment was included. Overall, better results were achieved for antepartum and acute events than complications defined as such because they are at the extreme end of a continuum. Severity only made a positive difference in the case of eclampsia with an increase in sensitivity. 1 These results are interpreted in the light of methodological constraints and findings from similar studies. Although the study could support the use of individual interview surveys for eclampsia and haemorrhage, this methodology cannot be readily recommended in view of the insufficient specificity reported elsewhere. The way forward in terms of morbidity information as well as the future of the near-miss concept is presented in the final chapter.

ABSTRACT In the HIV/AIDS literature, a perspective that has not received a great amount of attention concerning blood donation per se and the duties and obligations of Blood Transfusion Services (BTS)i when held to the question of fairness raised by socially marginalised persons (or groups) who altruistically wish to donate blood in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is addressed in this research report. The represented marginalised group I use is Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)ii Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, commonly called AIDS first came to the attention of the public in the 1980s. From an unknown unnamed emerging infectious diseaseiii ,it has grown into a pandemic familiar to all. Primarily transmitted either sexually or via contaminated needles, the HIV infected individual is initially an asymptomatic carrier. Once an individual Once an individual is infected with the virus, he or she can pass it on to others by way of body fluids, e.g. blood and semen. HIV, whether treated or not, will eventually develop into AIDS for which there is currently no known cure. AIDS is uniformly mortal. i In this research report, I will refer to the industry as “Blood Transfusion Services” although in some countries it is referred to as “Blood Bank Services” ii Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) according to the London-based PANOS Institute include men who have sex with both men and women, men who have sex with only other men, men who have sex with boys and men, male sex workers and their clients, male transvestites and transsexuals, male street children and men in prison (McKenna 1999:1) iii As defined by Lashley, F, (2006) Emerging Infectious Diseases are ‘diseases of infectious origin whose incidence in humans has increased within the past two decades or threatens to increase in the near future’ The media abounds with literature concerning HIV/AIDS looking at it from various perspectives. iv Moreover, and correctly, in South Africa we are knowledgeable that what once was considered as a threat only to homosexualsv or IV drug users – individuals marginalised by their nonconformance to society’s norms – is now epidemiologically a disease spread in our society primarily by non-drug using heterosexuals. The tension between promoting the public good in the face of an pandemic while simultaneously protecting against unjust discrimination against individuals or groups represents an ethical dilemma faced by all public health organisations including BTS. Principally contextualised in iv e.g. clinical research in, guidelines pertaining to, ethical issues about, legal precedents concerning, duties of medial personnel towards, epidemiological analysis, psychological monitoring …and so on. v At the end of the 19th century, homosexuality was profiled as a mental illness by the German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his reference book Psychopathis Sexualis.v In the absence of scientific evidence to prove otherwise, this view became widely accepted . Eventually, many different societies perceived homosexuals including MSM as unstable and this reinforced discriminatory practices against them. v Even today, the harmful consequences of homophobia impact on MSM in many different ways. Meyers describes three negative conditions or practices common to the experience of MSM. They are: the internalisation of homophobia to the extent that they accept rejection from society; the experience of social stigmatisation; and overt discrimination and violence.v From some religious aspects, homosexuality is considered a “sin against nature” and is often seen as a link to AIDS, which is again seen as God’s punishment for a “life against nature”.v The Koran suggests punishment for those involved in homosexual acts on the basis of harm to society, and Sharia law admits no tolerance towards homosexuality.v. Predominantly Catholic Latin American countries enforce socio-cultural and legal restrictions to prohibit homosexuality. (Mckenna 1999:11) From Buddhist perspective, homosexuals are not permitted to become a monk and to practice through monk-hood the ultimate goal of attaining the highest level of enlightenment (Nirvana) (Ven Chanmyay Sayadaw Janakabhivamsa 1997:9 ). However, they are as equal as are others when following the paths taken that may lead them to attain Nirvana (Personal communication with Ven Ashin Manijoti, Theravada Buddhist Dhammodaya Monastery, Pietermaritzburg). the milieu of South Africa but practiced globally, the responsibility of BTS’s may broadly be grouped into two areas: 1) the provision of blood & its products to a given population based upon their estimated need; and 2) the assurance of blood and blood-product safety. While these may be considered only technical issues, they are not so clear-cut. Rather, they include conflicts of values and social-political agendas. Historically, BTSs have used discriminatory practices to exclude certain groups from blood donation. Independent of country or nation and in spite of advancements in blood screening science, the existent social-political order has influence on the policies and practices of BTSs such as the separation of groups into “high-risk” and ”low risk” blood donor categories. On the surface, such separations may appear to be straightforward scientific and prudential public health policy. However, when one considers the most common manner of HIV transmission - as occurring during intimate sexual acts which take place within society’s emphasis on private and individual rights but when such acts are considered by society to be ‘deviant ‘ - one might ask how the terms high- and low- risk are influenced by societal perceptions of the group in question. In other words, I suggest that societal (including political, religious, and economic) perceptions of a marginalised group’s private sexual acts influence public health policy; private acts have social consequences. Weighing the pros and cons of ethical arguments, this research report concludes that because of advanced blood transfusion science, it is morally justifiable to accept blood from all altruistic competent adult individuals volunteering to donate. Moreover, in this regard, it is the duty of BTS to safeguard the national blood supply by means other than excluding marginalised groups. To do otherwise is ethically unwarranted and constitutes unfair discrimination. In addition, through identifying that the act of blood donation is based on altruism or the “gift relationship,” the exclusion of marginalised groups from altruistic blood donation, serves only to further excludes them from an act, which is in essence humanitybinding. That being said, to achieve this end, all altruistic competent adults who wish to donate blood are obliged to understand the purpose, nature, and duties BTS’s have and adopt a renewed sense of social responsibility broadening our vision of the public good..

No description available.

The number of women infected with the HIV virus through heterosexual contact is on the rise and expected to increase steadily throughout the 1990's. In order to prevent the further spread of HIV infection and AIDS, behavior change is essential. The focus of this study is on the sexual behaviors, safe sex practices, and the role that self-efficacy and self-assertiveness play in a woman's ability to put into effect preventative behaviors. The study sample consists of 40 heterosexual, English-speaking women from the Montreal area. The results indicate that just under half of this population are using condoms as a safe sex precaution, but they are being used inconsistently. Those participants who reported sometimes using condoms were also the same participants who more frequently reported modifying other aspects of their sexual behavior in order to reduce their risk of infection, as compared to those participants who did not report using condoms. It was also found that the participants' past sexual history, knowledge about HIV transmission, and awareness of risky sexual practices do not predict more cautious sexual behavior. One major factor which did seem to influence modification of risky sexual behaviors was the participants' perception of being at risk for HIV. The majority of the participants did not have difficulty in asserting their desire for safe sex. Their methods, however, in how they would choose to practise safe sex were dependent on the seriousness of the relationship, ability to trust their partner, and their current method of practising safe sex in their own sexual lives.