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Establishment Of A Novel Prairie Vole (microtus Ochrogaster) Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Transmission Model
Get PDFConsidering that the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases and deaths continues to increase three years after the onset of the pandemic, the need for animal models to study disease pathology and test antiviral effectiveness remains paramount. Prairie voles offer unique advantages as an infection model, such as mirroring human social behavior, including pair bonding and biparental offspring rearing, having inducible estrus and ovulation cycles, and not being overly domesticated. Based on the sequence homology of the vole ACE2 receptor to that of other species that are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, such as the ferret and hamster, we hypothesized that the vole ACE2 receptor would bind to the receptor binding domain (RBD) within the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Using VSV pseudoparticles expressing the Spike protein, we determined that the vole ACE2 receptor facilitated viral entry. Intranasal and aerosol inoculation of the voles resulted in a peak in viral RNA levels in the lungs of the animals 4 dpi. Additionally, at 7 dpi, we observed viral RNA levels in the lungs, brain, and nasal wash of uninfected voles housed with an infected cage mate. Viral RNA levels detected in the voles following either inoculation method were comparable to those observed in the K18hACE2 transgenic mouse model. Finally, we observed a significant reduction in both viral RNA copies and titer following treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected voles with remdesivir. Our findings demonstrate that the prairie voles are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, can transmit the virus to uninfected cage-mates, and can be treated with an established antiviral
Modern Agricultures, Traditional Appetites: The United States, Mexico, and Binational Mutual Aid, 1940-1965
No full textMost works examining the Bracero Program (1942-1964) or the Mexican Agricultural Program (1943-1965) do so in a way that ignores how both programs interacted to impact rural Mexicans and Mexican agriculture. “Modern Agricultures, Traditional Appetites: The United States, Mexico, and Binational Mutual Aid, 1940-1965” contributes to the scholarship of both programs by exploring their interactions and impacts, both positive and negative. Moreover, this dissertation utilizes a unique theoretical framework combining anarchist theory with food studies to place these events within the larger context of food and state throughout Mexican history.
“Modern Agricultures, Traditional Appetites” frames both programs as examples of mutual aid projects, exploring the motivations and goals of the farm laborers who participated in the Bracero Program as well as those of the scientists who traveled to Mexico for the Mexican Agricultural Program. This dissertation shows that both programs relied on messaging aimed at invoking a sense of altruism among their participants, helping to ensure that their neighboring countries were fed. At the same time, this dissertation shows how Mexican agriculture under the Mexican Agricultural Program became something of an extension of U.S. production, while many peasant families in Mexico were forced to rely on the money men could earn participating in the Bracero Program as a way to prevent total loss. Both programs ultimately interacted to disrupt the traditional foodways and peasant economy of Mexico
Essays on ESG
No full textThe dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay examines the effect of local corruption on a firmâ??s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance by taking into account the role of liberalism in each state. I propose that since liberals are generally more environmentally and socially concerned than conservatives, ESG performance of firms located in states with liberal views will be less negatively impacted by the local corruption than conservative-leaning states. The results provide some support for my projection. I find that for a particular level of corruption, firms located in states with liberal leaning views exhibit better ESG performance than those in areas with conservative leaning views. In addition, most of such effects are presented in the environmental and social pillars of ESG. I also investigate whether a governorâ??s ideology has differential effects on corruption-ESG association. The findings indicate that the negative impact of corruption on ESG is lessened when a conservative state has a liberal-leaning governor instead of a conservative-learning governor. In my second essay, I investigate the relationships between abnormal ESG investments and CEO discipline, and the moderating effects of CEO power. The results indicate that abnormal ESG investment is negatively associated with CEO compensation and excessive ESG investment is positively associated with CEO dismissals, suggesting that CEOs are penalized for deviating from an optimal level of ESG. However, the association between abnormal ESG and CEO disciplinary action is significantly moderated by CEO power, especially in firms with weak corporate governance. For powerful CEOs in such firms, the negative association between abnormal CSR spending and CEO compensation is significantly weakened or becomes non-significant. Additionally, I find that ESG overinvestment results in more severe disciplinary actions compared to ESG underinvestment
Food Insecurity Cost Estimates for El Paso: 2023
Get PDFFood insecurity is a fairly pervasive problem throughout the United States that is especially burdensome for low-income regions. While the latter is generally recognized, there have been very few efforts to quantify the dollar costs of food insecurity, especially at the regional level. This study attempts to do so for El Paso County, Texas. This is achieved by first adjusting for inflation cost estimates in a prior national level study. Regional differences with respect to the nation are then utilized to calculate comparable costs for El Paso. Results indicate that the economic damage wrought by food insecurity in El Paso during 2023 exceeded $745 million. That represents nearly 2 percent of total personal income in the county for that year
Improving Initial Management of Acute Musculoskeletal Pain in the Emergency Department
Get PDFBackground/Problem Statement: Acute musculoskeletal pain is one of the major chief complaints amongst Emergency Department (ED) visits each year. In the United States, approximately 41.9 million annual ED visits are musculoskeletal pain related (Fontánez, et al., 2021). Yet, data statistics demonstrate at least 40% of patients reported their pain remained unchanged during their presentation to an ED (Bussey et al., 2020).
Aims/Methods: At University Medical Center, site of the quality improvement project, a total of 91,455 ED annual visits were reported in the latest data reports (El Paso County Hospital District 2022 Annual Report, 2022). This paper chronicles the implementation of an evidenced based practice quality improvement project using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model, which focused on improving patient pain scores upon presentation into triage in the ED. Patients were initially selected during presentation through the triage process. Candidates met criteria if they were 18-55 years of age, with no history of renal, bleeding disorders, or serious comorbidities, presenting with acute musculoskeletal pain within an onset of less than 48 hours. Pain scores were measured via subjective numeric pain scoring scales, (1- 10), with 1 as minimal pain and 10 as the most severe pain. Patients with pain scores greater than 4 were treated with a combination of intramuscular Toradol (ketoradol) and oral Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine). The combination of these two medications targets musculoskeletal pain in two ways, by utilization of; 1.) a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Toradol) to decrease pain and inflammation and, 2.) a muscle relaxant (Flexeril). Utilizing a numeric pain scoring scale of 1 through 10, each patient’s pain level was assessed before treatment and 30 minutes after treatment intervention.
Results: A total of 20 patients met criteria for the project. 14 patients reported their pain had significantly improved by at least a 3-point reduction after intervention.
Conclusion/Implications: Project implementation outcomes demonstrated that at least 70 percent of patients who met project criteria benefited from the proposed quality improvement project. Implications for future practice demonstrate an effective pain control intervention which can potentially minimize pain levels in many patients, and ultimately decrease ED length of stay times, improve patient perceptions and satisfaction
Guide to MS387 UTEP Woman\u27s Auxiliary records
No full textThe Woman’s Auxiliary was established in 1924 as the El Paso Women’s Association led by Mrs. Frank H. Seamon. The goal of the Woman’s Auxiliary was, “…to do any and all things conducive to the betterment of the College and ultimate welfare of the student body.” They were instrumental in many developments around the University, from raising funds for student loans and faculty salaries, to funding gyms, athletics, and marching bands. Seeing that students needed a reliable source for food on campus these women were the founders and original staff of the Pick ‘n’ Shovel Cafeteria. In addition, they were instrumental in supporting the building of the Centennial Museum and the beautification of the campus through landscaping. The Woman’s Auxiliary still supports the UTEP community and students through their scholarship funds. The Woman’s Auxiliary has hosted luncheons, teas, fashion shows, and fundraisers throughout their history both to support the University and to connect with other members of the El Paso community through social events. Many of these events are recorded in their organizational papers. The Woman’s Auxiliary remains active in their work supporting the University and in their social activities
Paradox of Causality and Paradoxes of Set Theory
No full textLogical paradoxes show that human reasoning is not always fully captured by the traditional 2-valued logic, that this logic\u27s extensions -- such as multi-valued logics -- are needed. Because of this, the study of paradoxes is important for research on multi-valued logics. In this paper, we focus on paradoxes of set theory. Specifically, we show their analogy with the known paradox of causality, and we use this analogy to come up with similar set-theoretic paradoxes
How to Fairly Allocate Safety Benefits of Self-Driving Cars
No full textIn this paper, we describe how to fairly allocated safety benefits of self-driving cars between drivers and pedestrians -- so as to minimize the overall harm