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Current and Past Projects
Research Group and Information for Prospective Students
Publications
Phoutrides, E., Coulibaly, M.B., George, C.M.*, Sacko, A., Traore, S., Bessof, K., Wiley, M., Kolivras, K.N. , Adelman, Z., Traore, M., and Hunsperger, E.A. 2011. Dengue virus seroprevalence among febrile patients in Bamako, Mali: Results of a 2006 surveillance study. Journal of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases 11(8). [Abstract]
Smith, E.K.*, Resler, L.M., Carstensen, W., and Kolivras, K. 2011. Modeling the incidence of white pine blister rust infection in whitebark pine at alpine treeline in the northern Rocky Mountains using GIS. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 43(1). [Abstract]
Scarpaci, J.L., Kolivras, K.N. , and Galloway, W. 2011. Engineering Paradise: Making Claim in the Dominican Republic's Last Frontier. In S. Brunn and A. Wood (Eds.), Engineering Earth: The Impact of Megaengineering Projects. Kluwer/Springer. [Abstract]
Luebbering, C.R.* and Kolivras, K.N. 2010. The precarious position of teaching as a graduate student. The Geographical Bulletin 51: 111-118. [Abstract]
Kolivras, K.N. 2010. Changes in dengue risk potential in Hawaii, USA due to climate variability and change. Climate Research 42(1): 1-11. [Abstract] [Full article]
*Butterworth, M.K., Kolivras, K.N. , Grossman, L.S., and Redican, K.J. 2010. Knowledge, perceptions, and practices: Mosquito-borne disease transmission in southwest Virginia, USA. The Southeastern Geographer 50(3): 366-385 . [Abstract] [Full article]
Resler, L.M. and Kolivras, K.N. 2009. A field-based technique for teaching habitat fragmentation and biogeographic edges. Journal of Geography 108(4-5): 210-218. [Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N. and Scarpaci, J.L. 2009. Between corporatism and socialism: Navigating the waters of international education in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Journal of Geography 108(3): 1-11. [Abstract] [Full article]
*Lambert, R.C., Kolivras, K.N. , Resler, L.M., Brewster, C.C. and Paulson, S.L. 2008. The potential for emergence of Chagas disease in the United States. Geospatial Health 2(2): 227-239. [Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2007. Regionalization and variability of precipitation in Hawaii. Physical Geography 28(1): 76-96 . [Abstract] [Full article]
*Knocke, E. and Kolivras, K.N. 2007. Flash flood awareness in southwest Virginia. Risk Analysis 27(1): 155-169. [Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N. 2006. Mosquito habitat and dengue risk potential in Hawaii: A conceptual framework and GIS application. The Professional Geographer 58(2) 139-154.
[Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2004: Climate and infectious disease in the southwestern United States. Progress in Physical Geography 28: 387-398. [Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2003: Modeling valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) incidence based on climate conditions. International Journal of Biometeorology 47: 87-101.
[Abstract] [Full article]
Kolivras, K.N., Johnson, P.S., Comrie, A.C. and Yool, S.R. 2001. Environmental variability and coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Aerobiologia 17: 31-42. [Abstract] [Full article]
* Student collaborator
Phoutrides, E., Coulibaly, M.B., George, C.M.*, Sacko, A., Traore, S., Bessof, K., Wiley, M., Kolivras, K.N. , Adelman, Z., Traore, M., and Hunsperger, E.A. 2011. Dengue virus seroprevalence among febrile patients in Bamako, Mali: Results of a 2006 surveillance study. Journal of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases 11(8).
Background: Dengue viruses (DENV) are endemic in over 100 countries worldwide, and annually 50 to 100 million people are infected by one of the four DENV serotypes, whereas over 2.5 billion people are at risk for infection. West African countries lack the surveillance to determine the true incidence of dengue; hence this disease is likely significantly underestimated. In Mali, 14 million people are potentially at risk of acquiring a dengue infection.
Methods and Findings: A serosurvey for DENV was conducted on 95 human serum samples obtained from the Institute National de Recherche en Sante Publique in 2006. DENV-specific IgM and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed on all samples, and a subset was tested using the plaque-reduction neutralization test against the DENV and yellow fever virus (YFV). Samples collected during the acute infection (0–5 days postonset of symptoms) were tested for dengue NS1 antigen and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for Flaviviruses , Alphaviruses , and Bunyaviruses RNA. A total of 87 (93%) of samples were positive for anti-DENV IgG antibodies. Of a subset of 13 IgG positive samples, 2 samples neutralized monotypically against DENV-1 and -2, whereas 3 others neutralized broadly against YFV and multiple DENV. Although no polymerase chain reaction positives were found, DENV NS1 was detected in 1 of the 20 acute samples tested.
Conclusions: Of the 93 human serum samples tested, the dengue prevalence based on dengue IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results was 93%. Three DENV specific positive samples and two YFV positives were identified by plaque-reduction neutralization test. Finally, one sample tested positive for dengue NS1, thus suggestive of an acute infection within 14 days of obtaining the sample from the patient. Based on these serological data from this study, YFV and DENV appear to be co-circulating in Mali.
Smith, E.K.*, Resler, L.M., Carstensen, W., and Kolivras, K. 2011. Modeling the incidence of white pine blister rust infection in whitebark pine at alpine treeline in the northern Rocky Mountains using GIS. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 43(1).
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a foundation and keystone species of upper
subalpine and treeline ecosystems throughout the western United States and Canada.
During the past several decades, Cronartium ribicola, an introduced fungal pathogen
that causes white pine blister rust in five-needled pines, has caused significant declines
in whitebark pine throughout its range. Our research objectives were to examine
geographic variation in blister rust infection (total canker density) in whitebark pine
found at six alpine treelines east of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park,
Montana, and to determine which environmental factors have the greatest influence
on blister rust infection at treeline. Within a total of 30 sampling quadrats (five at each
treeline study site), we measured the number of cankers on each whitebark pine in
order to assess how blister rust infection varied throughout our study area. We created
high-resolution digital elevation models to characterize surface microtopography, and
used a geographic information system (GIS) to derive environmental variables of
interest. A mixed effects, Poisson regression model determined environmental
correlates of blister rust from the resulting set of field and GIS-derived variables.
We found that rates of infection varied considerably among treelines, and that treeline
sites exhibiting high flow accumulation rates, greater distances to wetlands, slopes
facing southwest, higher curvature, greater wind speeds, and close proximity to Ribes
and perennial streams had the highest rates of blister rust infection.
Scarpaci, J.L., Kolivras, K.N. , and Galloway, W. 2011. Engineering Paradise: Making Claim in the Dominican Republic's Last Frontier. In S. Brunn and A. Wood (Eds.), Engineering Earth: The Impact of Megaengineering Projects. Kluwer/Springer.
Mass tourism development projects transform rural landscapes in profound ways. They alter how local populations historically use the land and sea, typically by shifting them away from subsistence agriculture and fishing, to low-end wages in tourist resorts and ancillary services. Development promises claim that new jobs will provide unskilled employment opportunities for local residents. However, residents often wind up living in un-serviced shantytowns. Even though some high-paying jobs become available, they are usually assigned to well-educated nationals from
provincial or capital cities or even to foreigners. For low-skilled tourist workers, it is debatable whether or not living conditions and quality of life are actually improved by this form of economic development. A series of social problems appear, leaving governments to address how they will handle an inequitable distribution of wealth.
This paper analyzes the most ambitious mass tourism complex undertaken in the Caribbean in the new millennium. Cap Cana, a joint venture between Dominican and international backers including the Wall Street tycoon Donald Trump, represents a new blend of hybrid branding and life-style representation in its promotion of second-home and vacation destinations.We begin by framing mass tourism issues in the tropics and subtropics and then turn to a history of the eastern portion of the Dominican Republic. The case study of Cap Cana reveals a unique blend of branding of recreational spaces that promotes a life-style approach to high-end tourism that resonates with the kind of place-promotion found in gated communities in the developed North Atlantic countries. [top]
Luebbering, C.R.* and Kolivras, K.N. 2010. The precarious position of teaching as a graduate student. The Geographical Bulletin 51: 111-118.
Although elementary and secondary education teachers often undertake years of schooling and practice before taking charge of the classroom, graduate students can be called upon as instructors shortly after their first arrival to campus. With little time to review or develop course elements, graduate students are thrown headfirst into dealing with the dramatic daily role reversal of being both a student and a professor. This article, in contrast to formal pedagogy papers, provides a narrative by a graduate student intended for fellow graduate students about to assume the title of instructor. It is an informal collection of teaching advice learned the hard way, including why introductory geography is a great introduction to teaching, some specific tips for first time instructors, and the advisor’s perspective on the experience. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. 2010. Changes in dengue risk potential in Hawaii, USA due to climate variability and change. Climate Research 42(1): 1-11. [Full article]
Climate variability brought about by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation has been linked to outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, cholera, and malaria. Additionally, climate change affects the distribution of diseases, causing some regions to become more or less favorable for the transmission of certain pathogens. Mosquitoes in particular are sensitive to climate change, and mosquito-borne diseases may become more common at higher latitudes and elevations under warmer conditions.
This study examines the potential changes in dengue risk in Hawaii, USA in response to climate variability and change using a geographic information system. Dengue, transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, is considered to be an emerging disease and almost half of the world's population is at risk of infection. Previous research has identified mosquito habitat and potential dengue risk areas in Hawaii based on average climate conditions, and this study incorporates notions of climate variability and change to that model and determines the population at risk under different scenarios. Dengue risk areas generally contract during El Niño-induced droughts and expand as a result of increased precipitation received during La Niña events. Future climate scenarios predict warmer temperatures and wetter summers in Hawaii over the next 25 years, which will cause an expansion of mosquito habitat and potential dengue risk areas. The results of this study contribute to the overall understanding of climate-dengue relationships and will aid public health officials in efforts to determine where to concentrate resources for mosquito and dengue surveillance, given certain current or forecast climate conditions. [top]
Butterworth, M.K.*, Kolivras, K.N. , Grossman, L.S., and Redican, K.J. In press. Knowledge, perceptions, and practices: Mosquito-borne disease transmission in southwest Virginia, USA. The Southeastern Geographer.
Disease emergence and persistence are inherently geographic phenomena, and programs to prevent both are most effective at the local-scale. Specifically, mosquito-borne disease can often be prevented with individual personal precautions; however, effective preventative action typically results from efficient public health programs that teach preventative measures. This study uses principles of disease ecology and the Health Belief Model to examine perceptions of mosquito-borne disease and preventative action in southwest Virginia, USA using a survey. Results suggest low knowledge of mosquito-borne disease among participants, despite recent cases of LaCrosse encephalitis and the introduction of West Nile virus to bird populations. Additionally, gender, age, and length of county residence are significant predictors of knowledge, perceived effectiveness of preventative actions, and health seeking behaviors, respectively. These results support the application of the Health Belief Model within a disease ecology framework to study infectious diseases and assist in tailoring local public health programs. [top]
Resler, L.M. and Kolivras, K.N. 2009. A field-based technique for teaching habitat fragmentation and biogeographic edges. Journal of Geography 108(4-5): 210-218. [Full article]
This paper presents a field technique that exposes students to the indirect effects of habitat fragmentation on plant and animal distributions through studying edge effects. This assignment, suited for upper-level students in a biogeography or resource geography class, increases students ’ knowledge of basic biogeographic concepts such as environmental gradients and disturbance in addition to formulating research questions and design. In this exercise, fieldwork can be implemented with simple tools that are easily obtainable and found in most physical geography labs. In our example, student response to the exercise was positive; they indicated that the exercise was a fun and interactive way to learn fundamental biogeographic concepts. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. and Scarpaci, J.L. 2009. Between corporatism and socialism: Navigating the waters of international education in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Journal of Geography 108(3): 1-11. [Full article]
The Caribbean has long afforded U.S. and Canadian geographers with a rich venue of study-abroad opportunities. Physical and human geography classes are particularly well-suited to the myriad political, social, and environmental landscapes of the region. This article summarizes a few key experiences that have emerged in forging study-abroad venues in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. In the latter, the norms of operation have always been nebulous. Avoiding criticisms of the Castro government is paramount, accommodating tour-guide spies is often necessary, and getting away from the top-down party line is essential. In the former, we describe a study-abroad site that is, culturally at least, so similar to eastern Cuba that it is uncanny. However, the low presence of public institutions and the prevalence of strong corporate agents impose another set of obstacles that must be carefully traversed. The case studies illustrate how geographic field research cannot be divorced from broader political, economic, and corporate interests and that how geographers grapple with these matters should not be done out of the students' view. Rather, with the use of discretion, these obstacles can provide valuable “teaching moments” that are the backbone of international education. [top]
Lambert, R.C., Kolivras, K.N. , Resler, L.M., Brewster, C.C. and Paulson, S.L. 2008. The potential for emergence of Chagas disease in the United States.. Geospatial Health 2(2): 227-239. [Full article]
To determine the risk for Chagas disease in the United States, we considered both environmental and social factors; specifically, we defined characteristics of the triatomine that make it an effective vector, delineated areas most at risk for transmission and, within those areas, determined the status of Chagas disease awareness among physicians. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to analyze three triatomine species within the United States known to harbor T. cruzi and that exhibit qualities of domesticity. An analysis of the minimum temperature threshold for increased triatomine activity delineates the current population at increased risk, and by incorporating temperature predictions for 2030, we also delineated the population at risk under a future climate scenario. A vignette-based physician survey, based on the results of the GIS analysis, was used to gauge the level of awareness of Chagas disease within the delineated higher risk range.
The current area at increased risk for Chagas disease includes much of the southern United States, and the higher risk range is expected to expand into the central United States based upon the 1° C (1.8° F) increase in temperature predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by the year 2030. Survey results indicate a limited consideration of Chagas disease during differential diagnosis, illustrating that the low number of Chagas disease cases discovered in the United States may be attributable to a lack of disease awareness as opposed to a lack of disease threat. This study combines GIS and survey analyses to evaluate the role that temperature variability and disease awareness among physicians play in the potential emergence of Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) in the United States. This approach indicates that there is a potential for Chagas disease to emerge in the United States. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2007. Regionalization and variability of precipitation in Hawaii. Physical Geography 28(1): 76-96. [Full article]
Regions based on seasonal precipitation variability for Hawaii are determined using a principal components analysis applied to 124 stations for the period 1971-2000. Nine final regions are delineated and are consistent with known precipitation patterns; leeward and windward stations are in separate regions on all islands. Within each region, the relationship between precipitation and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is examined at different seasonal lags using a correlation analysis with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and the Niño 3.4 and Niño 1+2 indices. Precipitation is most frequently correlated with ENSO under concurrent conditions and a one-season lag using SOI and Niño 3.4. Using several non-parametric statistical tests, it is determined that while precipitation received in Hawaii during El Niño events is significantly different from average precipitation and precipitation received during La Niña events, the relationship between precipitation and individual ENSO events within regions is rarely significant. Finally, during El Niño or La Niña, average precipitation receipt across the regions co-varies during winter and summer under concurrent conditions and a one-season lag. Synoptic patterns are examined and indicate a deviation from average conditions during ENSO events. [top]
Knocke, E. and Kolivras, K.N. 2007. Flash flood awareness in southwest Virginia. Risk Analysis 27(1): 155-169. [Full article]
Flash floods are one of the most dangerous weather-related natural disasters in the world. These events develop less than six hours after a rainfall event and create hazardous situations for people and extensive damage to property. It is critical for flash flood conditions to be warned in a timely manner to minimize impacts. There is currently a knowledge gap between flood experts and the general public about the level of perceived risk that the other has toward the powerful flood waters and how events should be warned, which affects the communication capabilities and efficiency of the warning process. Prior research has addressed risk perception of natural disasters, but there is little emphasis on flash floods within flood-prone regions of the United States . This research utilizes an online survey of 300 respondents to determine the current state of flash flood awareness and preparation in southwest Virginia . Analysis of trends involved the use of chi-squared tests and simple frequency and percentage calculations. Results reveal that a knowledge base of flash floods does exist, but is not advanced enough for proper awareness. Young adults have a lower understanding and are not as concerned about flood impacts. Increased exposure and perceived risk play a key role in shaping the way a person approaches flash floods. People do monitor flood events, but they are unaware of essential guidance and communication mechanisms. Finally, results suggest that the current method of warning flash floods is not provided at an appropriate level of detail for effective communication. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. 2006. Mosquito habitat and dengue risk potential in Hawaii: A conceptual framework and GIS application. The Professional Geographer 58(2) 139-154. [Full article]
Dengue, spread by several Aedes mosquito species, is considered to be a re-emerging disease and the distribution of the vector is partially mediated by environmental conditions. In this paper, a new conceptual model is suggested that emphasizes the importance of including climatic and environmental variability in mosquito modeling studies. In an applied sense, mosquito habitat maps are developed for the Aedes albopictus mosquito in Hawaii using an overly analysis of survival thresholds of environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, and perennial stream/wetland location) in a geographic information system. Low and middle elevation windward locations typically serve as mosquito habitat, while leeward and high elevation areas are too dry or too cold, respectively, for mosquito survival. Perennial streams and wetlands may serve as potential mosquito breeding grounds in areas that receive low precipitation. Populated areas are added to the habitat maps to represent locations with the potential for a dengue outbreak. The maps are designed to be adjustable based on expert local knowledge and user input. Mosquito control efforts used to prevent or control dengue outbreaks can be concentrated in those zones delineated by the modeling efforts of this study. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2004: Climate and infectious disease in the southwestern United States. Progress in Physical Geography 28: 387-398. [Full article]
As in many parts of the world, climate variability has a strong impact on infectious diseases within the southwestern USA. Moisture and temperature conditions can either indirectly impact disease by providing an environment conducive to the growth of an animal host or reservoir, or directly through the survival and dispersal of an infectious agent. It is also expected that climate change will affect the number of cases and/or the spatial distribution of infectious diseases. Before the effects of climate change on diseases can be determined, an understanding of the basic relationship between incidence and climate variability should be established. A review of cliamte impacts on four infectious diseases (hantavirus, plague, dengue and coccidioidomycosis) currently found in the southwestern USA (or potentially found in the southwest in the case of dengue) is followed by suggested future research to further understand the relationship between climate variability/change and disease. [top]
Kolivras, K.N. and A.C. Comrie. 2003: Modeling valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) incidence based on climate conditions. International Journal of Biometeorology 47: 87-101. [Full article]
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease endemic to arid regions within the western hemisphere, and is caused by a soil-dwelling fungus, Coccidioides immitis. Incidence data for Pima County reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services as new cases of valley fever was used to conduct exploratory analyses and develop monthly multivariate models of relationships between valley fever incidence and climate conditions and variability in Pima County, Arizona, U.S.A. Bivariate and compositing analyses conducted during the exploratory portion of the study revealed that antecedent temperature and precipitation in different seasons are important predictors of incidence. These results were used in the selection of candidate variables for multivariate predictive modeling, which was designed to predict deviation from mean incidence based on past, current, and forecast climate conditions. The models were specified using a backward stepwise procedure, and were most sensitive to key predictor variables in the winter season and variables that were time-lagged one year or more prior to the month being predicted. Model accuracy was generally moderate (R2 values for the monthly models tested on independent data ranged from 0.15 to 0.50), and months with high incidence can be predicted more accurately than months with low incidence. [top]
Kolivras, K.N., Johnson, P.S., Comrie, A.C. and Yool, S.R. 2001. Environmental variability and coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Aerobiologia 17: 31-42. [Full article]
Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) is a disease endemic to arid regions in the western hemisphere, and is caused by the soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides immitis (C. immitis). In this paper, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding valley fever and C. immitis as related to climatic conditions and habitat requirements. Previous research shows there is a relationship between temperature and precipitation, and outbreaks of coccidioidomycosis. Incidence of the disease varies seasonally as well as annually due to changing climatic conditions. However, the specific environmental conditions that may produce an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis are not well understood in space and time. Previous studies have attempted to characterize C. immitis’ habitat. Temperature, moisture, salinity, and pH of the soil have all been considered separately in the geographic distribution of the fungus. Medical and proactive intervention are served best, however, by an integrative strategy that folds climate and surface variables into spatially-explicit models. We conclude with recommendations for future research directions. [top]
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