Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Cooperation: Insights Into Colombia's Humanitarian Response To Migration From Venezuela, Liss Dayana Romero, Jose J. Padilla, Katherine Palacio, Erika Frydenlund

VMASC Publications

Introduction: Since 2015, Colombia has faced a significant humanitarian challenge, receiving 2.9 million displaced Venezuelans. This study examines organizational cooperation in the humanitarian response to this migration crisis, aiming to understand the coordination dynamics among key organizations and actors.

Methods: Our research combined interviews and web scraping to gather data on key actors and their relationships in the humanitarian response. We employed Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine these relationships and the collaborative strategies among entities, focusing on how they address the migration challenges.

Results: The results indicate that cooperation occurred through mediated channels, where established NGOs collaborated via coordination …

Architectural Design Of A Blockchain-Enabled, Federated Learning Platform For Algorithmic Fairness In Predictive Health Care: Design Science Study, Xueping Liang, Juan Zhao, Yan Chen, Eranga Bandara, Sachin Shetty

VMASC Publications

Background: Developing effective and generalizable predictive models is critical for disease prediction and clinical decision-making, often requiring diverse samples to mitigate population bias and address algorithmic fairness. However, a major challenge is to retrieve learning models across multiple institutions without bringing in local biases and inequity, while preserving individual patients' privacy at each site.

Objective: This study aims to understand the issues of bias and fairness in the machine learning process used in the predictive health care domain. We proposed a software architecture that integrates federated learning and blockchain to improve fairness, while maintaining acceptable prediction accuracy and minimizing overhead …

The Shortfalls Of Vulnerability Indexes For Public Health Decision-Making In The Face Of Emergent Crises: The Case Of Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake In Virginia, Lydia Cleveland Sa, Erika Frydenlund

VMASC Publications

Equitable and effective vaccine uptake is a key issue in addressing COVID-19. To achieve this, we must comprehensively characterize the context-specific socio-behavioral and structural determinants of vaccine uptake. However, to quickly focus public health interventions, state agencies and planners often rely on already existing indexes of "vulnerability." Many such "vulnerability indexes" exist and become benchmarks for targeting interventions in wide ranging scenarios, but they vary considerably in the factors and themes that they cover. Some are even uncritical of the use of the word "vulnerable," which should take on different meanings in different contexts. The objective of this study is …

A Structured Narrative Prompt For Prompting Narratives From Large Language Models: Sentiment Assessment Of Chatgpt-Generated Narratives And Real Tweets, Christopher J. Lynch, Erik J. Jensen, Virginia Zamponi, Kevin O'Brien, Erika Frydenlund, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

Large language models (LLMs) excel in providing natural language responses that sound authoritative, reflect knowledge of the context area, and can present from a range of varied perspectives. Agent-based models and simulations consist of simulated agents that interact within a simulated environment to explore societal, social, and ethical, among other, problems. Simulated agents generate large volumes of data and discerning useful and relevant content is an onerous task. LLMs can help in communicating agents' perspectives on key life events by providing natural language narratives. However, these narratives should be factual, transparent, and reproducible. Therefore, we present a structured narrative prompt …

Internet-Of-Things Devices In Support Of The Development Of Echoic Skills Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Krzysztof J. Rechowicz, John B. Stull, Michelle M. Hascall, Saikou Y. Diallo, Kevin J. O'Brien

VMASC Publications

A significant therapeutic challenge for people with disabilities is the development of verbal and echoic skills. Digital voice assistants (DVAs), such as Amazon’s Alexa, provide networked intelligence to billions of Internet-of-Things devices and have the potential to offer opportunities to people, such as those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to advance these necessary skills. Voice interfaces can enable children with ASD to practice such skills at home; however, it remains unclear whether DVAs can be as proficient as therapists in recognizing utterances by a developing speaker. We developed an Alexa-based skill called ASPECT to measure how well the DVA …

Dimensionality And Factorial Invariance Of Religiosity Among Christians And The Religiously Unaffiliated: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Based On The International Social Survey Programme, Carlos Miguel Lemos, Ross Joseph Gore, Ivan Puga-Gonzalez, F. Leron Shults

VMASC Publications

We present a study of the dimensionality and factorial invariance of religiosity for 26 countries with a Christian heritage, based on the 1998 and 2008 rounds of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Religion survey, using both exploratory and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that three factors, common to Christian and religiously unaffiliated respondents, could be extracted from our initially selected items and suggested the testing of four different three-factor models using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. For the model with the best fit and measurement invariance properties, we labeled the three resulting factors …

Forecasting Changes In Religiosity And Existential Security With An Agent-Based Model, Ross J. Gore, Carlos Lemos, F. Leron Shults, Wesley J. Wildman

VMASC Publications

We employ existing data sets and agent-based modeling to forecast changes in religiosity and existential security among a collective of individuals over time. Existential security reflects the extent of economic, socioeconomic and human development provided by society. Our model includes agents in social networks interacting with one another based on the education level of the agents, the religious practices of the agents, and each agent's existential security within their natural and social environments. The data used to inform the values and relationships among these variables is based on rigorous statistical analysis of the International Social Survey Programme Religion Module (ISSP) …

Health Service Utilization And Poor Health Reporting In Asthma Patients, Joshua G. Behr, Rafael Diaz, Muge Akpinar-Elci

VMASC Publications

The management and treatment of adult asthma has been associated with utilization of health services. Objectives: First, to investigate the likelihood of health service utilization, including primary care, emergency department, and hospital stays, among persons diagnosed with an asthma condition relative to those that do not have an asthma condition. Second, to examine the likelihood of poor physical health among asthma respondents relative to those that do not have an asthma condition. Third, to demonstrate that these relationships vary with frequency of utilization. Fourth, to discuss the magnitude of differences in frequent utilization between asthma and non-asthma respondents. Data …

Emergency Department Frequent Utilization For Non-Emergent Presentments: Results From A Regional Urban Trauma Center Study, Joshua G. Behr, Rafael Diaz

VMASC Publications

Objectives
First, to test a model of the drivers of frequent emergency department utilization conceptualized as falling within predisposing, enabling, and need dimensions. Second, to extend the model to include social networks and service quality as predictors of frequent utilization. Third, to illustrate the variation in thresholds that define frequent utilization in terms of the number of emergency department encounters by the predictors within the model.

Data Source
Primary data collection over an eight week period within a level-1 trauma urban hospital's emergency department.

Study Design
Representative randomized sample of 1,443 adult patients triaged ESI levels 4'5. Physicians …

Building Resiliency In Response To Sea Level Rise And Recurrent Flooding: Comprehensive Planning In Hampton Roads, Joshua G. Behr, Rafael Diaz, Molly Mitchell

VMASC Publications

[Introduction]

Over the past few decades, the Hampton Roads region, with its extensive coastline, has been experiencing more frequent flooding from surges and precipitation caused by tropical storms, nor’easters and heavy thunderstorms (Figure 1). Recurrent flooding is “flooding that occurs repeatedly in the same area over time due to precipitation events, high tides or storm surge.”¹ The recurrence of tidal/surge flooding in Hampton Roads has increased from 1.7 days of “nuisance” flooding per year in 1960 to 7.3 days per year in 2014.² Although there is no definitive region-wide data to document the increases in precipitation-induced flooding, there …

Theoretically-Driven Infrastructure For Supporting Health Care Teams Training At A Military Treatment Facility, T. Robert Turner Jr., V. Andrea Parodi

VMASC Publications

Designated a Department of Defense Team Resource Center (TRC) in 2008, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) currently hosts three tri-service health care teams training courses annually. Each consists of didactic learning coupled with simulation-based training exercises to provide an interactive educational experience for health care professionals. Simulated cases are developed to reinforce specific teamwork skills and behaviors, and to incorporate a variety of technologies including standardized patients, manikins, and virtual reality. The course is also the foundation of a research program designed to explore applications of modeling and simulation for enhanced team training in health care. The TRC has adopted …

Selection Of Source And Use Of Traffic Information In Emergency Situations, R. Michael Robinson, Asad Khattak

VMASC Publications

The access and the use of advanced traveler information systems (ATISs) by drivers during normal commuting have been extensively assessed and analyzed. Emergency managers and transportation officials have extended the results of studies of ATIS use under routine conditions to emergency scenarios under the assumption that drivers' responses to information under emergency conditions mimic those seen under normal driving conditions. A recent survey of potential hurricane evacuees suggests the need to revisit this assumption. Results indicate that although commercial radio reports and variable message signs continue to be the sources of traffic information cited the most frequently, other information sources …

Route Change Decision Making By Hurricane Evacuees Facing Congestion, R. Michael Robinson, Asad Khattak

VMASC Publications

Successful evacuations of metropolitan areas require overcoming unexpected congestion that reduces traffic flows. Congestion may result from accidents, incidents, or other events that reduce road capacity. Traffic professionals and emergency managers may promote deviations from planned routes to bypass an area of congestion and speed mass exit. However, some route changes may actually reduce traffic flow rates, and in these cases decision makers may want to discourage use of alternate routes. By using results of a behavioral survey of potential hurricane evacuees, this study identifies variables associated with the decision to alter routes and also identifies frequently used information sources. …