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The Short Assist Scales: Measurement Properties In A Sample Of Occupational Therapy Students In The Usa, Tore Bonsaksen, Adele Breen-Franklin

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Shortening measurement scales can improve the scales’ feasibility, but at the same time, their measurement properties can be affected. This study investigated psychometric properties of the short Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) among occupational therapy students in the United States. The students (n = 120) completed the ASSIST and provided basic socio-demographic and education-related information. Scale structure was examined with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), while consistency between scale items was assessed with Cronbach’s α and inter-item correlations. Three factors were confirmed, but three items showed poor or ambiguous fit with the proposed scales. These items were …

Interpersonal Violence In Peacetime Malawi., Rebecca G. Maine, Brittney Williams, Jennifer A. Kincaid, Gift Mulima, Carlos Varela, Jared R. Gallaher, Trista D. Reid, Anthony G. Charles

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Background: The contribution of interpersonal violence (IPV) to trauma burden varies greatly by region. The high rates of IPV in sub-Saharan Africa are thought to relate in part to the high rates of collective violence. Malawi, a country with no history of internal collective violence, provides an excellent setting to evaluate whether collective violence drives the high rates of IPV in this region.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of a prospective trauma registry from 2009 through 2016 at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Adult (>16 years) victims of IPV were compared with non-intentional trauma victims. Log binomial …

Differential Expression Of Genes Related To Innate Immune Responses In Ex Vivo Spinal Cord And Cerebellar Slice Cultures Infected With West Nile Virus, Amber M. Paul, Parminder J.S. Vig, Deyin Lu, Ram Kuwar, Maria Lopez, Dobrivoje S. Stokic, A. Arturo Leis, Michael R. Garrett, Fengwei Bai

Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) infection results in a spectrum of neurological symptoms, ranging from a benign fever to severe WNV neuroinvasive disease with high mortality. Many who recover from WNV neuroinvasive infection present with long-term deficits, including weakness, fatigue, and cognitive problems. While neurons are a main target of WNV, other cell types, especially astrocytes, play an important role in promoting WNV-mediated central nervous system (CNS) damage. Conversely, it has been shown that cultured primary astrocytes secrete high levels of interferons (IFNs) immediately after WNV exposure to protect neighboring astrocytes, as well as neurons. However, how intrinsic responses to WNV …

The Effect Of Competency-Based Education On Medical And Nursing Students' Academic Performance, Technical Skill Development, And Overall Satisfaction And Preparedness For Future Practice: An Integrative Literature Review, Haris Saud, Ruth Chen

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Purpose: This article provides an integrative review of competency-based education (CBE) in medical and nursing programs and examines the effect of CBE on students’ academic performance, technical skill development, and overall satisfaction and preparedness for future practice.

Background: In recent decades, CBE has increasingly been discussed in medical and nursing education programs. The impact of the CBE curriculum on learning outcomes including academic performance, technical skill development, overall satisfaction, and preparedness for future practice has not been fully elucidated.

Method: A review of the literature was conducted, and multiple databases were searched for studies that analyzed the impact of CBE …

Towards An In Vitro Model Of Testing Osteoblast Cellular Function In Contact With Various Surfaces, Raheleh Miralami

Theses & Dissertations

Past studies have shown that the success of total joint replacements depends on the biocompatibility of orthopaedic materials, which can be improved by modifying the implant surface. However, the exact roles of these modifications and their effective mechanisms are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a model system to investigate the impact of nano-structured surfaces, produced by the ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) technique, on biomarkers of osteointegration using an in vitro model. The IBAD technique was employed to deposit zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), Titanium oxide (TiO₂), and Titanium (Ti) nano-films on …

Signaling Induced By Inflammatory Mediators In The Rodent Pulmonary Microvasculature, Rachel Escue Helms

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Acute lung inflammation (ALI), stemming from a disproportionate and detrimental immune response, may arise from or complicate other disease states, leading to the often-fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Because of the many culpable factors and differing points of induction, pinning down the signaling mechanisms involved in the morbidity of this disorder as well as defining an effective treatment has proved problematic. However, the most detrimental characteristic of this condition is seen regardless of the development of the response: increased microvascular permeability. Because of the architecture and the size of the pulmonary microvascular network, the lungs have a resident, sequestered …

Conditional Knockout Of Shp2 In Erbb2 Transgenic Mice Or Inhibition In Her2-Amplified Breast Cancer Cell Lines Blocks Oncogene Expression And Tumorigenesis, Hua Zhao, Elisha Martin, Fatimah Matalkah, Neal Shah, Alexey Ivanov, J. Michael Ruppert, Paul R. Lockman, Yehenew M. Agazie

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is the cause of HER2- positive breast cancer (BC). Although HER2-inactivating therapies have benefited BC patients, development of resistance and disease recurrence have been the major clinical problems, pointing to a need for alternative therapeutic strategies. For that to happen, proteins that play critical roles in the biology of HER2-induced tumorigenesis have to be identified and characterized. Here, we show that the Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (Shp2) encoded by the Ptpn11 gene is a requisite for ErbB2-induced tumorigenesis. We report that conditional knockout of Shp2 alleles in the ErbB2 …

Acoustofluidics And Soft Materials Interfaces For Biomedical Applications, Frank A. Fencl

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

This dissertation describes fabrication of devices and other tools for biomedical applications through the integration of acoustofluidic systems with bio separation assays, instrumentation components, and soft materials interfaces. For example, we engineer a new class of transparent acoustic flow chambers ideal for optical interrogation. We demonstrate efficacy of these devices by enhancing the signal for high throughput acoustic flow cytometry, capable of robust particle focusing across multiple parallel flowing streams. We also investigate an automated sampling system to determine the parameters of transient particle stream focusing in between sample boluses and air bubbles to model a high throughput, multi-sampling acoustic …

Mesenchymal Cox2-Pg Secretome Engages Nr4a-Wnt Signalling Axis In Haematopoietic Progenitors To Suppress Anti-Leukaemia Immunity, Limei Wu, Surya Amarachintha, Jian Xu, Frank Oley Jr., Wei Du

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment (niche) plays important roles in supporting normal/abnormal haematopoiesis. We investigated the interaction between leukaemic mesenchymal niche and haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) using the model of Fanconi anaemia (FA), a genetic disorder characterized by BM failure and leukaemia. Healthy donor HSPCs co‐cultured on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from FA patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) exhibited higher human engraftment and myeloid expansion in Non‐obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency IL‐2γ−/−/SGM3 recipients. Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed the progressively elevated prostaglandins (PGs) in the MSCs of FA patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and AML. Reduced secretion …

The Ties That Bind: Cradling In Tajikistan, Lana B. Karasik, Catherine S. Tamis-Lemonda, Ori Ossmy, Karen E. Adolph

Publications and Research

A traditional childrearing practice—“gahvora” cradling—in Tajikistan and other parts of Central Asia purportedly restricts movement of infants’ body and limbs. However, the practice has been documented only informally in anecdotal reports. Thus, this study had two research questions: (1) To what extent are infants’ movements restricted in the gahvora? (2) How is time in the gahvora distributed over a 24-hour day in infants from 1–24 months of age? To answer these questions, we video-recorded 146 mothers cradling their infants and interviewed them using 24-hour time diaries to determine the distribution of time infants spent in the gahvora within a day …

Living Inside The Box: Environmental Effects On Mouse Models Of Human Disease., John P Sundberg, Paul N Schofield

Faculty Research 2018

The impact of the laboratory environment on animal models of human disease, particularly the mouse, has recently come under intense scrutiny regarding both the reproducibility of such environments and their ability to accurately recapitulate elements of human environmental conditions. One common objection to the use of mice in highly controlled facilities is that humans live in much more diverse and stressful environments, which affects the expression and characteristics of disease phenotypes. In this Special Article, we review some of the known effects of the laboratory environment on mouse phenotypes and compare them with environmental effects on humans that modify phenotypes …

Star Power, Pandemics, And Politics: The Role Of Cultural Elites In Global Health Security, Holly Lynne Swayne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Celebrities have historically served a variety of roles in society ranging from the inspirational to the cautionary, utilizing their platforms of visibility to promote themselves, their work, as well as their social and political causes. This study focuses on celebrities as activists engaging with global health issues, with particular attention to the form this engagement takes, the publicity it receives in the mass media, and the types of global health issues that receive the most celebrity attention. An interdisciplinary approach drawing from theories of power, social movement theory, agenda-setting, and cultural studies is used to achieve greater understanding of underlying …

Cortical Network Synchrony Under Applied Electrical Field, Min D Tang-Schomer, Taylor Jackvony, Sabato Santaniello

Faculty Research 2018

Synchronous network activity plays a crucial role in complex brain functions. Stimulating the nervous system with applied electric field (EF) is a common tool for probing network responses. We used a gold wire-embedded silk protein film-based interface culture to investigate the effects of applied EFs on random cortical networks of in vitro cultures. Two-week-old cultures were exposed to EF of 27 mV/mm for <1 h and monitored by time-lapse calcium imaging. Network activity was represented by calcium signal time series mapped to source neurons and analyzed by using a community detection algorithm. Cortical cultures exhibited large scale, synchronized oscillations under alternating EF of changing frequencies. Field polarity and frequency change were both found to be necessary for network synchrony, as monophasic pulses of similar frequency changes or EF of a constant frequency failed to induce correlated activities of neurons. Group-specific oscillatory patterns were entrained by network-level synchronous oscillations when the alternating EF frequency was increased from 0.2 Hz to 200 kHz. Binary responses of either activity increase or decrease contributed to the opposite phase patterns of different sub-populations. Conversely, when the EF frequency decreased over the same range span, more complex behavior emerged showing group-specific amplitude and phase patterns. These findings formed the basis of a hypothesized network control mechanism for temporal coordination of distributed neuronal activity, involving coordinated stimulation by alternating polarity, and time delay by change of frequency. These novel EF effects on random neural networks have important implications for brain functional studies and neuromodulation applications.

Fatal Invasive Gastrointestinal Fungal Infection In Three Non-Immunocompromised Patients, Zubair Ahmad, Sidra Arshad, Romana Idress, Nasir Uddin, Jamshid Abdul-Ghafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The importance and frequency of invasive fungal infections in different organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, has increased due to excessive use of aggressive immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory drugs in malignant diseases and organ transplantations as well as increased infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fungal infections in the small intestine or colon are usually part of a disseminated disease process and reach these organs through the bloodstream. Two of the patients were infants 10 and 15 days of age, while one was 23 years old. Patients presented with abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, and rectal bleeding. Hirchsprung disease was suspected in …

Improving A Discharge Process To Decrease Readmission Rates, Erni Ensing

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Fibrogenic Secretome Of Sirtuin 1-Deficient Endothelial Cells: Wnt, Notch And Glycocalyx Rheostat, Mark Lipphardt, Hassan Dihazi, Gerhard A. Muller, Michael S. Goligorsky

NYMC Faculty Publications

Sirtuins (SIRT) are ubiquitous histone and protein deacetylases and a member of this family, SIRT1, is the best-studied one. Its functions in endothelial cells encompass branching angiogenesis, activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, regulation of proapoptotic and proinflammatory pathways, among others. Defective SIRT1 activity has been described in various cardiovascular, renal diseases and in aging-associated conditions. Therefore, understanding of SIRT1-deficient, endothelial dysfunctional phenotype has much to offer clinically. Here, we summarize recent studies by several investigative teams of the characteristics of models of global endothelial SIRT1 deficiency, the causes of facilitative development of fibrosis in these conditions, dissect the protein …

Role Of Ampk And Pparα In The Anti-Skin Cancer Effects Of Ursolic Acid, Jacob Junco, Jiyoon Cho, Anna Mancha, Gunjan Malik, Sung-Jen Wei, Dae Joon Kim, Huiyun Liang, John Digiovanni, Thomas J. Slaga

School of Medicine Publications

The phytonutrient ursolic acid (UA), present in apples, rosemary, and other plant sources, has anti-cancer properties in a number of systems, including skin cancers. However, few reports have examined upstream mechanisms by which UA may prevent or treat cancer. Recent reports have indicated UA induces death of cancer cell lines via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy-sensing kinase which possesses both pro-metabolic and anti-cancer effects. Other studies have shown UA activates peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Here, we found the cytotoxic effect of UA in skin carcinoma cells required AMPK activation. In addition, two …

The Myth Of Promiscuity: Examining Black Male Sexual Narratives And Sexual Identity, Seth Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black masculinity and sexuality are common topics across areas of philosophy, psychology, cultural studies and others. Yet, these topics are dedicated to the racial narrative of hypersexual Black male, the sexual objectification of Black men, and their presumed promiscuity. While such topics are important, there is little qualitative research that looks at the complexity and emotionality of African American men’s sexual experiences. Using the theoretical research on black masculinity and sexuality as its backdrop, this dissertation explores how heterosexual, African American men experience their sexuality. The study incorporates narrative inquiry and in-depth, semi-structured interviews to gather stories of five African …

Therartpist: An Artisitc Inquiry On The Interplay Of Identities, Alisha Sue-Yi Jihn

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This thesis is an embodied artistic inquiry focused on thoughtfully engaging in self reflection through movement, with the intention of discovering how the identities of emerging dance/movement therapist and dance artist inform and interplay with one another. Data was collected through six Authentic Movement sessions with a trained Authentic Movement practitioner. Data analysis occurred through arts-based creative synthesis, which included freeassociation drawing, writing, and movement improvisation. Main themes of bodily knowing and relationship developed from data analysis. Culmination of artistic inquiry occurred through a dance film focused on above-mentioned themes. The dance film can be viewed from the link in …

Cellular Senescence And Their Role In Liver Metabolism In Health And Disease: Overview And Future Directions, Matthew Schade, Jacqueline A. Sanabria, Rodrigo Aguilar, Milad Modarresi, Brad Gillon, Zach Hunter, Jacqueline Fannin, Amrita Mallick, Henri Brunengraber, Juan Sanabria

Surgery

Chronic liver disease has globally risen mainly due to a prevalent Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection rate and an epidemic of obesity. It is estimated by the year 2030, 2.2 billion people around the world will be overweight and 1.1 billion people will be obese. Diabetes and obesity are the main risk factors for the development of the metabolic syndrome and in the liver of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) which could progress to NASH related cirrhosis and liver malignancy. At present there is not effective therapy for NASH besides loss of weight and exercise. Furthermore, optimal management of HCC …

Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Change Strategy, Alison Landis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. It is unpredictable and can occur with or without identified risk factors. A postpartum hemorrhage can happen rapidly, therefore it is important for the team to be trained and prepared to recognize and respond quickly to the situation, by quantifying blood loss at deliveries.

Context:The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) has created a toolkit to better prepare maternal child health teams for readiness, recognition, response, and reporting when a hemorrhage occurs. This program was rolled out on the unit in 2015 resulting …

Unfolded Protein Response Pathways In Skeletal Muscle Homeostasis., Kyle R. Bohnert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle mass, contractile properties, and metabolic function are regulated through the coordinated activation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways and genetic reprogramming. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a pivotal role in protein folding and calcium homeostasis in many cell types, including skeletal muscle. Disruption of calcium levels or accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen leads to stress, which results in the activation of a signaling network called the unfolded protein response (UPR). Further, recent studies have suggested that in certain conditions, UPR pathways can be activated independent of ER stress. However, the role of ER stress and the …

Measurements That Matter: Assessment & Management Of The Symptoms Of Chronic Illness Using The Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (Ipos), Deborah Jeffery

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Measurements that Matter: Assessment and Management of the Symptoms of Chronic Illness Using the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS)

Background: The mission of the Advanced Illness Management (AIM) program at the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis (VNA) is to relieve the burden of serious illness by providing exceptional care to patients and families through symptom management. A validated symptom tool was needed for holistic assessment.

Purpose: This is a quality-improvement project aimed at enhancing symptom management in patients experiencing advanced illness in a community-based palliative care program. Provider use of the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS) as …

An Examination Of Optimism Between Gender, Race, And School Classification Of Millennial Students – An Exploratory Study, Abigail C. Johnson

Honors College Theses

Optimism is defined as an individual’s approach to the expectation that good things will happen in the future and bad things are a rarity. Along with the general definition of what optimism is, many researchers have found that optimism depends on culturally embedded values and beliefs (Singh & Shukla, 2014; Lee & Mason, 2013). In addition, the relationship between optimism and positive health outcomes and well-being is well established (Coll, J.E. & Draves, P. R., 2008; Bastianello, M. R., Pacico, J. C., & Hutz, C. S., 2014). Although this is the case, little research has been found examining the differences …

Diversity In Parenting: A Qualitative Study On The Socialization Goals Of Palestinian Mothers From Different Socio-Economic Backgrounds, Layali Ba Hamayel

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined diversity in the socialization goals (SGs) of Palestinian mothers from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. It specifically looked at their cultural model using the Family Change model to analyze elements of collectivism and individualism in their attitudes and goals for the future. Purposeful-convenience sampling was used to recruit twelve urban Arab mothers of first grade children from two types of socio-economic backgrounds (SES). Each mother was interviewed about her goals and asked to describe her child. The interviews were analyzed thematically, and coding was guided by that used by other studies on SGs. One main finding was …

Women’S Healthcare In Cuba, Hannah M. Van Curen

Student Works

Cuba’s healthcare system has been an important discussion since it became socialized in 1965. The seemingly prestigious and highly criticized system has had global impact: from the break of tradition from conservative Latin American countries, to the almost idyllic approach Cuba has taken proving socialism can exist. This paper explores the major differences between Cuba’s and America’s approach to women’s healthcare. This paper examines different aspects of women's health care through interviews of locals and observation of different clinics around the island. The topics include maternity leave, child care, abortions, and sex education. While there is varying discussion on how …

Metabolic Patterning On A Chip: Towards In Vitro Liver Zonation Of Primary Rat And Human Hepatocytes, Young Bok (Abraham) Kang, Jinsu Eo, Safak Mert, Martin L. Yarmush, O. Berk Usta

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

An important number of healthy and diseased tissues shows spatial variations in their metabolic capacities across the tissue. The liver is a prime example of such heterogeneity where the gradual changes in various metabolic activities across the liver sinusoid is termed as “zonation” of the liver. Here, we introduce the Metabolic Patterning on a Chip (MPOC) platform capable of dynamically creating metabolic patterns across the length of a microchamber of liver tissue via actively enforced gradients of various metabolic modulators such as hormones and inducers. Using this platform, we were able to create continuous liver tissues of both rat and …

Advocating For More Experiential Learning Strategies In Medical School, Seth D. Adams

Undergraduate Voices

When it comes to learning and teaching, there are many ways for teachers and students to maximize the amount of learning that happens in the schooling environment. The focus of this paper is the effects of experiential learning in medical education. This pedagogy is very common in many teaching strategies and is widely used, debated, and studied throughout academia. This paper will introduce experiential learning as it is seen broadly throughout all fields of study and practice, but will then specifically focus on experiential learning and its effects on medical education. Using two different types of experiential learning, community-based learning …

Cox-2 Expression Mediated By Calcium-Tonebp Signaling Axis Under Hyperosmotic Conditions Serves Osmoprotective Function In Nucleus Pulposus Cells., Hyowon Choi, Weera Chaiyamongkol, Alexandra C. Doolittle, Zariel I. Johnson, Shilpa S. Gogate, Zachary R. Schoepflin, Irving M. Shapiro, Makarand V. Risbud

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

The nucleus pulposus (NP) of intervertebral discs experiences dynamic changes in tissue osmolarity because of diurnal loading of the spine. TonEBP/NFAT5 is a transcription factor that is critical in osmoregulation as well as survival of NP cells in the hyperosmotic milieu. The goal of this study was to investigate whether cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression is osmoresponsive and dependent on TonEBP, and whether it serves an osmoprotective role. NP cells up-regulated COX-2 expression in hyperosmotic media. The induction of COX-2 depended on elevation of intracellular calcium levels and p38 MAPK pathway, but independent of calcineurin signaling as well as MEK/ERK and JNK …

Enhancing The Cultural Competency Of Prospective Leaders Via A Study Abroad Experience, Douglas Hermond, Mathias R. Vairez, Jr., Tyrone Tanner

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether an experiential learning opportunity, specifically a study tour experience, would improve the cultural intelligence of prospective educational leaders and would challenge them to expand their own cultural understanding and behavior. Several prospective leaders who enrolled in a graduate program in Educational Leadership volunteered to attend a study abroad program that was intended, in part, to enhance their cultural competence. They were then asked to complete a survey that measured the four domains of cultural intelligence, namely metacognition, cognition, motivation and behavior. They were also asked to respond to prompts about how …