Digital Commons Network^™

We Are Having This Conversation Now: The Times Of Aids Cultural Production (Introduction And Toc & 3 Timelines), Alexandra Juhasz, Theodore Kerr

Publications and Research

We Are Having This Conversation Now offers a history, present, and future of AIDS through thirteen short conversations between Alexandra Juhasz and Theodore Kerr, scholars deeply embedded in HIV responses. They establish multiple timelines of the epidemic, offering six foundational periodizations of AIDS culture, tracing how attention to the crisis has waxed and waned from the 1980s to the present. They begin the book with a 1990 educational video produced by a Black health collective, using it to consider organizing intersectionally, theories of videotape, empowerment movements, and memorialization. This video is one of many powerful yet overlooked objects that the …

Mechanisms Of Memory Updating: State Dependency Vs. Reconsolidation, Christopher Kiley, Colleen M. Parks

Psychology Faculty Research

Reactivating a memory trace has been argued to put it in a fragile state where it must undergo a stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process, memories are thought to be susceptible to interference and can be updated with new information. In the spatial context paradigm, memory updating has been shown to occur when new information is presented in the same spatial context as old information, an effect attributed to a reconsolidation process. However, the integration concept holds that memory change can only occur when reactivation and test states are the same, similar to a state-dependent effect. Thus, in …

Predicting Cancer Immunotherapy Response From Gut Microbiomes Using Machine Learning Models, Hai Liang, Jay-Hyun Jo, Zhiwei Zhang, Margaret A Macgibeny, Jungmin Han, Diana M Proctor, Monica E Taylor, You Che, Paul Juneau, Andrea B Apolo, John A Mcculloch, Diwakar Davar, Hassane M Zarour, Amiran K Dzutsev, Isaac Brownell, Giorgio Trinchieri, James L Gulley, Heidi H Kong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer immunotherapy has significantly improved patient survival. Yet, half of patients do not respond to immunotherapy. Gut microbiomes have been linked to clinical responsiveness of melanoma patients on immunotherapies; however, different taxa have been associated with response status with implicated taxa inconsistent between studies. We used a tumor-agnostic approach to find common gut microbiome features of response among immunotherapy patients with different advanced stage cancers. A combined meta-analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from our mixed tumor cohort and three published immunotherapy gut microbiome datasets from different melanoma patient cohorts found certain gut bacterial taxa correlated with immunotherapy response …

Comparison Of Gps Imputation Methods In Environmental Health Research, Sungsoon Hwang, Kashica Webber-Ritchey, Elizabeth A. Moxley

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Assessment of personal exposure in the external environment commonly relies on global positioning system (GPS) measurements. However, it has been challenging to determine exposures accurately due to missing data in GPS trajectories. In environmental health research using GPS, missing data are often discarded or are typically imputed based on the last known location or linear interpolation. Imputation is said to mitigate bias in exposure measures, but methods used are hardly evaluated against ground truth. Widely used imputation methods assume that a person is either stationary or constantly moving during the missing interval. Relaxing this assumption, we propose a method for …

Emerging Respiratory Viral Pathogens, April Nelsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory disease is arguably the most important health concern for the production animal industry [1-3]. Respiratory problems accounted for the highest mortality both in the swine and beef industries [1, 4]. Respiratory pathogens remain the most vital for swine and bovine research and disease monitoring [2, 5-7]. As pathogens, in particular viral pathogens, mutate, novel disease-causing viruses emerge, and there becomes an increasing concern and need for identification with control perimeters. One frequently identified disease syndrome is Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC). PRDC is characterized by pneumonia of mixed respiratory infections with contributions from the environment and management practices. The …

Nurs 3301 - Professional Mobility, Dania Ochoa

Open Educational Resources - Books

This book focuses on essential concepts and skills related to professional mobility in nursing practice, supporting the curriculum of the NURS 3301 course.

An Odd-Protocol For Agent-Based Model For The Spread Of Covid-19 In Ireland, Elizabeth Hunter, John D. Kelleher

Reports

No abstract provided.

Healthcare Education Leaves The Hills: Frontier Nursing University’S Move From Appalachia, Hannah Haksgaard

Faculty Publications

Rural communities lack maternity and childbirth services, and access is getting worse. Despite the serious need for more rural-focused childbirth services, Frontier Nursing—the most famous rural-focused childbirth healthcare provider and educator—recently left the historic rural location it had called home since its inception nearly a century ago. Frontier Nursing, established in the Appalachian Mountains in 1925, initially provided nursing and midwifery care focused on the residents of Leslie County, Kentucky, and in 1939 established a school in Leslie County to train future rural nurse-midwives. Despite success over nearly 100 years deep in the remote and rural Appalachian foothills, Frontier Nursing …

Papanicolaou (Pap) Test And Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Test Adherence: Sexual Violence Victims And Fear Of Retraumatization, Murielle Sighe Ngoumkam

CGU Theses & Dissertations

To include all vulnerable women population who faced barriers to participating in preventive cervical cancer screening, the public health community must better understand the factors that affect their decision for getting Pap and HPV tests. Public health must understand the sexual violence victims, a subgroup of women who faced the onset of trauma and explore their adherence to routine screening. This study investigated whether sexual women with a history of sexual violence (SV), likelihood to get screened for cervical cancer would be impacted given the fear of suffering from secondary trauma during conventional screening procedures. Methods: Knowledge of cervical screening …

The Risk Factors For Hiv In African American Transgender Women In Connecticut, Oliver Kunda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence rate is 70 times higher for African American transgender women than in the general population. Despite decades of outreach and intervention effort to reduce HIV incidence in the transgender community by the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transexual, queer, plus (LGBTQ+) community and public health organizations, the HIV prevalence rate for transgender women remains high at 38%. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to gain insights into how attitude, subjective social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence HIV risk behaviors of African American transgender women in Connecticut. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior provided …

Annual Financial Performance, Efficiency, And Quality Of Care In Accountable Care Organizations In Florida And Texas, Tony Lavance White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The association between efficiency and quality of care among accountable care organizations is not fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between ACO efficiency, ACO financial performance, and ACO quality scores in the states of Florida and Texas. Guided by structural contingency theory, the research questions explored whether there was a statistically significant relationship between ACO efficiency and financial performance, as well as ACO efficiency and the quality of care among ACOs in the states of Texas and Florida in 2018 using all ACOs located in those states. The results of the study …

Comparison Between Hospital Ownerships In The Prevention Of Surgical Site Infections, Kameha Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMillions of Americans seek health care for surgical interventions throughout the United States. Despite the 2010 Affordable Health Reform Act, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are still rising. Specifically, surgical site infections (SSIs) are a national problem in both non-profit and for-profit hospitals. SSIs are the third most commonly reported HAIs and account for 14%-16% of HAIs among U.S. patients. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine an association between the independent variable of the type of hospital ownership (i.e., non-profit and for-profit), and SSI rates, health care utilization cost (i.e., readmission rates and LOS), and patient outcome measures (i.e., …

An Integrated Care Transitions Program And 30-Day Readmission Rates For Heart Failure And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Kathryn J. Martinez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of hospital readmissions on an organization includes reimbursement penalties, elevated mortality and morbidity rates, increased health care expenditures, and poor quality of life for the community’s residents. This study examined the impact of an integrated care transitions program on the 30-day readmission rates for heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) within an independent rural community health care organization in Middle America. The two research questions pertained to the relationships pre-and post-implementation of this program to the 30-day readmission rates for these two disease processes. The Donabedian model examined the structure and function of an integrated care …

Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depressed Adolescents: A Systematic Review Of Quantitative Studies Exploring Effectiveness, Concomitant Findings, And Mediating And Moderating Variables, Luke Rex

Theses and Dissertations

Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2022), almost one-fifth of adolescents ages 12 to 17 years in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2020, representing 4.1 million people, and over half did not receive any treatment. An interpersonal approach to therapy for adolescents known as Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), developed by Dr. Laura Mufson, has been regarded as having well-established efficacy in treating depressed adolescents. This systematic review of quantitative studies (without meta-analysis) was conducted to (a) examine …

Local Public Health System Comprehensiveness And Opioid Overdose Mortality, 2012-2018, Stephanie Courtney

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Deaths due to opioid overdose are a significant public health burden in the United States. Studies suggest that local public health systems that perform a high number of essential activities where local health departments contribute to the delivery of the activities and promote increased partnership may positively influence population health outcomes such as overdose mortality. Studies have shown that comprehensive public health systems are associated with improved health outcomes, but this association has not been addressed in the context of opioid overdose deaths. Study Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between local public health …

Clinical Factors Implicated In Antibiotic Resistance In Helicobacter Pylori Patients, Brian White, Maria Winte, Joshua Desipio, Sangita Phadtare

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Helicobacter pylori is a common gastric pathogen associated with multiple clinical syndromes, including cancer. Eradication rates of H. pylori remain suboptimal despite the progress made in the past few decades in improving treatment strategies. The low eradication rates are mainly driven by antibiotic resistance of H. pylori. Non-invasive molecular testing to identify patients with antibiotic-resistant H. py-lori represents a promising therapeutic avenue, however this technology currently remains limited by availability, costs, and lack of robust validation. Moreover, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that resistance-testing-based treatment approaches are superior to appropriately designed empiric strat-egies. Consensus guidelines recommend use of proven …

Exploring Climate, Wellbeing, Resilience, And Resistance In 2slgbtq+ Leisure Spaces: A Mixed Methods Study To Advance Inclusion, Tin Vo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Participating in queer sports groups, rainbow choirs, trans virtual discussion groups and other Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQ+) leisure activities can offer participants safety from societal heterosexism and cisgenderism and opportunities for community connection and peer support, as well as foster their overall wellbeing. Yet, transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC), racialized, and/or disabled individuals, and those with other diverse identities are often marginalized in these spaces. Though researchers have studied exclusion within 2SLGBTQ+ leisure spaces, relatively little is known about how the climate of these spaces shapes social and mental health outcomes. Connected to …

Child Dietary Patterns In Homo Sapiens Evolution: A Systematic Review, Lora L Iannotti, Emmanuel A Gyimah, Miranda Reid, Melissa Chapnick, Mary Kate Cartmill, Chessa K Lutter, Charles Hilton, Theresa E Gildner, Elizabeth A Quinn

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dietary patterns spanning millennia could inform contemporary public health nutrition. Children are largely absent from evidence describing diets throughout human evolution, despite prevalent malnutrition today signaling a potential genome-environment divergence. This systematic review aimed to identify dietary patterns of children ages 6 months to 10 years consumed before the widespread adoption of agriculture. Metrics of mention frequency (counts of food types reported) and food groups (globally standardized categories) were applied to: compare diets across subsistence modes [gatherer-hunter-fisher (GHF), early agriculture (EA) groups]; examine diet quality and diversity; and characterize differences by life course phase and environmental context defined using Köppen-Geiger …

Epithelial Abnormalities In The Small Intestine Of Zambian Children With Stunting, Chola Mulenga, Sanja Sviben, Kanta Chandwe, Beatrice Amadi, Violet Kayamba, James A J Fitzpatrick, Victor Mudenda, Paul Kelly

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Environmental enteropathy (EE) contributes to impaired linear growth (stunting), in millions of children worldwide. We have previously reported that confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) shows fluorescein leaking from blood to gut lumen

METHODS: We performed confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in 75 children and collected intestinal biopsies for histology in 91 children. CLE videos were evaluated, employing the Watson score to determine severity of leakiness. Morphometry was carried out on well-orientated mucosa and 3 biopsies were examined by electron microscopy.

RESULTS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy demonstrated substantial leakage from circulation to gut lumen in 73 (97%) children. Histology consistently showed characteristic changes …

Factors Associated With Mask Use In New York City Neighborhood Parks During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Field Audit Study, Lisa Hitch, Marie A. Sillice, Hanish Kodali, Katarzyna E. Wyka, Javier Otero Peña, Terry Tk Huang

Publications and Research

Background: Mask use is a cost-effective measure to decrease COVID-19 transmission. Mask mandates intend to increase mask compliance but are often ambiguous when it comes to public outdoor spaces.

Methods: We used a field audit study to examine mask use in New York City neighborhood parks during COVID-19. 1453 park visitors were observed in 13 parks during July–August 2020 using a modified and validated park use audit tool (System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities) that included items on general and proper mask use (i.e., mask covering both nose and mouth). Generalized estimating equation regression was used to determine …

Influenza: Toward Understanding The Immune Response In The Young, Sonia Sakleshpur, Ashley L Steed

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Annually influenza causes a global epidemic resulting in 290,000 to 650,000 deaths and extracts a massive toll on healthcare and the economy. Infants and children are more susceptible to infection and have more severe symptoms than adults likely mitigated by differences in their innate and adaptive immune responses. While it is unclear the exact mechanisms with which the young combat influenza, it is increasingly understood that their immune responses differ from adults. Specifically, underproduction of IFN-γ and IL-12 by the innate immune system likely hampers viral clearance while upregulation of IL-6 may create excessive damaging inflammation. The infant's adaptive immune …

An Analysis Of The Association Between Cognitive Decline And Geographic Residence Among Women Over 65 In The Southeastern United States, Christine Invergo

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

Introduction: The United States is an increasingly aging nation, and aging increases the risk of cognitive decline. Information on the relationship between cognitive decline and geographic residence in the U.S. is limited. Available evidence suggests that rural residents tend to suffer persistent disadvantages in cognitive functioning when compared to sociodemographically similar urban peers. This analysis focused on women over 65 years of age living in the southeastern U.S. The primary objective of this analysis was to determine if there was a significant association between geographic residence and cognitive decline. A secondary objective was to explore variables of interest that …

An Analysis Of Rural-Urban Differences In Health Care Access Among Women In The United States, Ellery Denny

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between women’s health care access and rural and urban America. Extensive review of existing literature was completed and showed that the United States ranked last out of 11 high-income countries in regard to access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes (Schneider, 2021). Additionally, women in the United States faced heightened financial barriers to health care that men do not, and also faced unique disadvantages that resulted in reduced utilization of care (Cameron, 2010, p. 1649).

Results showed that rural women were significantly more likely to have one …

An Analysis Of The Association Between Cognitive Decline And Geographic Residence Among Women Over 65 In The Southeastern United States, Christine Invergo

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

Introduction: The United States is an increasingly aging nation, and aging increases the risk of cognitive decline. Information on the relationship between cognitive decline and geographic residence in the U.S. is limited. Available evidence suggests that rural residents tend to suffer persistent disadvantages in cognitive functioning when compared to sociodemographically similar urban peers. This analysis focused on women over 65 years of age living in the southeastern U.S. The primary objective of this analysis was to determine if there was a significant association between geographic residence and cognitive decline. A secondary objective was to explore variables of interest that …

Demographic Characteristics Of Individuals Needing Treatment For Substance Use Disorder, Amber Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction:

While multiple options are available for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD), 9% of individuals reported needing treatment within the last year for illicit drug or alcohol use, according to the 2020 National Survey for Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Despite concerns about widespread disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, there are limited current data regarding demographic characteristics of individuals that need treatment. It is crucial to identify these characteristics from population-based data in order to develop and implement targeted public health interventions.

Methods:

The NSDUH is an annual, nationwide survey that collects data about substance use and …

Observations Of Delayed Changes In Respiratory Function Among Allergy Clinic Patients Exposed To Wildfire Smoke, James Blando, Michael Allen, Hadiza Galadima, Timothy Tolson, Muge Akpinar-Elci, Mariana Szklo-Coxe

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Wildfires have increased in frequency and magnitude and pose a significant public health challenge. The principal objective of this study was to assess the impact of wildfire smoke on respiratory peak flow performance of patients exposed to two different wildfire events. This longitudinal study utilized an observational approach and a cohort study design with a patient-level clinical dataset from a local outpatient allergy clinic (n = 842). Meteorological data from a local weather station served as a proxy for smoke exposure because air quality measurements were not available. This study found that there were decreases in respiratory peak flow among …

Parental Barriers Toward Seeking Mental Healthcare For Saudi Children At Risk Of Adhd, Amani Kappi

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder commonly diagnosed in childhood. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment of ADHD can lead to the development of other mental illnesses and disruptions in social functioning in adulthood. Therefore, parents can play a crucial role in proactively seeking mental healthcare for children who are at risk for or who have a clear diagnosis of ADHD. Studies in the United Kingdom and the United States highlight many barriers that prevent parents from seeking mental healthcare for their children, such as negative attitudes towards the mental healthcare system and stigma towards mental illnesses.

Cultural differences …

Protective Factors Against Self-Harm And Suicidality Among Australian Indigenous Adolescents: A Strengths-Based Analysis Of The Longitudinal Study Of Indigenous Children, Irteja Islam, Lisa Sharwood, Verity Chadwick, Tuguy Esgin, Alexandra Martiniuk

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Understanding and encouraging social and emotional well-being (SEWB) among Indigenous adolescents is vital in countering the impacts of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. As self-harm and suicidality are considered markers of poor SEWB among Indigenous communities, we aimed to identify the individual-level and community-level factors protecting Indigenous adolescents from self-harm and suicidality. Methods: Data came from Footprints in Time—The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (waves 10 and 11), conducted among Indigenous families across Australia. A strengths-based analysis fitted multilevel logistic regression to explore associations with factors proposed as protective against self-reported self-harm and suicidality among Indigenous adolescents. Results: Our study …

Structural Violence & Small Victories: Political Epidemiology Of Hiv Among Msm In Nigeria, 2000-2010, Debbie A. Dada

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

No abstract provided.

Illuminating The Increase Of Intentional Dating In The Covid-19 Pandemic And Its Connection To Relationship Satisfaction Through The Lens Of Photography., Caitlin Carnegie

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

In this study, the researcher examined if the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted individuals to reprioritize their emotional needs in intimate relationships. As a result of reprioritizing intimate relationship needs, the researcher also examined whether intentional dating increased within an individual. Furthermore, the researcher explored the use of photography to illuminate an individual's relationship satisfaction and motivation for dating. Asking these questions can help to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted intimate dating relationships and how dating trends may have shifted. It further explores how photography can also be used as a research tool as well as a …