Digital Commons Network^™

Gamblerization Of Post-Communist Society In Central Europe, Zdeněk Szczyrba, David Fiedor, Irena Smolová

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Countries of Central European region (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) joined a new stage of their development after 1989. In these countries, there was a building process of capitalism which went in parallel with far-reaching structural economic and social changes; such as the privatization of economies, de-industrialization but also gamblerization of society. Clarifying this term, gamblerization, it could be described as the process of a continuous penetration of gaming facilities in the area accompanied by an increased availability and accessibility of gaming machines in the society. It is important to say that this process was particularly allowed owing to …

Breast-Cancer-Specific Mortality In Patients Treated Based On The 21-Gene Assay: A Seer Population-Based Study, Valentina I. Petkov, Dave P. Miller, Nadia Howlader, Nathan Gliner, Will Howe, Nicola Schussler, Kathleen Cronin, Frederick L. Baehner, Rosemary Cress, Dennis Deapen, Sally L. Glaser, Brenda Y. Hernandez, Charles F. Lynch, Lloyd Mueller, Ann G. Schwartz, Stephen M. Schwartz, Antoinette Stroup, Carol Sweeney, Thomas C. Tucker, Kevin C. Ward, Charles Wiggins, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Lynne Penberthy, Steven Shak

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The 21-gene Recurrence Score assay is validated to predict recurrence risk and chemotherapy benefit in hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) invasive breast cancer. To determine prospective breast-cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) outcomes by baseline Recurrence Score results and clinical covariates, the National Cancer Institute collaborated with Genomic Health and 14 population-based registries in the the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to electronically supplement cancer surveillance data with Recurrence Score results. The prespecified primary analysis cohort was 40–84 years of age, and had node-negative, HR+, HER2-negative, nonmetastatic disease diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2011 in the entire SEER population, and Recurrence Score results …

Ada News - 06/06/2016, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Design Of Trials For Interrupting The Transmission Of Endemic Pathogens, Mariabeth Silkey, Tobias Homan, Nicolas Maire, Alexandra Hiscox, Richard Mukabana, Willem Takken, Thomas A. Smith

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Many interventions against infectious diseases have geographically diffuse effects. This leads to contamination between arms in cluster-randomized trials (CRTs). Pathogen elimination is the goal of many intervention programs against infectious agents, but contamination means that standard CRT designs and analyses do not provide inferences about the potential of interventions to interrupt pathogen transmission at maximum scale-up. Methods: A generic model of disease transmission was used to simulate infections in stepped wedge cluster-randomized trials (SWCRTs) of a transmission-reducing intervention, where the intervention has spatially diffuse effects. Simulations of such trials were then used to examine the potential of such designs …

Exploring Older Adults’ Perceptions Of The Utility And Ease Of Use Of Personal Emergency Response Systems, Patricia A. Mclean

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Key Words: Older adults, aging in place, functional impairment, assistive home-based technology, personal emergency response system (PERS).

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and describe perceptions of the utility and ease of use of a personal emergency response system (PERS) among older adults who are aging in place.

Research Question: “What is the meaning of a PERS use for functionally impaired older adults?”

Design: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design was used to recruit members of a VNSNY CHOICE Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) site in Queens, NY, who met the study’s eligibility through the selection criteria. …

Tobacco Cessation And The Household Budget: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Consumption And Heterogeneity In The United States, Erin R. Rogers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objectives:

This dissertation was designed to: (1) estimate the relationships between recent, long-term, and relapsed tobacco cessation and dollars spent on non-tobacco goods among households in the U.S., (2) estimate the relationships between recent, long-term, and relapsed tobacco cessation and the budget shares allocated to non-tobacco goods among households in the U.S., and (3) to identify and characterize unobserved heterogeneity in the relationship between tobacco cessation and dollars spent on alcohol and food.

Methods:

Using 2006-2012 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data, a cohort of 6,739 tobacco-consuming households was created and followed for four quarters. Households were categorized during the fourth …

Glucocorticoids Do Not Decrease Mortality In Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis, Thomas C. Bolig

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Thursz MR, Richardson P, Allison M, et al. Prednisolone or pentoxifylline for alcoholic hepatitis. N Engl J Med. 2015;372(17):1619-28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1412278

A Generalized-Growth Model To Characterize The Early Ascending Phase Of Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Cecile Viboud, Lone Simonsen, Gerardo Chowell

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

A better characterization of the early growth dynamics of an epidemic is needed to dissect the important drivers of disease transmission, refine existing transmission models, and improve disease forecasts.

Materials and methods

We introduce a 2-parameter generalized-growth model to characterize the ascending phase of an outbreak and capture epidemic profiles ranging from sub-exponential to exponential growth. We test the model against empirical outbreak data representing a variety of viral pathogens in historic and contemporary populations, and provide simulations highlighting the importance of sub-exponential growth for forecasting purposes.

Results

We applied the generalized-growth model to 20 infectious disease outbreaks representing …

Himmelfarb Headlines - May/June 2016, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Headlines (2009 - present)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on the new Serials and Systems Librarian, the annual Himmelfarb Art Show, and new PlumX Metrics.

James Mann, M.D. (1759-1832): Military Surgeon For The "Second War Of Independence"., Eliza C. Anderson, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md, Charles J. Yeo, Md

Department of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles

The War of 1812 is remembered for the Burning of Washington, and Francis Scott Key’s “The Star Spangled Banner,” but little else. It was a poorly funded war of relatively short duration and nebulous resolution. Under such circumstances, it is understandable that the “Second War of Independence” failed to produce many notable military or medical advancements. However, one surgeon took it upon himself to recount his experiences in the field. For his dedication to the art and science of medicine, James Mann deserves recognition.

Sociodemographic And Geospatial Correlates Of Stillbirths And Neonatal Mortality In Indonesia (1993–2007), Alka Dev

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Little research has focused on the determinants of stillbirth and neonatal mortality in Indonesia despite the fact that the country has one of the highest rates of stillbirths in the world and one of the highest rates of neonatal mortality in Asia. Several areas have not been explored due to data limitations, such as shared risk factors and measurement challenges, which can inform health policy and interventions and guide future research. This dissertation addresses this gap by comparing measurement challenges for stillbirth and neonatal mortality and identifying risk factors for both using Indonesian reproductive health survey data. Differences in estimates …

Reengineering Of Mesh Thesauri For Term Selection To Optimize Literature Retrieval And Knowledge Reconstruction In Support Of Stem Cell Research, Yan Su, James E. Andrews, Hong Huang, Yue Wang, Liangliang Kong, Peter Cannon, Ping Xu

School of Information Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: PubMed is a widely used database for scientists to find biomedical-related literature. Due to the complexity of the selected research subject and its interdisciplinary nature, as well as the exponential growth in the number of disparate pieces of biomedical literature, it is an overwhelming challenge for scientists to define the right search strategies and quickly locate all related information. Specialized subsets and groupings of controlled vocabularies, such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), can enhance information retrieval in specialized domains, such as stem cell research. There is a need to develop effective search strategies and convenient solutions for knowledge organization …

Do Natural Disasters Induce More Crime?, Michael Lentini, Plamen Nikolov, Matthew Schwartz

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 resulted in grave consequences for South East Asia. Indonesia, in particular, had the highest death toll, losing over 150,000 people. Indonesia’s coastal region Aceh was the hardest hit by this disaster. Exploiting exogenous spatial variation at the district level, we use difference-in-difference analysis to estimate the causal effect of the 2004 disaster on subsequent crime rates. We find that after the tsunami, total annual crime rate went down, on average, by 244 crimes per annum.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?: Food Inequlaity And Black Americans, Christina Foster

Capstone Collection

Food insecurity is an issue that plagues many people throughout the world. It only requires a brief search on the United Nation’s (U.N.) World Hunger Map to determine that this is indeed a worldwide crisis. Conversely, within the United States, the issue of hunger is often treated as “minimal” in comparison to other countries. A deeper inquiry into hunger within the U.S. reveals an even more disturbing connection: the role of white supremacy and systemic racism in regard to hunger. Academic research pertaining to food access is quite recent. Be that as it may, it is of no surprise that …

Pharmacological Interventions For Painful Sickle Cell Vaso-Occlusive Crises In Adults, Tess E. Cooper, Ian R. Hambleton, Samir K. Ballas, Philip J. Wiffen

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the analgesic efficacy, and adverse events, of pharmacological interventions used to treat acute painful sickle cell vaso-occlusive crises in adults, aged 18 and over, in any setting.

Recurrent Mutations Of T-Cell Receptor And Co-Stimulatory Signaling Proteins In Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas, Joseph Rohr

Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) comprise a heterogeneous group of mature T-cell neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Recently, mutations in TET2 and other epigenetic modifiers as well as RHOA have been identified in these diseases, particularly in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). CD28 is the major co-stimulatory receptor in T-cells which, upon binding ligand, induces sustained T-cell proliferation and cytokine production when combined with T-cell receptor stimulation, through many signaling molecules including VAV1. This thesis identifies recurrent mutations in CD28 in PTCLs, as well as mutations in VAV1. Two residues of CD28 – D124 and T195 – were recurrently mutated in 11.3% …

Global Trends In Cancer Burden Based On Geographic Location, Socio-Economic Status And Demographic Shift, Sanjib Chowdhury

Theses & Dissertations

The global burden of cancer is rising at an alarming rate. It remains as one of the top causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is predicted that within 2020, there will be 15 million new cases of cancer in the world, with cancer-related deaths increasing to 12 million. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global cancer burden is expected to surge 57% worldwide in the next 20 years. A significant rise in cancer burden will occur in the low-income and middle-income (developing) countries not only due to demographic shifts, but also by the transition of risk factors …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Infection And Testing Among Low-Income Mexican Women, Leith León-Maldonado, Emily Wentzell, Brandon Brown, Betania Allen-Leigh, Leticia Torres-Ibarra, Jorge Salmerón, Deborah L. Billings, Jim Thrasher, Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce

Faculty Publications

Background

HPV infection causes cervical cancer, a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among low-income Mexican women. Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing is now a primary screening strategy in Mexico’s early cervical cancer detection program (ECDP). Research on Mexican women’s perceptions of HPV and testing is necessary for establishing culturally appropriate protocols and educational materials. Here, we explore perceptions about HPV and HPV-related risk factors among low-income Mexican ECDP participants.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 ECDP participants from two primary care health clinics in Michoacán state, Mexico. Interviews addressed women’s understandings of and experiences with HPV and HPV …

A Comparison Of Health Care Systems In The Western World, Katherine Regan Lawall

Senior Theses

This senior thesis evaluates the health care systems of the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Denmark, before looking at how their approaches could be adapted to the U.S. system. I picked these specific countries due to their similarity in geographic location, demographic, religious affiliations, and population size but have different styles of health care systems (public, mixed, and private) that are set up in varying ways. Additionally, these populations have similar health issues to one another, such as aging-populations, and to the U.S. as well like the top causes of death. However, these four western European countries have longer life expediencies …

Impacts Of Environmental Quality On The Demographics Of Three Nations, Emily Hummel

Honors Projects

This study will examine how the correlation between air and water quality and the population demographics of India, South Africa, and the United States. India is a country with a growing population, increasing income inequality, and gender roles that reflect its status as a developing nation. South Africa is much smaller in area and the population is beginning to level off, but South Africa’s income inequality is growing much faster than India’s and gender inequality is less of an issue in South Africa. The population of the United States is decreasing and gender roles are fairly equal, despite income inequality …

Lateral Violence Among New Graduate Nurses, Megan Russell

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Lateral violence is an act of aggression that is committed against one nurse by another. There are many names for lateral violence, some of these include: horizontal violence, bullying, aggression, horizontal hostility, verbal abuse, or nurses eating their young. Lateral violence occurs when nurses covertly or overtly direct the dissatisfaction they are feeling inward toward each other. The effects of lateral violence on new graduate nurses and the organizations in which they work can be detrimental. An extensive literature review was undertaken to understand the significance and prevalence of lateral violence against new graduate nurses. The purpose of this study …

Inadequacy Of Benin's And Senegal's Education Systems To Local And Global Job Markets: Pathways Forward; Inputs Of The Indian And Chinese Education Systems., Kpedetin Mignanwande

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper explores the historical legacy that shapes the current higher education system in most sub-Sahara African countries. It further analyzes various specificities in terms of production of graduates in many sub-Sahara African higher educational schools, as well as the rate, process, and conditions of employment of newly graduated students. Inspired by the comparative advantage offered by the Indian education system in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), and the Chinese education system in terms of Technical Skills and Work Readiness, the paper suggests an educational pathway that selects, orients and empowers students in these science related areas. It strongly emphasizes …

Healthcare Facility Location: A Breast Cancer Alliance Case Study, Alexandra Knopf

Sustainability and Social Justice

Community health is impacted by the location of a health advocacy agency. This commissioned report for the Breast Cancer Alliance of Greenwich, CT, consists of a location analysis to review potential cities in which they might locate expansion efforts. Such cities include Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Greenwich, CT, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, D.C. This report will look at five ways (4 mathematical and one spatial) of conducting a location analysis that require specialized knowledge for interpretation. For this study, a Spatial Geographic Information System methodology is preferred because of the visualization component, which can ensure that …

Stop Stunting: Situation And Way Forward To Improve Maternal, Child And Adolescent Nutrition In Afghanistan, Ariel Higgins Steele, Piyali Mustaphi, Sherin Varkey, Humayoun Ludin, Najibullah Safi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Apolipoprotein E And Clusterin Can Magnify Effects Of Personality Vulnerability On Declarative Memory Performance In Non‐Demented Older Adults, Sharaddha Sapkota, Sandra A. Wiebe, Brent J. Small, Roger A. Dixon

Aging Studies Faculty Publications

Objectives: Recent research has linked psychological (personality) factors and specific genetic risk polymorphisms to performance on neurocognitive phenotypes. We examined whether episodic or semantic memory performance is associated with (a) three personality traits (i.e. neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience), (b) two neurodegenerative‐related polymorphisms (i.e. Apolipoprotein E (APOE; rs7412; rs429358), Clusterin (CLU; rs11136000)), and (c) cross‐domain risk interactions (magnification effects).

Methods: Linear growth models were examined to test independent associations between personality traits and declarative memory performance, and potential interaction effects with APOE and CLU genetic risk. Normal older adults (n = 282) with personality …

Super-Utilization: The New Perfect Storm Of Health Reform, Jill Diane Nault

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

This three-essay dissertation was focused on geographic variation of super-utilization, or the disproportionately high healthcare utilization and costs attributed to a small sub-set of the inpatient population. For purposes of this research, super-utilization was operationalized as high repeat utilization (HRU) and referred to inpatient utilization and inpatient readmission expenditures attributed to beneficiaries with four or more 30-day readmissions per year. The overall purpose of the research was to identify geographic areas at increased risk for HRU. These areas corresponded to where beneficiaries live and were aligned with the geographically-bound healthcare delivery systems. Each essay employed an observational study design using …

The Dissemination Of Local Food Rhetoric Via Restaurant Wait Staff: A Pilot Study, Laura Dragon

Dissertations - ALL

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe restaurant waiter and manager perceptions of local foods with regard to customer inquiries, personal values, barriers of local foods, ingredient source, waiter training, and personal definitions of local food.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from restaurant managers, chefs, and wait staff at local food promoting restaurants (LFPR) in an urban county in central New York State. The study design involved questionnaires consisting of close-ended and open-ended questions about local foods. Questions regarding local food perceptions, motivations, customer inquiries, training, source, and barriers to local foods were …

The Effect Of The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program On Participants’ Diet Quality: Does Supermarket Access Matter?, Rachel Ann Spencer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project assesses the effectiveness of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) within the context of supermarket access. EFNEP is a national community nutrition education program that strives to give participants the tools to live healthier lives. Analysis was performed on participants from 16 Arkansas counties that completed EFNEP during 2013 or 2014. The program outcome is measured in terms of the change in Healthy Eating Index (HEI) as calculated from 24-hour diet recalls at program entry and exit. Supermarket locations were obtained from the USDA Food Nutrition Service’s SNAP Retail Locator and represent the food environment near …

Biosand Water Filter Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation And Pilot Study Of Field Use Indicators, Bethesda O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diarrheal diseases are a global public health burden, killing 1.8 million people annually. Diarrhea disproportionately affects children and those in poverty. Most diarrheal cases can be prevented through safe drinking water, basic hygiene and/or sanitation measures, with drinking water interventions having the most impact on reducing diarrheal disease. A meta-evaluation was completed of studies evaluating a specific household water treatment method, the biosand water filter. Results from the meta-evaluation illustrate that biosand water filters improve drinking water quality and reduce diarrheal disease. However, there is no generally agreed upon field method for determining biosand water filter effectiveness that is useable …

Women And Healthcare In Appalachia: Impeding Circumstance And The Role Of Technology, Ashley Cano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades, healthcare access and quality in central and southern Appalachia have trailed the rest of the country. Entrenched poverty and low educational attainment compound healthcare problems. This study examines the healthcare obstacles women encounter in southern and central Appalachia and analyzes how technology use, such as Internet searching and social media affect women’s healthcare decisions. Data were analyzed from four focus groups conducted with women from the region. Results indicate that seeing a physician or not did not influence women’s propensity to search the Internet for health-related information or to seek support through social media sites. Additionally, women reported …