Digital Commons Network^™

Systematic Review Of Polyherbal Combinations Used In Metabolic Syndrome, Amber Hanif Palla, Faridah Amin, Bilqees Fatima, Arooj Shafiq, Najeeb Ur Rehman, Ikram Ul Haq, Anwar-Ul-Hassan Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial disease, whose main stay of prevention and management is life-style modification which is difficult to attain. Combination of herbs have proven more efficacious in multi-targeted diseases, as compared to individual herbs owing to the "effect enhancing and side-effect neutralizing" properties of herbs, which forms the basis of polyherbal therapies This led us to review literature on the efficacy of herbal combinations in MetS.
Methods: Electronic search of literature was conducted by using Cinnahl, Pubmed central, Cochrane and Web of Science, whereas, Google scholar was used as secondary search tool. The key words used …

A Clash Of Cultures: The Struggle Of Native Americans To Participate In Traditional Ecological Knowledge And Western Science Under California’S Marine Life Protection Act, John W. Corbett, Ruthie A. Maloney

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

This article comprehensively details the culture clash that took place between Native Americans, the North Group Science Panel, and the Science Advisory Team (SAT) involved in the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). In 1999, the California Legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act to create a statewide, science-driven network of marine reserves along the 1,100 miles of the California coast. The MLPA was meant to protect marine areas from overharvesting, and an initiative was formed to create a state marine reserve system advised by regional science panels. The science panel, a public body, decided that Native Americans science was not …

Ovarian Cancer Epidemiology, Healthcare Access And Disparities (Orchid): Methodology For A Population-Based Study Of Black, Hispanic And White Patients With Ovarian Cancer, Tomi Akinyemiju, April Deveaux, Lauren Wilson, Anjali Gupta, Ashwini Joshi, Malcolm Bevel, Chioma Omeogu, Onyinye Ohamadike, Bin Huang, Maria Pisu, Margaret Liang, Molly Mcfatrich, Erin Daniell, Laura Jane Fish, Kevin Ward, Maria Schymura, Andrew Berchuck, Arnold L. Potosky

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Less than 40% of patients with ovarian cancer (OC) in the USA receive stage-appropriate guideline-adherent surgery and chemotherapy. Black patients with cancer report greater depression, pain and fatigue than white patients. Lack of access to healthcare likely contributes to low treatment rates and racial differences in outcomes. The Ovarian Cancer Epidemiology, Healthcare Access and Disparities study aims to characterise healthcare access (HCA) across five specific dimensions-Availability, Affordability, Accessibility, Accommodation and Acceptability-among black, Hispanic and white patients with OC, evaluate the impact of HCA on quality of treatment, supportive care and survival, and explore biological mechanisms that may contribute to …

Faculty Versus Student Repeatability On Evaluating Translucency Of The Anterior Dentition, James L. Sheets, David B. Marx, Nina Ariani, Valentim A. R. Barão, Alvin G. Wee

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

The objective was to compare the repeatability between dental faculty, whose clinical practice was primarily restorative dentistry, and final year dental students in categorizing the inherent translucency of images selected at random using either a 3- or 7-point scale (translucent to opaque). Digital images of anterior dentition were randomly selected based on inherent translucency. Thirty images (five were repeated) were randomized and categorized by 20 dental students and 20 faculty on their inherent translucency. Statistical analysis was performed using an F test for analysis of variance at 95% confidence interval. A covariance parameter estimate (CPE) was accomplished to compare the …

The Mediating/Moderating Role Of Cultural Context Factors On Self-Care Practices Among Those Living With Diabetes In Rural Appalachia, Brittany L. Smalls, Adebola Adegboyega, Ellen Combs, Matthew Rutledge, Philip M. Westgate, Md. Tofial Azam, Felipe De La Barra, Lovoria B. Williams, Nancy E. Schoenberg

Family and Community Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

The aim of this study was to examine whether cultural factors, such as religiosity and social support, mediate/moderate the relationship between personal/psychosocial factors and T2DM self-care in a rural Appalachian community.

Methods

Regression models were utilized to assess for mediation and moderation. Multilevel linear mixed effects models and GEE-type logistic regression models were fit for continuous (social support, self-care) and binary (religiosity) outcomes, respectively.

Results

The results indicated that cultural context factors (religiosity and social support) can mediate/moderate the relationship between psychosocial factors and T2DM self-care. Specifically, after adjusting for demographic variables, the findings suggested that social support may …

Math 671: Statistical Method I, Dao Nguyen

GMAS Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Organic Carbon Content Found In Fucus Vesiculosus And Ascophyllum Nodosum From Skutulsfjörður And Eyjafjörður, Iceland, Sylvie Alexander

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In response to global warming and changing climate, carbon sequestration through macroalgal cultivation has emerged as a possible climate change mitigation technique. Macroalgal cultivation’s relationship to carbon sequestration however is still not well understood. It is imperative to understand macroalgae’s connection to carbon sequestration to evaluate if macroalgal cultivation can help combat climate change. There is a gap in literature regarding the carbon content of Icelandic macroalgae and therefore the contribution of Icelandic macroalgae to national and global carbon sequestration estimates. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by evaluating organic carbon content of Fucus vesiculosus and Ascophyllum nodosum …

Association Between The Beta Band Neural Response And The Behavioral Performance In Aphasic And Neurologically Intact Individuals, Yilun Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

The complex motor act of speech requires integrating linguistic and sensorimotor processes. Sensorimotor interaction mainly supports speech production in the form of state feedback control architecture. While speaking, subjects react to perturbations in the pitch of voice auditory feedback by changing their tone in the opposite direction to pitch-shift stimuli to compensate for the perceived pitch shift. Aphasia is a communication impairment affecting patients’ speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. The present study aims to examine the association between brain neural activity and the ability for speech auditory feedback error correction in both post-stroke aphasia and neurologically intact individuals. There are …

Estimation Of Odds Ratio In 2 X 2 Contingency Tables With Small Cell Counts, Guohao Zhu

Dissertations

This study is focusing on properties of estimators of odds ratio or its logarithm in case of 2x2 tables with small counts. The odds ratio represents the odds that an outcome of interest will occur given a particular exposure, compared to the odds of the outcome occurring in the absence of that exposure. Both parameters are often used to quantify the strength of association of two binary variables and are common measurements reported in case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies.

Because of their wide applicability, both parameters, odds ratio, and its logarithm, have been intensively studied in the literature. However, most …

The Classification Of Basket Neural Cells In The Mammalian Neocortex, Sreya Pudi

Senior Theses

Basket neuronal cells of the mammalian neocortex have been classically categorized into two or more groups. Originally, it was thought that the large and small types are the naturally occurring groups that emerge from reasons that relate to neurobiological function and anatomical position. Later, a study based on anatomical and physiological features of these neurons introduced a third type, the net basket cell which is intermediate in size as compared to the large and small types. In this study, multivariate analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the large and small types are morphologically distinct groups. The results of …

Covid Round 2: Workplace Support And Compassion Fatigue In Emergency Workers, Carlene A. Robinson, Kelly L. Sullivan

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Biological Assessment Of Water Quality In El Placer, Ecuador: The Effect Of Agriculture On Stream Health And The Quality Of Historical Versus Current Drinking Water Sources, Danielle Kleinberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although fresh water is one of Ecuador’s most abundant resources, high quality drinking water for its inhabitants is scarce (Wingfield et al., 2021). The most prevalent sources of water pollution in Ecuador are domestic waste, silver and gold mining, oil production, and agricultural chemicals (Buckalew et al., 1997). El Placer, a village located in Tungurahua, Ecuador, is highly dependent on agriculture as a source of income. The first objective of this study was to determine the effect of agriculture on the El Placer’s Tía Anita Stream through comparing the water quality at three sites with varying agricultural influence. The second …

The Labyrinth Of Data Collection For Humanitarian Project Funding And Implementation, Maria Alejandra Pulido

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research concentrates on four NGOs: IOM, IDMC, JIPS, and OCHA which use different tools to collect data and translate the information into evidence for data-driven decision making (DDDM) for the implementation of humanitarian assistance projects. I focus on the importance, advantages, and various data collection tools which help ameliorate the humanitarian sector since it does not have a current professionalized path to enter the workforce. I incorporated four interviews, attended two conferences and analyzed multiple online sources during my project.

Science Is For Everybody: A Resource For Understanding Glaciers, Climate, And Modeling, Emma Watson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Climate change threatens the existence of glaciers worldwide. In order to properly interact with these changing systems, we must first understand them. Glacial models provide an excellent way to do this; however, the language and mathematical concepts used in their creation is generally inaccessible to a common audience. This project presents an online resource for a general audience to interact with climate science, glaciology, and glacial modeling. Long term goals for the project include the incorporation of a glacial model of Drangajökull, Vestfirðir, NW Iceland. As such, focus for the project includes a literature review of glaciers, Drangajökull in particular, …

Empirical Modeling Of Tilt-Rotor Aerodynamic Performance, Michael C. Stratton

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There has been increasing interest into the performance of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The propellers used for the eVTOL propulsion systems experience a broad range of aerodynamic conditions, not typically experienced by propellers in forward flight, that includes large incidence angles relative to the oncoming airflow. Formal experiment design and analysis techniques featuring response surface methods were applied to a subscale, tilt-rotor wind tunnel test for three, four, five, and six blade, 16-inch diameter, propeller configurations in support of development of the NASA LA-8 aircraft. Investigation of low-speed performance included a maximum speed of 12 m/s and …

Survivability Analysis In The Shadow Of Apollo: Part I - Cislunar Debris Propagation And Spacecraft Vulnerability, Nathan R. Boone, Robert A. Bettinger

Faculty Publications

Although the reality of routine travel and sustained operations and habitation in space likely remains several decades away, the building blocks of space exploration and space system development necessary to realize this reality are currently being laid by peer, near-peer, and emerging space-faring nations. Traditionally, global space operations were notionally limited to near-Earth space, with mission altitudes extending to geosynchronous or even highly elliptical orbits. During the 2010s, however, space operations began moving beyond this paradigm to encompass cislunar space with reinvigorated U.S. initiatives to return to the Moon via the Artemis program, planned commercial space projects, and an accelerated …

Marginally Interpretable Models And Multilevel Models For Quantile Regression With Random-Effects, Nahid Sultana Sumi

Theses and Dissertations

The quantile regression model is an active area of statistical research that has received a lot of attention. This complements the most widely used statistical tool, that is, mean regression analysis. Quantile regression analysis It has become more flexible because of its properties that include no assumption on the distribution of the response variable, equivalent to monotone transformations, and robustness to outliers. However, regression analysis offers methodological challenges if the observations are not independent. Cluster, multilevel, and repeated measures (longitudinal data) designs introduce such dependence. The correlation between observations on the same units or clusters should be accounted for to …

Bayesian Calibration Of The Icrp Zirconium Biokinetic Model And Use Of Canned Priors For The Evaluation Of Bioassay, Thomas Raymond Labone

Theses and Dissertations

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) publishes biokinetic models that relate measurements of radioactive material in the body and excreta (bioassay) to the amount of the material taken into the body (intake). Given the intake and the biokinetic model, radiation dose to organs and tissues can be calculated. The ICRP approximates the biokinetics of radioactive materials in the body with compartmental models expressed mathematically as a system of ordinary differential equations, for which they provide point estimates of the rate constants. Inaccurate estimates of intake and radiation dose can result in cases where the biokinetics of an individual differ …

Correcting For Measurement Error In The Outcome When Estimating The Distribution Of Time To Pregnancy With The Current Duration Approach, Nicole Nasrallah

Theses and Dissertations

The current duration approach to modeling time-to-pregnancy (TTP) models the length of pregnancy attempt for women that are currently attempting pregnancy. There is a scarcity of studies, let alone TTP studies, that account for measurement error in the outcome. Previously, the benefits of a piecewise constant model with regards to bias in estimates of the survival function with measurement error and the parametric modelling of TTP was shown. In this thesis, correcting for measurement error in the outcome with the current duration approach is explored through piecewise constant models with log-normal measurement error. Five different methods are compared to determine …

Using Concurrent Functional Regression To Reconstruct River Stage Data During Flood Events And Identify Influential Functional Measurements, Ryan Pittman

Theses and Dissertations

On October 4, 2015, the Cedar Creek gage at Congaree National Park stopped reporting stages, and the readings did not resume until approximately two weeks later because of record-breaking rainfall that led to some of the worst flooding in South Carolina history. Our goal is to reconstruct the Cedar Creek stage during this missing two-week window. The Congaree River gage in Congaree National Park remained functioning throughout the October 2015 flood, when the stage reached its maximum recorded crest. The stages from the two gages are directly related during floods as water travels through the local spillways and flood planes …

Multiple Frailty Model For Spatially Correlated Interval-Censored, Wanfang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we consider the problem of multiple frailty selection for general interval-censored spatial survival data, which often occurs in clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The general interval-censored data is a mixture of left-, right- and interval-censored data. We propose a Bayesian semiparametric approach based on the Cox proportional hazard model, where monotone splines were used for non-parametrical modeling of the cumulative baseline hazards where the variable selection priors were used for frailty selection. A two-stage data augmentation with Poisson latent variables is developed for efficient computation. The approach is evaluated based a simulation study and illustrated using a …

Exploring The Relationship Between Mandatory Helmet Use Regulations And Adult Cyclists’ Behavior In California Using Hybrid Machine Learning Models, Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki, Maria Chierichetti

Mineta Transportation Institute

In California, bike fatalities increased by 8.1% from 2015 to 2016. Even though the benefits of wearing helmets in protecting cyclists against trauma in cycling crash has been determined, the use of helmets is still limited, and there is opposition against mandatory helmet use, particularly for adults. Therefore, exploring perceptions of adult cyclists regarding mandatory helmet use is a key element in understanding cyclists’ behavior, and determining the impact of mandatory helmet use on their cycling rate. The goal of this research is to identify sociodemographic characteristics and cycling behaviors that are associated with the use and non-use of bicycle …

Giplot: An R Package For Visualizing The Summary Statistics Of A Quantitative Variable, Siddhanta Phuyal, Mamunur Rashid, Jyotirmoy Sarkar

Student Research

A GI plot is a graphical tool that pictorially represents the five-number summary, the mean, the standard deviation, the sample size, and flags potential outliers that are c standard deviations away from the mean together with their frequencies. The GI plot was developed by Sarkar and Rashid (2021) as a companion to the boxplot. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the GIplot package and introduce the main functionality of the package using several examples.

Medical Outcomes, Quality Of Life, And Family Perceptions For Outpatient Vs Inpatient Neutropenia Management After Chemotherapy For Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Kelly D Getz, Julia E Szymczak, Yimei Li, Rachel Madding, Yuan-Shung V Huang, Catherine Aftandilian, Staci D Arnold, Kira O Bona, Emi Caywood, Anderson B Collier, M Monica Gramatges, Meret Henry, Craig Lotterman, Kelly Maloney, Amir Mian, Rajen Mody, Elaine Morgan, Elizabeth A Raetz, Jeffrey Rubnitz, Anupam Verma, Naomi Winick, Jennifer J Wilkes, Jennifer C Yu, Brian T Fisher, Richard Aplenc

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Importance: Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) requires multiple courses of intensive chemotherapy that result in neutropenia, with significant risk for infectious complications. Supportive care guidelines recommend hospitalization until neutrophil recovery. However, there are little data to support inpatient over outpatient management.

Objective: To evaluate outpatient vs inpatient neutropenia management for pediatric AML.

Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used qualitative and quantitative methods to compare medical outcomes, patient health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and patient and family perceptions between outpatient and inpatient neutropenia management. The study included patients from 17 US pediatric hospitals with frontline chemotherapy start dates ranging …

A New Generating Family Of Distributions: Properties And Applications To The Weibull Exponential Model, El-Sayed A. El-Sherpieny, Salwa Assar, Tamer Helal

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

A new method for generating family of distributions was proposed. Some fundamental properties of the new proposed family include the quantile, survival function, hazard rate function, reversed hazard and cumulative hazard rate functions are provided. This family contains several new models as sub models, such as the Weibull exponential model which was defined and discussed its properties. The maximum likelihood method of estimation is using to estimate the model parameters of the new proposed family. The flexibility and the importance of the Weibull-exponential model is assessed by applying it to a real data set and comparing it with other known …

Incorporating Molecular Markers And Causal Structure Among Traits Using A Smith-Hazel Index And Structural Equation Models, Juan Valente Hidalgo-Contreras, Josafhat Salinas-Ruiz, Kent M. Eskridge, Stephen P. Baenziger

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

The goal in breeding programs is to choose candidates that produce offspring with the best phenotypes. In conventional selection, the best candidate is selected with high genotypic values (unobserved), in the assumption that this is related to the observed phenotypic values for several traits. Multi-trait selection indices are used to identify superior genotypes when a number of traits are to be considered simultaneously. Often, the causal relationship among the traits is well known. Structural equation models (SEM) have been used to describe the causal relationships among variables in many biological systems. We present a method for multi-trait genomic selection that …

Jmasm 55: Matlab Algorithms And Source Codes Of 'Cbnet' Function For Univariate Time Series Modeling With Neural Networks (Matlab), Cagatay Bal, Serdar Demir

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) can be designed as a nonparametric tool for time series modeling. MATLAB serves as a powerful environment for ANN modeling. Although Neural Network Time Series Tool (ntstool) is useful for modeling time series, more detailed functions could be more useful in order to get more detailed and comprehensive analysis results. For these purposes, cbnet function with properties such as input lag generator, step-ahead forecaster, trial-error based network selection strategy, alternative network selection with various performance measure and global repetition feature to obtain more alternative network has been developed, and MATLAB algorithms and source codes has been …

Physical And Mental Disabilities Among The Gender-Diverse Population Using The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Brfss (2017–2019): A Propensity-Matched Analysis, Jennifer R. Pharr, Kavita Batra

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

This propensity-matched analysis utilized the publicly available Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2017–2019) data to compare the burden of disabilities among transgender/non-binary (TGNB) and cisgender groups. The groups were matched (1:1 ratio) on demographic variables using Nearest Neighborhood Matching. Categorical variables were compared among groups using a Chi-square analysis to test differences in the proportions. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was fit to predict the likelihood of the physical and mental disabilities among the TGNB group compared with the cisgender group while controlling for healthcare access factors, income, and employment. Survey weights were included in the model to account for the …

Men’S Comfort In Distributing Or Receiving Hiv Self-Test Kits From Close Male Social Network Members In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Baseline Results From The Step Project, Joseph K.B. Matovu, Gaspar Mbita, Akeen Hamilton, Frank Mhando, Wynton M. Sims, Noah Thompson, Albert N. Komba, Jackson Lija, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Thomas Van Den Akker, Dustin T. Duncan, Augustine T. Choko, Donaldson F. Conserve

Faculty Publications

Background

A variety of strategies have been used to reach men with HIV self-testing services, including social network-based HIV self-test kits distribution. However, few studies have assessed men’s comfort to distribute to or receive HIV self-test kits from close male friends within the same social network. In this study, we assessed men’s comfort to distribute to and/or receive HIV self-test kits from close male friends and associated factors among men who socialize in networks locally referred to as “camps” in Tanzania.

Methods

Data are from the baseline survey of a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in June 2019 with 18 social …

Recognition And Screening For Chagas Disease In The Usa, Rachel Marcus, Andres F. Henao-Martinez, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph, Elizabeth Livingston, Stephen A. Klotz, Robert H. Gilman, Monica Miranda-Schaeubinger, Sheba Meymandi

Faculty Publications

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a public health concern, mainly among countries in South and Central America. However, despite the large number of immigrants from endemic countries living in the USA, awareness of CD is poor in the medical community, and therefore it is significantly underdiagnosed. To avoid the catastrophic cardiac complications of CD and to prevent maternal–fetal transmission, widespread educational programs highlighting the need for diagnosis are urgently needed.