Digital Commons Network^™

Qualitative Analysis Of Anti-Abortion Discourse Used In Arguments For A 6-Week Abortion Ban In South Carolina, Victoria C. Lambert, Emily E. Hackworth, Deborah Lynn Billings Phd

Publications

Background: On June 24, 2022, The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion legislation entirely up to states. However, anti-abortion activists and legislators have organized for decades to prevent abortion access through restrictive state-level legislation. In 2019, South Carolina legislators proposed a bill criminalizing abortion after 6 weeks gestation, before most people know they are pregnant. The current study examines the anti-abortion rhetoric used in legislative hearings for this extreme abortion restriction in South Carolina. By examining the arguments used by anti-abortion proponents, we aim to expose their misalignment with public opinion on abortion and demonstrate that their …

Community Organization Perspectives On Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy And How They Increased Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence: A Canadian Immunization Research Network, Social Sciences And Humanities Network Study, Sarah Ashfield, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Gina Uppal, Michael A. Bauer

Publications

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccines play a critical role in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and despite vaccine availability, disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Canadian subgroups exist. Community organizations are uniquely situated to relay important vaccine messaging around all vaccines, understand components of vaccine hesitancy, and facilitate vaccine uptake within the communities they serve. The objective of this research was to solicit community organizations perspectives specific to COVID-19 vaccines and explore strategies of increasing vaccine uptake within their communities. METHODS: A qualitative focus group study was held in the spring of 2021 with 40 community organizations from …

An Investigation Of Media Reports Of Digital Surveillance Within The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Leigha Comer, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Marionette Ngole, Jacob J. Shelley, Anita Kothari, Maxwell Smith, James M. Shelley, Saverio Stranges, Brad Hiebert, Jason Gilliland, Tommy Cooke, Jodi Hall, Jed Long

Publications

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in digital public health surveillance worldwide, with limited opportunities to consider the effectiveness or impact of digital surveillance. The news media shape public understanding of topics of importance, contributing to our perception of priority issues. This study investigated news media reports published during the first year of the pandemic to understand how the use and consequences of digital surveillance technologies were reported on. METHODS: A media content analysis of 34 high- to low-income countries was completed. The terms "COVID-19," "surveillance," "technologies," and "public health" were used to retrieve and inductively code media reports. …

Leveraging Digital Technology For Social Connectedness Among Adults With Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Phyllis A. Raynor, Dana Bowers, Elizabeth M. Combs, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Hannah Hardy, Khushi S. Patel

Publications

PURPOSE: To review the evidence about the impact of digital technology on social connectedness among adults with one or more chronic health conditions.

METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Social Sciences, CINAHL, and Compendex were systematically searched for full-text, peer-reviewed empirical evidence published between 2012 and 2023 and reported using the PRISMA flow diagram. Articles were critically appraised applying the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. Specific data were extracted based on the framework for social identity and technology approaches for health outcomes and then analyzed and synthesized.

RESULTS: Thirty-four studies met study criteria. Evidence showed heterogeneity among research methodology, chronic health conditions, digital technology, …

Hepatitis B Immunity Among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Brief Report, Robin M. Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc, Courtney Catledge, Ann Scott Dnp, Rn, Ccrn-K, Cne, Leigh Blackmon Pate Dnp, Msn, Aprn, Fnp-Bc, Gail Vereen

Publications

Background: Health sciences students who report low/equivocal hepatitis B titers may be required to repeat the immunization series, even though the result may not indicate non-immunity. Method: To describe hepatitis B immunity patterns, this retrospective, descriptive study utilized de-identified vaccination records and anti-HBs titers of three cohorts of sophomore nursing students entering clinical rotations in 2018–2019. Results: Only 33% of students had initial anti-HBs quantitative serum titer ≥10 mIU/ml, demonstrating immunity. After students with low/equivocal titers (n = 191, 64%) were re-immunized per institution protocol, only 2% (n = 7) were identified as non-responders. Cumulative costs incurred by students for …

Dealing With Incivility On Social Media: Faculty Support & Guidance, University Of South Carolina Office Of The Provost

Reports

This guide is designed to assist the campus community in responding to situations in which faculty members are targeted by individuals or groups outside of the university based on the content of the faculty member’s scholarship, teaching, and/or service. It addresses potential concerns in such situations and informs the campus about resources available to assist individual faculty members, departments chairs, and other administrators. The foundation for this guide is the University of South Carolina’s unwavering support for academic freedom and freedom of expression. The faculty’s right to academic freedom in teaching and research and service is protected as essential to …

Meta-Analysis Of Factors Impacting Reading Impairment Rates In Studies Of Children With Developmental Language Disorder (Dld), Kayla Dewey

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose - Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common yet underdiagnosed disorder centered on difficulties with oral language, and often associated with word reading and reading comprehension difficulties. Numerous studies have documented high rates of reading impairment in children with DLD, but the specific rates vary widely across studies. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to help provide accurate prognostic information about this disorder by determining the average proportion of participants with DLD who also had reading impairment, and to determine whether variability in the rate of reading impairment was significantly influenced by studies’ methodological features, including recruitment method, type …

Daily Activities And Routines: A Comparative Case Study Of The Home Language And Literacy Environment Of Spanish-Speaking Toddlers With And Without Older Siblings, Eugenia Crosby-Quinatoa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify malleable practices in the homes of Spanish-speaking toddlers prior to school enrollment. This was achieved by examining daily activities and routines and the role older siblings played in these interactions to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the home language and literacy environment and practices. Additionally, this study aimed to explore, through the narratives and responses of mothers, the home experiences, beliefs, values, and goals associated with toddlers’ development, particularly early language and literacy. This study included four Spanish-speaking families with toddlers, two of which did not have an older sibling residing …

The Impact Of A Series Of Professional Development Sessions On Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Crp) On The Awareness Level Of Seven Teachers At A Suburban High School, Charity Jo Brady

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to examine the impact that culturally responsive pedagogy had on a suburban high school. Specifically, it focused on the effectiveness of a six-session professional development series in increasing the awareness level of seven teacher-participants at Bayside High School during the Spring 2022 semester. The study utilized pre- and post- questionnaires, weekly journal reflections (written), field notes and observations, and participant interviews for data collection. The findings suggest that the professional development sessions were successful in increasing the awareness level of the teachers, leading to a more culturally responsive classroom environment. This study highlights the importance of ongoing …

Producer Interviews And Analysis As A Tool For Science Communication And Research Implementation In Agriculture, Lacy Marie Barnette

Theses and Dissertations

Research implementation beyond the laboratory requires both sound science and high-quality science communication. Science communication is an emerging field that is increasing in importance as the public has access to more information than ever, however there are some underlying obstacles like the lack of communication-specific training that scientists receive and disconnected populations. Agricultural producers have a perceived history of being disconnected from science even though modern agriculture relies heavily on researched practices and has an entire network of extension agencies intended to communicate with producers. One reason for this perceived disconnect is the one-way communication that has dominated science communication …

Using Geospatial Social Media Data For Infectious Disease Studies: A Systematic Review, Fengrui Jing, Zhenlong Li, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Geospatial social media (GSM) data has been increasingly used in public health due to its rich, timely, and accessible spatial information, particularly in infectious disease research. This review synthesized 86 research articles that use GSM data in infectious diseases published between December 2013 and March 2022. These articles cover 12 infectious disease types ranging from respiratory infectious diseases to sexually transmitted diseases with spatial levels varying from the neighborhood, county, state, and country. We categorized these studies into three major infectious disease research domains: surveillance, explanation, and prediction. With the assistance of advanced computing, statistical and spatial methods, GSM data …

The Association Of Vitamin D, Bone Mineral Density, And Injuries Among Acrobatics And Tumbling Athletes, K Lee, A Gallucci, J Forsse, L Cherpe De Souza, L Irvin, E Boyer, L Funderburk

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction: Acrobatics and Tumbling (A&T) is an emerging sport incorporating various elements of gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the sport presents with high injury rates potentially due to the high impact nature of the activity. Due to the potential aesthetic sport related concerns, bone mineral density and risk of injury presents a concern for patients, athletic trainers and stakeholders. Increased understanding of the relationship between bone mineral density, serum vitamin D status, and injury incidence in A&T may be useful to athletic trainers, registered dietitians, and others working with these athletes. The objective of this study was …

Dynamic Function Learning Through Control Of Ensemble Systems, Wei Zhang, Vignesh Narayanan, Jr-Shin Li

Publications

Learning tasks involving function approximation are preva- lent in numerous domains of science and engineering. The underlying idea is to design a learning algorithm that gener- ates a sequence of functions converging to the desired target function with arbitrary accuracy by using the available data samples. In this paper, we present a novel interpretation of iterative function learning through the lens of ensemble dy- namical systems, with an emphasis on establishing the equiv- alence between convergence of function learning algorithms and asymptotic behavior of ensemble systems. In particular, given a set of observation data in a function learning task, we …

Cooperative Deep Q -Learning Framework For Environments Providing Image Feedback, Krishnan Raghavan, Vignesh Narayanan, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Publications

In this article, we address two key challenges in deep reinforcement learning (DRL) setting, sample inefficiency, and slow learning, with a dual-neural network (NN)-driven learning approach. In the proposed approach, we use two deep NNs with independent initialization to robustly approximate the action-value function in the presence of image inputs. In particular, we develop a temporal difference (TD) error-driven learning (EDL) approach, where we introduce a set of linear transformations of the TD error to directly update the parameters of each layer in the deep NN. We demonstrate theoretically that the cost minimized by the EDL regime is an approximation …

Tutorial - Shodhguru Labs: Optimization And Hyperparameter Tuning For Neural Networks, Kaushik Roy

Publications

Neural networks have emerged as a powerful and versatile class of machine learning models, revolutionizing various fields with their ability to learn complex patterns and make accurate predictions. The performance of neural networks depends significantly on the appropriate choice of hyperparameters, which are critical factors governing their architecture, regularization, and optimization techniques. As the demand for high-performance neural networks grows across diverse applications, the need for efficient optimization and hyperparameter tuning methods becomes paramount. This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of optimization strategies and hyperparameter tuning techniques for neural networks. Neural networks have emerged as a powerful and versatile class …

The Contribution Of Self-Efficacy And Counselor Biases Effects On Clinical Reasoning In New Counselors, Ashley Faith Waddington

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical reasoning is widely used among several medical professionals and personnel to diagnose conditions to streamline the treatment process in an effective manner. Researchers have explored clinical reasoning in nursing literature and the medical profession, however, have not been explored in counselor education despite counselors being one of the largest groups of individuals diagnosing mental health conditions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation of self-efficacy and counselor biases influence on uncertainty with diagnosis in new counselors. The hypothesized directional relationship was explored in new counselors as the hypothesis suggests that higher levels of self-efficacy and …

Co-Creation Of A Training For Community Health Workers To Enhance Skills In Serving Lgbtqia+ Communities, Vanessa Kitzie, Julie Smithwick, Carmen Blanco, M. Greg Green, Sarah Covington-Kolb

Faculty Publications

This paper describes creating and implementing a 30-h LGBTQIA+ specialty training for community health workers (CHWs). The training was co-developed by CHW training facilitators (themselves CHWs), researchers with expertise in LGBTQIA+ populations and health information, and a cohort of 11 LGBTQIA+ CHWs who theater tested and piloted the course. The research and training team collected cohort feedback through focus groups and an evaluative survey. Findings stress the importance of a curriculum designed to elicit lived experiences and informed by a pedagogical framework centered on achieving LGBTQIA+ visibilities. This training is a vital tool for CHWs to foster cultural humility for …

“What Is A Wave But 1000 Drops Working Together?”: The Role Of Public Libraries In Addressing Lgbtqia+ Health Information Disparities, Vanessa Kitzie, Alexander N. Vera, Valerie Lookingbill, Travis L. Wagner

Faculty Publications

This paper presents results from a participatory action research study with 46 LGBTQIA+ community leaders and 60 library workers who participated in four community forums at public libraries across the US. The forums identified barriers to LGBTQIA+ communities addressing their health questions and concerns and explored strategies for public libraries to tackle them. Forums followed the World Café format to facilitate collaborative knowledge development and promote participant-led change. Data sources included collaborative notes taken by participants and observational researcher notes. Results revealed that barriers experienced by LGBTQIA+ communities are structurally and socially entrenched and require systematic changes. Public libraries must …

Concluding The (In)Glorious Journey, Keren Dali, Kim M. Thompson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Tripartite Approach To Designing An Inclusive Hiring Experience And An Inclusive Workplace, Kim M. Thompson, Paul T. Jaeger, Clayton A. Copeland

Faculty Publications

Inclusive workplaces start with inclusive hiring practices and then the design and support of inclusive workplace cultures once a hire is settled. The process includes consideration of why you are looking for diverse candidates, writing inclusive job descriptions and job ads, inclusive interviewing considerations, and building an inclusive work environment and culture. Each of these considerations can be examined through a tripartite approach, exploring ways to ensure physical, intellectual, and social needs are addressed and met throughout each stage of the hiring and retention process.

Connecting Patient-Centered Care Research Into Athletic Training Clinical Practice, Lindsey E. Eberman, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

No abstract provided.

Providing Athletic Training Resources To Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Persons, Molly M. Osborn, Courtney M. Meyer, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

No abstract provided.

Proknow: Process Knowledge For Safety Constrained And Explainable Question Generation For Mental Health Diagnostic Assistance, Kaushik Roy, Manas Gaur, Misagh Soltani, Vipula Rawte, Ashwin Kalyan, Amit Sheth

Publications

Current Virtual Mental Health Assistants (VMHAs) provide counseling and suggestive care. They refrain from patient diagnostic assistance because of a lack of training on safety-constrained and specialized clinical process knowledge (Pro-Know). In this work, we define ProKnow as an ordered set of information that maps to evidence-based guidelines or categories of conceptual understanding to experts in a domain. We also introduce a new dataset of diagnostic conversations guided by safety constraints and ProKnow that healthcare professionals use (ProKnow-data). We develop a method for natural language question generation (NLG) that collects diagnostic information from the patient interactively (ProKnow-algo). We demonstrate the …

Tutorial - Shodhguru Labs: Knowledge-Infused Artificial Intelligence For Mental Healthcare, Kaushik Roy

Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems for mental healthcare (MHCare) have been ever-growing after realizing the importance of early interventions for patients with chronic mental health (MH) conditions. Social media (SocMedia) emerged as the go-to platform for supporting patients seeking MHCare. The creation of peer-support groups without social stigma has resulted in patients transitioning from clinical settings to SocMedia supported interactions for quick help. Researchers started exploring SocMedia content in search of cues that showcase correlation or causation between different MH conditions to design better interventional strategies. User-level Classification-based AI systems were designed to leverage diverse SocMedia data from various MH conditions, …

Editorial Board And Staff

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

No abstract provided.

Convergence & Divergence In Digital Trade Regulation: A Comparative Analysis Of Cp-Tpp, Rcep, And Ejsi, Andrew D. Mitchell, Vandana Gyanchandani

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

The article provides an in-depth comparative legal analysis of the fundamental digital trade provisions in three modern trade agreements: the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CP-TPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), and Joint Statement Initiative on electronic commerce (eJSI) draft text. It features new, diverse regulatory priorities and approaches to govern digital trade. The comparative analysis will enable policymakers and civil society to appreciate the underlying regulatory concerns in negotiating digital trade agreements. The analysis aims to support an advancement of such digital trade provisions and make these deliberations more inclusive in future.

On An American Strategy To Forge Global Space Law To Curtail Orbital Debris In The New Space Age, Michael B. Runnels

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

No abstract provided.

Superficial Peroneal Nerve Entrapment In Female Collegiate Tennis Athlete: A Disablement Model Case Study, Sarah Branning, Neeru Jayanthi, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

A 19-year-old female, NCAA Division I collegiate tennis player presented with a burning and aching sensation halfway up the lateral portion of her right calf following an extensive period spent in a squatting position. This discomfort began distal to the fibular head, then ran along her lateral calf, reached into her ankle, and wrapped behind the lateral malleolus. Initially, the patient only noticed this discomfort during long durations of physical activity. However, she began to report symptoms with activities of daily living (ADLs) and following workouts. The patient first received a working diagnosis of a stress reaction along the mid …

Strategies To Improve Healthcare Communication With Non-Native English Speakers: An Evidence To Practice Review, Skylar B. Hudgens-Wallace, Kaitlyn M. Pierce, Madison P. Whitesell, Nancy A. Uriegas, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

As the number of non-native English speakers in the United States rises, the degree to which some patients understand their healthcare communication is decreasing. It is essential to recognize the areas of limited health literacy to ensure proper patient communication and education are achieved. The guiding systematic review aimed to examine different communication interventions and the reported patient experiences from those interactions. The main forms of healthcare communication interventions used in the study included in-person, telephone, and video call interpreters. Patients have been shown to respond best to in-person interpreters, but using interpreters via telephone or video call was also …

Prioritizing Patient-Centered Care When Integrating Athletic Training Students Into Clinical Practice, Amber Kingsley, Amy L. Fraley, Krista M. Richards, Matthew J. Drescher, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Athletic trainers are responsible for the patient care of student-athletes but also can be responsible for the education and mentorship of athletic training (AT) students through the role of preceptor. ATSs require extensive first-hand clinical experiences to prepare them for autonomous practice but must first feel comfortable with the skills they have learned to apply them in clinical practice. The unique clinical experience these ATSs experienced was the combined experience of a graduate assistant athletic trainer preceptor who also assisted as a teaching assistant in the classroom. This allowed the preceptor to help the ATSs expand on the information provided …