Digital Commons Network^™

Health Consequences Of Racial Disparity In Access To Abortion: A Systematic Review, Lacy M. Frye, Calvin Odhiambo

University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal

Prior to the 2022 Dobbs decision, Black women already experienced negative maternal health outcomes at an alarmingly disparate rate in comparison to White women. Given that the Dobbs decision emboldens state power to enforce abortion restrictions or protections, there has been significant strides made in both directions. Nonetheless, within states where reproductive rights have been significantly eroded, the heightened abortion restrictions may compound the limited access that Black women previously had before Dobbs. This, in turn will exacerbate the already disparate negative maternal outcomes that Black women experience. However, research on the relationship between the lack of access to abortion …

Burnout In Athletic Training: Measured By Survey In Most Common Settings For Athletic Trainers, R Johnson Krug, N Sand, S Brooks, T Smith

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction: Burnout is a common problem in athletic training, affecting both athletic trainers (ATs) and the athletes they serve. Athletic trainers are responsible for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sports-related injuries. Long work hours, often including evenings and weekends, as well as frequently under pressure to meet the demands of athletes, coaches, and parents. Athletic trainers face numerous stressors that contribute to burnout. These stressors may include heavy workloads, lack of control over their schedules, time pressures, and pressure to produce positive outcomes. Athletic trainers may also experience emotional and physical exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal …

Educational Outcomes Of The Dat: A Document Review And Thematic Analysis, S H. Orr, L E. Eberman, M J. Rivera

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: The transition in athletic training education allows for unique and new opportunities in postprofessional education. The Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) degree is one of the postprofessional education pathways that could provide athletic trainers advancement in clinical practice, practice leadership, and scholarship. However, there is no data on the educational outcomes of DAT programs and what graduates should expect from their experiences. The aim of this study was to explore whether DAT programs are delivering curricula consistent with the development of clinical scholars with advanced knowledge and skills that are needed for high-level patient care and literature relative to …

Using Data In The Classroom To Drive Instructional Design And Delivery, L E. Eberman, J P. Young

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction: Roughly half of ATP program directors include education on transgender health care in their programs, and even fewer report having the competence to do so. However, professional-level accreditation standards (56, 57, and DEI 2) require that programs have faculty with contemporary expertise to educate students on these outcomes. Current research suggests a comprehensive transgender and sexual health curriculum, including safe-zone training, traditional lecture, lab, and project-based instruction, was partially effective at changing students’ attitudes toward transgender patients but did not improve sexual health care delivery during a standardized patient encounter. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the …

Exploring The Work-Related Quality Of Life Of Athletic Trainers In Physician Practice, N T. Anderson, K E. Games, J P. Young, M J. Rivera, L E. Eberman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Introduction/Context: The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) identified the vitality of the athletic training profession as a research priority, which includes exploring solutions to improve work-life balance. There is a common perception that athletic trainers (AT) working in the physician practice setting have lower work-life conflict and increased job satisfaction, but no data to support this belief. Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) has been studied in some healthcare settings but has not been studied in any athletic training clinical practice setting. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the WRQoL of athletic trainers in physician practice. Methods: A …

Exploring The Experiential Journey Of Women With Pcos Across The Lifespan: A Qualitative Inquiry, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Robin Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan

Publications

Introduction: Peri-postmenopausal women with the chronic condition polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remain at cardiometabolic risk and/or subsist with established comorbidity while continuing to manage persistent PCOS signs and symptoms, such as hirsutism. Thus, PCOS transcends the reproductive years, yet there is sparse scientific literature on the peri-postmenopausal years of women with PCOS.

Purpose: To explore how peri-postmenopausal women's perceptions about PCOS have changed over the lifespan since their PCOS diagnosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey with one qualitative question was conducted via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) among women with PCOS aged ≥43 years, who were all recruited …

Causal Neuro-Symbolic Ai: A Synergy Between Causality And Neuro-Symbolic Methods, Utkarshani Jaimini, Cory Henson, Amit Sheth

Publications

Causal Neuro-Symbolic AI combines the benefits of causality with Neuro-Symbolic Artificial Intelligence (NeSyAI). More specifically, it (1) enriches NeSyAI systems with explicit representations of causality, (2) integrates causal knowledge with domain knowledge, and (3) enables the use of NeSyAI techniques for causal AI tasks. The explicit causal representation yields insights that predictive models may fail to analyze from observational data. It can also assist people in decision-making scenarios where discerning the cause of an outcome is necessary to choose among various interventions.

Ontolog Summit 2024 Talk Report: Healthcare Assistance Challenges-Driven Neurosymbolic Ai, Kaushik Roy

Publications

Although Artificial Intelligence technology has proven effective in providing healthcare assistance by analyzing health data, it still falls short in supporting decision-making. This deficiency largely stems from the predominance of opaque neural networks, particularly in mental health care AI applications, which raise concerns about their unpredictable and unverifiable nature. This skepticism hinders the transition from information support to decision support. This presentation will explore neurosymbolic approaches that combine neural networks with symbolic control and verification mechanisms. These approaches aim to unlock AI’s full potential by enhancing information analysis and decision-making support for healthcare assistance1.

Good Faith As Mechanism For An Efficient Market, Victor Caminha Cavalcante

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

This article explores the role of the principle of good faith in enhancing commercial efficiency within Brazilian, Italian and U.S. legal systems. The principle, recognized under Brazilian Civil Law since the enactment of the 2002 Civil Code, is compared with its application under U.S. law, particularly through the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and under Italian Civil Code. The study analyzes how good faith, as an objective legal standard, fosters contractual fairness, transparency, and predictability, thereby contributing to a more structured and efficient market. By examining case law, scholarly perspectives, and the interaction between traditional and …

Associations Between Parenting Factors, Self-Efficacy, And Physical Activity Levels In Overweight African American Adolescents, Noelle Mink

Senior Theses

While there is extensive research on physical activity (PA) and the role it plays in preventing obesity, African American populations remain understudied despite reporting lower levels of PA compared to White Americans. Particularly, PA in adolescence has several indications for the development of healthy adult lifestyles. Additionally, there is limited data on the relationship between parenting factors and adolescent PA in overweight African American adolescents, despite theories that suggest that authoritative parenting factors, such as demandingness (e.g., control, monitoring) and responsiveness (e.g., warmth), can influence adolescent behaviors, including their motivation and self-efficacy for engaging in PA. Confidence in one’s ability …

Neurosymbolic Value-Inspired Ai (Why, What, And How), Amit Sheth, Kaushik Roy

Publications

The rapid progression of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, facilitated by the advent of Large Language Models (LLMs), has resulted in their widespread application to provide human assistance across diverse industries. This trend has sparked significant discourse centered around the ever-increasing need for LLM-based AI systems to function among humans as part of human society, sharing human values, especially as these systems are deployed in high-stakes settings (e.g., healthcare, autonomous driving, etc.). Towards this end, neurosymbolic AI systems are attractive due to their potential to enable easy-tounderstand and interpretable interfaces for facilitating valuebased decision-making, by leveraging explicit representations of shared values. …

Tutorial: 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, …

Proknow: Process Knowledge For Safety Constrained And Explainable Question Generation For Mental Health Diagnostic Assistance In The Age Of Large Language Models, Kaushik Roy, Manas Gaur, Misagh Soltani, Vipula Rawte, Ashwin Allen, Amit P. Sheth

Publications

Current Virtual Mental Health Assistants (VMHAs) primarily offer counseling and suggestive care but do not assist with patient diagnosis due to their lack of training in safety-constrained and specialized clinical process knowledge, referred to as ProKnow. In this work, we define ProKnow as an ordered set of information aligned with evidence-based guidelines or categories of conceptual understanding used by domain experts. We also introduce a new dataset of diagnostic conversations guided by safety constraints and Pro- Know, known as ProKnow-data. We develop a method for natural language question generation (NLG) designed to interactively gather diagnostic information from patients, termed ProKnow-algo. …

2023 - 2024 Faculty Senate Annual Report, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

The primary file includes the 2023-2024 Bookstore Committee Report. Additional annual reports are attached.

Reflecting On Partnerships Established And Sustained Over Four Cycles Of A Federally Funded Cancer Prevention And Control Research Program: Lessons Learned For Community-Academic Networks, Swann Arp Adams, Lauren Workman Ph.D., Mayank Sakhuja, Brooks Yelton Ma, Lmsw, Karen E. Wickersham Phd, Rn, Ciaran Fairman, Jan Eberth Ph.D., Sue Heiney Scd, James Hébert Scd, Freda Allyson Hucek, Lauren Schaurer, Daniela B. Friedman Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) is a national network which aims to accelerate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based cancer prevention and control strategies and interventions in communities, enhance large-scale efforts to reach underserved populations and reduce their cancer-related health disparities, and develop the capacity of the dissemination and implementation work force specifically in cancer prevention and control. Methods: Our site has been a part of the CPCRN since its inception in 2002 with the exception of the 2004–2009 funding cycle. As community-based participatory research is a core …

Physical Activity, Anxiety, Depression, And Coping In Turkish Men And Women During The First Wave Of Covid-19, Bijen Filiz, Funda Coşkun Özyol, Bengü Güven, Ezel Nur Korur, Yılmaz Yüksel, Cavit Işık Yavuz, Kele Ding, Jingzhen Yang, J. Larry Durstine Phd, Facsm, Faacvpr, Fnak, Ming-Kai Chin, Gıyasettin Demirhan

Faculty Publications

A need exists to better understand the relationships between COVID-19, coping behaviors, physical activity and stress, and COVID-19’s impact on way of life. A cross-sectional study design was used to examine adult physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, and coping status by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the impact of these variables on the coping process. The study also examined the effect of gender on the relation between physical activity and dependent variables. A global survey instrument was used in this study, including 1,400 Turkish adults. This study identified significant gender-based differences regarding physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, …

Digital Usage Of Indian Teleworkers In Home Settings: A Digital Inclusion Framework, Anindita Paul, Borchuluun Yadamsuren, Kim M. Thompson

Faculty Publications

This research focuses on ICT adoption and digital use by teleworkers operating from their homes during the pandemic in India. A two-phase mixed-method approach is used: Phase 1 involved in-depth interviews with three individuals during the pandemic, findings from which were used along with the Factors Affecting Digital Inclusion (FDI) model (Thompson & Paul, 2020) to develop the survey instrument for Phase 2. This survey was distributed to professionals via listservs, and the FDI model was subsequently utilized to analyze the survey responses. The study’s findings highlighted multiple factors related to digital inclusion among teleworkers that could impact work productivity. …

Digital Health Literacy, Vaccine Information Sources, And Vaccine Acceptance Among Parents In Ontario: Quantitative Findings From A Mixed Methods Study, Sarah Ashfield, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Panagiota Tryphonopoulos, Ève Dubé, Maxwell Smith

Publications

Parents make important vaccination decisions for their children and many variables affect parents' decisions to accept or decline vaccines. Parents are tasked with locating, understanding, and applying information to inform health decisions often using online resources; however, the digital health literacy levels of parents are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate parents' digital health literacy levels, their sources for vaccine information, and analyze how demographics, digital health literacy, health literacy, parental attitudes and vaccine beliefs, trust, and vaccine information sources predict vaccine acceptance. Quantitative findings of a mixed methods study that examined parental vaccine decision making across …

The Relationship Between Work Engagement, Depression, Anxiety, And Covid-19 Anxiety In Physician Assistant Students, Sydney N. Pepper, Emily T. Farrell, Robin M. Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc, Michael D. Wirth Msph, Phd, Face

Publications

Introduction: Physician assistants (PAs) are subject to high levels of burnout, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, which can negatively impact quality of care and patient outcomes. Learning how to handle stress in the classroom may increase success and engagement in PA programs. The goal of this study was to characterize burnout, depressive symptoms, and anxiety in current PA students and examine the relationship between these factors and work engagement. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed PA students (n = 42) via convenience sampling from eighteen different PA programs across North and South Carolina in October, 2021. Questionnaires included the Utrecht Work Engagement …

Use Of Machine Learning Approaches To Predict Transition Of Retention In Care Among People Living With Hiv In South Carolina: A Real-World Data Study, Ruilie Cai, Xueying Yang Ph.D., Yunqing Ma, Hao H. Zhang, Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Sharon Weissman, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Maintaining retention in care (RIC) for people living with HIV (PLWH) helps achieve viral suppression and reduce onward transmission. This study aims to identify the best machine learning model that predicts the RIC transition over time. Extracting from the enhanced HIV/AIDS reporting system, this study included 9765 PLWH from 2005 to 2020 in South Carolina. Transition of RIC was defined as the change of RIC status in each two–year time window. We applied seven classifiers, such as Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, eXtreme Gradient Boosting and Long–short–term memory, for each lagged response to predict the subsequent year's RIC transition. Classification …

Maximizing Organizational Effectiveness: Ncaa Division Iii Administrator Core Values And Departmental Culturization, Coyte G. Cooper, Erianne A. Weight

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

The purpose of this study was to explore Division III athletic administrator perceptions of organizational values through a lens of core value culturalization literature. Survey methodology was utilized to garner responses from 192 Division III head athletic directors [n = 75] and lower level (senior, associate, or assistant) athletic directors [n = 117]. Cumulative administrator emphasis on the “student-athlete experience” and “academic excellence” as top priorities demonstrates support that the mission of these Division III departments is to provide student-athletes with a high quality educational experience both in the classroom and in athletic competition (NCAA Division III, 2011). Analysis of …

The Perceptions And Effects Of Community Service Participation Among Intercollegiate Men’S Basketball Players, Brittney D. Jarvie, Amanda L. Paule-Koba

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Due to the varied community service opportunities offered to intercollegiate student- athletes at many institutions in the United States (NCAA, 2011), it is important to understand the effects and perceptions of these experiences on these student-athletes. Yet, despite the vast opportunities for student-athletes, there is a lack of research on the results and impact of student-athlete participation in community service. This case study presents data that highlights the outcomes of community service participation as specified by the participants, which are categorized in eight themes: Coach Support, Enjoyment, Helping Hand, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Motivation, Staying Connected, and Togetherness. These themes were …

To Name It Or Not Name It: Consumer Perspectives On Facility Naming Rights Sponsorship In Collegiate Athletics, Kenneth K. Chen, James J. Zhang

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Collegiate athletics have become increasingly attractive for sponsorship investments, a trend that has also created some potentially negative side effects. How university stakeholders, such as students, perceive and respond to stadium naming rights sponsorship is a major concern to administrators of both athletic programs and business corporations. This study investigates students’ beliefs about naming rights sponsorship, their attitudes toward commercialization, team and stadium identification, and perception of financial status, as well as how these factors affect naming rights sponsorship outcomes regarding attitude toward sponsor, purchase intention of sponsor’s product, and willingness to attend sporting events. A theoretical model was proposed …

Third Time’S A Charm: The Case Of Tennessee’S Four Junior Football Players Who Endured Three Different Head Coaches In Three Seasons, Joshua R. Pate, Sarah. E. Stokowski, Robin Hardin

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

For college student-athletes enduring multiple head coaching changes during their careers, challenges include changes in the level of competition, lifestyle pressures, identity issues, loss of support system, and changes in training environment. Student-athletes are required to build relationships with a new head coach while facing issues with loneliness, frustration, discouragement, self-doubt, and feelings of decreased self-worth. This unique case study examined the transitions of junior student-athletes at the University of Tennessee who played for three different head coaches. Themes that were constructed from challenges the student-athletes faced were: Trust, Individual and Team Strength, and Future. A tremendous amount of effort …

Leadership And Facilitating An Intercollegiate Athletic Department Merger, Lisa A. Kihl, Vicki Schull

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Leadership is an important aspect in facilitating an organizational merger. Research indicates that each merger presents a different objective and thus a variety of challenges that require different forms of leadership. Further, the merger type and merger stage influences leadership required to facilitate the merger process. This study examined merger challenges and leadership employed to assist an intercollegiate athletic department merger. Using a single qualitative case study design (i.e., interviews with 57 stakeholders and documents), the findings showed transition leadership challenges included an absence of leadership and stakeholder uncertainty, and the central integration leadership challenge was strategic planning. Transition leadership …

Playing Video Games As A Supplement To Identity: Insights On Former College Athlete Transitions, Matthew T. Bowers

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Traditionally, researchers of sport and physical activity have considered playing video game to be an obstacle toward optimal health and social outcomes for youth. This study, however, posits video game play not as antithetical to health and physical activity, but as a meaningful forum utilized by former intercollegiate athletes to maintain salient aspects of their sport identities. Through a grounded theory analysis of a sample of 13 former intercollegiate athletes, this study takes initial steps toward a nuanced understanding of the manner in which video games can assist intercollegiate athletes who are transitioning out of elite athletic competition. The findings …

From Rhetoric To Reality: Ncaa Division I Athletic Department Mission Statements And Student-Athlete Community Service Efforts, Emily J. Andrassy, Jennifer E. Bruening

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

With the growing emphasis in higher education on developing character and social responsibility, the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program commitment to service is of interest as it encourages the development of well-rounded student athletes. In framing the current study, the researchers focused on how the communication of an athletic department’s mission impacts the community service activities for athletes. Mission statements are used to communicate the central purposes of organizations (Bart, 1996) to various internal and external audiences. Through website content analysis, this investigation reveals the importance placed upon service across athletic departments through the mission, and determines the effect of such …

Attributions For Success And Failure In Athletic Administration Positions, Angela C. Henderson, Heidi Grappendorf, Laura Burton

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

The under-representation of women in senior level athletic administration positions continues to attract the attention of scholars in sports studies. The most glaring lack of female representation occurs at the athletic director (A.D.) position, with women holding only 8.4% of those positions at the Division I level. Using the concept of causal attribution and role congruity theory, this project examined perceptions of success and failure of male and female candidates for either an athletic director or life skills director position. One hundred eleven female and 73 male (n = 191) administrators in athletics at the collegiate level participated. Contrary to …

The Football Factor: Shaping Community On Campus, Stacy Warner, Stephen L. Shapiro, Marlene A. Dixon, Lynn L. Ridinger, Scott B. Harrison

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Many American universities continue to invest in expensive intercollegiate football programs, and specifically cite the sport’s ability to foster a sense of community (SOC) as justification for the cost. This study sought to assess the importance of SOC and the influence of football on the cultivation thereof. A pre-post test design utilizing an online survey compared SOC levels for students (N = 886) before and after the implementation of Division I football on a large university campus. No significant differences were found in SOC levels before and after the football season (regardless of attendance). Post-test SOC perceptions differed based on …

A Comparison Of Optimism Levels And Life Stress Levels Among Ncaa Division I Athletes And Non Athletes, Eleanor Shearman, Daniel R. Czech, Trey Burdette, Tyler Mcdaniel, Barry Joyner, Drew Zwald

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Researchers suggest that optimistic individuals approach life situations with the belief that outcomes will be favorable, and are more likely to exhibit better coping mechanisms when dealing with adversity and stress (Carver, & Scheier, 1987; Karadeaus, Karvelis, Argyropoulou, 2007). Moreover, the cognitive adaptation theory suggests that optimistic individuals are more likely to make appropriate cognitive adaptations to stressful situations (Lightsey, 1994; Alloy & Clements, 1992). Results concerning collegiate athletic status, gender, optimism, and stress are mixed. The purpose of this study was to compare collegiate athletes and non athletes and gender on optimism and life stress. The present study utilized …