Digital Commons Network^™

The Lived Experience Of Health Insurance: An Analysis And Proposal For Reform, Jacqueline R. Fox

Faculty Publications

People are carrying tens of billions of dollars of medical debt, much of it in collections. We delay going to the Emergency Department while having a heart attack because it may cost too much. Doctors try to help insured patients find the best coupon to offset the high copayment for a necessary prescription drug. For inexpensive drugs, insurers make a profit by clawing back copayments that exceed what the drug costs. People who are already arbitrarily disadvantaged because of race, gender, health status, LGBTQ status, obesity, etc. are disproportionately burdened by all of this.

No one would design a system …

Smith's Last Stand? Free Exercise And Foster Care Exceptionalism, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

Part I first situates Fulton [Fulton v. City of Philadelphia] within two broader contexts—the clash between social equality rights for sexual minorities and religious freedom, and a pattern of eliding children from legal contests over their lives. It then explains why the standard constitutional framing of social equality versus religious freedom contests is improper when the state is acting as guardian and proxy for children or other non-autonomous persons. Part II sets out a proper framework for analyzing these conflicts, elucidating the scope and nature of the state’s parens patriae authority—a lacuna in constitutional jurisprudence. Part III applies …

Victims As Instruments, Rachel J. Wechsler

Faculty Publications

Crime victims are often instrumentalized within the criminal legal process in furtherance of state prosecutorial interests. This is a particularly salient issue concerning victims of gender-based violence (GBV) because victim testimony is typically considered essential for successful prosecution of these types of crimes. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2004 decision in Crawford v. Washington, courts require declarants to be available for cross-examination on "testimonial" hearsay evidence. Consequently, criminal legal actors are further incentivized to employ highly coercive practices aimed at securing GBV victims' participation in the criminal legal process as evidentiary tools. These practices include arresting and incarcerating victims through …

Recursive Movements Of Eastern Wild Turkey Broods In The Southeastern United States, Nicholas W. Bakner, Bradley S. Cohen, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain

Faculty Publications

Productivity of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations throughout the southeastern United States has declined over the past several decades. Although population trajectory is driven primarily by annual reproduction, wild turkey managers have little information regarding the behavioral ecology of broods immediately post-hatch. Broods are known to revisit areas within their ranges, but revisitation behavior is poorly understood spatially and temporally. Thus, identifying patterns of visitation and revisitation can increase understanding of brood behavior. We monitored 94 brooding females until brood failure or 28 days after hatch to evaluate movements and to quantify landcover and vegetation density at revisited locations which …

Regional Human Resource Development In Asean: An Institutional Theory Perspective, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Oliver S. Crocco, Loi A. Nguyen, Victoria Jonathan

Faculty Publications

With the growing influence of intergovernmental organizations such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the scope and complexity of human resource development (HRD) activities have expanded. Informed by an institutional theory perspective, we examined the evolution of HRD as well as HRD-related programs in ASEAN to illuminate the mechanisms and conditions shaping HRD in ASEAN. Our primary sources were archival data from ASEAN from 1967–2021 and relevant publications of international development agencies that feature HRD-related activities in the region. Our analysis suggests that the establishment of an intergovernmental organization (i.e., ASEAN), with its continuing …

Therapeutic Payload Delivery To The Myocardium: Evolving Strategies And Obstacles, Tarek Shazly, Arianna Smith, Mark J. Uline, Francis G. Spinale

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Highly Swellable Hydrogels Prepared From Extensively Oxidized Lignin, Jihyeon Hwang, Daniella V. Martinez, Estevan J. Martinez, Gift Metavarayuth, Dustin Goodlett, Qi Wang, Mitra Ganewatta, Michael S. Kent, Chuanbing Tang

Faculty Publications

Biopolymers such as lignin are gaining renewed appeal due to the need for sustainable materials. Herein, we used chelator-mediated Fenton (CMF) chemistry to oxidize Kraft lignin to develop sustainable super absorbent materials. The CMF chemistry adds oxygen, opens aromatic rings and increases COOH content, producing hydrophilic lignin without depolymerization. UV absorption, molecular weight, elemental analysis, and titration were used to study the chemical compositions of CMF-processed lignin. Then the chemically modified hydrophilic lignin was used to produce lignin-based hydrogels utilizing an aqueous polymerization and cross-linking reaction that enabled tunable properties. The resulting lignin hydrogels absorbed water up to 96% and …

Trauma And Poetry. The Case Of Primo Levi, Ilona Klein

Faculty Publications

Most North American readers have come to know and appreciate Primo Levi by his major works in prose. His The Periodic Table (1984) catapulted Levi onto the American stage of scientific-humanistic authors, having the New York Times named it among the Best Books of the Year in 1985. Instead, American readers will likely stumble upon Levi’s poetry by accident, simply because every now and then one of his poems in translation appears in print somewhere. Compared to Levi’s prose, his poems inevitably evoke a sense of unease, for their tone, their style and their content are so unlike the familiar, …

Understanding Rapid Intercalation Materials One Parameter At A Time, Wessel Van Den Bergh, Morgan Stefik

Faculty Publications

Demand for fast, energy-dense storage drives the research into nanoscale intercalation materials. Nanomaterials accelerate kinetics and can modify reaction path thermodynamics, intercalant solubility, and reversibility. The discovery of intercalation pseudocapacitance has opened questions about their fundamental operating principles. For example, are their capacitor-like current responses caused by storing energy in special near-surface regions or rather is this response due to normal intercalation limited by a slower faradaic surface-reaction? This review highlights emerging methods combining tailored nanomaterials with the process of elimination to disambiguate cause-and-effect at the nanoscale. This method is applied to multiple intercalation pseudocapacitive materials showing that the timescales …

Verbal Inhibition Declines Among Older Women With High Fmr1 Premutation Expansions: A Prospective Study, Nell Maltman, Leann Dawalt, Jinkuk Hong, Audra Sterling, Elizabeth Berry-Kravis, Jessica Klusek, Marsha R. Mailick

Faculty Publications

The FMR1 premutation has been associated with difficulties in executive functioning, including verbal inhibition. However, little is known about the longitudinal profiles of verbal inhibition among FMR1 premutation carriers, particularly in women, and how individual factors such as aging and CGG repeat length may contribute to changes in verbal inhibition over time. The present study examined verbal inhibition performance (i.e., inhibition errors) on the Hayling Sentence Completion Task in a cohort of 92 women with the FMR1 premutation across two timepoints approximately three years apart. We examined the effects of age, CGG repeat length, and their interactions on verbal inhibition …

Treatment Pearls: Management Of Physical Healthcare Needs In Patients With Mental Illness, Leslie W. Miles, Brandon Thatcher, Michael C. Thomas, Blaine Winters

Faculty Publications

Clinicians caring for persons with mental illness should be aware of increased mortality, physical problems, and health disparities in this population. This article provides a brief overview of physical health problems in the context of mental illness as well as those related to psychotropic medications, and discusses strategies to manage treatment effectively.

Tobacco 21 Laws May Reduce Smoking And Tobacco-Related Health Disparities Among Youth In The U.S., David C. Colston, Yanmel Xie, Megan E. Patrick, Jim F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Andrea R. Titus, Michael R. Elliot, David T. Levy, Nancy L. Fleischer

Faculty Publications

The goal of our study is to understand the impact of Tobacco 21 (T21) laws on youth smoking and health equity. We conducted modified Poisson regression models using 2014–2019 Monitoring the Future data to measure the impact of attending school in a county 100% covered by a T21 law versus counties with <100% T21 coverage on past 30-day smoking participation (n = 262,632), first cigarette smoking initiation (n = 189,698), and daily smoking initiation among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders (n = 214,496), separately. Additive interactions were tested between T21 coverage and sex, race/ethnicity, parental education, and college plans. T21 coverage was associated with a lower likelihood of smoking participation among 12th graders. T21 coverage was most strongly associated with a lower likelihood of smoking participation among: Hispanic and NH (Non-Hispanic) Other/Multiracial individuals; respondents with parents who had less than a college education; and respondents who were not definitely planning on attending college. T21 laws were associated with a lower likelihood of smoking participation among 12th graders. T21 policies were most impactful for individuals disproportionately impacted by tobacco, indicating T21 laws might help reduce tobacco-related health disparities.

Are Pregnant Women With Disability Prescribed Opioids More And At Higher Dosages Than Those Without Disability?: A Retrospective Cohort Study Of South Carolina Medicaid Beneficiaries, Chelsea L. Richard Phd, Msph, Bryan L. Love Pharm.D., Nansi Boghossian, James Hardin Ph.D., Suzanne Mcdermott

Faculty Publications

Background: Nationally, individuals with disability have higher rates of opioid use and misuse and are prescribed higher doses than those without disability. Opioid prescriptions during pregnancy are associated with adverse birth outcomes. Objective: To understand the difference in opioid prescribing during pregnancy over time by disability status among Medicaid beneficiaries who gave birth from 2008 to 2017 in South Carolina. Methods: Data from hospital discharges, vital records, and pharmacy were linked to determine the mother's disability status, opioid prescriptions filled during pregnancy, and other maternal characteristics. Disability status was characterized into physical disability, inflammatory conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), …

Reducing Administrative Burdens To Protect Taxpayer Rights, Leslie Book, T. Keith Fogg, Nina E. Olson

Faculty Publications

The tax system designed by Congress imposes significant administrative burdens on taxpayers. IRS decisions regarding how it administers tax laws can add to congressionally imposed burdens. The administrative burdens are consequential and hurt some people, especially lower- or moderate- income individual taxpayers, more than others. While the IRS strives to measure and reduce the time and money taxpayers spend to comply with their tax obligations, it does not consider the effect administrative burdens have on taxpayer rights, including the right to be informed, the right to pay no more than the correct amount of tax, and the right to a …

In Their Own Words: Perspectives On Collection Weeding From Library Employees And Teaching Faculty, Dan Broadbent, Megan Frost, Gregory M. Nelson, David Pixton

Faculty Publications

Following a Science and Engineering collection weeding project of over 350,000 print items, our research team conducted interviews with 20 library employees and 19 teaching faculty involved in the project. The purpose of the interviews was to assess the interviewees’ perspectives and feelings relating to the time required to complete the project, inter- and intra- library communication, the decision-making processes, and their personal assessment of the costs and benefits of the project. The interviewees also offered their views of the overall project’s successes and areas for improvement. Drawing from a qualitative analysis of the interviews, we provide guidance for other …

Flowunsteady: An Interactional Aerodynamics Solver For Multirotor Aircraft And Wind Energy, Eduardo Alvarez, Judd Mehr, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

The ability to accurately and rapidly assess unsteady interactional aerodynamics is a shortcoming and bottleneck in the design of various next-generation aerospace systems: from electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to airborne wind energy (AWE) and wind farms. In this study, we present a meshless CFD framework based on the reformulated vortex particle method (rVPM) for the analysis of complex interactional aerodynamics. The rVPM is a large eddy simulation (LES) solving the Navier-Stokes equations in their vorticity form. It uses a meshless Lagrangian scheme, which not only avoids the hurdles of mesh generation, but it also conserves the vortical …

Tropospheric Attenuation Prediction For Future Millimeter Wave Terrestrial Systems: Estimating Statistics And Extremes, Jinwen Liu, David W. Matolak, Ismail Güvenç, Hani Mehrpouyan

Faculty Publications

Tropospheric attenuations can be significant in the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency bands; hence, accurate prediction modeling of tropospheric attenuation is important for reliable mmWave communication. Several models have been established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), yet estimation accuracy is limited due to the large spatial scales used for model input parameters. In this paper, we address this and apply local precipitation data to analyze tropospheric attenuation statistics and compare to results when using ITU regional input rain data. Specifically, tropospheric attenuation is predicted via simulations using the ITU method at 30, 60, and 90 GHz in four distinct geographic …

Electroanalytical Measurements Of Lanthanum (Iii) Chloride In Molten Calcium Chloride And Molten Calcium Chloride And Lithium Chloride, Mark H. Schvaneveldt, Ranon Fuller, Devin Rappleye

Faculty Publications

Cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV) and other electroanalytical methods have been applied to molten chloride salts to study metal ion behavior. These studies have been useful for understanding and optimizing the electrowinning of metals. Notable ions that have been studied are rare earth and actinide metal ions in LiCl-KCl salts. However, the behavior of lanthanum (La³⁺) ions in some molten chlorides or chloride mixtures (e.g., CaCl₂) has not been studied. CV experiments were conducted to evaluate La³⁺ behavior in CaCl₂-LiCl and CaCl₂ and were compared to La³⁺ behavior in …

Can Coastal Habitats Rise To The Challenge? Resilience Of Estuarine Habitats, Carbon Accumulation, And Economic Value To Sea-Level Rise In A Puget Sound Estuary, Monica M. Moritsch, Kristin B. Bryd, Melanie Davis, Anthony Good, Judith Z. Drexler, James T. Morris, Isa Wood, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Eric Grossman, Gynnis Nakai, Katrina L. Poppe, John M. Rybczyk

Faculty Publications

Sea-level rise (SLR) and obstructions to sediment delivery pose challenges to the persistence of estuarine habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. Restoration actions and sediment management strategies may help mitigate such challenges by encouraging the vertical accretion of sediment in and horizontal migration of tidal forests and marshes. We used a process-based soil accretion model (Coastal Wetland Equilibrium Model) combined with a habitat classifcation model (MOSAICS) to estimate the efects of SLR, suspended sediment, and inland habitat migration on estuarine habitats, soil carbon accumulation, and economic value of climate change mitigation of carbon accumulation (social cost of carbon dioxide) …

Financial Health Literacy And The Shared Decision-Making Process In Healthcare, Caitlin S. O'Mara, Justin P. Young, Zachary K. Winkelmann Phd, Lat, Atc

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Changes In Chinese Minority College Students' Health-Related Fitness: A Multilevel Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach, Xin Zhang, Xiaofen D. Hamilton, Zach Taylor, Jianmin Guan, Michael Hodges, Shuhua Qu, Yong Huang

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The study aimed to test the overall changes of health-related fitness (HRF) in minority Chinese college students and to examine HRF differences in gender, race, and year in college.

Method: Participants (n = 1320) were minority college students with more than two-thirds females (ie 76.1%), and Hui, Tibetan, and Mongolia consisted of 13.8%, 13.8%, and 11.2%, respectively. Student HRF was tracked for four years. Data were analyzed using multilevel latent growth curve modeling.

Results: Muscular strength and endurance were the weakest component in minority college students’ HRF, while body mass index was within the category of “excellent”. Males …

The Mitogenome Relationships And Phylogeography Of Barn Swallows (Hirundo Rustica), Gianluca Lombardo, Nicola Rambaldi Migliore, Giulia Colombo, Marco Rosario Capodiferro, Giulio Formenti, Manuela Caprioli, Elisabetta Moroni, Leonardo Caporali, Hovirag Lancioni, Simona Secomandi, Cristina Cereda, Valerio Carelli, Lauren Gillespie, Yang Liu, Yosef Kiat, Alfonso Marzal, Cosme López-Calderón, Javier Balbontín, Timothy Mousseau, Piotr Matyjasiak, Anders Pape Møller, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) poses a number of fascinating scientific questions, including the taxonomic status of postulated subspecies. Here, we obtained and assessed the sequence variation of 411 complete mitogenomes, mainly from the European H. r. rustica, but other subspecies as well. In almost every case, we observed subspecies-specific haplogroups, which we employed together with estimated radiation times to postulate a model for the geographical and temporal worldwide spread of the species. The female barn swallow carrying the Hirundo rustica ancestral mitogenome left Africa (or its vicinity) around 280 thousand years ago (kya), and her descendants …

Food Insecurity And Suicidal Behaviors Among Us High School Students*, Andrea D. Brown, Hilary Seligman, Sarah Silwa, Ellen Barnidge, Kathryn L. Krupsky, Zewiditu Demissie, Angela D. Liese

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity (FI) rates in the United States are particularly high among households with children. This research set aims to analyze if high school students experiencing FI had higher risk for mental health and suicidal behaviors.

METHODS: Using combined data from 11 states that conducted the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a total of 26,962 and24,051 high school students were used to estimate race/ethnicity and sex-stratified prevalence ratios (PRs) from Poissonregression models. A single-question was used to measure the exposure of FI and outcomes of mental health and suicidalbehaviors.

RESULTS: Overall, 10.8% of students reported FI. Students experiencing FI …

We Will Rise No Matter What': Community Perspectives Of Disaster Resilience Following Hurricanes Irma And Maria In Puerto Rico, Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers, Kathryn E. Anthony, Ashlyn Tom, Alice Y. Kim, Courtney Armstrong

Faculty Publications

Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017 and ploughed across the territory with sustained winds of 155 mph. Just two weeks earlier, category 5 Hurricane Irma had struck the island already damaging critical infrastructure making Hurricane Maria even more devasting. The hurricanes caused catastrophic damage, resulting in the largest and longest response to a domestic disaster in the history of the United States. This paper explores the recovery process in Puerto Rico using a community resilience lens. The study examines narratives, the media environment, trusted sources, and information preferences following the crisis. Community workshops, …

Long-Term Business Implications Of Russia’S War In Ukraine, Stanislav Markus

Faculty Publications

Following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s macroeconomic stability will worsen; foreign trade and Russia-bound investment will dry up; and human capital will become scarce. Russia will not fully compensate these losses with increased economic engagement with China, with particular deficiencies likely in high-tech areas for Russia. Import substitution is also unlikely to allow Russia to innovate its way out of economic isolation or escape the resource curse. As Kremlin-connected elites further dominate the impoverished economy, crony state capitalism and kleptocracy will rise. The global repercussions of Russia’s war will include commodity shocks and the attendant supply chain disruptions and inflationary …

Cataloging Conundrums: Challenging Items That Have Crossed Our Desks, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Sharolyn Swenson, Kjerste Christensen, Jessie Louise Christensen

Faculty Publications

Some of the most interesting items that cross the cataloger’s desk present difficult cataloging challenges. When cataloging a collection of suspected forgeries, how do you determine the “publication” date for faked documents? Which cataloging workform do you use for a LEGO model of the Salt Lake Temple? Is it a kit? A game? A sculpture? In this session, we will share examples of unique items we’ve cataloged and demonstrate how to effectively solve the questions that come up when trying to help patrons discover exactly what they’re looking for.

Incorporating Inclusivity In Our Catalog, Nicole Lewis, Rachel Jane Wittmann

Faculty Publications

This presentation was given at the Utah Library Association Annual Conference in Layton, Utah.

In early 2021, the University of Utah embarked on the journey to review and update harmful subject headings in their catalog, digital library metadata, and finding aids. This session will discuss the background of the project and where we are currently at in the process of changing harmful subject headings.

Marcedit For Beginners, Nicole Lewis

Faculty Publications

This presentation was given at the Utah Library Association Annual Conference 2022 in Layton, Utah.

MarcEdit is a powerful - and free - tool available for editing, enhancing, and transforming MARC21 data. This workshop-style session will present the variety of editing options available in MarcEdit, as well as possible use cases. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop with the latest version of MarcEdit installed for hands-on use of the program.

Dyt-Prkra Mutation P222l Enhances Pact's Stimulatory Activity On Type I Interferon Induction, Lauren S. Vaughn, Kenneth Frederick, Samuel B. Burnett, Nutan Sharma, D. Cristopher Bragg, Sarah Camargos, Francisco Cardoso, Rekha C. Patel

Faculty Publications

DYT-PRKRA (dystonia 16 or DYT-PRKRA) is caused by mutations in the PRKRA gene that encodes PACT, the protein activator of interferon (IFN)-induced double-stranded (ds) RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR). PACT participates in several cellular pathways, of which its role as a PKR activator protein during integrated stress response (ISR) is the best characterized. Previously, we have established that the DYT-PRKRA mutations cause enhanced activation of PKR during ISR to sensitize DYT-PRKRA cells to apoptosis. In this study, we evaluate if the most prevalent substitution mutation reported in DYT-PRKRA patients alters PACT’s functional role in induction of type …

Paving The Way To Understanding Female-Headed Households: Variation In Household Composition Across 103 Low-And Middle-Income Countries, Ghada E. Saad, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Andrea Wendt, Franciele Hellwig, Jocelyn Dejong, Ties Boerma, Cesar Victora, Aluisio J.D. Barros

Faculty Publications

Background

Female-headed households (FHHs) are regarded as disadvantaged. There are multiple social trajectories that can lead to women heading households. It is important to distinguish between these trajectories, as well as societal norms and contextual factors, to understand how and when are FHHs represented as a dimension of gender inequity. Our analysis defines and describes a typology of 16 FHH types (FHH16) based on demographic characteristics.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used national Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in 103 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to identify a typology of FHHs based on the family composition …