Digital Commons Network^™

The Association Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors And 25-Hydroxivitamin D And Related Analytes Among Hispanic/Latino Adults: A Pilot Study, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Reyna L. Pacheco-Dominguez, Christopher T. Sempos, Holly Kramer, Andrew N. Hoofnagle, Amber Pirzada, Richard S. Cooper, Martha L. Daviglus

Faculty Publications

Although the association of vitamin D levels with cardiovascular risk profiles among Hispanics/Latinos has been studied, little is known about this association among Hispanics/Latinos with chronic conditions. This pilot study determined serum vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in a sample of participants from the University of Illinois at the Chicago Cohort of Patients, Family and Friends (UIC Cohort) and examined their association with traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. From July 2012 to June 2016, the UIC Cohort study enrolled and conducted clinical examinations on men and women ages 18 years and older, who had one or more diagnosed …

A Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Study Incorporating Gene-Smoking Interactions Identifies Multiple New Loci For Pulse Pressure And Mean Arterial Pressure, Yun Ju Sung, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Thomas W. Winkler, Daniel I. Chasman, Amy R. Bentley, Aldi T. Kraja, Ioanna Ntalla, Helen R. Warren, Xiuqing Guo, Karen Schwander, Alisa K. Manning, Michael R. Brown, Hugues Aschard, Mary F. Feitosa, Nora Franceschini, Yingchang Lu, Ching Yu Cheng, Xueling Sim, Dina Vojinovic, Jonathan Marten, Solomon K. Musani, Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen, Melissa A. Richard, Stella Aslibekyan, Traci M. Bartz, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Changwei Li, Yongmei Liu, Tuomo Rankinen, Albert Vernon Smith, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Wei Zhao

Faculty Publications

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through …

Flood Protection Ecosystem Services In The Coast Of Puerto Rico: Associations Between Extreme Weather, Flood Hazard Mitigation And Gastrointestinal Illness, R. De Jesus Crespo, J. Wu, M. Myer, S. Yee, R. Fulford

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Behavior Change Interventions Delivered Through Interpersonal Communication, Agricultural Activities, Community Mobilization, And Mass Media Increase Complementary Feeding Practices And Reduce Child Stunting In Ethiopia, Sunny S. Kim, Phuong Hong Nguyen, Yisehac Yohannes, Yewelsew Abebe, Manisha Tharaney, Elizabeth Drummond, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Marie T. Ruel, Purnima Menon

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Appropriate infant and young child feeding practices are critical for optimal child growth and development, but in Ethiopia, complementary feeding (CF) practices are very poor. Alive & Thrive (A&T) provided intensive behavior change interventions through 4 platforms: interpersonal communication (IPC), nutrition-sensitive agricultural activities (AG), community mobilization (CM), and mass media (MM).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of A&T intensive compared with nonintensive interventions (standard nutrition counseling and agricultural extension service and less intensive CM and MM) on CF practices and knowledge and child anthropometric outcomes.

METHODS: We used a cluster-randomized …

Investigation Of Spectral Variation Of Pine Needles As An Indicator Of Arsenic Content In Soils, Ji Hye Shin, Jaehyung Yu, Lei Wang, Jieun Kim, Sang Mo Koh

Faculty Publications

The spectral response to arsenic (As) stress of pine needles (Pinus densiflora Siebold and Zucc.) from an abandoned lead (Pb)–zinc (Zn) mine was investigated based on chemical and spectroscopic analyses. The correlation analysis between the content of As in needle samples and that of soils and spectral parameters of the needle samples were conducted. The results showed very high correlation between As content in pine needles and soils. The major spectral response of pine needles to the As stress were characterized by the increase in the green and red color reflectance, the decrease in the first derivatives at 1648 nm, …

Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift, The Risk Of Net Neutrality Repeal To Energy Reliability, Public Safety, And Climate Change Solutions, Catherine J. K. Sandoval

Faculty Publications

This Article contends that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) January 2018 repeal of net neutrality rules creates cybersecurity vulnerabilities for the energy sector and other critical infrastructure. Unbridled from enforceable net neutrality rules, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) create systemic supply chain risks as the Internet has become embedded into the energy sector’s distributed ecosystem. This Article argues that cybersecurity has been primarily viewed from a “hacker paradigm” that obscures systemic threats such as those posed by an ISP since firewalls and traditional cybersecurity techniques do not protect against ISP conduct. The Article contends that the FCC’s failure to consider the …

Deep Learning-Based Structure-Activity Relationship Modeling For Multi-Category Toxicity Classification: A Case Study Of 10k Tox21 Chemicals With High-Throughput Cell-Based Androgen Receptor Bioassay Data, Gabriel Idakwo, Sundar Thangapandian, Joseph Luttrell Iv, Zhaoxian Zhou, Chaoyang Zhang, Ping Gong

Faculty Publications

Deep learning (DL) has attracted the attention of computational toxicologists as it offers a potentially greater power for in silico predictive toxicology than existing shallow learning algorithms. However, contradicting reports have been documented. To further explore the advantages of DL over shallow learning, we conducted this case study using two cell-based androgen receptor (AR) activity datasets with 10K chemicals generated from the Tox21 program. A nested double-loop cross-validation approach was adopted along with a stratified sampling strategy for partitioning chemicals of multiple AR activity classes (i.e., agonist, antagonist, inactive, and inconclusive) at the same distribution rates amongst the training, validation …

Melanopsin-Containing Iprgcs Are Resistant To Excitotoxic Injury And Maintain Functional Non-Image Forming Behaviors After Insult In A Diurnal Rodent Model, Garrett M. Fogo, Dorela D. Shuboni-Mulligan, Andrew J. Gall

Faculty Publications

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are critical for the light signaling properties of non-image forming vision. Melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs project to retinorecipient brain regions involved in modulating circadian rhythms. Melanopsin has been shown to play an important role in how animals respond to light, including photoentrainment, masking (i.e., acute behavioral responses to light), and the pupillary light reflex (PLR). Importantly, ipRGCs are resistant to various forms of damage, including ocular hypertension, optic nerve crush, and excitotoxicity via N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) administration. Although these cells are resistant to various forms of injury, the question still remains whether or …

Effects Of A Brief Mindfulness Induction On Death-Related Anxiety, David M. Schultz, Randolph C. Arnau

Faculty Publications

This study examined effects of a mindfulness induction on proximal and distal defense responses to mortality salience and negative affect. Three experimental conditions were included: mindfulness, mind-wandering, and worrying. Participants in the mindfulness condition underwent a mindfulness induction at the experiment’s outset, while participants in the other two conditions underwent a mind-wandering or worry induction. Inductions involved following guided audio instructions presented via headphones. All conditions (N = 77) underwent a mortality salience induction after experimental manipulation, involving a written exercise pertaining to one’s death. Results indicated fewer proximal responses in the mindfulness and mind-wandering groups, compared with the worrying …

Counterfeit Campaign Speech, Rebecca Green

Faculty Publications

We are entering an era in which computers can manufacture highly-sophisticated images, audio, and video of people doing and saying things they have, in fact, not done or said. In the context of political campaigns, the danger of “counterfeit campaign speech” is existential. Do current laws adequately regulate faked candidate speech? Can counter speech effectively neutralize it? Because it takes place in the vaulted realm of core political speech, would the First Amendment stymie any attempt to outlaw it? Many smart people who have looked at the general problem of deceit in campaigns have concluded that the state has no …

Evaluating Machine Learning Performance In Predicting Injury Severity In Agribusiness Industries, Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki, Steven Freeman, Gretchen Mosher

Faculty Publications

Although machine learning methods have been used as an outcome prediction tool in many fields, their utilization in predicting incident outcome in occupational safety is relatively new. This study tests the performance of machine learning techniques in modeling and predicting occupational incidents severity with respect to accessible information of injured workers in agribusiness industries using workers’ compensation claims. More than 33,000 incidents within agribusiness industries in the Midwest of the United States for 2008–2016 were analyzed. The total cost of incidents was extracted and classified from workers’ compensation claims. Supervised machine learning algorithms for classification (support vector machines with linear, …

Preparing Future Librarians And Current Information Professionals To Lead Libraries In Times Of Crisis, Feili Tu-Keefner, J. Liu, D. R. Lyons, A. Hobbs, J. C. Smith

Faculty Publications

Libraries today are expected to be a hub of information service providers and also serve as catalysts for community engagement. LIS education programs are responsible for producing proficient future librarians who will be strong advocates of innovative services to their communities and who can rise to the occasion in providing community-first disaster and health information services. However, one of the most difficult tasks is developing LIS pedagogy that can be delivered both in traditional classrooms and online. To that end, in October 2015, faculty members and graduate students from the School of Library and Information at the University of South …

Evaluating Muscle Mass In Survivors Of Ards: A 1-Year Multicenter Longitudinal Study, Kitty S. Chan Phd, Marina Mourtzakis Phd, Lisa Aronson Friedman Scm, Victor D. Dinglas Mph, Catherine L. Hough Md, Msc, E. Wesley Ely Md, Mph, Peter E. Morris Md, Ramona O. Hopkins Phd, Dale M. Needham Fcpa, Md, Phd, National Institutes Of Health Nhlbi Ards Network

Faculty Publications

Objective—Rapid muscle wasting occurs during acute respiratory failure, resulting in muscle weakness and functional impairments. This study examines survivors’ body composition in the year after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and tests associations of patient characteristics, hospital exposures, and survivors’ strength and physical functioning with whole body percent lean mass.

Design—Prospective cohort study with 6- and 12-month follow-up

Setting—National study enrolling patients from 5 study centers

Patients—ARDS survivors (N=120)

Interventions—None Measurements and

Main Results—Lean and fat mass from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). On average, survivors gained whole body total mass (+1.4kg, 0.1, 2.7) and fat mass (+1.2 kg, 0.2, …

Transverse Vibration Of Clamped-Pinned-Free Beam With Mass At Free End, Jonathan Hong, Jacob Dodson, Simon Laflamme, Austin Downey

Faculty Publications

Engineering systems undergoing extreme and harsh environments can often times experience rapid damaging effects. In order to minimize loss of economic investment and human lives, structural health monitoring (SHM) of these high-rate systems is being researched. An experimental testbed has been developed to validate SHM methods in a controllable and repeatable laboratory environment. This study applies the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory to this testbed to develop analytical solutions of the system. The transverse vibration of a clamped-pinned-free beam with a point mass at the free end is discussed in detail. Results are derived for varying pin locations and mass values. Eigenvalue …

A Cross Sectional Study Of Medical Students’ Perception Of Their Educational Environment In Ghana, Temitope Ade-Oshifogun, Jean Amost Cadet, Jochebed B. Ade-Oshifogun

Faculty Publications

Background: The quality of medical education is affected by many factors, one of which is the educational environment of medical education. However, there is paucity of studies addressing the educational environment from African medical schools. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical year students’ perceptions of their educational environment at a medical school in Ghana. This was done with the goal of identifying factors that may impact positive changes in the school. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken using the DREEM questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to students in clinical years 1, 2, & 3 at the …

[Review Of] The Beauty Of A Darker Soul: Overcoming Trauma Through The Power Of Human Connection, Leonard Lira

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Differences In Falls And Recovery From A Slip Based On An Individual's Lower Extremity Corrective Response, Samuel J. Wilson, Paul T. Donahue, Charles C. Williams, Christopher M. Hill, Jeffrey D. Simpson, Dwight E. Waddell, Jeremy P. Loenneke, Harish Chander, Chip Wade, John C. Garner

Faculty Publications

Background: Slips and falls account for high rates of injury and mortality in multiple populations. The corrective responses during the slip perturbation have been well documented. However, when a fall results from a slip, it is unclear which of these responses were inadequate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in lower extremity corrective responses of the slip recovery response between individuals who fall and those who recover.

Methodology: Sixty-four participants completed this study (32 males & 32 females). Participant’s gait kinematics and kinetics were collected during normal gait (NG) and an unexpected slip …

Let It Rest: Sleep And Health As Positive Correlates Of Forgiveness Of Others And Self-Forgiveness, Loren Toussaint, Andrew J. Gall, Alyssa Cheadle, David R. Williams

Faculty Publications

Objective: The present study examined forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, sleep, and health in a nationally representative sample of United States adults. It was hypothesised that sleep would mediate the associations of forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness with health.

Design: A nationally representative survey of 1,423 United States adults.

Main Outcome Measures: Measures included forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, sleep quantity, sleep quality, psychological distress, life satisfaction, and self-rated physical health.

Results: Forgiveness of others (β = .20, p < .001) and self-forgiveness (β = .11, p < .01) were associated with sleep and forgiveness of others (β = .24, p < .001) and self-forgiveness (β = .27, p < .001) were associated with health. Sleep was associated with health (β = .45, p < .001) and also acted as a mediator of the associations of forgiveness of others (β = .09, p < .01) and self-forgiveness (β = .05, p < .01) with health.

Conclusions: Forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness may attenuate emotions such as anger, regret, and rumination and provide …

Migration And Mental Health In The Aftermath Of Disaster: Evidence From Mt. Merapi, Indonesia, Jonathan A. Muir, Michael R. Cope, Leslie R. Angeningsih, Jorden E. Jackson, Ralph B. Brown

Faculty Publications

Migration is a standard survival strategy in the context of disasters. While prior studies have examined factors associated with return migration following disasters, an area that remains relatively underexplored is whether moving home to one’s original community results in improved health and well-being compared to other options such as deciding to move on. In the present study, our objective is to explore whether return migration, compared to other migration options, results in superior improvements to mental health. We draw upon data from a cross-sectional pilot study conducted 16 months after a series of volcanic eruptions in Merapi, Indonesia. Using ordinal …

Body Mass Index Z-Score Modifies The Association Between Added Sugar Intake And Arterial Stiffness In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes: The Search Nutrition Ancillary Study, Natalie S. The, Sarah C. Couch, Elaine M. Urbina, Jamie L. Crandell, Angela D. Liese, Dana Dabelea, Grace J. Kim, Janet A. Tooze, Jean M. Lawrence, Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis

Faculty Publications

The relationship between added sugar and arterial stiffness in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been well-described. We used data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study (SEARCH), an ongoing observational cohort study, to determine the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness in individuals diagnosed with T1D(n = 1539; mean diabetes duration of 7.9 ± 1.9 years). Added sugar intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire, and arterial stiffness measures included pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index. Separate multivariate linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between added sugar and arterial stiffness. …

Climate Risk And Private Participation Projects In Infrastructure: Mitigating The Impact Of Locational (Dis)Advantages, Nathaniel C. Lupton, Alfredo Jiménez, Secil Bayraktar, Dimitrios Tsagdis

Faculty Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of climate risk on the success vs failure of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in private participation infrastructure (PPI) projects. The authors also consider the extent to which project-level characteristics mitigate such risks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors study a sample from the World Bank covering 18,846 projects in 111 countries from 2004 to 2013. The authors apply logistic regressions to determine the impact of climate risk and mitigating project characteristics on project failure.

Findings

The authors find that higher levels of climate risk at the host country level are associated with …

Co-Producing Healthcare In A Volume Vs. Value-Based Healthcare System: Perspective Of A Parent Of A Patient And A Health Professions’ Educator, Rosemary M. Caron

Faculty Publications

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim framework represents an approach to optimizing a health system’s performance by focusing on improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing healthcare costs. As the US healthcare system undergoes substantial reformation and a shift from fee-for-service payment to value-based models, an approach that emphasizes the co-production of healthcare, our healthcare system must work in concert with the Triple Aim to improve the health experience for patients across multiple environments. Co-production in healthcare means that patients contribute to the provision of health services as partners of professional providers. To …

Reliability And Stability Of The Metrical Stress Effect On Segmental Production Accuracy In Persons With Apraxia Of Speech, Dallin J. Bailey, Lisa Bunker, Shannon Mauszycki, Julie L. Wambaugh

Faculty Publications

Background Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) involves speech-production deficits on both the segmental and suprasegmental levels. Recent research has identified a non-linear interaction between the metrical structure of bisyllabic words and word-production accuracy in German speakers with AOS, with trochaic words (strong–weak stress) being resistant to errors compared with iambic words (weak–strong).

Aims To replicate previous findings in English speakers with AOS, to measure the test–retest reliability of the effect, and to examine the potential impact of different methods of word scoring.

Methods & Procedures Speech samples were collected from 27 speakers with AOS and aphasia. Participants were at least …

Proving Their Love: Violence And Gender Norms In Descriptions Of Relationships Among Rural Mexican Adolescents, Heidi Adams Rueda, Steven Hoffman, Kaitlin Grytza

Faculty Publications

Mexican youth from impoverished areas are at increased risk for experiencing relationship violence. Research in the United States has suggested that perpetration may be contextualized by culturally-influenced gender values, specifically performance of negative aspects of male masculinity (i.e., machismo) and its female counterpart (i.e., marianismo). This study utilized focus group methods to explore how middle school adolescents (N = 98) from a rural area of Central Mexico differentiate between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

We evoked a feminist developmental lens to interpret themes which centralized males as physical and sexual aggressors and to offer culturally-relevant program and practice recommendations.

Happy Helpers: A Multidimensional And Mixed‐Method Approach To Prosocial Behavior And Its Efects On Friendship Quality, Mental Health, And Well‐Being During Adolescence, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Daye Son

Faculty Publications

The current study used a multidimensional approach to prosocial behavior by (a) exploring various types of adolescent prosocial behavior toward friends (physical helping, sharing, defending, emotional support, including), and (b) examining longitudinal associations among prosocial behavior toward friends, friendship quality, and mental health and well- being outcomes during adolescence (anxiety, life satisfaction, depression). The data were taken from Waves 8, 9, and 10 of the [project name masked for review]. Participants at Wave 8 consisted of 470 adolescents (M age=18.4 years, SD=1.04, 49% male, 33% single-parent families) from the United States. Results revealed that overall prosocial behavior for boys and …

The Double-Edged Sword Of Jurisdictional Entrenchment: Explaining Human Resources Professionals’ Failed Strategic Repositioning, Kurt Sandholtz, Daisy Chung, Isaac Waisberg

Faculty Publications

To protect themselves against deskilling and obsolescence, professionals must periodically revise their claims to authority and expertise. Although we understand these dynamics in the broader system of professions, we have a less complete understanding of how this process unfolds in specific organizational contexts. Yet given the ubiquity of embedded professionals, this context is where jurisdictional shifts increasingly take place.Drawing on a comparative ethnographic study of human resources (HR) professionals in two engineering firms, we introduce the concept of jurisdictional entrenchment to explain the challenges embedded professionals face when they attempt to redefine their jurisdiction. Jurisdictional entrenchment describes a condition in …

Medical Diaspora: An Underused Entity In Low- And Middle-Income Countries’ Health System Development, Seble Frehywot, Chulwoo Park, Alexandra Infanzon

Faculty Publications

Background

At present, over 215 million people live outside their countries of birth, many of which are referred to as diaspora—those that live in host countries but maintain strong sentimental and material links with their countries of origin, their homelands. The critical shortage of Human Resources for Health (HRH) in many developing countries remains a barrier to attaining their health system goals. Usage of medical diaspora can be one way to meet this need. A growing number of policy-makers have come to acknowledge that medical diaspora can play a vital role in the development of their homeland’s health workforce capacity. …

Special Issue On The Application Of Trap And Cover Crops In Insect Pest Management, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Govinda Shrestha, Anamika Sharma

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Intervention Design Elements Are Associated With Frontline Health Workers' Performance To Deliver Infant And Young Child Nutrition Services In Bangladesh And Vietnam, Phuong Hong Nguyen, Sunny S. Kim, Lan Mai Tran, Purnima Menon, Edward A. Frongillo

Faculty Publications

Background: Frontline health workers (FLWs) are needed for delivering interventions at scale to reduce maternal and child undernutrition, but low- and middle-income countries often face inadequate FLW performance.

Objectives: We examined whether and how intervention design elements such as training, supervision, and mass media improved FLW performance in delivering nutrition services.

Methods: Survey data were collected in 2010 and 2014 as part of impact evaluations of Alive & Thrive (A&T) interventions to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in Bangladesh and Vietnam. FLWs in A&T intensive (A&T-I) areas received specialized IYCF training, job aids, and regular supportive supervision. …

Development And Initial Psychometric Evaluation Of The Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale For African-American Men, Otis L. Owens, Nikki R. Wooten, Abbas S. Tavakoli

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

To reliably evaluate the acceptance and use of computer-based prostate cancer decision aids (CBDAs) for African-American men, culturally relevant measures are needed. This study describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the 24-item Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale among 357 African-American men.

METHODS:

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with maximum likelihood estimation and polychoric correlations followed by Promax and Varimax rotations. RESULTS: EFA yielded three factors: Technology Use Expectancy and Intention (16 items), Technology Use Anxiety (5 items), and Technology Use Self-Efficacy (3 items) with good to excellent internal consistency reliability at .95, .90, and .85, …