Digital Commons Network^™

Emergency Nurses’ Department Design Recommendations For Improved End-Of-Life Care, Renea L. Beckstrand, Elise M. Corbett, Janelle L. B. Macintosh, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy, Ryan J. Rasmussen

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although death is common in emergency departments, there is limited research regarding ED design as an obstacle to end-of-life care. This study identifies emergency nurses’ recommendations regarding ways designs have negative or positive impact on care for dying patients and their families.

Methods: A 25-item questionnaire was sent to a national random sample of 500 emergency nurses. Inclusion criteria were nurses who could read English, worked in emergency departments, and had cared for at least 1 patient at the end of life (EOL). Responses were individually reviewed and coded.

Results: Major obstacles included (1) issues related to limited space, …

International Issues In Corruption Management, Leonard Lira

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Annotated Bibliography Of The Global Literature On The Secondary Transportation Of Raw And Comminuted Forest Products (2000-2015), Anil Koirala, Anil Raj Kizha, Cornelis F. De Hoop, Brian E. Roth, Han Sup Han, Patrick Hiesl, Dalia Abbas, Shuva Gautam, Srijana Baral, Steve Bick, Kamalakanta Sahoo

Faculty Publications

Secondary transportation of raw and comminuted forest products is a major component in forest harvesting operations in terms of economics, public perception, and safety. Consequently, there is a substantial amount of literature on this topic. The existing literature has dealt with many of the technical aspects of transportation with a majority of them focusing on improving supply chain issues; however, there are only few specific to secondary transportation issues in general. This annotated bibliography will help practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders gain a better understanding of the existing literature from 2000 to 2015. To this end, we began by classifying the …

Aerosol Microdroplets Exhibit A Stable Ph Gradient, Haoran Wei, Eric P. Vejerano, Weinan Leng, Qishen Haung, Marjorie R. Willner, Linsey C. Marr, Peter J. Vikesland

Faculty Publications

Suspended aqueous aerosol droplets (<50 μm) are microreactors for many important atmospheric reactions. In droplets and other aquatic environments, pH is arguably the key parameter dictating chemical and biological processes. The nature of the droplet air/ water interface has the potential to significantly alter droplet pH relative to bulk water. Historically, it has been challenging to measure the pH of individual droplets because of their inaccessibility to conventional pH probes. In this study, we scanned droplets containing 4-mercaptobenzoic acid–functionalized gold nanoparticle pH nanoprobes by 2D and 3D laser confocal Raman microscopy. Using surface-enhanced Raman scattering, we acquired the pH distribution inside approximately 20-μm-diameter phosphate-buffered aerosol droplets and found that the pH in the core of a droplet is higher than that of bulk solution by up to 3.6 pH units. This finding suggests the accumulation of protons at the air/water interface and is consistent with recent thermodynamic model results. The existence of this pH shift was corroborated by the observation that a catalytic reaction that occurs only under basic conditions (i.e., dimerization of 4-aminothiophenol to produce dimercaptoazobenzene) occurs within the high pH core of a droplet, but not in bulk solution. Our nanoparticle probe enables pH quantification through the cross-section of an aerosol droplet, revealing a spatial gradient that has implications for acid-base–catalyzed atmospheric chemistry.

Validity Of The Food Insecurity Experience Scale For Use In Sub-Saharan Africa And Characteristics Of Food-Insecure Individuals, Edwina A. Wambogo, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Kenneth L. Leonard, Nadine R. Sahyoun

Faculty Publications

Background

The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is a UN FAO-Voices of the Hungry project (FAO-VoH) metric of food insecurity (FI). The FAO-VoH tested the psychometric properties of FIES with the use of global 2014 Gallup World Poll (GWP) data. However, similarities in its psychometric structure in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to allow aggregation of SSA results were untested.

Objectives

We aimed to 1) assess the validity of FIES for use in SSA, 2) determine the prevalence of FI by country, age group, and gender, and 3) examine the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of individuals with FI.

Methods

The Rasch modeling …

Commentary: Plastic Waste Associated With Disease On Coral Reefs, Gorka Bidegain, Ika Paul-Pont

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Broadband Non-Adoption Among Consumer Households In South Carolina, Usa, Lori Dickes, Elizabeth L. Crouch, Thomas Walker

Faculty Publications

he policy environment around broadband technology in the United States is shifting again and there are concerns about the impact these proposed changes will have on the future of rural bro- adband deployment and access. Similar to the Obama administration’s discussion of net neutrality, reclas- sifying high-speed internet is again receiving growing media and policy attention at the federal and state level in the United States. Globally, it is argued that affordable high-speed internet access is imperative to rural and regional economic development success. The global digital divide and challenges of non-adoption impact both developing and developed nations. While many …

Removal Of Total Dissolved Solids From Reverse Osmosis Concentrates From A Municipal Wastewater Reclamation Plant By Aerobic Granular Sludge, Do-Hyung Kim, Sangjin Park, Yeomin Yoon, Chang Min Park

Faculty Publications

Reverse osmosis (RO) has been widely utilized in water reclamation plants and produces a concentrated brine (or reject) stream as a by-product. RO concentrates (ROC) contain vast quantities of salts and dissolved organic matter, such as biomass and humic-like substances, which hinder biological wastewater treatment (such as biological nitrogen removal). In this study, we cultivated granular sludge in an aerobic sequencing batch reactor to treat municipal wastewater with an organic loading rate of 2.1–4.3 kgCOD/m³ day at room temperature (25 °C), and remove total dissolved solids (TDS) from ROC by biosorption, with aerobic granular sludge as a novel biosorbent. …

"The Family That Prays Together . . .": Relational Processes Associated With Regular Family Prayer, Joe M. Chelladurai, David C. Dollahite, Loren D. Marks

Faculty Publications

In the present article we explore how family prayer reportedly influenced family relationships. We conceptualized family prayer as a family ritual in religious families and used a qualitative methodology to interview a religiously, ethnically, and geographically diverse sample of 198 families (N = 476). Analysis of data revealed 7 related themes. Family prayer served important functions and influenced relationships in various ways including (a) as time of family togetherness and interaction; (b) as a space for social support; and (c) as a means for intergenerational transmission of religion. Further, family prayer (d) involved issues and concerns of individuals and …

Remember My Chains: New Testament Perspectives On Incarceration, Matthew L. Skinner

Faculty Publications

Understanding the physical realities and social attitudes concerning incarceration in the ancient world provides a fuller context to the New Testament’s unadorned and ambiguous references to people’s experience of being held in custody. The context is crucial for interpreting biblical passages that commend caring for prisoners, that reaffirm God’s strength and nullify the ignominy associated with incarceration, and that declare God’s power over the means and motives of imperial coercion. Such passages also compel the contemporary church to advocate on behalf of prisoners and to denounce the systems that regularly victimize them.

Knowledge Diffusion And Utilization Within A System Of Care Model: Success And Challenges, Betty Walton, Isaac Karikari, Christine Marie Bishop, Erin Tock

Faculty Publications

•Transitioning from required collection & reporting of grant data to routinely using information for planning and quality improvement processes at direct service, program, and system levels •Explores necessary conditions for the successful use of information to plan and monitor progress •Highlights tips •Applying tips to your practice

A Longitudinal Review Of System Of Care (Soc) Development A Case Study From The Mid-West, Betty Walton, Isaac Karikari, Christine Marie Bishop

Faculty Publications

This study examined the implementation of the System of Care (SOC) framework in a Midwestern state and efforts to assess the progress over time. The period in focus was 2014-2018.

A Building Permit System For Smart Cities: A Cloud-Based Framework, Magdalini Eirinaki, Subhankar Dhar, Shishir Mathur, Adwait Kaley, Arpit Patel, Akshar Joshi, Dhvani Shah

Faculty Publications

In this paper we propose a novel, cloud-based framework to support citizens and city officials in the building permit process. The proposed framework is efficient, user-friendly, and transparent with a quick turn-around time for homeowners. Compared to existing permit systems, the proposed smart city permit framework provides a pre-permitting decision workflow, and incorporates a data analytics and mining module that enables the continuous improvement of both the end user experience and the permitting and urban planning processes. This is enabled through a data mining-powered permit recommendation engine as well as a data analytics process that allow a gleaning of key …

Malleilactone Is A Burkholderia Pseudomallei Virulence Factor Regulated By Antibiotics And Quorum Sensing, Jennifer R. Klaus, Jacqueline Deay, Benjamin Neuenswander, Wyatt Hursh, Zhe Gao, Tiffany Bouddhara, Todd D. Williams, Justin Douglas, Kyle Monize, Patricia Martins, Charlotte Majerczyk, Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost, Blake R. Peterson, Mario Rivera, Josephine R. Chandler

Faculty Publications

© 2018 American Society for Microbiology. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, encodes almost a dozen predicted polyketide (PK) biosynthetic gene clusters. Many of these are regulated by LuxR-I-type acyl-homoserine (AHL) quorum-sensing systems. One of the PK gene clusters, the mal gene cluster, is conserved in the close relative Burkholderia thailandensis. The B. thailandensis mal genes code for the cytotoxin malleilactone and are regulated by a genetically linked LuxR-type transcription factor, MalR. Although AHLs typically interact with LuxR-type proteins to modulate gene transcription, the B. thailandensis MalR does not appear to be an AHL receptor. Here, we characterize the …

Sales Impacts Of Direct Marketing Choices: Treatment Effects With Multinomial Selectivity, Timothy Park, Krishna Paudel, Seydina Sene

Faculty Publications

Producers who are planning to sell using direct marketing to consumers only or to both consumers and retailers experience declines in total sales. Based on survey data for US farmers from 2008 to 2010, the earnings decline is 71.3 per cent when marketing direct to consumers and 36.8 per cent for the diversified marketing decision. The direct marketing penalty is robust to inclusion of important demographic factors, farm experience and use of the internet, and characteristics of the farm operation such as crop choices and input use. Direct marketing is associated with higher sales declines for female farmers, highlighting a …

Liquid Sucrose Consumption Promotes Obesity And Impairs Glucose Tolerance Without Altering Circulating Insulin Levels, Susan J. Burke, Heidi M. Batdorf, Thomas M. Martin, David H. Burk, Robert C. Noland, Christopher R. Cooley, Michael D. Karlstad, William D. Johnson, J. Jason Collier

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Obesity Society Objective: Multiple factors contribute to the rising rates of obesity and to difficulties in weight reduction that exist in the worldwide population. Caloric intake via sugar-sweetened beverages may be influential. This study tested the hypothesis that liquid sucrose intake promotes obesity by increasing serum insulin levels and tissue lipid accumulation. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were given 30% sucrose in liquid form. Changes in weight gain, body composition, energy expenditure (EE), and tissue lipid content were measured. Results: Mice drinking sucrose gained more total body mass (TBM), had greater fat mass, and displayed impaired glucose tolerance relative …

Sustainable Affordable Housing, Andrea Boyack

Faculty Publications

Sustainable real estate development is an essential component of intergenerational justice, in part because the real estate sector creates more than 20% of the world’s carbon emissions. Governments, recognizing that environmentally sustainable real estate development involves higher upfront costs, have encouraged green building by offering publicly funded incentives such as tax credits, grants, reduced approval fees, and streamlined permitting. Using market measurement innovations such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, investors can promote environmentally sustainable development by prioritizing real estate developers that embrace environmentally conscious practices. Even though real estate in general still underperforms in many other sectors in terms …

Evaluation Of A Mixed Beam Therapy For Postmastectomy Breast Cancer Patients: Bolus Electron Conformal Therapy Combined With Intensity Modulated Photon Radiotherapy And Volumetric Modulated Photon Arc Therapy, Rui Zhang, David Heins, Mary Sanders, Beibei Guo, Kenneth Hogstrom

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefits and limitations of a mixed beam therapy, which combined bolus electron conformal therapy (BECT) with intensity modulated photon radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated photon arc therapy (VMAT), for left-sided postmastectomy breast cancer patients. Methods: Mixed beam treatment plans were produced for nine postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) patients previously treated at our clinic with VMAT alone. The mixed beam plans consisted of 40 Gy to the chest wall area using BECT, 40 Gy to the supraclavicular area using parallel opposed IMRT, and 10 Gy to the total planning target volume …

Synthesis And In Vitro Pdt Evaluation Of New Porphyrins Containing Meso-Epoxymethylaryl Cationic Groups, Jaqueline Carneiro, Alan Gonçalves, Zehua Zhou, Kaitlin E. Griffin, Nichole E.M. Kaufman, Maria Da Graça Henriques Vicente

Faculty Publications

© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Objectives: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective cancer treatment that uses photosensitizers, light, and oxygen to destroy malignant cells. Porphyrins, and in particular the cationic derivatives, are the most investigated photosensitizers for PDT. In this context, it is important to study new methodologies to develop efficient cationic photosensitizers for use in PDT. Materials and Methods: New porphyrins bearing cationic epoxymethylaryl groups were synthesized and characterized. Their cellular uptake, intracellular localization, and phototoxicity were evaluated in human HEp2 cells, and compared with their methylated analogs. Results: All cationic porphyrins were efficient generators of singlet oxygen, with …

Pheromone-Trap Monitoring System For Pea Leaf Weevil, Sitona Lineatus: Effects Of Trap Type, Lure Type And Trap Placement Within Fields, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Govinda Shrestha, Debra A. Miller, A. Cameron Oehlschlager

Faculty Publications

The pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus, is an important pest of field peas and faba beans worldwide. Present sampling techniques that rely on detection of adult feeding damage are labor intensive, time consuming and require repeated sampling. Semiochemical-based pest monitoring systems could improve pea leaf weevil management. This study, which was conducted in the Golden Triangle region of Montana, tested several factors that potentially might affect capture rates of pheromone-baited traps, including trap and lure type and trap placement. Pheromone-baited pitfall and ramp traps caught significantly more adults than ground or delta traps, in all study areas. Pitfall traps baited …

Management Of Insect Pests In The Production And Storage Of Minor Pulses, Ruparao T. Gahukar, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Minor pulses are cultivated on a small scale by economically poor farming communities for subsistence food. Currently, these crops are under-utilized or neglected, although they are reasonable sources of protein and can increase food security in rural areas. Research and development is underway to improve the grain quality and increase the productivity of these crops, both of which are negatively impacted by insect pest damage. Synthetic pesticides have proven to be the most effective control agents against all pests of minor pulses which include sap sucking insects. However, considering the drawbacks of pesticide residues in the grain, environmental pollution, and …

Estimating Epidemiological Parameters Of A Stochastic Differential Model Of Hiv Dynamics Using Hierarchical Bayesian Statistics, Renee Dale, Bei Bei Guo

Faculty Publications

Current estimates of the HIV epidemic indicate a decrease in the incidence of the disease in the undiagnosed subpopulation over the past 10 years. However, a lack of access to care has not been considered when modeling the population. Populations at high risk for contracting HIV are twice as likely to lack access to reliable medical care. In this paper, we consider three contributors to the HIV population dynamics: at-risk population exhaustion, lack of access to care, and usage of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) by diagnosed individuals. An extant problem in the mathematical study of this system is deriving parameter estimates …

An Evaluation Of College Student Attitudes Toward Gay Adoption, Cassandra Chaney Phd, Le'brian Patrick

Faculty Publications

Given the increasing debate regarding same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption, few studies to date have examined college student attitudes regarding this topic. This qualitative study explores the sentiments of 31 college students from a large university in the southern region of the country towards gay adoption before and after viewing the documentary We Are Dad (2005). The study allowed students to provide their level of agreement or disagreement with the statements provided by respondents on a public blog site who debated both sides of this issue. In addition, students responded to the following two questions during two points in time: …

Infant And Young Child Feeding In Emergencies: Organisational Policies And Activities During The Refugee Crisis In Lebanon, Linda Shaker-Berbari, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Andrew G. Symon, Annie S. Anderson

Faculty Publications

Appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is key to reducing mortality amongst children aged under 2. Facilitating adherence to recommended IYCF practices during emergencies includes having relevant policies to support breastfeeding and complementary feeding as well as regulating the distribution of breast milk substitutes. In the current crisis, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees are in Lebanon and it is timely to examine organisational IYCF policies and programmes. One hundred and thirty-five non-governmental organisations providing humanitarian aid in Lebanon were invited to participate in an online survey about organisational policies and programmatic activities on IYCF. Responses were obtained from …

Prostate Cancer Information Available In Health-Care Provider Offices: An Analysis Of Content, Readability, And Cultural Sensitivity, Seul Ki Choi, Jessica S. Seel, Brooks Yelton Ma, Lmsw, Susan E. Steck Phd, Mph, Rd, Douglas P. Mccormick, Johnny Payne, Anthony Minter, Elizabeth K. Deutchki, James Hébert Scd, Daniela B. Friedman Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer (PrCA) is the most common cancer affecting men in the United States, and African American men have the highest incidence among men in the United States. Little is known about the PrCA-related educational materials being provided to patients in health-care settings. Content, readability, and cultural sensitivity of materials available in providers’ practices in South Carolina were examined. A total of 44 educational materials about PrCA and associated sexual dysfunction was collected from 16 general and specialty practices. The content of the materials was coded, and cultural sensitivity was assessed using the Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool. Flesch Reading Ease, …

Emotional Judges And Unlucky Juveniles, Ozkan Eren, Naci Mocan

Faculty Publications

Employing the universe of juvenile court decisions in a US state between 1996 and 2012, we analyze the effects of emotional shocks associated with unexpected outcomes of football games played by a prominent college team in the state. We find that unexpected losses increase sentence lengths assigned by judges during the week following the game. Unexpected wins, or losses that were expected to be close contests ex ante have no impact. The effects of these emotional shocks are asymmetrically borne by black defendants. The impact of upset losses on sentence lengths is larger for defendants if their cases are handled …

Self-Regulation Of Emotional Responses To Zika: Spiral Of Fear, James Price Dillard, Chun Yang, Ruobing Li

Faculty Publications

Fear of infectious disease can create a variety of problems not the least of which is fear itself. An important question is how individuals attempt to manage their fear. The appearance of Zika in the U.S. presented an opportunity to examine this issue in a consequential natural context. Beginning nine days after the W.H.O. declared Zika a world health crisis, two-waves of survey data were collected from women ages 18–35 who were living in the Southern U.S. (N = 561). Most respondents (71%) used one or more emotion regulation strategies and a plurality (41%) utilized multiple strategies. Fear of Zika …

Impact Of Outpatient Vs Inpatient Absssi Treatment On Outcomes: A Retrospective Observational Analysis Of Medical Charts Across Us Emergency Departments, P Brandon Bookstaver, Timothy C. Jenkins, Edward Stenehjem, Shira Doron, Jack Brown, Shannon H. Goldwater, Carlos Lopes, Angela Haynes, Chuka Udeze, Yifan Mo, Patrick Gillard, Yan Liu, Katelyn Keyloun

Faculty Publications

Background: The objective of this study was to characterize treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) and describe the association between hospital admission and emergency department (ED) visits or readmissions within 30 days after initial episode of care (IEC). Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study of adults with ABSSSI who presented to an ED between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013. Patient, health care facility, and treatment characteristics, including unplanned ED visits or readmissions, were obtained through manual chart review and abstraction. Adjusted logistic regression analysis examined likelihood of all-cause unplanned ED …

A Test Of The Psychometric Characteristics Of The Bis-Brief Among Three Groups Of Youth, Charles W. Mathias, Matthew S. Stanford, Yuanyuan Lang, Martin Goros, Nora E. Charles, Arielle H. Sheftall, Jillian Mullen, Nathalie Hill-Kapturczak, Ashley Acheson, Rene L. Olvera, Donald M. Dougherty

Faculty Publications

The current study empirically investigates the relationships between the Dark Triad personality traits and cyber-aggression among adolescents (14–18 year old). The sample consisted of 324 participants aged 14–18 (M = 16.05, SD = 1.31). Participants completed the Short Dark Triad (SD3) as a measure of the Dark Triad personality traits, the Facebook Intensity Scale and a scale to measure cyber-aggression. Structural equation modelling was applied to investigate the relationships. Results show that only Facebook intensity and psychopathy significantly predict cyber-aggression, when controlling for age and gender. Findings are discussed regarding the potential importance to further study Dark Triad traits, and …

Combined Effects Of Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil And Environmental Stressors On Fundulus Grandis Embryos, Maria L. Rodgers, Elizabeth R. Jones, Christopher Klinkhamer, Cecon T. Mahapatra, Jennifer Serafin, Thijs Bosker, Chris Perkins, Robert J. Griffitt, Sylvain De Guise, Maria S. Sepúlveda

Faculty Publications

In the present study, we examined how sensitivity to oil changes in combination with environmental stressors in Fundulus grandis embryos. We exposed embryos (fertilization) to a range of high‐energy water accommodated fraction (HEWAF) concentrations (0–50 parts per billion [ppb] total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) made from Macondo crude oil in conjunction with various environmental conditions (temperature: 20 and 30 °C; salinity: 3, 7, and 30 practical salinity units [PSU]; and dissolved oxygen: 2 and 6 mg/L). Endpoints included mortality, hatching rates, and expression of cytochrome p450 1a and 1c (cyp1a, cyp1c) in hatched larvae. There was 100% …