Digital Commons Network^™

Journal On Protected Mountain Areas Research And Management, Silvia Kainzinger, Arne Arnberger, Robert C. Burns

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The Salza River is located in the Alpine Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen and is used heavily for whitewater recreation. One of the main goals of protected area management is to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation to maintain or enhance the quality of visitor experience. This study explored whitewater recreationists’ crowding perceptions and preferences for river trip scenarios on the Salza River, Austria, using a discrete choice experiment. Six attributes described social, resource and managerial river conditions. More than 70% of the paddlers reported crowding. Results of the discrete choice experiment suggest that use levels are by far the most …

The Differential Effects Of Rural Health Care Access On Race-Specific Mortality, Jeralynn Cossman, Wesley James, Julia Kay Wolf

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We examined the relationship between race-specific rural mortality and the health infrastructure of rural counties in light of America’s recent emergence of a rural mortality penalty. Using the Compressed Mortality File from National Center for Health Statistics (2008–2012) and county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and health care indicators from the Area Health Resource File and the US Census, we created a rural public health infrastructure index which encompasses four types of health care access (public health employees, critical access hospital/rural referral centers, rural health clinics, and emergency departments) within counties. We found that each unit increase in the index is associated with …

Patient Characteristics Of The Accident And Emergency Department Of Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional, Prospective Analysis, Justin Guy Myers, Katherine M. Hunold, Karen Ekernas, Ali Wangara, Alice Maingi, Vincent Mutiso, Stephen Dunlop, Ian B K Martin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background Resource-limited settings are increasingly experiencing a ‘triple burden’ of disease, composed of trauma, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and known communicable disease patterns. However, the epidemiology of acute and emergency care is not well characterised and this limits efforts to further develop emergency care capacity.

Objective To define the burden of disease by describing the patient population presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Kenya.

Methods We completed a prospective descriptive assessment of patients in KNH’s A&E obtained via systematic sampling over 3 months. Research assistants collected data directly from patients and their charts. …

Influence Of Fear Of Pain And Coping Strategies On Health-Related Quality Of Life And Patient-Anticipated Outcomes In Patients With Chronic Pain: Cross-Sectional Study Protocol, Manasi M. Mittinty, David S. Brennan, Cameron L. Randall, Daniel W. Mcneil, Murthy N. Mittinty, Lisa Jameson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Fear of pain and coping strategies are emotional-behavioral responses to pain and are known to play an important role in the development and maintenance of pain. It is highly likely that fear of pain and coping strategies influence each other, potentially affecting the course of chronic pain. To our knowledge, the relationship between pain, fear of pain and coping strategies, and how they influence patient-anticipated outcomes and health-related quality of life, have not been investigated.

Objective: The aims of this study are to test (1) if both fear of pain and/or coping strategies are sufficient causes for maintaining pain; …

Intimate Partner Violence-Related Hospitalizations In Appalachia And The Non- Appalachian United States, Danielle M. Davidov, Stephen M. Davis, Motao Zhu, Tracie O. Afifi, Melissa Kimber, Abby L. Goldstein, Nicole Pitre, Kelly K. Gurka, Carol Stocks

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The highly rural region of Appalachia faces considerable socioeconomic disadvantage and health disparities that are recognized risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States for 2007–2011 and compare hospitalizations in each region by clinical and sociodemographic factors. Data on IPV-related hospitalizations were extracted from the State Inpatient Databases, which are part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Hospitalization day, year, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, average and total hospital charges, sex, age, payer, urban-rural location, income, diagnoses and procedures were …

Measuring The Creativity Of Architecture Students, Pamela Watters

Open Access Dissertations

Creativity research is an underdeveloped area of educational psychology, particularly in higher education. For example, few studies have examined the validity of product creativity assessment at this level. Research examining creativity and the combination of cognitive, personality, and motivational aptitudes in higher education is lacking. This study explored the creativity of freshmen students’ final projects in a studio architecture class. The study used a systems theoretical framework supporting the idea that creativity occurs within an interaction of the environment and the individual. The study used correlation and regression to examine the relationship between creativity and individual aptitudes which can be …

Pathways To Substance Use And Sexual Risk Behavior Among College Students With Adhd Symptomatology, Danielle R. Oster

Open Access Dissertations

While growing numbers of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology are pursuing postsecondary education, there is a dearth of information concerning the social functioning of these students. ADHD symptomatology has been strongly linked with risk behaviors that contribute to chronic health problems, including substance use and risky sexual behavior, resulting in twice the health care costs for these students in the United States. Despite such critical findings, specific pathways between ADHD and substance use and sexual risk, have not been identified. A large body of literature has demonstrated that individuals with ADHD are at greater risk for developing …

Investigating Lgbtq Advocacy Efforts Among Heterosexual Parent Allies, Amanda Elizabeth Ramirez

Open Access Dissertations

Parent advocates play a key role in creating and promoting a supportive and accepting environment for their LGBTQ children (Bouris et al., 2010; Ryan, 2009). However, a limited number of research studies have investigated the development of parent advocates and allies within the LGBTQ community (Broad, 2011; Munin & Speight, 2010; Saltzberg, 2009; Vernaglia, 1999). Further, these studies have not specifically explored the ways in which individual, family, and community level experiences may influence the development and experiences of parent advocates. The present study utilized an ecological-transactional framework to investigate the advocacy experiences of parents of LGBTQ youth. 12 parent …

The Factor Structure Of Resilience And The Relationship Between Resiliance And Physical Activity, Zachary J. Kunicki

Open Access Dissertations

It is not too difficult to get an individual to start a physical activity program. It is incredibly difficult to get an individual to maintain a physical activity program over time. All of life’s major and minor inconveniences can become a barrier to performing physical activity, and thus lead to sedentary behavior. The construct of resilience, defined as positively adapting to adverse circumstances, may be helpful in the maintenance of physical activity. However, resilience as a construct is not entirely understood in the current literature. Some theorists suggest resilience is a single construct, while other theorists suggest that resilience is …

Differential Effects Of State Shame And Self-Affirmation On Reactive Aggression, Melissa Marcotte

Open Access Dissertations

Reactive aggression is retaliatory behavior in response to a transgression from another, especially when self-control is compromised through cognitive exhaustion. This defensive reaction is especially pronounced when the transgression is made public, increasing the intensity of the status-threat experienced, but research is mixed on whether this is due to the experience of shame or damage to self-esteem. Self-affirmation has been used in a variety of studies to reduce defensiveness and increase prosocial behavior, but there have been no studies to explore the effects of self-affirmation on reactive aggression in non-clinical populations. Drawing from an undergraduate college student population (N=101), the …

Cardiovascular Adverse Events In Patients Receiveing Qt Interval Prolonging Medications, Yizhou Ye

Open Access Dissertations

Background

Drug-induced QT interval prolongation is associated with rare but life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death. To study ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death associated with QT prolongation in large databases, an accurate operational definition of this outcome is needed. Frequently prescribed macrolide and fluoroquinolone antibiotics are associated with torsades de pointes arrhythmia and sudden death. Due to the dose-dependent nature of the risk, concomitant use of multiple QT-prolonging drugs may pose a greater threat than singular use. Several observational epidemiologic studies suggest that azithromycin may have an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. Meanwhile, other observational …

Investigation Of Health Risk Patterns Across Sexual And Gender Minority Identities, Loren Andrew Bauerband

Open Access Dissertations

The Minority Stress Model posits gender and sexual minorities experience stigma-related stressors, that increase their risk for poor mental and physical health. Historically, these groups have been considered one “community” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer: LGBTQ), with similar experiences including: shared social groups and deviation from gender norms (e.g. gender roles and expression, and relationships). As research into the experiences of LGBTQ individuals increases, evidence supports people with different sexual orientations (e.g. lesbian/gay vs. bisexual) and gender experiences (e.g. cisgender vs. transgender) within the community are diverse, and should not be researched as one population. By researching each gender and …

Stress, Coping, Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Health And Cortisol In Premature Infants, At Age 23, Joyce Ellen Hickey

Open Access Dissertations

Little is known about the psychobiological processes of adults, at age 23 who were born prematurely. Compared to infants born at term, premature infants face additional obstacles of immature body systems, more neonatal stress and are at risk for developmental delay and possible parental overprotective patterns. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theory asserts that early prenatal and neonatal stress disturbs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, which in the long run, affects later health and behavior. The purpose of this secondary analysis is to examine neonatal stress of prematurity on coping, emotional intelligence, physiological responses, developmental milestones and emotional health …

Impact Of Multicultural Ethnic Identity On Emerging Adult Alcohol And Marijuana Use, Emilie B. Joseph

Open Access Dissertations

Adults identifying with two or more races represent about 7% of the U.S. populations (Pew Research Study, 2015). Multiracial individuals are a growing population within the United States with unique needs and experiences that are represented to a limited degree within substance use literature. However, existing research has demonstrated that multiracial individuals are at an increased risk for adverse substance use outcomes that remain largely unexplored (Unger, 2012). While existing literature has explored the impact factors like ethnic identity, neighborhood risk and drug beliefs and attitudes amongst monoracial youth and young adults, limited extensions have been made to their multiracial …

Health Outcomes Research Of Novel Disease Modifying Medications In Alzheimer’S Disease And Cost Burden Of Early Onset Dementia, Rami Beiram

Open Access Dissertations

The main etiologies of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease, consist of: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Vascular Dementia (VD), Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia (FTD), and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). AD the most common form of dementia is the sixth leading cause of death in the US, where currently 5.3 million Americans are diagnosed with Late-Onset and 95% of cases are 65 years and older. Early-Onset represents the remaining 5% of cases where ages at diagnosis is younger than 65 years. AD is characterized by a progressive loss of neurons with impact on patient cognition, function, and behavior.

The 2015 Alzheimer’s Association Report estimated direct …

Identity, Awareness, Action: A Study Of White Anti-Racist Faculty Praxis At Two Predominantly White Institutions, David Brian Hayes

Open Access Dissertations

Despite decades of research into the racial construct known as whiteness (e.g., Roediger, 1991; Frankenberg, 1993; Leonardo, 2002), as well as on white privilege and racism within predominantly white institutions (PWIs) (e.g., Harper & Hurtado, 2007), little research exists exploring the work of white faculty who confront racism in teaching, research, or service. In this study, I applied a Critical White Studies (Delgado & Stefancic, 1997) analytical frame to a Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006) study of white anti-racist faculty in two predominantly white institutions within a state higher education system. The study used interviews with 11 white faculty members …

Using The Energy Of Membrane-Associated Folding For Tumor Targeting And Intracellular Cargo Delivery, Linden C. Wyatt

Open Access Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Due to the increase in exposure to cancer-causing environmental factors, the presence of chronic conditions, and the increase in age-related mutations in normal tissue, cancer incidence is positively correlated with age. Because of the increase in life expectancy due to advances in medicine, the frequency of cancer incidence is expected to rise in the future. For these reasons, devising methods to efficiently diagnose and treat cancer is extremely important.

Effective targeting of cancer cells within tumors would allow for improvement in the efficacy of treatment and the reduction …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Nursing Students’ Self-Confidence In The Acute Care Setting, Jennifer Irene Fuvich

Open Access Dissertations

The challenge of translating knowledge learned in the classroom into real life situations for students has been an issue in nursing education for many years. Very few research studies have been conducted that address what factors positively and negatively affect nursing students’ self-confidence in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of nursing students’ self-confidence in the acute care setting and the factors that enhanced or inhibited their self-confidence. The specific research questions that guided this study were: What are the perceptions of nursing students’ self-confidence in the acute care clinical setting? What factors …

A Description Of Approachable Nurses: The Voice Of The Hospitalized Child, Bethany J. Coia

Open Access Dissertations

In 1989, international attention was drawn to the rights of children in a treaty signed by representatives of 190 nations at The Convention on the Rights of the Child. A major emphasis of the treaty was on the rights of all children to be heard across a wide range of contexts. Numerous researchers have been funded to describe and enhance the voice of the child in many settings, albeit few have focused on the child in a hospital setting. Nurse researchers who have begun to investigate the experience of children during hospitalization have identified some of the positive and negative …

Agency In Eating Disorders: American Literary And Visual Memoirs Of Anorexia And Bulimia, Jenny Platz

Open Access Dissertations

In my dissertation I examine the representation of self-creation through anorexia and bulimia in memoiristic narratives, blogs, and YouTube videos in contemporary American culture. I argue that the highly crafted characterizations and structures of the anorexic and bulimic memoirs and blogs implement the disorders into temporary tools of self-care that grant the subjects agency through their pursuits of maturation and identity creation and cannot be simplified into mere warnings and retellings of the dangers of the eating disorders. I am locating my research in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century to encompass the emergence of eating disorder memoirs, Ana …

Investigating And Comparing The Mechanisms Of Behavior Change To Prevent Smoking Acquisition In Middle School Students, Allie W. Scott

Open Access Dissertations

The disease consequences of smoking such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and lung cancer, are well documented (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1964, 1989, and 2010). One clear finding from epidemiological studies is that the early uptake of smoking during adolescence can lead to addiction in adulthood. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found nearly 9 out of 10 adult cigarette smokers tried their first cigarette as minors and 99% tried smoking by age 26 (CDC, 2017). To mitigate smoking incidence and reduce the harm caused by smoking, a number of primary prevention …

Biotransformation And Pharmacokinetic Evaluation Of Pf-5190457, A Novel Drug Candidate For Alcoholism, Sravani Adusumalli

Open Access Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic condition characterized by an inability to control alcohol intake. Recent research has shown that appetite-regulating hormones, ghrelin, and leptin, may play a role in alcohol craving. In addition, it is known that food and alcohol craving have overlapping receptors in the brain reward system. Ghrelin, a naturally occurring hormone in the human body, is produced mainly by ghrelinergic cells of the gastric mucosa. Once the hormone crosses the blood-brain barrier, it binds to growth hormone secretagogue receptor (ghrelin receptor) in the hypothalamus and stimulates the appetite and food intake. Leptin, a hormone produced from …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Information On Nonpoint Source Polluters' Behavior, Haoran Miao

Open Access Dissertations

Nonpoint source pollution is recognized as the primary cause of water pollution in the United States and has many adverse environmental effects in other areas such as Europe and China. In this dissertation research, I examine the role of information in managing nonpoint source pollution through voluntary programs and regulatory policies. Specifically, I look into the effect of informational nudges, information appealing to people to act, and financial incentives to reduce nonpoint source pollution through behavioral changes. Also, I investigate the impact of information on nonpoint source polluters’ behavior under the ambient-based policy when the environmental uncertainty exists at the …

European American Students' Supports, Challenges, And Perceptions Of Their Peers Of Color, Crystal Nicole Gayle

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the experiences of European American students as they obtain advanced degrees in psychology. The study investigated what European American students find supportive and unsupportive as they pursue their doctoral degrees. The participants of this study consisted of 12 graduate students. Qualitative methods were employed, and data obtained through semi-structured interviews was analyzed using content analysis. The interviews revealed factors that students believe have facilitated their success in graduate school, as well as challenges experienced during graduate school, and the types of strategies they used when faced with obstacles. The participants were …

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: The Need For Better Employment Eligibility Regulations, Gregory S. Crespi

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

People will start seeking tax-exempt debt forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (“PSLF”) program in October of 2017 after satisfying the requirements of 10 years of post-October 1, 2007 employment in a “public service job.” I estimate that eventually 200,000 people a year or more will obtain debt forgiveness under this program, at a total cost to the Treasury of $12 billion/year or more. Estimates are that up to one-quarter of all employment will qualify as a public service job.

For such a large and costly program the precise eligibility criteria are crucial. The statutory definition of a public …

A Personalized Normative Feedback Text-Message Intervention To Reduce 21st Birthday Alcohol Use And Problems, Michael Bernstein

Open Access Dissertations

Objective: Twenty-first birthdays are associated with extreme levels of heavy drinking and alcohol-related harm. However, few 21^st birthday preventive interventions have been tested, and even fewer have been supported as effective. The current study was designed to 1) test a text-message intervention to reduce 21^st birthday estimated Blood Alcohol Content (eBAC) and alcohol problems, and 2) examine potential mediators and moderators.

Method: College students (n=200; 69% female, 87.5% White/Caucasian) with an upcoming 21^st birthday completed a baseline assessment and were randomized to a text-message intervention or an assessment-only control condition. Participants in the …

Being A Man With An Invisible Disability: College Men's Experiences, Maggie Arin Korn

Open Access Dissertations

In many important ways, having a disability challenges traditional masculinity ideology. Understanding how men conceptualize and negotiate their identities both as men and as individuals with disabilities is important as men comprise a large percentage of students with disabilities, specifically invisible disabilities. The prevalence of invisible disabilities, which are disabilities not visibly apparent to others, has been increasing across all levels of education, including higher education (Marder et al., 2003). Previous studies have explored the intersections between masculinity and disability, however they were narrowly focused on men with visible impairments (e.g., Gershick & Miller, 1995) and men with chronic illnesses …

Justifying Perceptions In First And Second Amendment Doctrine, Eric Ruben

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Public perceptions often motivate policymakers. But what is the role of perceptions in defending regulations challenged as violating constitutional rights? This article explores how First and Second Amendment doctrine answer that question.

First Amendment free speech doctrine deploys categorical rules and balancing tests to determine the constitutionality of speech restrictions seeking to shape various perceptions. The resulting discrepancies, the article contends, can be explained by motive-based theories of First Amendment doctrine.

In the Second Amendment context, how to handle perception-based regulations remains an open question. Some courts have held that firearm restrictions can pass muster if they preserve the public’s …

Recent Applications Of The Supreme Court's Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine: From Hosanna-Tabor And Holt To Hobby Lobby And Zubik, Samuel J. Levine

Scholarly Works

In each of the past four terms, the United States Supreme Court has decided a case with important implications for the interpretation and application of the Religion Clauses of the United States Constitution: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Inc., Holt v. Hobbs, and, most recently, Zubik v. Burwell. Although the Court’s decisions in these cases addressed—and seemed to resolve—a number of questions central to Free Exercise and Establishment Clause jurisprudence, including recognition of the “ministerial exception” and religious rights of a corporate entity, the decisions left a number of questions unanswered, such as …

Intravenous Formulation Of Het0016 Decreased Human Glioblastoma Growth And Iimplicated Survival Benefit In Rat Xenograft Models, M Jain, N Gamage, M Alsulami, A Shankar, B Achyut, Austin Guo, A Arbab, A Arbab

NYMC Faculty Publications

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a hypervascular primary brain tumor with poor prognosis. HET0016 is a selective CYP450 inhibitor, which has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth. Therefore, to explore novel treatments, we have generated an improved intravenous (IV) formulation of HET0016 with HPssCD and tested in animal models of human and syngeneic GBM. Administration of a single IV dose resulted in 7-fold higher levels of HET0016 in plasma and 3.6-fold higher levels in tumor at 60 min than that in IP route. IV treatment with HPssCD-HET0016 decreased tumor growth, and altered vascular kinetics in early and late treatment groups …