Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Characteristics Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Readmissions In An Acute Care Hospital, Jordan Danyale Brautigam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) not only face difficulties managing their disease but are also faced with a higher risk of being readmitted to a hospital after an initial visit for acute exacerbation of their condition. Despite hospitals’ many attempts to offset this burden, readmission reduction programs are not effective. The purpose of this quantitative study was to further research an organization’s specific population surrounding patient comorbidities, reasons for readmissions, and demographic characteristics that may lend insight into reasons for readmissions. The research design was a retrospective analysis of a health system’s electronic medical record with a …

Borehole Water And Sachet Water Production In Southeast Nigeria, Joseph Emerenini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDrinking water is potable and safe if it is free from physical, chemical, and microbiological contaminants. Despite the Nigerian government's interventions to alleviate water contamination, a considerable number of Nigerians are still without safe potable water. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine whether the level of contamination of drinking water sourced from boreholes and sachet packaged water in Owerri City, Southeast Nigeria was in compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) standards, and to examine the relationship between the physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters of drinking water sourced from borehole and sachet packaged water The conceptual framework …

The Influence Of Community-Based Reentry Programs On Reintegrating Ex-Offenders In Ohio, Ebony Ann Ivery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ex-offenders participate in community-based reentry programs to help transition back into society, yet some are still reoffending. Previous research suggested that community-based reentry programs need to be evaluated to successfully determine their influence on reintegrating ex-offenders. Limited research existed on the experiences of ex-offenders while taking part in such programs. The theory of effective correctional intervention was used to guide this general qualitative research study on Ohio community-based reentry programs. The following areas were addressed: (a) the role that community-based reentry programs play in addressing the needs of ex-offenders; (b) barriers and limitations that community-based reentry programs face in meeting …

Perceptions On Maternal Mortality Among The Ekpeye Community, Theresa Tenim Ogide-Alaeze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Africa, especially Nigeria, maternal mortality is a public health issue among women of childbearing age (WCBA). WCBA living in the Ekpeye community located in Rivers state in Nigeria are at high risk of maternal deaths during pregnancy and labor or delivery. Data were obtained through key informant interviews with 9 relatives, friends, and health workers. The purpose of the key informant interviews was to identify perceived barriers that result in high maternal deaths and facilitators seen as promoters to reduce pregnancy-related deaths. The participants identified 11 core themes as contributors to maternal death: (a) postpartum death, (b) financial insecurity, …

Head Start Parent Perspectives Of Their Roles In Their Children’S Preschool Education, Fawn Thomas-Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Head Start expects parent involvement as part of parents’ in-kind contribution to the program, but data from a multi-center Head Start agency in the southeastern United States indicated many parents do not meet this expectation. Lack of parental involvement in Head Start children’s education was the problem of focus in this study. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the perspectives of Head Start parents regarding their roles in their preschool children’s education. The work of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler formed the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions focused on how parents describe their responsibilities for …

The Relationship Between Cervical Cancer And Women Living With Disabilities In Kentucky, Carolyn Akakpo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite many national interventions, cervical cancer (CC) rates persist, and in Kentucky (KY), CC incidence rates are on the rise. Additionally, women with disabilities face more barriers to secondary prevention and healthcare access, have more known risks, and experience more health disparities than women without disabilities. Given that 1 in 4 persons live with a disability, the purpose of this observational, cross-sectional, quantitative study was to explore the relationship between CC and women with disabilities as evidenced by reproductive cancer discharges from inpatient hospital (IHD) and outpatient services databases (OSD) so as to compare population-specific differences from social determinants of …

Sustainable Land Management And Smallholder Farmers In Zimbabwe, Owen Prince Gono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe sustainability of smallholder farms in Southern Africa is largely dependent on farmers’ decision-making abilities regarding land management practices; however, smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe have knowledge gaps on sustainable land management practices. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain a deeper understanding of specific knowledge gaps among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe to tailor sustainable land management training to their needs. To address the research problem and purpose of the study, qualitative data were collected from multiple sources of evidence, including semistructured interviews with 7 smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, archival data, and reflective journaling notes. This study …

Staff Education Program For Nurses Caring For Patients With Medical Decline On A Geriatric Psychiatric Unit, Portia Denise Risper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractElderly patients admitted to psychiatric units are a vulnerable population, some may have mental disorders, physical decline, cognitive challenges; along with other comorbidities in addition to their mental illness. However, their physical health needs may be overlooked due to the presenting behaviors mimicking mental health behaviors. The nurses working in the local hospital facility’s geri-psych unit failed to recognize signs and symptoms of physical decline in their severely mentally ill (SMI) patients. Not recognizing and reporting acute changes resulted in patients’ prolonged hospitalization, decreased quality of life, and increased cost to the facility. The purpose of this DNP project was …

Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Direct Care Workers Working With Juveniles, Brittany Anne Shaughnessy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the development of vicarious traumatization (VT) and burnout among direct care staff working in juvenile justice residential facilities. Measures used included the ACE module of the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System historical to assess for ACEs, the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale (TABS) to measure VT, and Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to measure burnout. Workplace organization was also included in data collection and analysis as a covariate as past research has indicated a relationship between workplace organization and burnout and VT. A covariate of workplace …

Effects Of Chronic Energy Drink Consumption On Cardiometabolic Endpoints, May Chen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Background: Since its introduction in the early 2000s, energy drinks have become increasingly popular among an extensive range of consumers, including adolescents and young adults. Currently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the formulation of energy drinks, which may vary widely in the amounts of caffeine and sugar, as well as various types of supplements. Recent reports of severe and fatal adverse effects related to energy drinks have led to growing concerns on the safety of energy drink consumption.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic daily consumption of energy drinks on …

The Effects Of The Work Environment On California Community College Counselors' Professional Self-Care, Tina Dang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Healthy work environments are critical in fostering occupational self-care for helping professionals, but information on the self-care and the work environment is limited among community college counselors in California. Self-care is essential for the counseling profession in California community colleges (CCC), as it promotes wellness, which is needed in order to provide optimal services to students/clients. The lack of self-care results in counselor impairment, leading to undesirable factors (i.e., burnout, health conditions, and decrease in productivity). In educational institutions, counselors often find it difficult to maintain their own self-care. However, work environments have been shown to affect self-care at work …

Studies On The Size And Non-Planarity Of Aromatic Stacking Moiety On Conformation Selectivity And Thermal Stabilization Of G-Quadruplexes, Mandeep Singh

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Targeting DNA has the advantage over proteins for cancer remediation because of the fewer copies of the ligands required for the desired therapeutic effect. Traditionally, covalent DNA binders like alkylating agents have been used to induce genetic instability through the formation of DNA lesions and strand breaks, leading to cellular apoptosis. The primary drawback of this treatment is the non-specific binding that affects both cancerous and non-cancerous cells. G-quadruplexes are the DNA secondary structures that are present in abundance near the promoter regions of the oncogenes and are involved in the regulation of their activities. A ligand-mediated stabilization of G-quadruplexes …

Preoperative Exercise To Improve Fitness In Patients Undergoing Complex Surgery For Cancer Of The Lung Or Oesophagus (Pre-Hiit): Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Grainne Sheill, Emer Guinan, Linda O'Neill, Charles Normand, Suzanne Doyle, Sarah Moore, John Newell, Granne Mcdermott, Ronan Ryan, John V. Reynolds, Juliette Hussey

Articles

Patients with cancer of the lung or oesophagus, undergoing curative treatment, usually require a thoracotomy and a complex oncological resection. These surgeries carry a risk of major morbidity and mortality, and risk assessment, preoperative optimisation, and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways are modern approaches to optimise outcomes. Pre-operative fitness is an established predictor of postoperative outcome, accordingly, targeting pre-operative fitness through exercise prehabilitation has logical appeal. Exercise prehabilitation is challenging to implement however due to the short opportunity for intervention between diagnosis and surgery. Therefore, individually prescribed, intensive exercise training protocols which convey clinically meaningful improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness …

Adherence To Dietary And Physical Activity Guidelines Among Shift Workers: Associations With Individual And Work-Related Factors, Ciara Kelly, Fiona M. Nea, Kirsty Pourshahidi, John Kearney, Victoria M O'Brien, M Barbara E Livingstone, Clare Corish

Articles

Objectives Shift work is associated with adverse effects on the health and lifestyle behaviours of employees. This study aimed to examine factors associated with adherence among shift workers to selected indicators of dietary and physical activity guidelines. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1300 shift workers. Data were collected using a 15 minute telephone-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression methods were used for data analysis. Results Male shift workers (p

Atmospheric Biodetection Part I: Study Of Airborne Bacterial Concentrations From January 2018 To May 2020 At Saclay, France, Roland Sarda-Estève, Dominique Baisnée, Benjamin Guinot, Gediminas Maineli, John Sodeau, David O'Connor, Jean Pierre Besancenot, Michel Thibaudon, Sara Monteiro, Jean-Eudes Petit, Valérie Gros

Articles

Background: The monitoring of bioaerosol concentrations in the air is a relevant endeavor due to potential health risks associated with exposure to such particles and in the understanding of their role in climate. In this context, the atmospheric concentrations of bacteria were measured from January 2018 to May 2020 at Saclay, France. The aim of the study was to understand the seasonality, the daily variability, and to identify the geographical origin of airborne bacteria. Methods: 880 samples were collected daily on polycarbonate filters, extracted with purified water, and analyzed using the cultivable method and flow cytometry. A source receptor model …

Extraction Of Protein From Four Different Seaweeds Using Three Different Physical Pre-Treatment Strategies, Jack O'Connor, Steve Meaney, Gwilym A. Williams, Maria Hayes

Articles

Seaweeds are a rich source of protein and can contain up to 47% on the dry weight basis. It ischallenging to extract proteins from the raw biomass of seaweed due to resilient cell-wall complexes.Four species of macroalgae were used in this study-two brown,Fucus vesiculosusandAlaria esculenta,and two red,Palmaria palmataandChondrus crispus. Three treatments were applied individually tothe macroalgal species: (I) high-pressure processing (HPP); (II) laboratory autoclave processing and(III) a classical sonication and salting out method. The protein, ash and lipid contents of the resultingextracts were estimated. Yields of protein recovered ranged from 3.2% forFucus vesiculosuspre-treatedwith high pressure processing to 28.9% protein recovered …

Knowledge, Attitude And Practices (Kap) Towards Diet And Health Among International Students In Dublin: A Cross-Sectional Study, Xiyao Liu, Haoyue Chen, Qianling Zhou, Huifeng Zhang, Phensiri Asawasirisap, John Kearney

Articles

International students may have difficulties in dietary acculturation. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of diet and health during the acculturation of international students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 473 international students in Dublin. Knowledge, attitude and practices towards diet and health were evaluated by a questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions. It was found that 45.3% of participants had a broad concept of a healthy diet, while few knew its specific contents. Furthermore, 75.3% of participants could explain the term functional food, and among them, 62.1% knew the appropriate …

Late Pregnancy Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Doubled Odds Of Birth Asphyxia And Emergency Caesarean Section: A Prospective Cohort Study, Hanna Augustin Olausson, Sinead Mulcahy, Inez Schoenmakers,, Maria Bullarbo, Anna Glantz, Anna Winkvist, Linnea Bärebring

Articles

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the associations between maternal vitamin D status in late pregnancy and emergency caesarean section (EMCS) and birth asphyxia, in a population based sample of women in Sweden.

Breastfeeding Duration Is Associated With Regional, But Not Global, Differences In White Matter Tracts, Christopher E. Bauer, James W. Lewis, Julie Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Chris Frum, Margeaux M. Schade, Marc W. Haut, Hawley E. Montgomery-Downs

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Extended breastfeeding through infancy confers benefits on neurocognitive performance and intelligence tests, though few have examined the biological basis of these effects. To investigate correlations with breastfeeding, we examined the major white matter tracts in 4–8 year-old children using diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric measurements of the corpus callosum. We found a significant correlation between the duration of infant breastfeeding and fractional anisotropy scores in left-lateralized white matter tracts, including the left superior longitudinal fasciculus and left angular bundle, which is indicative of greater intrahemispheric connectivity. However, in contrast to expectations from earlier studies, no correlations were observed with corpus …

Light Interception And Growth In Pastures Under Ideal And Stressful Conditions On The Allegheny Plateau, Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Wheat Blast: A New Threat To Food Security, M. Tofazzal Islam, Dipali Rani Gupta, Akbar Hossain, Krishna K. Roy, Xinyao He, Muhammad R. Kabir, Pawan K. Singh, Md. Arifur Rahman Khan, Mahfuzur Rahman, Guo-Liang Wang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Wheat blast, caused by the Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) lineage (synonym Pyricularia oryzae Triticum lineage), is a destructive disease in South America and Bangladesh. It is primarily a disease of wheat head, which can cause yield loss up to 100% under favorable disease conditions. The head infection results in complete or partial bleaching of the spike above the point of infection with either no grain or shriveled grain with low test weight. Due to low fungicide efficacy against the disease and lack of availability of resistant varieties, an integrated management program should be adopted to control this serious wheat disease. …

The Impact Of The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program On Low Income Regions, Quin Colson

Research Papers

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a program that evolved from the Food Stamp Program. The Food Stamp Program was started 1939 after the Great Depression to combat food insecurity in the United States. Food insecurity occurs when an individual is without access to enough affordable and nutritious food. According to the USDA, the concept was developed by Henry Wallace, the Secretary of Agriculture and Milo Perkins who became the first administrator of the program. The initial concept was to allow participants in need the opportunity to purchase food, some of which was deemed as surplus. Some think it was …

Implementation Of Employee Wellness Programming In Siuc Athletic Department, James Morrison

Research Papers

With longer workdays and the ever-growing technological base of society, inactivity and poor diet have become a staple in western civilization (Sharma & Majumdar, 2009). Between meeting the demands of work, family, and other responsibilities that may intrude on a day-to-day basis, maintaining one’s health can be a challenge. This struggle not only affects an individual’s health, but their external and social life as well, as decreased productivity and missed days of work may also be outcomes of poor health maintenance. The development of employee wellness programs has been an effective way to cope with the resultant health effects brought …

Innate Immune Receptor Nod2 Mediates Lgr5+ Intestinal Stem Cell Protection Against Ros Cytotoxicity Via Mitophagy Stimulation, Antonin Levy, Aline Stedman, Eric Deutsch, Françoise Donnadieu, Herbert W. Virgin, Philippe J. Sansonetti, Giulia Nigro

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Gene-By-Gene Interactions Associated With The Risk Of Conotruncal Heart Defects, Chen Lyu, Daniel M Webber, Stewart L Macleod, Charlotte A Hobbs, Ming Li, National Birth Defects Prevention Study

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: The development of conotruncal heart defects (CTDs) involves a complex relationship among genetic variants and maternal lifestyle factors. In this article, we focused on the interactions between 13 candidate genes within folate, homocysteine, and transsulfuration pathways for potential association with CTD risk.

METHODS: Targeted sequencing was used for 328 case-parental triads enrolled in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). To evaluate the interaction of two genes, we applied a conditional logistic regression model for all possible SNP pairs within two respective genes by contrasting the affected infants with their pseudo-controls. The findings were replicated in an independent sample …

Identifying Determinants Of Bacterial Fitness In A Model Of Human Gut Microbial Succession, Lihui Feng, Arjun S. Raman, Matthew C. Hibberd, Jiye Cheng, Nicholas W. Griffin, Yangqing Peng, Semen A. Leyn, Dmitry A. Rodionov, Andrei L. Osterman, Jeffrey I. Gordon

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Uterine Natural Killer Cell Heterogeneity: Lessons From Mouse Models, Dorothy K Sojka

Open Access Publications

Natural killer (NK) cells are the most abundant lymphocytes at the maternal-fetal interface. Epidemiological data implicate NK cells in human pregnancy outcomes. Discoveries using mouse NK cells have guided subsequent advances in human NK cell biology. However, it remains challenging to identify mouse and human uterine NK (uNK) cell function(s) because of the dynamic changes in the systemic-endocrinological and local uterine structural microenvironments during pregnancy. This review discusses functional similarities and differences between mouse and human NK cells at the maternal-fetal interface.

Genomic Prediction Of Alcohol-Related Morbidity And Mortality, Tuomo Kiiskinen, Nina J. Mars, Teemu Palviainen, Jukka Koskela, Joel T. Rämö, Pietari Ripatti, Sanni Ruotsalainen, Finngen, Gscan Consortium, Aarno Palotie, Pamela A.F. Madden, Richard J. Rose, Jaakko Kaprio, Veikko Salomaa, Pia Mäkelä, Aki S. Havulinna, Samuli Ripatti

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Framework For Applying Natural Language Processing In Digital Health Interventions, Burkhardt Funk, Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit, Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft, Mickey Todd Trockel, Grace E Monterubio, Neha J Goel, Katherine N Balantekin, Dawn M Eichen, Rachael E Flatt, Marie-Laure Firebaugh, Corinna Jacobi, Andrea K Graham, Mark Hoogendoorn, Denise E Wilfley, C Barr Taylor

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Digital health interventions (DHIs) are poised to reduce target symptoms in a scalable, affordable, and empirically supported way. DHIs that involve coaching or clinical support often collect text data from 2 sources: (1) open correspondence between users and the trained practitioners supporting them through a messaging system and (2) text data recorded during the intervention by users, such as diary entries. Natural language processing (NLP) offers methods for analyzing text, augmenting the understanding of intervention effects, and informing therapeutic decision making.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present a technical framework that supports the automated analysis of both types of …

Insulin Resistance Drives Hepatic De Novo Lipogenesis In Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Gordon I Smith, Mahalakshmi Shankaran, Mihoko Yoshino, George G Schweitzer, Maria Chondronikola, Joseph W Beals, Adewole L Okunade, Bruce W Patterson, Edna Nyangau, Tyler Field, Claude B Sirlin, Saswata Talukdar, Marc K Hellerstein, Samuel Klein

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUNDAn increase in intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) is the hallmark feature of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is decreased by weight loss. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) contributes to steatosis in individuals with NAFLD. The physiological factors that stimulate hepatic DNL and the effect of weight loss on hepatic DNL are not clear.METHODSHepatic DNL, 24-hour integrated plasma insulin and glucose concentrations, and both liver and whole-body insulin sensitivity were determined in individuals who were lean (n = 14), obese with normal IHTG content (n = 26), or obese with NAFLD (n = 27). Hepatic DNL was assessed using the deuterated …