Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting Drug-Induced Liver Injury With Artificial Intelligence, Ting Li

Theses and Dissertations

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an undesirable side effect to the liver caused by the common use of drugs, which is of great concern to the patients, physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and government regulators. The current animal testing models do not present reliable results on the human DILI risk prediction during the preclinical phase. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find alternative methods to improve the human DILI risk prediction during the early stage of development. Utilizing the accumulated high-throughput transcriptomics profiles from L1000, we constructed an 8-layer deep neural network for human DILI prediction based on the largest …

A Comparison Of Two Debriefing Methods On Clinical Reasoning Outcomes, Learner Satisfaction With Debriefing And Reflection, Clinical Learning And Clinical Reasoning, And Psychological Safety Of Nurse Orientees In Simulation-Based Education, Lori A. Persico

Dissertations

Simulation-based education is a teaching method used successfully in military, aviation, and medical education; however, the evidence rarely indicates how debriefing affects the learners' experiences. Debriefing is an essential component of simulation-based education that fosters conceptual learning, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different debriefing methods on nurses' perceptions of psychological safety, satisfaction with development of clinical reasoning skills, and satisfaction with learning.

Benzodiazepine Use And Dependence In Relation To Chronic Pain Intensity And Pain Catastrophizing, Emma Carnes Lape

Theses - ALL

Benzodiazepines (BZDs), a class of sedative-hypnotic drugs, are at the center of an emerging prescription drug crisis. From approximately 1995-2015, overdose deaths involving BZDs quadrupled and average dose equivalents more than tripled. Specific concern has centered on elevated rates of BZD use among individuals with chronic pain, given that BZDs are generally not indicated for pain management. Consistent with negative reinforcement and motivational models of substance use, desire for pain alleviation may be a salient motivator of BZD use, particularly as individuals commonly report using BZDs for negative affect alleviation. The present study tested cross-sectional associations between pain intensity and …

Characterizing Primary Care For Patients With Major Depressive Disorder Using Electronic Health Records Of A Us-Based Healthcare Provider, Sharon L. Larson, Andrei Nemoianu, Debra F Lawrence, Melissa A Troup, Michael R Gionfriddo, Bobak Pousti, Haiyan Sun, Faisal Riaz, Eric S Wagner, Lambros Chrones, Maelys Touya

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is predominantly managed in primary care. However, primary care providers (PCPs) may not consistently follow evidence-based treatment algorithms, leading to variable patient management that can impact outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed adult patients with MDD seen at Geisinger, an integrated health system. Utilizing electronic health record (EHR) data, we classified patients as having MDD based on International Classification of Disease (ICD)-9/10 codes or a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 score ≥5. Outcomes assessed included time to first visit with a PCP or behavioral health specialist following diagnosis, antidepressant medication switching, persistence, healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and …

Platelet Micrornas Inhibit Primary Tumor Growth Via Broad Modulation Of Tumor Cell Mrna Expression In Ectopic Pancreatic Cancer In Mice, Jeremy G.T. Wurtzel, Sophia Lazar, Sonali Sikder, Kathy Q Cai, Igor Astsaturov, Andrew S Weyrich, Jesse W Rowley, Lawrence E. Goldfinger

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

We investigated the contributions of platelet microRNAs (miRNAs) to the rate of growth and regulation of gene expression in primary ectopic tumors using mouse models. We previously identified an inhibitory role for platelets in solid tumor growth, mediated by tumor infiltration of platelet microvesicles (microparticles) which are enriched in platelet-derived miRNAs. To investigate the specific roles of platelet miRNAs in tumor growth models, we implanted pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells as a bolus into mice with megakaryocyte-/platelet-specific depletion of mature miRNAs. We observed an ~50% increase in the rate of growth of ectopic primary tumors in these mice compared to controls …

Caregiver Participation Engagement In Child Mental Health Prevention Programs: A Systematic Review, Rachel Haine‑Schlagel, Kelsey S. Dickson, Teresa Lind, Joanna J. Kim, Gina C. May, Natalia Escobar Walsh, Vanja Lazarevic, Brent R. Crandal, May Yeh

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Prevention programs are a key method to reduce the prevalence and impact of mental health disorders in childhood and adolescence. Caregiver participation engagement (CPE), which includes caregiver participation in sessions as well as follow-through with homework plans, is theorized to be an important component in the effectiveness of these programs. This systematic review aims to (1) describe the terms used to operationalize CPE and the measurement of CPE in prevention programs, (2) identify factors associated with CPE, (3) examine associations between CPE and outcomes, and (4) explore the effects of strategies used to enhance CPE. Thirty-nine articles representing 27 unique …

Control Flow Integrity For Real-Time Embedded Systems, Yuqian Huo

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Devices built on embedded systems are widely used in our daily lives. Nowadays, firmware typically uses C and C++ for efficiency and durability. However, those languages are unsafe which can lead to many software and system security issues. Attackers can easily corrupt a system by issuing various memory corruption attacks on a vulnerable program. Control-flow integrity is one of the most prevalent mechanisms used to protect against memory corruption. Most research papers and prototypes focus on using CFI on high-performance chips such as Intel and ARM Cortex-A. However, many embedded systems targeting time critical services are built on resource constrained …

Developing Novel Molecular Detection Techniques For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Meg Sanders

Masters Theses

Hemlock forests in eastern North America face a deadly threat: the invasive insect, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae. Early detection of this pest remains a key focus for management groups to ensure rapid response to control and stop the spread of HWA. In Chapter II, our goals were to develop an affordable, easy-to-use trap that is compatible with airborne eDNA sampling techniques and assess its efficiency as a monitoring tool for HWA. We tested three potential trap designs (i.e., passive trap, funnel trap, and motorized trap) against a standard sticky trap. Our passive, funnel, and motorized traps estimated …

Policy And Polity: Space, Boundaries, And Governance In Early Modern London, 1580-1640, Michael Britton

Dissertations - ALL

The kingdom's principal city for law, governance, trade, and consumption, early modern London experienced a period of rapid growth and sprawl from the mid-sixteenth century. This nurtured more dense and frequent mobility and produced a dynamic, kinetic city. For civic authorities, however, boundaries took on greater urgence. Drawing on theories and principles of border studies, this dissertation treats the city's boundaries as processes forged and transformed by engagement, by the interplay between popular activity, political programs, and perceptions of space and authority. Policy and Polity, Space, Boundaries, and Governance in Early Modern London, 1580-1640 examines bordering at London Bridge, the …

The Phase Behavior Of Ubqln Proteins And Implications For Protein Quality Control, Yiran Yang

Dissertations - ALL

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy are essential pathways for maintaining protein quality control (PQC) in cells. Misfolded proteins and large aggregates are cleared by UPS and autophagy signaled by ubiquitin (Ub) or polyubiquitin (polyUb) chains. Shuttle proteins facilitate cargo transporting by interacting with both ubiquitin and degradation machineries. Previously, our lab discovered that the shuttle protein Ubiquilin-2 (UBQLN2) is recruited to stress granules in cells and undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in vitro. LLPS is a biophysical process by which proteins separate themselves from the surrounding aqueous solution by forming protein-rich droplets. The overarching goals of this work are …

Adsorption Of Organic Iodides On Reduced Silver Functionalized Silica Aerogel, Siqi Tang

Dissertations - ALL

In the nuclear waste reprocessing, radioactive iodine is released in both organic and inorganic forms into off-gas streams. Due to its properties of long half-life and accumulation in human bodies, the radioactive iodine is required to be removed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In this presented work, the removal of organic iodides is studied particularly. Unlike that of inorganic iodine, the organic iodides were not well studied because of the low concentrations and the corresponding technical difficulties. Most of the studies on the organic iodides are semi-quantified, focusing on the performances of the adsorption …

Not Appropriate For Children: A Look At The Composition Practices And Rhetorical Strategies Of Single Moms In Academia, Alexandria Margethe Hanson

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation explores how single mothers in higher education across geographic locations, academic ranks, disciplines, and identities build support systems and draw on rhetorical strategies derived from their embodied knowledge to survive and navigate in academia. Single mother experiences are underrepresented in scholarship about parenting in higher education. This absence is evidenced in policies, systems, and structures that prioritize the needs of heteronormative family units. The lived experiences and material realities of single mothers reveal how their lives outside academia shape and are shaped by their lives within it, including scholarly activity, interactions with colleagues, and relationships with their children. …

A Graduatte Level Immersive-Simulattion Program For Teaching And Assessing Fundamental Skills In Entry Level Clinical Perfusionists., Bruce Searles

Dissertations - ALL

Background: The clinical perfusionist is a member of the open-heart-surgery team and responsible for operating the life support equipment that replaces the function of the patient's heart and lungs and arrests and restarts the patient's heart in the course of a Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) procedure. In the perfusionists scope of practice, the consequence of unskilled actions, inaccurate understanding or delayed decision making may result in significant patient morbidity or even death. Historically, perfusion students have learned and practiced their skills within a clinical preceptorship program in which an experienced clinician allows the novice student to operate the life support equipment …

The Impact Of Critical Incidents On Nurses And Midwives: A Systematic Review, Melanie Buhlmann, Beverley Ewens, Amineh Rashidi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims: To synthesise the existing literature, which focuses on the impact of critical incidents on nurses and midwives, and to explore their experiences related to the support they received in the current healthcare environment to move on from the event.

Design: Systematic review and qualitative synthesis.

Data sources: The electronic databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase and Nursing and Allied Health (ProQuest) were systematically searched from 2013–2018, and core authors and journals identified in the literature were manually investigated.

Review methods: Qualitative studies of all research design types written in English were included according to the PRISMA reporting guidelines. The …

Developing An Air Pollutant Emissions Database For Global Economic Analysis, Maksym Chepeliev

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

According to the Global Burden of Disease study (Cohen et al., 2017), in 2015 ambient air pollutant emissions caused 4.2 million deaths and a loss of 103.1 million disability-adjusted life-years, making it the fifth-ranked global risk factor. In terms of the welfare costs of mortality and illnesses associated with outdoor air pollutant emissions, global estimates for 2015 range between $2.7-3.2 trillion (Coady et al., 2015; OECD, 2016). Still, while greenhouse gas emissions are usually well represented in many global economic databases and models, air pollutant emission accounts in most cases are not included. In particular, this is the case for …

2012 December University Of Memphis Commencement Program

Commencements

Program for the Fall convocation of the 101st commencement of the University of Memphis at Memphis, Tennessee, held at the FedEx Forum on December 16, 2012.

A Pilot Study Exploring The Relationship Between Urban Greenspace Accessibility And Mental Health Prevalence In The City Of San Diego In The Context Of Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors, Alexis Wilderman, Marcus Lam, Zhi-Yong Yin

Environmental and Ocean Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

The connection between urban greenspace and mental health is a robust but unsettled area of research in the public health and urban planning literatures. Inconsistent findings in prior studies are mostly due to differences in greenspace measurements and interrelations with socio-demographic factors. This study examines the relationships of mental health prevalence (MHP) with health prevention, socioeconomic and race-ethnicity factors, and proximity to greenspace at the census-tract level in the City of San Diego, California, using data from the CDC 500 Cities Project and US Census Bureau. We considered three greenspace proximity measures: distances to specified vegetation types, parks, and tree …

Proactive Public Libraries For Community Resilience And Ecological Sustainability, Alex Crowley

Student Theses

Public libraries are key institutions for dealing with crises in communities. In the midst of a devastating global pandemic and a continual wave of social uprisings, it is necessary for library workers to more seriously reckon with the need for drastic changes in the ways that public libraries respond to and operate within these conditions. It is unclear to what extent libraries have adopted significant changes recommended by organizations and professionals in the field to become resilient and ecologically sustainable. These changes include the abandonment of neutrality discourse, a democratic restructuring of workplaces, and the relocalization of library programs and …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Of P. Aeruginosa Clinical Isolates, Tian Gao

Theses - ALL

Long-term infection caused by P. aeruginosa poses a major threat to personal and public health, and causes billions of dollars in medical expenses. To develop more effective controls, it is important to accurately evaluate antibiotic susceptibility of clinical isolates and understand how susceptibility changes during the course of infection. Conventional drug susceptibility tests using nutrient-rich media have been questioned regarding their relevance due to the difference between the model in vivo test conditions and the environment in the patients. Here, we report that 27 clinical strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from cystic fibrosis patients showed higher drug resistance in Artificial …

Impact Of Medical Blog Reading And Information Presentation On Readers' Preventative Health Intentions: Mixed Methods, Multistudy Investigation, Kimberly A. Taylor Dnp, Rn, Nea-Bc, Cnor, William F. Humphrey

Publications

Background:

Medical blogs have become valuable information sources for patients and caregivers. Most research has focused on patients’ creation of blogs as therapy. But we know less about how these blogs affect their readers and what format of information influences readers to take preventative health actions.

Objective:

This study aimed to identify how reading patient medical blogs influences readers’ perceived health risk and their intentions to engage in preventative health actions. Further, we aimed to examine the format of the medical blog and the reader’s response.

Methods:

We surveyed 99 university participants and a general-population, online panel of 167 participants. …

Exploring The Therapeutic Effect Of Children's Picture Books, Yunfan Chen

Theses - ALL

This thesis discusses the phenomenon of left-behind children in China amid the country's urbanization, revealing the psychological state of these children in the countryside.

In this thesis, some psychological research sources have proven how picture books relieve children's emotions and attain therapeutic effects on children's psychology. Then, this thesis analyzes two examples of children's books depicting how picture books help children to manage their negative feelings and having a therapeutic effect on the child.

This thesis claims that bibliotherapy through children's independent reading of books can effectively alleviate left-behind children's negative emotions.

Sexual Dysfunction In Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review Of The Mechanisms And Clinical Considerations, Amber N. Edinoff, Catherine A. Nix, Juliana M. Fort, Jeanna Kimble, Ryan Guedry, George Thomas, Elyse M. Cornett, Adam Kaye, Alan D. Kaye

Pacific Faculty Work

Psychiatric disorders, in general, have a high prevalence of sexual problems, whether from the psychopathology of the disorder itself, pre-existing or co-morbid sexual disorder or from side effects of the treatment for mental disorders. Many patients report an already existing sexual dysfunction at the onset of diagnosis. The risk association for developing sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia includes antipsychotic use and resulting hyperprolactinemia, age, gender, and disease severity. Medication side effects lead to nonadherence, and relapses lead to structural changes in the brain, treatment resistance, and worsening of symptoms. Findings in certain studies propose serum prolactin and thyroid-stimulating hormone …

The Lived Experience Of Lebanese Oncology Patients Receiving Palliative Care, Myrna A. A. Doumit

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover the lived experience of Lebanese oncology patients receiving palliative care. The study design was based on the Utrecht School of phenomenology based on the Dutch school of phenomenology. This study followed purposeful sampling in which ten participants six women and four men with a mean age of 54.4 years were selected. The proposed research was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at the American University of Beirut and Duquesne University. In-depth semi-structured interviews along with observation-field notes were used as the source for data collection. Data were analyzed using the hermeneutic phenomenological …

Democrats Sour On Sununu As Nh Governor's Approval Continues To Decline 12/22/2021, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

After enjoying widespread popularity throughout much of his tenure as governor, only a slim majority currently approve of Governor Chris Sununu's job performance. Much of this decline is due to a sizeable drop in support among Democrats. With Sununu having chosen not to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, several individuals have been mentioned as candidates for the Republican nomination, but many are not well-known or well-liked in the state. A record low believe the state is headed in the right direction.

Understanding Engendered Trust: Facilitating School-Nurse Trustworthiness Behaviors, Anne H. J. Summach

Theses

School nurses are involved in a complex framework of interactions with students, other professionals, parents and administrators. Trust between nurse and student is critical for interaction effectiveness. Little extant research examines trust in this setting, or interactions between students and nurses. The goal of this study was to understand through phenomenology the process of engendering trust in school nurse—high school student interactions. The qualitative approach explored school nurse perceptions of experiences interacting with students, yielding insights into nurse and setting based factors contributing to the development of trust. Subthemes within these included key behaviours and attributes enhancing trust engenderment in …

Protecting The University As A Physical Place In The Age Of Postdigitization, Ryan M. Allen, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Covid-19 forced higher education sectors across the world to digitize the entire university experience online. There are now calls for universities to continue chasing continued and further digitization, often from for-profit businesses and those in Silicon Valley who have been promising to disrupt the sector for decades. We argue that the pandemic has illustrated how crucial universities are to their local communities, and efforts should be made to emphasize their physical place and space. The destruction of American cities in favor of auto-centric suburbs provides a parallel for the possible future of higher education. The Cult of Efficiency mindset and …

Responses To Environmental Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Susan P. Kemp, Lawrence A. Palinkas, Amy Krings

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Communities worldwide are facing environmental crises such as air pollution, water shortages, climate change, and other forms of environmental change and degradation. While technical solutions for environmental change are essential, so too are solutions that consider social acceptability, value cultural relevance, and prioritize equity and social justice. Social work has a critical and urgent role in creating and implementing macrolevel social responses to environmental change. The key concepts of environmental change, environmental and ecological justice, social vulnerability, and social responses are discussed. A description of the roles and skills unique to macro social workers for this effort is given, followed …

First-Generation College Student Baccalaureate Attainment: Investigation Of A Psychological Model Of College Student Retention, Timothy Wasserman

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examined predictors of retention and graduation for first-generation (FG), first-year students at a selective, private, residential university in the northeastern United States. The theoretical framework was Bean and Eaton's (2000, 2001/2002) Psychological Model of College Student Retention. The purpose of the study was to test the Bean and Eaton model and ascertain how students' entry characteristics, experiences, psychological outcomes, attitudes, and intent to return impacted retention and graduation outcomes. Previous research shows that FG students face challenges in persisting (Cataldi et al., 2018; Choy, 2001; Ishitani, 2016); yet it is through graduating from a prestigious four-year institution that …

Aging Study Of Silver-Exchanged Mordenite And Silver-Functionalized Silica Aerogel In Dry Air, Humid Air, No And No2, Seungrag Choi

Dissertations - ALL

Iodine-129 (129I) is one of the volatile radioactive species in the off-gas streams generated from the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing system, and it is essential to remove 129I vapor because 129I has a long half-life (1.6 x 107 years) and can be fatal to the human body if released to the environment. Radioactive iodine vapor can be effectively captured by silver containing adsorbents such as silver exchanged mordenite (Ag0Z) and silver functionalized silica aerogel (Ag0-aerogel) used in this study. However, the aging impact of off-gas streams on the adsorbents is one of major issues in the removal of radioactive iodine …

The Effects Of Cannabidiol And Analgesic Expectancies On Experimental Pain Reactivity In Healthy Adults: A Balanced Placebo Design Trial, Martin De Vita

Dissertations - ALL

Experimental pain trials have been unable to determine whether cannabinoid analgesia is attributable to intoxication, analgesic expectancies, and/or pharmacological action. One approach to resolving this issue involves testing the effects of analgesic expectancies and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, on human pain reactivity using a balanced placebo design. Despite its frequent use for pain relief, no experimental research has tested the analgesic effects of CBD in humans. Using a within-subjects 2 x 2 balanced placebo factorial design, we experimentally tested the effects of CBD and expectancies for receiving CBD on pain reactivity (i.e., pain threshold, tolerance, intensity, unpleasantness, conditioned pain …