Digital Commons Network^™

Likely Community Transmission Of Covid-19 Infections Between Neighboring, Persistent Hotspots In Ontario, Canada, Ben C. Shirley, Eliseos J. Mucaki, Peter Rogan

Biochemistry Publications

Introduction: This study aimed to produce community-level geo-spatial mapping of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario Canada in near real-time to support decision-making. This was accomplished by area-to-area geostatistical analysis, space-time integration, and spatial interpolation of COVID-19 positive individuals.
Methods: COVID-19 cases and locations were curated for geostatistical analyses from March 2020 through June 2021, corresponding to the first, second, and third waves of infections. Daily cases were aggregated according to designated forward sortation area (FSA), and postal codes (PC) in municipal regions Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Toronto, and Windsor/Essex county. Hotspots were identified with area-to-area tests including Getis-Ord Gi*, Global …

Unh Research Finds Lack Of Childcare Led To Disproportionate Job Loss, Erika Mantz

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Helping Homeless Youth: Epistemological Implications Of Power In A Ypar Project, Eric Demeulenaere

Education

Text from Nasma: “I’ve started moving my things out of the house. I’m putting it in your office for now.” Thus began the story of how one of the youth I had worked with for four years on various YPAR projects became homeless and turned to me for help. Entering this crisis with Nasma took time and an emotional toll, and it affected the power dynamics of our relationship when finishing our YPAR project. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) works to rebalance power in inequitable relationships based on roles, age, race, gender, etc. Providing care to Nasma as she confronted …

Spatially Distributed Infection Increases Viral Load In A Computational Model Of Sars-Cov-2 Lung Infection, Melanie E. Moses, Steven Hofmeyr, Judy L. Cannon, Akil Andrews, Rebekah Gridley, Monica Hinga, Kirtus Leyba, Abigail Pribisova, Vanessa Surjadidjaja, Humayra Tasnim, Stephanie Forrest

Pathology Research and Scholarship

A key question in SARS-CoV-2 infection is why viral loads and patient outcomes vary dramatically across individuals. Because spatial-temporal dynamics of viral spread and immune response are challenging to study in vivo, we developed Spatial Immune Model of Coronavirus (SIMCoV), a scalable computational model that simulates hundreds of millions of lung cells, including respiratory epithelial cells and T cells. SIMCoV replicates viral growth dynamics observed in patients and shows how spatially dispersed infections can lead to increased viral loads. The model also shows how the timing and strength of the T cell response can affect viral persistence, oscillations, and control. …

The Weekly Challenger, December 23, 2021, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The December 23, 2021, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

December 23 Roundtable Update, Marissa Zanfardino

Elections, Census & Redistricting Updates

No abstract provided.

All-Sky Search For Short Gravitational-Wave Bursts In The Third Advanced Ligo And Advanced Virgo Run, R. Abbott

Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a search for generic short-duration gravitational-wave transients in data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. Transients with durations of milliseconds to a few seconds in the 24-4096 Hz frequency band are targeted by the search, with no assumptions made regarding the incoming signal direction, polarization, or morphology. Gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences that have been identified by other targeted analyses are detected, but no statistically significant evidence for other gravitational wave bursts is found. Sensitivities to a variety of signals are presented. These include updated upper limits on …

68 | ‘En Esur (‘Ein Asawir) Iii Excavations In The Bronze Age Cemetery, Yehuda Dagan, Shelley Sadeh

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

This volume is the third in a series of reports documenting excavations at the large protohistoric site of ‘En Esur and its extensive burial grounds, located in the northern Sharon plain along a major ancient trade route. The four relatively intact and undisturbed Early Bronze Age burial caves presented in the current volume, excavated in the framework of the Cross Israel Highway Project, revealed over 2000 complete ceramic vessels representing an uninterrupted sequence over several hundred years. These four burial caves comprise an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of the society, trade relations and burial customs in the region during …

Amicus Curiae Observations By Public International Law & Policy Group, Milena Sterio, Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams

Law Faculty Briefs and Court Documents

The amicus brief argues that in a case where the defendant alleges a ground excluding criminal responsibility (an affirmative defense), such as mental illness or duress, the defendant has an evidentiary burden to produce some evidence to support his/her claim of mental illness or duress, but that the prosecution retains the legal burden of proof to establish the defendant's responsibility beyond reasonable doubt.

“This ruling will have repercussions for future cases where the defendant asserts a mental illness or duress affirmative defense. Depending on how the ICC decides, future defendants will have to meet a specific evidentiary (or legal) burden …

A Modest Proposal: Leveraging Private Enforcement Mechanisms And The Bayh-Dole Act To Reduce Drug Prices In The U.S. Healthcare Industry, Brittany Day

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

The United States healthcare system is one of the most expensive in the world. Unlike other products, when drug prices skyrocket, people may die. While advocating for various solutions, both the Biden and Trump administrations have recognized the importance of halting the rise of prescription drug prices. Most of the solutions advanced are focused on government-side initiatives, such as allowing Medicare to directly negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. Yet, the "march-in rights" built into the Bayh-Dole Act create an opportunity to set up a mechanism that would invite private actors to sue pharmaceutical companies for unconscionable drug pricing. The Bayh-Dole Act …

Trial Of Spesolimab For Generalized Pustular Psoriasis, Hervé Bachelez, Milan J Anadkat, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, life-threatening, inflammatory skin disease characterized by widespread eruption of sterile pustules. Interleukin-36 signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Spesolimab, a humanized anti-interleukin-36 receptor monoclonal antibody, is being studied for the treatment of GPP flares.

METHODS: In a phase 2 trial, we randomly assigned patients with a GPP flare in a 2:1 ratio to receive a single 900-mg intravenous dose of spesolimab or placebo. Patients in both groups could receive an open-label dose of spesolimab on day 8, an open-label dose of spesolimab as a rescue medication after day 8, …

Safety And Tolerability Of Hydroxychloroquine In Health Care Workers And First Responders For The Prevention Of Covid-19: Whip Covid-19 Study, John E. Mckinnon, Dee Dee Wang, Marcus J. Zervos, Matthew A. Saval, Laurie B. Marshall-Nightengale, Paul Kilgore, Pardeep Pabla, Ed Szandzik, Kathleen Maksimowicz-Mckinnon, William W. O'Neill

Cardiology Articles

BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCW) are among the highest risk groups for acquisition of COVID-19 because of occupational exposures. The WHIP COVID-19 Study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as chemoprophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population.

METHODS: HCW, first responders, and other occupationally high-risk participants were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study of HCQ from April to October 2020. The trial compared daily versus weekly HCQ with placebo and with a prospective cohort on HCQ for autoimmune diseases. Participants were followed for 8 weeks. Serology or a positive polymerase chain reaction test was used …

Clinical Utility And Cost Effectiveness Of Long-Acting Lipoglycopeptides Used In Deep-Seated Infections Among Patients With Social And Economic Barriers To Care, Kayla Antosz, Majdi N. Al-Hasan, Z. Kevin Lu, Benjamin Tabor, Julie Ann Justo, Alexander Milgrom, Joseph Kohn, P. Brandon Bookstaver

Faculty Publications

The use of long-acting lipoglycopeptides (LaLGPs) in serious, deep-seated infections is of increasing interest. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the economic and clinical utility of LaLGPs in patients requiring protracted antibiotic courses who are not ideal candidates for oral transition or outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT). This is a retrospective, observational, matched cohort study of adult patients who received a LaLGP. Patients were matched 1:1 to those who received standard of care (SOC). Cost effectiveness was evaluated as total healthcare-related costs between groups. Clinical failure was a composite endpoint of mortality, recurrence, or need for extended antibiotics …

Affective Computing For Late-Life Mood And Cognitive Disorders, Erin Smith, Eric A. Storch, Ipsit Vahia, Stephen T.C. Wong, Helen Lavretsky, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Harris A. Eyre

Brain Health Faculty Research

Affective computing (also referred to as artificial emotion intelligence or emotion AI) is the study and development of systems and devices that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate emotion or other affective phenomena. With the rapid growth in the aging population around the world, affective computing has immense potential to benefit the treatment and care of late-life mood and cognitive disorders. For late-life depression, affective computing ranging from vocal biomarkers to facial expressions to social media behavioral analysis can be used to address inadequacies of current screening and diagnostic approaches, mitigate loneliness and isolation, provide more personalized treatment approaches, and …

Paving The Way For Mind-Reading: Reinterpreting "Coercion" In Article 17 Of The Third Geneva Convention, John Zarrilli

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Mind-reading is no longer a concept confined to the world of science-fiction: "Brain reading technologies are rapidly being developed in a number of neuroscience fields." One obvious application is to the field of criminal justice: Mind-reading technology can potentially aid investigators in assessing critical legal questions such as guilt, legal insanity, and the risk of recidivism. Two current techniques have received the most scholarly attention for their potential in aiding interrogators in determining guilt: brain-based lie detection and brain-based memory detection. The growing ability to peer inside someone's mind raises significant legal issues. A number of American scholars, especially in …

Ferpa And State Open Records Laws: What The North Carolina Supreme Court Got Wrong In Dth Media Corp. V. Folt, And How Courts & Congress Can Take Measures To Reconcile Privacy And Access Interests, Danielle Siegel

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Over the past few years, courts across the country have confronted a common scenario. Members of the public and media request records from a public university pertaining to its investigations of sexual assault and misconduct on campus. Then, media outlets contend they have a right to access these records under state open records laws. But the university claims that it cannot, or will not, disclose the records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 ("FERPA").

The media outlet then files suit to compel disclosure. This Note explores the competing privacy and access interests at stake in this …

How To Compromise On Saving The Most Lives: A Commentary On Hellman And Nicholson, “Rationing And Disability”, David Wasserman

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

Deborah Hellman and Kate Nicholson’s “Rationing Disability” is a skillfully integrated analysis of the legal and ethical challenges of avoiding disability discrimination in setting priorities for the allocation of scarce lifesaving resources. Their analysis goes beyond the important but narrow question of what it means to wrongfully discriminate against people with disabilities in this context to the broader question of how to find a principled compromise between the consequentialist goals of public health and the potentially conflicting public value of “equal concern and respect” for each person. I will focus on this broader issue.

I agree with much …

Passion For Fashion, Christina Casinelli

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Cheryl Farmer, Oral History Interview, 2021, Matt Jones

Oral Histories

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving …

Improved Pill Splitter: An Analysis Of 3&4-Point Bending To Split Pills, Isaac Sasser, Andrew Brown, Minju Lee

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

There is a niche in the pill splitting industry for a more efficient pill splitter. To fill this niche we explore various applications of 3-Point and 4-Point bending to pill splitting. All designs are 3D printed. Due to the elastic nature of PLA plastic, the reality that 3-Point bending may cause pills to fail in compression (as revealed by FEM analysis), and the difficulty in managing volume constraints in a 3-Point bending design, 4-Point bending is considered as a viable option for pill splitting. However, after testing and analysis, the 4-Point bending prototypes generated were able to break pills, but …

Framework For Enhanced Applicability Of The Egyptian Public Procurement Law To International Administrative Construction Contracts, Amr Abu Helw

Theses and Dissertations

Local governments and public authorities conclude contracts for the purpose of acquisition of goods, delivery of services and construction of public facilities like bridges, infrastructures and public buildings. A public contract is an agreement to perform particular tasks financed by government funds to the benefit of the whole community. Private entities and corporations are subject to stricter standards in their dealings with the government than in private transactions. Conversely, the government must deal fairly and equitably with those who it contracted with to achieve successful implementation of the projects. On October 3, 2018, a new Egyptian public procurement law, namely, …

Imf's Loan Conditionality: Negative Consequences In The Borrower Country And The Burden Of Responsibility, Sara Mohamed Osama Abdalla Atta

Theses and Dissertations

People often think that IFIs, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are prominent players in the global economy by providing funds to countries in need of development and sustainment of welfare, unfortunately these institutions can cause devastating effects in the borrower country. The harsh conditionality of the IMF plays a huge role in the negative economic consequences incumbent upon the borrower country. Meanwhile, the lack of legal remedies for private individuals suffering from the conditionality aggravates the consequences for these people. On the one hand, conditionality may strain the economy of the borrower country which leads …

Attitudes Toward Pursuing Genetic Testing Among Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Taiwan: A Qualitative Investigation, Zihan Zhang, Justin Kramer, Haocen Wang, Wei-Ju Chen, Tse-Yang Huang, Yann-Jang Chen, Tung-Sung Tseng, Lei-Shih Chen

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases is increasing in Taiwan. Genetic testing for children with ASD offers several potential benefits and is available with out-of-pocket expenses. Parents play a pivotal role in having their children with ASD tested; therefore, understanding their perceptions of, and perceived barriers to genetic testing is vital. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 parents of children with ASD in Taiwan. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 12 software (QSR International, Doncaster, Australia) was used to facilitate an inductive coding methodology. Results: The majority of participants (74.4%) supported ASD genetic testing for …

Energy Consumption Forecasting Using Machine Learning, Mahdi Mohammadigohari

Theses

Forecasting electricity demand and consumption accurately is critical to the optimal and costeffective operation system, providing a competitive advantage to companies. In working with seasonal data and external variables, the traditional time-series forecasting methods cannot be applied to electricity consumption data. In energy planning for a generating company, accurate power forecasting for the electrical consumption prediction, as a technique, to understand and predict the market electricity demand is of paramount importance. Their power production can be adjusted accordingly in a deregulated market. As data type is seasonal, Persistence Models (Naïve Models), Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Averages with eXogenous regressors (SARIMAX), …

Protocol For Escitalopram And Language Intervention For Subacute Aphasia (Elisa): A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Melissa D. Stockbridge, Julius Fridriksson, Souvik Sen, Leonardo Bonilha

Faculty Publications

In this forthcoming multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, we will investigate the augmentative effects of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, escitalopram, on language therapy in individuals with post-stroke aphasia. We hypothesize that, when combined with language therapy, daily escitalopram will result in greater improvement than placebo in an untrained picture naming task (Philadelphia Naming Test short form) administered one week after the end of language therapy. We also will examine whether escitalopram's effect on language is independent of its effect on depression, varies with lesion location, or is associated with increased functional connectivity within the left hemisphere. Finally, we …

Using Bioinformatics And Ncbi Tools To Sequence And Structure Analysis Of Transcription Factor 7 Like 2 Gene (Tcf7l2) In Iraqi Diabetic Mellitus Type Ii Patients, Batool Queen, Abbas Mohammed

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

In this paper, the study aimed to analyze the sequence and structure of Transcription Factor 7 Like 2 gene (TCF7L2) in Iraqi Diabetic Mellitus Type II (T2DM) Patients and was compared with standard sequence form National Center of Bioinformatics Tools (NCBI) using BLAST. Ten blood samples of (T2DM) Iraqi patients, was collected from Al-Mustansiriya University National Diabetes Centre in Baghdad Province/Iraq (17-65 year). DNA was extracted from whole blood of patients’ samples using the Quick-DNA™ Blood MiniPrep kit, then it was sent to Korea at Macrogen Corporartion Company, where they used automated DNA sequencing for sequence analysis. The results of …

Development And Validation Of A Shortened And Practical Frailty Index For People With Intellectual Disabilities, J. D. Schoufour, A. Oppewal, M. C. Van Maurik, Thessa Hilgenkamp, R. G. Elbers, D. A.M. Maes-Festen

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Background: There is no widely used instrument to detect frailty in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). We aimed to develop and validate a shorter and more practical version of a published frailty index for people with IDs. Method: This study was part of the longitudinal ‘Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disability’ study. We included 982 people with IDs aged 50 years and over. The previously developed and validated ID-Frailty Index consisting of 51 deficits was used as the basis for the shortened version, the ID-FI Short Form. Content of the ID-FI Short Form was based on statistics and clinical and practical …

The Evolution Of Device-Assisted Enteroscopy: From Sonde Enteroscopy To Motorized Spiral Enteroscopy, Freddy Nehme, Hermant Goyal, Abhilash Perisetti Md, Ben Tharian, Neil Sharma Md, Tony C. Tham, Rajiv Chhabra

PCI Publications and Projects

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC: Recent Updates in Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

The introduction of capsule endoscopy in 2001 opened the last “black box” of the gastrointestinal tract enabling complete visualization of the small bowel. Since then, numerous new developments in the field of deep enteroscopy have emerged expanding the diagnostic and therapeutic armamentarium against small bowel diseases. The ability to achieve total enteroscopy and visualize the entire small bowel remains the holy grail in enteroscopy. Our journey in the small bowel started historically with sonde type enteroscopy and ropeway enteroscopy. Currently, double-balloon enteroscopy, single-balloon enteroscopy, and spiral …

Cerebral Perfusion And Sensory Testing Results Differ In Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patients With And Without Fibromyalgia: A Site-Specific Mapp Network Study, Georg Deutsch, Hrishikesh Deshpande, H Henry Lai, Jason J Kutch, Timothy J Ness

Open Access Publications

Purpose: Fibromyalgia is a common co-morbidity in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Quantitative sensory testing measures and regional cerebral blood flow measures have been noted to differ from healthy controls in both subjects with fibromyalgia and those with interstitial cystitis when studied independently. The present study examined such measures in subjects with the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis both with and without the co-diagnosis of fibromyalgia to determine whether differences in these measures may be associated with co-morbidity.

Patients and Methods: Female subjects with the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis with (n = 15) and without (n = 19) the co-diagnosis …

Childcare Remains Out Of Reach For Millions In 2021, Leading To Disproportionate Job Losses For Black, Hispanic, And Low-Income Families, Jonathan Koltai, Jess Carson, Tyrus Parker, Rebecca Glauber

Carsey Publications

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, collected in late summer through the fall of 2021, this brief documents recent racial and income disparities in reports of inadequate access to childcare and identifies the employment-related consequences of these shortages.

The authors find that, in Fall 2021, about 5 million U.S. households had a child under age 12 who was unable to attend childcare as a result of it being closed, unavailable, unaffordable, or because parents were concerned about their child’s safety in the past month. Black and low-income households were more likely to experience inadequate childcare access. …