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Changes In Health Behaviors By Gender During A Global Pandemic, Anthony Costarella

Celebration of Scholarship 2022

As we emerge from Covid-19 pandemic, many people struggle to return to normal, leading us to ask what changes have occurred as a result of the virus and social distancing. We have observed 471 million people suffer with Covid-19, lost 6.08 million lives to the virus, and learned how the virus works as well as how to fight it, yet very little is known about the impact of the virus and its countermeasures on our health habits. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of gender on changes in health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Eight hundred and sixty-six subjects (70.8% …

Impact Of Expedited Partner Therapy, Sutha M. Fernando

Cohort X

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, have reached record high rates in the United States. Sexually transmitted infections disproportionately affect reproductive-aged males and females 15–44 years of age, who account for 65% and 42% of the total reported C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae cases, respectively. These infections are the most common treatable sexually transmitted infections in the United States. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to decrease the rates of recurrence of STIs in males and females older than 17 years at a private family practice clinic in Carrollton, Texas, in the Dallas metropolitan …

Reducing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections At A Rural Midwestern Hospital Through An Evidence-Based Nurse-Led Practice Change Intervention, Crystal B. Lavalley

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are responsible for increased patient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs, despite being a preventable harm (Barnes et al., 2015; Furuya et al., 2016). Evidence-based (EB) research suggests that the use of central line bundles is the most effective way to reduce CLABSIs in hospitals (Barnes et al., 2015; Furuya et al., 2016). Researchers have also found a statistically significant correlation between nurse compliance with bundle components and CLABSI rates (Aloush & Alsaraireh, 2018; Furuya et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine if a nurse-led collaborative that focused on CLABSI reduction using …

Discovery Of Novel Cancer Immunotherapy Targets With Next Generation Genome Engineering Methods, Jonathan Joon-Young Park

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Recent advances in immuno-oncology have led to remarkable clinical benefits in a variety of different cancers; however, a large fraction of patients encounter resistance. Identifying novel targets that can improve T cell functionality can therefore broaden the potential of cancer immunotherapy. We developed methods for discovering such targets using CRISPR gene editing technology. First, we created a hybrid genetic screening system where Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposons and single guide RNA cassettes are nested in an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to enable in vivo AAV-SB-CRISPR screens for membrane protein targets in CD8+ T cells in mouse models of glioblastoma. Second, we developed …

On The Surveillance And Spread Of Drug Resistant Malaria In Sub-Saharan Africa, Hanna Y. Ehrlich

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are among the most important tools in our arsenal to treat and control malaria. ACTs and other antimalarial drugs have contributed to significant declines in global malaria-attributed morbidity and mortality over the past few decades. However, progress is the effort to eradicate the disease has not been equally distributed: sub-Saharan Africa continues to experiences the vast majority of the burden of the disease. Recent reports of ACT resistance in Rwanda and Uganda confirm longstanding expectations that artemisinin-resistant parasites will eventually emerge in Africa. To delay the spread of artemisinin resistance across the malaria endemic sub-continent, it …

Ion Transport In Membranes With Sub-Nanometer Pores: Material Design And Selectivity Mechanisms, Xuechen Zhou

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

As of 2017, over 800 million people around the world still lacked the access to safe drinking water. With over 97% of the earth’s water stored in the ocean, reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination has been proposed as a promising solution to boost the water supply and alleviate the water shortage. Polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are the state-of-the-art membranes for RO separation and a typical PA TFC membrane can reject over 99% of the sodium chloride (NaCl) in the feed stream. Despite their exceptional water-salt separation capability, current PA membranes have two major limitations: 1) they are highly …

Fungal Burden Of Disease In Central And South America, Urmimala Chaudhuri

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Serious fungal infections are associated with an increase in mortality. Globally, fungal infections affect high-risk groups such as individuals with HIV/AIDS, asthma, transplant recipients, and those on immunosuppression. The most common fungal diseases include Histoplasmosis, Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), Candidiasis, and Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Epidemiological information on the prevalence of fungal diseases has been limited, particularly in Central and South America due to inadequate surveillance. Purpose: The aim of this review was to evaluate the burden of common fungal diseases in Central and South America and discuss strategies of national surveillance. Methods: PubMed searches were conducted from the years …

Synthesizing Epidemiological Evidence Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus To Predict The Potential Effectiveness Of Three Rsv Prevention Strategies, Zhe Zheng

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of respiratory infection and hospitalization for infants, children, and the elderly [1]. In this dissertation, I present five quantitative studies aimed at improving our understanding of the disease burden, epidemic timing, geographic spread, and prevention of RSV. Specifically, I applied statistical and mathematical models to (1) estimate respiratory hospitalizations attributable to RSV across age and socioeconomic groups; (2) identify drivers that impact RSV epidemic spatiotemporal patterns in a typical winter season; (3) estimate the timing and intensity of RSV reemergence following the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) compare the geographic spread of RSV epidemics …

The Center Of Vaccine Controversy: Wi-38 Cells, Courtney S. Chau

Classical Conversations

Throughout history, there exists no bigger killer than disease. For centuries, families have fought against sickness and death, and ancient culture has spent thousands of years developing their own methods for healing. In the most recent years, the field of medicine has greatly expanded, allowing for cures and medicine to be greatly distributed to the general public. Millions of lives have been saved, and today society can live without fear of lurking diseases snatching away loved ones with a blink of an eye. This senior thesis focuses on the development of vaccines made from the WI-38 cell line. This cell …

Purification Of Secreted Acid Phosphatase From Leishmania Tarentolae, Quyen Lai

University Research Symposium Posters and Abstracts

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by parasitic protozoans of the genus Leishmania. A potential target for drug design and treatment development for leishmaniasis is the enzyme Secreted Acid Phosphatase (SAP). This undergraduate research attempted to partially purify SAP from Leishmania tarentolae using ion exchange chromatography (Whatman DE51 and CM- Sephadex) and affinity chromatography (Con-A Sepharose 4B). The effectiveness of purification was evaluated via UV/Vis spectroscopy and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to estimate the molecular weight of SAP. The enzyme activity presented in each column fraction was detected by using p-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP) as artificial substrate and monitoring product …

The Public Health Response To Covid-19 In The Southwest Region Of Missouri, Jennifer Trott Mph, K. Holly Mead Phd, Marie-Anais Benoit, Dora Hughes Md, Mph, Jeffrey Levi Phd, Jacqueline Baños Mph, Semret Seyoum Mph, Marsha Regenstein Phd

Reports on Missouri's Public Health Response to COVID-19

The Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the Southwest Region of Missouri documents efforts by Southwest Missouri’s local public health agencies along with other stakeholders to leverage their partnerships, resources, and expertise to respond to COVID-19. Along with professional stakeholder accounts, the report includes residents’ perspectives and experiences during the COVID-19 response. Professional and resident findings helped identify lessons that could strengthen the public health system’s ability to continue responding to COVID-19 and face future crisis with greater resources, coordination, equitable strategies, modernized infrastructure and public trust. The findings in this report center on the period of the pandemic from …

The Public Health Response To Covid-19 In The Northeast Region Of Missouri, Jennifer Trott Mph, K. Holly Mead Phd, Anne Markus Phd, Jd, Alexis Acosta Msc, Jacqueline Baños Mph, Ciara Conway, Marie-Anais Benoit, Marsha Regenstein Phd

Reports on Missouri's Public Health Response to COVID-19

The Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the Northeast Region of Missouri documents efforts by Northeast Missouri’s local public health agencies along with other stakeholders to leverage their partnerships, resources, and expertise to respond to COVID-19. Along with professional stakeholder accounts, the report includes residents’ perspectives and experiences during the COVID-19 response. Professional and resident findings helped identify lessons that could strengthen the public health system’s ability to continue responding to COVID-19 and face future crisis with greater resources, coordination, equitable strategies, modernized infrastructure and public trust. The findings in this report center on the period of the pandemic from …

The Public Health Response To Covid-19 In The St. Louis Region Of Missouri, Marsha Regenstein Phd, K. Holly Mead Phd, Jennifer Trott Mph, Semret Seyoum Mph, Jacqueline Baños Mph, Hope Van Bronkhorst, Marie-Anais Benoit, Dora Hughes Md

Reports on Missouri's Public Health Response to COVID-19

The Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the St. Louis Region of Missouri documents efforts by St. Louis Missouri’s local public health agencies along with other stakeholders to leverage their partnerships, resources, and expertise to respond to COVID-19. Along with professional stakeholder accounts, the report includes residents’ perspectives and experiences during the COVID-19 response. Professional and resident findings helped identify lessons that could strengthen the public health system’s ability to continue responding to COVID-19 and face future crisis with greater resources, coordination, equitable strategies, modernized infrastructure and public trust. The findings in this report center on the period of the …

University Students' Trust In Scientists And The Cdc When Evaluating Information About The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tae'lor Allen, Kendy Reyes-Cruz

University Research Symposium Posters and Abstracts

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which likely emerged through a spillover from a viral reservoir bat population in China in late 2019. Since that time, COVID-19 has caused more than 5.22 million deaths worldwide. The SARS-Cov-2 causes respiratory illness and is especially serious for those with chronic illness, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Despite evidence that masking, vaccination, and social distancing prevent illness, such measures are controversial among some ideologies. We embarked on this study to better understand how college/university students evaluate scientific information related to the pandemic in this contentious context. College/university students are …

2022 University Research Symposium Program Book, The Graduate School

University Research Symposium Programs

Program book for the 2022 University Research Symposium.

Risks And Outcomes Associated With Pleural Space Infections After Lung Transplantation, Jane Simanovski, Hassan Nemeh, Lisa Allenspach, L. L. Mei, Lisa Stagner, Julio Pinto Corrales, Kaitlin Olexsey, Domingo J. Franco-Palacios, George Alangaden

Surgery Meeting Abstracts

Purpose: Pleural space infections (PSI) are a serious complication after lung transplantation (LT) however there is limited data on the associated risk factors and outcomes of PSI. We examined: 1) risk factors associated with PSI after LT; 2) effect of PSI on LT outcomes.

Methods: This is a retrospective single center cohort study of 74 consecutive LT recipients (1/2018- 6/2020). Patients were divided into infected and non-infected groups, where PSI were defined as post-LT pleural effusions with pathogen(s) isolated from pleural fluid. Data were collected and compared between two groups with two-sample t-test or Fisher-exact. Multivariable logit model was performed …

Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome, Temporally Associated With Sars-Cov-2 (Pims-Ts), Firdaus Hakimi Abdullah, Ashraf Shoma, Ahmed Darwish

Mansoura Medical Journal

This essay will delve into the knowledge circling the new emerging disease after COVID-19 has spread over the whole world and it affects children for the most part. PIMS-TS symptoms overlapped with Kawasaki Disease (KD) which is hyperinflammatory and multiorgan involvement. PIMS-TS incidence is unknown as of date. Albeit little is known about this disease, reports had shown that this disease is prevalent in the region where KD is not a familiar disease while regions that are famous with KD reported no case of PIMS-TS. While some symptoms overlapped with KD, the difference now is PIMS-TS affect the child of …

The Pandemic's Impact On The Efficacy Of Chaplaincy At The Baldwin State Prison, John Gomez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Chaplains usually provide pastoral care for inmates, staff members, and counseling for offenders and offenders’ families. Because of the pandemic, they have not provided adequate pastoral care and counseling in their respective facilities. The restrictions imposed by the pandemic have negatively impacted the chaplain’s ability to adequately provide pastoral care and counseling in most federal and state correctional institutions. The Department of Georgia Correctional facilities, particularly at the Baldwin State prison, has also experienced this decrease in pastoral care and counseling due to the pandemic. In the Georgia Department of Corrections, all visitations, including lawyers and clergy, have been suspended …

Wastewater Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 On American University Campuses: A Comparison Of Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Gosnell

Senior Theses

Wastewater surveillance has been used for a variety of purposes but, in recent years, has most notably been utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many universities in the United States used it as a means of monitoring levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on their campuses. The University of South Carolina, University of Arizona, and University of North Carolina- Charlotte were three such schools. An analysis of data published by these three schools has been used to synthesize a proposed list of best methods to be used by other universities during the reemergence of SARS-CoV-2 or during the outbreak of a new …

Transdisciplinary Environmental Work: An Evaluation Of Transdisciplinarity In The Field Of Environmental Science And Its Relevance To South Carolina Conservation Efforts In Lake Wateree And The Catawba Indian Reservation, Olivia Mn Shugart

Senior Theses

Transdisciplinarity describes the integration of knowledge and exchange of ideas across diverse academic disciplines, public stakeholders, and decision-makers. In this paper, I discuss the relevance of transdisciplinarity to the environmental field and offer ways in which its principles could be employed to enhance current South Carolina conservation efforts. I advocate for transdisciplinary work through analyzing existing discourse on the value of transdisciplinary research to the environmental field, and I present some of the challenges associated with this mass integration of knowledge. Finally, I describe three models of transdisciplinary research that have been proposed by scholars to address some of these …

Slow Violence And Racial Capitalism: Understanding Mass Incarceration Through A Case Study Of The California Prison System, Mason Joiner

Senior Theses

This thesis will analyze the growth of the California prison system, situating it in the national context of mass incarceration in the United States. In Ruth Wilson Gilmore’s book Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California, Gilmore utilizes the theory of racial capitalism to explain the history and development of the California prison system. By analyzing Gilmore’s arguments about racial capitalism and integrating them with Rob Nixon’s theory of slow violence from his book Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor, this thesis provides a new perspective in the current discourse around mass incarceration. …

Dynamics And Simulations Of Discretized Caputo-Conformable Fractional-Order Lotka–Volterra Models, Yousef Feras, Semmar Billel, Al Nasr Kamal

Computer Science Faculty Research

In this article, a prey–predator system is considered in Caputo-conformable fractional-order derivatives. First, a discretization process, making use of the piecewise-constant approximation, is performed to secure discrete-time versions of the two fractional-order systems. Local dynamic behaviors of the two discretized fractional-order systems are investigated. Numerical simulations are executed to assert the outcome of the current work. Finally, a discussion is conducted to compare the impacts of the Caputo and conformable fractional derivatives on the discretized model.

Knowledge And Practices Regarding Standard Precautions For Infection Control Among Nurses Working At A Public, Tertiary Care Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan, Samina Yasmeen, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Wardah Khalid, Zohra Kurji, Shair Muhammad Hazara, Shahzad Bashir

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Introduction: To protect patients and healthcare providers from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), standard precautions have been promoted universally. Nurses are the forefront force in patient care; therefore, evidence-based and up to date knowledge and practices can play a vital role in helping nurses apply standard precautions (SPs).
Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study design was used. Through purposive sampling, the data were collected from 320 nurses, via, a self-administered questionnaire, from April to May 2017, from a public tertiary level hospital in Islamabad. The validity and reliability of each section was established. Mean and standard deviation were computed for continuous variables’ whereas; …

Implementation Of A Zone Of Silence During Administration Of Breastmilk To Decrease Nurses’ Distractions In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Quality Improvement Project, Lauren Crociata

DNP Projects

Introduction: In the NICU, breastmilk is handled and administered as safely and carefully as a medication. Administration errors occur when incorrect breastmilk is administered to the wrong patient. This can lead to the transmission of infectious disease and create the loss of trust between families and the healthcare team during a neonate’s NICU stay. Nurses are often faced with interruptions and distractions during administration, and evidence shows that interventions to reduce nurses’ distractions lead to reduction of administration errors in inpatient settings. This quality improvement project took place in a level III NICU. It implemented an evidence-based zone of silence …

Mindfulness Bundle Impact On Nurse Burnout Study, Gisele Nicole Bazan, Jamie Roney, Kelsey Sawyer, Tiffany Patterson, Michelle Bradberry, Deborah Wambui Kamau, Cynthia L. Grissman, Sahar Mihandoust, Randall Stennett, Joann D. Long

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Purpose:

Nurse burnout is a widespread problem globally. Nurse burnout is not only exacerbating nurses’ physical and mental health, but also affects patient satisfaction as well as hospital performance. Due to negative outcomes of nurse burnout, high turnover rates, and excessive costs of hiring nurses, there is a growing body of literature about factors leading to burnout and interventions to control and reduce nurse burnout. Nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICU) designated for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients during the height of the 2020 pandemic reported experiencing higher than usual levels of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), physiological signs of stress …

Using An Existing Clinical Practice Guideline To Develop And Implement An Adult Ecmo Program During A Global Pandemic, Brandy Pitts, Midge Vaughan, Jamie Roney

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: COVID-19 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specific treatment guidelines were released by the National Institute for Health and the World Health Organization in 2020 for adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). With 42% of COVID‐19 infected patients developing ARDS pneumonia, medical centers increased ECMO treatment capacity to meet pandemic-related demand. The rising treatment demands in adult populations led organizations to implement strategies to increase ECMO treatment availability in adult intensive care units.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to deploy an evidence-based adult ECMO program in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) by March 2020.

Methods/Approach: This …

Research Day 2022 Program, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School Of Medicine

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Implementing Sexual Health Education For At-Risk High School Students In A Faith-Based Setting: A Pilot Project, Neva R. Fuentes

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a global issue that persist, causing significant negative health outcomes like cancer, adverse reproductive issues including infertility, and death (CDC, 2019a; Office of Women’s Health [OWH], 2019; WHO, 2019). In the United States, youth ages 15-24 years old make up 50% of the more than 20 million newly diagnosed STI’s each year (CDC, 2019a). Young women, adolescents (Slater & Robinson, 2014), minority populations (Mermelstein & Plax, 2016), and high school dropouts (Anderson & Pörtner, 2014) are even more disproportionately affected. Access to comprehensive health information and vaccines are well documented effective STI prevention methods …

The Rural Education Leadership Experience Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives Of School Principals And Staff, Brennan J. Kent

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Rural school principals faced many challenges through the disruptions of the Covid-19 Pandemic, including their ability to deliver consistent, high-quality education to rural learners. These principals had to quickly learn and adapt to new practices that could permanently transform the school principalship for the future. Principals’ duties multiplied overnight with focusing on the additional needs of students and staff. Although the field of education has been majorly disrupted through past events such as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which caused school principals’ priorities to change instantaneously, with decisions often being made on a reactionary basis to ever-changing circumstances. …

Connecting Palaeopathology And Evolutionary Medicine To Cancer Research: Past And Present, Carina Marques, Zachary Compton, Amy M. Boddy

Anthropology Faculty Publications

Cancer has a significant impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide, with estimates reaching 18.1 million cases in 2018 alone. This chapter reviews the contributions of evolutionary medicine and palaeopathology to oncological research and addresses how these disciplines can conjointly develop models that evaluate how biological, ecological and sociocultural dynamics have prompted the development of cancer across deep time. It highlights that cancer has a long history affecting species across the tree of life, as well as being particularly pervasive in human populations today. While addressing recent advances in comparative oncology and palaeopathology, it discusses how novel environments may contribute to …