Digital Commons Network^™

Intestinal Iga-Coated Bacteria In Healthy- And Altered-Microbiomes (Dysbiosis) And Predictive Value In Successful Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, Herbert L Dupont, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Ashley S Alexander, Andrew W Dupont, Eric L Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IgA-coated bacteria in the gut (IgA-biome) provide a homeostatic function in healthy people through inhibition of microbial invaders and by protecting the epithelial monolayer of the gut. The laboratory methods used to detect this group of bacteria require flow cytometry and DNA sequencing (IgA-Seq). With dysbiosis (reduced diversity of the microbiome), the IgA-biome also is impaired. In the presence of enteric infection, oral vaccines, or an intestinal inflammatory disorder, the IgA-biome focuses on the pathogenic bacteria or foreign antigens, while in other chronic diseases associated with dysbiosis, the IgA-biome is reduced in capacity. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), the use of …

Development Of A Web-Based Diabetes Prevention Program (Dpp) For Chinese Americans: A Formative Evaluation Approach, Ming-Chin Yeh, Wincy Lau, Zoey Gong, Margrethe Horlyck-Romanovsky, Ho-Jui Tung, Lin Zhu, Grace X. Ma, Judith Wylie-Rosett

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Increasing evidence demonstrates that an online Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. However, little has been done for Chinese Americans. This study, using Community-Based Participatory Research and Intervention Mapping approaches, describes a formative research process in the development of a culturally and linguistically tailored online DPP program among Chinese Americans with prediabetes living in New York City. Using a triangulation approach, data were collected to inform the development of an online DPP curriculum through (1) a literature review, (2) three focus groups (n = 24), and (3) a community advisory board meeting among 10 …

The Impact Of Mutation Of Myelodysplasia-Related Genes In De Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia Carrying Npm1 Mutation, Yi Wang, Andres E Quesada, Zhuang Zuo, L Jeffrey Medeiros, C Cameron Yin, Shaoying Li, Jie Xu, Gautam Borthakur, Yisheng Li, Chao Yang, Yasmin Abaza, Juehua Gao, Xinyan Lu, M James You, Yizhuo Zhang, Pei Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The impact of gene mutations typically associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with NPM1 mutation is unclear. Methods: Using a cohort of 107 patients with NPM1-mutated AML treated with risk-adapted therapy, we compared survival outcomes of patients without MDS-related gene mutations (group A) with those carrying concurrent FLT3-ITD (group B) or with MDS-related gene mutations (group C). Minimal measurable disease (MMD) status assessed by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and/or next-generation sequencing (NGS) were reviewed. Results: Among the 69 patients treated intensively, group C showed significantly inferior progression-free survival (PFS, p < 0.0001) but not overall survival (OS, p = 0.055) compared to group A. Though groups A and C had a similar MMD rate, group C patients had a higher relapse rate (p = 0.016). Relapse correlated with MMD status at the end of cycle 2 induction (p = 0.023). Survival of group C patients was similar to that of group B. Conclusion: MDS-related gene mutations are associated with an inferior survival in NPM1-mutated AML.

A Monovalent Mt10-Cvb3 Vaccine Prevents Cvb4-Accelerated Type 1 Diabetes In Nod Mice, Mahima T. Rasquinha, Ninaad Lasrado, Meghna Sur, Kiruthiga Mone, Haowen Qiu, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Raymond A. Sobel, Jay Reddy

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Enteroviruses, which include Coxsackieviruses, are a common cause of virus infections in humans, and multiple serotypes of the group B Coxsackievirus (CVB) can induce similar diseases. No vaccines are currently available to prevent CVB infections because developing serotype-specific vaccines is not practical. Thus, developing a vaccine that induces protective immune responses for multiple serotypes is desired. In that direction, we created a live-attenuated CVB3 vaccine virus, designated mutant (Mt)10, that offers protection against myocarditis and pancreatitis induced by CVB3 and CVB4 in disease-susceptible A/J mice. Here, we report that the Mt10 vaccine protected against CVB4-triggered type 1 diabetes (T1D) in …

Feasibility And Effectiveness Of A Worksite-Weight-Loss Program For Cancer Prevention Among School-District Employees With Overweight And Obesity, Che Young Lee, Michael C Robertson, Hannah Johnston, Thuan Le, Margaret Raber, Ruth Rechis, Katherine Oestman, Alise Neff, Amber Macneish, Karen M Basen-Engquist

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The effects of Vibrant Lives, a 6-month worksite-weight-loss program, were examined in a cohort of school-district employees with overweight or obesity. The VL Basic (VLB) participants received materials and tailored text messages, the VL Plus (VLP) participants additionally received WIFI-enabled activity monitors and scales and participated in health challenges throughout the school year, and the VL Plus with Support (VLP + S) participants additionally received coaching support. The levels of program satisfaction and retention and changes in weight, physical activity (PA), and diet were compared across groups using Pearson chi-square tests, repeated-measure mixed models, and logistic regression. After the program, …

Rapid Bacterial And Fungal Successional Dynamics In First Year After Chaparral Wildfire, M. Fabiola Pulido-Chavez, James W. J. Randolph, Cassandra A. Zalman, Loralee Larios, Peter M. Homyak, Sydney I. Glassman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The rise in wildfire frequency and severity across the globe has increased interest in secondary succession. However, despite the role of soil microbial communities in controlling biogeochemical cycling and their role in the regeneration of post-fire vegetation, the lack of measurements immediately post-fire and at high temporal resolution has limited understanding of microbial secondary succession. To fill this knowledge gap, we sampled soils at 17, 25, 34, 67, 95, 131, 187, 286, and 376 days after a southern California wildfire in fire-adapted chaparral shrublands. We assessed bacterial and fungal biomass with qPCR of 16S and 18S and richness and composition …

Knowledge Management In Organizations: Gateway To Sustainable Competitive Performance, Roseline Bawack

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The important role of knowledge management as a strategic resource in a competitive business environment cannot be overemphasized. Today’s business is plagued with turbulence and stringent competition in the world market resulting in paradigmatic paralysis, and significant organizational changes that necessitate salient and innovative operational processes. For survival, organizations must monitor trends and adapt to both the external and internal environments, make changes in the form of innovation, improve operational processes, increase flexibility and adopt sustainable knowledge-creation activities. This study is qualitative. An in-depth review of literature was conducted across multiple online research databases, supported by accrued knowledge obtained from …

Short Term Energy Consumption Forecasting Using Neural Basis Expansion Analysis For Interpretable Time Series, Abdul Khalique Shaikh, Amril Nazir, Imran Khan, Abdul Salam Shah

All Works

Smart grids and smart homes are getting people's attention in the modern era of smart cities. The advancements of smart technologies and smart grids have created challenges related to energy efficiency and production according to the future demand of clients. Machine learning, specifically neural network-based methods, remained successful in energy consumption prediction, but still, there are gaps due to uncertainty in the data and limitations of the algorithms. Research published in the literature has used small datasets and profiles of primarily single users; therefore, models have difficulties when applied to large datasets with profiles of different customers. Thus, a smart …

Elucidating The Effect Of Iron Acquisition Systems In Klebsiella Pneumoniae On Susceptibility To The Novel Siderophore-Cephalosporin Cefiderocol, Lana Daoud, Farah Al-Marzooq, Carole Ayoub Moubareck, Akela Ghazawi, Timothy Collyns

All Works

BACKGROUND: Cefiderocol (CFDC) is a novel siderophore-cephalosporin, effective against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. As it has a siderophore side chain, it can utilize iron acquisition systems for penetration of the bacterial outer membrane. We aimed to elucidate the role of siderophores and iron uptake receptors in defining Klebsiella pneumoniae susceptibility to CFDC. METHODS: Initially, 103 K. pneumoniae strains were characterized for susceptibility to different antibiotics including CFDC. CFDC minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined in iron-depleted and iron-enriched conditions. Iron uptake genes including siderophores, their receptors, ferric citrate (fecA) and iron uptake (kfu) receptors were detected by PCR in all the …

Association Studies In Clinical Pharmacogenetics., Pablo Zubiaur, Francisco Abad-Santos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Autonomous Decision-Making In Interdependent Computing Systems Based On Artificial Intelligence, Georgios Fragkos

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the notion of autonomy, in terms of acting and thinking based on personal experience and judgment, has paved the way towards an autonomous decision-making future. This future can address the complex domain of the interdependent computing systems, whose main challenge is that they interact with each other with unpredictable and often unstable outcomes. It is crucial to envision and design this AI-driven autonomy for the reciprocal computing systems which cover a variety of use-cases ranging from the Internet of Things (IoT) to cybersecurity. This can be achieved by cloning the human decision-making process, …

A Comprehensive Review Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Genetics, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, And Treatment, Kylie A. Limback, William D. Jacobus, Amber Wiggins-Mcdaniel, Ramon E. Newman, Robert A. White

Faculty and Staff Publications

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder involving progressive muscle deterioration leading to loss of mobility, cardiomyopathy, and respiratory complications leading to an early death by the fourth decade of life. Males are affected more often as DMD results from a mutation in the dystrophin gene residing on the X chromosome. The DMD genetic mutation results in a complete functional lack of dystrophin, which culminates as an inadequate connection between the intracellular actin filaments and the extracellular skeleton of muscle. Boys affected by DMD clinically present with muscle weakness before age five, are often wheelchair-bound by age 12, and …

Assembling A Global Database Of Child Pneumonia Studies To Inform Who Pneumonia Management Algorithm: Methodology And Applications, Helena Martin, Jennifer Falconer, Emmanuel Addo-Yobo, Satinder Aneja, Luis Martinez Arroyo, Rai Asghar, Shally Awasthi, Salem Banajeh, Abdul Bari, Sudha Basnet, Ashish Bavdekar, Nita Bhandari, Shinjini Bhatnagar, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Abdullah Brooks, Mandeep Chadha, Noel Chisaka, Monidarin Chou, Alexey W Clara, Tim Colbourn, Clare Cutland, Valérie D'Acremont, Marcela Echavarria, Angela Gentile, Brad Gessner, Christopher J Gregory, Tabish Hazir, Patricia L Hibberd, Siddhivinayak Hirve, Shubhada Hooli, Imran Iqbal, Prakash Jeena, Cissy B Kartasasmita, Carina King, Romina Libster, Rakesh Lodha, Juan M Lozano, Marilla Lucero, Norman Lufesi, William B Macleod, Shabir Ahmed Madhi, Joseph L Mathew, Irene Maulen-Radovan, Eric D Mccollum, Greta Mino, Charles Mwansambo, Mark I Neuman, Ngoc Tuong Vy Nguyen, Marta C Nunes, Pagbajabyn Nymadawa, Kerry-Ann F O'Grady, Jean-William Pape, Glaucia Paranhos-Baccala, Archana Patel, Valentina Sanchez Picot, Mala Rakoto-Andrianarivelo, Zeba Rasmussen, Vanessa Rouzier, Graciela Russomando, Raul O Ruvinsky, Salim Sadruddin, Samir K Saha, Mathuram Santosham, Sunit Singhi, Sajid Soofi, Tor A Strand, Mariam Sylla, Somsak Thamthitiwat, Donald M Thea, Claudia Turner, Philippe Vanhems, Nitya Wadhwa, Jianwei Wang, Syed Ma Zaman, Harry Campbell, Harish Nair, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Yasir Bin Nisar, World Health Organization Pneumonia Research Partnership To Assess Who Recommendation (Prepare) Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The existing World Health Organization (WHO) pneumonia case management guidelines rely on clinical symptoms and signs for identifying, classifying, and treating pneumonia in children up to 5 years old. We aimed to collate an individual patient-level data set from large, high-quality pre-existing studies on pneumonia in children to identify a set of signs and symptoms with greater validity in the diagnosis, prognosis, and possible treatment of childhood pneumonia for the improvement of current pneumonia case management guidelines.

METHODS: Using data from a published systematic review and expert knowledge, we identified studies meeting our eligibility criteria and invited investigators to …

中国四省市学生之信息通信技术熟悉度对教育公平的影响, Dengying Cai, Kwok Cheung Cheung, Pou Seong Sit, Man Kai Ieong

Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 教育测量与评估双语期刊

本研究旨在透过中介效应分析PISA 2015电子化科学素养测试数据，检验北京、上海、江苏与广东四个省市学生的信息通信技术熟悉程度与教育公平的关系，并根据研究结果提出建言，以期为改善数码教育不公、缩小不同社会经济文化地位学生的学业素养表现差距提供实证支持。

Examining The Impact Of Students' Familiarity With Information And Communications Technology On Education Equity Using Data From Students In Four Provinces And Cities In China, Dengying Cai, Kwok Cheung Cheung, Pou Seong Sit, Man Kai Ieong

Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 教育测量与评估双语期刊

Using mediation analyses, this study analyzes PISA 2015 scientific literacy computerized assessment data collected from students in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Guangdong, and examines the relationship between students' familiarity with information and communications technology and educational equity. The study also offers recommendations based on the results while providing empirical support for reducing digital educational inequities as well as differences in academic literacy performance between students of different socioeconomic and cultural statuses.

因子分析和项目反应理论的潜变量估计, David Thissen, Anne Thissen-Roe

Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 教育测量与评估双语期刊

本文对项目反应理论 (item response theory; IRT) 和因子分析 (factor analysis) 模型潜变量 (latent variable) 得分估计方法的历史发展进行综述，指出两种理论中常用的因子得分估计本质上是相同的，只是计算方法不同而已。不同的程序已经被用于推导因子得分和IRT潜变量的估计，并且产生了不同的计算过程。由于潜变量得分的使用情况不同，IRT和因子分析解决挑战的方案不同。对偏差纠正的需求不同，两种理论体系提出了不同的纠正方法。尽管IRT模型不具有因子分析模型的高斯似然，但采用正态近似方法使得IRT与因子分析模型的得分计算在很多情况下是非常相似的。最后，尽管两种理论因子得分估计问题上是相同的，但因子分析多年一直处于因子得分不确定性 (factor score indeterminacy) 的争议之中，而IRT却没有。这是历史的产物，也是IRT和因子分析文章中模型表达方式不同的结果。此外，IRT不存在不确定性问题的争议，有利于阐明以下立场，即不确定性并不是一个问题。

Latent Variable Estimation In Factor Analysis And Item Response Theory, David Thissen, Anne Thissen-Roe

Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 教育测量与评估双语期刊

This essay sketches the historical development of latent variable scoring procedures in the item response theory (IRT) and factor analysis literatures, observing that the most commonly used score estimates in both traditions are fundamentally the same; only methods of calculation differ. Different procedures have been used to derive factor score estimates and latent variable estimates in IRT, and different computational procedures have been the result. Due to differences in the context of score usage, challenges have led to different solutions in the IRT and factor analytic traditions. The needs for bias corrections differ, as do the corrections that have been …

Does A Six-Week Intervention With Added Respiratory Dead Space Volume In Swimming Improve Haematological And Immunological Status?, Stefan Szczepan, Kamil Michalik, Rafał Hebisz

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The aim of study was to investigate if differences appeared in haematological parameters after a 6-week moderate-intensity swimming intervention with added respiratory dead space volume (ARDSV) in recreational swimmers.

Material and methods: A sample of 22 individuals were divided into an experimental (E) and a control (C) group, tested for maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max). The intervention involved 50 min. of front crawl swimming performed at 60%VO₂max twice weekly for 6 weeks. ARDSV was induced via tube breathing (1000ml) in group E during each intervention session. Haematological parameters measured before and after the intervention included red …

Behavioral Health Models To Understand High-Risk Prenatal Patient Adherence To Visit Schedule In Camden, Olivia Nicolais-Julian, Michael Monaghan, Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams Md, Phd

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

ABSTRACT:

Introduction: Despite improvement initiatives, patient non-adherence remains an issue in healthcare. Patients with high-risk pregnancies require more frequent monitoring to reduce complications. This study aims to better understand visit non-adherence with high-risk prenatal appointments. We hypothesized that patients’ perceived logistic barriers would be the most prominent determinant of visit non-adherence.

Methods: This study included adult, English speaking patients of the high-risk prenatal clinic at Cooper University Hospital that missed at least one appointment. We completed three, one hour focus groups with seven participants. Constant comparison analysis was used to determine common themes discussed by participants. Axial coding and basic …

The Study Of The Factors Affecting Stadium Attendance Of Yankees' Fans, Aydogan Soyguden, Robert C. Schneider

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors affecting Yankees' fans' attendance. The study population randomly selected (n=707) supporters of the Yankees Baseball Team participating at the Yankee Stadium in the 2017 seasons of American Major League Baseball. Materials and Methods: The Stadium Attendance and Non-Attendance Reason Scale (SANARS) created by Soyguden in 2013 contained 30 questions to determine reasons affecting Yankee fans' attendance. The reasons affecting (SANARS) scale were used. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, factor analysis, and a one-way ANOVA were the statistical methods used to analyze the data. Results: In general, stadium attendance of the supports …

Community Circles In Response To Restorative Justice Research And Critique, Hannah Edber

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Zero-tolerance discipline in schools has resulted in disproportionate referrals, suspensions, and expulsions for Black students, students with disabilities, and low-income students of color. Restorative Justice (RJ) seeks to intervene in these patterns by emphasizing community interconnectedness and a discourse of harm, accountability, and repair. Although RJ has been shown to increase school connectedness and decrease suspensions and expulsions, teachers and students using RJ (as a response to discipline issues) report varying degrees of satisfaction with the framework. Frustrations can include limited time and limited depth of conversations with students who have caused harm, so that root causes of behavior are …

Social Media Addiction- Risk Of Addiction In India Measured Through Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale(Bsmas), Shivani Arora, Manoj Kumar, Kaashvi Piplani

Management Dynamics

Background: Social Media usage is on the rise since its inception in the early 2000s. Though some aspects of Behavioral Addictions like Online gaming have been recognized as addictions, excessive social media usage requires more studies to validate the same. The study considers the General Pathological Internet Use aspect of the Cognitive Behavioural Model theory in its approach to deciphering Social Media Addiction.

Objective: This study aims to determine what percentage of the population studied is at a high risk of developing Social Media Addiction and analyzes the factors prevalent to Indian users, The shorter version of the Bergen Social …

The House Of Seminar Needs Overhaul: The General Education Seminar In Theory And Practice, Matthew J. Park

Early College Folio

Matthew Park's intellectual and institutional history of the General Education Seminars at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. This historical analysis, which the author revolves around a discussion of the genealogy and philosophy of Seminar more broadly, serves as a multidisciplinary lens through which teachers and students of Seminar across the Bard Early Colleges may center current and future discussions of the course(s).

Two Distinctions About Eating Animals, A.G. Holdier

Between the Species

In this paper I describe two distinctions about what “eating animals” entails which are often confused in conversations or arguments aimed against meat-based diets and try to show how both distinctions, on their own lights, ultimately support a concern for all fellow creatures, regardless of species or other biological categories. The distinctions in question are: the distinction between moral and nonmoral actions, presumptions about which serve to define whether or not particular topics (like meat consumption) deserve moral consideration whatsoever, and the distinction between moral and immoral actions, about which suppositions bear on both reflexive and considered moral …

An Eolian Dust Origin For Clastic Fines Of Devono-Mississippian Mudrocks Of The Greater North American Midcontinent, Austin J. Mcglannan, Alicia Bonar, Lily Pfeifer, Sebastian Steinig, Paul Valdes, Steven Adams, David Duarte, Benmadi Milad, Andrew Cullen, Gerilyn S. Soreghan

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Upper Devonian and Lower–Middle Mississippian strata of the North American midcontinent are ubiquitously fine-grained and silt-rich, comprising both so-called shale as well as argillaceous limestone (or calcareous siltstone) that accumulated in the Laurentian epeiric sea. Although long recognized as recording marine deposition, the origin and transport of the fine-grained siliciclastic material in these units remains enigmatic because they do not connect to any proximal deltaic feeder systems. Here, we present new data on grain size, whole-rock geochemistry, mineralogy, and U-Pb detrital-zircon geochronology from units across Oklahoma; we then integrate these data with models of surface wind circulation, refined paleogeographic reconstructions, …

Review: Purposeful Memoir As A Quest For A Thriving Future: Inspiration For Writers And Seekers By Jennifer Browdy, Julia Carey Arendell

Early College Folio

Book Review: Jennifer Browdy’s Purposeful Memoir as a Guest for a Thriving Future: Inspiration for Writers and Thinkers (Green Fire Press, 2021), a guidebook for writers seeking to heal through the study of the self. Browdy is Professor of Comparative Literature and Media Arts at Bard College at Simon's Rock.

Randomized Algorithms For Resource Allocation In Device To Device Communication., Subhankar Ghosal Dr.

Doctoral Theses

In device to device (D2D) communication, two users residing in close proximity can directly communicate between them, through a common channel, without the need of a base station. A pair of D2D users forms a link and a channel needs to be allocated to it. The interference relationship among the active links at time t is modelled as an interference graph g(t). To establish interference-free communication, we have to assign a channel vector C(t) and a power vector corresponding to the active links such that the required signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) is satisfied for each link. Since …

Socio-Cultural Status Of Albinism In Africa: Challenging Myths, Concepts, And Stereotypes, Raita Steyn

Journal of Global Awareness

This article analyses the socio-cultural status of Albinism in Africa and the role unchallenged stereotypes, irrational concepts, and unfounded beliefs play in the lives of persons with albinism. Following some beliefs, persons with albinism” do not die but vanish” to later “return as ghosts to haunt the living.” The author discusses this paradox about persons with albinism identified as hunted victims and simultaneously haunting perpetrators. The research examines the concept of albinism being a curse from dead ancestors or theodicy and its association with supernatural powers. By a comparative and diachronic approach, the study challenges unsubstantiated stereotypes. This study aims …

Why Do Nations Fail In Developing Industries And Sustaining Productive Gdp? A Contrarian Perspective, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

Few nations develop and sustain industries for quality and productive gross domestic product (GDP). Understandably, nations differ in their political, economic, natural resources, and technological strengths. Extracting natural resources and exporting them to industrially developed nations and corporations will not contribute to creating new wealth domestically, especially for nations at the bottom of the global industrial pyramid. Additionally, paying attention to the GDP breakdown of industries, and identifying value-adding industries for the future sustainable growth of a nation, is relevant. Instead of the status quo, following GDP growth for its own sake, the contrarian approach is to make strategic choices …

Geological Soil Formation For Ecological Restoration Of Mining Areas And Its Case Study, Hu Zhenqi, Zhang Zixuan, Sun Huang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Soil is an important substrate of plant growth, as well as the key for successful ecological restoration of mine. In view of the status of insufficient soil for most of ecological restoration of mine and the reality of a very long process of geological soil formation, the concept and method of geological soil formation for ecological restoration of mine (Mine-GSF for short) were discussed on the basis of description on the principle of natural geological soil formation. Natural geologic soil formation is the process of turning “rock” into “soil” through a long period of macro-geological cycle and biological cycle, including …