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Large Mucocele Of The Appendix Discovered In A 48-Year-Old Male Presenting With Appendicitis: A Case Report, Dimitar I. Semerdzhiev, Robert E. Hardister, Stephen D. Wagner, Dewey R. Mcafee, David Martin, Suporn Sukpraprut-Braaten

GME Publications

The appendix is a vermiform-like organ that extends from the cecum and has been thought of as having a rudimentary immunologic function. However, the appendix can become distended and mucus-filled, classifying it as a mucocele appendix. Mucoceles can be found in various locations in the body, including the colon and the appendix, and have malignancy potential.

We report a case of a 48-year-old male that presented to the ED with a history of two days of abdominal pain. Upon arriving at the ED, he had a CT scan showing a 9.5 x 4.2 x 6.4 cm fluid collection in the …

Accuracy Of Covid-19 Relevant Knowledge Among Youth: Number Of Information Sources Matters, Patricia Wonch Hill, Judy Diamond, Amy N. Spiegel, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Meghan Leadabrand, Julia Mcquillan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Can comics effectively convey scientific knowledge about COVID-19 to youth? What types and how many sources of information did youth have about COVID-19 during the pandemic? How are sources of information associated with accurate COVID-19 knowledge? To answer these questions, we surveyed youth in grades 5–9 in a Midwestern United States school district in the winter of 2020–2021. The online survey used measures of COVID-19 knowledge and sources, with an embedded experiment on COVID-19 relevant comics. Guided by an integrated science capital and just-in-time health and science information acquisition model, we also measured level of science capital, science identity, and …

Structure-Based Rational Design Of Small Α-Helical Peptides With Broad-Spectrum Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens, Sandeep Lohan, Anastasia G. Konshina, Roman G. Efremov, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A series of small (7–12 mer) amphipathic cationic peptides were designed and synthesized to create short helical peptides with broad-range bactericidal activity and selectivity toward the bacterial cells. The analysis identified a lead 12-mer peptide 8b with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive (MIC = 3.1–6.2 μg/mL) and Gram-negative (MIC = 6.2–12.5 μg/mL) bacteria and selectivity toward prokaryotic versus eukaryotic cells (HC50 = 280 μg/mL, >75% cell viability at 150 μg/mL). The rapid membranolytic action of 8b was demonstrated by a calcein dye leakage assay and confirmed using scanning electron microscopy. According to circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy, the peptides have an …

The Effect Of Zinc Supplementation On The Course Of Covid-19 – A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Monika Olczak-Pruc, Lukasz Szarpak, Alla Navolokina, Jaroslaw Chmielewski, Lech Panasiuk, Raúl Juárez-Vela, Michal Pruc, Damian Swieczkowski, Ryszard Majer, Zubaid Rafique, Frank William Peacock

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction and objective: Zinc is a trace element that plays a role in stimulating innate and acquired immunity. The aim of the study was to determine the antiviral effect of the administration of zinc in COVID-19 patients.

Material and methods: A literature search was performed in P Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases from 1 January 2020 - 22 August 2022. In addition, reference lists of the included articles and their related citations in PubMed were also reviewed for additional pertinent studies.

Results: A total of 9 eligible studies were identified. In-hospital mortality in zinc supplementation patients, and …

Sentiment Analysis Of Insomnia-Related Tweets Via A Combination Of Transformers Using Dempster-Shafer Theory: Pre- And Peri-Covid-19 Pandemic Retrospective Study, Arash Maghsoudi, Sara Nowakowski, Ritwick Agrawal, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Mark E Kunik, Aanand D Naik, Hua Xu, Javad Razjouyan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed additional stress on population health that may result in a change of sleeping behavior.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we hypothesized that using natural language processing to explore social media would help with assessing the mental health conditions of people experiencing insomnia after the outbreak of COVID-19.

METHODS: We designed a retrospective study that used public social media content from Twitter. We categorized insomnia-related tweets based on time, using the following two intervals: the prepandemic (January 1, 2019, to January 1, 2020) and peripandemic (January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2021) intervals. We performed a …

Method And System For Bi Cube Refresh Automation, Pradeep Kumar M K, Velkumar Thangavel, Abinaya Solaiyan, Chia-Chih Lu, Kumar Reddy

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a system for BI cube refresh automation. In the present disclosure, initially the status of the I-server 107 is determined. Once the I-server is active, the cube refresh automation system 103 may back-up the old workflow logs and deletes the old workflow logs from one or more data cubes 101. Further, the cube refresh automation system may split the insertion of new workflow logs into clustered server and then merges the insertion results from the clustered servers. The merger insertion results are further monitored. Upon successful insertion, the insertion trigger is deleted. When the insertion …

Credit Card With Dynamic Credit Rating Display, Manas Sharma

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a method, system and payment card for dynamically displaying credit rating. As such, credit related information and transaction information of a cardholder associated with a payment card is received from an issuer server. The credit related information and transaction information of the cardholder are used for predicting one or more behavioural parameters associated with the cardholder. Further, the one or more values are used for determining a credit rating of the cardholder. The credit rating of the cardholder may be displayed on the payment card or cardholder device or on any merchant device facilitating transaction …

Alternate Emergency Application Environment, Dillon Amadeo, Nizam Anuar, Yohan Launay, Kiat Chuan Tan

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure describes computer-implemented systems and methods for providing an alternate application environment in emergency situations by allowing a user to use an entry mechanism that is for use in emergency situations (e.g., input an alternative PIN or emergency gesture) to enter a financial or banking application on a user computing device. The input of the emergency entry mechanism may display an alternative application environment that shows alternative information about the user’s accounts, prevents the transfer of funds to another entity, and initiates security measures while the user is in the alternative application environment. As a result, the safety …

Improved User Shopping Journey, Twinkle Gupta, Sree Meruva

Defensive Publications Series

Computer-implemented systems and methods provide for an improved user shopping experience via aggregated product data. In one embodiment, in response to a query, a system generates a user interface with multiple sections. A first section may include learning materials and information pertaining to the query to aid a user in making an informed purchase. A second section may include an overview of available products based on price and given features, as well as feature filters to narrow results. A third section may include a comparison tool that allows the user to directly compare products with the same brand, as well …

Automatic Expansion Of Data Sets For Machine Learning Models Using Crowdsourcing, Tomasz Mikolajewski

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure describes computer-implemented systems and methods for automatic expansion of data sets for machine learning models by automatically creating crowdsourcing tasks to send to users around the world to describe a data set in their language and returning the expanded data set for the machine learning model. A user may provide an initial data set and receive a diverse and complete expanded data set with annotations in multiple languages in less time and without any additional effort from the user than in traditional data gathering for machine learning models.

Seamless Short Video Consumption Via A Web Browser Or Application, Kerstin Kuehne, Aditya Gupta, Alihan Livdumlu, Andrea Zilio, Anirban Mitra, Ankit Gupta, Danielle Marshak, Debosree Roy, Faizaan Marolia, Jamie Keene, Mary Koliadenko, Rohan Mathai, Shilpa Jindal, Yogesh Kadam, Rishi Vikram, Clay Minicus, Amay Champaneria, Hilary Hengesbach, Debra Kumar

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure describes computer-implemented systems and methods for assisting a user to navigate and consume videos hosted on third-party platforms. In response to a user query, a plurality of video results responsive to the user query are displayed and upon selection of one of the plurality of video results, a web browser retrieves and renders a webpage including the video from the respective video hosting platform. The system can playback the video and generate similar video results from a plurality of video hosting platforms pertaining to a given user query.

Enhancing Cryptographic Security By Partial Key Management, Omer Berkman, Marcel M. Moti Yung

Defensive Publications Series

Cryptographic security can degrade over time due to attackers using more powerful hardware or more sophisticated software. To maintain security, cryptographic machinery is replaced or strengthened as and when weaknesses are found. However, updating certain cryptographic components is infeasible or expensive, resulting in updates that either don’t occur or are delayed. This disclosure describes techniques to enhance cryptographic security by updating portions of a cryptographic system when updating cryptographic parameters is only partially possible. Authenticating data (auth-data) sent by the un-updateable component during normal operation is used to deliver new and upgraded security parameters to secure communication. Security degradation resulting …

Cesaire's Tempest Writes Back To The Empire, Sawsan Ahmad Daraiseh, Nancy Habis Al-Doghmi, Banan Ahmad Daraiseh

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Arts مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للآداب

Aimé Césaire, who lived the experience of colonialism, wrote back to Shakespeare’s play The Tempest in a play of his own, which he called A Tempest. Unlike notions of A Tempest as a simplistic writing back, the current research reveals A Tempest as a sophisticated play in which Césaire uses his own creative methods, some of which incorporate the colonizer and others the colonized, to write back to the Empire which Shakespeare represents well and reflects. This research performs a deep analysis of A Tempest, revealing the voice of the Other as enabled; arguing with and disabling The Tempest’s deep …

New Worm On The Block: Planarians In (Neuro)Toxicology, Danielle Ireland, Eva-Maria S. Collins

Biology Faculty Works

Traditional mammalian testing is too time- and cost-intensive to keep up with the large number of environmental chemicals needing assessment. This has led to a dearth of information about the potential adverse effects of these chemicals, especially on the developing brain. Thus, there is an urgent need for rapid and cost-effective neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity testing. Because of the complexity of the brain, metabolically competent organismal models are necessary to understand the effects of chemicals on nervous system development and function on a systems level. In this overview, we showcase asexual freshwater planarians as an alternative invertebrate (“non-animal”) organismal model …

Management Of Transgender Patients In Critical Care, L Flower, A Cheung, S Connal, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

As clinicians working in critical care, it is our duty to provide all of our patients with the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their gender identity. The transgender community continues to suffer discrimination from the media, politicians and general public. As healthcare workers we often pride ourselves on our ability to safely care for all patients. However, there remains a distinct lack of understanding surrounding the care of critically ill transgender patients. This is likely in part because the specific care of transgender patients is not included in the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine’s, Royal College of Anaesthetists’, Royal …

Fill And Dump Measurement Of The Neutron Lifetime Using An Asymmetric Magneto-Gravitational Trap, Alexander Komives, Et Al.

Physics & Astronomy Faculty publications

The past two decades have yielded several new measurements and reanalysis of older measurements of the neutron lifetime. These have led to a 4.4 standard deviation discrepancy between the most precise measurements of the neutron decay rate producing protons in cold neutron beams and the most precise lifetime measured in neutron storage experiments. Measurements using different techniques are important for investigating whether there are unidentified systematic effects in any of the measurements. In this paper we report a new measurement using the Los Alamos asymmetric magneto-gravitational trap where the surviving neutrons are counted external to the trap using the fill …

Feature Selection And Machine Learning Approach For Carotid Atherosclerosis In Asymptomatic Adults, Tao Liang, Qiao-Li Wang, Xiao-Qin Liu, Zhen Zhou, Scott Lowe, Zi-Heng Chen, Chenyu Sun

Student Publications

Objective: The presence of carotid atherosclerosis reflects the overall atherosclerotic load and may predict cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents. Studies have reported risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis. However, few practical models have been established to predict carotid atherosclerosis risk. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate important features of carotid atherosclerosis and to propose a machine learning-based method for predicting carotid atherosclerosis in asymptomatic adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted using routine medical check-up data of individuals from January 2019 to January 2020. Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to correlate the features. Then, features were selected by python’s feature-selection library and …

Anti-Cancer Mechanisms Of Action Of Therapeutic Alternating Electric Fields (Tumor Treating Fields [Ttfields]), Shadi Shams, Chirag B Patel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite improved survival outcomes across many cancer types, the prognosis remains grim for certain solid organ cancers including glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. Invariably in these cancers, the control achieved by time-limited interventions such as traditional surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy is short-lived. A new form of anti-cancer therapy called therapeutic alternating electric fields (AEFs) or tumor treating fields (TTFields) has been shown, either by itself or in combination with chemotherapy, to have anti-cancer effects that translate to improved survival outcomes in patients. Although the pre-clinical and clinical data are promising, the mechanisms of TTFields are not fully elucidated. Many …

Diverse Monogenic Subforms Of Human Spermatogenic Failure, Liina Nagirnaja, Wu-Lin Charng, Christina A Gurnett, Kenan R Omurtag, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is the most severe form of male infertility and typically incurable. Defining the genetic basis of NOA has proven challenging, and the most advanced classification of NOA subforms is not based on genetics, but simple description of testis histology. In this study, we exome-sequenced over 1000 clinically diagnosed NOA cases and identified a plausible recessive Mendelian cause in 20%. We find further support for 21 genes in a 2-stage burden test with 2072 cases and 11,587 fertile controls. The disrupted genes are primarily on the autosomes, enriched for undescribed human "knockouts", and, for the most part, have …

Predicting Convection Configurations In Coupled Fluid-Porous Systems, Matthew Mccurdy, Nicholas J. Moore, Xiaoming Wang

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

A ubiquitous arrangement in nature is a free-flowing fluid coupled to a porous medium, for example a river or lake lying above a porous bed. Depending on the environmental conditions, thermal convection can occur and may be confined to the clear fluid region, forming shallow convection cells, or it can penetrate into the porous medium, forming deep cells. Here, we combine three complementary approaches - linear stability analysis, fully nonlinear numerical simulations and a coarse-grained model - to determine the circumstances that lead to each configuration. the coarse-grained model yields an explicit formula for the transition between deep and shallow …

Perceived Stress And Its Relationship To Moral Resilience Among Nurses In The Hail Region, Saudi Arabia, Hamdan Albaqawi, Maha Sanat Alrashidi

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to determine the relationship between perceived stress and moral resilience among nurses.

Methods: The researcher used a quantitative–comparative correlational study design that utilized a self-administered questionnaire with 393 nurse participants in the Hail Region, Saudi Arabia. Adapted questionnaires were distributed through Google Form survey. Data collection was conducted between October and November 2021.

Results: The nurses were moderately stressed (21.69/30) but morally resilient (2.74/4). Perceived stress scale (p < 0.033) and moral resilience (p < 0.25) were found to be significantly associated with gender. The designated ward and age were not significantly associated with perceived stress and moral resilience. Conversely, the years of experience showed a significant association with perceived stress (p < 0.038) but not with moral resilience (p > 0.255). Finally, no relationship was observed between perceived stress and moral resilience (p > 0.248).

Conclusions: The nurses were perceived …

Caregivers Of Elderly With Moderate To Total Dependence In Activities Of Daily Living In Yogyakarta Indonesia: Correlation Of Burden And Quality Of Life, The Maria Meiwati Widagdo, Lise Insani Gulo, Herose Cendrasilvinia, Widya Christine Manus

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Aging is accompanied by a functional decline leading to the loss of independence in conducting activities of daily living. The dependence of the elderly can cause burden that affects the quality of life of caregivers. This study aimed to assess the correlation between the burden and quality of life of caregivers looking after moderately to totally dependent elderly.

Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study that used Zarit Burden Interview to assess caregiver burden and World Health Organization Quality of Life to measure the quality of life of people caring for elderly with moderate to total dependence …

Evaluation Of Internalized Stigma And Quality Of Life Of Patients With Psoriasis, Bedriye Cansu Demirkiran, Emine Kiyak

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Internalized stigma is defined as individuals’ acceptance of negative stereotypes created by society and then their alienation from society. Psoriasis is a dermatological disease that affects the quality of life. The study evaluated the internalized stigma and quality of life of patients diagnosed with psoriasis.

Methods: This cross sectional study enrolled 222 patients. Data were collected using the internalized stigma scale and the dermatology life quality index questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Cronbach’s alpha.

Results: The internalized stigma score of the patients was 78.41 ± 23.14, and the quality of life score was 12.30 ± …

Factors Influencing The Utilization Of Antenatal Care, Institutional Delivery, And Postnatal Care Services Among Women In Bangladesh, Akibul Islam Chowdhury, Mohammad Asadul Habib, Tanjina Rahman

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: In Bangladesh, the utilization of maternal health services is low, which triggers pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths. The current community-based cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the factors associated with antenatal care (ANC), institutional delivery, and postnatal care (PNC) service utilization among women in selected areas of Southwest Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Methods: The study was carried out among 391 mothers from rural and urban areas. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the significant determinants associated with maternity care service utilization.

Results: Result shows that approximately 65%, 71%, and 72% …

Daily Living Assistance Provided By Residents To Other Residents In Residential Aged Care Homes: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices, Siti Noraini Asmuri, Masne Kadar, Nor Afifi Razaob, Chai Siaw Chui, Hanif Farhan Mohd Rasdi

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: The rise of the aged population in Malaysia has resulted in the increased need for services, especially in terms of healthcare. Hence, continuous support is crucial to managing the daily living activities of this group. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of older adults residing in Malaysian aged care homes concerning daily living activities and their provision of assistance to other residents with more significant disabilities.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted on ten older adults and six staff members of two selected residential aged care homes. The interview session concerned the knowledge, attitudes, …

Potential Antihyperlipidemia Effect Of Lactoferrin In Hyperlipidemia-Induced Male Sprague–Dawley Rats, Louis Fabio Jonathan Jusni, Valencia Chandra, Tena Djuartina, Dion Notario, Zita Arieselia, Linawati Hananta

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a condition that is characterized as an increase in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Lactoferrin is a protein that can serve as an antioxidant. This study aims to determine whether lactoferrin can reduce total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Methods: This study used 24 Sprague–Dawley rat strains, which were divided into six groups: normal group; negative control; positive control; and dose groups 1, 2, and 3. The normal group was given standard feed, whereas the other group was given high cholesterol and fat. The positive control group and dose groups 1, 2, and …

Mechanical And Thermal Load Effect On Piston Crown Of A Biogas Engine: A Simulation Approach, Truc Nguyen The, Anh Duc Tran, Cam Van Nguyen, Khac Tung Nguyen, Dinh Long Hoang, Xuan Phong Trinh, Nguyen Duc Khanh

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This paper presents the study results on stress and deformation of the piston crown of a biogas engine converted from a conventional diesel engine using dedicated software. The original diesel engine was modified to reduce the compression ratio to suit biogas fuel. The original engine's combustion chamber and compression ratio were changed by modifying the piston crown to a heron type. The parameters of in-cylinder pressure and temperature were determined by the thermodynamic simulation software AVL Boost. Research results show that the in-cylinder pressure decreased compared to diesel when using biogas fuel, but the temperature increased. The infinite element method-based …

Novel Therapeutic Approaches In Neoplastic Meningitis, Manmeet Ahluwalia, Shreya Saxena, Atulya Khosla, Ahmad Ozair

All Publications

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Whatsapp? Opportunities And Challenges In The Use Of A Messaging App As A Qualitative Research Tool, Rocio Bueno-Roldán Ma., Antje Röder Prof. Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This article evaluates the use of the popular Mobile Messaging App (MMA) WhatsApp as a way to conduct qualitative research with geographically dispersed samples. Through the use of a case study of Latino expat-wives around the globe, we show how traditional methods of qualitative interviewing were adapted and evolved through the use of this application. Findings suggest that WhatsApp is a valuable tool for conducting qualitative research with specific advantages over other MMAs and VoIPs due to its familiarity amongst the target group and its flexible blending of video, audio, and written forms of communication. Particularly its use on smartphones …

Gender Dysphoria In Adolescents With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome., Jordan T. Jones, William R. Black, Christine Moser, Eric T. Rush, Lindsey Malloy-Walton

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome represents a family of heritable connective tissue disorders that include joint hypermobility, tissue fragility, and skin hyperextensibility. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome presents with clinical sequela across multiple body systems that require multidisciplinary care. Little is known about adolescents with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome who are transgender and gender diverse. To date, there have been no reports of transgender and gender diverse youth in pediatric patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The objective of this study was to characterize transgender and gender diverse adolescents with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome seen in a pediatric multidisciplinary specialty clinic.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed and it was …