Digital Commons Network^™

Housing Discrimination In New York City’S Housing Voucher Program, Tashana Brooks

Publications and Research

The Fair Housing Act (FHA), enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibits discrimination from selling or renting a dwelling to any person because of race, color, disability, religion, sex, family status, and national origin. The federal government provides rental subsidies for many low-income renters through government programs. Rental assistance such as Section 8 vouchers administered by Housing and Urban Development is considered a lawful source of income for paying rent; however, many landlords or realtors discriminate against individuals utilizing Section 8 vouchers. According to the New York City Human Rights Law, this is illegal. The …

Natural Language Processing For Disaster Tweets, Akinyemi D. Apampa, Nan Li

Publications and Research

Our goal is to establish an automatic model that identifies which tweets are about natural disasters based on the content of the tweets. Our method is to construct a decision tree based on keyword searching. We will construct the model using 7,645 tweets and test our model on 3,465 tweets as an assessment of the performance.

Heart Of Golde, Joely Bowman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Heart of Golde is a female coming-of-age story centered around Jyn Taryn, who lost her mother and her early memories in a tragic car accident 15 years before the story begins. She struggles with feeling at "home" anywhere in the world. When she discovers her mother's name written in an old poetry book, her curiosities lead her to the home of Edward Golde, her father. While there, she is forced to come face to face with the past she never thought she would be able to remember. Room by room, memory by memory, Jyn puts the pieces of her past …

Applications Of Micro-X-Ray Fluorescence (Μxrf) Techniques To Ore Formation Questions In Economic Geology, Hannah Adwoa Buamono

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Advances in x-ray optics over the past decade have enabled a new generation of benchtop micro energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (µXRF/EDS) instruments to analyze samples with an x-ray spot size of 25 microns or less and detection limits of tens to hundreds of parts per million. The analysis of samples from mineral (ore) deposits may illustrate some of the capabilities and limitations of these instruments applied to geoscience problems. The qualitative elemental analysis process allows the production of detailed elemental maps which, together with line scan profiles and other petrographic and geochemical evidence, leads to a better definition of key chemical, …

Identifying Particulate Matter Spatial Variation In The El Paso Del Norte Region Using Land-Use Regression Modeling And Data Obtained From A Network Of Low-Cost Sensors, Leonardo Demetrio Vazquez-Raygoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The emergence and rise in popularity of low-cost sensors for atmospheric observation aresetting a new precedent in identifying emission hotspots and providing high-resolution spatial and temporal data. Furthermore, low-cost sensors are becoming popular among institutions and the public, allowing community scientists to become more involved in air quality monitoring. However, concerns about the accuracy and precision of low-cost sensors have been questioned. Most recent research has focused on the utility of real-time monitoring and calibration requirements for these sensors. A low-cost monitoring project has deployed sensors in the El Paso del Norte region in low and high annual average daily …

Effectiveness Of Online Instructional Videos: Intervening Medical Students' Learning Of Shared Decision-Making, Truth-Telling, Patient Emotional Disturbance Evaluations, And Emotional Processing Training, Shu-Chung Lii, Ji-Tseng Fang

Journal of Medical Education

Communication is a fundamental part of healthcare. Poor communication is a common cause of medical complaints; the common and difficult communication often involves truth-telling and shared decision-making (SDM). Medical treatment can be emotionally distressing for patients; thus, understanding how to communicate with patients and treat patient emotional problems is paramount for providing quality healthcare. This study evaluates the effectiveness of learning SDM, truth-telling, patient emotional disturbance evaluation methods, and emotional processing of staff and patients. Fifth- and sixth-year medical students from Chang Gung University were recruited and administered a research questionnaire based on the COMRADE (Combined Outcome Measure for Risk …

Perceptions On Entrustable Professional Activities (Epas) In Psychiatry Among Specialty Trainees, Mei-Feng Huang, Yi-Chun Yeh, Tai-Ling Liu, Wei-Po Chou, Peng-Wei Wang, Cheng-Sheng Chen

Journal of Medical Education

Background: Competence-based medical education (CBME) has been proposed and will lead the paradigm shift in medical education. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) is one of the operational systems to achieve the goals of CBME. The development of scopes of professional clinical tasks is the first step for EPAs medical education. In this study, we aimed to develop a framework of EPAs specially for psychiatry specialty training and to investigate the perceptions of these EPAs among trainees. Methods: This study combined the methods of expert focus group and questionnaire survey. Experts in the focus group were attending psychiatrists at Kaohsiung Medical University …

Virtual Patients Vs Standardized Patients In Medical Education - From The Perspectives Of Clinical Teachers, Chia-Hung Chen, Feng-Cheng Liu, Zi-Xiang Xu, Fu-Hsiung Su, Tsuen-Chiuan Tsai

Journal of Medical Education

Patient encounters have been highlighted important for learning clinical skills. Virtual patients and standardized patients have been widely used as supplement models in medical education. Purpose: This study aims to first compare the effectiveness of using SPs and VPs from the perspectives of clinical teachers and secondly to suggest the smart choice based on the educational objectives. Methods: A questionnaire-assisted interview was conducted to gather feedback from teachers based on their experience with VPs and SPs in clinical teaching. The items for VP/SP comparison include: clinical reasoning, history taking, physical examination, procedural skills, communication, conceptualization, range of case varieties, authentic …

Use Of The Nursing Practice Grade As A Predictor Of Registered Nurse Examination First Attempt Pass Rate Of Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates, Shu-Ying Fu, Jen-Hung Wang, Jiin-Ling Jiang

Journal of Medical Education

Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether the nursing practice grade can serve as a predictor of pass rate for the first attempt of the Registered Nurse (RN) Examination of baccalaureate nursing graduates. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to collect data from the Nursing Practice Management System in one university. Data covered the grades of various nursing practice courses of students who graduated from 2015 to 2019. All the students had completed the required nine nursing practice courses. The outcome was pass/ fail in the first attempt of the RN examination. Results: Among a total of 260 students, most …

Establishing Core Competencies Of Taiwanese Pharmacists Using The Nominal Group Technique, Ya-Hui Chang, Shao-Chin Chiang, Chih-Wei Yang

Journal of Medical Education

Purpose: The implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME) is increasing worldwide and has been emphasized by key reports in health professional education. The objective of this study is to describe the consensus process and results that led to the Taiwanese pharmacists' core competencies framework. Methods: The initial draft of the core competencies and profession-specific sub-competencies were formulated by CBME task force members of the Taiwan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP). Expert pharmacist educators from representative teaching medical facilities across Taiwan were invited to go through a standard process of the nominal group technique (NGT) to come up with the final …

Evolution Of Journal Of Medical Education To Open Access, Ming-Been Lee

Journal of Medical Education

Modern medical education in Taiwan began in 1897. The National Taiwan University College of Medicine (NTUCM) led medical education reform by introducing a new curriculum and small class teaching in August 1992. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Taiwan medical education, the NTUCM published the Journal of Medical Education (JME) in Mandarin in 1997, hoping to share the education reform and further improve the quality of medical education in Taiwan. For more than 26 years, the JME has grown and served as the platform that supports the work of medical education researchers, medical professionals, administrators, and policymakers. Along with our …

Perspectives Of A Foreigner Teaching At A Taiwanese Medical School, Russell Oliver Kosik

Journal of Medical Education

Dr. Kosik has had multiple years of experience teaching medicine in Asia. He has found the medical education system in Taiwan to be quite impressive and is inspired by the dedication of the faculty and students. Still, there is room for improvement, especially in more abstract areas such as critical thinking.

Looks And Status Are Still Essential: Testing The Mate Preference Priority Model With The Profile-Based Experimental Paradigm, Jose C. Yong, Yi Wen Tan, Norman P. Li, Andrea L. Meltzer

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: Although the mate preference priority model (MPPM; Li et al., 2002) has advanced our understanding of mate preferences, tests of the MPPM have relied on methods using text labels and thus lack ecological validity. We address this gap by testing the MPPM using Townsend and colleagues’ (1990a; 1990b; 1993) profile-based experimental paradigm, which utilizes profiles comprising photos of pre-rated models to manipulate physical attractiveness as well as costumes and descriptions to manipulate social status.Method: Using Singaporean samples, we conducted two studies (Study 1 n = 431, Study 2 n = 964) where participants judged the short-term and long-term mating …

Developing A Lifestyle Intervention Program For Overweight Or Obese Preconception, Pregnant And Postpartum Women Using Qualitative Methods, Chee Wai Ku, Shu Hui Leow, Lay See Ong, Christina Erwin, Isabella Ong, Xiang Wen Ng, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan, Fabian Yap, Jerry K. Y. Chan, See Ling Loy

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The time period before, during and after pregnancy represents a unique opportunity for interventions to cultivate sustained healthy lifestyle behaviors to improve the metabolic health of mothers and their offspring. However, the success of a lifestyle intervention is dependent on uptake and continued compliance. To identify enablers and barriers towards engagement with a lifestyle intervention, thematic analysis of 15 in-depth interviews with overweight or obese women in the preconception, pregnancy or postpartum periods was undertaken, using the integrated-Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework as a guide to systematically chart factors influencing adoption of a novel lifestyle intervention. …

The Impact Of Having Foreign Domestic Workers On Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia: Findings From A Multi-Method Research In Singapore, Qi Yuan, Yunjue Zhang, Ellaisha Samari, Anitha Jeyagurunathan, Tee Hng Tan, Fiona Devi, Peizhi Wang, Harish Magadi, Richard Goveas, Li Ling Ng, Mythily Subramaniam

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) sometimes engage foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to support their caregiving journey. However, there has not been much research to establish if this is really beneficial. The current study aims to investigate whether engaging FDWs specifically for caregiving of PWDs truly moderates caregiver stress and to explore caregivers’ experiences of engaging FDWs. Methods: A multi-method study design with a quantitative and qualitative sub-study was adopted. For the quantitative sub-study, 282 informal caregivers of PWDs were recruited. Propensity score matching analysis was used. For the qualitative sub-study, 15 informal caregivers with FDWs were interviewed. …

Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Of Childhood Obesity In Singapore, Paulin Tay Straughan, Chengwei Xu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The obesity pandemic is increasingly threatening Asian populations. This is especially so for children from higher-income countries, such as Singapore. Among the various driving factors of obesity, parents’ health knowledge, attitudes, and practices are underexplored. The present study uses a nationally representative sample of 1,491 responses from Singapore to investigate parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about childhood obesity. Latent class analysis (LCA) on parents’ responses to the KAP survey reveals four unique parenting patterns: the limited knowledge group, the group with negative attitudes, the best practice group, and the limited practice group. Children of families in the best practice …

Ten Year Real World Experience With Ultrafiltration For The Management Of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, Donald C. Haas, Maureen Hummel, Patricia Barrella, Waqas Ullah, Misung Yi, Robert Watson

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of ultrafiltration (UF) have demonstrated conflicting results regarding its efficacy and safety.

Objective: We reviewed 10 years of data for adjustable UF during heart failure hospitalizations in a real world cohort.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, single center analysis of 335 consecutive patients treated with adjustable rate UF using the CHF Solutions Aquadex Flex Flo System from 2009 to 2019.

Results: Compared to previous RCTs investigating UF, our cohort was older, with worse renal impairment and more antecedent HF hospitalizations in the year preceding therapy. Mean fluid removal with UF was 14.6 l. Mean weight …

Strong Structuration Analysis Of Patterns Of Adherence To Hypertension Medication, Maureen L. Seguin, Jhaki A. Mendoza, Gideon Lasco, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Benjamin Palafox, Alicia Renedo, Martin Mckee, Dina Balabanova

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Achieving blood pressure control is among the highest priorities for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases globally. Control is poor in the Philippines; especially in socioeconomically marginalised communities. This paper explores long-term adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in these communities; identifying 4 distinct medication adherence patterns. We draw on Strong Structuration Theory to explore motivations of action for those who are consistently adherent; consistently non-adherent; and those who became more or less adherent over time. We employ longitudinal qualitative methods comprising repeat interviews and digital diaries collected over 12 months by 34 participants. Twelve participants were consistently adherent; 9 consistently non-adherent; …

An Efficient Automated Iris Recognition Classification Model Based On Different Convolutional Neural Networks And Transfer Learning., Ghada Abd El-Latif Shatat, Abeer Twakol, Ibrahim Yasser, Mohy Eldin Ahmed Abu Al Saud

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Iris is a common biometric used for identity verification. Iris identification is one of the best ways to give people individual authentication based on their iris anatomy. This paper's main objective is to evaluate how well these deep learning networks perform on iris image datasets. The image goes through the following stages: improving image quality; employing the Hough transform and the integro-differential operator to segment the iris; and reducing processing time by changing the image's 150x300 dimensions from Cartesian to polar coordinates. Transfer learning is used to implement the iris classification on three deep learning networks: VGG19, InceptionV3, and Iris …

Associations Of Neighborhood Opportunity And Social Vulnerability With Trajectories Of Childhood Body Mass Index And Obesity Among Us Children, Izzuddin M. Aris, Wei Perng, Dana Dabelea, Amy M. Padula, Akram Alshawabkeh, Carmen M. Vélez-Vega, Judy L. Aschner, Carlos A. Camargo, Tamara J. Sussman, Anne L. Dunlop, Amy J. Elliott, Assiamira Ferrara, Yeyi Zhu, Christine L. M. Joseph, Anne M. Singh, Tina Hartert, Ferdinand Cacho, Margaret R. Karagas, Tiffany North-Reid, Barry M. Lester, Nichole R. Kelly, Jody M. Ganiban, Su H. Chu, Thomas G. O'Connor, Rebecca C. Fry, Gwendolyn Norman, Leonardo Trasande, Bibiana Restrepo, Peter James, Emily Oken

Public Health Sciences Articles

IMPORTANCE: Physical and social neighborhood attributes may have implications for children's growth and development patterns. The extent to which these attributes are associated with body mass index (BMI) trajectories and obesity risk from childhood to adolescence remains understudied.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of neighborhood-level measures of opportunity and social vulnerability with trajectories of BMI and obesity risk from birth to adolescence.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study used data from 54 cohorts (20 677 children) participating in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program from January 1, 1995, to January 1, 2022. Participant inclusion required at least …

Mindset Theory Relates To Attitudes About Prison And Parole Among College Students, Cassandra R. Petersen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The maintenance of prosocial relationships has been strongly connected to criminal desistance among past offenders. The opinions held by the community shape the prejudice often encountered by those with a criminal record. To promote desistance, we must understand how criminals and their abilities are considered by the public. In this study, 69 college students were surveyed about the United States prison and parole system in conjunction with Dweck’s mindset theory. Along with explicit questions, an Implicit Associations Test (IAT) was employed to measure unconscious associations between mentality and punishment preference. The IAT revealed that traits of a growth mindset were …

Communication Apprehension In Romantic Relationships And Effects On Mental Health, Meg Mccoy

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study examines how and if university students’ communication apprehension (CA) within romantic relationships affects their mental health. Inspired by Communication Accommodation Theory, this researcher conducted both a survey and in-depth interviews with undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to test these relationships and further explore experiences of CA in romantic relationships. The findings of this study reveal that lower levels of CA are positively correlated with a healthier mental status, including overall mental health and self-esteem. In addition, the data indicates that participants do not experience CA except when it comes to sensitive subjects. Employing accommodative …

An Ethnohistorical Exploration Of Educational Technology Implementation In Metropolitan Omaha Area Public Schools: One Leadership Perspective, Linda M. Ward

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

An Ethnohistorical Exploration of Educational Technology Implementation in Metropolitan Omaha Area Public Schools is a written account of the evolution of 1:1 program in five public school districts. These metropolitan Omaha area districts share their journey in developing programs that provide equity in accessing educational technology to all students. An annotated history of educational technology and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards and their effect on education and educators is also addressed.

The Effects Of A Low Fodmap Diet On People With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Literature Review, Emily Stalder

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a very common gastrointestinal disorder around the world. There is no known etiology or cure for the disorder, which leaves researchers to develop coping mechanisms for this prevalent issue. A high percentage (10%-15%) of the general population, mostly in Western, industrialized areas, suffer from IBS. A low FODMAP diet (LFD) is something that has been gaining a following over the past 20 years, which has led to research on its ability to minimize symptoms of IBS. The purpose of this literature review is to see what current research has to offer on the LFD’s ability …

Evaluation Of The Selected Nuproxa Feed Additives For Protection Against Lameness And Improving The Wellbeing Of Broilers In The Lameness Challenge Model, Abigail Fanous

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) is a form of bacteria that causes lameness in broiler chickens and is a common concern within the poultry industry. This easily transmissible disease can quickly take over entire livestock of chickens leading to an animal welfare issue. Due to this, it is a pressing issue that must be solved in order to protect the wellbeing of broiler chickens and ensure viable livestock. Nuproxa is a company that specializes in chicken feed in which we used to test different amounts of Panbonis, a dietary supplement, in its effectiveness in protecting broiler chickens against BCO lameness. …

Tiny Tusks Internship: The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Breastfeeding Barriers, Blair Finlinson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusks is a breastfeeding and infant support program developed by the nursing program at University of Arkansas. From 2021-2022, I have had the opportunity to complete my honors internship with this organization. Tiny Tusks was started with the goal of creating safe spaces for mothers to breastfeed and/or pump during school sporting events, along with providing up to date information on breastfeeding and infant safety practices. Tiny Tusks also provides changing tables, spaces for young children to decompress in a low-stimulation environment.

Exploring Stress In Adolescents Regarding The Covid-19 School Closure, Anna Beck

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: The purpose of this literature review, is to explore the stress adolescents faced during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the rates of stress, other psychological consequences, such as depression and anxiety, as well as factors that could have contributed to the development of stress and those that could have helped relieve feelings of distraught.

Purpose: To create a more holistic approach in nursing care, finding reasonings behind the creation of stress in the young population, as well as methods to alleviate, can help patient satisfaction and support.

Method: A literature review was conducted over 20 peer …

Course Content Student And Instructor Collaboration, Kathleen Ferris-Costa

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Book Review Elizabeth Kolbert, Under A White Sky: The Nature Of The Future (New York: Crown, 2021)., Robert Hellström

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

What’S In A Name? The Effect Of Calling An Assignment “Homework” Vs. “Reading Notes”, Ashley A. Hansen-Brown

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.