Digital Commons Network^™

Facility-Based Audit System With Integrated Community Engagement To Improve Maternal And Perinatal Health Outcomes In Rural Pakistan: Protocol For A Mixed Methods Implementation Study, Zahid Memon, Wardah Ahmed, Shah Muhammad, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Shanti Chohan, Arjumand Rizvi, Paul Barach, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background: Maternal and newborn mortality in Pakistan remains as a major public health challenge. Pakistan faces significant infrastructure challenges and inadequate access to quality health care, exacerbated by sociocultural factors. Facility-based audit systems coupled with community engagement are key elements in achieving improved health system performance. We describe an implementation approach adapted from the World Health Organization audit cycle in real-world settings, with a plan to scale-up through mixed methods evaluation plan.
Objective: This study aims to implement a locally acceptable and relevant audit system and evaluate its feasibility within the rural health system of Pakistan for scale-up.
Methods: The …

Into An Interference Zone: Childbirth And Care Among Mehinako People, Aline Regitano

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This article addresses issues of care and corporeality during gestation, childbirth, the postpartum period, and childcare through a case study conducted with Mehinako people. Among this Amazonian people, care forms the person, having an elementary function in the daily construction of kinship relations through means of affection. A recent trend has caused expressive transformations in the way women experience corporeality and the making of a person: the displacement of birth from the home to hospitals, motivated by women’s fear, desire, and curiosity. In the city, Indigenous women transit through medical institutions, which I propose may be read as interference zones …

Jean E. Jackson: A Pioneering Ethnographer In The Colombian Amazon, Patience Epps, Danilo Paiva Ramos, Flora Dias Cabalzar

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This essay celebrates the work of Jean E. Jackson, a pioneering female ethnographer who devoted most of her fifty-year career to the Indigenous peoples of Colombia. Her research, represented in an extensive set of publications from the early 1970s to the present, engages with themes of identity, stigma, and social inequality, manifested across a range of contexts. Jackson’s ethnographic contributions include her ground-breaking early work on Indigenous Tukanoan society in the Colombian Vaupés, focusing on the practice of linguistic exogamy (obligatory marriage across language groups) among the Bará people. Later, she expanded her focus to address Indigenous experiences in the …

Exploring The Impact Of Training Datasets On Turkish Stance Detection, Muhammed Sai̇d Zengi̇n, Berk Utku Yeni̇sey, Mücahi̇d Kutlu

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Stance detection has garnered considerable attention from researchers due to its broad range of applications, including fact-checking and social computing. While state-of-the-art stance detection models are usually based on supervised machine learning methods, their effectiveness is heavily reliant on the quality of training data. This problem is more prevalent in stance detection task because the stance of a text is intimately tied to the target under consideration. While numerous datasets exist for stance detection, determining their suitability for a specific target can be challenging. In this work, we focus on Turkish stance detection and explore the impact of training data …

A Comparative Study Of Blind Source Separation Methods, Burak Baysal, Mehmet Önder Efe

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Blind source separation is a popular research topic used for decomposing mixed signals, particularly in the field of music. In addition to exploring machine learning-based approaches, this study aims to examine the performance of classical algorithms in separating audio signal sources. The evaluation of different genres is a significant aspect of this study as the performance of the methods may vary across various musical genres and different audio components. This consideration provides a novel perspective and contributes to a comprehensive analysis of the algorithms. Using the MusDB-HQ dataset, we conducted experimental studies comparing classical algorithms, including FastICA, NMF, and DUET, …

A Comparative Study Of Yolo Models And A Transformer-Based Yolov5 Model For Mass Detection In Mammograms, Damla Coşkun, Dervi̇ş Karaboğa, Alper Baştürk, Bahri̇ye Akay, Özkan Ufuk Nalbantoğlu, Serap Doğan, İshak Paçal, Meryem Altin Karagöz

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Breast cancer is a prevalent form of cancer across the globe, and if it is not diagnosed at an early stage it can be life-threatening. In order to aid in its diagnosis, detection, and classification, computer-aided detection (CAD) systems are employed. You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based CAD algorithms have become very popular owing to their highly accurate results for object detection tasks in recent years. Therefore, the most popular YOLO models are implemented to compare the performance in mass detection with various experiments on the INbreast dataset. In addition, a YOLO model with an integrated Swin Transformer in its backbone …

Machine Learning Based Bioinformatics Analysis Of Intron Usage Alterations And Metabolic Regulation In Adipose Browning, Hamza Umut Karakurt, Pinar Pi̇r

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Adipose tissue is the major energy depot of the body and is considered an endocrine organ. Adipose tissue involves many different cell types, first and foremost, the adipocytes. White adipose cells that store fat and brown adipocytes that take part in lipid oxidation and heat generation are the most common cell types in adipose tissue. Even though brown adipocytes which have a high number of mitochondria and high fat-burning capacity are rare in adults, they are abundant in newborns and rodents. White adipocytes can gain a temporal brown-like character with a process called browning, which can be induced with cold …

Feature Selection Optimization With Filtering And Wrapper Methods: Two Disease Classification Cases, Serhat Ati̇k, Tuğba Dalyan

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Discarding the less informative and redundant features helps to reduce the time required to train a learning algorithm and the amount of storage required, improving the learning accuracy as well as the quality of results. In this study, we present different feature selection approaches to address the problem of disease classification based on the Parkinson and Cardiac Arrhythmia datasets. For this purpose, first we utilize three filtering algorithms including the Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman correlation coefficient, and relief. Second, metaheuristic algorithms are compared to find the most informative subset of the features to obtain better classification accuracy. As a final …

"I Call It Hunting": Centuries Of Violence Against Native American Women, Antonia Felix

Educational Leadership Department Publications

Native American and Pacific Islander women are missing and murdered at an alarming and relentless rate. The history of violence against this population starts with European contact in the fifteenth century and continues to this day with Native women suffering the highest rate of sexual assault per capita in the nation. This panel presentation held in observance of the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women concludes with a recognition of Native American resilience and actions all Americans can take to help reduce these crimes.

Skin Barrier Function: The Interplay Of Physical, Chemical, And Immunologic Properties, Paola Baker, Christina Huang, Rakan Radi, Samara B Moll, Emmanuela Jules, Jack L Arbiser

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

An intact barrier function of the skin is important in maintaining skin health. The regulation of the skin barrier depends on a multitude of molecular and immunological signaling pathways. By examining the regulation of a healthy skin barrier, including maintenance of the acid mantle and appropriate levels of ceramides, dermatologists can better formulate solutions to address issues that are related to a disrupted skin barrier. Conversely, by understanding specific skin barrier disruptions that are associated with specific conditions, such as atopic dermatitis or psoriasis, the development of new compounds could target signaling pathways to provide more effective relief for patients. …

Relationships Between Intimate Partner Violence And Alaskan Women's Health, Ingrid Johnson, Andrew Gonzalez

AJiC Alaska Victimization Survey

This report details a sample of Alaskan women's experiences with psychological, physical, and sexual harm by an intimate partner, and the relationships between those experiences and their current physical and mental health. These analyses of Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) data are comprised of almost 13,000 survey responses from adult, non-institutionalized Alaskan women. The findings confirm those of prior, non-Alaska based research that all types of historical and recent intimate partner violence (IPV) are linked to victims’ current physical and mental health. Non-physical IPV has the same negative relationships with various health status indicators as physical IPV: Control, threats, and psychological …

Assessment Of Ethanol And Nicotine Interactions Using A Reinforcer Demand Modeling With Grouped And Individual Levels Of Analyses In A Long-Access Self-Administration Model Using Male Rats, Christopher L. Robison, Nicole Cova, Victoria Madore, Tyler Allen, Scott T. Barrett, Sergios Charntikov

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous reports have indicated the reciprocal effects of nicotine and ethanol on their rewarding and reinforcing properties, but studies using methodological approaches resembling substance use in vulnerable populations are lacking. In our study, rats first self-administered ethanol, and their sensitivity to ethanol’s reinforcing effects was assessed using a reinforcer demand modeling approach. Subsequently, rats were equipped with intravenous catheters to self-administer nicotine, and their sensitivity to nicotine’s reinforcing effects was evaluated using the same approach. In the final phase, rats were allowed to self-administer ethanol and nicotine concurrently, investigating the influence of one substance on the rate of responding for …

Technology In Education: A Case Study On Lao People's Democratic Republic, Yung Nietschke, Anna Dabrowski

International Education Research

This paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report as background information for the development of the 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report: technology and education, Southeast Asia. Digital technology has the potential to transform learning and offer a solution to persistent challenges in equity of access and quality of learning for all students. COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of technology to deliver alternative modes of education. It has also put the spotlight on the digital divide that technology creates. This Case Study explores the progress of technology integration in the education sector in Lao PDR in line with …

The Age Of The Onanya - Regarding The Spread Of Ayahuasca Use Throughout The Ucayali Basin, Carlos Suárez-Álvarez

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

The spread of ayahuasca shamanism throughout the Upper Amazon has become a matter of debate among scholars since, in 1994, anthropologist Peter Gow formulated the controversial suggestion that it could be a recent phenomenon in the Ucayali basin, usually considered the stronghold of a millenary tradition. Following Gow, Brabec de Mori argued that the Shipibo-Conibo people, a paradigmatic example of the antique practice of ayahuasca shamanism, adopted both the brew and the associated shamanic practices in a “relatively recent” past. Gow and Brabec pointed at the Maynas missions as the origin of this shamanic complex, and the mestizo and Cocama …

Team-Based Learning In The Internal Medicine Clerkship Didactics, Madeline Garb, Melissa Jenkins, Elaine Cruz

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Active-learning approaches, such as team-based learning, are infrequently used in internal medicine clerkship didactics even though there is increasing evidence to suggest medical students prefer it over traditional lecture-based learning. In this study, five team-based learning sessions were incorporated into three blocks of a 12-week internal medicine clerkship. Methods: The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to compare learner engagement, satisfaction and preference between team-based learning and lecture-based learning in the internal medicine clerkship didactics. Outcomes were compared using the Classroom Engagement Survey, a satisfaction questionnaire and the Team-Based Learning Student Assessment Instrument (TBL-SAI). Findings: There was a statistically …

Development And Validation Of Molnupiravir Assessment In Bulk Powder And Pharmaceutical Formulation By The Rp-Hplc-Uv Method, Ekram Hany Mohamed, A. H. Abdel Aziz, Noha M. El Zahar,, Nour El-Din A. Abdel-Sattar, Safwat A. Mahmoud,, Mohamed S. Attia,

Pharmacy

An accurate, sensitive and selective RP-HPLC-UV method has been established for the estimation of Molnupiravir (MOL) in pure bulk powder and pharmaceutical formulation. Separation was achieved on an Inertsil C18 column (150.0 mm × 4.6 mm, 5.0 μm), using a mobile phase of 20 mM phosphate buffer pH 2.5 : acetonitrile (80 : 20, v/v%) in isocratic mode with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1. The λmax of MOL prepared in the chosen diluent (ethanol : water in equal proportions) was found to be 230.0 nm. The constructed calibration curve was found to be linear in the concentration range …

Cross-Cultural Validation Of A Measure Of Contemplativity With A Chinese College Sample, Maryann Krikorian, Ran Tao, Randy T. Busse

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this article is to present the results of an exploratory cross-cultural validation study of a measure of contemplativity with a Chinese sample. The Scale of Contemplative Practices in Education (SCOPE) was administered to 144 Chinese college students. The results of an exploratory factor analysis accounted for 68% of the variance with a five factor structure, although high correlations among the factors indicate that a single factor may be the best current quantitative measure of contemplativity. Internal consistency estimates were strong for the full scale (.95) and adequate for the factors (.66 to .90). Higher scores on the …

Effect Of Aerobic Exercise On Erectile Function: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Mohit Khera, Samir Bhattacharyya, Larry E Miller

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The health benefits of regular aerobic exercise are well established, although there is limited high-quality evidence regarding its impact on erectile function.

Aim: To determine the effect of aerobic exercise on erectile function in men and to identify factors that may influence this effect.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise on erectile function via the Erectile Function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF). The mean difference in IIEF-EF scores between the aerobic exercise and nonexercising control groups was estimated by a random-effects meta-analysis. Meta-regression was …

Stmut: A Framework For Visualizing Somatic Alterations In Spatial Transcriptomics Data Of Cancer, Limin Chen, Darwin Chang, Bishal Tandukar, Delahny Deivendran, Joanna Pozniak, Noel Cruz-Pacheco, Raymond J Cho, Jeffrey Cheng, Iwei Yeh, Chris Marine, Boris C Bastian, Andrew L Ji, A Hunter Shain

Staff and Researcher Publications

Spatial transcriptomic technologies, such as the Visium platform, measure gene expression in different regions of tissues. Here, we describe new software, STmut, to visualize somatic point mutations, allelic imbalance, and copy number alterations in Visium data. STmut is tested on fresh-frozen Visium data, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) Visium data, and tumors with and without matching DNA sequencing data. Copy number is inferred on all conditions, but the chemistry of the FFPE platform does not permit analyses of single nucleotide variants. Taken together, we propose solutions to add the genetic dimension to spatial transcriptomic data and describe the limitations of different datatypes.

Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among Community-Dwelling Older People In East-Coast Malaysia, Siti Suhana Zakaria, Siti Nur Illiani Jaafar, Muhammad Kamil Che Hasan, Nik Noor Kaussar Nik Mohd Hatta, Wan Nor Aliza Wan Abdul Rahman

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

Older people are increasing in number globally, and they are likely to have mental health problems, including de- pression. In this population, the risk of having depressive symptoms is very high due to multidimensional factors, but these symptoms are often undertreated. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of de- pressive symptoms among community-dwelling older people living on the East Coast of Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in several areas of the state of Terengganu based on multilayered stratified sampling. A total of 240 participants were randomly selected. Several instruments were employed, such as the Geriatric …

Sleep Quality And Stress Levels Among Nurses: A Single Center Study, Siti Zuhaidah Shahadan, Mohamad Firdaus Mohamad Ismail, Khalidah Nadhirah Kamaruzaman

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

The issue of nurses' sleep quality, which has a significant impact on their mental health, has not received enough attention. Nurses’ stress and mental health can affect patient care, so poor sleep quality in nurses can lead to stress and patient harm. Thus, this study examines the relationship between sleep quality and stress in nurses at a university hospital in Kuantan, Malaysia. This cross-sectional study used convenience sampling. A total of 101 nurses in the hospital were recruited to complete a series of questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS21). SPSS …

Smoking Among Adolescents And Associated Factors In Rural Areas, Hanida Hani Mohd Mokhtar, Nurul Farhana Abdul Ghani, Siti Nur Illiani Jaafar, Aini Ahmad, Fitri Arofiati

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

Smoking among adolescents is the major health-related issues in Malaysia. However, information concerning recent smoking rates and how they correlate among adolescents in rural areas is still limited. This study aimed to determine the percentage of adolescent smokers among high school students, examine their level of nicotine dependence, and study the association between sociodemographic data and smoking status. A cross-sectional study was conducted at one of the high schools located in the rural area of Bandar Tun Abdul Razak, Pahang, Malaysia. A convenience sampling method was used to select the participants, as only Form 2 students were available during the …

The Relationship Of Self-Care Behaviours And Online Learning Engagement Among Nursing Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mazlinda Musa, Rohani Mamat, Hamidah Hassan, Sitti Fatimah Sa'at, Syed Syarizman Abd Rahim, Abdul Rahman Ramdzan, Octovia Abdullah, Vellerina Ally Paidius, Mariana Muitaba, Ashley Melissa George

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden switch from conventional to virtual classes allegedly raised students' risk of mental health illnesses, adversely influencing their academic engagement and learning outcomes. Nursing students in Malaysia, especially those enrolled in universities in Sabah, have traditionally been accustomed to a conventional face- to-face teaching and learning approach. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning or online classes have become one of the learning methods for university nursing students in Sabah, either while they are on campus or at home, to obtain access for educational purposes. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between …

Willingness Of Graduate Nursing Students To Provide Care For Covid-19 Patients, Andrea Beatrice Josef, Hannah Grace Pascual, Antonette Mei Surigao, Jemina E. Fuentebella, Kathyrine Calong Calong, Gil P. Soriano, Carrisa Juliana Balaria, Ryan Michael F. Oducado

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

Nurses play a key role in management and care services to maintain patient safety; however, with the emergence of COVID-19, the number of nurses still continues to decline. Due to the on-going problem that even novice nurses may see as a major challenge, this study aims to identify whether nursing graduates are willing to participate in the care of COVID- 19 patients. The study is cross-sectional where a total of 146 conveniently chosen nursing graduates currently enrolled in Nursing Review Centers in the Philippines preparing to take the Nurse Licensure Examination. The data were collected using Google forms from August …

Clinical Situations For Which 3d Printing Is Considered An Appropriate Representation Or Extension Of Data Contained In A Medical Imaging Examination: Vascular Conditions, Joonhyuk Lee, Seetharam C Chadalavada, Anish Ghodadra, Arafat Ali, Elsa M Arribas, Leonid Chepelev, Ciprian N Ionita, Prashanth Ravi, Justin R Ryan, Lumarie Santiago, Nicole Wake, Adnan M Sheikh, Frank J Rybicki, David H Ballard

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Medical three-dimensional (3D) printing has demonstrated utility and value in anatomic models for vascular conditions. A writing group composed of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Special Interest Group on 3D Printing (3DPSIG) provides appropriateness recommendations for vascular 3D printing indications.

METHODS: A structured literature search was conducted to identify all relevant articles using 3D printing technology associated with vascular indications. Each study was vetted by the authors and strength of evidence was assessed according to published appropriateness ratings.

RESULTS: Evidence-based recommendations for when 3D printing is appropriate are provided for the following areas: aneurysm, dissection, extremity vascular …

Image Semantic Segmentation Algorithm Based On Improved Deeplabv3+, Weiping Zhao, Yu Chen, Song Xiang, Yuanqiang Liu, Chaoyue Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Mainstream image semantic segmentation networks currently face problems such as incorrec segmentation, discontinuous segmentation, and high model complexity, which cannot be flexibly and efficiently deployed in practical scenarios. To this end, an image semantic segmentation network that optimizes the DeepLabv3+ model is designed by comprehensively considering the network parameters, prediction time, and accuracy. The lightweight EfficientNetv2 is adopted to extract backbone network features and improve parameter utilization. In the atrous spatial pyramid pooling module, the mixed strip pooling is utilized to replace the global average pooling, and a depthwise separable dilated convolution is introduced to reduce parameters and improve …

Exploring The Influence Of Self-Control And Assimilation On Intimate Partner Violence: A Longitudinal Analysis, Fei Luo, Kimberly D. Dodson, Heather Alaniz-Salas

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

Prior scholarly inquiry into victimization consistently highlighted the significance of low self-control as a predisposing factor for heightened vulnerability to victimization. While existing literature has extensively examined the influence of low self-control across diverse demographic samples, a notable gap exists in the body of research concerning the effect of low self-control on intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and the role of assimilation. This study utilizes two waves of Add Health data to examine the relationship between low self-control and IPV victimization as well as the influence of assimilation on this association. Findings from the logistic regressions reveal that low self-control …

Machine Learning Algorithms For Predictive Maintenance In Hvac Systems, Vibhu Sharma, Vrushank Mistry

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student Publications

This comprehensive research endeavors to explore the integration of machine learning algorithms as a transformative solution for predictive maintenance in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. The escalating demand for efficiency and sustainability in building practices has necessitated innovative approaches, and this study focuses on the proactive utilization of machine learning in HVAC system management. The investigation delves into the latest advancements in machine learning, offering a nuanced examination of its applications within HVAC systems. By predicting maintenance needs, these algorithms play a pivotal role in ensuring system reliability, optimizing energy efficiency, and contributing to substantial cost savings. The …

Evaluation Of The Bacteriological Characteristics Of Groundwater In The Al-Mahary Area, Northwest Of Al-Muthanna Governorate, Saif Majeed Hussain

Uruk Journal of Human Sciences

The study included an evaluation of the bacteriological characteristics of groundwater in the Al-Mahari region in the northwestern part of the desert of Al-Muthanna Governorate, as the field work included collecting (40) samples of groundwater in (20) sites. The samples were taken by (2) samples from each site, the first during the month of February, and the second during the month of August of the year 2022, water samples were collected using opaque glass bottles with a capacity of (125ml) sterilized with an autoclave, vacuumed, and dried at a temperature of 140oC for two hours. The samples were analyzed in …

Winter Music Series (November 30, December 1-2, 2023), Lindenwood University

Student Music Performance Programs

Event program for the Winter Music Series (November 30, December 1-2, 2023).