Digital Commons Network^™

Ethical Dilemmas In Glioblastoma Patient Care: A Case Study, Laura-Lee Mc Comie

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

This thesis investigates the ethical implications surrounding the sudden death of a 46-year-old male patient from glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumor. The analysis focuses on the intricate details of the case, dissecting the events that transpired, and identifying the medical and ethical mistakes that were made. Further, this thesis critically examines the decisions made by both the healthcare professionals and the patient, and the deficiencies in diagnosis, communication, and treatment strategy in the case. Because of delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment, the patient suffered an untimely death. By unraveling the complexities of this case, this thesis seeks to contribute …

Power Of The Spine: The Impact Of Non-Invasive Chiropractic Care On Patients, Jaden Mekled

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine involving the non-invasive treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. I spent 5 months working as an intern at Spine Design Chiropractic in Jupiter, Florida. For my thesis, I observe the current state of chiropractic care, using two case studies. The details I present display the use of chiropractic care in the diagnosis and treatment of two representative cases of patients at the clinic, outlining their different care plans and their outcomes.

Change Of Bacterial Diversity Within The Fecal Samples Of Gopherus Polyphemus For One Month, Gabrielle Ruiz

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The microbiome plays a significant role in the strength of the immune system; it aids in the recovery of nutrition, is essential for the prevention of invading pathogens, and helps in the remediation of harmful toxicants. The microbiome is largely unknown, especially in reptiles like the gopher tortoise. Gopher tortoises are threatened in Florida and multiple other states. Therefore, it is important to understand how the bacterial population changes over time outside of the organism. We humanely harvested fresh feces from three gopher tortoises in the Jupiter Abacoa greenway, and left the feces in the field. We re-took samples at …

The Enigma Of The Successful Psychopath: An In-Depth Examination, Josette Mobley

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

In this thesis, I examine three psychological characteristics – psychopathy, autism, and intelligence – and consider how they are related. Psychopathy is a condition that has long captured the public imagination. Articles and blogs are devoted to murderers with psychopathic features. Movies and TV shows have been based on real-life famous psychopaths narrating the horrible crimes they have committed. Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and guilt, manipulation of other people, and violent antisocial behavior. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. “Successful psychopaths” are those who have all the traits …

Invictus: Nigredo & Calcinatio, Christian Soares Deoliveira

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Invictus is a narrative virtual reality (VR) game which makes use of 16th century alchemical concepts on becoming spiritually whole. As an alchemist, the player begins their first steps in achieving The Great Work – a state of perfect being; synonymous with creating The Philosopher’s Stone. To begin, players embark into a stage called Nigredo, where the many is transmuted into one through the processes of alchemical Fire – calcination – as a method of purification. Players begin in an alchemical laboratory, learning about and preparing the first stage and process. To experience being transmuted by the power of Fire, …

Is Airbnb Impacting Home Prices? Evidence From Fort Lauderdale, Michael Thayer

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Airbnb has attracted significant attention from municipal governments due to its potential to influence housing affordability. This paper assesses the role of Airbnb concentration on home prices in Fort Lauderdale from October 2021 to December 2022 using a first difference fixed effect model and data scraped from the Airbnb website via InsideAirbnb. The results from the model suggest higher Airbnb concentration leads to higher home prices. For a home priced between the 35th and 65th percentile, an additional one percentage point of Airbnb concentration causes prices to increase by 3.2 percent.

Exploring The Relationship Between Amazon Badges And Star Ratings In Online Reviews, Trish Tran

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

This thesis investigates the relationship between three Amazon badges (Vine Voice, Vine Customer of a Free Product, and Verified Purchase) and the star ratings. The status and incentives associated with badges pose a concern of credibility in online reviews. This thesis examines whether the Vine Voice badge and Vine Review of a Free Product badge are more likely to have higher star ratings, and whether the Verified Purchase badge is more likely to have lower star ratings. Amazon reviews on two different battery products were manually collected and parsed to extract variables relevant to the research question. An ordinal logistic …

Could Solar Energy Be Our Future? Literary Analysis, Tyler Martin

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

As energy consumption increases, the need for an efficient, cheap-to-make, and low-maintenance power converter is increasingly sought after. Solar energy has the potential to fill all these requirements as it is not only the most abundant source of energy on the planet, but the devices themselves require little to no cost post-installation. Solar cells convert photon particles into flowing current, producing voltage by merely remaining stationary, something that fossil fuel production cannot achieve. The efficiency of these devices has drastically improved over the last 30 years, jumping from less than 10% to nearly 30%, and with some of the practices …

The Effect Of Retirees On Palm Beach County Home Pricing, Randolph Tubbs

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Florida continues to be a major retirement destination. With a large and growing population of retirees, their effect on real estate prices becomes measurable. Using an ordinary least squares regression analysis, I assess the effect retirees have on home prices in Palm Beach County, Florida. I claim that, in contrast to existing literature, retirees are bidding up the prices on select properties within Palm Beach County. This paper will also determine the amount that retirees increase these properties by.

Integrating Field Observations With Genetic Data: A Study Of Fungal Diversity With Inaturalist And Dna Barcoding, Anthony Ward

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the underrepresentation of South Florida in the field of mycology. Upon reviewing samples and comparing them to their closest genetic match, it is safe to conclude that there are a significant number of samples with either unidentified or unknown species. Of the samples observed and recorded, a surprising 17 of 39 or 43.5% have only been identified as far as the Genus. These findings indicate a necessity for further research beyond the Genus to produce results that are more accurately representative of the fungal diversity in South Florida.

From Fast Fashion To Slow Fashion, Grace Xiong

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Fast fashion is an industry that capitalizes on the ever quick and changing fashion trends of our society. To keep up with the demand, many fast fashion corporations find themselves adopting certain practices that have generated a significant amount of environmental and social concerns. However, in a society that endorses the constant grooming of oneself into an image that fits the look of a particular group, corporations are not willing to let this opportunity for great profit go to waste. This paper will first examine the effects of the fashion industry on the environment in general, analyze the ideas of …

Occupational Pressures Of Frontline Workers Enforcing Covid-19 Pandemic Measures In Ontario And Quebec, Canada, Pamela Hopwood, Ellen Maceachen, Daniel Côté, Samantha B. Meyer, Shannon Majowicz, Ai-Thuy Huynh, Meghan K. Crouch, Joyceline Amoako, Yamin T. Jahangir, Amelia León Correal, Antonela Ilic

Études primaires

BACKGROUND:During the COVID-19 pandemic, low-wage public-facing frontline workers (FLWs), such as grocery store clerks, were required to monitor retail customers and enforce COVID-19 protocols. OBJECTIVE:This analysis aimed to examine FLWs experiences of enforcing COVID-19 pandemic measures. METHODS:Between September 2020 and March 2021, in Ontario and Quebec (Canada), we conducted in-depth interviews about customer-related work and health risks with FLWs who interacted with the public (n = 40) and their supervisors (n = 16). Using a lens of situational analysis, verbatim transcripts were coded according to recurring topics. RESULTS:We found that enforcing public health measures placed already-precarious workers in difficult occupational …

Everyday Places To Get Away – Lessons Learned From Covid-19 Lockdowns, B. Gatersleben, Emma V. White, K.J. Wyles, S.E. Golding, G. Murrell, C. Scarles, T. Xu, B.F.T. Brockett, C. Willis

School of Psychology

Being able to get away from everyday stressors and demands, even if close to home and just for a few minutes, is important for wellbeing. During the Covid-19 lockdown periods, people's ability to get away changed significantly. An increase in visits to nearby natural places is well documented. Little is known about other types of places people visited to get away. An online UK survey was conducted in 2020 (N = 850) investigating what places people visited to get away during the pandemic, what they did in those places, how place and activity choices were related to each other and …

Conservatism Negatively Predicts Creativity: A Study Across 28 Countries, Agata Groyecka-Bernard, Piotr Sorokowski, Maciej Karwowski, S. Craig Roberts, Toivo Aavik, Grace Akello, Charlotte Alm, Naumana Amjad, Kelly Asao, Chiemezie S. Atama, Derya Atamtürk Duyar, Richard Ayebare, Carlota Batres, Aicha Bensafia, Anna Bertoni, Boris Bizumic, Mahmoud Boussena, David M. Buss, Marina Butovskaya, Seda Can, Antonin Carrier, Hakan Cetinkaya, Daniel Conroy-Beam, Marco Antonio Correa Varella, Ilona Croy, Rosa María Cueto, Marta Czerwonka, Marcin Czub, Silvia Donato, Daria Dronova

School of Psychology

Previous studies have found a negative relationship between creativity and conservatism. However, as these studies were mostly conducted on samples of homogeneous nationality, the generalizability of the effect across different cultures is unknown. We addressed this gap by conducting a study in 28 countries. Based on the notion that attitudes can be shaped by both environmental and ecological factors, we hypothesized that parasite stress can also affect creativity and thus, its potential effects should be controlled for. The results of multilevel analyses showed that, as expected, conservatism was a significant predictor of lower creativity, adjusting for economic status, age, sex, …

Benchmarking Usability Of Patient Portals In Estonia, Finland, Norway, And Sweden, Sari Kujala, Saija Simola, Bo Wang, Hedvig Soone, Josefin Hagström, Annika Bärkås, Iiris Hörhammer, Åsa Cajander, Asbjørn Johansen Fagerlund, Bridget Kane, Anna Kharko, Eli Kristiansen, Jonas Moll, Hanife Rexphepi, Maria Hägglund, Monika A. Johansen

School of Psychology

Introduction: Poor usability is a barrier to widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHR). Providing good usability is especially challenging in the health care context, as there is a wide variety of patient users. Usability benchmarking is an approach for improving usability by evaluating and comparing the strength and weaknesses of systems. The main purpose of this study is to benchmark usability of patient portals across countries. Methods: A mixed-methods survey approach was applied to benchmark the national patient portals offering patient access to EHR in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. These Nordic countries have similar public healthcare systems, and …

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences And Psychological States Of Migrants And Refugees, Zainab Akef, Senel Poyrazli, Isabel Quintero

The Qualitative Report

UNHCR reports that about 82.4 million individuals were forcibly displaced as they attempted to avoid persecution, conflict, or human rights violations in their home countries. In addition to traumatic experiences, refugees encounter stressors such as low income, reduced social support, and language barriers. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of pre-migration trauma and political detainment on mental health outcomes and living conditions. A total of eight interviewees participated in video conferencing interviews. A non-probability convenience sampling using the snowballing technique was utilized to identify participants. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach for thematic analysis. The software Dedoose …

Paraprofessionals In A Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration Of Their Perceptions, Chana S. Max, Keisha Mccoy-Dailey

The Qualitative Report

Paraprofessionals support teachers and students in the classroom. Their roles and responsibilities vary; however, their goal is always to improve student achievement. The purpose of the study was to fill a gap in the literature related to special education paraprofessionals’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs on the support and trainings they receive prior to and during their job as a paraprofessional for students in a special education setting. Generic qualitative methodology was used to capture the thoughts, experience, and perceptions of 42 paraprofessionals across the United States. Data collection included an eight-question online questionnaire. Results of the study revealed five patterns …

Methodological Challenges In Conducting Cross-Cultural/Language Research With Spanish Speakers: The Role Of The Researcher/Translator, Catherine Flores Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

With the increase in global research, it is common for researchers to investigate topics in intercultural settings, both in their own home countries and abroad. Although findings from this research are prolific, rarely are detailed examples given or practical suggestions offered, particularly in relation to the role of the translator/researcher. The significant and often undervalued role of the translator/researcher in cross cultural/language qualitative research warrants methodological considerations at the onset and throughout the research. Nonetheless, few qualitative studies transparently report the process of how the translation findings were developed. This paper addresses this gap by examining a Latinx postgraduate student’s …

Favouring Of Gifted Pupils By Elementary Teachers: A Labelling Theory Perspective, Eva Klimecká

The Qualitative Report

Improving the quality of care for gifted pupils also brings problems related to their favouring. Favouring, as a part of the labeling theory, leads to the selection of gifted and stagnation in their development, making it one of the risk factors. This study identifies and analyses pedagogical situations leading to favouring of gifted pupils. The qualitative research is conducted in the elementary schools in the Czech Republic (Central Europe). Data are obtained through observation of school lessons and from interviews with teachers and were subsequently analysed by the situational analysis. The study has found five typical situations, such as teachers’ …

Open‐Label, Clinical Trial Extension: Two‐Year Safety And Efficacy Results Of Seladelpar In Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis, Marlyn J. Mayo, John M. Vierling, Christopher L. Bowlus, Cynthia Levy, Gideon M. Hirschfield, Guy W. Neff, Michael R. Galambos, Stuart C. Gordon, Brian B. Borg, Stephen A. Harrison, Paul J. Thuluvath, Aparna Goel, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Mark G. Swain, David E.J. Jones, Palak Trivedi, Andreas E. Kremer, Richard J. Aspinall, David A. Sheridan, Yvonne Dörffel, Ke Yang, Yun Jung Choi, Charles A. Mcwherter

Peninsula Medical School

Background Seladelpar is a potent and selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ agonist that targets multiple cell types involved in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), leading to anti-cholestatic, anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic effects. Aims To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of seladelpar in patients with PBC. Methods In an open-label, international, long-term extension study, patients with PBC completing seladelpar lead-in studies continued treatment. Seladelpar was taken orally once daily at doses of 5 or 10 mg with dose adjustment permitted for safety or tolerability. The primary analysis was for safety and the secondary efficacy analysis examined biochemical markers of cholestasis and liver injury. …

Essential Omega‐3 Fatty Acids Are Depleted In Sea Ice And Pelagic Algae Of The Central Arctic Ocean, Katrin Schmidt, Martin Graeve, Clara J.M. Hoppe, S Torres‐Valdes, Nahid Welteke, Laura M. Whitmore, Philipp Anhaus, Angus Atkinson, Simon T. Belt, Tina Brenneis, Robert G. Campbell, Giulia Castellani, Louise A. Copeman, Hauke Flores, Allison A. Fong, Nicole Hildebrandt, Doreen Kohlbach, Jens M. Nielsen, Christopher C. Parrish, C Rad‐Menéndez, Sebastian D. Rokitta, Sandra Tippenhauer, Yanpei Zhuang

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Microalgae are the main source of the omega‐3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), essential for the healthy development of most marine and terrestrial fauna including humans. Inverse correlations of algal EPA and DHA proportions (% of total fatty acids) with temperature have led to suggestions of a warming‐induced decline in the global production of these biomolecules and an enhanced importance of high latitude organisms for their provision. The cold Arctic Ocean is a potential hotspot of EPA and DHA production, but consequences of global warming are unknown. Here, we combine a full‐seasonal EPA and DHA dataset …

Mutiny For A Bounty, Emily Strauss, Joseph A. Grundfest

Faculty Scholarship

Experience teaches that attorneys may violate duties of confidentiality and trust to pursue personal gain. Multiple insider trading, embezzlement, and fraud prosecutions prove the point. The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 establishes a bounty regime whereby certain whistleblowers are eligible for awards of 10%–30% of Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) enforcement recoveries exceeding $1 million. Since its inception, this program has paid at least 207 whistleblowers more than $1 billion. The Commission’s bounty program thus may be a meaningful inducement to breach privilege.

The SEC asserts that its whistleblower authority preempts state law and that it can accept attorney–client privileged information. …

Which Components Of Behavioral Weight Management Programs Are Essential For Weight Loss In People Living With Obesity? A Rapid Review Of Systematic Reviews, The Progroup Programme Team, Lily K. Hawkins, Lorna Burns, Dawn Swancutt, Shokraneh Moghadam, Jonathan Pinkney, Mark Tarrant

Peninsula Medical School

The optimal treatment and organization of care for people with obesity is one of the greatest challenges facing today's health services. While surgery and pharmacotherapy offer effective treatment options for some people with obesity, behavioral interventions are important to support long-term behavioral change. However, little is known about the most effective components of behavioral interventions, and this is especially the case for people with complex or severe obesity (i.e. body mass index [BMI] > 35 kg/m²). Accordingly, the current rapid review aimed to identify which behavior change techniques (BCTs) are effective for weight loss in adults with (severe) obesity. …

Selective Fast Fiber Damage After Leg Press Exercise Leading To Failure: A Pole Vaulter Case Report, Gerard Carmona, Gerard Moras, Raúl Bescós, Adrián García-Fresneda, Joan A. Cadefau

School of Health Professions

The aim of this study was to investigate, in a trained pole vaulter (PV) and in an endurance-trained physical education student (PE), the effect of a leg press exercise leading to failure (LPF) on changes in serum activity of muscle enzymes and serum concentration of fast (FM) and slow (SM) myosin isoforms, while simultaneously examining mechanical output components as indicators of performance and fatigue developed throughout exercise. A case report study design based on an observational comparison of response between two dichotomous participants, PV and PE, was used. Differences between the participants’ exercise outputs were examined by unpaired t-test or …

Drug-Resistant Epilepsy And Ketogenic Diet Therapy – A Qualitative Study Of Families’ Experiences, Jennifer H. Carroll, Tracey Parkin, J. Helen Cross, Mary Hickson, Emma Williams, Val Aldridge, Avril Collinson

School of Health Professions

Background: A diagnosis of drug-resistant epilepsy is life changing for a family. Ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) can offer hope when other treatments have failed. However, it often requires a significant change in daily routine and dietary habits. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore families’ experiences of epilepsy and KDT. Methods: Parents of a child aged ≤18 years with epilepsy, currently or recently treated with KDT, were recruited from the UK and internationally via UK Ketogenic Diet (KD) centres, charities, and social media. Semi-structured interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymised, coded using Nvivo (V12), and inductive thematic analysis undertaken. …

Specialist Physiotherapy For Functional Motor Disorder In England And Scotland (Physio4fmd): A Pragmatic, Multicentre, Phase 3 Randomised Controlled Trial, Physio4fmd Study Group, Glenn Nielsen, Jon Stone, Teresa C. Lee, Laura H. Goldstein, Louise Marston, Rachael Maree Hunter, Alan Carson, Kate Holt, Jon Marsden, Marie Le Novere, Irwin Nazareth, Hayley Noble, Markus Reuber, Ann Marie Strudwick, Beatriz Santana Suarez, Mark J. Edwards, Emily Beaves, David Breen, Christine Burness, Simone Caddy, Hannah Callaghan, Andrew Carberry, Luke Chetham, Andrea Clyne, Susie Cobb, Jan Coebergh, Lewis Cook, Patrick Cookson

School of Health Professions

Background: Functional motor disorder—the motor variant of functional neurological disorder—is a disabling condition that is commonly associated with poor health outcomes. Pathophysiological models have inspired new treatment approaches such as specialist physiotherapy, although evidence from large randomised controlled trials is absent. We aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of a specialist physiotherapy intervention for functional motor disorder compared with treatment as usual. Methods: In this pragmatic, multicentre, phase 3 randomised controlled trial at 11 hospitals in England and Scotland, adults with a clinically definite diagnosis of functional motor disorder, diagnosed by a neurologist, were included. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1, …

Improved Structure And Function In Early-Detected Second-Eye Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Fasbat/Early Detection Of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Report 1, Fasbat Study Group, Richard P Gale, Archana Airody, Sobha Sivaprasad, Rachel L W Hanson, Victoria Allgar, Martin Mckibbin, Antony B Morland, Tunde Peto, Mia Porteous, Usha Chakravarthy

Peninsula Medical School

PURPOSE: Visual acuity (VA) and structural biomarker assessment before and 24-months after early detection and routine treatment of second-eye involvement with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and additional comparison with the first eye affected.

DESIGN: Prospective, 22-center observational study of participants with unilateral nAMD in the Early Detection of Neovascular AMD (EDNA) study, coenrolled into the Observing Fibrosis, Macular Atrophy and Subretinal Highly Reflective Material, Before and After Intervention with anti-VEGF Treatment (FASBAT) study for an additional 2-year follow-up.

PARTICIPANTS: Older adults (> 50 years) with new onset nAMD in the first eye.

METHODS: Assessment of both eyes with OCT, …

Transformation Of Autophagic Sqstm1 Droplets To Sqstm1-Dependent P-Bodies, Evelina Valionyte, Elizabeth R. Barrow, Chris R. Baxter, Sharon Herath, Shouqing Luo

Peninsula Medical School

SQSTM1/p62 droplets play crucial roles in droplets-based macroautophagy/autophagy including selective autophagy and bulk autophagy. We observed that under several stress milieus, SQSTM1 droplets entirely colocalize with P-body markers, and these stress-induced SQSTM1 droplets contain mRNAs. We thus determined that under certain stress conditions, autophagic SQSTM1 droplets are converted to a type of enlarged P-bodies, designated SQSTM1/p62-dependent P-bodies (pd-PBs). Stress-enhanced SQSTM1 droplet formation drives the nucleation of pd-PBs through the interaction between SQSTM1 and the RNA-binding protein DDX6. Furthermore, pd-PBs sequester PYCARD, facilitating the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasomes, and in turn induce inflammation-related cytotoxicity. Our study suggests that under stress settings, …

Atmospheric Deposition Of Microplastics In Shiraz, Iran, Sajjad Abbasi, Farnaz Ahmadi, Nafiseh Khodabakhshloo, Haniye Pourmahmood, Atefeh Esfandiari, Zeinab Mokhtarzadeh, Shaqayeq Rahnama, Reza Dehbandi, Arya Vazirzadeh, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The atmosphere plays a critical role in the regional and global transportation and redistribution of microplastics (MPs). However, the significance of rainfall and its means of scavenging MPs are not well understood. In this study, MP deposition was determined during successive dry and rainy events over eight consecutive days in the Shiraz region of Iran. Flux magnitudes and temporal distributions at six sites within and outside the city (including a remote, non-urbanised location) were similar and revealed a progressive increase in MP abundance and deposition during dry periods (up to about 50 MP m−2 h−1) and subsequent relatively rapid wet …

Insights From Early Career Researcher Representatives At The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2022 Asia Spotlight Event, Cho Kwong Charlie Lam

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2022 Asia Spotlight Event (SRI-ASE 2022) was held virtually from June 21-24, 2022 and co-organized by Future Earth Global Secretariat Hubs in Asia based in Japan, Taipei, China, and South Asia, during the main sessions of the SRI 2022. SRI-ASE 2022 included over 70 speakers and more than 300 participants from within and outside the Asia region. The aim of the event was to provide space to reflect on inspiring research and discussions related to the themes: New Horizons, Different Ways of Knowing, Nexus Issues, and Cross-cutting Science and Innovation in Asia. This report …