Digital Commons Network^™

Temporal And Generational Changes In Depression Among Young American Adults, Ashley W. Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac, Valentine Chung

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The prevalence of depression among young American adults has risen significantly over the past two decades, but the mechanisms that underlie the population-level changes in depressive symptoms severity remain unclear. We used data from the 2005–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and hierarchical age–period–cohort (HAPC) analysis to examine developmental (i.e., age), life stage (i.e., period), and generational (i.e., cohort) distribution of depressive symptoms among American adults aged 20–30 years old over an 18-year period. Our model results indicate that the probability of either mild, moderate, or severe depression increased among young adult females and males between 2005 and …

An Ai-Driven Framework For Real-Time Fake News Detection: Developing A Machine Learning-Based Filter For News Platforms In The United States, Umma Twaha, Yeasin Arfin

Engineering and Technology

The proliferation of fake news across digital platforms poses a significant threat to democratic processes, public health, and social cohesion in the United States. Manual fact-checking and traditional moderation approaches are increasingly inadequate due to the scale, speed, and sophistication of misinformation campaigns. This presents an AI-driven framework for real-time fake news detection, designed to serve as an intelligent filter for news platforms operating within the US media ecosystem. Leveraging natural language processing (NLP) techniques and machine learning algorithms—including supervised classifiers and deep learning models such as BERT and LSTM—the framework identifies deceptive content with high precision and low latency. …

The Covid-19 Lockdown And Diabetes Self-Management In Esan Northeast Area Of Edo State, Esther Ehivbaun Rapu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 lockdown impacted chronic diseases care globally, but there is limited research on how individuals in rural Nigerian communities managed diabetes during this period. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of self-management with diabetes during the COVID-19 lockdown among adults in Esan Northeast. The socioecological model (SEM) served as the guiding conceptual framework, allowing for the exploration of the impact of individual, interpersonal, community, and institutional factors on self-care behaviors. The research explored how cultural, social and economic factors impacted how adults with diabetes in Esan Northeast managed their condition during the COVID-19 lockdown. Semi-structured interviews via …

Environmental, Social, And Molecular Regulation Of Foraging Behavior In The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Arjun Khadka

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Foraging is a critical activity in social insects, essential for resource acquisition and colony sustenance. In termites, this behavior is shaped by environmental, social, and genetic factors, yet the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined how environmental food and moisture availability, and the age of termites affected foraging activities, along with the molecular regulation of foraging in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, using a combination of behavioral assays, transcriptomics, and molecular biology approaches. First, we demonstrate that food and moisture deprivation (FMD) significantly affects foraging, with termites under deprivation conditions exhibiting increased foraging …

Sbv_Dps: A Stacking-Bagging-Voting Nested Ensemble Based Diabetes Prediction System Using K-Fold Cross Validation, Sourabh Shastri, Sachin Kumar, Paramjit Kour, Vibhakar Mansotra

Mansoura Engineering Journal

With the advancement of machine learning techniques, the introduction of the most accurate model has become a necessity. In real-world scenarios, every model has some constraints and assimilates errors, so their performance is not always highly efficient; this sparked the development of ensemble learning. The ensemble approach aims to consolidate the strengths of existing approaches and minimize their weaknesses or decision-making risks. The proposed diabetes prediction system encases a resampling filter, applied to balance the dataset and model builder method, i.e., without the SBV ensemble and with the SBV ensemble method. The model is initially built without using the SBV …

Association Between Homelessness And Maternal Health Outcomes Among Non-Hispanic Black Women In Georgia, Miranda Weaver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal health disparities among homeless non-Hispanic Black women in Georgia represent a critical public health concern, driven by inequitable access to care and elevated risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study examined how homelessness influences perinatal care utilization (timing and frequency of prenatal visits and postpartum checkups) and pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, hypertension, and depression), and whether these associations differ by geographic context (urban versus rural). Grounded in the Social Determinants of Health framework, the study used a quantitative cross-sectional design, analyzing secondary data (n = 1,540; weighted ≈ 203,571) from Phase 8 (2017–2021) of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring …

Effects Of Plasma-Activated Water On Wheat: Germination And Seedling Development, Wafaa Abdulrazzaq Abdullah, Hadeel O. Ismael, Duaa A. Uamran, Hammad R. Humud

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The food sector must contend with issues such as pathogen resistance to some of the available chemical agents, environmental pollution, and climate change to provide healthy food for livestock and people. The application of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) is one potential solution for such problems. Plasma is appropriate for effective surface decontamination regarding food products and seeds, surface decontamination, and achieving improved agricultural production yields. The impact of plasma-activated water (PAW) produced by plasma jet discharge (PJD) system on in vitro-cultivated wheat seeds is examined in this work. For this aim, a plasma jet system was constructed with a …

Novel Suclg1 Variants In A Patient With Fatal Neonatal Onset Succinyl-Coa Ligase Deficiency, Devlynne S. Ondusko, Lauren Culbertson, Cary O. Harding, Cori Feist, Johan L.K. Van Hove, Marisa W. Friederich, Sacha Ferdinandusse, Roxanne A. Van Hove, Jonathan N. Pruneda, Brian Scottoline, Kimberly A. Kripps

Journal of Pediatric Genetics

Succinyl-CoA ligase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive enzymatic deficiency that causes an energy-deficient state with mitochondrial depletion syndrome. It is often fatal. We present a case of novel variants in SUCLG1 leading to fatal infantile lactic acidosis. Two variants of uncertain significance in trans were identified in SUCLG1: c.901G>A p.(Gly301Arg) paternally inherited and c.532-6T>A maternally inherited. These variants resulted in severely reduced succinyl-CoA ligase activity. This patient exhibited the classical metabolic profile of succinyl-Co-A ligase deficiency and massive elevation of glutamine. Elevated glutamine, in the absence of hyperammonemia, should lead providers to consider succinyl-CoA ligase deficiency in …

A Child With Non-Growth Hormone-Deficient Short Stature With Chromosome 2 Deletion Of 2q35-36.1: A Case Report And Literature Review Of Haploinsufficiency Of Epha4 Gene, Jun Sun, Ya Xiao, Shu-Qin Jiang, Yi-Fan Wang, Hong-Ru Zhang, Wei Wang

Journal of Pediatric Genetics

Non-growth hormone-deficient short stature is a group of growth developmental disorders with complex pathophysiological mechanisms involving multiple pathways, including abnormalities in the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 signal pathway. We report a 4-year-old girl with severe growth and developmental delay: her height was 91 cm (<–3 standard deviation [SD]), and her growth rate was 3 to 4 cm/year (<–2 SD). Growth hormone stimulation tests indicated a normal peak growth hormone level (11.1 μg/L), while insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were reduced (7.98 nmol/L, <–1SD). Whole exome sequencing and copy number variation analysis revealed a 3.19 Mb deletion at 2q35-q36.1 on chromosome 2, encompassing all coding regions of the Epha4 gene. This study suggests an association between Epha4 gene deletion and non-growth hormone-deficient short stature, highlighting the importance of further research on this gene and its related signaling pathways to understand the molecular mechanisms of the disease and potential therapeutic approaches.

Sleep Disordered Breathing In Children With Achondroplasia: 17 Years’ Experience From A Multidisciplinary Team, Maria Jose Guerdile, Virginia Fan, Mariana Del Pino, Vivian Leske

Journal of Pediatric Genetics

The aim of this study was to describe sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and treatment in children with achondroplasia (ACH). A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted at the Sleep Unit, Hospital de Pediatría Garrahan. Children with ACH, aged 0 to 18 years, referred for SDB due to clinical symptoms or foramen magnum stenosis (FMS) with at least one polysomnography (PSG) between 2002 and 2019 were included in the study. The primary outcomes included SDB typification and therapeutic interventions. We included 89 patients; 79.7% had one PSG, 13.4% had two PSGs, and 5.6% had three PSGs. The first PSG confirmed SDB in 65.16% …

Enterobacter Cloacae As A Rare Cause Of Cerebral Abscesses In A Neonatal Late-Onset Sepsis – A Case Report And Literature Review With Focus On Risk Factors, Diagnostics And Treatment, Yıldız Yıldırım, Ruy Perez, Rüdiger Wentzell, Clemens Andrée, Martin Weinzierl, Norbert Utz, Tim Niehues

Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Late-onset sepsis (LOS; sepsis occurring after the first 72 hours of life) increases the morbidity and mortality of premature neonates, especially those with very-low-birth weight (≤1500g). In LOS, Enterobacter cloacae has been rarely described as a cause of secondary brain abscesses. Our case report summarizes important aspects of cerebral abscesses due to an E. cloacae sepsis in a preterm neonate. Our patient received surgical abscess drainage and rational antibiotic treatment employing prolonged meropenem infusions plus fosfomycin and subsequent treatment with oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Furthermore, we present a review of the current literature from 2009-2022, comparing cases similar to our case.

Dynamics Of Human Adenovirus In Hospitalized Children With Acute Respiratory Tract Infection During 2014-2022 In Hubei Province, China, Song Yi, Juan Du, Wan-Xue Zhang, Xin-Rui Wang, Yi-Guo Zhou, Xing-Wen Hu, Qing-Bin Lu

Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Objective: The study mainly aimed to explore the impact of Human adenovirus (HAdV) detection by two-child policy and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in China. Methods: Hospitalized children with ARTI were enrolled in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province from January 2014 to June 2022, whose clinical data were collected retrospectively. The effects of two-child policy and COVID-19 pandemic on the detection of HAdV were analyzed. Results: Among 100215 hospitalized children with ARTI, the positive rate of HAdV was 1.93% with the peak in 2019. After the implementation of two-child policy, the positive rate of HAdV during 2017-2019 …

Prognostic Nutritional Index For Predicting Late-Onset Sepsis And Mortality In Late Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Study, Nurdan Dinlen Fettah, Nihan Yıldırım Yıldız, Seda Aydoğan, Meltem Aksu, Ferit Kulalı, Nur Aycan

Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Objective: Neonatal sepsis is a critical condition with considerable mortality and morbidity. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated from serum albumin level and lymphocyte count, is a marker for assessing nutritional and inflammatory states. This study evaluates the clinical value of PNIs in predicting late-onset sepsis and mortality in late-preterm neonates. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 210 neonates with suspected sepsis. Clinical and laboratory data were collected, and PNI was calculated using the formula: serum albumin (g/L) + 5 × total lymphocyte count (10^9/L). Of the total cohort, 130 neonates with confirmed sepsis were assigned to the sepsis group, …

Randomized Trial To Compare Nasoduodenal Tube And Nasogastric Tube Feeding In Infants With Bronchiolitis On High-Flow Nasal Cannula, Raymond L. Parlar- Chun, Meaghan Lafferty-Prather, Veronica M. Gonzalez, Hanna S. Huh, Guenet H. Degaffe, Monaliza S. Evangelista, Sheela Gavvala, Sofia Khera, Anand Gourishankar

Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care

Objectives: We aim to determine if there is a difference in length of respiratory support between nasoduodenal (NDT) and nasogastric tube (NGT) feedings in patients with bronchiolitis on high flow nasal cannula (HFNC). Methods: A single-center non-blinded parallel randomized control trial at a tertiary care hospital was designed. Pediatric patients ≤ 12 months old with bronchiolitis, on HFNC, requiring nutrition via a feeding tube were eligible. Patients were randomized to NGT or NDT and stratified into low- and high-risk groups. Length of respiratory support was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, number of emesis events, maximum level …

Implementing A Health Recommendation System From Wearable Data, Priti Pramanick

Doctoral Theses

The rising interest in personalized health monitoring has created a demand for intelligent systems that not only evaluate an individual’s health status but also offer actionable recommendations. This dissertation presents a data-driven approach to assess overall health by calculating a weekly health score using multi-dimensional data sources such as sleep patterns, nutrition, cardiovascular activity, fitness levels, and metabolic parameters. The system integrates and processes data stored in MongoDB using Python, applies scoring logic tailored to each health domain, and aggregates them into a unified health score. Addi- tionally, the system generates a detailed summary and leverages a language model to …

Policy Review Of The Aha Clinical Practice Guideline For Congestive Heart Failure: Evaluating Best Practices, Brenda E. Garcia

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a significant public health challenge that impacts various populations and contributes to rising hospital admission rates.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this scholarly project was: For healthcare policymakers and interprofessional teams (P), how does a policy review of the American Heart Association’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Heart Failure (I), guided by the CDC’s Polaris Framework (C), conducted over a 12-week period (T), evaluate alignment with evidence-based practices and potential for adoption in the care of patients with congestive heart failure (O)?

Evidence: This scholarly project focused on reviewing the current clinical guidelines …

July 22, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

A Caffeine And Theacrine Combination Improves Cognitive Performance In Tactical Personnel Under Physically Fatiguing Conditions, Blaine S. Lints, Adam T. Harrison, Sten O. Stray-Gundersen, Gianna F. Mastrofini, Riccardo F. Romersi, Noah K. Nakagawa, Mackenzie B. Yonder, Chimaobim E. Martin-Diala, Alexa J. Chandler, R. Davis Moore, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak

Faculty Publications

Background

Optimizing human performance under stressful physical and cognitive conditions is paramount during high-stakes military operations. As such, interventions to improve warfighter performance by mitigating task-induced cognitive performance deficits are necessary. While caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, common side effects (i.e. anxiousness, micro-saccades, irritability) may be detrimental to warfighter operations. Theacrine, a purine alkaloid similar in structure to caffeine but with a longer half-life, less habituation, and fewer side effects, is proposed as a caffeine-alternative to enhance cognitive resilience.

Methods

Tactically trained participants (n = 20; F = 5; M = 16; age …

Investigating The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Performance Among Non-Traditionally Aged Undergraduate Students, Joseph Anthony Giandonato Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine a relationship between physical activity (PA) participation and academic performance (AP) among non-traditionally aged undergraduate students (NTAS), aged 25 and older, which represents one of the fastest growing enrollment segments at higher education institutions within the US. The sample (n = 167) was constituted of undergraduate students aged 25 and older enrolled at a large private university located in the Southeastern US for two consecutive academic terms. Data collection was comprised of disseminating a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) accompanied by a brief demographic …

The Protective Factors Of Trauma-Informed Care For Parents With Autistic Children, Carolynn J. Redd-Recksiek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this current phenomenological study is to understand the experience of parents with autistic children and their lack of trauma-informed care from direct care providers in Northern Utah. This study is guided by trauma-informed theory, which is a model of care delivery created by Maxine Harris and Roger D. Fallot (2001). Trauma-informed care recognizes how adverse experiences can impact a person and have a negative impact on the health and well-being of that person and how those negative experiences have a direct impact on the health and well-being of the family, which directly impacts the health and well-being …

Evaluating Velocity-Based Training Compared With Percent-Based Loading In High School Football Athletes, Daniel Mullins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate velocity-based training (VBT) compared with percent-based training (PBT) protocols in high school American football (AF) athletes. This study evaluated the improvements in 1RM back squat, countermovement jump (CMJ), and linear sprint (LS) times from a 6-week resistance training protocol. The study also compared the total time under tension (TUT) each group experienced throughout the intervention. This randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-measures of all dependent variables included participants (n = 19, age: 16.0 ± 0.9 years, training experience: 1.7 ± 0.7 years) who were enrolled in a physical education class specifically …

Clinicopathologic Risk Factors For Post-Operative Complications After Enucleation Of Pancreatic Neoplasms, Isheeta Madeka, Steven Yi, Julia S. Evans, David Baek, Haresh V. Naringrekar, Harish Lavu, Charles J. Yeo, Avinoam Nevler, Wilbur B. Bowne

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic enucleation is a parenchymal-sparing procedure used for highly select patients with pancreatic neoplasms. We aim to utilize a multi-institutional health research network platform (TriNetX) and a single, high-volume center to assess complications and identify risk factors associated with post-operative pancreatic fistulas (POPF) after pancreatic enucleation.

METHODS: A two-tiered retrospective study was conducted. We identified 423 patients from TriNetX, and 34 patients from a single-institution IRB-approved database who underwent pancreatic enucleation between 2004-2025 and 2012-2023, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine risk factors associated with post-operative complications and occurrence of POPFs.

RESULTS: In the TriNetX cohort, …

Predicting Dietary Behavior In Obese Adult Diabetics Using Social Cognitive Theory, Precious Mueller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Predicting Dietary Behavior in Obese Adult Diabetics Using Social Cognitive Theory by Precious Mueller MA, University of Phoenix, 2009 BS, University of Iowa, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2024 “ Diabetes mellitus Type II is a prevalent and serious condition affecting millions globally, particularly among obese adults. The association between dietary behaviors and diabetes management is critical, as it directly impacts health outcomes and quality of life for affected individuals. This study aims to identify the determinants of dietary behaviors that influence Type II …

2025-02-11 Leadership Team Minutes, Susie Salazar

Executive Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

No Evidence Of Pitavastatin Effect On Muscle Area Or Density Among People With Hiv, Kristine M Erlandson, Triin Umbleja, Heather J Ribaudo, Michael T Lu, Jana Taron, Marissa R Diggs, Pamela S Douglas, Kathleen V Fitch, Carl J Fichtenbaum, Markella V Zanni, Judith A Aberg, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Katharine Breaux, Rosalba Gomez Morones, Craig A Sponseller, Judith S Currier, Gerald S Bloomfield, Sarah M Chu, Alex B Lu, Carlos D Malvestutto, Steven K Grinspoon, Todd T Brown

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Skeletal muscle area (MA) and muscle density (MD) are key determinants of physical function and typically decline with increasing age. Statins have well-known musculoskeletal effects but whether statins impact MA or MD is not well established, especially in the setting of randomized treatment.

Methods: REPRIEVE is a double-blind randomized trial evaluating the effect of pitavastatin for primary prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with HIV (PWH). Thoracic paraspinal, pectoralis, and infraspinatus MA and MD were assessed among Mechanistic Substudy participants with CT at baseline and month 24.

Results: Of 804 substudy participants, 510 remained on study treatment …

No Evidence Of Pitavastatin Effect On Muscle Area Or Density Among People With Hiv, Kristine M Erlandson, Triin Umbleja, Heather J Ribaudo, Michael T Lu, Jana Taron, Marissa R Diggs, Pamela S Douglas, Kathleen V Fitch, Carl J Fichtenbaum, Markella V Zanni, Judith A Aberg, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Katharine Breaux, Rosalba Gomez Morones, Craig A Sponseller, Judith S Currier, Gerald S Bloomfield, Sarah M Chu, Alex B Lu, Carlos D Malvestutto, Steven K Grinspoon, Todd T Brown

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Skeletal muscle area (MA) and muscle density (MD) are key determinants of physical function and typically decline with increasing age. Statins have well-known musculoskeletal effects but whether statins impact MA or MD is not well established, especially in the setting of randomized treatment.

Methods: REPRIEVE is a double-blind randomized trial evaluating the effect of pitavastatin for primary prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with HIV (PWH). Thoracic paraspinal, pectoralis, and infraspinatus MA and MD were assessed among Mechanistic Substudy participants with CT at baseline and month 24.

Results: Of 804 substudy participants, 510 remained on study treatment …

Nutrition, Physical Activity, Faith, And C-Reactive Protein As Predictors Of Depression In A Large Prospective Sample, Rebecca L. Banning

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Depression is an increasingly common mental health concern and has been linked to both lifestyle factors and biological markers of inflammation. This study examined whether physical activity, dietary patterns, and religiosity/spirituality (R/S) predicted depression symptoms through their associations with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a widely used biomarker of inflammation. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, participants were assessed at Wave II (ages 12–20) and Wave IV (ages 24–32). Predictors included self-reported physical activity, proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory diet composites, and R/S engagement. Outcomes included concurrent and prospective depression symptoms, as well as hs-CRP concentrations. Results …

Iowa Test Scores Before And After Covid-19 In Early Adolescents, Carmel F. W. Ontoy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This paper addresses past research that examined the effects of COVID-19 on academics and presents a study further examining an area of academics before and after COVID-19. Research relating to COVID-19 has varied, studying correlations and effects on factors such as mental health and relationships. Researchers and educators projected various degrees of learning loss, and while some studies have revealed some loss, others have revealed little to no change. Further research is needed to continue developing researchers’ and educators’ understanding of how COVID-19 and the shift to online learning may have been related to learning and academics of young adolescents. …

A Phenomenological Study Understanding Religious And Spiritual Coping In African American Female Veterans Who Experienced Combat-Related Trauma, Dawn Raini Long

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American females are drawn to pursue a military career for many reasons, including upholding a family tradition, securing funding for education, or simply due to the stability it offered in a challenging economic climate. This study depicted narratives of battlefield-induced psychological stress arising from the convergence of military culture intersectionality, posttraumatic stress, and the transition to civilian life. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the religious or spiritual coping of African American female veterans who experienced combat-related trauma in the military. The participants were interviewed at Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) and Veterans Bridge Home. …

Impacts Of Positive Childhood Experiences That Foster Resilience In Adults With Childhood Trauma A Qualitative Case Study, Jennifer J. Ruiz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today’s rapidly evolving environment, adolescents face increasingly complex challenges to their health and well-being. A significant contributor to these challenges is exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which have been linked to long-term negative outcomes in physical, emotional, and psychological health. The pervasive impact of ACEs highlights the urgent need to explore protective mechanisms that can buffer against these adverse effects. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have emerged as a promising counterbalance, offering supportive and nurturing conditions that enhance resilience and promote healthier developmental trajectories. This qualitative case study explored the specific types of PCEs that foster resilience in individuals …