Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic And Immunological Insights Into Covid-19 With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Integrated Analysis Of Mendelian Randomization, Transcriptomics, And Clinical Samples, Zequn Zheng, Yueran Zhou, Yongfei Song, Pengxiang Ying, Xuerui Tan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Globally, most deaths result from cardiovascular diseases, particularly ischemic heart disease. COVID-19 affects the heart, worsening existing heart conditions and causing myocardial injury. The mechanistic link between COVID-19 and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still being investigated to elucidate the underlying molecular perspectives. Methods: Genetic risk assessment was conducted using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) to determine the causality between COVID-19 and AMI. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and machine learning were used to discover and validate shared hub genes for the two diseases using bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and single-cell RNA-seq …

Changes In Parental Anxiety And Intention To Demand Antibiotics: A Longitudinal Study Among Parents During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aaron L. Alejandro, Mieghan Bruce, Wei W. C. Leo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims: Assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parental anxiety and preferences for antibiotic treatment can help inform antibiotic stewardship strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to examine COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in parental anxiety levels, their intentions to demand antibiotics and frequencies of practising preventative behaviours. Design: This longitudinal quantitative study compared two groups of parents, those from Victoria and Western Australia, who experienced high and low COVID-19 risk, respectively. Methods: Participants were recruited through an online panel to complete three waves of surveys between October 2020 and August 2021. Anxiety scores and frequency of preventative behaviours were analysed using …

Twitter Sentiment Analysis: Applications In Healthcare And Finance, Jiali Wang

Dissertations

This research explores the influence of Twitter sentiment on healthcare and finance industries. It assesses how Twitter sentiment and culture measure influence COVID-19 statistics, and it investigates the impact of Twitter sentiment on S&P 1500 stock mispricing. Furthermore, it examines how tweet sentiment predicts major industry returns.

The first part examines how Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) and Twitter economic uncertainty index (TEU) relate to COVID-19 infection rate and death rate. The results show certain aspects in HCD, such as power distance index (PDI) and masculinity (MAS) both are negatively and significantly associated with the infection rate, while indulgence (IVR) and …

Racism And Resilience: Counter-Narratives Of Asian International College Students In The Age Of Covid-19, Katrina Liu, Richard Miller, Sharolyn D. Pollard-Durodola, Lei Ping

The Qualitative Report

Using Asian Critical Race Theory and Resilience Theory, this qualitative study explores how Asian international college students experienced racism before and after the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they developed and used resilience to counteract that racism. Eleven Asian participants shared their counter-narratives through semi-structured interviews. Results reveal that, before the pandemic, participants were regularly subjected to racist acts and attitudes grounded in a deficit view of Asians that treated them as inscrutable foreigners, blamed them as individuals for perceived shortcomings in their home countries, dismissed their expertise outside of technical STEM fields, and failed to recognize their …

Identifikasi Faktor Stigma Pasien Penyakit Virus Corona (Covid-19) Yang Terkonfirmasi Di Indonesia, Alamsyah Agus, Alfrojems Alfrojems, Jaka Ramdani, Delfania Matasik, Ida Ayu Gde Pradnyawidari Dharmika

Perilaku dan Promosi Kesehatan: Indonesian Journal of Health Promotion and Behavior

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a disaster and is a global health crisis for human beings. The pandemic is not only haunted by tragedies of national fatality rate was about 5% of the sufferers, but also stigmatized by the community. Aim. This study aims to assess the factors of the stigma associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact among patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Indonesia. Method. This case study was conducted in 2020 by collecting information from primary sources that include interviews virtually with 4 COVID-19 survivors in Indonesia. Result. The result of this study shows that …

An Accurate Real-Time Method For Face Mask Detectionusing Cnn And Svm, Shili Hechmi

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

Infectious respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, pose a significant challenge to humanity and a potential threat to life due to their severity and rapid spread. Using a surgical mask is among the most significant safety precautions that can help keep this sort of pandemic from spreading, and manual monitoring of large crowds in public places for face masks is problematic. In this research, we suggest a real-time approach for face mask detection. First, we use a multi-scale deep neural network to extract features. As a result, the attributes are better suited for training the detection system. We employ SVM post-processing in …

Putting The Coronavirus To Work: Developing A Global Engineering Program During A Pandemic, Cynthia S. Chalupa

Journal of International Engineering Education

In the aftermath of COVID-19 shutdowns at campuses across the U.S. in the spring of 2020, student enrollments have fallen and budgets have been severely constrained. To counteract the current and long-term repercussions of the pandemic on institutions of higher education, administrators have called for innovative program development and strategic transformation. In the past, many engineering and world languages departments may have considered the task of creating a collaborative degree program insurmountable or undesirable despite existing models that are successful (e.g. University of Rhode Island’s IEP program). In the era of COVID-19, however, innovative programs combining language with disciplines outside …

Roles Played By Nigerian Youtube Micro-Celebrities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aje-Ori Agbese

Communication Faculty Publications

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerian social media micro-celebrities were prominent players in the dissemination of information. This study examines the roles that one group of Nigerian micro-celebrities, YouTube video bloggers (vloggers)—also known as “YouTubers”—played during the pandemic. The research analysed the contents of COVID-19-themed videos that 15 popular Nigerian YouTubers posted on their channels between 29 February and 5 August 2020. The study was guided by the two-step flow of communication theory, in terms of which information first flows from mass media to opinion leaders, who then, in the second step, share the information with their audiences. The …

Risk Factors For Sars-Cov-2 Transmission In Close Contacts Of Adults At High Risk Of Infection Due To Occupation: Results From The Contact Tracing Strategy Of The Covida Epidemiological Surveillance Study In Bogotá, Colombia, In 2020-2021, Andrea Ramírez Varela, Sandra Contreras-Arrieta, Guillermo Tamayo-Cabeza, Leonardo Salas Zapata, Yuldor Caballero-Díaz, Luis Jorge Hernández Florez, Andrés Patiño Benavidez, Rachid Laajaj, Fernando De La Hoz, Giancarlo Buitrago Gutierrez, Silvia Restrepo, Eduardo Behrentz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close contacts of adults at high risk of infection due to occupation, participants of the CoVIDA study, in Bogotá D.C., Colombia.

SETTING: The CoVIDA study was the largest COVID-19 intensified sentinel epidemiological surveillance study in Colombia thus far, performing over 60 000 RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study implemented a contact tracing strategy (via telephone call) to support traditional surveillance actions performed by the local health authority.

PARTICIPANTS: Close contacts of participants from the CoVIDA study.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: SARS-CoV-2 testing results were obtained (RT-PCR with CoVIDA …

Control Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection By Mt1-Mmp-Mediated Shedding Of Ace2, Xuanming Guo, Jianli Cao, Jian-Piao Cai, Jiayan Wu, Jiangang Huang, Pallavi Asthana, Sheung Kin Ken Wong, Zi-Wei Ye, Susma Gurung, Yijing Zhang, Sheng Wang, Zening Wang, Xin Ge, Hiu Yee Kwan, Aiping Lyu, Kui Ming Chan, Nathalie Wong, Jiandong Huang, Zhongjun Zhou, Zhao-Xiang Bian, Shuofeng Yuan, Hoi Leong Xavier Wong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. The full-length membrane form of ACE2 (memACE2) undergoes ectodomain shedding to generate a shed soluble form (solACE2) that mediates SARS-CoV-2 entry via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Currently, it is not known how the physiological regulation of ACE2 shedding contributes to the etiology of COVID-19 in vivo. The present study identifies Membrane-type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) as a critical host protease for solACE2-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to increased activation of MT1-MMP that is colocalized with ACE2 in human lung …

Stakeholder Perspectives On The Demand And Supply Factors Driving Substandard And Falsified Blood Pressure Lowering Medications In Nigeria: A Qualitative Study, Grace Shedul, Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade, Eugenia N Ugwuneji, Tunde M Ojo, Aishwarya Vijay, Patrick Ponzing, Inuwa Okpe, Gabriel Lamkur Shedul, Mark D Huffman, Dike Ojji, Lisa R Hirschhorn

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: Although substandard and falsified (SF) blood pressure (BP) lowering medications are a global problem, qualitative research exploring factors driving this in Nigeria has not been reported. This study provides information on factors driving demand for and supply of low-quality BP lowering medications in Nigeria and potential strategies to address these factors.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study. Between August 2020 and September 2020, we conducted 11 in-depth interviews and 7 focus group discussions with administrators of health facilities, major manufacturers and distributors of BP lowering medications, pharmacists, drug regulators, patients and primary care physicians purposively sampled from the …

2022-12-20_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …

Does Receiving A Sars-Cov-2 Antibody Test Result Change Covid-19 Protective Behaviors? Testing Risk Compensation In Undergraduate Students With A Randomized Controlled Trial, Christina Ludema, Molly S Rosenberg, Jonathan T Macy, Sina Kianersi, Maya Luetke, Chen Chen, Lilian Golzarri-Arroyo, Erin Ables, Kevin Maki, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Risk compensation, or matching behavior to a perceived level of acceptable risk, can blunt the effectiveness of public health interventions. One area of possible risk compensation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is antibody testing. While antibody tests are imperfect measures of immunity, results may influence risk perception and individual preventive actions. We conducted a randomized control trial to assess whether receiving antibody test results changed SARS-CoV-2 protective behaviors.

Purpose: Assess whether objective information about antibody status, particularly for those who are antibody negative and likely still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, increases protective behaviors. Secondarily, assess whether a positive antibody test …

The Parental Perception Of The Effects Of Therapeutic Riding On Children With Disabilities’ Academics Before And During Covid-19, Ashley Drake

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The search for effective forms of intervention is ongoing and therapeutic riding is emerging through research as a successful form. It is now more important than ever to discover effective interventions as the COVID-19 pandemic has jolted the education of many students, especially those with a disability. Most teachers were forced to implement an online teaching method to continue serving their students safely. Even when special education institutions remained open, many parents elected to keep their children home due to medical vulnerability and the risks that attending in-person education posed (Asbury et al., 2021). According to, Raghul et al. (2021) …

Spatiotemporal Distribution Change Of Online Reference During The Time Of Covid-19, Thom Gerrish, Ningning Nicole Kong

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The goal of this project was to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the spatiotemporal distribution of the library’s online patrons, so that we could assess if the scheduled library reference hours are meeting the needs of the academic community. We collected each online reference patron’s location information via their IP address, as well as the timestamp of each online reference instance. The spatiotemporal distribution patterns were analyzed and compared before and after in-person instruction was suspended due to COVID-19 distance protocols and a closing of the campus in the 2020 spring semester. The results show that the …

Stress, Sleep, And Exercise Habits Among Extension Employees During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jenna Anding, Miquela Smith, Scott Cummings

Journal of Extension

We compared perceived stress among 804 Extension employees during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic and again six months later. Work expectations, sleep and exercise habits were assessed. More than 46% of those responding believe work expectations are “much” or “moderately more” since the pandemic began. Nearly 60% report moderate levels of stress and 54% were sleeping less. Of those who were physically active (n=677) before the pandemic, 39% were exercising less. Because stress, sleep, and physical activity affect health, supervisors should recognize the impact the pandemic has on employees, and encourage the use of available resources to promote …

Extension’S Use Of Zoom To Address A Public Health Risk Among Older Adults, Dorothy P. Brandon, Ciji L. Griffin, Darlene Minniefield, Danielle D. Rudolph, Donna L. Gullatte, Nkenge C. Hyter, Pamela G. Irby, Juana I. Christian, Cynthia L. Whittaker

Journal of Extension

Mandates that require social distancing and sheltering-in-place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have worsened an already concerning public health issue for older adults –social isolation and loneliness. Alabama Extension System at Alabama A&M University developed a program focused on helping older adults connect with family and friends. A descriptive study of 37 older adults indicated that their knowledge, ability, and comfort with implementing Zoom sessions increased significantly after completing the program. Findings show the potential use of the Zoom for Seniors program in preventing social isolation or loneliness among older adults.

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Law Enforcement Protocols In Middle Appalachian States, Timothy W. Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the operational procedures of law enforcement organizations across the United States. The COVID-19 virus has forced police administrators to rethink strategies and procedures dealing with law enforcement’s multiple functions and roles in society. The pandemic is causing unprecedented challenges for law enforcement administrators to balance the organization’s priorities and the safety of officers under their command. The police functions are adapting to include personal protection to prevent the spread of the virus among the law enforcement community. This multiple case qualitative study aimed to show the immediate operational changes in law enforcement since the start …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Well-Being Among Staff Of A Domestic Violence Shelter, Tonisia Lynette Brown-Cotten

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitatively study via the Case Study approach was to recognize the impact that coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) had on the mental health of randomly selected female domestic violence shelters’ board members, staff, volunteers, and counselors and therapists. To guide this study, the theory of integrating existing knowledge of a topic generated an in-depth, multi-faceted understanding of a complex issue. The case study aimed to answer how COVID-19 impacted higher levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the female gender. The study focused on the experiences of vicarious trauma (VT), secondary traumatic stress (STT), compassion …

Lens: A Novel Image Processing-Based Approach For Low-Cost Segmentation Of Computed Tomography Scans Of Lungs, Monica Hinga

Computer Science ETDs

A staggering amount of data has been collected and analyzed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of that data, however, particularly computed tomography (CT) scans of lungs, are difficult to analyze computationally. Segmentation of COVID-19 lesions provides researchers with insights into where lesions form, their volume, and in the case of time course data, how lesions grow as disease progresses. Spatial information, which has received little attention in the literature, has the potential to provide valuable insight to within-host viral and immune dynamics. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art supervised deep learning methods require labeled data, which can be prohibitively expensive to …

Pandemic Reflections: Stories Of National Ffa Student Leaders During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Theresa Seibel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were felt by most every individual in the world, and the effects of the pandemic will have implications for years to come. Even still, it becomes necessary to capture the work and impacts of this life experience of those who lived and led during such a time. The National FFA Organization, with its student leadership, continued to deliver its mission of the organization during the pandemic. This project aimed to develop a digital narrative to contribute to the historical record of FFA officers’ experiences in the National FFA Organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The …

Experiences And Concerns Of Female Hotel Housekeepers In The First Stages Of The Covid-19 Lockdown In The Balearic Islands (Spain): A Qualitative Study, Xenia Chela-Alvarez, Cristian Sanchez-Rodriguez, Oana Bulilete, Mclara Vidal-Thomàs, Joan Llobera

The Qualitative Report

Strongly enforced mobility restrictions to deter the spread of COVID-19 severely impacted tourism, a pivotal economic sector of the Balearic Islands. Little is known about the experiences of the most economically affected groups, such as hotel housekeepers. This study aimed to explore the experiences and concerns of hotel housekeepers (approximately 13,000 worked in the Balearic Islands before the pandemic) during the first stages of the COVID-19 lockdown. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone in April of 2020. Thematic analysis was used for interpretation. Eighteen hotel housekeepers were interviewed. Main experiences and concerns identified were: (a) distress due to employment status …

Essential Protections For Essential Workers: Ethical Considerations For Infection Prevention And Control, Abigail E. Lowe

Theses & Dissertations

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical guidance for workers during epidemics and pandemics centered on healthcare workers, which meant there was not guidance to address critical contextual issues for many on the frontlines of the pandemic. Meat processing workers are a key example of workers deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and facing conditions of elevated risk without adequate public health guidance or resources to control disease spread. Meat processing workers are an underserved, resource-limited, and vulnerable workforce that face occupational health and safety risks. Meat processing and other essential workers have heightened health disparities due to the social determinants …

Local Government Efforts In The Protection Of Women And Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Yanti Shantini, Elly Malihah, Siti Nurbayani

Journal of International Women's Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has changed most routines for the global population. Central and regional governments need to synergize policies to prevent further spread. Therefore, government and other agencies as well as other elements of the community are important factors in the implementation of working programs for disaster management. This study investigates the efforts of the local government and society in protecting women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic in West Java Province. In this case, the units involved include Development Planning Agency at Sub-National Level, Women's Empowerment, Child Protection and Family Planning Office, and …

Jogo Tonggo And Pager Mangkok: Synergy Of Government And Public Participation In The Face Of Covid-19, Setyasih Harini, Caroline Paskarina, Junita Budi Rachman, Ida Widianingsih

Journal of International Women's Studies

The purpose of this study is to describe the Regent's mitigation program of increasing Sragen community participation through the excavation of local wisdom and communal values. This is known as “social solidarity,” and this article locates social solidarity in pager mangkok, a mitigation program for facing the COVID-19 pandemic, and the jogo tonggo program, a product of the Central Java Provincial government. Approaches to women's political leadership, public policy, and implementation are all parts of the theory used to support the concept of social solidarity. Data was collected through observation methods, documentation, and library research. The results show that the …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Burnout Syndrome Among Italian Psychologists Following The First Wave Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study, Pietro Crescenzo, Francesco Chirico, Giuseppe Ferrari, Lukasz Szarpak, Gabriella Nucera, Raffaella Marciano, Livio Tarchi, Diego Denicolo, Assunta Maiorino, Kavita Batra, Manoj Sharma

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of Burnout Syndrome (BOS) among Italian psychologists following the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. As a secondary objective, geographical differences in the prevalence of BOS symptoms were investigated across regional macro-areas in this category of workers. Methods: Using a non-probabilistic convenience sample, four-hundred sixty-eight participants responded to an online survey which included psychometric valid questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and The Big Five Inventory-10. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Results: The overall prevalence of BOS in the study sample was …

Jews And Science, Sander L. Gilman

The Jewish Role in American Life: An Annual Review

Jews and Science examines the complicated relationship between Jewish identities and the evolving meanings of science throughout the history of Western academic culture. Jews have been not only the agents for study of things Jewish, but also the subject of examination by “scientists” across a range of disciplines, from biology and bioethics to anthropology and genetics. Even the most recent iteration of Jewish studies as an academic discipline—Israel studies—stresses the global cultural, economic, and social impact of Israeli science and medicine.

The 2022 volume of the Casden Institute’s Jewish Role in American Life series tackles a range of issues that …

Home Health Workplace Safety During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis Of Home Health Agencies In Arkansas, Kelly M. Neal Taylor

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Abstract

Workplace safety is a continual concern for home healthcare workers that provide medical care in a patient’s home environment. Healthcare workers, such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing aides, make up the largest group of home care providers. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, home healthcare providers had to navigate job safety issues related to clutter in the home, unsanitary conditions, pest infestations, fumes, pets, and aggressive family members (Gershon et al., 2008). The pandemic brought about additional safety concerns, such as the implementation of isolation policies and limited supplies of personal protective equipment, to name a few. This …

Barriers To Healthcare And Their Relationship To Well-Being And Social Support For Autistic Adults During Covid-19, Charlotte Featherstone, Richard A. Sharpe, Nick Axford, Sheena Asthana, Susan Ball, Kerryn Husk

Peninsula Medical School

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate barriers to healthcare and their relationships to social and emotional well-being and intersectional inequalities for autistic adults during COVID-19 restrictions in the UK. Background: Autistic adults experience severe health inequalities and report more barriers to accessing health services compared to other both disabled and non-disabled populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many areas of society that may have increased vulnerability of autistic people to social and health inequalities, including delivery of healthcare from in-person to remote methods. Method: One hundred twenty-eight autistic adults who lived in the UK took part in an online …

2022-12-13_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …