Digital Commons Network^™

Shell Disorder Models Detect That Omicron Has Harder Shells With Attenuation But Is Not A Descendant Of The Wuhan-Hu-1 Sars-Cov-2, Gerard Kian-Meng Goh, A. Keith Dunker, James A. Foster, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Before the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emergence, shell disorder models (SDM) suggested that an attenuated precursor from pangolins may have entered humans in 2017 or earlier. This was based on a shell disorder analysis of SARS-CoV-1/2 and pangolin-Cov-2017. The SDM suggests that Omicron is attenuated with almost identical N (inner shell) disorder as pangolin-CoV-2017 (N-PID (percentage of intrinsic disorder): 44.8% vs. 44.9%—lower than other variants). The outer shell disorder (M-PID) of Omicron is lower than that of other variants and pangolin-CoV-2017 (5.4% vs. 5.9%). COVID-19-related CoVs have the lowest M-PIDs (hardest outer shell) among all CoVs. This is likely to be …

Beyond Compulsory Licensing: Pfizer Shares Its Covid-19 Medicines With The Patent Pool, Chenglin Liu

Faculty Articles

On March 15, 2022, the United States, European Union, India, and South Africa reached an agreement on the waiver of intellectual property rights (IP rights) for COVID-19 vaccines. The waiver agreement has rekindled the debate on the balance between IP rights protection and equitable access to medicines during a public health crisis. India, South Africa, and other developing countries maintain that a waiver was the only way to make vaccines affordable and accessible. Leading pharmaceutical companies argue that the waiver will stifle innovation and make lifesaving medicines less accessible. Both sides have seemingly overlooked Pfizer's voluntary agreement with the Medicines …

Yoga, Stress, And College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Lori Klein

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students have experienced exponential increases in stress and mental health concerns that continued to rise during the global coronavirus pandemic. Yoga is a popular, well-regarded method for improving psychological wellbeing, and this study explored how students’ perceived stress improved during a semester-long introductory yoga course upon returning to in-person instruction after a period of remote learning as a result of coronavirus restrictions. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to first measure perceived stress scores and then compare this data to student-reports of wellbeing. College students (n = 121) enrolled in 8 sections of Yoga 1 completed …

The Pandemic Dilemma: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Student-Centered Science Education In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer Slavick

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to determine how student-centered instruction shifted and what dilemmas teachers experienced in enacting science instruction as they worked through the COVID-19 pandemic. A modified Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test was used to examine teachers’ perceived instruction during the Fall of 2019, Fall of 2020, and Fall of 2021. Scores on this modified checklist were compared to determine differences in instruction year-to-year, across grade-bands, and to find trends in instruction concerning student demographics. Interviews were conducted with a subset of teachers in the study to learn more about the dilemmas they faced as their attempted science …

Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Middle School Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loralynne Yost

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This collective case study used a mixed methods approach to examine how Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) manifest in the middle school classroom. This study is important due to the trauma students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher participants had district training in trauma-informed practices prior to this study.

Teacher participants took an initial survey to capture their conceptualization and perceived usage of the TIEP in the classroom. Teachers then used TIEP in their classrooms for two weeks. Teachers kept a checklist of which of the TIEP they used each day and commented on the context for the use of the …

School Provided Speech-Language Therapy Plans Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic And Correlating Provider Attitudes, Zabia Evans

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to be a threat for those of all ages, schools were a main concern when discussing how we should attempt to return to our “normal” lives. A considerable amount of speech therapy is done in schools, and speech-language pathologists nationwide are also being impacted by the changes during this school year. This research examined many aspects of providing speech therapy during the 2020-2021 school year, beginning with introductory statistics concerning the number of children participating in each session, the instruction styles, and grade levels taught. Respondents answered a set of questions concerning their attitudes towards …

Perceptions Of Risk Of Sars-Cov-2 Transmission In Social And Educational Activities By Infectious Diseases And General Pediatric Healthcare Providers, A Pre-Vaccine Risk Perception Cross-Sectional Survey, Andrew B. Janowski, Philip M. Polgreen, Susan E. Beekmann, Jason G. Newland

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: The perception of the transmission risks of SARS-CoV-2 in social and educational settings by US healthcare providers have not been previously quantified.

METHODS: Respondents completed an online survey between September and October 2020 to estimate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission on a scale of 0-10 for different social and educational activities prior to the availability of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Demographic information and experiences during the pandemic were also collected. The risk assessment was emailed to three listservs of healthcare providers, including national listservs of pediatric (PID) and adult infectious diseases (AID) providers, and a listserv of general pediatric practitioners …

The Role Of Influential Actors In Fostering The Polarized Covid-19 Vaccine Discourse On Twitter: Mixed Methods Of Machine Learning And Inductive Coding, Loni Hagen, Ashley Fox, Heather O'Leary, Deandre Dyson, Kimberly Walker, Cecile A. Lengacher, Raquel Hernandez

School of Information Faculty Publications

Background: Since COVID-19 vaccines became broadly available to the adult population, sharp divergences in uptake have emerged along partisan lines. Researchers have indicated a polarized social media presence contributing to the spread of mis- or disinformation as being responsible for these growing partisan gaps in uptake.

Objective: The major aim of this study was to investigate the role of influential actors in the context of the community structures and discourse related to COVID-19 vaccine conversations on Twitter that emerged prior to the vaccine rollout to the general population and discuss implications for vaccine promotion and policy.

Methods: We collected tweets …

Terrified By Technology: How Systemic Bias Distorts U.S. Legal And Regulatory Responses To Emerging Technology, Steve Calandrillo, Nolan Kobuke Anderson

Articles

Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the systemic biases we possess and how those biases preclude us from collectively living out the true meaning of our national creed. But to fully understand systemic bias we must acknowledge that it is pervasive and extends beyond the contexts of race, privilege, and economic status. Understanding all forms of systemic bias helps us to better understand ourselves and our shortcomings. At first glance, a human bias against emerging technology caused by systemic risk misperception might seem uninteresting or unimportant. But this Article demonstrates how the presence of systemic bias anywhere, even in an …

Iranian Parents' Perceptions On Physical Activity For Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarvin Salar, Justin A. Haegele, Hassan Daneshmandi

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic is a remarkable health crisis that enforced most people to stay at home and quarantine for a period of time and seems to be having negative impacts on physical activity and mental health worldwide. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a deficit in social interaction characteristics, relationships, and stereotyped behaviors. This study examined Iranian parents’ perceptions of physical activity for their children with ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this study, an explanatory qualitative methodology was used and data were collected via semi-structured phone interviews. The samples included 40 Iranian parents (aged …

Coming Off Mute: A Case Study Of Elementary Students' Perceptions Of Remote Learning During The Height Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Karen L. Ladendorf

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how elementary students perceived their learning and engagement in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five students elected to join the study with parental permission, ranging in grades 3rd – 5th. Interviews were conducted on Zoom with the students as well as their teachers and the students were observed during synchronous learning times.Data analysis identified three areas of themes: the remote learning experience, control and power struggles, and preferences for or against remote learning. Within the first area, the remote learning experience, students identified ways to personalize their …

Queer Survival Amidst Hiv/Aids, Covid-19 And Homelessness, Julia Young

Pitzer Senior Theses

The treatment and survival of a society's marginalized peoples reveal the true impacts of a pandemic. An analysis of homeless queer youth during the HIV/AIDS and SARS-CoV-2 crises lays bare the systemic failure of the United States government to provide equitable healthcare.

I compare the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics in queer homeless youth to demonstrate the dangers of disease moralization via a sociocultural analyses of disease stigma and responsibility politics. Utilizing syndemic theory I draw on the synergistic relationship between disease and illness to describe the unique challenges queer homeless youth face. A syndemic framework is applied to address common …

The Interplay Between Cognitive And Affective Risks In Predicting Covid-19 Precautions: A Longitudinal Representative Study Of Americans, Marie Helweg-Larsen, Laurel M. Peterson, Sarah H. Dimuccio

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective

Cognitive risk figures prominently in models predicting health behaviors, but affective risk is also important. We examined the interplay between cognitive risk (personal likelihood of COVID-19 infection or death) and affective risk (worry about COVID-19) in predicting COVID-19 precautionary behaviors. We also examined how outbreak severity bias (overestimation of the severity of COVID-19 in one’s community) predicted these outcomes.

Design

In a representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 738; Mage = 46.8; 52% women; 78% white), participants who had not had COVID-19 took two online surveys two weeks apart in April 2020.

Main outcome measures

We assessed cognitive …

As Fires Blaze Through California, Could They Blaze A New Path For Incarcerated Individuals: A Model For Back-End Abolition, Jacquelyn Kelsey Arnold

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

This Note provides a critique on the current system of prison labor through the lens of the California wildfires and the lack of inmate labor due to early release in the wake of COVID-19. This Note provides an overview of the relevant history of the Thirteenth Amendment, contextualizes mass incarceration as a product of the “War on Drugs” in the United States, and consequently, discusses the significant and dramatic expansion of the prison industrial complex and the use of prison labor as a growing source of production labor. It concludes with a recommendation for a provisional back-end abolition model that …

Fostering Production Of Pharmaceutical Products In Developing Countries, William Fisher, Ruth L. Okediji, Padmashree Gehl Sampath

Michigan Journal of International Law

The ways in which pharmaceutical products are currently developed, manufactured, and distributed fail to meet the needs of developing countries. The recent emergence of new infectious diseases, the associated surge of healthcare nationalism, and the prevalence of substandard and falsified drugs have strengthened substantially the net benefits of augmenting the capacity of developing countries to produce such products locally. Most previous efforts to do so have foundered. The chance of success in the future would be maximized by the adoption of five strategies : (a) clarifying the zones of discretion created by the relevant treaties to ensure that local firms …

Faculty Perceptions Of Safety And The Impact Of Online Classroom Modalities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary E. Ogidigben, Ernesto R. Rivera, Robert S. Keyser

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected a number of institutions – one of which is Kennesaw State University (KSU). In the fall 2020 semester, KSU implemented safety protocols following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the University System of Georgia (USG) guidelines. A cross-sectional survey was sent out for faculty to complete at their own will regarding their thoughts on how the new guidelines are affecting their work as well as their safety while on campus. The survey consisted of 18 Likert-scale questions and eight free response questions. The survey results showed that 60.42% of …

Associations And Disease–Disease Interactions Of Covid-19 With Congenital And Genetic Disorders: A Comprehensive Review, Altijana Hromić-Jahjefendić, Debmalya Barh, Cecília Horta Ramalho Pinto, Lucas Gabriel Rodrigues Gomes, Jéssica Lígia Picanço Machado, Oladapo Olawale Afolabi, Sandeep Tiwari, Alaa A.A. Aljabali, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Kenneth Lundstrom

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, has resulted in over six million deaths worldwide. Millions of people who survived this SARS-CoV-2 infection show a number of post-COVID complications. Although, the comorbid conditions and post-COVID complexities are to some extent well reviewed and known, the impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing congenital anomalies and genetic diseases are only documented in isolated case reports and case series, so far. In the present review, we analyzed the PubMed indexed literature published between December 2019 and January 2022 to understand this relationship from various points of view, such as susceptibility, …

Early Taurine Administration As A Means For Halting The Cytokine Storm Progression In Covid-19 Patients, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Ramesh C. Gupta, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Raied A. Badierah

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Around the world, more than 6.2 million individuals have died as a result of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to a recent survey conducted among immunologists, epidemiologists, and virologists, this disease is expected to become endemic. This implies that the disease could have a continuous presence and/or normal frequency in the population. Pharmacological interventions to prevent infection, as well as to treat the patients at an early phase of illness to avoid hospitalization are essential additions to the vaccines. Taurine is known to inhibit the generation of all inflammatory mediators linked to the cytokine storm. It can also protect against …

Sars-Cov-2: A Master Of Immune Evasion, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Viruses and their hosts have coevolved for a long time. This coevolution places both the pathogen and the human immune system under selective pressure; on the one hand, the immune system has evolved to combat viruses and virally infected cells, while viruses have developed sophisticated mechanisms to escape recognition and destruction by the immune system. SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic, has shown a remarkable ability to escape antibody neutralization, putting vaccine efficacy at risk. One of the virus’s immune evasion strategies is mitochondrial sabotage: by causing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial physiology is impaired, …

Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Of Resettled Refugee Children, Joseph Lawsel Williams

Public Health Theses

Background: Mental health difficulties disproportionately impact resettled refugee children (RRC). Little is known regarding the impact between COVID-19 and RRC mental health. A mixed-methods retrospective pilot study was conducted to examine the impact of COVID-19 on RRC mental health.

Methods: Families were recruited in partnership with Elena’s Light, a refugee resettlement community-stakeholder. Participants included 20 RRC (N=11 ages 4-11; N=9 ages 11-15; equal gender distribution) from 10 families (N=6 Afghanistan; N=1 Turkey; N=1 Syria; N=2 non-disclosed) resettled to New Haven, CT before March 2019. Pre-Covid (PC) and During-Covid (DC) maternal responses for three Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) dimensions (Emotional, …

Association Between Antiretroviral Therapy And Severe Covid-19 Outcomes Among Hospitalized Hiv Positive People With Sars-Cov-2 In Nys, Aizhan Kyzayeva

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

IMPORTANCE The role of antiretroviral therapy (ART) type in people living with HIV (PLWDH) co-infected with acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) remains unclear. There is evidence that certain classes of ART may mute the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Literacy And Covid-19 : Elementary Students' Reading Performance Through A Global Pandemic, Emmett Mcgregor Schweiger

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The critical area of literacy instruction has long relied on the use of measurement tools and the resulting data to identify at-risk readers and deliver needed supports. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to education, measurement practices were altered and there was limited existing research available to predict the potential impact of the pandemic on literacy development. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the reading performance of students in a Southern Tier New York elementary school before and during the pandemic, utilizing existing data from fall 2019 to spring 2021. Additionally, this study sought to evaluate the …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On First-Generation Women Test-Takers: Magnifying Adversities, Stress, And Consequences For Bar Exam Performance., Freiburger Erin, Victor D. Quintanilla, Kurt Hugenberg, Sam Erman, Nedim Yel, Anita Kim, Mary C. Murphy

Articles

By magnifying gender- and socioeconomic status-based inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic caused stress and disrupted career progress for professional students. The present work investigated the impact of pandemic-related stress and prevailing barriers on structurally disadvantaged women preparing for a high-stakes professional exam. In Study 1, we found that among US law students preparing for the October 2020 California Bar Exam—the professional exam that enables one to become a practicing attorney in California—first-generation women reported the greatest stress from pandemic-related burdens and underperformed on the exam relative to others overall, and particularly compared to continuing-generation women. This underperformance was explained by pandemic-related …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Staying Alive Nbme Performance And Exam Testing Conditions, Anh Phuong Nguyen

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: This study will study the impact of COVID-19 on Wright State University BSOM class of 2023’s performance on the SA NBME exam and whether there was a difference in the scores between the group who took the test at school compared to at home. Methods: independent samples t-test was used to analyze SA NBME exam scores from BSOM class of 2022 and class of 2023 (n = 231) and also from students in the class of 2023 who took the SA NBME from home and at school. Results: The class of 2023’s performance on the SA NBME exam …

Our Thoughts Matter: The Mental Health Of College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Caitlin Zarzeczny

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore the mental health of undergraduate college students within the context of COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cognitions about health threat and engagement in protective health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were (N = 276) undergraduate students attending the University of North Florida. Students completed a SONA systems survey between March 2021 and December 2021. Participants received course credit for completing the survey. Survey questions were taken from the Perceived Effectiveness of COVID-19 Prevention Effectiveness Protocols scale (Prasetyo et al., 2020). Three types of variables were assessed: demographics, perceived threat, and planned action. Correlational …

Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Sabrina G. Cox, Isabel Whitehead

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The first cases of coronavirus reported in the United States came in January 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020). In the two years since then, countries around the world have been affected by COVID-19 and the subsequent social, economic, and mental health issues. Previous research shows that the animal healthcare field is already overrun with burnout, substance abuse, depression, and increased levels of stress (Gardner and Hini, 2006), and the pandemic has only compounded these issues (Mair et al., 2020). Observing a lack of meaningful reporting on the issues affecting veterinary staff led the researchers to investigate staff members’ practices, day- …

Financial Uncertainty From A Dual Shock At Global Level–Insights From Kuwait, Talal A.N.M.S. Alotaibi, Lucia Morales

Articles

Global stock markets experienced a dual shock in 2020 due to the impact of the global health crisis, parallel to a simultaneous shock derived from the Saudi Arabia and Russia oil price war. The dual shock fueled oil market volatility with lasting effects as the global economy is immersed in an energy crisis combined with high inflationary pressures exacerbated by heightened energy costs. This research paper implemented GARCH and FIGARCH models on daily returns from 31 December 2015, to 9 December 2021, to examine volatility persistence and long memory processes. The world’s most prominent economies are represented by the G7, …

Disparities In Uptake Of The Primary Sars-Cov-2 Vaccine Series In A Southern Indiana Vaccine Clinic, Cassidy Padgett

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective: COVID-19 is a potentially severe respiratory disease caused by infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 was first discovered in 2019 and vaccines against the virus began development in early 2020. COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clark Memorial Health is a 236-bed community health system located in southern Indiana. As one of the first four hospitals in the state of Indiana to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine in December of 2020, this health system led the area in vaccine administration. Prior to the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the COVID-19 vaccines, …

Remdesivir Treatment For Patients With Moderate To Severe Covid-19, İmran Hasanoğlu, Hati̇ce Rahmet Güner, İlhami̇ Çeli̇k, Fi̇kret Kanat, Ayşe Batirel, Gülçi̇n Telli̇ Di̇zman, Esma Eryilmaz Eren, Di̇lek Yildiz Sevgi̇, İlkay Bozkurt, Kadri̇ye Kart Yaşar, Sevtap Şenoğlu, Esra Kazak, Ridvan Karaali̇, Aysel Kocagül Çeli̇kbaş, Hüsnü Pullukçu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Remdesivir, which was first developed for the treatment of Ebola disease but failed to meet expectations, has become hope in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors for mortality and prognosis of adult moderate/severe COVID-19 patients treated with remdesivir, and safety and tolerability of 5 days of remdesivir treatment. Materials and methods: This multicenter prospective observational study was conducted in 14 centers in Turkey. Pregnancy or breastfeeding, multiorgan failure, or usage of vasopressors for septic shock, ALT > 5 × the upper limit of the normal range, or eGRF

Describing And Predicting Preprocedural Anxiety In Patients Scheduled For Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dawn Profit

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Advanced gastrointestinal endoscopy includes a group of specialized procedures and interventions that are being performed more frequently with little attention given to a patient’s preprocedural anxiety issues. Preprocedural anxiety is an anticipated problem with any surgery or invasive procedure and if sustained or experienced excessively, is associated with negative clinical factors and complications.

In the beginning of 2020, the United States was met with a global pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, termed COVID-19. There were recommendations to decrease medical procedural case volume in order to slow the spread of the virus, protect staff and patients from getting the virus, …