Digital Commons Network^™

New Normal: How School Operation And Learning Changes In A Pandemic, Margaretha Audrey Stefani Cahya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to past and present studies, pandemics impacted many aspects of society, including education. The current COVID-19 pandemic, which lasted for more than a year during the study, has brought notable educational changes at every level of education. This research was conducted to explore the extent of educational changes during a pandemic and the deviation between the education plan and its implementation in Northwest Arkansas public school districts. The study's data was collected from school district public documents and teacher interviews from school districts classified as low to high SES in suburban and rural areas. Both sources were analyzed and …

Justifying Violence: Discourses About Homelessness In San Antonio During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gabriella Garriga

Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses

In my analysis, I show that social power (proximity to policy change) is the most important determinant of how those involved in this research thought about homelessness and the resources needed to address the unhoused community’s experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. Those closest to high levels of social power demonstrate discourses of hierarchy of trauma and control most often to justify their actions. Those with low levels of social power invoked the superhero discourse. Most notably both groups exhibit benign neglect to explain the response (or lack of response) in aiding unhoused people during the pandemic. Though the discourses are …

How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected Physical Activity, Sleep And Mental Health In University Students, Faculty And Staff And To Examine The Relationship Between These Variables, Zachary Parisi

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Increased physical activity has been shown to be beneficial in decreasing stress. This project will expand on this knowledge while also studying college students, a demographic that has been less studied. This study will also examine the impact of COVID-19 on these variables. COVID-19 changed many peoples’ activities of daily life, and possibly physically activity levels, due to public health measures such as lockdowns and remote learning. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical activity, sleep, and mental health in university students, faculty and staff and to examine the relationship …

Ukranian Protestants’ Communicative Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Maksym Balaklytskyi, Petro Kotliarov, Viacheslav Korchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article considers the reaction of Ukrainian Protestants to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most important for Protestant theologians was a discussion of the impact and consequences of the pandemic on church life. Most Protestants agreed to a hybrid model of church worship: online-offline as a manifestation of an open reaction to the changes that resulted from the introduction of state quarantine restrictions. During the pandemic, Ukrainian Protestants managed to move away from the established model that the church is a building and to accept the paradigm of the Church as the Body of Christ. Under limited conditions, digital Protestant theology began …

Current Challenges In Covid-19 Triaging: A Global Perspective, Mauli Patel, Robin Sudandiradas, Trini Mathew, Paul Kilgore, Mahadev Rao, Chiranjay Mukhopadhay, Marcus Zervos

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Background and Objectives: Although countries around the world have been combatting the same COVID-19 pandemic over the last year, the triage approach taken by various Emergency Departments (ED) is unique. This paper outlines the guidelines followed by two tertiary care hospitals in Detroit, USA and Manipal, India. By comparing hospital triage implementation protocols, this paper offers insight regarding similarities and differences between Detroit and Manipal ED, as well as strategies to overcome respective challenges. Methods: Triage algorithms from the Detroit Medical Centre in Detroit and Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Manipal were contrasted to illustrate the similarities and differences in …

Covid-19’S Impact Of Social Isolation On Seniors In An Assisted Living Facility, Mary Mclaughlin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study explores the impact of social distancing precautions in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic by resident seniors in an assisted living facility. Previous studies describe how social distancing regulations can amplify feelings of loneliness in all age groups. However, pandemic-related lockdowns and social distancing measures disproportionately affect vulnerable older populations. Resident seniors in an assisted living facility in Omaha, NE participated in a semi-structured interview focused on the perceived impact of COVID-19 safety precautions. Participants reported a temporal dimension of impact, specifically, an increased level of loneliness in the evening, but also discussed the importance of encouragement …

Effect Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic On Assistive And Interactive Technology Use: In- Person Versus Distanced Communication, Alexandra Swanson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

COVID-19 risk-reduction efforts have protected high-risk individuals but have significantly altered life; persons now face reduced socialization. Advancing technologies (e.g., video-chat) may be useful in alleviating consequences of these efforts, potentially mitigating loneliness, and isolation by improving access to alternative communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between communicative technology use and individual characteristics, as technology use may contribute to well-being among adults during COVID-19 and future isolating events. This is especially relevant to older populations. Participants (N=645) aged 19+ completed a questionnaire via Amazon Mechanical Turk; demographic, socialization, and technology-use data were collected. Data were …

Genetic Counselors’ Attitudes Towards Telegenetics: The Good, The Bad, The In-Between, Madison Badje

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Given that the global coronavirus pandemic has necessitated a quick and vast transition to telehealth, the purpose of this study is to explore these changes in the field of genetic counseling. To examine the perceived effectiveness of telegenetics from the perspective of genetic counselors, I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with two genetic counselors in which each participant was asked six questions. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using standard thematic analysis techniques for qualitative data analysis. The analysis revealed two main themes: benefits and drawbacks of telegenetics, with two sub-themes under each. The major benefits are increased patient …

Companions On An Ignatian Journey: A Reflection On The Universal Apostolic Preferences, Beth Ford Mcnamee

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The Universal Apostolic Preferences[i] focus my sense of mission and vocation in Jesuit higher education. I offer these personal and professional reflections as a fellow pilgrim and companion on the journey. I am a lay woman striving to embody the Jesuit, Catholic mission of Saint Joseph’s University (SJU). All Jesuit university students, staff, and faculty are also colleagues in this common mission. Together we are invited to prayer, accompaniment, discernment, conversion of heart, and action in light of these preferences.

Notes

[i] Society of Jesus, Universal Apostolic Preferences, accessed January, 2021, https://www.jesuits.global/uap/.

Israel’S Sigint Oversight Ecosystem: Covid-19 Secret Location Tracking As A Test Case, Amir Cahane

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

By mid-March 2020, Israel had experienced the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a fortnight, confirmed coronavirus cases surged from half a dozen to 178 cases. In response to the challenge of identifying potential carriers, the government tasked the Israeli Security Agency (the ISA, or Shin Bet) with tracing the routes of confirmed coronavirus patients via cellphone location tracking and identifying individuals with whom the patients had been in close contact.

Israel's ISA communications metadata collection measures have been shrouded in veil of secrecy. The debate – in parliament and in court – regarding the use of the country's …

Abortion Restrictions During A Pandemic At The Intersection Of The 13th Amendment And Electoral Legislation, Dr. Cynthia Boyer

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

The current pandemic is intensifying restrictions on a wide range of fundamental rights which form a key pillar of the rule of law, it includes access to reproductive rights. Some states have moved forward with their ideological quest of control and infringement of constitutional rights in order to ban or limit abortion what is a fundamental attack on constitutional rights and in particular those associated with the Thirteenth Amendment. These restrictions on abortion resulting from the proclamation of a state of emergency follow the path already taken by certain states to reinforce their coercive measures. They raise major legal and …

Going Viral?: Discouraging The Premature Use Of Civil Liability Strategies As A Response To Covid-19, Michelle L. Richards

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

In addition to the myriad of issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the virus has also placed our legal system in a position of creating problems that can contribute to the spread of this pandemic. Despite the fact that the United States has been mired in the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine strategies have been recently developed to provide protection from this virus, much is still unknown about the etiology of this virus and how to effectively control its spread. As a result, public health agencies at the federal, state, and local levels have only been able …

Staying At Home, Katherine T. Mccaffrey

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In the spring of 2020, the novel Coronavirus upended life in New Jersey, US, precipitating an unprecedented state lockdown of 9 million residents. The essay reflects on the author’s experience of the lockdown and her relationship to a Syrian refugee woman resettled nearby. The author identifies their shared experiences staying at home and prioritizing the collective good in the midst of a pandemic.

Goals-Of-Care Course For Emergency Physicians During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Mari Siegel, Erica Westlake

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 increased the need for goals of care (GOC) discussions in the Emergency Department (ED). Many Emergency Physicians (EPs) report no formal training in holding GOC discussions. COVID-19 created unique teaching challenges given social distancing requirements.

METHODS

Eight teaching sessions were held using Zoom in March and April at an urban institution in the United States. Sessions were limited to 4-8 participants. They were comprised of a 30-minute lecture and 15 minutes of role-playing, in which providers read scripts to practice communication skills. The lecture introduced vocabulary and models to shape GOC discussions. Participants were invited to complete an …

Dietary Supplements And Nutraceuticals Under Investigation For Covid-19 Prevention And Treatment, Ronan Lordan, Halie M. Rando, Casey S. Greene, Vikas Bansal, John P. Barton, Simina M. Boca, Christian Brueffer, James Brian Byrd, Stephen Capone, Shikta Das, Anna Ada Dattoli, John J. Dziak, Jeffrey M. Field, Soumita Ghosh, Anthony Gitter, Rishi Raj Goel, Marouen Ben Guebila, Fengling Hu, Nafisa M. Jadavji, Sergey Knyazev, Likhitha Kolla, Alexandra J. Lee, Tiago Lubiana, Temitayo Lukan, Adam L. Maclean, David Mai, Serghei Mangul, David Manheim, Lucy D.Agostino Mcgowan, Yoson Park, Dimitri Perrin, Yanjun Qi

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused global disruption and a significant loss of life. Existing treatments that can be repurposed as prophylactic and therapeutic agents may reduce the pandemic’s devastation. Emerging evidence of potential applications in other therapeutic contexts has led to the investigation of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals for COVID-19. Such products include vitamin C, vitamin D, omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, probiotics, and zinc, all of which are currently under clinical investigation. In this review, we critically appraise the evidence surrounding dietary supplements and nutraceuticals for the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19. Overall, further study is required before …

Covid-19 Disease Severity And Death In Relation To Vitamin D Status Among Sars-Cov-2-Positive Uae Residents, Habiba Alsafar, William B. Grant, Rafiq Hijazi, Maimunah Uddin, Nawal Alkaabi, Guan Tay, Bassam Mahboub, Fatme Al Anouti

All Works

Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D’s plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. We examined the relation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality among the multiethnic population of the United Arab Emirates. Our observational study used data for 522 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at one of the main hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Only 464 of those …

The Spatial-Temporal Model Of Covid-19 Tests, Cases, And Deaths In The State Of Nebraska, Makayla Schissel

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The goal of this project was to illustrate the spread of COVID-19 tests, cases, and deaths within the state of Nebraska and identify non-random clusters using a spatial-temporal model. This project is pertinent and innovative, as few spatial-temporal models in the United States revolving around COVID-19 offer information at the county, let alone, the state level. De-identified data was extracted from the State of Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard, transformed and prepared for analysis using SAS coding language. Clusters were identified though SaTScan software using a space-time permutation model. The model identified 5 different clusters related …

The Impact Of Information Shocks And Partisanship On The Evolution Of Covid-19 In Connecticut, Joslin Valiyaveettil

Honors Scholar Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life within the United States since early 2020. How people decided to behave during this time heavily influenced the trends that followed, triggering both health and behavioral economic concerns. Those trends seemed to vary based on the area and the beliefs of those constituents. This paper explores how partisan beliefs had an impact on the changes in case rates that occurred within the top 30 most populated towns in the state of Connecticut. In July 2020, former President Donald Trump sent out a tweet publicly endorsing face masks for the first time. …

An In Depth Analysis: Following The Potential Long-Term Effects Of Loss Of Engagement On Students, Stephanie Zavala

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone paper examines the various factors influencing student engagement and academic performance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report addresses the following research questions: (1) "What might be the long-term effects of loss of engagement on children after the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What are the primary factors that affect student engagement? In a review of the literature, this paper examines the research on natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, truancy, and summer vacations to project the impact on interrupted education. In order to fully consider the impact of the year-long Shelter-in-Place order on a local middle school, this …

Sororities Surviving Covid-19: A Phenomenological Study Of Panhellenic Virtual Sorority Recruitment, Margaret Darden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study addressed perceptions of virtual sorority recruitment and was conducted at a large, public university in the Midwestern United States. Data was gathered through interviews using a criterion sampling method in place for this study. Study participants fell into one of the following categories: new members, general members, chapter recruitment chairs, chapter presidents, chapter advisors, chapter recruitment advisors, or the fraternity/sorority advisor. Emerging themes and categories were identified by coding and analyzing the interview data. The themes that were identified were: the convenience of online meetings, reduced emphasis on appearance reduced emotional, financial and time strain, increased accessibility …

Media Framing, Moral Panic And Covid-19: A Comparative Analysis Of China, South Korea, And The Us., Deena Devore, Sinyong Choi, Yudu Li, Hong Lu

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

COVID-19 is perhaps the single most impactful event defining 2020 globally. Drawing on theory on media typology involving freedom and responsibility, media framing and moral panic theories, this paper examines media coverage on COVID-19 in three countries, China, South Korea and the United States. Data were obtained from six news outlets, Xinhua News, South China Morning Post, Chosun, Hankyoreh, CNN and Breitbart, two from each of the three countries. More than 1,000 COVID-19 related reports, spanning six days (the last day of January to June, 2020) were selected and coded based on common priming themes such as tone, the othering, …

Covid-19 Student Mental Health Check Ii, Dianna Blankenship, Irma S. Jones

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The year 2020 will forever be known as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the entire population in one way or another. What began in January 2020 still has the world population firmly in its grip a year later. The students’ responses, in their own words, to changes in living, daily `routines, and health fears can be seen in the following paper. In this article, the responses of students in several undergraduate classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 155 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: …

Resources For Supporting Mathematics And Data Science Instructors During Covid-19, Eduardo C. Balreira, C. Hawthorne, G. Stadnyk, Z. Teymuroglu, M. Torres, J. R. Wares

Mathematics Faculty Research

In late May of 2020, a few months after the raging COVID-19 pandemic forced university faculty to quickly switch to online teaching, the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) released a call for grant applications to support working groups "to help faculty within our consortium who will be teaching during the pandemic (e.g., from hybrid courses with some remote/online components to fully remote/online courses; socially distanced face-to-face courses)." We replied to this call and the ACS awarded the six of us (from four ACS schools) a Summer Rapid Response Grant in early June. The grant funded our efforts to create …

Battling Two Pandemics: The Intersection Of Covid-19 And Systemic Racism In San Antonio Schools, Diana Guadalupe Long

Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses

In this thesis, I investigate educators’ experiences and observations of structural inequities during the switch to online teaching and learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Through interviews with ten educators in the city of San Antonio, Texas, I analyzed the COVID-19 pandemic through an equity lens, specifically highlighting the ways in which it is transforming access to education for underserved students. Through this study, I find that the digital divide is still a salient issue in society, and that students of color and/or from low socioeconomic backgrounds are pushed out of schools by external structural forces that further marginalize their community. …

A 2020 Public Health Crisis—But Not The One You’Re Thinking Of: Why Gun Violence Has Spiked During The Covid-19 Pandemic & What We Can Do About It, Dominique Davis

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Captions For Covid? Hearing Accessibility In Virtual "Zoom" Theatre, Gianna Schuetz

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic shut the doors of theatres across the United States and the rest of the world. Live theatre came to a sudden halt as gatherings of people served as significant health risks. As live theatre performances became nearly obsolete, many theatre organizations were forced to creatively adapt to move their programming to a virtual format. Presenting theatre in a virtual format brings many challenges; however, it also brings opportunities for increased accessibility and access, particularly for individuals who are hard of hearing.

The following thesis explores hearing accessibility measures taken by theatre companies as they ventured into virtual …

Social Environment Changes During Covid-19 Quarantine, Aileen Jimenez

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research project is to understand perceptions of the psychological, behavioral, and social impacts of COVID-19. Students at the University of Mississippi were invited to participate in an online questionnaire administered through Qualtrics. The questionnaire was composed of questions concerning health behaviors, including questions from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale, Fear of Coronavirus-19 Scale, and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring study. 274 students participated in the study. Overall, the results of this study suggested moderate distress across the sample, differences in sleep, exercise, and alcohol consumption during quarantine conditions, …

The Relationship Between Resilience And Social Support Among College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Baskin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unprecedented and unexpected nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is little data to date that have investigated the impact on college students. The current study evaluated the relationships between resilience, social support, and distress levels among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. One-hundred and ninety-one college students in a psychology course completed three measures assessing resilience, social support, and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first hypothesis was that as social support increases, then resilience will also increase in a college population during a worldwide pandemic. A second hypothesis was that as resilience increases, then distress will …

Symptoms Of Trauma Related To The Covid-19 Pandemic In Educators And Students, Leanne S. Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In the United States, a nationwide shutdown began in mid-March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the shutdown began, many people faced financial insecurity, health insecurity, and food insecurity. When the shutdown began, most schools broke for spring break and did not reconvene for the remainder of the school year. This created huge gaps in necessary services and resources for students and families including academics, mental health services, social supports, food resources, and connection to the community. This study explores trauma and stress symptoms educators and students have experienced in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study …

Coronavirus Disease-19 And Cardiovascular Disease: A Risk Factor Or A Risk Marker?, Jing Liu, Salim S Virani, Mahboob Alam, Ali E Denktas, Ihab Hamzeh, Umair Khalid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 causes the clinical syndrome of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) which has become a global pandemic resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. While the virus primarily affects the respiratory system, it also causes a wide variety of complex cardiac manifestations such as acute myopericarditis, acute coronary syndrome, congested heart failure, cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrhythmias. There are numerous proposed mechanisms of cardiac injury, including direct cellular injury, pro-inflammatory cytokine storm, myocardial oxygen-demand mismatch, and systemic inflammation causing multi-organ failure. Additionally, medications commonly used to treat COVID-19 patients have various cardiovascular side effects. We aim to …