Digital Commons Network^™

Kafka In The Plague Years: Reinterpreting Absurdity In The 2020s, Chris Lownie

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

No word better encapsulates the confusion and inequality proliferating in the post-2020 global world than “absurd.” Absurdity consumes the way we interact with one another, going about life-as-usual in pocket worlds in which the individual is alienated from both oneself and others. Life is defined by a series of problems that regularly go ignored by both institution and general populace alike, but not by the human body: the effects of sustained illness and reinfection by recurrent viruses in a world that no longer acknowledges their severity nor their pervasiveness nor steps we may take towards personal safety. Daily life has …

Association Of Non-Communicable Diseases With Severe Covid-19 Among People Living With And Without Diagnosed Hiv/Aids In New York State, Ravi Kumar Balu

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background: People living with diagnosed HIV (PLWDH) have a higher chance of co-infections and co-morbidities than the general population. When SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in China in December 2019 and later declared a pandemic, it was speculated that PLWDH might be more prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease outcomes given their increased vulnerability to other respiratory infections like influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia and tuberculosis. However, several facets of COVID-19 disease in PLWDH are incompletely understood, including whether non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are strong risk factors for severe disease outcomes and death as they are in the general population.

Methods: The data …

Nanobody Screening And Machine Learning Guided Identification Of Cross-Variant Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Heavy-Chain Only Antibodies, Peter R. Mcilroy, Zhuoming Liu, Sean Whelan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to persist, demonstrating the risks posed by emerging infectious diseases to national security, public health, and the economy. Development of new vaccines and antibodies for emerging viral threats requires substantial resources and time, and traditional development platforms for vaccines and antibodies are often too slow to combat continuously evolving immunological escape variants, reducing their efficacy over time. Previously, we designed a next-generation synthetic humanized nanobody (Nb) phage display library and demonstrated that this library could be used to rapidly identify highly specific and potent neutralizing heavy chain-only antibodies (HCAbs) with prophylactic and …

No Evidence Of Mmr Induced Trained Immunity To Prevent Sars Cov2: Results From A Multi-Centre Rct, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, George Kyei, Erik Dubberke, Linda Yun, Leon Du Toit, Mary Politi, Ben Swan, Anne Deschryver, Sherry Mckinnon, Ananya Gupta, Shabaana Khader, Michael S Avidan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Measles-containing vaccines (MCV), by training innate immune cells, are hypothesized to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

METHODS: In this international, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned adults, 18 years and older, to receive MCV or saline. The primary outcome was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed symptomatic COVID-19, up to 60 days after intervention. Secondary outcomes were PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 and serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, up to 150 days after intervention.

RESULTS: Of 3411 randomised participants, the modified intention-to-treat population included 1607 in the MCV and 1545 in the saline group. …

Bcg-Induced Dna Methylation Changes Improve Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Immunity Without Decreasing The Risk For Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Santiago Carrero Longlax, Kent J Koster, Ashish M Kamat, Marisa Lozano, Seth P Lerner, Rebecca Hannigan, Tomoki Nishiguchi, Abhimanyu, Daanish Sheikh, Malik Ladki, Alexandra Portillo, Amrit Koirala, Tajhal D Patel, Zoe Spieler, Aaron B Benjamin, Maxim Lebedev, Theresa U Ofili, Robert W Hutchison, George Udeani, Lynne A Opperman, Gabriel Neal, Anna M Mandalakas, Mihai G Netea, Moshe Arditi, Pablo Avalos, Sandra L Grimm, Cristian Coarfa, Jeffrey D Cirillo, Andrew R Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The BCG vaccine induces trained immunity, an epigenetic-mediated increase in innate immune responsiveness. Therefore, this clinical trial evaluated if BCG-induced trained immunity could decrease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related frequency or severity.

METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthcare workers randomized participants to vaccination with BCG TICE or placebo (saline). Enrollment included 529 healthcare workers randomized to receive BCG or placebo. Primary analysis evaluated COVID-19 disease frequency, while secondary analysis evaluated coronavirus immunity in a subset of participants. Study enrollment ceased early in December 2020 following introduction of COVID-19-specific vaccines.

RESULTS: Study enrollment was halted early, prior to reaching …

Placentas From Sars-Cov-2 Infection During Pregnancy Exhibit Foci Of Oxidative Stress And Dna Damage, Guilherme M Nobrega, Eliza R Mccoll, Arthur Antolini-Tavares, Renato T Souza, José Guilherme Cecatti, Maria Laura Costa, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Problem: COVID-19 during pregnancy is linked to increased maternal morbidity and a higher incidence of preterm births (PTBs), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cellular senescence, characterized by the irreversible cessation of cell division, is a critical process in placental function, and its dysregulation has been implicated in pregnancy complications like PTB. Senescence can be induced by various stressors, including oxidative stress, DNA damage, and viral infections.

Method of study: In this study, we determined whether COVID-19 had an impact on placental senescence. We examined placentas from women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (n = 10 …

Baseline Predictors For 28-Day Covid-19 Severity And Mortality Among Hospitalized Patients: Results From The Impacc Study, Jintong Hou, Benjamin Haslund-Gourley, Joann Diray-Arce, Annmarie Hoch, Nadine Rouphael, Patrice M Becker, Alison D Augustine, Al Ozonoff, Leying Guan, Steven H Kleinstein, Bjoern Peters, Elaine Reed, Matt Altman, Charles R Langelier, Holden Maecker, Seunghee Kim, Ruth R Montgomery, Florian Krammer, Michael Wilson, Walter Eckalbar, Steven E Bosinger, Ofer Levy, Hanno Steen, Lindsey B Rosen, Lindsey R Baden, Esther Melamed, Lauren I R Ehrlich, Grace A Mccomsey, Rafick P Sekaly, Joanna Schaenman, Albert C Shaw, David A Hafler, David B Corry, Farrah Kheradmand, Mark A Atkinson, Scott C Brakenridge, Nelson I Agudelo Higuita, Jordan P Metcalf, Catherine L Hough, William B Messer, Bali Pulendran, Kari C Nadeau, Mark M Davis, Ana Fernandez Sesma, Viviana Simon, Monica Kraft, Chris Bime, Carolyn S Calfee, David J Erle, Impacc Network, Lucy F Robinson, Charles B Cairns, Elias K Haddad, Mary Ann Comunale

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic threatened public health and placed a significant burden on medical resources. The Immunophenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort (IMPACC) study collected clinical, demographic, blood cytometry, serum receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibody titers, metabolomics, targeted proteomics, nasal metagenomics, Olink, nasal viral load, autoantibody, SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers, and nasal and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptomics data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to select baseline biomarkers and build predictive models for 28-day in-hospital COVID-19 severity and mortality with most predictive variables while prioritizing routinely collected variables.

Methods: We analyzed 1102 …

Hubungan Antara Hipertensi Dan Kematian Pasien Covid-19 Di Layanan Rawat Inap Rsud Tarakan Tahun 2022 (Association Between Hypertension And Mortality Of Covid-19 Inpatients At Tarakan Regional General Hospital In 2022), Karina Widyasari, Mondastri Korib Sudaryo

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 was the leading disease in terms of the highest number of hospital admissions and cause of death at the Tarakan Regional General Hospital (RSUD Tarakan) in 2022. COVID-19 patients who received treatment at the hospital were often individuals with underlying conditions, such as hypertension. Therefore, it is important to conduct research on comorbidities, specifically hypertension, and its relationship to COVID-19 mortality at the RSUD Tarakan’s inpatient in 2022, so the hospital can design spesific care plans for COVID-19 patients with hypertension. …

The Experiences Of Nurses Caring For Patients During The Initial Outbreak Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Maldives: A Phenomenological Study, Khadiyya Simany, Asiya Ibrahim

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

The experience of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in the Maldives may have been unique and at the same time similar to the global nursing situation during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to explore nurses’ experiences in providing nursing care for COVID-19 patients in one of the facilities in the Maldives. A descriptive phenomenological approach of inquiry was employed to explore the new phenomenon of the nursing experience during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Using purposive convenience sampling, six nurses were interviewed in depth via semi-structured face‒to-face interviews. The interviews were analysed through modified principles …

Understanding Women, Infant And Children Feeding Decisions In Emergencies: The Case Of Covid-19 And The Formula Shortage, Davida Mensah, Edmund F. Agyemang, Constance Gewa

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The advantages of breastfeeding and its role in emergencies are undeniable. Studies show that many women in developed countries choose formula over breastmilk, even in emergencies. Nevertheless, no one knows if postpartum women under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program turned out to breastfeed or re-lactate their infants during these crises. This study aims to better understand WIC participants' perceptions about breastfeeding their babies in emergencies.

Methods: A chi-square test of independence was used to assess the association between breastfeeding choice and demographic characteristics and potential covariates of respondents. A post hoc analysis using Dunn's multiple comparisons test …

Rna Structural-Dynamical Hierarchy: Sars-Cov, Sars-Cov-2, And Delta/Omicron Variant S2m Monomers, Kissing Complexes, And Extended Duplexes, Adam Kensinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The power and promise of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules are only beginning to be realized in living organisms and pharmaceutical intervention. Specifically, defining the chemical physics of RNA’s heterogenous structural ensemble and dynamics, which has experienced expansive growth over the last few years, is central to a complete understanding, yet continues to be a significant challenge. A 41-nucleotide hairpin called the stem-loop II motif (s2m), present in the viral genomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the Delta and Omicron variants responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is a potential antiviral target due to its high sequence conservation …

Covid-19: Kritikal Na Pagsusuri Ng Diskurso Ng Kagawaran Ng Kalusugan Sa Unang Yugto Ng Pandemya Sa Pilipinas, Alona Jumaquio-Ardales, Nathaniel Oco

Kritika Kultura

The paper contributed to the literature of COVID-19 in the Philippines by conducting an interdisciplinary study on the discourse of the Department of Health during the early phase of the pandemic in the country. The frame of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the process of Human Language Technology (HLT), and the concept of Crisis Management (CM) were used in analyzing the press conferences and virtual pressers. There were 56 videos selected from 30 January to 30 May 2020 using the technique of Browsing, Linking, Shortlisting, and Focusing (BLSF). The results of the study showed that: (1) Filipino language was the medium …

Slow And Quick Violence: Illnesses And Injuries In America Is In The Heart, Ling Liu

Kritika Kultura

This article aims to offer a new route into the study of Carlos Bulosan’s America Is in the Heart by going beyond the usual sociocultural focus and turning instead to the material, specifically the illnesses and injuries borne by Filipino bodies—tuberculosis, syphilis, hunger, injuries, even death—to learn about their colonial and migrant experiences. In the novel, tuberculosis affects working-class migrant Filipinos disproportionately in both the Philippines and the United States of America. Migrant Filipinos are also constantly haunted by hunger and are always injured, or even shot; and working-class women frequently die from syphilis. Applying ecocritical theories to study the …

The Burden Mothers Bear: Using The Health Belief Model To Understand How U.S. Mothers’ Intersectional Identities Shape Health Decision-Making During Covid-19, Sydney O'Shay, Kaitlin E. Phillips, Marissa J. Sáez

Publications

The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color and the burden placed on mothers created a need to better understand how mothers of color made health decisions for their families and communicated these decisions with others during the pandemic. This study investigated how this populations’ intersectional identities played a role in their health decision-making processes and overall experiences during COVID-19. Using the health belief model as a sensitizing concept, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with mothers of color across the United States about their lived experiences during the pandemic. Our findings suggest a need for health communicators to address …

Elevated Ambient Temperature Associated With Reduced Infectious Disease Test Positivity Rates: Retrospective Observational Analysis Of Statewide Covid-19 Testing And Weather Across California Counties., Nicholas Wing-Ping Kwok, Joshua Pevnick, Keith Feldman

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: From medication usage to the time of day, a number of external factors are known to alter human body temperature (BT), even in the absence of underlying pathology. In select cases, clinical guidance already suggests the consideration of clinical and demographic factors when interpreting BT, such as a decreased threshold for fever as age increases. Recent work has indicated factors impacting BT extend to environmental conditions including ambient temperature. However, the effect sizes of these relationships are often small, and it remains unclear if such relationships result in a meaningful impact on real-world health care practices.

OBJECTIVE: Temperature remains …

Covid For One: Identifying Obstacles To Self-Management Of Covid-19 For Single Adults, Linda A. Treiber, Christie Emerson, Jenna Shackleford

Faculty Articles

Given the complexities of healthcare provision, it is imperative to understand how single adults experience their interactions with medical professionals and health care organizations, manage care and treatment, and navigate the barriers encountered. This study’s purpose is to understand physical and mental health experiences in consideration of social determinants of health, barriers, and coping strategies for single adults diagnosed with COVID-19. An interpretive phenomenology study design was used with 12 individuals who were single and living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews revealed important aspects of the COVID-19 illness experience. Interviews were transcribed for coding and thematic analysis. …

Interaction Between Type 2 Diabetes And Past Covid-19 On Active Tuberculosis, Liz E. Calles-Cabanillas, Genesis P. Aguillón-Durán, Doris Ayala, Jose A. Caso, Miguel Garza, Mateo Joya-Ayala, Raúl Loera-Salazar, America Cruz-González, John M. Thomas Iii, Blanca I. Restrepo

School of Medicine Publications

Background

The global setback in tuberculosis (TB) prevalence and mortality in the post-COVID-19 era has been partially attributed to pandemic-related disruptions in healthcare systems. The additional biological contribution of COVID-19 to TB is less clear. The goal of this study was to determine if there is an association between COVID-19 in the past 18 months and a new TB episode, and the role played by type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) comorbidity in this relationship.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 new active TB patients and 373 non-TB controls, identified between June 2020 and November 2021 in communities along …

Reflections From The Pandemic: Is Connectivism The Panacea For Clinicians?, Jennifer Benjamin, Tyson Pillow, Heather Macneill, Ken Masters, Anoop Agrawal, Neil Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent increased interest in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) highlight the need for interprofessional communities' collaboration to find solutions to complex problems. A personal narrative experience of one of the authors compels us to reflect on current approaches to learning and knowledge acquisition and use solutions to the challenges posed by GenAI through social learning contexts using connectivism. We recognize the need for constructivism and experiential learning for knowledge acquisition to establish foundational understanding. We explore how connectivist approaches can enhance traditional constructivist paradigms amid rapidly changing learning environments and online communities. Learning in connectivism includes …

Heterozygous Btnl8 Variants In Individuals With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Mis-C), Evangelos Bellos, Erica G Schmitt, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare condition following SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with intestinal manifestations. Genetic predisposition, including inborn errors of the OAS-RNAseL pathway, has been reported. We sequenced 154 MIS-C patients and utilized a novel statistical framework of gene burden analysis, "burdenMC," which identified an enrichment for rare predicted-deleterious variants in BTNL8 (OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 3.5-5.3, P < 10-6). BTNL8 encodes an intestinal epithelial regulator of Vγ4+γδ T cells implicated in regulating gut homeostasis. Enrichment was exclusive to MIS-C, being absent in patients with COVID-19 or bacterial disease. Using an available functional test for BTNL8, rare variants from a larger cohort of MIS-C patients (n = 835) were tested which identified eight variants in 18 patients (2.2%) with impaired engagement of Vγ4+γδ T cells. Most of these variants were in the B30.2 domain of BTNL8 implicated in sensing epithelial cell status. These findings were associated with altered intestinal permeability, suggesting a possible link between disrupted gut homeostasis and MIS-C-associated enteropathy triggered by SARS-CoV-2.

A Phenomenological Study Of Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) Through Covid-19, Maria Iracema Da Rocha-Alvarez

Dissertations

Purpose: This phenomenological study aimed to identify and describe the social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies used by elementary teachers in California before and during the shift to distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also sought to determine which SEL strategies were most effective in supporting students’ emotional well-being in a virtual learning environment.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of elementary teachers who implemented SEL strategies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through 20 interview questions aligned with the research objectives to gain insight into effective SEL practices during virtual …

Genomic Analysis Of The Sars-Cov-2 Variants Circulated In The Philippines, 2020–2024, Arnie Dimaano, Kiana Dominique Carreon, Giselle Sophia Camaya, Irvin Rondolo, Jarel Elgin Tolentino

Biology Faculty Publications

Purpose

Genomic sequencing has been an invaluable tool to determine the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we provided a comprehensive description of the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulated in the Philippines.

Methods

The dataset from the human COVID-19 infections was acquired by downloading the sequences and their associated metadata spanning from March 2020 to April 2024. Then, we executed several filtering criteria to acquire the final dataset for the Philippine samples and performed spatial distribution analysis and phylogenetic tree construction of the reported SARS-CoV-2 sequences.

Results

A total of 16,679,203 SARS-CoV sequences were obtained, of which 17,393 (0.10 %) were …

Kinetics Of Naturally Induced Binding And Neutralising Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Antibody Levels And Potencies Among Sars-Cov-2 Infected Kenyans With Diverse Grades Of Covid-19 Severity: An Observational Study, John Kimotho, Yiakon Sein, Shahin Sayed, Reena Shah, Mansoor Saleh, Ann Karanu, Viviane Oluoch, Jasmit Shah, Julius Mutiso, Zaitun Nneka, Alfred Mburu, Peter Betti, Francis M. Ndungu

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Given the low levels of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine coverage in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA), despite high levels of natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposures, strategies for extending the breadth and longevity of naturally acquired immunity are warranted. Designing such strategies will require a good understanding of naturally acquired immunity.

Methods: We measured whole-spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) and spike-receptor binding domain (RBD) total immunoglobulins (Igs) on 585 plasma samples collected longitudinally over five successive time points within six months of COVID-19 diagnosis in 309 COVID-19 patients. We measured antibody-neutralising potency against the wild-type (Wuhan) SARS-CoV-2 …

The Learning Crisis: Three Years After Covid-19, Tomasz Gajderowicz, Maciej Jakubowski, Alec Kennedy, Christian Christrup Kjeldsen, Harry Anthony Patrinos, Rolf Strietholt

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to education, with school closures affecting over one billion children. These closures, aimed at reducing virus transmission, resulted in significant learning losses, particularly in mathematics and science. Using data from TIMSS 2023, which assesses fourth and eighth-grade achievements across 71 education systems, this study analyzes the impact of school closure duration on learning outcomes. Mixed-effect models estimate deviations from pre-pandemic trends, adjusting for demographic factors. Results show a global average decline of 0.11 standard deviations (SD) in student achievement, with longer closures linked to more severe losses. The effects on low performers, girls, and …

An Exploration Of K-3 Teachers’ Beliefs, Attitudes, And Instructional Technology Use Pre-, During, And Post-Covid-19, Patience Mensah-Bonsu Aggrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study explores kindergarten to third-grade teachers use of instructional technology across three different periods: pre-COVID-19, during COVID-19, and post-COVID-19. This research investigates teachers’ attitudes, the use of technological tools by teachers, and the internal (second order) and external (first order) barriers that informed their use of instructional technology before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to influence their use in the post-pandemic phase. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and checklists from eight kindergarten third-grade teachers using a qualitative multiple case study approach. The findings suggest that there was a shift in teachers’ instructional technology …

College Student’S Learning Experiences During Covid-19 Among Traditional And Post-Traditional Students Enrolled In Institutions Affiliated With The Appalachian College Association, Jo Anne Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the learning experiences, feelings and emotions, level of study support, and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic between traditional and post-traditional college students enrolled in an institution affiliated with the Appalachian College Association.

A two-group comparison research design using a web-based survey was used for the study. Using the College Student’s Learning Experiences during COVID-19 among Traditional and Post-Traditional Students Enrolled in Institutions Affiliated with the Appalachian College Association survey, the research questions were analyzed with a sample size of N = 58, traditional college student group and N=33, …

Navigating Physical Activity Promotion And Policy In The Post-Covid-19-Pandemic Era, Justin Richards, Katja Siefken, Michael Pratt, Adrian Bauman, Juliana Mejía-Grueso, Catherine B Woods, Wanda Wendel-Vos, Erica Hinckson, Deborah Salvo, Pedro C Hallal, Andrea Ramírez Varela

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: There is limited evidence on the priorities and opportunities associated with promoting population physical activity (PA) participation for the post-COVID-19-pandemic future.

Purpose: This study assessed government-led PA promotion efforts before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with post-COVID-19-pandemic priorities and recommendations.

Methods: Two separate cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2023. Survey 1 was targeted at the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) Country Contacts. Survey 2 also included key international informants representing influential stakeholders in PA policy implementation.

Results: There were 68 respondents to Survey 1, collectively representing 61 countries. An additional 37 people, including representatives from 14 key international …

Covid-19 Risk Assessment Among Vulnerable Small Business Owners In El Paso County, Texas, Sadie H Conway, Denise Vasquez, Kristina D Mena, Louis D Brown, Soyoung Kwon, Janelle Rios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Our objective was to deliver actionable, worksite-specific COVID-19 risk assessments and mitigation strategies tailored to vulnerable workers in one of the highest-risk areas in the US.

Methods: Four trained, bilingual (English/Spanish) community health workers (CHWs) recruited small businesses (ie, ≤20 employees) across various industries and executed novel on-site infectious disease risk assessment surveys of at least one employer and one employee.

Results: Of 102 participating businesses (95% Hispanic-owned), 96% were characterized as "high risk" or "very high risk" for disease transmission. All businesses reported implementing at least one practice to reduce disease transmission; however, almost half of businesses lacked …

Designing Technology-Enriched Learning Environments: The Effects Of An Agent-Based Computer Model On Biology Students' Understanding Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Nature Of Models In Science, April Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Science education researchers have called for increased attention to the science practice of modeling to engage students in authentic scientific inquiry. A major challenge to integrating the modeling practice into science instruction is that students tend to conceptualize models as static end-products of research rather than generative tools for theory-building. Engaging students in using computer models, specifically agent-based computer models (ABMs), to explain and predict scientific phenomena could improve students' understanding of models in science. In this design-based research project I investigate the effects of an ABM-supported learning environment on high-school biology students' understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and the …

Workplace Support For Physicians During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Did It Affect Burnout?, Joy Melnikow, Guibo Xing, Marykate E. Miller, Sabrina Loureiro, Andrew J. Padovani, Robin Whitney, Richard L. Kravitz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: A concern before 2020, physician burnout worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little empirical data are available on pandemic workplace support interventions or their influence on burnout. We surveyed a national sample of frontline physicians on burnout and workplace support during the pandemic. Methods: We surveyed a stratified random sample of 12,833 US physicians most likely to care for adult COVID-19 patients from the comprehensive AMA Physician Professional Data ™ file. The sample included 6722 primary care physicians (3331 family physicians, 3391 internists), 880 hospitalists, 1783 critical care physicians (894 critical care physicians, 889 pulmonary intensivists), 2548 emergency medicine physicians, …

Assessing Knowledge And Preventive Practices Regarding Infectious Diseases Among Healthcare Workers In Hail City, Saudi Arabia, Sandro Costanilla Villareal

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

Studies suggest that there may be gaps in knowledge and compliance with infection control measures among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to determine the knowledge of, and preventive measures employed by the healthcare workers in Hail City, Saudi Arabia, regarding infectious diseases. A cross-sectional design was employed, and the study participants were 265 healthcare workers aged 18 or older who were currently employed at government hospitals, involved in patient care or essential healthcare services, and fluent in English. Healthcare workers on leave, with cognitive impairments, with language barriers, or who refused to participate in the study were …