Digital Commons Network^™

Factors, Enablers And Challenges For Covid-19 Vaccine Development, Jean-Louis Excler, Melanie Saville, Lois Privor-Dumm, Sarah Gilbert, Peter J Hotez, Didi Thompson, Salim Abdool-Karim, Jerome H Kim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sense of vulnerability and urgency that led to concerted actions by governments, funders, regulators and industry to overcome traditional challenges for the development of vaccine candidates and to reach authorisation. Unprecedented financial investments, massive demand, accelerated clinical development and regulatory reviews were among the key factors that contributed to accelerating the development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines benefited of previous scientific innovations such as mRNA and recombinant vectors and proteins. This has created a new era of vaccinology, with powerful platform technologies and a new model for vaccine development. …

Association Of Area Deprivation Index With Severity Of Covid-19 In Pediatric Patients: A Multisite Study Of Racially And Ethnically Diverse Children, Sebastian Acosta, Srinivasan Suresh, Anna K Ettinger, Fabio Savorgnan, Ananth Annapragada, Nirupama Kannikeswaran, Usha Sethuraman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Area deprivation index (ADI) is associated with the risk of severe COVID-19 in adults. However, this association has not been established in children. Information on ADI, demographics, clinical features, disease severity, and outcomes was analyzed for 3434 children with COVID-19. A multivariate logistic regression revealed that non-Hispanic Asians, extremes of weight, and higher ADI were associated with severe disease.

Preservice Teachers’ Experiences With Classroom Management In The Virtual Class: A Case Study Approach, Zeina Hojeij, Sandra Baroudi, Lawrence Meda

All Works

The present study explores the experiences of Emirati female preservice teachers who are completing their internship teaching practice virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study focuses on virtual classroom management. Participants were preservice teachers (n = 18) completing their undergraduate degrees in Early Childhood Education at a federal university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data collected from interviews resulted in four themes related to classroom management: challenges, opportunities, performance factors, and suggestions for improvement. The findings revealed that the preservice teachers considered virtual learning an opportunity. However, the main challenge was that the preservice teachers had no …

Stress Reactivity After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Relation With Behavioral Adjustment, Taiane De Azevedo Cardoso, Ritele H Silva, Jessica L Fernandes, Camila O Arent, Graziela Amboni, Laura A Borba, Alex Paulo Z Padilha, Maria Eduarda M Botelho, Amanda L Maciel, Tatiana Barichello, Rodrigo Morales, Silvio José B Soares, Margarete D Bagatini, Claudia Dallagnol, Marta Elisa Brighenti, Zuleide Maria Ignácio, João Quevedo, Luciane B Ceretta, Gislaine Z Réus

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have pointed out a possible relationship between COVID-19 and the presence of psychiatric disorders, the majority of the studies have significant limitations. This study investigates the influence of COVID-19 infection on mental health.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included an age- and sex-matched sample of adult individuals positive (cases) or negative (controls) for COVID-19. We evaluated the presence of psychiatric conditions and C-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTS: Findings showed greater severity of depressive symptoms, higher levels of stress, and greater CRP in cases. The severity of depressive and insomnia symptoms, as well as the CRP were more remarkable …

Examining The Determinants Of Timeliness In Crises Policy Responses: The Case Of Covid-19 In Egypt, Abdelhalim Abdalla

Theses and Dissertations

Timely responses to crises and pandemics play a significant role in navigating and minimizing the adverse impacts of such critical periods on the public and governments worldwide. COVID-19 could show and prove how a single virus originating in a single country can rapidly spread throughout the world, transforming an epidemic in China into a global pandemic. The virus caused more than 6.5 million deaths and around 660 million confirmed cases worldwide, according to the WHO, and sparked the worst economic catastrophe globally in more than a century, as estimated by the World Bank. Evidence suggests that the extent of the …

Using Digital Technology To Build Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence: A Qualitative Study Among Latinx Parents Of Children Aged 5–11 In Under-Resourced Communities Across Los Angeles County, Michael Panameno, Luisa R. Blanco, Ann Marie Hernandez, Renato Escobar, Brittney Zendejas, Susana Rafaela, Yelba M. Castellon-Lopez

All Faculty Open Access Publications

Background: Latinx school-aged children are more than twice as likely to be infected with and die from COVID-19 as non-Latinx White children in Los Angeles. Although COVID-19 vaccination has the potential to mitigate health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, vaccination uptake among Latinx children remains limited. MiVacunaLA (MVLA) is a mobile-phone-delivered digital intervention that improved vaccination rates in 12- to 17-year-old Latinx children and parental intention to vaccinate 2- to 11-year-old children. Since piloting MVLA, the COVID-19 vaccine became available to children aged 5–11. We sought to understand parental experiences with the MVLA intervention and their attitudes and beliefs about …

Emily Sohn, Oral History Interview, 2023, You Li

Collective Memory of Women Journalists in COVID-19

Emily Sohn, based in the U.S., is a freelance journalist with 20 years of experience. She explores issues in science, health, and the environment. Her work has been published in Nature, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Discovery News, Science News for Kids, U.S. News & World Report, and National Geographic News, among others.

Sohn tried to explain the science of COVID guidance and the pandemic's psychological and behavioral impacts on children and adults. She reminded the public that science is an evolving process, and journalism plays an important role in analyzing, documenting, and conveying evidence-based information to the …

Elizabeth Fitt, Oral History Interview, 2023, You Li

Collective Memory of Women Journalists in COVID-19

Elizabeth Fitt is a freelance photographer based out of Beirut, Lebanon. Her work has been published with various media outlets including the Guardian, the Sunday Times, Forbes, Foreign Policy, the Telegraph, CNN, ABC Australia, The National, Middle East Eye, The New Humanitarian, The New York Post, and the New Scientist. She also writes on environmental issues for Mongabay.

In this interview, Fitt recalled the ground situation in Lebanon and the extreme caution and effort it took her to photograph vulnerable communities during lockdowns. Her projects depicted the overwhelming and devastating scenes in the ICU Wards, the food distribution among the …

Pandemic Upon Pandemic: Middle-Aged And Older Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With Hiv Coping And Thriving During The Peak Of Covid-19, Sherry Bell, Brandon Ranuschio, John M. Waldron, Lianne Barnes, Nadia Sheik-Yosef, Esmeralda Villalobos, Janelle Wackens, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, not only did it abruptly impede the progress that was being made toward achieving global targets to end the HIV pandemic, but it also created significant impacts on the physical and mental health of middle-aged and older men who have sex with men living with HIV. Utilizing a qualitative, community-based participatory research approach, we conducted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 16 ethnoracially diverse, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men living with HIV residing in Southern Nevada, to examine the different ways the COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted their physical and mental …

Binge Drinking Alcohol And Circadian Misalignment In Night Shift Nurses Is Associated With Decreased Resiliency To Covid-19 Infection, Garth R. Swanson, Benjamin A. Schwartz, Cara Joyce, Ali Keshavarzian

Biostatistics Collaborative Core: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: Nurses and other first responders are at high risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV2 virus, and many have developed severe COVID-19 infection. A better understanding of the factors that increase the risk of infection after exposure to the virus could help to address this. Although several risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension have been associated with an increased risk of infection, many first responders develop severe COVID-19 without established risk factors. As inflammation and cytokine storm are the primary mechanisms in severe COVID-19, other factors that promote an inflammatory state could increase the risk of COVID-19 in …

Anxiety And Agitation In Adult Patients Admitted To An Emergency Room During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Doris L. Asombrado

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective correlational study was to identify the relationship between COVID-19 status and the prevalence of anxiety-agitation with select sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in adults admitted to the ED during the pandemic (03/01/2020 through 12/31/2020).

Background: COVID-19 infections combined with the WHO and CDC recommendations to mitigate spread have had deleterious psychosocial and economic outcomes with the risk of subsequent COVID-19 related mental illness. Studies indicate one in three adults experience anxiety or depression.

Methods: This retrospective correlational study reviewed 2,572 psychiatric admissions from a Southern California ED during the pandemic from March 1, 2020 through …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Education And Procedural Volume Of Fellows In Critical Care Medicine – A Cross-Sectional Survey, Orlando Garner, Kanta Velamuri, Kristen Staggers, Andrea Barbara Braun

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way medical education is delivered. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and procedural volume of critical care and pulmonary critical care fellows.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, internet-based, voluntary, anonymous, national survey of adult critical care fellows and academic attending physicians in critical care and pulmonary critical care fellowship programs in the United States between December 2020 and February 2021. Survey questions covered both didactic and non-didactic aspects of education and procedural volumes. Answers were ranked on a 5-point Likert scale. Survey …

University Administrators’ Visions For The Recovery Of International Student Exchange In A Post–Covid-19 World, Yusuke Sakurai, Yukiko Ishikura, Ryoko Nakano, Yuki Nabeshima, Yu Sengoku, Akito Okada, Sachihiko Kondo

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: Little is known about how international functions of higher education, such as exchange programmes, can be resumed during recovery from a disruptive global crisis, such as COVID-19. We collected the opinions of administrators of international exchange programmes regarding their plans to resume their exchange programmes in the recovery phase and identified variations in the responses concerning institution type (public vs. private) and the presence or absence of a medical school.

Method: We used multiple-choice survey questions in our study, resulting in 180 valid responses. We examined overall patterns using descriptive statistics and institutional uniqueness using Fisher’s exact test.

Results: …

Participation Of Academic Libraries And Provision Of Covid-19 Information Services During The Pandemic In Nigeria, Flora Orewa

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information was sought on the level of collaboration between academic libraries and known key players championing the prevention and control of COVID-19, the activities carried out in compliance with set protocols, information services offered, and the challenges faced. Results showed moderate level of collaboration and very limited direct synergistic interaction with public health groups, while they provided patrons with an avenue to source updates from library websites. There was high compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines; however, there was no specialized COVID-19 information service desk for patrons' inquiries. Libraries participated in the dissemination of COVID-19 information during the pandemic, especially to …

The Translation Of Inclusion/Acceptance, Accessibility, And Empathy With Online Community Engagement, Jessie C. Feng

VA Engage Journal

Service-learning at Virginia Commonwealth University traditionally involves students performing community service to address community needs, coupled with guided reflection for holistic growth. In the spring of 2020 in-person courses were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, necessitating a transition to online classes. This study aimed to determine if online service-learning provided the same benefits as in-person experiences, focusing on students' perceptions of inclusion/acceptance, empathy, and accessibility. Online surveys were administered to students enrolled in service-learning courses during the semester. Results showed reduced levels of support compared to Fall 2019, but increased social activism and awareness. The study noted that remote …

Positive Changes In Safety Perception Among Blacks With Hiv And Comorbidities: Assessment Of Social Determinants Of Health During Covid‑19, Marc Fleming, Deidra Lee, Chukwuezugo Oranu, Jon C. Schommer, Jennifer M. Cocohoba, Jennifer Cooper, Crystal K. Hodge, Saharnaz Nedjat, Kathleen Borgmann

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on social determinants of health (SDOH) among Blacks with HIV and a comorbid diagnosis of hypertension or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

This was a longitudinal survey study. The inclusion criteria were adults ≥ 18 years and the presence of hypertension and/or diabetes, along with a positive HIV diagnosis. This study enrolled patients in the HIV clinics and chain specialty pharmacies in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area. A survey of ten questions examining SDOH was conducted before, during, and after the lockdown. A proportional odds mixed effects …

Smoking Status, Nicotine Medication, Vaccination, And Covid-19 Hospital Outcomes: Findings From The Covid Ehr Cohort At The University Of Wisconsin (Cec-Uw) Study, Thomas M Piasecki, Li-Shiun Chen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Available evidence is mixed concerning associations between smoking status and COVID-19 clinical outcomes. Effects of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and vaccination status on COVID-19 outcomes in smokers are unknown.

METHODS: Electronic health record data from 104 590 COVID-19 patients hospitalized February 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021 in 21 U.S. health systems were analyzed to assess associations of smoking status, in-hospital NRT prescription, and vaccination status with in-hospital death and ICU admission.

RESULTS: Current (n = 7764) and never smokers (n = 57 454) did not differ on outcomes after adjustment for age, sex, race, ethnicity, insurance, body mass …

Covid-19 Pandemic: Lived Experiences Of Teachers Supporting Students’ Socialemotional Learning Needs Upon Returning To Face-To-Face Instruction, Valerie Cover

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of San Bernardino County elementary school teachers in supporting students' social-emotional learning needs upon returning to face-to-face instruction after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described San Bernardino County elementary school teachers' experiences supporting students' social-emotional needs upon returning to face-to-face instruction after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were purposively chosen based on specific criteria of working in a public kindergarten through sixth grade setting within San Bernardino County. The participants answered 15 semi-structured questions. The transcribed data collected by the researcher during the …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Stress And Burnout Related Experiences Of The Infection Preventionists In The Greater Houston Area, Tawanna Mcinnis-Cole

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Objective: With many studies revealing that the pandemic created stress and burnout for physicians and nurses, these same stressors could have created mental and emotional challenges for the Infection Prevention staff at healthcare institutions. Efforts are needed to better understand the stress, anxiety, and burnout-related experiences that the pandemic created for these team members who worked in the greater Houston area between March 2020-September 2022.

Methods: This qualitative study used focus group sessions to obtain data. Two sessions were held in person and two sessions were hosted virtually. All sessions were audio recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were coded using …

Balancing The Drinking Act: A Grounded Theory Of Youth Drinking, Policy And Covid-19 In Botswana, Tebogo Sebeelo

The Qualitative Report

Stakeholder and consumer participation is generally seen as a critical part of effective alcohol policy making as it has a direct impact on policy implementation. In the advent of COVID-19, the views and experiences of stakeholders and consumers were integral to how countries responded to the virus. The involvement of alcohol stakeholders and consumers raises critical questions about policy making practices. Using Grounded Theory (GT) methods amongst 20 drinkers and six alcohol stakeholders, I examined the views and experiences of stakeholders and alcohol consumers in Botswana during COVID-19. I identified two interrelated core categories of Balancing the Drinking Act and …

Blockchain-Enabled Immutable, Distributed, And Highly Available Clinical Research Activity Logging System For Federated Covid-19 Data Analysis From Multiple Institutions, Tsung-Ting Kuo, Anh Pham, Maxim E Edelson, Jihoon Kim, Jason Chan, Yash Gupta, Lucila Ohno-Machado

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop a distributed, immutable, and highly available cross-cloud blockchain system to facilitate federated data analysis activities among multiple institutions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We preprocessed 9166 COVID-19 Structured Query Language (SQL) code, summary statistics, and user activity logs, from the GitHub repository of the Reliable Response Data Discovery for COVID-19 (R2D2) Consortium. The repository collected local summary statistics from participating institutions and aggregated the global result to a COVID-19-related clinical query, previously posted by clinicians on a website. We developed both on-chain and off-chain components to store/query these activity logs and their associated queries/results on a blockchain …

Sensory Processing Impacts On Sleep Patterns In Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Julianne M. Myers

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020 introduced a sudden disruption to the people’s daily routines, including changes to sleep schedules and, thus, sleep quality. Generally, children with developmental disabilities (DD), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), experience higher levels of sleep difficulties compared to typically developing youth. These sleep difficulties have been linked to social and emotional abilities, cognitive development, and adaptive functioning. One component found to impact sleep behaviors is sensory processing differences. Individuals with ASD and other DDs exhibit greater levels of these sensory concerns. The current study sought to understand how the sleep behaviors of ASD and …

Post-Pandemic Digital Experiences & Attitudes Among Adult Immigrant Esol Learners, Lacey D. Goodloe

Master's Theses

This mixed-methods study considers the current reality of the “digital divide” as experienced by adult immigrant ESOL learners following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period. Although prior research often assumes foreign-born individuals to have lower rates of access, skills and motivation to engage with technology, or to lack it altogether, this study seeks to contribute a more realistic picture which encompasses the full diversity of digital experiences among the foreign-born population. The review of the literature first covers two levels of the digital divide that often evince socioeconomic disparities: primarily access, skills and usage; and more recently, attitudes and motivation. Then, …

Lenora Chu, Oral History Interview, 2023, You Li

Collective Memory of Women Journalists in COVID-19

Lenora Chu is a journalist, public speaker, and media strategist with over 15 years of experience in the U.S., China, and Europe. Now based in Berlin, Germany, she covers Europe for the nonprofit news organization Christian Science Monitor. A long-time journalist, Chu focuses on the intersection of politics, education, and culture in her reporting. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and New York magazine, among others. Her book, “Little Soldier” won the “Best Education Book of 2017” among other awards. In 2019, she was named to the Public Intellectuals Program of the National Committee …

The Long-Term Psycho-Social Impact Of The Pandemic On People With Intellectual Disability And Their Carers, Alexandra Gabrielsson, Meissam Moghaddassian, Indermeet Sawhney, Sophie Shardlow, Samuel Tromans, Paul Bassett, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Background: People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are at six times higher risk of death due to COVID-19. To mitigate harm, as a high-risk group, significant social changes were imposed on PWID in the UK. Alongside these changes, the uncertainty of the pandemic influence, caused PWID and their carers to encounter significant stress. The evidence of the pandemic’s psycho-social impact on PWID originates mainly from cross-sectional surveys conducted with professionals and carers. There is little research on the longitudinal psycho-social impact of the pandemic from PWID themselves. Aims: To examine the long-term psycho-social impact of the pandemic on PWID. Methods: A …

Protocol For Developing A Personalised Prediction Model For Viral Suppression Among Under-Represented Populations In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Xueying Yang Ph.D., Sharon Weissman, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction Sustained viral suppression, an indicator of long-term treatment success and mortality reduction, is one of four strategic areas of the 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' federal campaign launched in 2019. Under-represented populations, like racial or ethnic minority populations, sexual and gender minority groups, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, are disproportionately affected by HIV and experience a more striking virological failure. The COVID-19 pandemic might magnify the risk of incomplete viral suppression among under-represented people living with HIV (PLWH) due to interruptions in healthcare access and other worsened socioeconomic and environmental conditions. However, biomedical research rarely includes under-represented populations, resulting in biased …

Women And Children’S Victims Of Violence Case Management During Covid-19 Pandemic, Eti Sumiati, Elvy M. Manurung Dr., Indraswari - Ph. D

The Qualitative Report

Many studies have been conducted to prove the threat of violence against children and women during COVID-19. Unlike other studies, this study focuses more on government services in receiving complaints from victims of violence experienced by women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using case studies as a qualitative method, documentary studies and in-depth interviews have been conducted on 13 informants from various parties in Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The results showed that the use of digital technology during the pandemic sometimes hampered the follow-up process for complaints of violence by victims due to a lack of equipment and …

Oral Changes In Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Multicentric Study, Asmaa Ras, Radwa R. Hussein, Dalia M. Ghalwash, Ayman A. El-Gawish

Dentistry

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread over the globe, and several oral symptoms have been documented. However, it is unclear whether these lesions are the result of coronavirus infection or are secondary symptoms of the patient’s systemic illness. The aim of this study was to collect data from various hospitals on COVID-19 patients with oral involvement in order to highlight different oral changes that may be manifested in those patients. Methods. This observational cross-sectional multicenter study used an online questionnaire covering oral signs and symptoms that were believed to be related to COVID-19 patients who were …

Our Magnitude And Bond: An Ethics Of Care For Art Museum Education, Dana Carlisle Kletchka

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

This work responds to contemporary concerns about the future of art museum education and public practice and art museums more broadly in the wake of a global pandemic that has, at present, killed more than a million people in the United States and sickened millions more. I respond to questions posed by the board of the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education in relation to the theme of Inclusion Invasion, expand upon the relations between art museums and communities posited by a post-critical, socially responsive museological framework, and explore the potential for a feminist philosophical Ethics of Care …

Academic Self-Efficacy In College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Veronica Lane

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to explore academic self-efficacy and utility value for college coursework for college undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the present study employed qualitative analysis to explore challenges students faced and what strategies they are using to promote their sense of well-being during the pandemic. One hundred eighty-seven undergraduates enrolled in educational psychology courses completed an online survey during the spring 2022 and summer 2022 semesters. The online survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, two self-efficacy scales, and a utility value scale. In general, students had high levels of self-efficacy for graduating from …