Digital Commons Network^™

Course-Related Student Anxiety During Covid-19: A Problem And Some Solutions, Roger Brown, Steve Buck, Michelle Kibler, Jerrod Penn, Na Zuo

Faculty Publications - Agriculture

We examine the prevalence and sources of student anxiety during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 23 to May 10, 2020) and the implications for online course design and delivery. Using a standard screening tool (GAD-7) with supplemental open-response questions, we show that students had relatively high levels of anxiety based on a convenience sample of 266 undergraduate students enrolled at four U.S. institutions. In this sample, we find that 58 percent of students had clinically significant levels of anxiety in one or more weeks of the seven-week study period. Thirty-six percent of students sustained this level of anxiety …

Workers' Comp And Contagious Disease: History And Future, Kate E. Britt

Law Librarian Scholarship

Modern workers’ compensation schemes set out to provide financial relief to employees who contract an occupational disease during employment, like miners contracting black lung or contractors exposed to asbestos. Certain professions are understood to stand a particular risk of exposure to contagious diseases. Health-care workers interact with persons carrying contagious disease as a matter of course. What workers’ compensation does not cover are diseases which are so prevalent they are considered an “ordinary disease of life.” These diseases, like the common cold, influenza, or pneumonia, could be contracted by persons regardless of their profession, and workers’ compensation acts generally limit …

Pandemics And International Law: The Need For International Action, Claudio Grossman

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

Next-Generation Protein Sequencing (Ngps) For Determining Complete Sequences For Unknown Proteins And Antibodies, Alexis S. Howard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Next-Generation protein sequencing (NGPS) creates newfound ways of fully identifying every protein species in a single biological organism. It is an effort to use technology to determine proteomic data. The purpose of this research project is to use the current technology to sequence proteins and potentially find treatments for some diseases that are common today. Through NGPS, scientists can identify low abundant proteins including those that go through post-translational modifications (PTM) [1]. NGPS will allow us to fully determine protein sequences from protein samples using mass spectrometry with the ultimate goal of being able to determine the primary sequence of …

Construction Of The Social Distance Scale And The Relationship Between Trait Empathy And Social Distancing, Michaela Prachthauser

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper describes the development of a brief self-report screening measure of adherence to social distancing and self-protective behaviors in pandemic situations. It provides initial statistical evaluations of correlations between social distancing behaviors and two trait measures (social desirability and trait empathy). Items measures were designed to quantify behaviors recommended by the CDC as primary strategies to prevent and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 infection. An item pool of 29 questions was generated with the aim of estimating the frequency of specific behaviors and were written to avoid confounding the description of behavioral actions with evaluative judgements. Responses were …

Examining The Relationship Between Mental Health Conditions And Risk Perception In Determining Covid-19 Preventative Health Behaviors, Krupali Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Depression and anxiety are relatively common among college students and research suggests that risk perceptions may be modulated by these mental health conditions. In addition, studies have demonstrated that higher perception of risk predicts more frequent practice of preventative health behaviors, and this relationship may also be modulated by depression and anxiety. The present study examined the relationship between these factors in the context of COVID-19. Using survey data from undergraduate students, risk perceptions about COVID-19, self-reported practice of COVID-19 preventative behaviors, and their relationship were compared between those with and without the common mental health conditions of Major Depressive …

Small Business Risk In The Context Of A Pandemic: A Simulation, Ashlyn Sperry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this thesis, I consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses, as they are acutely at risk due to the lack of implicit government insurance that would be available to larger corporations. I will discuss insurance's characteristics using the basic theory of insurance, analyze pandemic insurance's viability in the private market, and critique alternative solutions. While the theory suggests that pandemics are not insurable in the private market, I will perform specific analysis to determine if this is the case or not. Using a simulation of the economic landscape firms face, business owners with varying levels of …

Effects Of The Covid-19 Economic Downturn On Central Florida Nonprofits, Tiffany C. Chinwuba

Honors Undergraduate Theses

COVID-19 has had significant impacts on society, both in lifestyle and commerce, especially in Central Florida where the economy is centralized around tourism. While local and state governmental agencies are distributing aid to meet the needs caused by high unemployment, the nonprofit sector mobilized to help fill the gap in assistance by providing resources and services. However prior research into the nonprofit sector finds that prolonged economic downturn may eventually affect the nonprofit force by reduced funding to programs as it did during the 2008 economic recessions. Hence, many nonprofit organizations may be at risk of insolvency in the coming …

A Retrospective Review Of Outcomes In Intensive Care Unit Patients Infected With Sars-Cov2 In Correlation To Admission Acute Physiologic Assessment And Chronic Health Evaluation Ii Scores, Pratishtha Singh, Kayle M. Warren, Hannah Adler, Andrew Mangano, Jilian Sansbury, Richard Duff

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2021

No abstract provided.

The Challenge Of Covid-19 And The World Health Organization’S Response: The Principal-Agent Model Revisited, Miron Mushkat, Roda Mushkat

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Stress, Coping, Resilience, And Sleep During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Representative Survey Study Of Us Adults, Andrew T. Gargiulo, Laurel M. Peterson, Laura A. Grafe

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health emergency resulting in widespread death and substantial disruption to daily life. Previous research has shown that novel disease outbreaks are associated with high stress levels and sleep impairments that lead to neuropsychiatric consequences. Therefore, it is vital to study both stress and protective factors such as coping and resilience that may hinder or help sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, as gender disparities exist in sleep quality, it is important to understand the relationship between pandemic-related stress, coping strategies, resilience, and sleep in bothgenders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Our study …

Descriptive Norms And Prototypes Predict Covid-19 Prevention Cognitions And Behaviors In The United States: Applying The Prototype Willingness Model To Pandemic Mitigation, Laurel M. Peterson, Marie Helweg-Larsen, Sarah Dimuccio

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Background

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, prevention behavior adoption occurred in a rapidly changing context. In contrast to expectancy-value theories, the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) is well-suited for investigating novel and socially informed behaviors. Purpose

We explored whether PWM social cognitions predicted coronavirus prevention behaviors. Method

A representative sample of United States adults (N = 738; M_age = 46.8; 51.8% women; 78% white; April 2020) who had not had COVID-19 reported PWM predictor variables (perceived vulnerability, prevention descriptive norms, prototypes engaging in prevention behavior, and prevention behavioral intentions). Two weeks later, participants reported their prevention behaviors (handwashing, mask-wearing, social …

Self-Regulation In The Derivatives Markets: Stability Through Collaboration, Heath P. Tarbert

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Sound financial regulation does not require choosing between governmental and private action. Instead, optimal regulatory solutions often blend the expertise and adaptability of private-sector influence with the stabilizing effects of federal oversight. This collaborative framework has a rich history in U.S. derivatives regulation, which has long relied on self-regulatory organizations (“SROs”) like exchanges, clearinghouses, and the National Futures Association to help promote market stability and customer protection. SROs remain subject to oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), which guards against the proverbial fox-in-the-henhouse scenario while advancing quintessential government functions like mitigating systemic risk.

The advantages of this self-regulatory …

Ensuring Non-Discrimination In The Context Of Covid-19 Triage Protocols, Kate Holcombe

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Neurodiversity And Workplace Social Capital Effects On Employee Attitudes And Intentions, Alice Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Neurodivergent employees have higher turnover rates than their neurotypical peers, andmuch remains unknown about how to improve their workplace experience. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between neurodiversity and workplace social capital on job satisfaction and turnover intent. Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) informed the study design. Working adults (N = 1,243) in the United States recruited using convenience sampling and MTurk participated through an anonymous online survey. Data analysis was conducted using three-way ANOVA and mediation. Significant three-way interactions were found between gender, job classification, and likelihood of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) …

Trapped At Sea: As Seafarers' Rights Erode During Covid-19 Pandemic, Arbitration Mechanism May Offer A Path For Redress, Shannon Quinn

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

So Many Have Died: Covid-19 In America's Nursing Homes, David M. English

Faculty Publications

As of the date of this writing in late September 2020, over 77,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19 with more to come. This article will describe the reasons for this mass wave of death and provide practical suggestions for attorneys who represent a resident or family members of residents.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Use Of Academic Library Resources, Ruth Connell, Lisa Wallis, David Comeaux

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted higher education, including academic libraries. This paper compares the use of library resources (including interlibrary loan, website and discovery tool pageviews, database use, patron interactions, etc.) at three university libraries before and after the pandemic. The latter part of the 2019 and 2020 spring semesters are the timeframes of focus, although two control timeframes from earlier in those semesters are used to determine how the semesters differed when the coronavirus was not a factor. The institutions experienced similar patterns of use across many metrics.

The Disruption Of Covid-19: How A Virtual World Creates Opportunity For Improvement In The Criminal Justice System’S Treatment Of Complainants Of Sexual Violence, Leah Roberston

Law in a Post-Pandemic World

This paper argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has normalized video conferencing within the legal system such that survivors ought to be able to routinely testify outside of the court environment. Though there have always been high rates of sexualized violence, the onset of the pandemic has led to increased rates of sexualized violence, which could lead to greater numbers of trials prosecuting perpetrators. However, only a small amount of complainants turn to the court as a form of justice. This is likely due to the inhumane conditions inflicted on complainants during the trial process. The pandemic has revealed that the …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On A Damaged System: How The Pandemic Exacerbated The Violation Of International Human Rights In The United States Immigration Detention Facilities, Alyson Sutton

Law in a Post-Pandemic World

This blog post highlights several issues within immigration detention facilities in the United States that violate International Human Rights Laws and how the pandemic further exacerbated them.

Period Poverty In A Pandemic: Harnessing Law To Achieve Menstrual Equity, Bridget J. Crawford, Emily Gold Waldman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Period poverty is not new, but it has become more visible during the COVID-19 crisis. Worldwide, menstruation has long caused marginalization and vulnerability for many. The pandemic has only amplified these conditions. This Article makes three claims. The first is descriptive, identifying four interrelated aspects of global period poverty that have gained new salience during the coronavirus pandemic: lack of access to affordable menstrual products; lack of access to other needed supplies and services for health and sanitation; lack of menstruation-related information and support from schools and health professionals; and menstrual stigma and shame. Using examples from multiple countries, the …

Long-Term Assessment Of The Effects Of Covid-19 And Isolation Care On Survivor Disability And Anxiety, David Brett-Major, David S. Cates, James V. Lawler, Chad Vokoun, Angela L. Hewlett, Daniel W. Johnson, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, Michael C. Wadman, Christopher J. Kratochvil, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

We conducted an assessment of disability, anxiety, and other life impacts of COVID-19 and isolation care in a unique cohort of individuals. These included both community admissions to a university hospital as well as some of the earliest international aeromedical evacuees. Among an initial 16 COVID-19 survivors that were interviewed 6-12 months following their admission into isolation care, perception of their isolation care experience was related to their reporting of long-term consequences. However, anxiety and disability assessed with standard scores had no relationship with each other. Both capture of the isolation care experience and caution relying on single scoring systems …

Multiplex Qpcr Discriminates Variants Of Concern To Enhance Global Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Mallery I. Breban, Isabel M. Ott, Tara Alpert, Mary E. Petrone, Anne E. Watkins, Chaney C. Kalinich, Rebecca Earnest, Jessica E. Rothman, Jaqueline Goes De Jesus, Ingra Morales Claro, Giulia Magalhães Ferreira, Myuki A. E. Crispim, Brazil-Uk Cadde Genomic Network, Lavanya Singh, Houriiyah Tegally, Ugochukwu J. Anyaneji, Network For Genomic Surveillance In South Africa, Emma B. Hodcroft, Christopher E. Mason, Gaurav Khullar, Jessica Metti, Joel T. Dudley, Matthew J. Mackay, Megan Nash, Jianhui Wang, Chen Liu, Pei Hui, Steven Murphy, Caleb Neal, Eva Laszlo, Marie L. Landry, Anthony Muyombwe, Randy Downing, Jafar Razeq, Tulio De Oliveira, Nuno R. Faria, Ester C. Sabino, Richard A. Neher, Joseph R. Fauver, Nathan D. Grubaugh

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

With the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that may increase transmissibility and/or cause escape from immune responses, there is an urgent need for the targeted surveillance of circulating lineages. It was found that the B.1.1.7 (also 501Y.V1) variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, could be serendipitously detected by the Thermo Fisher TaqPath COVID-19 PCR assay because a key deletion in these viruses, spike Δ69-70, would cause a "spike gene target failure" (SGTF) result. However, a SGTF result is not definitive for B.1.1.7, and this assay cannot detect other variants of concern (VOC) that lack …

The Association Of Demographic Characteristics And Social Vulnerability With Covid-19 Outcomes, Gloria D. Boone

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Association of Demographic Characteristics and Social Vulnerability With COVID-19 Outcomes

by

Gloria Boone

(Under the Direction of Gulzar Shah)

ABSTRACT

This research explored 102 Illinois counties' COVID-19 data to determine whether demographic characteristics and social vulnerability are associated with increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infections and deaths. COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups and has been deadlier for African American and Hispanic people. The findings of this research will contribute to the knowledge base regarding social vulnerability and assist public health officials in targeting resources and designing interventions. This study used a retrospective cross-sectional design to assess demographic characteristics of …

Lived Experience Of Geographically Dispersed Employees In The Absence Of Shared-Air Organizational Interactions, Tommie Ann Saragas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees choosing an off-site employment option increased annually. During COVID-19-related work-life modifications, many organizations worldwide were required to transition to a geographically dispersed, off-site workforce. While some individuals may enjoy the flexibility, convenience, and work-life balance of a geographically dispersed position, there is a need for organizations and employees to explore how workers perceive social support, experience feeling valued by and connected with leaders and team members and are impacted by technology and virtual interactions for those who work wholly off-site or at such a distance that face-to-face organizational interactions are not …

Barriers To Effective Personal Protective Equipment Use In Public Health Workers, Sheila Storr-Mathis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exposure to infections continues to be a significant concern for nursing practice and for other health care professionals. Personal protective equipment (PPE) minimizes occupational exposure; however, their use is subject to variability. This quality improvement project addressed the impact of an educational intervention on attitudes and barriers to proper use of PPE for public health workers at the study site. The health belief model and the literature review provided theoretical support for the project and evidence of current trends in PPE use. There were 44 employees who completed the preintervention survey and 22 who completed the postintervention survey to gauge …

Peptidomimetic And Non- Peptidomimetic Derivatives As Possible Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease (Mpro) Inhibitors, Mohammed A. Al Awadh, Mohini S. Ghatge Ph.D, Mona A. Al Khairi, Faik N. Musayev, Akua K. Donkor, Mohammed H. Al Mughram, Abdelsattar M. Omar Ph.D, Moustafa M. El-Araby Ph.D, Martin K. Safo Ph.D

Graduate Research Posters

To design novel inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), we investigated the binding mode of the recently reported α-ketoamide inhibitors of this enzyme. Following, we utilized in-silico screening to identify 168 peptidomimetic and non-peptidomimetic compounds that are high probability Mpro binding candidates. The compounds were synthesized in 5 to 10 mg for initial screening for their potential inhibition of Mpro using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) assay. The study was conducted using the main protease, MBP-tagged (SARS-CoV-2) Assay Kit (BPS Bioscience, #79955-2), and the fluorescence due to enzymatic cleavage of substrate measured using BMG LABTECH CLARIOstar™, a fluorescent microplate …

Jefferson Digital Commons Quarterly Report: October-December 2020, Kelsey Duinkerken, Msi, Larissa Gordon, Mslis, Med, Ma

Jefferson Digital Commons Reports

This quarterly report includes:

• Articles
• Departmental Reports
• Dissertations
• Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Capstones
• Educational Materials
• Grand Rounds and Lectures
• JCPH Capstone Presentations
• Journals and Newsletters
• Library Presentations
• Posters
• The Big in Big Data Symposium
• What People are Saying About the Jefferson Digital Commons

Child Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Desirae Thosath

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines child care programs and research in the midst of the pandemic to best facilitate healthy child development and mitigate long-term effects both during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reengineering An Allergy Group Practice In Response To Covid-19: Change Management, Quality Assessment And Financial Considerations, Carter Brock Matthews

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

To date, few studies have provided a comprehensive set of requirements for outpatient medical practices to consider when preparing for complex external forces that impact clinic operations. The objective of this qualitative doctoral project is to establish a set of requirements for outpatient medical practices to consider when preparing for pandemic conditions. Using the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, this single case study reviews how an allergy group practice responds to the variables presented during COVID-19 through change management, quality assessment and financial considerations lenses to assist other medical practices in developing pandemic preparedness programming. Findings from this case study …