Digital Commons Network^™

Covid-19 Prevalence And Trends Among Pregnant And Postpartum Individuals In Maine By Rurality And Pregnancy Conditions, Charlie Grantham, Christina Ackerman-Banks, Heather Lipkind, Kristin Palmsten, Katherine Ahrens

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2023

Our study is the first to estimate prevalence of COVID-19 among pregnant and postpartum individuals for Maine, using data that captures both commercial and public insurance and examines differences by rurality, a known modifier of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. individuals.

Covid-19 And Depression And Anxiety Screening In Primary Care, Elizabeth Bernier, Abrey Feliccia, Leah Wood, Kate Herlihy, Kristen A. Woodberry

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2023

Introduction:

• The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe effect on mental health, heightening the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depression amongst the general population in rural and non-rural areas, particularly youth.

• Most reports draw from available data from mental health referrals, hospitalizations, suicides, and other incident data

• There is limited longitudinal information from general population samples using standardized mental health assessments.

The Effect Of Covid-19 And The Media On Trust In The Healthcare System, Analise Noelle Richcreek

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The present study surveys the role that mass media consumption and COVID-19 plays on people's trust in healthcare as well as their health behaviors. Current research has shown that misinformation about COVID-19 is likely to be spread by the media to influence people's opinions on healthcare. This study provides a more in depth look on how media information impacts trust in the healthcare system and subsequent health behaviors in the midst of a pandemic. 202 participants completed a survey measuring media usage and health behaviors, with 38% identifying as students. The results revealed a strong positive correlation between trust in …

Social Ecological Resilience, Social Capital, Anomie And The Impact Of Covid-19., Kevin Pacifico Gonzaga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From climate change to racial tension and income inequality, many difficulties face the United States and those who live within its borders. The extreme and increasing political polarization in the United States as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have only made these challenges more difficult to address. In this complex web of adversity, the concept of resilience is important to study. Resilience may be broadly defined as the ability to “bounce back” or return to adaptive functioning after experiencing significant adversity or challenges (Smith et al., 2008). Better understanding how resilience functions and the general state of …

Anti-Vaccination: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy And Its Consequences For Modern Public Health Policy, Joshua Bird

Senior Honors Theses

Modern vaccination is arguably the most significant medical achievement in human history. Through widespread vaccination, populations are no longer susceptible to diseases that plagued humanity for most of its existence (measles, rubella, smallpox). While vaccinations have largely shown themselves as safe and efficacious under most circumstances, small but considerable portions of the worldwide population reject vaccination for various social, religious, and political reasons. Research indicates that vaccine hesitancy spans all socioeconomic boundaries, affecting patients and their physicians. To explore the underlying themes of vaccine hesitancy and their relationship to loss aversion and omission bias, a study of various factors underlying …

Post-Covid-19 Employee Satisfaction: An Examination Of Flexible Work Arrangements, Joshua Cooper

Honors Theses

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to switch their strategy to stay afloat in such unprecedented times. One way that businesses, as well as entire industries, pivoted was by using flexible work arrangements to alleviate the stress and potential danger of employees gathering at work. The addition of flexible working arrangements into industries has created an entirely different world of work that challenges the traditional form of working in a face-to-face format. Moving forward, after the pandemic, industries have to accommodate for these more present working conditions that impact how employees view their satisfaction with their job. This research …

The Inherent Monetary Incentive Of Intellectual Property Rights And The Failure Of Intellectual Property Waivers To Recognize This Motive, Ellaheh D. Sims

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

Workplace Factors That Contribute To Teacher Intent To Leave The Profession, Teresa Blount Gibbons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a nationwide shortage of qualified teachers, with 90% of all teacher shortages caused by teacher attrition (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). This study surveyed public school K-12 teachers in South Carolina to gain an understanding of workplace factors that contribute to teacher intentions to quit/ teacher attrition. The current design measures teacher stress perceptions of workplace factors as the relational theoretical lens to determine teacher intention to leave or likelihood of attrition. The results of a study suggest that student stressors and workload are the most important factors in teacher attrition. A qualitative analysis of student stressors found that …

Covid-19'S Impact On School Principals' Self-Efficacy As Managerial Leaders, Krystle Marie Ballatore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice (DiP) employs qualitative research and educational theories to examine the impact of COVID-19 on school principals' self-efficacy in one South Carolina school district. Its theoretical framework is based on Bandura's (1977, 1986, 1997) social cognitive theory. The dissertation begins by outlining the specific problem at hand, relevant general concerns, and a purpose statement. This problem serves as the foundation for the research questions: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted principals' self-efficacy as their schools' managerial leaders? How do these principals' experiences vary in degree of impact by school level (i.e., early childhood, primary, elementary, intermediate, middle, …

Volatility Modeling Of Time Series Using Fractal And Self-Similarity Models, William Kubin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study uses various methods to compare financial and geophysical time series scaling parameters and long-term memory behavior. The Cantor Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (CDFA) method is proposed to provide more accurate estimates of Hurst exponents. The CDFA method is applied to real-time series and the results are verified. The study also analyzes the memory behavior of daily Covid-19 cases before and after the announcement of effective vaccines. Low and high-frequency dataâ??s influence on the Hurst Index estimation is investigated, and a new PCDFA method is proposed. The stability of the Dow Jones Industrial Average is analyzed using a multi-scale normalized …

From Teacher To Campus Leader: An Autoethnographic Study Of An Assistant Principal At A New Mexico Elementary Campus Post Covid-19, Mona E. Plaza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began its effect on public school education. With online classes, students without remote access, and teachers with little to no experience in technology-based instruction, students, parents, and teachers were navigating the unknown. We have returned to campus, and routines are back in place, but education will never be the same. This autoethnography explores the first year of a teacher transitioning to an assistant principal on a small New Mexico elementary school campus as the education system recovers from the fallout of the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to use research as a …

Economic Forecasting In A Pandemic: Some Evidence From Singapore, Hwee Kwan Chow-Tan, Keen Meng Choy

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper aims to investigate whether the predictive performance and behaviour of professional forecasters are different during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared with the global financial crisis of 2008 and normal times. To this end, we use a survey of professional forecasters in Singapore collated by the central bank to analyse the forecasting records for GDP growth and CPI inflation for the period 2000Q1–2021Q4. We first examine the point forecasts to document the extent of forecast failure duringthe two crises and explore various explanations for it, such as leader-following and herding behaviour. Then, using percentile-based summary measures of probability distribution …

Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Comparison Of Health-Related Quality Of Life And Mental Well-Being Between Persons With And Without Post Covid-19 Condition, Emily Stella Scott, Erica I. Lubetkin, Mathieu F. Janssen, John Yfantopolous, Gouke J. Bonsel, Juanita A. Haagsma

Publications and Research

Background:

Still little is known about the impact of post COVID-19 condition (PC) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental well-being. We compared participants with PC with three groups: an acute COVID-19 infection (AC) only, at least one chronic condition (CC) but no COVID-19, or no condition at all, healthy (PH). Between these disease groups, we also estimated and compared HRQOL and mental well-being change over time.

Methods:

Participants from six countries (Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) completed two web-based questionnaires (T1 = April–May 2020 and T2 = April–June 2022). Primary outcomes were HRQOL, measured …

Teaching Higher Education During A Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructor Decisions Associated With Switching From Face-To-Face To Online-Only Sessions, Steven M. Miner

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university instructors were required to shift their course delivery from face-to-face to online-only presentations with two weeks of preparation. Volunteering instructors were interviewed via a semi-structured interview protocol regarding their actions to maintain instructor presence in an online-only setting. The term emergency remote teaching (ERT), defined by fellow researchers as the adoption of just-in-time remote teaching practices that would otherwise be offered face-to-face, aligned with the actions taken by interviewees. The data indicated that given an event requiring ERT, instructors should: overcome technology issues for themselves and their students to verify communication pathways, and exhibit …

Outcomes Following Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation For Severe Covid-19 In Pregnancy Or Post Partum, John J Byrne, Amir A Shamshirsaz, Alison G Cahill, Mark A Turrentine, Angela R Seasely, Joe Eid, Caroline E Rouse, Michael Richley, Nandini Raghuraman, Mariam Naqvi, Yasser Y El-Sayed, Martina L Badell, Cece Cheng, James Liu, Emily H Adhikari, Soha S Patel, Erika R O'Neil, Patrick S Ramsey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Existing reports of pregnant patients with COVID-19 disease who require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are limited, with variable outcomes noted for the maternal-fetal dyad.

OBJECTIVE: To examine maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with ECMO used for COVID-19 with respiratory failure during pregnancy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study examined pregnant and postpartum patients who required ECMO for COVID-19 respiratory failure at 25 hospitals across the US. Eligible patients included individuals who received care at one of the study sites, were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy or up to 6 weeks post partum by positive nucleic …

Advances In The Treatment Of Invasive Fungal Disease, Zhuan Zhang, Gerald F Bills, Zhiqiang An

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

With over 300 million severe cases and 1.5 million deaths annually, invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are a major medical burden and source of global morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the first-ever fungal priority pathogens list including 19 fungal pathogens, considering the perceived public health importance. Most of the pathogenic fungi are opportunistic and cause diseases in patients under immunocompromised conditions such as HIV infection, cancer, chemotherapy, transplantation, and immune suppressive drug therapy. Worryingly, the morbidity and mortality caused by IFDs are continuously on the rise due to the limited available antifungal therapies, the emergence of …

Racialized Experiences Of Covid-19: Help-Seeking Patterns In Response To Racial Discrimination Among Asian American College Students, Jeeyun Lee

Student Theses

In the United States, reported anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 164% from 2020 to 2021, with New York demonstrating a difference of 223% (Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, 2021). Ample evidence suggested its deleterious emotional impact; COVID-19-associated racial discrimination was found to be significantly associated with increased levels of mental distress, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms (e.g., Hahm et al. 2021). With an aim of addressing the significant dearth of research on Asian Americans’ help-seeking behaviors in response to COVID-19-associated racism and distress, this study employed grounded theory to explore the experiences of 10 self-identified …

Understanding Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In Underserved Populations, Kenecia Dones

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to limit the spread of infectious diseases and reduce mortality and morbidity in the United States, especially in underserved populations. African Americans and Latinos are eight times more likely to die than White Non-Hispanic populations of COVID-19-related complications. Although vaccines are currently offered and approved to anyone over 5 years old in the United States, there continues to be vaccine hesitancy in the underserved population. The purpose of this project was to understand vaccine hesitancy in underserved populations to promote vaccine confidence and build trust in patients to the point where they …

Effects Of Using Technology As A Substitution For Education For Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brian Jimenez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world in a state of isolation where nearly all of the students were forced to go to school online and be facing a computer screen for many hours throughout the day. However, online education brought many burdens and inequities amongst the students, especially with those living in poor conditions and from minority races. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze and understand the effects of using technology as a substitution for education during the pandemic. The research process started through voice interviews, but because of time conflicts and schedule changes, questionnaires were instead …

A Descriptive Case Study Of Students’ Lived Experiences In A Dyslexia Lab – Before, During, And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gladys M. Suarez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences of three students who have received Structured Literacy instruction in a Dyslexia Lab while delivered through remote learning or face-to-face. It addresses the following question: In a Dyslexia Lab where teachers have used Structured Literacy in both virtual and face-to-face environments, what are students’ experiences? To better understand the experiences, I draw on the conceptual framework of individual student development through theoretical perspectives. The Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory was utilized to conceptualize this case study. This theory helped analyze the data, guide the research, and evaluate the findings. Data …

The Increase Of Suicide Risks Amongst Individuals With Mental Health Disorders During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Joanna Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on many challenges, one of them being the increase of suicidal ideation among individuals with a mental health diagnosis. This study seeks to determine the key factors that increased suicidal ideation by interviewing clients from a mental health agency. This is an important topic since suicide rates have been steadily increasing throughout the last 19 years. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews virtually with mental health clinicians at the study site. The themes found in this study were fear of COVID, isolation, anxiety, and depression. A subtheme found in this study was social isolation. Understanding the key …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Child Abuse Investigation Outcomes, Kelly Gasso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic essentially changed every system in America. In particular, it has created many unfamiliar challenges for child welfare agencies because they had to make immense changes to how they conducted their established practice. These changes aimed to keep the safety of children at the forefront, and simultaneously integrate higher safety protocols for social workers without putting children at risk. In response, the focus of this research proposal was to understand the effect COVID-19 had on child abuse investigations.

This research project utilized qualitative data in the form of interviews from a convenience sample of child welfare emergency response …

Resident Assistants As Students And Personnel During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Korstange

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of students working as resident assistants (RAs) in college or university housing departments during the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. Twelve current and former RAs participated in qualitative interviews exploring their experience as their institutions shut down because of COVID-19. Three broad categories of experience were found: RAs who were considered essential employees and required to work during the pandemic, RAs who were given the option of working during the pandemic, and RAs who were laid off at the beginning of their pandemic. The central research question was regarding the perceived experience of RAs …

Covid-19 Challenges, Responses, And Resilience Among Rural Black Women: A Study Protocol, Fanghui Shi, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Chengbo Zeng, Xiaowen Sun, Zhenlong Li, Xueying Yang, Sharon Weissman, Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background

Timely linkage to care (LTC) is key in the HIV care continuum, as it enables people newly diagnosed with HIV (PNWH) to benefit from HIV treatment at the earliest stage. Previous studies have found LTC disparities by individual factors, but data are limited beyond the individual level, especially at the county level. This study examined the temporal and geographic variations of county-level LTC status across 46 counties in South Carolina (SC) from 2010 to 2018 and the association of county-level characteristics with LTC status.

Methods

All adults newly diagnosed with HIV from 2010 to 2018 in SC were included …

Pandemic Produce: Impacts Of Covid-19 On Florida's Fruit And Vegetable Industries, Christa D. Court, David Outerbridge, Lauri Baker, Laura Birou, Catherine Campbell, Gigi Digiacomo, Sebastian Galindo, John Lai, Alexandre Magnier, Michelle Miller, Gustavo De L.T. Oliveira, Eyrika Orlando, Hikaru Hanawa Peterson, Xiaohui Qiao, Fritz Roka, Andrew Ropicki, Bijeta Bijen Saha, Andrew W. Stevens, Li Zhang

Geography

Florida has one of the most diverse agricultural economies in the United States, producing several dozen types of fruits and vegetables that are consumed within the state, across the country, and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting policy responses occurred during the peak of spring harvest season for many crops in Florida, abruptly removing market demand from the food service industry and shifting consumer purchasing habits, which enabled insights into several aspects of the fruit and vegetable supply chain. This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted fruit and vegetable industries in Florida, how these industries responded to …

Nursing Perspectives On The Use Of Continuous Glucose Monitoring In The Intensive Care Unit., Eileen R Faulds, Kathleen M Dungan, Molly Mcnett, Laureen Jones, Norma Poindexter, Matthew Exline, Jillian Pattison, Francisco J Pasquel

Nursing Articles

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid implementation of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although rarely reported, perceptions from nursing staff who used the systems are critical for successful implementation and future expanded use of CGM in the inpatient setting.

METHODS: A 22-item survey focused on CGM use was distributed to ICU nurses at two large academic medical centers in the United States in 2022. Both institutions initiated inpatient CGM in the spring of 2020 using the same CGM+point of care (POC) hybrid protocol. The survey employed a 1- to 5-point Likert scale regarding CGM sensor …

Investigation Of Teratogenic Concerns In The Covid-19 Era, Emily Daykin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In the United States, Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, including pregnant people, who were shown to be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 infection and pregnancy complications. Research on the teratogenicity of COVID-19 is still ongoing, but overall neither COVID-19 infection nor vaccination appear to increase the risk of birth defects. Numerous studies have investigated healthcare providers’ opinions on whether and when pregnant people should get vaccinated, as well as pregnant people’s perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines and psychosocial impacts of the pandemic. However, more research is needed to identify the most common concerns regarding …

Updated Analysis To Reject The Laboratory-Engineering Hypothesis Of Sars-Cov-2, Fuqing Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A clear understanding of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is important for future pandemic preparedness. Here, I provided an updated analysis of the type IIS endonuclease maps in genomes of alphacoronavirus, betacoronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2. Scenarios to engineer SARS-CoV-2 in the laboratory and the associated workload was also discussed. The analysis clearly shows that the endonuclease fingerprint does not indicate a synthetic origin of SARS-CoV-2 and engineering a SARS-CoV-2 virus in the laboratory is extremely challenging both scientifically and financially. On the contrary, current scientific evidence does support the animal origin of SARS-CoV-2.

Connections For Success: Social Networking In Virtual University, Clara K. Cook

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Online learning has experienced an unexpected increase in the last two years in response to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying mitigation efforts. As universities engage in discussions regarding whether to keep offering a wide selection of online courses or transition fully back to traditional course modes, it is important to understand the extent to which students are able to network with their instructors and classmates in their online courses and the ways in which it differs from in-person courses. This paper explores the differences in networking between in-person, synchronous online, and asynchronous online courses. Additionally, it …

The Effect Of Yearly Labor Earnings On Commute Time To Work In South Carolina, Peter Trela

All Theses

In this paper, I attempt to ascertain the effect of labor earnings on commute time to work for individuals in South Carolina by using ACS 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample Estimates. First, I use standard linear regression models with controls to determine the direction and magnitude of the association between yearly labor earnings and commute time to work. I later use standard linear regression models with limited controls to determine how the association between yearly labor earnings and commute time changes before and during the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. There exists a positive relationship between yearly labor earnings and …