Digital Commons Network^™

Demand Prediction And Inventory Management Of Surgical Supplies, Rajon Paul Pantha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective supply chain management is critical to operations in various industries, including healthcare. Demand prediction and inventory management are essential parts of healthcare supply chain management for ensuring optimal patient outcomes, controlling costs, and minimizing waste. The advances in data analytics and technology have enabled many sophisticated approaches to demand forecasting and inventory control. This study aims to leverage these advancements to accurately predict demand and manage the inventory of surgical supplies to reduce costs and provide better services to patients. In order to achieve this objective, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model is developed to predict the demand for …

Assessing A Pandemic: Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Covid-19 In Tennessee School-Age Children, Omobolaji Olawuyi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a spatiotemporal analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in school-age children (5-18 years) in Tennessee, from 2020-03-19 to 2022-02-12. Trend Analysis, Emerging Hot Spot Analysis, and a time series revealed three significant waves in both age groups. Therefore, Change Point Detection at the county level was completed using six defined change points to identify the wax and wane of the three COVID-19 waves. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis grouped counties with similar change points into six clusters. No spatial pattern was observed in distribution of the six clusters, however, when each change point was evaluated separately, spatial autocorrelation was present, …

A Multiple Regression Analysis Of Factors Influencing 2-Year College Enrollment During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren Margaret Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted enrollment, a continuation of the decline ongoing since 2010. Two-year colleges are highly dependent on tuition revenue. Consequently, the pandemic exacerbated the postsecondary economic crisis, as 2-year institutions faced financial hardship amidst enrollment uncertainties. In response to the pandemic, policymakers and 2-year college leaders adapted their enrollment management efforts. However, the impact of these actions on enrollment was unknown. Using resource dependence theory, the present study aimed to understand how COVID-19 influenced 2-year colleges' acquisition of their most sustainable resource, enrollment. Separate multiple linear regression analyses explored the influence of four enrollment management efforts (shift …

Comparison Of Covid-19 Diagnostic Testing Methodologies In The U.S., Joseph Blommel

All Dissertations

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a world in which diagnostic testing for the virus that is responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, became commonplace. Diagnostic testing was required for myriad reasons beyond simple diagnosis. We set out to compare SARS-CoV-2 testing methods, see if differences sensitivity correlated to increased positivity, and to evaluate self-collection methods.

In examining the Limit of Detection (LoD) of tests receiving FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), our findings indicated that there were considerable differences in LoD. However, these differences in observed sensitivity were not correlated with the methodologic differences as reported in EUA documentation.

We …

Comprehensive Literature Review: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 Policies, School Closures And Social Distancing, On The Mental Health Of School Age Children, Fatuma A. Hassan

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Mental health is vital to the well-being of all individuals, especially children. COVID-19 unveiled a significant public health issue with poor mental health during the pandemic. There is limited literature about the mental health implications of COVID-19 policies for children and adolescents and preventive strategies for future pandemics. This comprehensive literature review seeks to further investigate the mental health impacts of school shutdowns and social distancing, which were nonpharmaceutical strategies, on school-aged children, 5-18 years old, and propose recommendations for public health officials to mitigate the mental health impacts for future pandemics. Additionally, the review aims to highlight the potential …

Assessing Occupational Exposure Risk And Covid-19 Incidence Rates In Nebraska By Industry And Occupation, 2020, Christopher Austin

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Occupational outbreaks of COVID-19 have been described during the pandemic, yet the epidemiology of COVID-19 across a larger workforce population is currently not well characterized in the United States. Describing COVID-19 incident rates by industry and occupation will elucidate how the pandemic affected the workforce in Nebraska. However, nonresponse bias occurs in the employment information when participants are unwilling or unable to respond to contract tracer questions, thus affecting the results. Nonresponse bias will be analyzed, and appropriate statistical approaches will be utilized to adjust for any bias in the data. Adjusting for bias, incidence rates by detailed industry and …

E-Quality: An Analysis Of Digital Equity Discourse And Co-Production In The Era Of Covid-19, Kelsey E. Edmond

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The digital divide refers to the social stratification due to an unequal ability to access, adapt, and create knowledge via information and communication technologies (Andreasson, 2015). Digitally disadvantaged individuals have inadequate access to services and resources, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic instigated a new model of digital equity policymaking that leverages co-production between numerous actors. As citizens faced new financial and community constraints and governments reached administrative capacities, both the digital divide and the policymaking process evolved.

This inductive study explores how digital equity policymaking shifted to a co-production model (Ostrom, 1996) amid the pandemic. Using a sequential mixed-methods …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Homebound Adults Receiving Home-Based Primary Care., Emily J Styslinger, Mary E Kollmer Horton, Jason Burnett, Jessica L Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Natural Epigenetic Therapies In 3d Ovarian Cancer And Patient-Derived Tumor Explants: New Avenues In Regulating The Cancer Secretome, Aya Mohr-Sasson, Jigal Haas, Michal Sivan, Yoni Zehori, Rina Hemi, Raoul Orvieto, Arnon Afek, Jaron Rabinovici

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

KEY MESSAGE: Menstruation of adolescent girls might be influenced by Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, however, the ovarian reserve estimated by AMH is not compromised.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccine causes menstrual abnormalities which led to concerns regarding its influence on the reproductive system. This study aims to investigate the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine on gynecologic well-being and future fertility of adolescent girls.

METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study conducted at a university affiliated medical center between June and July 2021. Adolescent girls aged 12-16 years who were vaccinated …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Of College Students, Jack Marcelain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 changed the world in the span of a few months. Schools and other businesses had to close and move to an online format to decrease physical interaction and stop the spread of the virus. Many people went without seeing close friends and loved ones due to the quarantine or lost someone close to them due to the virus. Students enrolled in college were sent home abruptly and could not return in person to school for the remainder of the year. Even when they were allowed to return to school, new guidelines and how classroom content was delivered were put …

A Qualitative Case Study On How The Transition To Remote Learning Affected Elementary Language Arts Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Matthew B. Bergman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emergency remote learning (or remote learning) altered K-12 instruction and occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Mandatory lockdowns and social distancing efforts transformed face-to-face instruction into a new pedagogical model called emergency remote learning or remote learning. In this qualitative case study, I aimed to understand how third-grade language arts instruction was affected during the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of general education teachers, learning support teachers, school administrators, and residential care providers. Additionally, the researcher used Moore’s (1997) transactional distance theory to investigate which strategies (methods, materials, and technologies) …

Sting Agonist-Loaded Mesoporous Manganese-Silica Nanoparticles For Vaccine Applications, Cheng Xu, Hannah E Dobson, Mengjie Yu, Wang Gong, Xiaoqi Sun, Kyung Soo Park, Andrew Kennedy, Xingwu Zhou, Jin Xu, Yao Xu, Andrew W Tai, Yu Leo Lei, James J Moon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), as one type of Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway agonist, have shown promising results for eliciting immune responses against cancer and viral infection. However, the suboptimal drug-like properties of conventional CDNs, including their short in vivo half-life and poor cellular permeability, compromise their therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we have developed a manganese-silica nanoplatform (MnOx@HMSN) that enhances the adjuvant effects of CDN by achieving synergy with Mn2+ for vaccination against cancer and SARS-CoV-2. MnOx@HMSN with large mesopores were efficiently co-loaded with CDN and peptide/protein antigens. MnOx@HMSN(CDA) amplified the activation of the STING pathway and enhanced the …

Social And Emotional Effects Of Distance Learning On Elementary School Students During And After Covid-19, Kelsey Clark

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Currently, there is a major shift in the modality of instructions as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it has affected the way education is viewed and the relationship between schooling and the lifestyle of the students. By reflecting on the last couple of years since COVID-19 to the present, many students are still hindered due to the effects of the world going around them, starting from school lockdown to the return of face-to-face instructions. This senior capstone examines the social and emotional effects of distance learning on elementary school students through the use of a literature review, class …

Gwas And Meta-Analysis Identifies 49 Genetic Variants Underlying Critical Covid-19, Erola Pairo-Castineira, Konrad Rawlik, Andrew D Bretherick, Ting Qi, Yang Wu, Isar Nassiri, Glenn A Mcconkey, Marie Zechner, Lucija Klaric, Fiona Griffiths, Wilna Oosthuyzen, Athanasios Kousathanas, Anne Richmond, Jonathan Millar, Clark D Russell, Tomas Malinauskas, Ryan Thwaites, Kirstie Morrice, Sean Keating, David Maslove, Alistair Nichol, Malcolm G Semple, Julian Knight, Manu Shankar-Hari, Charlotte Summers, Charles Hinds, Peter Horby, Lowell Ling, Danny Mcauley, Hugh Montgomery, Peter J M Openshaw, Colin Begg, Timothy Walsh, Albert Tenesa, Carlos Flores, José A Riancho, Augusto Rojas-Martinez, Pablo Lapunzina, Genomicc Investigators, Scourge Consortium, Isaricc Investigators, 23andme Covid-19 Team, Jian Yang, Chris P Ponting, James F Wilson, Veronique Vitart, Malak Abedalthagafi, Andre D Luchessi, Esteban J Parra, Raquel Cruz, Angel Carracedo, Angie Fawkes, Lee Murphy, Kathy Rowan, Alexandre C Pereira, Andy Law, Benjamin Fairfax, Sara Clohisey Hendry, J Kenneth Baillie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Critical illness in COVID-19 is an extreme and clinically homogeneous disease phenotype that we have previously shown1 to be highly efficient for discovery of genetic associations2. Despite the advanced stage of illness at presentation, we have shown that host genetics in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 can identify immunomodulatory therapies with strong beneficial effects in this group3. Here we analyse 24,202 cases of COVID-19 with critical illness comprising a combination of microarray genotype and whole-genome sequencing data from cases of critical illness in the international GenOMICC (11,440 cases) study, combined with other studies recruiting hospitalized patients with a …

A Guide To The Advancement Of Leadership Post Covid, Kelly Grace Dolan

School of Professional Studies

No abstract provided.

Wearing Masks Implies Refuting Trump?: Towards Target-Specific User Stance Prediction Across Events In Covid-19 And Us Election 2020, Hong Zhang, Haewoon Kwak, Wei Gao, Jisun An

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

People who share similar opinions towards controversial topics could form an echo chamber and may share similar political views toward other topics as well. The existence of such connections, which we call connected behavior, gives researchers a unique opportunity to predict how one would behave for a future event given their past behaviors. In this work, we propose a framework to conduct connected behavior analysis. Neural stance detection models are trained on Twitter data collected on three seemingly independent topics, i.e., wearing a mask, racial equality, and Trump, to detect people’s stance, which we consider as their online behavior in …

Pandemic Rendering The Transgender People More Vulnerable, As If It Was Not Already Enough: A Qualitative Exploration From Odisha, India, Prachi Parimita Rout, Ajitesh Mathur, Pranaya Kumar Swain

The Qualitative Report

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's livelihoods worldwide to an unprecedented magnitude, the most affected being the socially and economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities, including the transgender people that constitute one of the most vulnerable sections that are often subjected to discriminated in various sectors such as education, health, housing, and livelihood opportunities. The present study attempts to offer insights into the impact of the pandemic on the livelihood of transgender people in India, given that the pandemic adversely affected their primary sources of livelihood, such as begging, sex-work, singing, and dancing, due mainly to the restrictive measures: lockdown, shutdown, social/physical …

Online Dashboards For Sars-Cov-2 Wastewater Data Need Standard Best Practices: An Environmental Health Communication Agenda., Colleen C. Naughton, Rochelle H. Holm, Nancy J. Lin, Brooklyn P. James, Ted Smith

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the benefits of wastewater surveillance to supplement clinical data. Numerous online information dashboards have been rapidly, and typically independently, developed to communicate environmental surveillance data to public health officials and the public. In this study, we review dashboards presenting SARS-CoV-2 wastewater data and propose a path toward harmonization and improved risk communication. A list of 127 dashboards representing 27 countries was compiled. The variability was high and encompassed aspects including the graphics used for data presentation (e.g., line/bar graphs, maps, and tables), log versus linear scale, and 96 separate ways of labeling SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations. …

Students' Educational Outcomes For Hybrid Msw Program, Carolina Profeta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed post-secondary social work program mode of learning throughout the nation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social work program transitioned from in-person to hybrid a modality. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of the social work program’s hybrid modality on students’ learning outcomes. Specifically, this study will examine participants’ cognitive presence, perceived effectiveness, and student perceptions. This study is important, as there is no research on social work program’s hybrid modality on students’ learning outcomes. This is a quantitative study and uses online surveys to gather results. The ANOVA and chi …

Anxiety, Depression, And Stress During Covid-19: A Comparative Study Of Latino Dreamers In College, Vanessa Robles, Janelly Molina

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

College students generally experience anxiety, depression, and stress associated with the higher education life. It can be argued that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to worsen the mental health conditions of these students. This situation can be even worse for DACA recipients in college who have to deal not only with the pandemic but also with legal status uncertainties. This study attempted to compare mental health outcomes (levels of anxiety, depression, and stress) between Latino DACA recipients in college and their counterparts with no DACA status during the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing literature has mostly been silent regarding comparing the …

Covid-Induced Stress And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression In Undergraduate Students, Quenea Popoca, Christina Ngo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has had ramifications on the mental health of numerous vulnerable individuals. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between COVID-19 induced stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression among undergraduate students. Embracing a quantitative design, this study surveyed 93 undergraduate students in major public universities in the western part of the United States (N = 93). Results from the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U Test revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 induced stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in undergraduate students (U = 734.500, p = .066 for …

How Latino Parents Coped With Financial Challenges During Covid-19, Melissa Gradilla, Valerie Malagon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how low-income Latino parents coped with financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data from this study was collected through one-on-one interviews with 14 low-income Latino parent participants who resided in Southern California. Results indicated COVID-19 caused financial strain in food, healthcare, basic needs, and financial strain in general. Results from this study also concluded that many existing government assistance programs benefited participants but had distribution and application processing flaws. This study provides future researchers and government officials some insight regarding what government assistance and local resources helped low-income Latino parents cope with their financial challenges …

Flying The Unfriendly Skies: How Flight Crew Members Perceived And Communicatively Constructed The Emotional Labor Of Their Positions Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, William B.L. Ingelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented levels of volatility to all hospitality industries, including aviation. Such levels of volatility have highlighted a need to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on flight crew communication. This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intra-flight crew communication and the emotional labor flight crew members experienced. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of facework, politeness theory, emotional labor, and emotional management, this study examined how participants communicated through the tumult of this time period. This study discovered heavy usage of surface acting and increased levels of emotional labor through 28 qualitative interviews …

A Comparative Study Of The Mental Health Effects Of War, Covid-19, & Surviving A Natural Disaster In Children, Ethan Van Nostrand

Anthropology

Towards the end of 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak from Wuhan, China has thrown the world into a global pandemic. Given the novelty of the virus and updated medical standards, the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of children were and currently are not fully known. This study aims to map out an approximate timeline of children's mental health based on other forms of traumas such as war and natural disasters. This is a review of mixed-method design of numerous studies from the three variables. Data was collected through self-reported measures of mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, and …

Organizational Culture During The Era Of A Black Swan: A Phenomenological Examination Of New Hire Sales Training Within A Medical Diagnostic Company, Maelyn Zweben Lessard

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional sales training in a medical diagnostic organization takes place in multiple locations over the period of many months. New hires attend classes with a set group of other new hire employees establishing a cohort. It is the responsibility of the sales training department and the new hire’s direct supervisor to incorporate training into the organizations culture. This is done by bringing the new hire into the corporate office and, through the months of training, exposing the new hire to leadership, support functions, manufacturing, and multiple departments that will support their job moving forward. COVID-19 created a rapid market increase …

Vaccines And Therapeutics For Immunocompromised Patients With Covid-19, Shmuel Shoham, Carolina Batista, Yanis Ben Amor, Onder Ergonul, Mazen Hassanain, Peter Hotez, Gagandeep Kang, Jerome H Kim, Bhavna Lall, Heidi J Larson, Denise Naniche, Timothy Sheahan, Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, Samba O Sow, Annelies Wilder-Smith, Prashant Yadav, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Lancet Commission On Covid-19 Vaccines And Therapeutics Task Force

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted immunocompromised patients. This diverse group is at increased risk for impaired vaccine responses, progression to severe disease, prolonged hospitalizations and deaths. At particular risk are people with deficiencies in lymphocyte number or function such as transplant recipients and those with hematologic malignancies. Such patients' immune responses to vaccination and infection are frequently impaired leaving them more vulnerable to prolonged high viral loads and severe complications of COVID-19. Those in turn, have implications for disease progression and persistence, development of immune escape variants and transmission of infection. Data to guide vaccination and treatment approaches in …

Adapting Elements Of Cleft Care Protocols In Low- And Middle-Income Countries During And After Covid-19: A Process-Driven Review With Recommendations, Matthew Fell, Michael Goldwasser, B S Jayanth, Rui Manuel Rodrigues Pereira, Christian Tshisuz Nawej, Rachel Winer, Neeti Daftari, Hugh Brewster, Karen Goldschmied, Collaborators Fernando Almas, Mekonen Eshete, George W Galiwango, Larry H Hollier, Akhter Hussain, Lun-Jou Lo, Paul Salins, Debbie Sell, Amanuel Tafase, Ronald M Zuker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A consortium of global cleft professionals, predominantly from low- and middle-income countries, identified adaptations to cleft care protocols during and after COVID-19 as a priority learning area of need. A multidisciplinary international working group met on a videoconferencing platform in a multi-staged process to make consensus recommendations for adaptations to cleft protocols within resource-constrained settings. Feedback was sought from a roundtable discussion forum and global organizations involved in comprehensive cleft care. Foundational principles were agreed to enable recommendations to be globally relevant and two areas of focus within the specified topic were identified. First the safety aspects of cleft surgery …

Longitudinal Insights Into Student Behaviors And Program Impact: A Multi-Year Analysis Of Post-Program Surveys Pre- And Post-Covid-19, Brendan Bernard Charles Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use is arguably the most pertinent concern for college students. The prolonged use of substances has consequences that may impact many aspects of one’s life. As a result of decades worth of research, multiple evidence-based interventions have been created to help aid college students. One of these interventions includes BASICS, Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students. This study examined experiences of the BASICS program participants with special attention to the impact of COVID-19. It used a convenience sample of 44 after-program survey respondents from 2015 to 2022 at a faith-based private university in Texas. This study found …

Effect Of P2y12 Inhibitors On Organ Support-Free Survival In Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized For Covid-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Jeffrey S Berger, Matthew D Neal, Lucy Z Kornblith, Michelle N Gong, Harmony R Reynolds, Mary Cushman, Andrew D Althouse, Patrick R Lawler, Bryan J Mcverry, Keri S Kim, Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, Scott D Solomon, Mikhail N Kosiborod, Scott M Berry, Grant V Bochicchio, Marco Contoli, Michael E Farkouh, Joshua D Froess, Sheetal Gandotra, Yonatan Greenstein, Erinn M Hade, Nicholas Hanna, Kristin Hudock, Robert C Hyzy, Fátima Ibáñez Estéllez, Nicole Iovine, Ashish K Khanna, Pooja Khatri, Bridget-Anne Kirwan, Matthew E Kutcher, Eric Leifer, George Lim, Renato D Lopes, Jose L Lopez-Sendon, James F Luther, Lilia Nigro Maia, John G Quigley, Lana Wahid, Jennifer G Wilson, Ryan Zarychanski, Andrei Kindzelski, Mark W Geraci, Judith S Hochman, Activ-4a Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Platelet activation is a potential therapeutic target in patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of P2Y12 inhibition among critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This international, open-label, adaptive platform, 1:1 randomized clinical trial included critically ill (requiring intensive care-level support) patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Patients were enrolled between February 26, 2021, through June 22, 2022. Enrollment was discontinued on June 22, 2022, by the trial leadership in coordination with the study sponsor given a marked slowing of the enrollment rate of critically ill patients.

INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to receive a P2Y12 …

Vortioxetine Improves Physical And Cognitive Symptoms In Patients With Post-Covid-19 Major Depressive Episodes, Marco Di Nicola, Maria Pepe, Silvia Montanari, Maria Chiara Spera, Isabella Panaccione, Alessio Simonetti, Gabriele Sani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) following COVID-19 are frequent, can have a characteristic clinical picture, and are associated with immune-inflammatory changes. Vortioxetine is known to improve physical and cognitive performance in patients with depression and shows anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the effects of vortioxetine after 1 and 3 months of treatment in 80 patients (44.4% males, 54±17.2 years) with post-COVID-19 MDE. The primary outcome was improvement in physical and cognitive symptoms measured by specific items of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), Digit Symbol …