Digital Commons Network^™

Microsimulation Of Infectious Disease Transmission Considering Virus Release, Transmission, And Action, Zhiming Fang, Shengdong Yuan, Ge Huang, Jingqian Yang, Zhongyi Huang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Existing infection risk assessment methods mostly evaluate infection probability through mathematical models or simulation, but they lack analysis of the relationship between air circulation and individual infection probability. This study proposed a risk prediction model for infectious disease transmission based on indoor air circulation. At the microscopic scale, the space was discretized into grid points. By integrating CFD numerical simulation, the entire process of virus droplet release, transmission, and action was fully simulated. The simulation results show that in an obstacle-free room, the error between the total indoor viral load predicted by the model under windless and low wind …

Exploring Nurse Well-Being Amid A Pandemic, Sheri Compton-Mcbride, Kelley Mcguire

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The purpose of this study is to explore the current state of registered nurses’ well-being, including barriers and facilitators, in the aftermath of the peak COVID-19 pandemic.

Detailed abstract attached.

Fun Friday: Refreshing The Mood And Bringing Coworkers Together Using A Virtual Platform, Aubrey Kathleen Snyder

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the movement of in-person staff interactions into the world of endless online virtual meetings. The social disconnection of these virtual meetings created a boring and impersonal reality. Fun Friday created a personal connection between hospital educators while helping them decompress from pandemic stress.

Detailed abstract attached.

Exploration Of Experiences And Measurement Of Burnout Among Clinical Research Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth Anne Johnson, Jessica Rainbow

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Experiences among clinical research nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored in a nationwide cross-sectional sample. Components of clinical research nurse burnout were evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Detailed abstract attached.

Occupational Balance Of Occupational Therapy Students Before And After Occupational Disruption Caused By Covid-19, Juan Pablo Saa, Georgia King, Kylee Lockwood, Tamara Tse

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions have caused occupational disruption, yet little is known about their relationship with occupational balance, student satisfaction, and stress. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the occupational balance of occupational therapy students in the state of Victoria, Australia, and its association with measures of life satisfaction and distress.

Method: Participants completed the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-11) twice (once rating their occupational balance before COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and again during the time these restrictions were in place); the Global Life Satisfaction Questionnaire; and the Depression, Anxiety and …

Fear Of Covid-19 And Hygiene Behaviors: A Study Of Secondary School Students In İstanbul ​, Zozan Göksu, Hayri̇ye Kirkoyun Uysal, Mehmet Demi̇rci̇, Di̇lek Dülger, Seda Eki̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study investigates the relationship between fear of COVID-19, measured using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and the hygiene behaviors of secondary school students, assessed with the Hygiene Behavior Scale (HBS).

Materials and methods: Included in this cross-sectional study were 206 secondary school students. The study data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression.

Results: No relationship was found between the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) score of the student sample and the mean total HBS and subdimension values (p > 0.05). It was noted that positive hygiene behaviors decreased as the scale score increased. Students with retired mothers scored …

What Policy Combinations Worked?: The Effect Of Policy Packages On Bank Lending During Covid-19, Divya Kirti, Maria Soledad Martinez Peria, Prachi Mishra, Jan Strasky

Journal of Financial Crises

In response to COVID-19, countries frequently adopted multiple types of policies to address the economic and financial effects of the pandemic. This paper analyzes the impact on bank lending of combinations or packages of policies (fiscal, monetary, and prudential) adopted across a broad sample of countries. Using a comprehensive policy announcement–level dataset together with bank-level information, we find that lending grew faster at banks in countries that announced large packages combining fiscal, monetary, and prudential measures (“all-out” packages), especially when uncertainty was high. Both the scope and size of policy packages were important: packages combining all three types of policies, …

Trajectory Of Tinnitus Distress Across The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Self-Reported Symptoms, Anusha Yellamsetty, Mika Shin

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate retrospectively self-reported changes in tinnitus severity and distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination using validated self-report instruments. It further explored patient-reported onset of tinnitus following vaccination, gender differences in symptom severity, and associations with psychological distress. Method: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 189 adults between December 2023 and April 2024. Participants retrospectively self-reported tinnitus onset and severity before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ). Additional items assessed COVID-19 vaccination history, infection status, and adverse vaccine reactions. Repeated measures …

Day-Night Shifts In Water-Soluble Ions Of Size-Resolved Aerosols Before And After The Covid-19 Lockdown In A Coastal Megacity: Metro Manila, Philippines, Grace Betito, Paola Angela Bañaga, Rachel A. Braun, Maria Obiminda Cambaliza, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, Alexander B. Macdonald, James Bernard Simpas, Connor Stahl, Armin Sooroshian

SOSE Affiliate: Manila Observatory

The COVID-19 pandemic-driven lockdowns offer a unique opportunity to examine how reductions in anthropogenic emissions impacted atmospheric aerosol composition in urban environments. This study investigates the day-night variability of size-resolved water-soluble ions in ambient particulate matter (PM) collected in Metro Manila before (November 2019–February 2020) and after (November 2020–February 2021) lockdown implementation. Using tandem Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactors (MOUDIs), aerosol samples were collected during daytime (06:00–18:00) and nighttime (18:00–06:00) periods and analyzed for key ionic species (sulfate, ammonium, nitrate, oxalate, sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium) via ion chromatography. Submicrometer water-soluble mass declined post-lockdown, particularly during daytime, reflecting suppressed secondary formation …

Pharmacist Quality Of Work-Life During Covid-19 Pandemic In Cagayan De Oro, Junnin Gay Labrigas Garay, Rugine Riel D. Barsobia, Zoe Kyra Evasco, Bonnie Louise Elorde

Pacific Journal of Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists have been one of the most accessible healthcare workers working in the frontline providing the medication and drug needs of patients. Their roles and responsibilities in work expanded and to some redefined as the pandemic hit. Adjustments in their work, and workplaces were also implemented in adherence to the pandemic situation. The quality of work life of frontline pharmacists were affected because of the changes brought by the pandemic. A descriptive qualitative study design was used to determine the pharmacist’s quality of work-life during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cagayan de Oro City. The place was …

Strain-Specific Variability In Viral Kinetics, Cytokine Response, And Cellular Damage In Air-Liquid Cultures Of Human Nasal Organoids After Infection With Sars-Cov-2, Gina M Aloisio, Trevor J Mcbride, Letisha Aideyan, Emily M Schultz, Ashley M Murray, Anubama Rajan, Erin G Nicholson, David Henke, Laura Ferlic-Stark, Amal Kambal, Hannah L Johnson, Elina A Mosa, Fabio Stossi, Sarah E Blutt, Pedro A Piedra, Vasanthi Avadhanula

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

SARS-CoV-2 variants have demonstrated distinct epidemiological patterns and clinical presentations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding variant-specific differences at the respiratory epithelium is crucial for understanding their pathogenesis. Here, we utilized human nasal organoid air-liquid interface (HNO-ALI) cell cultures to compare the viral replication kinetics, innate immune response, and epithelial damage of six different strains of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.2, WA, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron). All variants replicated efficiently in HNO-ALIs, but with distinct replication kinetic patterns. The Delta variant exhibited delayed replication kinetics, achieving a steady state at 6 days post-infection compared to 3 days for other variants. Cytokine analysis revealed …

Religious Festivals In The Age Of ‘Lockdown’ And ‘Social Distancing’: A Comparative Study Of Easter, Eid, Passover, Rama Navami, And Vaisakhi., Irfan Raja, Rev. Ruth Dowson, Abdul Basit Shaikh, Ivan Cohen, Nasser N. Alotaibi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious practices can conjure distinctive ideas and images for different groups of people, especially religious festivals, which are signs of congregations, celebrations, and contentment, usually to mark the completion of religious obligations. All major religions celebrate notable festivals to mark important events and religious obligations that bring together followers of that faith. The year 2020 will be remembered as unique in the history of all faiths. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, governments across the world announced compulsory measures such as ‘social distancing’ and ‘lockdown’ to avoid the spread of Coronavirus. Thus, all major religions either cancelled or reduced …

Assessing Spatial Variability In Observed Infectious Disease Spread In A Prospective Time-Space Series, Chih-Chieh Wu, Chien-Hsiun Chen, Shann-Rong Wang, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Most of the growing prospective analytic methods in space-time disease surveillance and intended functions of disease surveillance systems focus on earlier detection of disease outbreaks, disease clusters, or increased incidence. The spread of the virus such as SARS-CoV-2 has not been spatially and temporally uniform in an outbreak. With the identification of an infectious disease outbreak, recognizing and evaluating anomalies (excess and decline) of disease incidence spread at the time of occurrence during the course of an outbreak is a logical next step. We propose and formulate a hypergeometric probability model that investigates anomalies of infectious disease incidence spread at …

Gendered Disabilities Project Report, Enaya Othman

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

This report presents our yearly progress in the third year of the Gendered Disabilities Project that aims to collect data and create a digital database on the experiences of Muslim women as people with disability or caretakers, including their access to healthcare services. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has influenced the structure of our research and has strong implications for our research topic, we have integrated the issue into our themes. Meanwhile, we adapted our methodology to the measures and thus conducted the interviews virtually. The remainder of this report first focuses on the integration of COVID19 …

The Impact Of The Pandemic On Religious Practices: Data Analysis From Responses By Muslim And Arab Christian Participants, Irfan A. Omar

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

The following is a brief qualitative analysis based on interviews data and focusing on select questions regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 and the disruption in religious services. The data examined for this report includes responses from over twenty men and women (most of them were women) concerning how (and if) they were impacted by the challenges in practicing their faith. Interviewees were overwhelmingly Muslim but there were also some who identified themselves as Christian. Most of them came from immigrant background.

Leadership In Higher Education Instructional Design, Shihua Brazill, Travis N. Thurston, Pat Munday

Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Articles

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Quality Of Life, Anxiety, Connections To Friends, And Access To Resources Among People With Hiv: Using The Social Ecological Model, Carol Dawson-Rose, Christine Davey, Emily Huang, Laura Cox, Phillips Craig, Motshedisi Sabone, Lufuno Makhado, Emilia Iwu, Kathleen Fitch, Sheila Shaibu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mitigation efforts on health and social outcomes for people with HIV at the individual, social, and structural levels of the Social Ecological Model. The International Nursing Network for HIV collected data for a cross-sectional survey of people with HIV in Botswana, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States from August 2021 through June 2023. Among 1,400 participants, 47.5% experienced decreased quality of life, 40.9% experienced increased anxiety, 33.0% had reduced connection with friends, and 38.8% had …

From Paper To Pixels: How Covid-19 Changed Teachers’ Perspectives Toward Technology, Nora Knight

Honors Theses

As schools transitioned to virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers faced numerous instructional, technological, and emotional challenges. The purpose of this research study is to explore how K-5 elementary school teachers navigated the transition to remote instruction during all stages of the pandemic. Additionally, it examines teachers’ perspectives on technology integration in their classrooms throughout COVID-19, focusing on their preparedness, confidence, and instructional decision-making as they adapted to online teaching. A mixed-methods survey was distributed to 108 elementary school teachers in Madison County, Kentucky. The results revealed educators’ feelings and experiences with educational technology before, during, and after the …

Psychological Impact And Severity Condition During The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic Among The General Population In Iraq, Kawthar Nassir, Zainab Qasim, Nesif Al-Hemiary, Zahraa Al Nedawi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: the COVID-19 pandemic is a global healthcare crisis that impacts multiple body systems and is linked to various psychiatric issues.Objective: this study aims to assess psychological symptoms, sleep disturbances, and insomnia associated with infection by covid-19, examining the severity of these symptoms based on the perceived threat of infection. Patients and Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study of a convenient sample of patients, involved collecting medical data by distributing questionnaires under a psychiatrist’s supervision. The data included demographics, co-morbidities, disease severity, psychological measurements, treatment response, and prognosis. The questionnaires incorporated the Anxiety and Stress Scale, along with the Impact of …

Violence Of Husbands Against Reproductive Age Wives During Covid-19 Pandemic, Zainab Aljoori, Mushtaq Hashim

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in domestic violence, affecting women's physical and mental health through direct and indirect means. A history of violence can increase the risk of various diseases, and severe abuse can persist even after the violence ceases.MethodsA cross-sectional web-based survey that included 500 women calculated according to Roasoft calculator based on previously published Iraqi studies , it was convenience sampling and was conducted between June and September among 15-49 year old Iraqi women, recruited via social media platforms, and completed until a sample size of 500 forms was collected.ResultsThe study found that psychological violence …

Tort Immunity Waiver For Vaccine Injuries: Ethical And Legal Perspectives, Tammy W. Cowart, Gregory L. Bock

Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, and Business-Law Faculty Publications and Presentations

The COVID pandemic highlighted the importance of vaccine development and availability worldwide. Operation Warp-Speed in the United States accelerated vaccine production by several major pharmaceutical manufacturers, averting some of the normal administrative processes. The result has been a financial windfall for those companies. Some recent data has shown that the COVID vaccine can cause negative side effects in some patients. There are provisions in U.S. law that allow victims of vaccine injuries to recover compensation through the court system. However, even then tort remedies are limited by federal law. Since the review process was rushed during the pandemic, should tort …

Hap-Covid: Hybrid Model Integrating Machine Learning And Neutrosophic Statistics To Estimate Mortality Risk In Covid-19 Comorbid Patients, Daniel Iturburu-Salvador, Lorenzo Cevallos-Torres, Rosangela Caicedo-Quiroz, Irma Naranjo-Peña, Rosa Hernández-Magallanes, Rosa Gonzáles-Quiñones

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This study aims to utilize a hybrid predictive model to evaluate the mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities. It is challenging to make clinical decisions while dealing with SARS-CoV-2 because of the high death rate related to chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), renal failure, heart disease, and cancer. To overcome this obstacle, a Monte Carlo algorithm-based simulated database was created, with clinical variables represented by Bernoulli and truncated normal distributions. Several prediction models, including Decision Trees, Naive Bayes, and Neutrosophic Statistics, were trained using this database. While the neutrosophic model permitted risk categorization …

Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Messaging In Emergency Departments: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial, Melanie F Molina, Stephanie A Eucker, Kristin L Rising, Efrat R Kean, Zubaid Rafique, Heba Mesbah, David V Glidden, Mireya I Arreguin, Christopher Alvarez, Robert M Rodriguez

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Patient uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for reducing severe outcomes, yet national uptake remains low.

Objective: To determine if tailored messaging or simple inquiry about vaccine acceptance increases 30-day uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines among emergency department (ED) patients.

Design, setting, and participants: This 3-arm, cluster randomized clinical trial conducted from January 29 to June 18, 2024, enrolled adult ED patients who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the prior 6 months across 6 EDs in San Francisco, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and Durham, North Carolina.

Interventions: Intervention M involved tailored messaging about updated COVID-19 …

To Mask, Or Not To Mask: An Exploratory Examination Of Factors That Predict Changes In Mask Wearing Over The Pandemic In College Students, Zach J. Gray, Hannah M. Henderson, Grant S. Shields

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted society for years. Much evidence shows face masks reduced the spread of the virus; nonetheless, many individuals stopped wearing masks before recommendations (or even mandates) for their use ended. Although predictors of mask wearing have been explored, this preregistered, exploratory study was the first to examine psychological predictors of changes in mask wearing over the course of the pandemic. In particular, we examined a number of potential predictors (e.g., Big Five personality traits, risk taking, etc.) of changes in self-reported mask wearing from March 2020 to August 2021-March 2022 in a sample (N = 357) of …

Changes In Antiviral Prescribing For Children With Influenza In Us Emergency Departments., Tess Stopczynski, Olla Hamdan, Justin Z. Amarin, James W. Antoon, Laura S. Stewart, Haya Hayek, James Chappell, Andrew J. Spieker, Eileen J. Klein, Janet A. Englund, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, Peter G. Szilagyi, John V. Williams, Marian G. Michaels, Julie A. Boom, Leila C. Sahni, Mary Allen Staat, Elizabeth P. Schlaudecker, Jennifer E. Schuster, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Ayzsa Tannis, Heidi L. Moline, Samantha M. Olson, Natasha B. Halasa

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

IMPORTANCE: Despite national recommendations, antiviral prescribing in emergency departments (EDs) for children at higher risk of severe influenza, such as those younger than 5 years and those with specific underlying conditions, remains low.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there were changes in antiviral prescribing for children at higher risk of severe influenza in academic pediatric EDs before the COVID-19 pandemic (2016-2020) vs the late pandemic period (2021-2023).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, cross-sectional study included influenza-positive children younger than 18 years presenting to the ED at 1 of 7 US pediatric academic hospitals participating in the Centers for Disease Control …

Scottish Workers’ Stories Of Life And Labour During Covid-19 From The Workers’ Stories Project, Hailey Maxwell, Ruth Gilbert, Suki Sangha, Ewan Gibbs

Studies in Scottish Literature

This article explores how Scottish workers narrated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their life and work, by analysing 55 fifty-five submissions to the Workers' Stories Project. Between 2020 and 2022, the project creative reflections on the pandemic from workers across Scotland, drawing on the tradition of workers' inquiry and workers' education that encouraged critical reflection and the embrace of worker creativity. Submissions were overwhelmingly literary in form, primarily short prose supplemented by poetry, with three key themes emerging: intimacy and alienation; insecurity and status; and a slower living pace. Cumulatively, the stories underline how COVID-19 magnified workplace injustices …

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Covid-19 Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Eq-5d Studies, Kidu Gidey, Yirga Legesse Niriayo, Solomon Weldegebreal Asgedom, Erica I. Lubetkin

Publications and Research

Background

COVID-19 has affected millions globally, with a significant proportion experiencing long-COVID and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the existing literature on HRQoL in COVID-19 patients.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between December 2019 and March 2025. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed and assessed HRQoL in COVID-19 patients using the EQ-5D instrument. Study quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled health utility values were estimated using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity was …

Bridging The Rural Telehealth Divide, Deborah Farringer

Law Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the historical development, regulatory landscape, and post-pandemic future of telehealth in the United States, with a particular focus on its original purpose: improving access to care for rural populations. Although Congress first authorized Medicare reimbursement for telehealth in 1997 to alleviate rural health disparities, federal and state regulatory frameworks—especially restrictions on originating sites, licensure rules, and HIPAA-driven technology requirements—significantly limited adoption for more than two decades. The COVID-19 public health emergency triggered sweeping temporary waivers that removed geographic limitations, permitted the use of common communication technologies, liberalized supervision and prescribing rules, and allowed audio-only encounters. These changes …

Multilateral Organizations And Health Emergency Management During Crisis: The Case Study Of The World Health Organization During Covid-19 Pandemic, Aya Helmy Hamada

Theses and Dissertations

Multilateral organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), play a key role in managing health emergencies during crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO achieved significant progress by supporting countries with technical assistance, guidelines, and essential resources. As well as providing technical guidance, sharing information, and coordinating among member states. This experience highlighted the importance of WHO in tackling global public health problems and showed how multilateral collaboration can help address complex challenges. Moreover, risk and crisis communication proved to be a critical part of WHO’s response, ensuring that clear and timely information reached the public and stakeholders. Despite these …

Multi-Period Risk-Aware Procurement Optimization Under Covid-19 Disruption, Jonathan Chase, Hoong Chuin Lau, Jinfeng Yang, Lu Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Supply chain resilience has been a topic of active research in the operations research and AI communities for several years, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw the frailties of global supply chains into sharp relief. Disruptions and delays caused by fresh outbreaks leading to lockdowns, put severe strain on supply chains in many industries. In this work we develop lockdown-resilient procurement capabilities for a global technology company. First, through analysis of lockdown data from China we develop a logarithmic regression-based lockdown prediction method to complement a supplier risk metric for conventional risks. Second, we develop a multi-period stochastic optimization model that …