Digital Commons Network^™

Proximity And Parental Interaction: Examining The Relationship Between Proximity Data And Mother-Infant Interaction Among Mothers With And Without Depression, Paige Farrenkopf

Public Health Theses

Background: There is a lack of data on response behaviors among young mothers in low- and middle-income countries. Emerging passive sensing technology has been increasingly allowing researchers to collect this type of day-to-day behavioral data.

Methods: We administered PHQ-9 depression surveys and the Observation of Maternal-Child Interaction (OMCI) measure to young mothers between the ages of 15-25 in the Chitwan region of Nepal, and conducted key informant interviews with all mothers selected for participation.

Results: Among 54 mother-infant dyads, we found that there was no statistically significant correlation between maternal responsiveness and proximity. When we stratified participant groups by depression …

The Gap Between Attitude And Action: A Mixed Methods Study Of Sexual Self-Stigma As A Predictor Of Consent Behavior, Hannah Carolyn Gorman

Public Health Theses

Introduction: More than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience some type of sexual violence in their lifetimes (NISVS | CDC, 2021). While a significant body of research exists on predictors of reporting behavior after sexual assault victimization, far less research has attended to factors that may contribute to perpetration, such as sexual self-concept. The current study investigates sexual self-concept and its relationship to health behavior and notions of sexual consent in a college student sample. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 160 Yale undergraduates 18 years or older with approval from the Yale …

Landlord-Tenant Relationships And The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration Of Landlord Power And The Eviction Moratorium, Anna Grazyna Kapolka

Public Health Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an economic crisis as well as a public health crisis. The United States experienced the highest unemployment rates in its recorded history, exacerbating the pre-existing affordable housing crisis. Anticipating the impending wave of evictions, policymakers included a ban on evictions in the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, known as the eviction moratorium. When the CARES Act moratorium expired, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered a temporary halt on evictions that was extended several times until August 26, 2021, and many states and localities passed their own eviction moratoria policies. …

Exploring Climate Policy And Health Perspectives In Samoa: A Mixed Methods Study, Erika-Ann Fumiko Kim

Public Health Theses

Background: Greenhouse gas emissions have driven human-induced climate change, bringing several impacts to small island nations in the Pacific. Samoa, a small island developing state located in the south Pacific Ocean, is at disproportionate risk from impacts of climate change such as rising surface temperatures, rising sea levels, increases in frequency and degree of heavy precipitation events, and increases in the frequency of droughts. Simultaneously, Samoan populations possess a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. For multiple decades, the Government of Samoa has framed climate change as a key issue that threatens the lives, …

Oiremos: The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Holistic Health Curriculum For A Hispanic Youth Enrichment Program, Margaret Cavendish Kellogg

Public Health Theses

In the spring of 2021, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to exacerbate health inequities and virtual learning dragged on, I developed and implemented an educational health-promotion intervention for a small group of Hispanic youth in collaboration with a New Haven Latinx social services non-profit, Junta for Progressive Action. The bilingual, culturally-responsive health curriculum wove together engaging activities related to physical, emotional, mental, social, and community health, promoting participants’ socio-emotional learning and equipping them with destigmatizing vocabulary and skills they could use to advocate for their needs. The curriculum was grounded in social and behavioral theories and was informed by participants’ …

Patient Experience During The Covid-19 Pandemic At Smilow Cancer Hospital At Yale-New Haven, Danielle Marie Kline

Public Health Theses

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined many elective, as well as non-elective, procedures designed to improve patients’ care experience. Oncology patients are at higher risk of developing and dying from COVID-19 and experience greater difficulties accessing and affording healthcare, compared to patients without cancer.

Objective: To explore the trends in patient experience of outpatient oncology patients in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We utilized the additional comments section of the Press Ganey survey to ask respondents (n=12,514) about their experiences utilizing care. The survey was administered after each patient visit and analyzed quarterly from January 2020 to February 2021: …

The Politics Of Sexuality Education Policy In Texas, Caroline Alexandra Magee

Public Health Theses

This thesis applies social science research, historical and cultural analysis, and legislative review to understand the relationship between Texas’s school-based sexuality education policies and public health and, in so doing, lay the groundwork for policy change that will better promote sexual and reproductive health, health equity, and health justice in Texas. The thesis first situates Texas state-level sexuality education policy within a larger US political, historical, and legal context, highlighting the key roles of race, class, gender, and sexuality stereotypes and of “morality politics.” It then examines the political history of Texas sexuality education debates within this national context, revealing …

A National Assessment Of Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Cleft Lip Repair, Connor J. Peck

Public Health Theses

AbstractPurpose: This study examined the impact of patient race/ethnicity on the likelihood of experiencing delays to surgery, post-operative surgical complications, and prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) following primary cleft lip (CL) repair. Methods: Patients who underwent CL repair were identified in the 2006-2012 Kids’ Inpatient Database. Primary outcomes were defined as treatment after 6-months-old, presence of any surgical complication, LOS >1 day, and total hospital charges. Multivariable analyses were performed to adjust for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics that might account for differences in outcomes. Results: There were 5927 eligible patients with cleft lip: 3724 White, 279 Black, 1316 Hispanic, …

Evaluation Plan For A Mortality Surveillance System In Northwest Syria, Hanna Peterson

Public Health Theses

AbstractIntroduction: Cause-specific population mortality data is one of the most useful metrics used to monitor and evaluate the severity of a crisis. However, the unique context of fragile and protracted armed conflicts creates obstacles for establishing a mortality surveillance system. When CRVS are not feasible, VA can be used to generate high-quality mortality rate estimates. There is currently little documentation of implementation and evaluation of mortality surveillance systems in conflict settings, and guidance for both is extremely limited. This thesis aims to contribute to these two knowledge gaps by providing an evaluation plan for a mortality surveillance system in Northwest …

Exploring Learning Experiences Of Students In An Experiential Community Health Practice Course, Christine Nhu Pham

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Students in their first and second year of their Master of Public Health (MPH) programs worked in teams to collaborate with and assist local community partners in developing solutions to problems immediately relevant to local community health organizations. The course’s unique emphasis on co-generation of knowledge between students and community partners aimed to develop students’ practical skills relevant to working in practice-based community public health agencies as well as enhance their research skills as community-engaged academics. This study aims to identify lessons learned and key elements of the course that were most impactful on students’ learning experiences.Methods: Students were …

The Behavioral Immune System: A Public Health Perspective: How Our Partisan Perceptions Of Sickness Influenced Population Health During The Pandemic, Senyte Pierce

Public Health Theses

Researchers propose that people have a disease-avoidance mechanism called thebehavioral immune system, which is intended to identify and prevent possible interactions with harmful infections. This thesis is intended to explain this phenomenon, one well researched in the fields of behavioral and evolutionary psychology, to public health professionals, who can use its hypothesized components to understand better how to support population health and wellbeing. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic will serve as a case study to understand the limitations of the BIS as it relates to socio-cultural events and personal political identification. The behavioral immune system keeps individuals healthy by monitoring …

Navigating A Patchwork Maze: Individuals’ Experience Of Administrative Burden When Accessing Homeless Assistance Services, Leah Robinson

Public Health Theses

Despite significant efforts to address the issue of homelessness in the United States over the past several decades, over 500,000 individuals still experience homelessness on any given night. A large portion of this persistent and high rate of homelessness can likely be attributed to the shortage of affordable housing options, the eviction crisis, and limited financial support for rental assistance found throughout the country. However, administrative burdens may also contribute to the high rate of homelessness being seen.Our study explores this question by examining 28 individuals’ experience of administrative burden when navigating the landscape of homeless assistance services in New …

Effects Of Depression And Discrimination During Pregnancy On Postpartum Healthcare Utilization Among Women In Detroit, Mi And Nashville, Tn, Janet A. Rojina

Public Health Theses

Objectives: This study seeks to document how both depression and discrimination during pregnancy may impact postpartum healthcare utilization (e.g. attendance of the 6-week postpartum appointment and maternal emergency room (ER) visits within 6 months after birth) among women in Detroit, MI and Nashville, TN. We also investigate how race may be associated in the relationship between depression during pregnancy and healthcare use. Methods: Descriptive, stratified, and logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) analyses were conducted using SAS 9.43. Data was drawn from the Expect with Me (EWM) study, a multisite prospective longitudinal matched-cohort that included 951 pregnant women from Detroit, MI …

Novel Applications Of Music And Digital Media In Global Health Intervention And Education Initiatives During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study Of Bts And Army, Mariko Fujimoto Rooks

Public Health Theses

The Korean musical group BTS (full name Bangtan Seoyeondan/방탄소년단) is one of the world’s most commercially and artistically successful entertainment acts. BTS is primarily known for their domination of both Western and Korean musical markets, impressive digital media presence, major role in supporting the South Korean economy, and highly mobilized 400,000 member fandom known as ARMY. BTS and their parent company HYBE’s artistic creation and marketing model has long focused on creating “Music and Artists for Healing,” or using music and various forms of primarily digital content to connect with and improve health outcomes for fans. In response, ARMY have …

Prescriptive Faith: Carceral Health Beyond The Prison Walls, Shamar S. Smalls

Public Health Theses

Individuals who are exposed to the carceral system—specifically, solitary confinement are uniquely vulnerable to psychological and physical health conditions. However, the relationship between solitary confinement and physical health conditions are relatively underexamined, compared to mental health disorders. This analysis examines the potential for a risks’ association between solitary confinement and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Additionally, this study examines the relationship between spirituality as a self-efficacious coping measure for health-related outcomes. A cross-sectional analysis of 302 survey participants with a prior history of incarceration in a housing study (New Haven, CT) with a prior history of incarceration from Fall 2017 – …

Using A Dynamic Model To Assess Maintenance Of Deer Tick Virus Via Horizontal Transmission In Ixodes Scapularis Populations, Hannah Jane Sproch

Public Health Theses

IntroductionDeer Tick Virus—a lineage of Powassan Virus—is an emerging tick-borne flavivirus associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although DTV infection is rare, there has been an observed increase in the number of human cases in recent decades, necessitating more public health attention. Ixodes scapularis ticks are known to be the primary vector of DTV. However, the enzootic cycle has yet to be fully characterized and there is evidence that horizontal transmission alone may be insufficient for DTV maintenance; it is hypothesized that vertical and co-feeding transmission are also necessary for sustained transmission.

MethodsA dynamic model was developed to …

Occupational And Socioeconomic Risk Factors Of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Rongcan Sun

Public Health Theses

Hazardous noise (>85 dBA) is among the most common occupational exposures and responsible for the majority of noise-induced hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss impacts many aspects of a person’s life, including workplace safety, daily routine, economic consequences, and quality of life. However, studies on the relationship between occupational noise exposure and hearing loss were usually done in specific industries rather than the general population. In addition, studies focused on associations between socioeconomic factors and hearing loss rarely take the type of occupation into consideration. In this study, we aim to evaluate both occupational noise exposure and socioeconomic status as …

Nutrition And Hookworm Infection: A Causal Analysis Of The Literature, Mengting Su

Public Health Theses

Hookworm infection is one of the neglected tropical diseases, particularly in low and middle-income countries, but we know relatively little about causal evidence related to malnutrition. This is mainly due to the relatively small research community compared to those investigating the impact of hookworm infection on host nutritional status and disease complications. Causal inference is critical in epidemiology and biomedical research because it can be a powerful tool in enlightening prevention efforts and developing etiology models. The application of causal criteria to address complex epidemiological research questions is indeed helpful in proposing more interventions to improve the health and well-being …

“We Just Need Help”: A Qualitative Study On Information Channels And Knowledge Gaps On Eviction Resources During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kalla Maxine Pascual Sy

Public Health Theses

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic led to record levels of mass unemployment and wage losses in the United States, placing numerous households at greater risk of housing insecurity. Government bodies and non-profit organizations have responded accordingly by enacting eviction moratorium protections and rental assistance programs to help households in need. However, knowledge gaps pose challenges to successful uptake of eviction moratorium policies and rental assistance programs during the pandemic. Very little is known about tenants’ experience navigating eviction moratorium policies and assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and any knowledge gaps that arose.

ObjectivesTo examine the channels of information for eviction-related resources …

Association Between Household Chaos And Childhood Overweight-Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Young Samoan Children, Ruiyan Michelle Wang

Public Health Theses

AbstractObjective: Household chaos – sustained disorganization, disorder, and hurriedness in the home setting – has been shown to be associated with a variety of adverse health effects for children. The present study examines the relationship of household chaos with childhood overweight and obesity among Samoan children aged 5 to 12 years. Additionally, the present study explores characteristics of the home environment that may be captured by the household chaos measure. Methods: This analysis uses data from the third wave (2019-2020) of data collection in the Ola Tuputupua’e cohort study. Height and weight were used to construct the childhood overweight/obesity outcome …

Operationalizing The Unesco Universal Declaration On Bioethics And Human Rights Through A Trans-Cultural Lens: A Qualitative Study With Students In South Korea And The United States, Francis Yang

Public Health Theses

The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR) was a well-intentioned but controversial document. Some scholars appreciated UNESCO’s attempts at providing an internationally recognized set of ethical guidelines. Other critics maintained the UDBHR, in particular Article 12, was yet another representation of Western ideological hegemony and an ill-informed attempt at embracing universality at the expense of diversity. This paper acknowledged this debate but approaches the UDBHR in trans-cultural manner, framing the UDBHR not as an imposing guideline, but as a seed around which dialogue can coalesce. Such dialogue might engage similarities, differences, and nuances between different ethical perspectives, …

The Cartulary Of Prémontré: People, Places, And Networks From Medieval To Digital, Yvonne Seale, Heather Wacha

History

The cartulary of the northern French abbey of Prémontré was produced in the mid-thirteenth century, and preserves acts dating mostly from the 1120s to 1230s, with some later additions. Although the abbey of Prémontré was the mother house of a prominent monastic order, and despite the relative abundance of its documentary record, that source base has been comparatively little studied. In this article, we discuss the process of undertaking the first full edition of this manuscript, some preliminary findings, and the scope that new digital technologies might afford in future prosopographical studies of the cartulary.

Security Concerns On Machine Learning Solutions For 6g Networks In Mmwave Beam Prediction, Ferhat Ozgur Catak, Murat Kuzlu, Evren Catak, Umit Cali, Devrim Unal

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

6G – sixth generation – is the latest cellular technology currently under development for wireless communication systems. In recent years, machine learning (ML) algorithms have been applied widely in various fields, such as healthcare, transportation, energy, autonomous cars, and many more. Those algorithms have also been used in communication technologies to improve the system performance in terms of frequency spectrum usage, latency, and security. With the rapid developments of ML techniques, especially deep learning (DL), it is critical to consider the security concern when applying the algorithms. While ML algorithms offer significant advantages for 6G networks, security concerns on artificial …

Bfv-Based Homomorphic Encryption For Privacy-Preserving Cnn Models, Febrianti Wibawa, Ferhat Ozgur Catak, Salih Sarp, Murat Kuzlu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Medical data is frequently quite sensitive in terms of data privacy and security. Federated learning has been used to increase the privacy and security of medical data, which is a sort of machine learning technique. The training data is disseminated across numerous machines in federated learning, and the learning process is collaborative. There are numerous privacy attacks on deep learning (DL) models that attackers can use to obtain sensitive information. As a result, the DL model should be safeguarded from adversarial attacks, particularly in medical data applications. Homomorphic encryption-based model security from the adversarial collaborator is one of the answers …

Experiences During The Implementation Of Two Different Project-Based Learning Assignments In A Fluid Mechanics Course., Orlando Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Francisco Cima, Julia Noginova, Min Jung Lee, Stacie Ringleb, Pilar Pazos, Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence of the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) in preparing students to solve complex problems. In PBL implementations in engineering, students are treated as professional engineers facing projects centered around real-world problems, including the complexity and uncertainty that influence such problems. Not only does this help students to analyze and solve an authentic real-world task, promoting critical thinking, but also students learn from each other, learning valuable communication and teamwork skills. Faculty play an important part by assuming non-conventional roles (e.g., client, senior professional engineer, consultant) to help students throughout this instructional and learning approach. Typically in …

Defensive Distillation-Based Adversarial Attack Mitigation Method For Channel Estimation Using Deep Learning Models In Next-Generation Wireless Networks, Ferhat Ozgur Catak, Murat Kuzlu, Evren Catak, Umit Cali, Ozgur Guler

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Future wireless networks (5G and beyond), also known as Next Generation or NextG, are the vision of forthcoming cellular systems, connecting billions of devices and people together. In the last decades, cellular networks have dramatically grown with advanced telecommunication technologies for high-speed data transmission, high cell capacity, and low latency. The main goal of those technologies is to support a wide range of new applications, such as virtual reality, metaverse, telehealth, online education, autonomous and flying vehicles, smart cities, smart grids, advanced manufacturing, and many more. The key motivation of NextG networks is to meet the high demand for those …

Development Of Experiential Learning Experiences For K-12 Students Focusing On Smart Cities, Murat Kuzlu, Vukica Jovanovic, Nathan Puryear, Patrick J. Martin, Sherif Abdelwahed, Özgür Güler

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The main objective of this paper is to describe a project focused on the development of experiential learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students focusing on smart cities. The future workforce needs students with various data analytics skills, service reliability, and sustainability. The team of researchers from Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University is developing a virtual smart city lab environment at both universities and collaborating on multiple research projects. The main purpose of this virtual labs is to provide a testbed that can be used for students who are interested in careers related to cyber-physical systems (CPS). These …

Volume 34 - The Future Of The Planet Earth: Multilateral Conversation—From Africa To The World, The Ecumencial Association Of Nigerian Theologians

Bulletin of Ecumenical Theology

Volume 34 of The Bulletin of Ecumenical Theology is available for purchase by contacting Dr. Peter Osuji at Duquesne University. After two years, issues are made freely available through the Duquesne Scholarship Collection.

Editorial (p.5)

Ecological Issues and Protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Roger Vanzila Munsi (p.6)

The Role of Christian Church in Earth-Care Today: Contributions of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, 1965 to 2022, Emmanuel Abbey-Quaye (p.42)

Recent Hindu and Buddhist Approaches to Climate Change: In Dialogue with Pope Francis, Daniel Scheid (p.68)

Towards Ecological Places in the Democratic Republic Of Congo, Richard M. Tambwe (p.85)

Befriending …

The Perception Of Partner’S Pornography Use As A Betrayal: The Role Of Trust, Investment, Commitment, And Forgiveness, Vi Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of relationship factors (e.g., trust, investment, and commitment) and forgiveness in the perception of partner pornography use as a betrayal. It was hypothesized that relationship factors and forgiveness would be significantly related to pornography distress, betrayal intensity, and depression. Participants were recruited from three sources: students from an urban university in the Northeast through an online platform called SONA (N = 13), social media sites (i.e., Facebook and Reddit, N = 1105), and through the snowballing technique (N = 49). The final sample size after the data cleaning procedure was …

Satirical Dissent: The Subversive Messaging Of Ad Reinhardt’S 1946 And 1961 Art Comics How To Look At Modern Art In America, Julie A. Schumacher

Dissertations and Theses

Through a close analysis of Ad Reinhard's 1946 and 1961 art comics "How to Look at Modern Art in America,” examined in the context of their times, this paper will argue that Reinhardt’s idealist view and involvement with abstraction, as he saw it in its “purest” form, was intrinsically formed and shaped by his Marxist anticapitalistic perspectives in response to his concurrent time. When these works are examined through the lens of Reinhard’s socialist politics, a parallel narrative surfaces where “pictures artists” also signifies capitalism and its capacity to harmonize and contaminate.