Digital Commons Network^™

Clutter And Control: A Regional Analysis Of The Effect Of Decluttering, Zachary Henry Ellis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The Covid pandemic impacted the whole nation, with 72% of Americans reported disruption in their everyday lives, and 45% of Americans reported negative health impacts in response to the pandemic (Kirzinger et al. 2020). However, there are some populations of citizens that are more vulnerable to the negative mental health effects of the pandemic (Czeisler et al. 2020). Fear and psychological reactance, triggered when individuals feel their freedoms are threatened, surged during the pandemic (Taylor and Asmundson, 2021; Wortman & Brehm, 1975). Yet, little research explores how decluttering projects affect this behavior.

The current study explored the impact of successful …

Political Polarization Harms Public Health, Shana Kushner Gadarian, Jay Van Bavel, Kai Ruggeri, Eric Knowles

Population Health Research Brief Series

Political polarization poses considerable risks to well-being. Both ideological polarization (“extremification” of policy positions and ideological orientations) and affective polarization (out-party hate) have increased over the past several decades with detrimental effects on public health. This brief summarizes the impacts of political polarization on public health in the U.S., highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study on the health risks of polarization. The authors show that, in the United States, one of the strongest predictors of COVID-19 prevention behaviors, such as social distancing and vaccination, was political partisanship. Gaps in these behaviors between Republicans and Democrats increased over the …

The Mediating Effect Of Recognizing Racism And Biases Within The Workplace: Cross-Race Friendships And Allyship Behaviors, Amber Kaiser

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In this study, engagement in allyship behaviors were tested in a sample of part- and full-time workers that worked either in a fully in-person or hybrid work environment. Participants (N = 271) responded to an online survey. Drawing on friendship and intergroup contact theories, the effect of cross-race friendships on allyship behaviors was tested. Recognition of racism and biases was proposed as the distinct candidate mediator in this relationship. All constructs consisted of individual measures, each tested through a series of linear regressions and multiple mediation models. Specifically, cross-race friendships included close cross-race friendship and cross-race friendship behaviors; recognition …

The Influence Of Sociodemographic, Tobacco Use, And Mental Health Characteristics On Treatment Adherence Among Adults Enrolled In A Community-Based Tobacco Cessation Program, Motolani E. Ogunsanya, Summer G. Frank-Pearce, Sixia Chen, Munjireen Sifat, Amy M. Cohn, Michael S. Businelle, Darla E. Kendzor

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While counseling and pharmacological interventions are known to facilitate smoking cessation, poor adherence can impact their effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to identify personal and clinical factors that influenced adherence to smoking cessation treatment among socioeconomically disadvantaged adult Oklahomans enrolled in a publicly available tobacco treatment program and observational research study.

METHODS: Adult participants (N = 442) were enrolled in a community-based tobacco treatment program. Logistic regression models identified sociodemographic, mental health, and substance use characteristics associated with treatment adherence. Adherence was measured by counseling session attendance and weeks of moderate/high medication adherence assessed via the Medication …

The Recreational Value Of Birding And Crane Abundance, Richard T. Melstrom, Alex Nielsen, Carson Reeling

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

We estimate the economic value of birding, which is an important ecosystem service produced by bird populations in recreation areas. Our research identifies the link between values and species richness as well as the abundance of the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis), which migrates each year through our study area. Sandhill crane stopovers at state and federal wildlife areas can attract many birders. We estimate this nonmarket value using the zonal travel cost method and data from the eBird project on wildlife areas in Indiana. We compare crane counts based on eBird with those from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources …

“Who Am I?”: Novice Teachers Making Meaning Of Their Intersectional Teacher Identity, Kerrijo E. Ellis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how marginalized and/or minoritized novice teachers make meaning of their teacher identity. An integrated theoretical framework informed this study using Hong et al.’s (2024) conceptualization of teacher identity, Crenshaw’s (1989) intersectionality, and Collins & Bilge’s (2020) definition of intersectionality. Utilizing the photovoice methodology, four focus groups were conducted with a purposeful sample of five novice teachers who identified as marginalized (i.e., gender, disability, LGBTQIA+) and/or minoritized (i.e., ethnic and/or racial minority). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023), I identified three themes: (1) Why I Became a Teacher, which included …

Feminist Narrative Inquiry: Stories Of Five Young Adults Who Aged Out Of Florida Foster Care, Amy E. Nourie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are approximately 400,000 children in foster care in the United States and, each year, more than 20,000 reach the age of majority without achieving permanency, also known as aging out (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2022a). Research has consistently called attention to the negative effects of foster care on youth including issues relating to substance use, housing instability, educational obstacles, and mental health concerns (Forkey & Szilagyi, 2014; Sarri et al., 2016). These negative outcomes are often even more pronounced for young adults aging out of foster care and transitioning into adulthood (Haggman-Laitila et al., 2019). Despite the decades of …

Technology And Aging: Maintaining, Improving And Understanding Health And Wellness, Mitchell Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three academic papers followed by a chapter discussing the implications of the findings. This dissertation aims to better understand how technologies can promote older adults' (55 years or age or and older) desires to maintain, improve, and understand their health and wellness. The primary objective is to examine how three different technological modalities can inform proactive interventions at various life stages, aiming to promote healthy aging and alleviate age-related health issues by integrating disease prevention strategies within the Lifespan Theory of Aging.

Each academic paper came from an independent data source. The first paper used audio …

Mediator Kinase Inhibitors Suppress Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth And Extend Tumor Suppression By Mtor And Akt Inhibitors, Xiaokai Ding, Jiaxin Liang, Amanda C. Sharko, Thomas A. Hilimire, Jing Li, Jürgen Loskutov, Zachary T. Mack, Hao Ji, Gary P. Schools, Chao Cai, Elena N. Pugacheva, Mengqian Chen, Igor Roninson, Eugenia Broude

Faculty Publications

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are treated primarily by chemotherapy and lack clinically validated therapeutic targets. In particular, inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, abnormally activated in many breast cancers, failed to achieve clinical efficacy in TNBC due to the development of adaptive drug resistance, which is largely driven by the transcriptomic plasticity of TNBC. Expression of CDK8/19 Mediator kinases that control transcriptional reprogramming correlates with relapse-free survival and treatment failure in breast cancer patients, including TNBC. We now investigated how CDK8/19 inhibitors affect the growth of TNBC tumors and their response to mTOR and AKT inhibitors. In contrast to the effects …

Opera A La Carte: November 19, 2024, Dr. Justin Vickers, Al Oltmanns, Aerim Kim, Pepe Prados

School of Music Programs

kemp Recital Hall

November 19, 2024

11:00 a.m.

Pro-Environmental Organizational Climates: Implications For Employees, Organizations, And The Environment, Nicholas Carruth

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Psychological research on climate change often focuses on driving adaptive individual behaviors in nonspecific contexts. Focusing on contexts where group-level behavior emerges (e.g., workplaces) is likely to yield insights that affect more significant numbers of people, in turn, having a greater impact on the natural environment. This study, therefore, explored the implications of a new operationalization of pro-environmental work climate, Organizational Climate for Environmental Action (OCEA). Participants (N = 393) responded to an online survey. Pro-environmental climate was positively associated with employee pro-environmental behaviors at work and organizational commitment over and above several work characteristics. Pro-environmental climate also fully …

Childless Mothers: Lived Experiences Of Black Mothers Who Lost An Only Child, Arielle Jordan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study, grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, explores the experiences of Black mothers who have lost their only child, addressing a topic often overlooked in counseling training programs. Many counselor educators and supervisors are unprepared to train counselors on how best to support these mothers through their unique grief journeys. This study outcomes fill that gap by providing a deeper understanding of their experiences, intending to shape better counseling practices. The central question guiding this research is: What are the lived experiences of Black mothers who have survived the loss of their only child? To answer this, in-depth interviews were …

Intrinsic Motivation And Career Satisfaction Among Immigrant Health Care Workers, Michelle Marie Henderson-Darling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caribbean immigrants are vital to the U.S. health care workforce, yet they face barriers that often hinder their career satisfaction and well-being. This qualitative study aimed to explore how intrinsic motivations, specifically competence, autonomy, and relatedness, shape the career experiences of Caribbean immigrants in health care. Using self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, this study addressed the research question of how these intrinsic motivations shape immigrant experiences in the U.S. health care sector. Data were collected from 10 Caribbean immigrants who were naturalized U.S. citizens using semistructured, audio-recorded interviews. The data were thematically analyzed to detect patterns and themes. The …

Discovery Of Highly Potent And Alk2/Alk1 Selective Kinase Inhibitors Using Dna-Encoded Chemistry Technology, Ravikumar Jimmidi, Diana Monsivais, Hai Minh Ta, Kiran L Sharma, Kurt M Bohren, Srinivas Chamakuri, Zian Liao, Feng Li, John M Hakenjos, Jian-Yuan Li, Yuji Mishina, Haichun Pan, Xuan Qin, Matthew B Robers, Banumathi Sankaran, Zhi Tan, Suni Tang, Yasmin M Vasquez, Jennifer Wilkinson, Damian W Young, Stephen S Palmer, Kevin R Mackenzie, Choel Kim, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Activin receptor type 1 (ACVR1; ALK2) and activin receptor like type 1 (ACVRL1; ALK1) are transforming growth factor beta family receptors that integrate extracellular signals of bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) and activins into Mothers Against Decapentaplegic homolog 1/5 (SMAD1/SMAD5) signaling complexes. Several activating mutations in ALK2 are implicated in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas, and ependymomas. The ALK2 R206H mutation is also present in a subset of endometrial tumors, melanomas, non–small lung cancers, and colorectal cancers, and ALK2 expression is elevated in pancreatic cancer. Using DNA-encoded chemistry technology, we screened 3.94 billion unique compounds from our diverse …

Compliant Structures Facilitate Less Invasive And Biomechanically Improved Lumbar Spinal Implants, Daniel J. Orr

Theses and Dissertations

Implants used in lumbar spinal fusion and lumbar total disc replacement procedures have improved substantially over the years, however, the opportunity remains to improve either the adjustability, durability, motion, or minimally invasive characteristics which could aid in achieving optimal surgical outcomes. It is hypothesized that the inherent advantages of compliant mechanisms specifically Deployable Euler Spiral Connectors (DESCs) and a new mechanism known as the interior contact aided rolling element (I-CORE) are well suited for each of these applications and will be explored and utilized as the basis of these proposed designs. By addressing these challenges, the research endeavors to improve …

Efficacy Of High-Definition Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (Hd-Tacs) At The M1 Hotspot Versus C3 Site In Modulating Corticospinal Tract Excitability, Hao Meng, Michael Houston, Nicholas Dias, Chen Guo, Gerard Francisco, Yingchun Zhang, Sheng Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Previous studies have shown that beta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied at the M1 hotspot can modulate corticospinal excitability. However, it remains controversial whether tACS can influence motor unit activities at the spinal cord level. This study aims to compare the efficacy of applying tACS over the hotspot versus the conventional C3 site on motor unit activities and subsequent behavioral changes. This study used a randomized crossover trial design, where fifteen healthy participants performed a paced ball-squeezing exercise while receiving high-definition tACS (HD-tACS) at 21 Hz and 2 mA for 20 min. HD-tACS targeted either the flexor digitorum superficialis …

Endovascular Treatment Of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke With Tandem Lesions Presenting With Low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score, Milagros Galecio-Castillo, Mudassir Farooqui, Waldo R Guerrero, Marc Ribo, Ameer E Hassan, Mouhammad A Jumaa, Afshin A Divani, Michael G Abraham, Nils H Petersen, Johanna T Fifi, Amer Malik, James E Siegler, Thanh N Nguyen, Sunil A Sheth, Guillermo Linares, Nazli Janjua, Jazba Soomro, Darko Quispe-Orozco, Marta Olivé-Gadea, Wondewossen G Tekle, Syed F Zaidi, Sara Y Sabbagh, Tiffany Barkley, Ayush Prasad, Reade A De Leacy, Mohamad Abdalkader, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Weston Gordon, Charoskhon Turabova, Aaron Rodriguez-Calienes, Mahmoud Dibas, Maxim Mokin, Dileep R Yavagal, Albert J Yoo, Amrou Sarraj, Tudor G Jovin, Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Recent trials confirmed the efficacy and safety of endovascular thrombectomy in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS); however, evidence in tandem lesions is limited. This study evaluates endovascular thrombectomy safety and efficacy in patients with acute large-vessel occlusion with tandem lesions, stratified by baseline ASPECTS.

Methods and results: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 16 centers. Inclusion criteria included the following: age ≥18 years, anterior circulation tandem lesions, endovascular thrombectomy < 24 hours of symptom onset, and ≥70% internal carotid artery stenosis/occlusion. Patients were categorized into low (0-5) and high (6-10) ASPECTS. Inverse probability of treatment weighting matching was used to balance the groups. Primary outcomes included the following: 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0 to 2 and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Secondary outcomes included the following: ordinal mRS, mRS 0 to 3, modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction ≥2b and 2c-3, petechial hemorrhage, parenchymal hematoma (1/2), early neurologic improvement, and mortality. Of 691 patients, 44 had ASPECTS 0 to 5 and 505 had ASPECTS 6 to 10. Patients with low ASPECTS had lower odds of 90-day mRS 0 to 2 (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.48; P=0.036) and higher odds of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (adjusted OR, 3.78; P=0.014). Additional significant differences were found in mRS shift, …

Il-37 Suppresses Cns Autoimmunity By Increasing The Frequency Of Treg Cells And Reducing Cd4 + T Cell-Derived Il-10 Production, Reza Yazdani, Hamed Naziri, Gholamreza Azizi, Bogoljub Ciric, Mozhde Askari, Amir Moghadam-Ahmadi, Jaya Aseervatham, Guang-Xian Zhang, Mohamad Rostami

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-37 (IL-37) has anti-inflammatory properties in innate and adaptive immunity. Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), have increased serum levels of IL-37. However, it is unknown whether IL-37 has an inhibitory effect on ongoing autoimmune neuroinflammation, thus offering a potential MS therapy.

AIM: Here, we examined the effect of IL-37 in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model after disease onset to determine if it was protective.

FINDINGS: IL-37-treated mice developed a less severe disease than control mice, with reduced demyelination as determined by increased expression of myelin basic protein. …

Human Studies Of The Efficacy And Safety Of Stem Cells In The Treatment Of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Seyed Danial Alizadeh, Shima Jahani, Mohammad Rezaei Zadeh Rukerd, Reza Tabrizi, Rasoul Masoomi, Seyedeh Zahra Banihashemian, Mahgol Sadat Hassan Zadeh Tabatabaei, Zahra Ghodsi, Ahmad Pour-Rashidi, James Harrop, Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in human studies for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

METHODS: A comprehensive literature review was performed across multiple databases, including Ovid MEDLINE ALL, Embase via Ovid SP, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Cochrane CENTRAL, up to January 31, 2024. Keywords and controlled vocabularies related to diabetic neuropathy and stem cell therapy were used. Inclusion criteria encompassed all controlled trials examining stem cell therapy for DPN, excluding animal or in vitro studies, review papers, conference abstracts, and editor letters. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were independently performed …

Nalcap Info-Session, Latin American And Iberian Institute

LAII Events

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 04:30 pm

Latin American and Iberian Institute (801 Yale Blvd NE)

801 Yale Blvd NE (campus building #165)

About:

The North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP). College students and graduates - who are native-like speakers of English - partner with elementary and secondary schools in Spain to bolster language programs, as language assistants (TAs) under the supervision and guidance of teachers in Spain.

Notes:

This event is free and open to the public.

Are Biobased Microfibers Less Harmful Than Conventional Plastic Microfibers: Evidence From Earthworms, W. Courtene-Jones, F. De Falco, F. Burgevin, R. D. Handy, R. C. Thompson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biobased plastics are sometimes promoted as “environmentally friendly” compared to their conventional petrochemical-based counterparts, but their ecotoxicity is only partially understood. Biobased fibers are widely used in clothing and wet wipes and can accumulate in soils through the application of biosolid fertilizers. This study examined the lethal thresholds and sublethal toxicity of chemically characterized, additive-free, biobased (viscose and lyocell) compared to petrochemical-based (polyester) fibers on the key ecosystem engineer, Esenia fetida. Viscose and lyocell had LC₂₀ values of 14.00 and 22.66 mg·L^-1, respectively, and no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) of 0-2.8 mg·L^-1 (72 h, OECD TG207 …

Sound Innovations For Biofabrication And Tissue Engineering, Mengxi Wu, Zhiteng Ma, Zhenhua Tian, Joseph Rich, Xin He, Jianping Xia, Ye He, Kaichun Yang, Shujie Yang, Kam W. Leong, Luke P. Lee, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Advanced biofabrication techniques can create tissue-like constructs that can be applied for reconstructive surgery or as in vitro three-dimensional (3D) models for disease modeling and drug screening. While various biofabrication techniques have recently been widely reviewed in the literature, acoustics-based technologies still need to be explored. The rapidly increasing number of publications in the past two decades exploring the application of acoustic technologies highlights the tremendous potential of these technologies. In this review, we contend that acoustics-based methods can address many limitations inherent in other biofabrication techniques due to their unique advantages: noncontact manipulation, biocompatibility, deep tissue penetrability, versatility, precision …

Network-Based Biomarkers In Background Electroencephalography In Childhood Epilepsies – A Scoping Review And Narrative Synthesis, Rohit Shankar, John Terry

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundBrain network analysis is an emerging field of research that could lead to the development, testing and validation of novel biomarkers for epilepsy. This could shorten the diagnostic uncertainty period, improve treatment, decrease seizure risk and lead to better management. This scoping review summarises the current state of electroencephalogram (EEG)-based network abnormalities for childhood epilepsies. The review assesses the overall robustness, potential generalisability, strengths, and limitations of the methodological frameworks of the identified research studies.Reporting MethodsPRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews and the PICO framework was used to guide this review. Studies that evaluated candidate network-based features from EEG in children …

Research Tools For Graduate Students: Reflections On Eight Years Of Graduate Student Workshops, Lisa Becksford Russell

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

This article will describe the author’s graduate student outreach efforts over the last eight years, including graduate student orientations, open houses, and workshops. The development of a long-running graduate student workshop series is described in detail, and the author shares lessons learned from her outreach experiences.

Helping Our Graduate Students Soar: Promoting Scholarship And Populating Our Institutional Repository, Elaine Wells

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

The author describes how a requirement that our graduate students deposit theses and dissertations into our institutional repository (SOAR) helped to build our online scholarship, educate and strengthen graduate students’ identities as scholars, and forge relationships with the library. Taking advantage of the synergy brought about by a new open access policy, a robust digital repository, and library staff committed to advancing accessible scholarly works, we developed ways to educate, encourage, and promote our newest scholars. Based upon our success thus far, we will develop workshops and tutorials that will be extended to junior faculty to advance their scholarly success.

Archeologically Speaking For Texas, Marvin Glasgow

North Texas Archeological Society Records

A archeological dictionary with common words in Texas archeology, dated for 2003.

Some Notes On Seth Kreeger’S “Metaphysical Considerations In Eä. Creation And Providence In Tolkien And Aquinas”, Claudio Antonio Testi

Journal of Tolkien Research

Seth Kreeger, in his interesting article “Metaphysical Considerations in Eä. Creation and Providence in Tolkien and Aquinas”, moves some critics to Claudio A.Testi: here are Testi’s replies.

Wagon Tracks Volume 39, Issue 1 (November 2024)

Wagon Tracks

Contents

2 On the Cover: Steam Engine Running Beside Road with Covered Wagons: Dale Crawford

4 Trail Writings: Chris Day

5-6 Joanne’s Jottings

6 Letter to Editor: Margaret Sears

7 News along the Trail

8-9 1884 Railroad Map of Raton Pass By L. Stephen Schmidt

10-19 Road of Conquest: The "Bloodless" Occupation of NM and the Insurrection and Treason Trials of 1847 By Robert J. Tórrez

19-26 The Caddo Agency Site and John W. Prowers' First Ranch at Big Timbers, Bent County, Colorado By Richard F. Carrillo and Philip L. Petersen

23-24 Book Reviews: Crossings: Women on the Santa Fe …

Comparing National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy Paper-Based Tests Scores With Its Computer-Based Counterparts, Robert N. Prince

Numeracy

One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rapid shift to replacing traditional, paper-based tests with their computer-based counterparts. In many cases, these new modes of delivering tests will remain in place for the foreseeable future. In South Africa, the National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy (QL) test was impelled to make this rapid shift. While test-makers attempted to ensure comparability between the computer-based and paper-based versions, some scholars have questioned the efficacy of these efforts. The International Test Commission (2005) declared that the equivalency of test scores obtained from computer-based and conventional paper-based testing should be established to ensure …

New Ichnofossil Discovery In Mallorcan Caves: Linking Ancient And Moden Bat-Ectoparasites Coporolites., Antonio Merino Juncadella, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquin Gines

International Journal of Speleology

Bat ectoparasitic ichnofossils can be useful to elucidate microbial mediation in mineralization processes of organic material, supplying valuable information on ancient parasitology and palaeoecology, among other topics. Rod-shaped features found in Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (Mallorca, Spain) are described for the first time. They are related to an ancient bat colony inhabiting the cave in the Early Pleistocene. These micro-morphologies are cylindrical in shape with sizes of a few hundred microns in length and less than one hundred microns in diameter. They are composed by a mash of microscopic calcite particles of different sizes and shapes, lying on deposits …