Digital Commons Network^™

Moving Beyond Yoga: An Exploratory, Qualitative Study Of Public Defenders’ Solutions For Improving Work-Life And Effective Assistance Of Counsel, Alisa M. Smith

Criminal Law Practitioner

This study employs a thematic analysis of public defenders’ responses to open-ended questions concerning their lived experiences, motivations, and challenges, and their proposed solutions for improving their work-life balance and the criminal legal system.

The Destructive Work Of Restoration: Fishing Communities Facing Territorialization In Turag River, Efadul Huq, Mohammad Azaz

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

Urban river restoration efforts are growing worldwide. Along with restoring and conserving rivers, riverside land is slated for public recreation, property development, and infrastructure for adaptation to climate change. Riverine landscapes, embedded in larger watershed ecosystems and claimed by multiple communities, are sites of contested planning in contemporary cities. In this paper, we advance the scholarship on contestation over control and access of urban rivers and floodplains by analyzing the role of river restorative legislation and water-centered planning in managing Turag, an urban river in Bangladesh. While river degradation in urbanizing regions is often ascribed to lack of regulatory controls …

Identification Of Bacterial Transcriptomic Signatures In Breast Cancer Tissues Using Publicly Available Datasets, Rasaq Awosemo

Master's Theses

Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, with increasing evidence suggesting a link between bacterial infections and cancer progression. This study aims to identify bacterial transcriptomic signatures within breast cancer tissues using publicly available datasets. While previous work in our lab has extensively explored the role of Borrelia burgdorferi in cancer, this research broadens the focus to investigate the presence of various bacterial species across different breast cancer samples.

Employing advanced bioinformatics methodologies, including the STAR aligner and MetaPhlAn for metatranscriptomics analysis, we analyzed RNA-sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Our findings reveal diverse bacterial communities within …

Infographic: On-Site Provision Of Family Planning Services In Factory Settings In Egypt, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Reham Abou El-Fadl, Noha El-Khorazaty, Tarek Alam El Din

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Under the project titled "Offering Family Planning Services in Factory Settings in Egypt: Examining Feasibility, Acceptability, and Cost," this set of infographics describe the intervention conducted in Alexandria, Egypt, aimed at addressing male and female workers' needs for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) information and services. These infographics provide an overview of the intervention components, the results of the quantitative evaluation, as well as the cost and return on investment analysis.

Mental Health Services & Implementation Science, Cole Hooley

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: Scaling up mental health services, Dissemination and implementation science, Systems science

Professional’S Perspectives For Supporting Alternatives To Drug Culture For Adolescents, Emily L. Davis

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the perspective’s professionals have around providing adolescents using substances with an alternative to drug culture. For this study, a semi-structured interview was conducted as the method of collecting phenomenological data. To capture a broad understanding of professional’s viewpoints and understanding of drug culture, professions across the area of mental health support in both the school and community-based setting were considered. In total, three school-based professionals and four community-based professionals participated in the research. Professionals ranged from school counselors, school administrators, mental health professionals, community-based substance use therapists, and health educators. The …

Applying Emotionally Focused Group Therapy With Collegiate Student-Athletes Experiencing Disordered Eating And Poor Body Image, Emily Wagener

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Rates of eating disorders and sub-clinical disordered eating continue to rise each year, with higher rates seen among athletes than non-athletes (Curry, 2010). Fueled Athletes is a group-style intervention for collegiate student-athletes that uses Emotionally Focused Therapy to help group members identify and transform emotions that contribute to poor body image and disordered eating behaviors. The mission of Fueled Athletes is to create a program that addresses eating problems and body image disturbances experienced by student-athletes by creating a safe space, building a support network which will lead to decreasing rates of ED / DE within the student-athlete population. Future …

Program Evaluation Of The James Madison University School Psychology Students Of Color Succeeding Mentoring Program, Sa'mone Moore

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The James Madison University (JMU) School Psychology Program created the Students of Color Succeeding in Psychology (SoCS) Mentoring Program during the summer of 2022 with the help of school psychology professors and four racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) school psychology graduate students. The SoCS Mentoring Program was created to develop a mentoring relationship between current REM JMU school psychology graduate students and REM JMU school psychology alumni who were practicing school psychologists. The program hoped to provide mentoring to create community and professional relationships while also providing space for REM students and practitioners to converse about experiences that may occur …

Photonic Integrated Circuit Data Acquisition And Tunable Laser Control For Biomedical Point Of Care Systems, Maximilian Thoburn

Theses

In the world of healthcare, it has always been desirable to have a single test that can screen for multiple different patient ailments at once. Toward this end, a silicon photonics platform has been developed that uses photonic integrated circuits in combination with lasers to simultaneously perform various biological assays, i.e., to screen for biological markers in a patient’s sample. This system uses inexpensive passive flow cards with inexpensive photonic integrated circuits to create a disposable test platform that can be used in point of care environments. However, the necessary bench-top equipment to run an assay with these cards is …

Project Turnkey Evaluation, Anna Rockhill, Sarah Mercurio, Franklin Holcomb Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

In 2020-2021 Oregon legislators approved $74.7 million to assist communities to purchase local motels and convert them into emergency shelters. The goal was to help keep people safe during COVID and to address the need for housing for victims of the wildfires in light of the deficit of appropriate shelter resources facing the state. A total of 19 projects received funding, and by 2023 all of the projects were providing services to people experiencing homelessness. Combined, this resulted in 865 new units of emergency shelter-- a 20% increase in the state’s supply. According to an analysis done by Oregon Community …

The Role Of Elevation In The Migration, Physiology, And Genomic Diversification Of Birds, Jessie L. Williamson

Biology ETDs

Elevational gradients cause profound eco-climatic variation across short distances. Partial pressure of oxygen (PO₂) is a severe challenge that organisms face at high elevations; due partly to specialization on PO₂, most Neotropical bird species have narrow elevational ranges. However, a small fraction are elevational generalists that span sea level to high elevations, and a subset undertake extreme migratory journeys from low to high elevations biannually. My dissertation combines diverse approaches across levels of biological organization to understand how elevation impacts the ecology, evolution, physiology, and migration of montane birds. I examined ‘extreme’ elevational …

Value Of Macroalgae As Habitat In A Eutrophic Coastal Bay, Dominika Polchowska

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Eutrophication is a phenomenon caused by changes in nutrient loading that results in harmful algal blooms, an overgrowth of macroalgae, altered aquatic benthic invertebrate communities, and loss of ecosystem functions. Barnegat Bay, NJ is a highly eutrophic system that has experienced a substantial loss of seagrass beds with subsequent expansion of drift macroalgae. Although considered poor quality, these algal beds represent valuable habitat for many benthic invertebrates. This research assesses the value of macroalgae as a habitat for macrofauna in regions where macroalgae are the dominant “vegetation.” Benthic drift algal samples were collected during June and August 2023 to reflect …

Investigating Nature-Based Mindfulness In Nurse Anesthesia Students: A Pilot Study, Douglas Lovern

Dissertations

Across the country, the mental health crisis continues to rage. Varying degrees of depression, stress, and anxiety are commonly found in college-age students. The COVID-19 pandemic augmented this crisis, but the pandemic is not the sole culprit for the escalation of mental health disorders in the United States. Students across the globe suffer mental health disorders that include depression, anxiety, and stress. Research has shown that graduate students are six times more likely to develop anxiety and depression than the general population. Student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) are vulnerable to mental health disorders. SRNAs enter labor-intensive doctoral programs fraught with …

Quintez Talley V. Major Clark

2024 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Thomas Sher

2024 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Collegiality And Job Satisfaction Among Nurse Faculty, Kelsey Phillips

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nurse faculty turnover has been attributed to low levels of support, low wages, long work hours, uncertainty, and an unpleasant work environment. Leaders must find interventions that will impact the collegiality of nurse faculty, the perceived level of support from leadership, and in result retain their faculty. Purpose: Based on a literature review, this quality improvement project aims to determine if implementing a monthly catered lunch promotes collegiality and improves job satisfaction for nursing faculty in a community college in East Texas. Methods: To determine the impact of monthly catered lunches, a pre-and post-intervention tool [Perceived Organizational Support (POS)] will …

State Of The Science On Brain Insulin Resistance And Cognitive Decline Due To Alzheimer's Disease, Elizabeth M. Rhea, Manon Leclerc, Hussein N. Yassine, Ana W. Capuano, Han Tong, Vladislav A. Petyuk, Shannon L. Macauley, Xavier Fioramonti, Owen Carmichael, Frederic Calon, Zoe Arvanitakis

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is common and increasing in prevalence worldwide, with devastating public health consequences. While peripheral insulin resistance is a key feature of most forms of T2DM and has been investigated for over a century, research on brain insulin resistance (BIR) has more recently been developed, including in the context of T2DM and non-diabetes states. Recent data support the presence of BIR in the aging brain, even in non-diabetes states, and found that BIR may be a feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contributes to cognitive impairment. Further, therapies used to treat T2DM are now being investigated …

Podcasting For Public Knowledge: A Multiple Case Study Of Scholarly Podcasts At One University, Lindsay Persohn, Rayna Letourneau, Emma Abell-Selby, Jason Boczar, Allison Symulevich, Jessica Szempruch, Matthew Torrence, Thomas Woolf, Audrey Holtzman

USF Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Through a lens for engaged scholarship (Boyer in Journal of Public Service and Outreach, 1(1), 11–20, 1996) this multiple case study (Merriam, 1996) explores the potential of scholarly podcasts for public knowledge dissemination, highlighting the misalignment of university impact metrics with this medium. Our team collected qualitative and numerical data from six podcasters across our university system. We identify metrics for assessing scholarly podcast value, offer recommendations for institutional communication, and share our insights and challenges. Data analysis suggests that a Listen Score (Listen Notes, ND) and an increasing Podcast Success Index (Singh et al. JMIR Medical Education, 2(2), 1–10, …

Recreational Cannabis In Louisiana: Anticipating Potential Risks For Motor Vehicle Safety In The Short And Long Term, Aimee H. Moles, Andrew Burns, Ashley Tillison, Austin L. Matthews

Reports

This document, titled Recreational Cannabis in Louisiana: Anticipating Potential Risks for Motor Vehicle Safety in the Short and Long Term, provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts that cannabis legalization could have on road safety in Louisiana. The document is written to equip policymakers and concerned citizens with the necessary knowledge to navigate the complex landscape of cannabis legalization and its implications for public safety.

Key Objectives and Scope: The primary purpose of this document is to evaluate the potential risks associated with recreational cannabis legalization on motor vehicle safety, drawing on data and experiences from Canada and states …

Solubilization Of Paclitaxel With Natural Compound Rubusoside Toward Improving Oral Bioavailability In A Rodent Model, Jian Zhang, Jicheng Shu, Rhett W. Stout, Paul S. Russo, Zhijun Liu

Faculty Publications

Paclitaxel, which features low water solubility and permeability, is an efflux pump substrate. The current paclitaxel drugs are given intravenously after resolving the solubility issue. Yet, oral delivery to achieve therapeutic bioavailability is not effective due to low absorption. This study evaluated a natural compound, rubusoside, to improve oral bioavailability in an animal model. Free paclitaxel molecules were processed into nano-micelles formed in water with rubusoside. The particle size of the nano-micelles in water was determined using dynamic light scattering. The oral bioavailability of paclitaxel in nano-micelles was determined against Cremophor/alcohol-solubilized Taxol after oral and intravenous administration to pre-cannulated Sprague …

The Evolution Of Science And Regulation Of Dietary Supplements: Past, Present, And Future, Paul M. Coates, Regan L. Bailey, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ahmed El-Sohemy, Elizabeth Floyd, Joshua Z. Goldenberg, Aimée Gould Shunney, Hannah D. Holscher, Yasmeen Nkrumah-Elie, Deshanie Rai, Barry W. Ritz, Wendy J. Weber

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Dietary supplement use in the United States is widespread and increasing, especially among certain population groups, such as older Americans. The science surrounding dietary supplements has evolved substantially over the last few decades since their formal regulation in 1994. Much has been learned about the mechanisms of action of many dietary supplement ingredients, but the evidence on their health effects is still building. As is true of much nutrition research, there are many studies that point to health effects, but not all are at the level of scientific evidence (e.g., randomized controlled interventions), rigor, or quality needed for definitive statements …

The Impact Of Obesity On Reproductive Health And Metabolism In Reproductive-Age Females, Samantha B. Schon, Hannah E. Cabre, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Obesity is a highly prevalent chronic disease that impacts >40% of reproductive-aged females. The pathophysiology of obesity is complex and can be understood simply as a chronic energy imbalance whereby caloric intake exceeds caloric expenditure with an energy surplus stored in adipose tissue. Obesity may be categorized into degrees of severity as well as different phenotypes on the basis of metabolic health and underlying pathophysiology. Obesity and excess adiposity have a significant impact on fertility and reproductive health, with direct effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, the ovary and oocyte, and the endometrium. There are significant adverse pregnancy outcomes related to …

Changes In Energy Expenditure And Physical Activity Over 15 Years Of Environmental Changes: The Maycoba Project, Alexandra Niclou, Julián Esparza-Romero, Rene Urquidez-Romero, Yan Y. Lam, Jennifer Rood, Leslie O. Schulz, Peter H. Bennett, Mauro E. Valencia, Eric Ravussin

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: This work aimed to parse out the role of changing environments on body composition, total energy expenditure, and physical activity in the Mexican Pima, a population experiencing rapid industrialization. Methods: Using doubly labeled water, we compared energy expenditure and physical activity in a longitudinal cohort of Mexican Pima (n = 26; female: 12) in 1995 and 2010. Body mass and composition were assessed by bioimpedance analysis. To determine the effects of environmental factors on body weight independent of age, we compared the 1995 longitudinal cohort with an age- and sex-matched cross-sectional cohort (n = 26) in 2010. Results: Body …

Is Strength Training More Effective Than Aerobic Exercise For Improving Glycaemic Control And Body Composition In People With Normal-Weight Type 2 Diabetes? Reply To Pontes‑Silva A, Santos‑De‑Araujo Ad, Teixeira Bc Et Al [Letter], Yukari Kobayashi, Jin Long, Neil M. Johannsen, Ruth Talamoa, Kyla Kent, Cynthia Lamendola, Francois Haddad, Timothy S. Church, Latha Palaniappan

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Computed Tomography And Dual-Energy X-Ray Asorptiometry Body Composition Parameter Harmonisation To Universalise Adipose Tissue Measurements In A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study, Elliot T. Varney, Seth Lirette, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Frank Greenway, Candace M. Howard

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

To harmonise computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) body composition measurements allowing easy conversion in longitudinal assessments and across cohorts to assess cardiometabolic risk and disease. Retrospective cross-sectional observational study from 1996 to 2008 included participants in the Pennington Center Longitudinal Study (PCLS) (N = 1967; 571 African American/1396 White). Anthropometrics, whole-body DXA and abdominal CT images were obtained. Multi-layer segmentation techniques (Analyze; Rochester, MN) quantified visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Clinical biomarkers were obtained from routine blood samples. Linear models were used to predict CT-VAT from DXA-VAT and examine the effects of traditional biomarkers on cross-sectional-VAT. Predicted CT-VAT …

Obesity- And Diet-Induced Plasticity In Systems That Control Eating And Energy Balance, Carrie R. Ferrario, Heike Münzberg-Gruening, Linda Rinaman, J. Nicholas Betley, Stephanie L. Borgland, Monica Dus, Debra A. Fadool, Kathryn F. Medler, Gregory J. Morton, Darleen A. Sandoval, Claire B. De La Serre, Sarah A. Stanley, Kristy L. Townsend, Alan G. Watts, Padma Maruvada, Diana Cummings, Bradley M. Cooke

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

In April 2023, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), in partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Aging, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, hosted a 2-day online workshop to discuss neural plasticity in energy homeostasis and obesity. The goal was to provide a broad view of current knowledge while identifying research questions and challenges regarding neural systems that control food intake and energy balance. This review includes highlights from the meeting and is intended both to introduce unfamiliar audiences with concepts central to …

Effects Of E-Cigarettes On The Lung And Systemic Metabolome In People With Hiv, Aline Zaparte, Courtney J. Christopher, Connie Arnold, Lauren Richey, Adairre Castille, Kyle Mistretta, Christopher M. Taylor, Huiyi Lin, Steve Nelson, John P. Kirwan, John W. Apolzan, Shawn R. Campagna, David A. Welsh

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

The popularity of e-cigarettes (vaping) has soared, creating a public health crisis among teens and young adults. Chronic vaping can induce gut inflammation and reduce intestinal barrier function through the production of the proinflammatory molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This is particularly concerning for people with HIV (PWH) as they already face impaired immune function and are at a higher risk for metabolic dysregulation, diabetes, and chronic liver disease. Furthermore, PWH experience unhealthy behaviors, making it crucial to understand the systemic metabolic dysregulation and pathophysiological mechanisms associated with vaping in this population. Here, we employed liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics to …

The Bioenergetic Landscape Of Cancer, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, Christopher L. Axelrod, L. Anne Gilmore, Erich Gnaiger, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Background: Bioenergetic remodeling of core energy metabolism is essential to the initiation, survival, and progression of cancer cells through exergonic supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and metabolic intermediates, as well as control of redox homeostasis. Mitochondria are evolutionarily conserved organelles that mediate cell survival by conferring energetic plasticity and adaptive potential. Mitochondrial ATP synthesis is coupled to the oxidation of a variety of substrates generated through diverse metabolic pathways. As such, inhibition of the mitochondrial bioenergetic system by restricting metabolite availability, direct inhibition of the respiratory Complexes, altering organelle structure, or coupling efficiency may restrict carcinogenic potential and cancer progression. …

Effects Of Exercise Or Metformin On Myokine Concentrations In Patients With Breast And Colorectal Cancer: A Phase Ii Multi-Centre Factorial Randomized Trial, Justin C. Brown, Guillaume Spielmann, Shengping Yang, Stephanie L.E. Compton, Lee W. Jones, Melinda L. Irwin, Jennifer A. Ligibel, Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt

Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity and metformin pharmacotherapy are associated with improved clinical outcomes in breast and colorectal cancer survivors. Myokines are cytokines secreted from skeletal muscle that may mediate these associations. Methods: This hypothesis-generating analysis used biospecimens collected from a multi-centre 2 × 2 factorial randomized design of 116 patients with stage I–III breast and colorectal cancer who were randomized to 12 weeks of (1) aerobic exercise (moderate intensity titrated to 220 min/week); (2) metformin (850 mg daily for 2 weeks and then titrated to 850 mg twice per day); (3) aerobic exercise and metformin; or (4) control. Fourteen myokines were …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Adherence To The Global Total Physical Activity Guideline Based On Step Counting Among 3- To 4-Year-Olds: Evidence From Sunrise Pilot Studies From 17 Countries, Tawonga W. Mwase-Vuma, Xanne Janssen, Kar Hau Chong, Anthony D. Okely, Mark S. Tremblay, Catherine E. Draper, E. Kipling Webster, Alex Antonio Florindo, Amanda E. Staiano, Bang Nguyen Pham, Chiaki Tanaka, Denise Koh, Hongyan Guan, Hong K. Tang, Marie Löf, Mohammad Sorowar Hossain, Nyaradzai E. Munambah, Penny Cross, P. W.Prasad Chathurangana, John J. Reilly

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: There is limited evidence from globally diverse samples on the prevalence and correlates of meeting the global guideline of 180 minutes per day of total physical activity (TPA) among 3- to 4-year-olds. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 797 (49.2% girls) 3- to 4-year-olds from 17 middle- and high-income countries who participated in the pilot phases 1 and 2 of the SUNRISE International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years. Daily step count was measured using thigh-worn activPAL accelerometers. Children wore the accelerometers for at least one 24-hour period. Children were categorized as meeting the TPA guideline based on achieving …