Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Teaching Digital Resources Of Myplate On Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practice (Kap) For Healthy Eating Habits Of Children, Afaf Alsofyani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy eating habits. Students were divided into three groups: digital MyPlate (n =16), pencil-and-paper (n =15), and control (n =14). Following the pre-assessment, an intervention was conducted involving teaching MyPlate and the five food groups. A post-assessment was then implemented to measure the change in KAP levels resulting from the intervention. …

Trauma Informed Schools: Investigating K-12 Educator Perceptions From Professional Learning To Implementing Practices, Kelsey Cupp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to further the understanding on how access to trauma-informed professional learning changed research-based practices in classroom and school-wide settings in K-12 schools. The guiding question for this quantitative study was: How has trauma-informed professional learning influenced changes in research-based practices in school-wide and classroom settings in K-12 schools? This research assessed the perceptions of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in one school district to investigate access to trauma-informed professional learning and potential changes in research-based practices in school-wide and classroom settings. Participants were teachers, in Northeast Tennessee, employed in urban schools implementing …

Pilz Domain-Containing Proteins Regulate Motility In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Gabriel Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is an increasingly multidrug-resistant pathogen contributing to hospital-acquired infections, necessitating a greater understanding of how it interacts with its surroundings. Many bacteria utilize different methods of bacterial motility to move about and interact with these surroundings. A bacterial second messenger, cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), can regulate various motility factors that are potentially advantageous for survival in and adaptation to their environment. Concentrations of c-di-GMP are regulated by specific synthesizing and degrading enzymes. Controlled levels of c-di-GMP allow interaction between the c-di-GMP and its binding effectors that induce changes in bacterial phenotypes such as biofilm formation and motility. A …

Insulin Resistance In Women Correlates With Chromatin Histone Lysine Acetylation, Inflammatory Signaling, And Accelerated Aging, Christina Vidal, Jackelyn Alva-Ornelas, Nancy Zhuo Chen, Parijat Senapati, Jerneja Tomsic, Vanessa Myriam Robles, Cristal Resto, Nancy Sanchez, Angelica Sanchez, Terry Hyslop, Nour Emwas, Dana Aljaber, Nick Bachelder, Ernest Martinez, David Ann, Veronica Jones, Robert Winn, Lucio Miele, Augusto Ochoa, Eric Dietze, Rama Natarajan, Dustin Schones, Victoria Seewaldt

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic changes link medical, social, and environmental factors with cardiovascular and kidney disease and, more recently, with cancer. The mechanistic link between metabolic health and epigenetic changes is only starting to be investigated. In our in vitro and in vivo studies, we performed a broad analysis of the link between hyperinsulinemia and chromatin acetylation; our top "hit" was chromatin opening at H3K9ac.

METHODS: Building on our published preclinical studies, here, we performed a detailed analysis of the link between insulin resistance, chromatin acetylation, and inflammation using an initial test set of 28 women and validation sets of 245, 22, …

Increased Risk Of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Development After Dupilumab Use For Atopic Dermatitis, Jenna Mandel, Jaanvi Mehta, Ramsay Hafer, Mahaa Ayub, Faria Nusrat, Henry Yang, Pierluigi Porcu, Neda Nikbakht

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

There have been several reports of dupilumab use and the development of CTCL; however, the risk of CTCL development has not been adequately evaluated at the population level. The objective of this study is to determine whether dupilumab administration for AD is associated with an increased risk of developing CTCL and to identify at-risk populations within this group. This retrospective cohort study used TriNetX, a deidentified medical record database including over 107 million patients, to identify eligible patients. Treatment and control groups were evaluated for the development of CTCL. Patients of any age with a documented diagnosis of AD were …

Health Professional Regulation And Provision Of Quality Health Services; Cross Sectional Analysis Of Private Health Care Providers In Wajir County, Kenya, Ali Ahmed Mohamed Qadar, Wanja Mwaura-Tenambergen, Eunice Muthoni, Luke Wahome Kinyua

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Health professional regulatory bodies oversee and enforce standards in healthcare to safeguard patient safety and prevent harm. However, international consistency in these regulations remains limited. The Kenya health sector relies on various bodies to enforce standards among professionals and institutions, albeit constrained by financial and human resources that hinder effective oversight. This study aimed to assess how regulatory practicessuch as licensing, training oversight, inspection of practice, and quality assurance mechanisms- affect the quality of healthcare provided by private providers.

Methods: The study targeted 108 healthcare providers from 36 private health facilities, primarily nurses and clinical officers. A sample of …

High Prevalence Of Artifacts In Optical Coherence Tomography With Adequate Signal Strength, Wei-Chun Lin, Aaron Coyner, Charles Amankwa, Abigail Lucero, Gadi Wollstein, Joel Schuman, Hiroshi Ishikawa

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of artifacts in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images with acceptable signal strength and evaluate the performance of supervised deep learning models in improving OCT image quality assessment.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on 4555 OCT images from 546 patients, with each image having an acceptable signal strength (≥6). A comprehensive analysis of prevalent OCT artifacts was performed, and five pretrained convolutional neural network models were trained and tested to infer images based on quality.

RESULTS: Our results showed a high prevalence of artifacts in OCT images with acceptable signal strength. Approximately …

The Protagonist Of Contemporary And Emerging Nanotechnology-Based Theranostics And Therapeutic Approaches In Reshaping Intensive Care Unit, Ling Xie, Yun Chen

Saudi Medical Journal

To maintain a clean and hygienic environment in the intensive care unit (ICU) is crucial for ensuring patient safety, preventing infections, and reducing healthcare-associated complications. With the increasing prevalence of infections and the emergence of viral and bacterial resistance to standard antiseptics, there is a pressing need for innovative antiseptic solutions. Nanotechnology is increasingly being employed in medicine, particularly focusing on mitigating the activities of various pathogens, including those associated with hospital-acquired infections. This paper explores the current impact of nanotechnology, with a particular focus on bacterial infections and SARS-CoV-2, which significantly strain healthcare systems, and then discusses how nanotechnology …

Specific Association Of Mthfd1 Expressions With Small Cell Lung Cancer Development And Chemoradiotherapy Outcome, Yujia Hao, Ruichun Lu, Ying Guo, Pengtao Bao

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To identify biomarkers that can discriminated small cell lung cancer (SCLC) from non-SCLC (NSCLC), and explore their association with the prognosis of SCLC under chemoradiotherapy. Methods: The GSE40275 dataset was used to identify potential targets in SCLC. There were 196 patients of lung cancer (LC) in cohort 1 of this study. MTHFD1 levels in tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry assay in cohort 1. Lung cancer patients who were all underwent local chemoradiotherapy (CRT) were included in cohort 2, and the association of MTHFD1 levels with CRT treatment outcome were determined in cohort 2. Cell experiments were used to determine …

The Effect Of Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin In Combination With Autogenous Bone Grafts On Bone Healing In An Ovariectomized Osteoporotic Rat Model With Critical-Sized Defects, Mustafa C. Durmuşlar, Elif A. Gülşen, Kemal A. Bayburt, Umut Ballı, Mert Ocak, Ayşegül Fırat, Elham B. Zırh, Hakan H. Çelik

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the impact of autogenous graft materials, including autogenous bone graft (ABG) and injectable platelet-rich fibrin (I-PRF) clots, on bone defect regeneration in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. Methods: Wistar rats (6-8 weeks old) were ovariectomized, and surgery began after 8 weeks. A 5-mm defect was created bilaterally in the parietal bones of 16 rats, which were divided into 4 groups. Group A (blank) had untreated defects; group B had defects filled with 0.1 ml of I-PRF, group C had defects filled with 0.1 ml of ABG, and group D had defects filled with a combination of 0.1 ml each …

Dermatological Conditions In The Intensive Care Unit At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ghida S. Altammami, Sarah K. Alswayed, Mohammed I. Aljasser, Rayan A. Alkhodair

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate the various skin conditions diagnosed in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study of all adults, pediatric, and neonatal patients who were admitted to the ICU and had a dermatological manifestation during hospital stay or patients who had dermatological condition that requires ICU admission. All skin conditions were categorized and analyzed. Results: A total of 344 ICU patients with 365 different dermatological conditions were included in the study. The age of patients ranged from less than 1-96 years, with a mean age of 43.6±30.1 years. Of the patients, 189 (54.9%) were males. …

Epidemiology, Clinical Profiles, And Antimicrobial Susceptibility Of Elizabethkingia Meningoseptica Infections: Insights From A Tertiary Care Hospital In Saudi Arabia, Raghad T. Alhuthil, Raghad M. Hijazi, Ohoud A. Alyabes, Mohammed A. Alsuhaibani, Deema A. Gashgarey, Ibrahim M. Binsalamah, Mohammed A. Aldahmash, Salem M. Alghamdi, Esam A. Albanyan, Suliman A. Aljumaah, Sami H. Al-Hajjar

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the incidence rate, clinical characteristics across different age groups, antimicrobial susceptibility, and outcomes of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica ( E. meningoseptica ) infections. Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out to include 66 cases with confirmed E. meningoseptica cultures from sterile samples between January 2014 and June 2022 at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 66 cases were identified, with an incidence rate of 0.3 per 1000 admissions. Most cases were hospital-acquired (80.3%), primarily in critical care areas. All patients had underlying diseases, with respiratory (40.9%) and cardiovascular (39.4%) diseases …

Nearly 1.8 Billion Adults At Risk Of Disease From Not Doing Enough Physical Activity

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Who Releases First-Ever Clinical Treatment Guideline For Tobacco Cessation In Adults

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Ferritin And Lead Levels In Children Living In An Informal Urban Settlement In Kenya, Geoffrey Omuse, Daniel Maina, Maureene Ondayo, Stanley Onyango, Syama Sinuff, Alex Mugo, Pauline Samia, William Macharia

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Childhood lead exposure from recycling used lead-acid batteries (ULAB) in unregulated areas is a significant cause of lead toxicity, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess the proportion of children with increased blood lead levels (BLLs) in an informal settlement where ULAB recycling occurs.

Methodology: This was a descriptive study conducted in Nairobi county, Kenya. Children aged 6 months to 7 years were recruited after obtaining written informed consent, completion of a questionnaire and collection of samples for complete blood count, ferritin, and lead analysis.

Results: Out of 215 children, 17 (8.0%) had BLLs ≥ …

Checklist For Reproducibility Of Deep Learning In Medical Imaging, Mana Moassefi, Yashbir Singh, Gian Marco Conte, Bardia Khosravi, Pouria Rouzrokh, Sanaz Vahdati, Nabile Safdar, Linda Moy, Felipe Kitamura, Amilcare Gentili, Paras Lakhani, Nina Kottler, Safwan Halabi, Joseph Yacoub, Yuankai Hou, Khaled Younis, Bradley Erickson, Elizabeth Krupinski, Shahriar Faghani

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

The application of deep learning (DL) in medicine introduces transformative tools with the potential to enhance prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment planning. However, ensuring transparent documentation is essential for researchers to enhance reproducibility and refine techniques. Our study addresses the unique challenges presented by DL in medical imaging by developing a comprehensive checklist using the Delphi method to enhance reproducibility and reliability in this dynamic field. We compiled a preliminary checklist based on a comprehensive review of existing checklists and relevant literature. A panel of 11 experts in medical imaging and DL assessed these items using Likert scales, with two survey …

"Doing Their Own Thing": The Impact Of Second-Wave Feminism At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Sarah Drivon

Master's Theses

Second-Wave Feminism was largely responsible for transforming American society’s beliefs about gender roles. However, there is very little attention given to the impact that feminism had on cultural transformations in the South. Much of the historiography of feminism and women’s liberation only covers the most radical events and leaders of the 1970s, and it neglects to point out the smaller forms of resistance that ultimately made the movement successful. During this period, the South, and specifically southern campuses, had the reputation of being against women’s liberation because there was not much evidence of resistance comparable to that of northern campuses. …

Youtube Influencers In Bangladesh: Analyzing Message Strategies Of Sponsored Ads In Vlogs, Monira Begum

Master's Theses

Social media influencers, particularly YouTube influencers marketing emerged as a growing industry in Bangladesh. However, research on this topic is limited. This study effectively addresses this gap and following quantitative methods and content analysis, this study mainly examines Influencers and brand categories, the narration of sponsored brands in advertising, influencers’ interactivities, and engagement with the followers, and message strategies in ads employing Taylor’s six-segment message strategy wheel, advertising appeals, and message formats. Results indicate that influencers' dominant vlog content is entertainment, as well as technology as prevalent brand characteristics in the study.

Regarding the narration of the sponsored ads, this …

Promoting Greater Granularity In Climate Research: A Case Study Analyzing Perceptions Of Anthropogenic Climate Change Among Students, Faculty, And Staff At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Kelly Wegmann

Master's Theses

Anthropogenic climate change is a global concern that has the possibility to become the next world-altering event. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence proving its existence and harmful repercussions, there is still a lack of belief in its occurrence within the United States. This research uses survey data obtained from the University of Southern Mississippi to provide an understanding at a local scale of how both physical and psychological aspects bridge a gap in perception research.

With the use of previous research done by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and George Mason University Center …

Investigation Of The Microbiome Of A Recirculating Aquaculture System (Ras) For Crassostrea Virginica Larvae, Isabelle Townsend

Master's Theses

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) offer control over physicochemical and biological factors impacting aquaculture success. One understudied facet of RASs is the water microbiome. Oyster larval microbiomes are shaped by their aquatic microbiomes. Understanding the dynamics of and the factors shaping RAS microbiome may provide insights to how the microbiome can be a tool for optimizing larval production. This study’s goals were to investigate the microbiome stability of a RAS rearing oyster larvae across time and space, determine impacts of larval presence on the microbiome, and examine connections between larvae production outcomes and microbiome stability. Water samples were collected weekly from …

A Qualitative Study On The Role Of Companion Animals For Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Fariha Tabassum

Masters Theses

This research study explores the role that companion animals play in the lives of women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Intimate partner violence has biopsychosocial repercussions. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse causes trauma, which worsens mental health issues, and cognitive function. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used for this study. I conducted ten interviews to examine the perspectives of professional advocates working with IPV survivors. Recognizing the crucial role social interactions play in trauma recovery, the study investigates the therapeutic benefits companions may have for survivors who have experienced intimate partner violence. Despite much research has been …

An Ethnography Of Frostbite Among Unsheltered People In Portland: Safety, Governance, And The Manufacture Of Vulnerability, Muireall Brown

University Honors Theses

This thesis provides an applied anthropological ethnography of frostbite among unsheltered people in Portland, Oregon. I conducted the research over the course of three months between May and August 2024 in collaboration with Hygiene4All, a local nonprofit. The research consisted of participant-observation, six semi-structured interviews, and a review of unpublished data from Hygiene4All. I argue that the conceptualization of safety operating within some parts of Portland's governance structures actually makes unsheltered Portlanders more vulnerable to frostbite: governance bodies actively participate in constructing this vulnerability along the lines of disability, isolation, and displacement. I discuss uneven governance and the biopolitical conflicts …

Vaccines At The Intersection Of Religion And Politics, Charles Downey

Master's Theses

Vaccine hesitancy – a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite their availability – is a rising threat to global health and has increased in recent years in higher income countries. This is a complex phenomenon with the potential to undo decades of progress toward eradicating communicable diseases. The recent COVID-19 pandemic introduced a new wave of vaccine hesitancy, with evangelical Christians as leading actors in the movement away from vaccines in the United States. The present study investigated factors related to vaccine hesitancy and sources of health-related information among members of evangelical Christian churches in and around Hattiesburg, …

Peripheral Vascular Function In Young Adults With Increased Risk Of Cardiometabolic Disease, Ryan S. Aultman

Master's Theses

Objective: To determine if young adults with elevated metabolic syndrome severity scores (MetS_index) suffer from peripheral vasculature dysfunction.

Methods: Mean arterial pressure (MAP), Femoral (FBF) and Brachial Blood flow (BBF), Femoral (FVC) and Brachial Vascular Conductance (BVC), and Tissue Saturation Index (TSI) were assessed in twenty-four age (19 + 2.25 years), Sex (male: n=18; female: n=6) and Race (White: n=4; Black/African American: n=4; Asian: n=16) matched individuals during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (RHBF), passive limb movement (PLM) and Functional Sympatholysis (FS) trials. Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was also collected at baseline, and all values were compared between …

Investigating The Response Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) To Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions, Abiola Obafemi

Master's Theses

The Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) requires dissolved oxygen (DO) of about 4 mg/L to support proper physiological function. Hypoxia and/or microxia occur when DO decreases to ≤ 2 mg/L. Salinity and temperature changes resulting from large-scale freshwater influx have been identified as key factors influencing the oyster populations in the Mississippi Sound. It is important to investigate the impacts of DO conditions on oyster mortality, biomass, size, and condition during these freshening events. Under controlled laboratory experiments, this thesis investigated 1) the response of oysters to microxic, hypoxic, and normoxic conditions 2) the response of oysters to combined hypoxia and …

Seizure: Febrile, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Clinical Pathways

No abstract provided.

How Teachers Perceive Teacher Leadership In A Massachusetts Urban Turnaround High School: A Concurrent Mixed-Methods Case Study, Matthew Lawrence Mccarthy

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Turnaround schools represent a strategy for swiftly revitalizing underperforming educational institutions. This study examined how teachers perceived the role of teacher leadership within one urban turnaround high school. The study addressed the following research questions: 1. How do teachers within an urban turnaround high school conceptualize the role of teacher leadership? 2. In what ways does teacher leadership influence and contribute to the improvement of student performance in turnaround schools? This research was conducted through a concurrent mixed-methods case study that involved one urban turnaround high school. The findings offer valuable insights into teachers' perceptions of teacher leadership and its …

Unraveling Collective Anomalies In Data-Driven Systems: Manifestation, Detection, And Enhancement Implications, Mohammad Bakhsh

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents an in-depth investigation into collective anomalies—complex patterns of data that deviate from the norm when considered as a group, rather than individually. It encompasses three pivotal studies that explore the intricacies of identifying and analyzing these anomalies within online customer reviews and urban traffic patterns. The research initially focuses on the subtle shifts in consumer feedback patterns, highlighting the challenges of detecting early signs of collective anomalies. It then advances to the analysis of urban traffic, emphasizing the detection of anomalous trajectory patterns and their implications for urban planning. The final study introduces a spatio-temporal framework to …

Engaging Survivors In Transnational Justice Governance: Global, National And Local Perspectives From Uganda's Post Lra Insurgency, Dennis Jjuuko

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The end of the Second World War established the Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo tribunal while the United Nations (UN) system established ad-hoc tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and multilateralism facilitated the creation of the present-day International Criminal Court (ICC). These trials and tribunals established liberal approaches to transnational justice governance. Despite the dominance of a liberal universalist justice framework, non-liberal justice approaches have also emerged. Considered as alternative customized justice structures, including South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts, these community emergent approaches emphasize a transformative approach to addressing legacies of civil conflict …

Gray Seal (Halichoerus Grypus) Diet And Microplastic Ingestion On Great Point, Nantucket, Shannon R. Brown

Graduate Masters Theses

Due to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, pinnipeds are an ideal sentinel group used to study anthropogenic threats to the marine environment. Microplastics, primarily transported to the ocean through river discharge or weathering of larger plastics, are a threat to both pinnipeds and humans. Bioaccumulation of microplastics within the marine food web has been observed, with pinnipeds indirectly ingesting microplastics through their prey. As generalists, gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a pinniped species that can provide information on microplastic exposure to many lower trophic level organisms. This thesis explores the relationship between the diet and microplastic ingestion of gray seals on Great …