Digital Commons Network^™

Outcomes Of Online Learning In Physiology Course Amid Covid-19 In Taiwan: The Role Of Mental Health And Academic Motivation, Yun-Wen Chan, Ting-An Lin, Shuoh-Wen Chen, Yi-Jing Chen, Hsiao-Chun Yao, Chi-Chang Juan, Hsun-Yu Chan, Yuan-I Chang

Journal of Medical Education

Purpose: The study explores whether and how the online instruction in the course of physiology is related to students' perceived learning outcomes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the course of physiology switched from face-to-face to online instruction in Taiwan. However, little is known whether students' academic motivation and outcomes changed accordingly, when accounting for students' mental health, which could be compromised by the pandemic-related stress. Methods: Sixty undergraduate students who were taking physiology in spring 2020 completed a survey questionnaire and responded to questions pertaining to motivation of learning physiology, level of depressive symptoms, and mid-term and …

Staphylococcus Aureus Sortase A Protein Applications And Methods: (1) Drug Discovery In Anti-Infectious Agents; (2) A Biotechnique Analysis For Indication Sortase A Protein Purification Methods; (3) In Vivo Protein Ligation For Discovery Of Novel Protein Engineering Methods:, Melina Huang Xia

Bioengineering Master's Theses

It has been understood that during Gram-positive bacterial infection, the bacterial cells interact with host mammalian cells via the virulence factors whose anchorage onto the bacterial surface are mainly catalysed by Sortase A[2]. Emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, especially the Gram-positive bacteria, has rendered the rise of many antibiotic resistant bacteria, resulting in rise of infection cases that bypass traditional first-line antibiotics treatments. It is crucial for the public health that scientists and researchers discover an alternative treatment for the bacterial infection that targets the underlying pathogenic mechanism that are responsible for the increased virulence of such bacteria without contributing …

New Efficient Approach To Solve Big Data Systems Using Parallel Gauss–Seidel Algorithms, Shih Yu Chang, Hsiao Chun Wu, Yifan Wang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In order to perform big-data analytics, regression involving large matrices is often necessary. In particular, large scale regression problems are encountered when one wishes to extract semantic patterns for knowledge discovery and data mining. When a large matrix can be processed in its factorized form, advantages arise in terms of computation, implementation, and data-compression. In this work, we propose two new parallel iterative algorithms as extensions of the Gauss–Seidel algorithm (GSA) to solve regression problems involving many variables. The convergence study in terms of error-bounds of the proposed iterative algorithms is also performed, and the required computation resources, namely time-and …

Environmental Pollution Analysis And Impact Study-A Case Study For The Salton Sea In California, Jerry Gao, Jia Liu, Rui Xu, Samiksha Pandey, Venkata Sai Kusuma Sindhoora Vankayala Siva, Dian Yu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A natural experiment conducted on the shrinking Salton Sea, a saline lake in California, showed that each one foot drop in lake elevation resulted in a 2.6% average increase in PM2.5 concentrations. The shrinking has caused the asthma rate continues to increase among children, with one in five children being sent to the emergency department, which is related to asthma. In this paper, several data-driven machine learning (ML) models are developed for forecasting air quality and dust emission to study, evaluate and predict the impacts on human health due to the shrinkage of the sea, such as the Salton Sea. …

A Comparison Of Univariate And Multivariate Forecasting Models Predicting Emergency Department Patient Arrivals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Egbe Etu Etu, Leslie Monplaisir, Sara Masoud, Suzan Arslanturk, Joshua Emakhu, Imokhai Tenebe, Joseph B. Miller, Tom Hagerman, Daniel Jourdan, Seth Krupp

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the existing concern about the uncertainty surrounding patient arrival and the overutilization of resources in emergency departments (EDs). The prediction of variations in patient arrivals is vital for managing limited healthcare resources and facilitating data-driven resource planning. The objective of this study was to forecast ED patient arrivals during a pandemic over different time horizons. A secondary objective was to compare the performance of different forecasting models in predicting ED patient arrivals. We included all ED patient encounters at an urban teaching hospital between January 2019 and December 2020. We divided the data into training …

"You Are Not Alone": Family-Based Hiv Risk And Protective Factors For Hispanic/Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men In San Juan, Pr, Moctezuma Garcia

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) have the second largest HIV infection rate in the United States and Puerto Rico (PR) has ranked number five with the greatest number of Hispanics living with HIV. This study aims to understand how family affects HIV risk and protective factors for young adults. PR MSM ages 21 through 30 in San Juan, PR completed semi-structured interviews exploring the influence interpersonal family relationships have on HIV risk and protective factors. PR MSM (N = 15) completed a semi-structured in-depth individual interview. NVivo was used for administering a thematic analysis based on the …

Is Active Voice Enough? Community Discussions On Passive Voice, Mmiwg2s, And Violence Against Urban Indigenous Women In San José, California, Soma De Bourbon, Ketzal Gomez, Beatriz San Juan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Men commit violence against Native American women at higher rates than other racial or ethnic groups. When violence against Indigenous women is discussed and written about, it is often in passive voice. Several scholars note the problem of using passive voice to talk about violence against women, but there is little research on how women themselves understand passive voice as connected to the violence perpetrated against them, and we found no literature on how Native women understand passive voice. This research asks how urban Native and Indigenous women understand passive language in relationship to violence. The authors, who are all …

Water Sharing Is A Distressing Form Of Reciprocity: Shame, Upset, Anger, And Conflict Over Water In Twenty Cross-Cultural Sites, Amber Wutich, Asher Rosinger, Alexandra Brewis, Melissa Beresford, Sera Young

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Anthropological theories of reciprocity suggest it enhances prestige, social solidarity, and material security. Yet, some ethnographic cases suggest that water sharing—a form of reciprocity newly gaining scholarly attention—might work in the opposite way, increasing conflict and emotional distress. Using cross-cultural survey data from twenty global sites (n = 4,267), we test how household water reciprocity (giving and receiving) is associated with negative emotional and social outcomes. Participation in water sharing as both givers and receivers is consistently associated with greater odds of reporting shame, upset, and conflict over water. Water sharing experiences in a large, diverse sample confirm a lack …

Molecular Determinants Of Mechanosensation In The Muscle Spindle, Katherine A. Wilkinson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The muscle spindle (MS) provides essential sensory information for motor control and proprioception. The Group Ia and II MS afferents are low threshold slowly-adapting mechanoreceptors and report both static muscle length and dynamic muscle movement information. The exact molecular mechanism by which MS afferents transduce muscle movement into action potentials is incompletely understood. This short review will discuss recent evidence suggesting that PIEZO2 is an essential mechanically sensitive ion channel in MS afferents and that vesicle-released glutamate contributes to maintaining afferent excitability during the static phase of stretch. Other mechanically gated ion channels, voltage-gated sodium channels, other ion channels, regulatory …

Neurocardiovascular Instability (Ncvi) Risk As A Predictor Of Cognitive Function In The Long Life Family Study, Rebecca Abraham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In aging populations, the abnormal neural control of the cardiovascular system has been examined within the construct of neurocardiovascular instability (NCVI). The main research aim addressed whether baseline features of NCVI could predict cognitive function (i.e., decline) at follow-up within long-lived families. Across 941 subjects, baseline NCVI risk was indexed by two features: (1) self-reported syncopal or fall events and (2) average seated BP. The Low NCVI risk group included those who were normotensive (e.g., within normal BP range) and reported no NCVI features (n=379). The Moderate NCVI risk group included those who elicited pre-hypertensive (elevated BP) or hypertensive (high …

Legislating Against Liberties: Congress And The Constitution In The Aftermath Of War, Harry Blain

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How far can a democracy go to protect itself without jeopardizing the liberties upon which democracy depends? This dissertation examines why wartime restrictions on civil liberties outlive their original justifications. Through a comparative historical analysis of five major American wars, it illustrates the decisive role of the U.S. Congress in preserving these restrictions during peacetime. This argument challenges the prevailing consensus in the literature, which identifies wartime executive power as the main threat to postwar freedoms. It also reveals broader narratives of American constitutional development, including the rise and fall of intrusive congressional investigations, the decline of sedition legislation since …

Minority Stress, Structural Stigma, And Physical Health Among Sexual And Gender Minority Individuals: Examining The Relative Strength Of The Relationships, Annesa Flentje, Kristen D. Clark, Ethan Cicero, Matthew R. Capriotti, Micah E. Lubensky, John Sauceda, Torsten B. Neilands, Mitchell R. Lunn, Juno Obedin-Maliver

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM; i.e., non-heterosexual and transgender or gender-expansive, respectively) people experience physical health disparities attributed to greater exposure to minority stress (experiences of discrimination or victimization, anticipation of discrimination or victimization, concealment of SGM status, and internalization of stigma) and structural stigma. Purpose: To examine which components of minority stress and structural stigma have the strongest relationships with physical health among SGM people. Methods: Participants (5,299 SGM people, 1,902 gender minority individuals) were from The Population Research in Identity and Disparities for Equality (PRIDE) Study. Dominance analyses estimated effect sizes showing how important each component of …

Knowledge And Awareness Of Hearing Loss By Undergraduate Education Majors, Samantha Presbrey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: This research sought to establish the knowledge levels of undergraduate education majors at Brooklyn College with regards to hearing assistive technologies, optimal classroom acoustics, and signs of not hearing. Additionally, the intent is to utilize the results of a thorough literature search and this study to create a comprehensive guide for future educators; Hearing Loss: A Tool for Educators.

Methods: Undergraduate education majors enrolled in the Communication and Disorders (CASD) 1114: Introduction to Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders were surveyed on their knowledge of hearing assistive technologies, optimal classroom acoustics, and signs of not hearing. A lecture was then …

Early Starts And Late Finishes Both Reduce Alertness And Performance Among Short-Haul Airline Pilots, Lucia Arsintescu, Sean Pradhan, Ravi G. Chachad, Kevin B. Gregory, Jeffrey B. Mulligan, Erin E. Flynn-Evans

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Flight crews are frequently required to work irregular schedules and, as a result, can experience sleep deficiency and fatigue. This study was conducted to determine whether perceived fatigue levels and objective performance varied by time of day, time awake, and prior night's sleep duration. Ninety-five pilots (86 male, 9 female) aged 33 years (±8) volunteered for the study. Participants completed a daily sleep diary, Samn-Perelli fatigue scale, and psychomotor vigilance task that were completed before and after each flight duty period and at the top-of-descent for each flight. Pilots experienced higher self-reported fatigue (EMM = 3.92, SE = 0.09, p < 0.001) and worse performance (Response speed: EMM = 4.27, SE = 0.08, p = 0.004) for late-finishing duties compared with early-starting duties (Samn-Perelli: EMM = 3.74, SE = 0.08; Response speed: EMM = 4.37, SE = 0.08), but had shorter sleep before early-starting duties (early: EMM = 6.94, SE = 0.10; late: EMM = 8.47, SE = 0.14, p < 0.001). However, pre-duty Samn-Perelli and response speed were worse (z = 4.18, p < 0.001; z = 3.05, p = 0.03; respectively) for early starts compared with late finishes (EMM = 2.74, SE = 0.19), while post-duty Samn-Perelli was worse for late finishes (EMM = 4.74, SE = 0.19) compared with early starts (EMM = 4.05, SE = 0.12). The results confirm that duty time has a strong influence on self-reported fatigue and performance. Thus, all flights that encroach on a biological night are targets for fatigue risk management oversight.

Nature Supports A Vibrant Downtown Economy, Shannon Rogers

UNH Cooperative Extension

In this brief we share some examples of where nature can be found or added to a downtown and then how it can enhance a community’s economy. To visualize this, we created an example of a downtown or town center that could be found or enhanced in a typical community in New Hampshire. Starting in the upper left corner, we see how a potential business can integrate with a downtown and natural assets such as a river and trees and also be close to housing.

Related resources:

• Access to Nature and Its Economic Implications (webinar): https://scholars.unh.edu/extension/1447/
• Access to Nature and …

Early Th2 Inflammation In The Upper Respiratory Mucosa As A Predictor Of Severe Covid-19 And Modulation By Early Treatment With Inhaled Corticosteroids: A Mechanistic Analysis, Jonathan R. Baker, Mahdi Mahdi, Dan V. Nicolau, Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Peter J. Barnes, Jodie L. Simpson, Steven P. Cass, Richard E. K. Russell, Louise E. Donnelly, Mona Bafadhel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Community-based clinical trials of the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide in early COVID-19 have shown improved patient outcomes. We aimed to understand the inflammatory mechanism of budesonide in the treatment of early COVID-19. Methods: The STOIC trial was a randomised, open label, parallel group, phase 2 clinical intervention trial where patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive usual care (as needed antipyretics were only available treatment) or inhaled budesonide at a dose of 800 μg twice a day plus usual care. For this experimental analysis, we investigated the nasal mucosal inflammatory response in patients recruited to the STOIC trial and in …

Diversity As A Condition Of Cultures: Querying Assumptions Of Mainstream And Minorities In Education Policy And Curriculum, Sue Saltmarsh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Highlights

• Discussions of diversity in relation to children’s education are often characterized by binaries of same/different, mainstream/margins, inclusion/exclusion, self/Other.

• Curriculum remains a contested site in educational debate, with differing views about curriculum as reinforcing social norms, beliefs, and values, as addressing the learning and social needs of learners from a variety of backgrounds and worldviews, or as a hybrid of these.

• Policy and curriculum designed or intended to address diversity tend to rest on assumptions of majority or dominant cultures as homogenous and distinct from the cultures of minority Other/s.

• Inequality is often multidimensional, intersecting with, …

Non-Pharmacological Self-Management Strategies For Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy In People With Advanced Cancer: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Megan Crichton, Patsy M. Yates, Oluwaseyifunmi Andi Agbejule, Amy Spooner, Raymond J. Chan, Nicolas H. Hart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Non-pharmacological self-management interventions for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotherapy (CIPN) are of clinical interest; however, no systematic review has synthesized the evidence for their use in people with advanced cancer. Five databases were searched from inception to February 2022 for randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of non-pharmacological self-management interventions in people with advanced cancer on the incidence and severity of CIPN symptoms and related outcomes compared to any control condition. Data were pooled with metaanalysis. Quality of evidence was appraised using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Trials (RoB2), with data synthesized narratively. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development …

Dietary Nitrate Intake Is Associated With Decreased Incidence Of Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Rotterdam Study, Joëlle E. Vergroesen, Tosca O. E. De Crom, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Caroline C. W. Klaver, Trudy Voortman, Wishal D. Ramdas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Previous studies suggest that nitric oxide is involved in the regulation of the intraocular pressure (IOP) and in the pathophysiology of open-angle glaucoma (OAG). However, prospective studies investigating the association between dietary nitrate intake, a source of nitric oxide, and incident (i)OAG risk are limited. We aimed to determine the association between dietary nitrate intake and iOAG, and to evaluate the association between dietary nitrate intake and IOP. From 1991 onwards, participants were followed each five years for iOAG in the Rotterdam Study. A total of 173 participants developed iOAG during follow-up. Cases and controls were matched on age (mean …

Human-Robot Interaction Torque Estimation Methods For A Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robotic System With Uncertainties, Juan C. Yepes, Santiago Rúa, Marisol Osorio, Vera Z. Pérez, Jaime A. Moreno, Adel Al-Jumaily, Manuel J. Betancur

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Lower limb rehabilitation robot (LLRR) users, to successfully conduct isotonic exercises, require real-time feedback on the torque they exert on the robot to meet the goal of the treatment. Still, direct torque measuring is expensive, and indirect encoder-based estimation strategies, such as inverse dynamics (ID) and Nonlinear Disturbance Observers (NDO), are sensitive to Body Segment Inertial Parameters (BSIPs) uncertainties. We envision a way to minimize such parametric uncertainties. This paper proposes two human–robot interaction torque estimation methods: the Identified ID-based method (IID) and the Identified NDO-based method (INDO). Evaluating in simulation the proposal to apply, in each rehabilitation session, a …

Epidemiological Association Of Cannabinoid- And Drug- Exposures And Sociodemographic Factors With Limb Reduction Defects Across Usa 1989–2016: A Geotemporospatial Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Reports of major limb defects after prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) in animals and of human populations in Hawaii, Europe and Australia raise the question of whether the increasing use of cannabis in USA might be spatiotemporally associated with limb reduction rates (LRR) across USA. Methods: Congenital anomaly data was from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network, drug use data was taken from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), cannabinoid concentration was estimated from Federal seizure data and ethnicity and income data were from the US Census bureau. Geotemporospatial analysis was conducted in R. Results: 436 LRR …

Patient Efficacy In Telehealth Is Moderated By Distress Among Patients With Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Joseph Mccollom Do, Rachel Pfafman, Michelle Drouin, Mindy Flanagan, Tammy Toscos Phd

PCI Publications and Projects

Low emotional distress and high confidence with tech impacts cancer patients’ choice of in person or telehealth visits.

Parental Mosaicism For Apparent De Novo Genetic Variants: Scope, Detection, And Counseling Challenges, Roni Zemet, Ignatia B Van Den Veyver, Paweł Stankiewicz

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

The disease burden of de novo mutations (DNMs) has been evidenced only recently when the common application of next-generation sequencing technologies enabled their reliable and affordable detection through family-based clinical exome or genome sequencing. Implementation of exome sequencing into prenatal diagnostics revealed that up to 63% of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants associated with fetal structural anomalies are apparently de novo, primarily for autosomal dominant disorders. Apparent DNMs have been considered to primarily occur as germline or zygotic events, with consequently negligible recurrence risks. However, there is now evidence that a considerable proportion of them are in fact inherited from …

The Db Community Vis-À-Vis Environmental, Health, And Societal Grand Challenges: Innovation Engine, Plumber, Or Bystander?, Anastasia Ailamaki, Leilani Battle, Johannes Gehrke, Masaru Kitsuregawa, David Maier, Christopher Re, Meihui Zhang, Magdalena Balazinska

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This panel considers the role of the database research community in addressing humanity's greatest challenges. Are we an innovation engine, tool providers, or are we standing on the side while other research communities take the lead?

Neoliberal Hegemonic Masculinity And Mcmindfulness: The Need For Buddhist Values And Principles In Mindful Masculinity Programs, David Forbes

Publications and Research

This paper explores how certain Buddhist-inspired principles such as impermanence of self and compassion for all (metta) and the practice of mindfulness can contribute to challenging ways in which young men adopt troublesome aspects of systemic patriarchy. It (1) briefly examines the problem of systemic patriarchy in its most dominant forms, neoliberal hegemonic masculinity and right-wing racist authoritarian masculinity; (2) critically discusses examples of mindfulness education and counseling programs for young men that have been severed from their Buddhist origins (McMindfulness) that attempt to challenge young men around patriarchal beliefs and thoughts but end up reproducing neoliberal hegemonic masculinity; (3) …

Consortium Capabilities For Enterprise Blockchain Success, Matt Kaufman, Stanton Heister, Kristi Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Enterprise blockchain projects have great promise. They can cut costs and promote efficiency through disintermediation, increase transparency for tracking intercompany transactions, expand knowledge through consortia databases, and improve workflows through shared business processes. Despite its potential, blockchain technology has failed to produce promised benefits for enterprise networks. While the underlying technology has advanced rapidly, managerial capabilities needed to form and manage blockchain consortia have lagged, and as a result, few consortia have succeeded. This chapter reviews the extant literature on blockchain consortia and provides a framework that identifies (1) foundational conditions that precede effective consortium formation, (2) capabilities required for …

Poly (5-Carboxyindole)–Β-Cyclodextrin Composite Material For Enhanced Formaldehyde Gas Sensing, John N. Hodul, Nikhil F. Carneiro, Allison K. Murray, Wilson Lee, Kelly M. Brayton, Xinping He, Carsten Flores-Hansen, Dimitry Zemlyanov, George T.-C. Chiu, James E. Braun, Bryan W. Boudouris, Jeffrey F. Rhoads

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Formaldehyde, a compound commonly employed in many construction materials, paints, and plastics, has been linked to deleterious health effects. Thus, monitoring the presence of formaldehyde in interior locations is increasingly important when it comes to public health. Currently, there is a crucial need for a low-cost, small-scale, selective, and sensitive indoor sensor capable of real-time formaldehyde detection. To meet these performance metrics, materials need to be incorporated onto existing gas sensor platforms to act as chemically selective recognition layers. A main challenge when addressing this issue is creating a material that can remain easily processable, can be easily synthesized, and …

Natural Transplants, Vanessa Casado-Pérez, Yael R. Lifshitz

Faculty Scholarship

Policymakers are constantly faced with the complex task of managing novel challenges. At times, these challenges result from new technologies: Consider fights over allocating air rights for drones or decisions about how to share scarce vaccines in a pandemic. Other times the resources are old, but the challenges are new, such as how to fairly allocate water in times of unprecedented drought or previously undesirable rare earth minerals that are in demand for modern manufacturing and energy production. Often, instead of carefully tailoring a regime to the new resource, decisionmakers simply rely on mechanisms they are familiar with. When jurisdictions …

Salary Roster, 2022 June, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Salary Reports

No abstract provided.

Cumulative Lifetime Acute Stressor Exposure Interacts With Reward Responsiveness To Predict Longitudinal Increases In Depression Severity In Adolescence, Kreshnik Burani, C. J. Brush, Grant S. Shields, Daniel N. Klein, Brady Nelson, George M. Slavich, Greg Hajcak

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Life stress and blunted reward processing each have been associated with the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder. However, much of this work has been cross-sectional, conducted in separate lines of inquiry, and focused on recent life stressor exposure, despite the fact that theories of depression posit that stressors can have cumulative effects over the lifespan. To address these limitations, we investigated whether acute and chronic stressors occurring over the lifespan interacted with blunted reward processing to predict increases in depression over time in healthy youth. Method

Participants were 245 adolescent girls aged 8–14 years old (M …