Digital Commons Network^™

The Housing Choice Voucher Program: An Analysis Of Its Demand And Supply (Challenges And Opportunities) And The Way Forward, Sethina Atsupe Dowuona-Owoo

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, was created in 1974 to provide affordable housing for low-income families. However, recent research suggests that inaccessibility to homes for low-income groups remains high. This research aims to contribute to the existing literature by examining recent trends of the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) in providing housing affordability for low-income families.

The study used a sample of 30 U.S. states covering fifteen years (2009-2023). It relied on data from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department and other secondary sources. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study …

Using Inactivation-Deficient Mutation Of Brain Sodium Channel To Study Beta Subunit Alteration Of Voltage-Gating And Epilepsy, Nicole J. Huang, Allie K. Day, James R. Groome

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Sodium ion channels are a key component in the process that neurons utilize to create an action potential. A primary cause of genetic epilepsy is mutations in sodium ion channels found in the brain, and research into these mutations is crucial to understanding the causes of the disease and mitigating its symptoms. In this study, we examined how expression of beta subunits affects ion channel activation and deactivation. Electrophysiology was used to apply voltages across the membranes of African clawed frog oocytes, and Pulsefit and IgorPro software programs were used to analyze probability of opening and time for deactivation for …

Higher Plasma Afb1 Concentration Is Associated With Increased Risk Of Hpv 16 And Hpv 18 Detection And Persistence Among Ugandan Women, Yan Tong, Miriam Nakalembe, Collins Mpamani, Carolyn Nakisige, Jane Namugga, Grace Banturaki, Philiph Tonui, Elkanah Orang'o

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Introduction: Aflatoxins are environmental hazards; potent carcinogenic and immunosuppressive agents that contaminates corn and other crops. A high proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma cases are caused by exposure to dietary aflatoxins. Cervical cancer is common among Ugandan women; this malignancy is caused by persistent infection with oncogenic HPV types. An analysis was performed to examine associations between plasma aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) detection and oncogenic HPV detection (HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68) and persistence among Ugandan women.

Methods: Ugandan women were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Annual cervical swabs …

Spectral Differences Of Three Ethyl Cellulose-Coated Vitamins, Sophia Garcia Buenrostro, Mia Toronto, Owen Mcdougal

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Water-soluble vitamins C (ascorbic acid), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B9 (folic acid) are essential micronutrients commonly added to fortified foods to ensure adequate dietary intake. However, their sensitivity to heat, light, and moisture presents challenges for stability during food processing and storage. A solution to the sensitivity of vitamins is coating them in ethyl cellulose, a hydrophobic polymer that protects the vitamins against environmental factors that can degrade the vitamins before the product is consumed. For fortified foods, accurate quantification of vitamin content is necessary for compliance with FDA regulations and food labeling standards. Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, a rapid, non-destructive …

The Effects Of Surface Irregularity And Sex On Spatiotemporal Parameters, Brooke L. Brody, Thomas A. Wenzel, Iona Halliday, Tyler N. Brown

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Females are more susceptible to tibial stress fractures than males. A sex dimorphism in gait spatiotemporal parameters like changes in cadence, stride length, and stride width during running may increase tibial bone load and females’ injury risk. However, it is currently unclear if running over uneven surfaces impacts gait spatiotemporal parameters and exacerbates a hazardous dimorphism in female gait parameters. Twenty four healthy runners (12 male, 12 female) had gait spatiotemporal parameters quantified when running at 4.5 m/s for flat and uneven surfaces. During trial, cadence, stride length, and stride width were quantified and submitted to analysis. We anticipate females …

Full Issue

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Obstetric Fistula Prevalence Among Internally Displaced Women In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kyli Fox Soug

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Obstetric fistulas are rare in the West but common for women in the Global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Fistulas are caused by prolonged or obstructed labor which forces downward pressure on the baby’s head and the mother’s pelvis. This pressure creates a non-natural opening in the genital region. Fistulas cause leakage of waste and therefore are often accompanied by unwanted odors. As of 2021, the prevalence of obstetric fistulas was 2 million women in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and 3 in every 1000 women of reproductive age in the world have a fistula. In the …

Our Mothers In Science, Alexis Bass

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

2025 July, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for July of 2025.

Automated Mycoplasma Genitalium Molecular Macrolide Resistance Detection And Nucleic Acid Target Semi-Quantitation: Patient Demographic Considerations, Josephine Moore, Trinity Krueger, Amanda Zapp, Stephen C. Lavey, Kimber L. Munson, Irene A. Stafford, Michael E. Newcomb, Brian Mustanski, Erik Munson

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Recent work has optimized parameters of a real-time reverse transcriptase PCR-based laboratory-developed test on the Panther Fusion system which detects Mycoplasma genitalium-specific macrolide resistance-associated mutations LDT (MRM-LDT) from primary swab and urine specimens. In this study, MRM-LDT was applied to a large multi-demographic study set to further characterize M. genitalium resistance in the United States. A total of 2,145 primary clinical specimens testing positive for M. genitalium 16S rRNA by transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) were initially titered by the same assay using serial 10-fold dilutions to determine relative target nucleic acid burden. Specimens were then processed for MRM-LDT. Findings were stratified …

Flight Of The Clipped Wings, Thaily Jeanty

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

Author Statement

"'Flight of the Clipped Wings' delves into the emotional journey of struggling with mental health issues and the stigma that often surrounds them. The pressure to conform to societal norms is a constant struggle, especially when fear of discrimination is at play. The pet birds represent two contrasting aspects: Charlotte symbolizes freedom and hope, while Cassiel embodies isolation and loneliness. These birds act as foils to one another, reflecting the tension between societal expectations and personal non-conformity. The piece aims to raise awareness by immersing readers in this complex experience."

Behind The Painting, Aries Calderon

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

Artist Statement

"'Behind The Painting,' is a representative piece on how messy how felt when it came to my junior year of my college year. I always had this idea that once college ended, it was only a straight-forward path from here, or so I grew up to believe if I continued to follow down this path my parents have paved for me. You would think being in this position of stability, it would be easy for anyone to just listen and do everything blindly as you are guided towards success, but it turned out to be the most hurtful …

Restoring Calibration For Aligned Large Language Models: A Calibration-Aware Fine-Tuning Approach, Jiancong Xiao, Bojian Hou, Zhanliang Wang, Ruochen Jin, Qi Long, Weijie J Su, Li Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

One of the key technologies for the success of Large Language Models (LLMs) is preference alignment. However, a notable side effect of preference alignment is poor calibration: while the pre-trained models are typically well-calibrated, LLMs tend to become poorly calibrated after alignment with human preferences. In this paper, we investigate why preference alignment affects calibration and how to address this issue. For the first question, we observe that the preference collapse issue in alignment undesirably generalizes to the calibration scenario, causing LLMs to exhibit overconfidence and poor calibration. To address this, we demonstrate the importance of fine-tuning with domain-specific knowledge …

Principal Component Analysis Of Emotion Related Concepts, Ana Kellermann Jimenez

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Past research has established the overlap between several emotion-related factors, such as alexithymia, empathy, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and mentalization. The aim of the present study was to analyze where these variables overlapped and how they related to different psychological and psychopathological variables. This was accomplished through the use of a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and four canonical correlation models. The results indicated that there was an eight-component structure that included Alexithymia, Valuing Emotions, Mistrusting Emotions, Positive Reframe, Perspective-Taking, Empathetic Concern, Emotional Pessimism, and Avoiding Emotions. The internal reliability of the components ranged from adequate to excellent. The validity of the …

High-Impact Chronic Pain And Cognitive Decline Among Mexicans Aged 60 And Older From 2012 To 2018, Sadaf Arefi Milani, Sirena Gutierrez, Brandon O'Grady, Rebeca Wong, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Brian Downer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pain is associated with cognitive decline, but prior research has not considered differences between high- and low-impact chronic pain or low-and middle-income countries, such as Mexico. Our objective was to evaluate the association between high-impact chronic pain and cognitive decline among older adults in Mexico. We used data from the 2012-2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a nationally representative study of older Mexican adults (60+). Pain, measured at each wave, was categorized as high-impact chronic pain (pain that limits daily activities), low-impact chronic pain (pain that did not limit daily activities), and no chronic pain. Cognition was measured at …

Diet, Gut Microbiota, And Histidine Metabolism Toward Imidazole Propionate Production In Relation To Type 2 Diabetes, Hongbo Yang, Kai Luo, Brandilyn A Peters, Yi Wang, Yanbo Zhang, Martha Daviglus, Amber Pirzada, Christina Cordero, Bing Yu, Robert D Burk, Robert Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To examine associations of serum imidazole propionate (ImP), histidine, and their ratio with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related dietary and gut microbial factors in U.S. Hispanic/Latino people.

Research design and methods: In the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we evaluated serum ImP, histidine, and ImP-to-histidine ratio at baseline (2008-2011) and their cross-sectional associations with dietary intake and prospective associations with incident T2D over ∼12 years (n = 4,632). In a subsample with gut microbiota data during a follow-up visit (2016-2018), we examined gut microbial species associated with serum ImP and their potential interactions with dietary intake. …

Mutualistas: La Sociedad Auxiliar De Mutua Beneficiaria, Antonito Colorado, 1937-1994, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

Mutual Aid Societies proliferated in the American Southwest during a period of rapid social change, 1880-1930. In Hispanic towns, these societies were referred to as mutualistas, with a large number concentrated in the San Luis Valley of Colorado and rural counties of northcentral New Mexico. One of the men’s organizations, La Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU), started in Antonito, Colorado, and quickly spread to other communities of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico and eventually to a few mining towns in Utah. With a tri-state model in place, women formed their own mutual protection societies: Sociedad Protectora …

July 2025, Swosu Bulldog Wellness Committee

SWOSU BULLDOG WELLNESS

YOGA classes coming

SUMMER SELF-CARE IDEAS

In honor of Parks and Recreation Month

SWOSU has earned the Oklahoma Certified Healthy Campus Certificate

SWOSU Pool Hours

Celebrating Disability Pride Month Showcasing Publications By Faculty, Staff, And Students In The Texas Medical Center Community, Alice Sherwood

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

At the TMC Library’s online repository, you'll find a wide range of scholarly works on disability-related topics authored by faculty, staff, and students from across the Texas Medical Center. With over 37,000 items, 2.7 million downloads, and users from 160+ countries, this platform is a growing hub for global health knowledge.

Explore Recent Publications on Disability from the past three years.

Placental Transfer Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies In Mother-Neonate Pairs: A Prospective Nested Cohort Study, Alex Mugo, Angela Koech, Liberty Cantrell, Moses Mukhanya, Isaac Mwaniki, Joseph Mutunga, Merryn Voysey, Rachel Craik, Peter Dadelszen, Marleen Temmerman, Geoffrey Omuse

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background

Newborns depend on the transfer of IgG across the placenta to acquire protection against pathogens. We assessed the placental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, primarily derived from infection, from seropositive pregnant women enrolled in a pregnancy cohort in Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods

The study was nested within a prospective observational multi-country cohort study. All available paired maternal delivery and cord blood samples were selected. Maternal sera were tested for SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) IgM/IgG total antibodies using the Wantai assay. For positive samples, maternal and corresponding cord blood samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies against the spike (anti-spike) and …

Positioning Justice: A Legal Cascade Of Sexual Violence Cases In Mombasa, Kenya, Melanie Olum, Gerald Githinji, Abigael Kenga, Abel Nyabera Mokua, Morris Kiio, Nawal Aliyan, Iqbal Khandwala, Celina Kithinji, Saida Wanjiku, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Seeking legal redress for sexual violence (SV) is a daunting process for survivors. They must navigate their personal trauma societal stigma, and flawed systems, creating an arduous path to justice. This study was conducted to assess patterns of SV within Mombasa County, Kenya, and details the legal follow-up post-SV care.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using data from SV survivors attending the Gender-Based Violence and Recovery Centre (GBVRC) at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH) between 2017 and 2023. Data sources include post-rape care (PRC) forms, clinician notes, quarterly reports, police reports, counsellor …

Covid-19 Vaccine Attitudes And Behaviors Among Pregnant Women In Nairobi, Kenya With Diverse Socio-Economic And Educational Backgrounds, Jessica Schue, Ferdinand Okwaro, Ingrid Gichere, Daizy Cherono, Mandeep Sura, Emilly Miller, Berhaun Fesshaye, Prachi Singh, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Pregnant women are at increased risk of severe manifestations of COVID-19, resulting in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death compared to non-pregnant women. COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use in pregnant women in early 2022 by the World Health Organization, but permissive policies toward vaccine women differed by country. As education has been associated with vaccine uptake, this study sought to examine the association between socio-economic or educational status and vaccination behaviors, including reasons for vaccination or non-vaccination among pregnant women seeking health care services in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: This study administered a survey to pregnant women at the …

Sex-Based Differences In The Representation Of Top Youth Athletes, Jessica J. James, Sandra K. Hunter, Elizabeth P. Bueckers, Michael J. Joyner, Jonathon W. Senefeld

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Although emerging research demonstrates that male athletes outperform female athletes before puberty, the effect of these sex-related advantages on ordinal ranking of top performances remains unclear.

Objectives

Among overall top performances of youth track and swimming athletes, we aimed to determine 1) the proportional number of male compared with female athletes represented and 2) at what age females are no longer represented.

Methods

Finishing times and sex of the top 10 and top 100 performances of youth runners and swimmers between 5 and 18 yr were abstracted from online U.S.-based databases for four running (100 m–800 m) and six freestyle …

Shared Genetic Architecture Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Cardiovascular Imaging, Risk, And Diagnoses, Jie Shen, Wander Valentim, Eleni Friligkou, Cassie Overstreet, Karmel W. Choi, Dora Koller, Christopher J. O’Donnell, Murray B. Stein, Joel Gelernter, Haitao Lv, Ling Sun, Guido J. Falcone, Renato Polimanti, Gita A. Pathak, Edward Trapido, Ariane Rung, Et Al.

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder face increased cardiovascular risk. This study examines shared genetic regions between post-traumatic stress disorder and 246 cardiovascular conditions across electronic health records, 82 cardiac imaging, and health behaviors defined by Life’s Essential 8. Post-traumatic stress disorder is genetically correlated with cardiovascular diagnoses in 33 regions, imaging traits in 4 regions, and health behaviors in 44 regions. Potentially shared causal variants between post-traumatic stress disorder and 17 cardiovascular conditions were observed in 11 regions. Subsequent observational analysis in AllofUS cohort showed post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with 13 diagnoses even after accounting for socioeconomic factors and …

Wild Hogs In The Water: Contested Infrastructural Ecologies Of Reservoir Storage In Texas, Sayd Randle

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Reservoirs are developed to store water in reserve for future use. But once built, reservoir sites inevitably hold more than just water, often serving as a key habitat for a range of species. This paper examines how one such animal has transformed water storage facilities and nearby landscapes into contested ground in urbanising areas of Texas, USA. Living around the reservoirs, feral hogs complicate the process of urbanisation by degrading the stockpiled water and infrastructure at the storage sites themselves and by damaging private property throughout the surrounding landscape. Tracking local efforts to manage the hogs, the case study illustrates …

Estimation Of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction By Real-Time Three Dimensional Echocardiography In Comparison To Other Linear And Volumetric Methods In Coronary And Valvular Heart Diseases, Kawthar Ali Abid, Amal Al-Marayati, Ihsan Ali Al-Hasnawi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

 BACKGROUND:More dependence on real-time three dimensional echocardiography, is in practice in the assessment of LVsystolic function in coronary and valvular heart disease.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the accuracy of linear M-MODE and volumetric (BIPLANE and TRIPLANE)echocardiographic method versus the REAL-TIME 3DE in assessment of regional and global LV systolicfunction (depending on the high agreement of RT -3DE with CMR which is the gold standard inassessment of LV systolic function) and to start orientation to this issue in our centers.PATIENTS AND METHOD:This study included 60 patients with coronary heart disease and valvular heart disease who wereadmitted in Iraqi center for cardiac disease, for whom …

Duration Of Inter-Pregnancy Interval And Its Predictors Among A Sample Of Pregnant Women In Reproductive Age Attending Primary Health Care Centers In Al-Russafa /Al-Shaab Sector, Russul Mohammed, Huda Habib

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Inter-pregnancy interval is defined as the time in completed months from the reported date of live birth of the previous child to the self-reported last normal menstrual period.Study objectives: To assess the duration of inter-pregnancy interval, and to assess the possible predictors associated with the duration of inter-pregnancy interval.Participants & Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during the period from 1st March to 1st August 2023. A convenient sample of pregnant women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) who attended PHCCS in Al-Shaab sector, Baghdad-Alrusafa Health Directorate. Data was collected by direct interviews with the target population, …

The Value Of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient In Differentiating Metastatic From Benign Non Metastatic Axillary Lymph Nodes In Women With Breast Cancer, Saja Zaki, Mohmmed Alhiili

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Breast cancer is the most common woman cancer. Accurate diagnosis of metastatic axillary lymph node (ALN) have an important role because it controls the clinical therapeutic schedule and influence overall disease prognosis.The development of MRI including DWI\ADC sequences improve the detection of axillary lymph nodes metastasis using the Brownian phenomena this represents an important non-invasive method with no need for contrast media.Aim of this study: To evaluate the role of the apparent diffusion coefficient inthe differentiation between metastatic and benign non metastatic axillary lymphnodes .Patients and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted atOncology teaching hospital in Medical city …

The Role Of Cox2 Immunohistochemical Expression In Endometrial Endometrioid Carcinoma And Endometrial Hyperplasia And It's Correlation With Clinicopathological Parameters, Marwa Hamza, Sura Ejam

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background:Uterine corpus tumor is one of the most prevalent gynecological malignancies. 75% of women are postmenopausal at time of diagnosis .Thus, Postmenopausal bleeding is the most common symptom, COX2, also known as prostaglandin H synthase, catalyzes the formation of prostaglandin from arachidonic acid, identified as a potential indicator of the neoplastic transformation of normal cells into tumors cell.Aim of Study:To evaluate the Cyclooxygenase-2(COX2) immunohistochemical expression in endometrial carcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia with and without atypia and itś correlation with clinicopathological parameters .Method:Cross sectional study carried out in the Department of Pathology, Babylon Center during the period from December 2022 through …

Medico-Legal Study Of Sudden Death Among People Younger Than 40 Years In Baghdad, Kauthar Maree, Saad Kareem

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Sudden death is a significant global public health concern affecting individuals under 40. Understanding sudden death dynamics is crucial for addressing health and legal implications. Exploring epidemiology, causes, and risk factors is essential for implementing preventive measures, healthcare policies, and forensic practices.Objective: To identify the causes of sudden death among individuals under 40 in Baghdad. To assess the impact of lifestyle and family history contributions and examine the patterns of age, sex, and gender in sudden death cases within this particular demographic group.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 69 medico-legal cases involving individuals under the age of 40 …