Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Florida Victim Advocates During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katarina Renee Hamburg

Theses and Dissertations

In December of 2019, a new virus known as COVID-19 emerged out of Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus which is highly contagious and, in some cases, lethal. By January 20th, 2020, the United States reported its first case of COVID-19. Between January and December of 2020 there were 18.7 million cases and 329,000 deaths in the United States alone. Globally, during that time frame, there were 79.8 million cases and 1.75 million deaths. Due to the highly contagious and dangerous nature of COVID-19, countries across the world have attempted to promote public health by enacting social distancing measures. …

Human Trafficking: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Labor Trafficking In The Us, Anthony A. Mottola

Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon where traffickers prey upon their victims without discriminating against age, gender, ethnic background, or nationality. The United States (US) is not immune to the human rights violations of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking are coerced into a life of exploitation through forced labor or sexual exploitation. Many victims are migrants from disadvantaged countries that travel to the US seeking employment but end up the victims of abuse, both physically and mentally, at the hands of traffickers. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the global economy, forcing quarantines, travel bans, and social distancing. …

A Mixed-Method Study On Social Media’S Role In The Health Decision-Making Practices Of Black Millennial Women In South Florida, Sashah Damier

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine health care decision-making practices of Black millennial women in South Florida, based on their social media use. The study contributed to understanding of how cultural components contribute to health care disparities for people of color because health care providers lacked information on how to reach Black millennial women with accurate and helpful information through social media.

The design for the study included a convergent parallel mixed-methods design using a web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey along with embedded qualitative telephone interviews and NVivo software. This mixed-methods methodology provided rich data and new understandings …

Teachers’ Experiences In Implementing Primary School Physical Education Curriculum In Ghana And The United States, Patrick Collins Frempong

Theses and Dissertations

Barriers to implementing a full physical education curriculum presented challenges to teaching students about healthy lifestyles and supporting them through effective lessons. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore and compare primary school teachers’ experiences in rural Ghana and the United States in implementing the physical education curriculum. The present study addresses gaps in the literature by connecting teacher concerns when implementing a curriculum with fidelity. The mixed-methods study helped explore and compare primary school teachers’ experiences in rural (town populations of less than 5,000) Ghana and rural towns of the southern United States in implementing the physical education curriculum.

This …

We Can Do This / Juntos Sí Podemos: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Government-Sponsored Covid-19 Public Service Announcements (Psas) In English And Spanish, Katalina R. Peterson

Scripps Senior Theses

Communication inequities are known to negatively impact people from socioeconomically and linguistically disadvantaged backgrounds during public health crises (Gomez-Aguinaga et al., 2021). In the United States, Hispanics—especially those who speak Spanish—have been among the communities most disproportionately affected by COVID-19 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2022). The pandemic has underscored the importance of understanding the linguistic and discursive strategies implemented by institutions entrusted with disseminating public health information to reach diverse audiences, especially the most vulnerable. This paper analyzes the linguistic practices used to create public service announcements (PSA) produced in English and Spanish by health agencies at both the …

From Smallpox To Covid-19: Social And Legal Responses To Vaccinations And Vaccine Mandates, Janet L. Dolgin

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Identifying Host-Intrinsic Resistance Mechanisms To Therapeutic Anti-Tumor Antibody, James Edward Glassbrook

Wayne State University Dissertations

The use of monocloncal antibodies (mAbs) directed at tumor-associated antigens (TAA), often termed “targeted immunotherapy” has revolutionized cancer treatment, markedly improving patient outcomes. As a prime example, the mAb trastuzumab targets human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). Like many targeted immunotherapies, only a subset of patients with HER2+ cancer exhibit long-term benefit from trastuzumab. In addition to tumor-intrinsic factors, such as HER2 heterogeneity, we hypothesize that host genetics may influence subsequent immune activation after treatment. To model this interaction, we utilized the genetically heterogeneous Diversity Outbred (DO) mouse model in an F1 cross with BALB/c (producing DOCF1 mice). This cohort …

Power And Sample Size Calculations For Evaluating Spillover Effects In Networks With Non-Randomized Interventions, Ke Zhang

Open Access Master's Theses

Determining the appropriate sample size that is needed to achieve a desired level of statistical power is an integral aspect of study design, as it ensures that studies are adequately powered and that their results are reliable and meaningful. Adequate statistical power can also address some practical and ethical considerations. Various methodologies for power and sample size calculations have been developed for distinct types of studies. However, the implications for power when estimating spillover effects in sociometric network-based studies with non-randomized interventions (SNS-NRIs) remain inadequately explored. In this study, we first conducted a series of simulations to evaluate how the …

Recovering The Full Network Using A Sampling Bias Adjustment In Sampled Network, Ryan Humphreys

Open Access Master's Theses

This project aimed to investigate the differences in terms of network structural characteristics between full and sampled networks and to develop a new weighted generalized estimating equations model (WGEE) in order to mitigate the sampling bias and obtain less biased sample estimates for model coefficients and standard errors. The applications of such an approach are of interest in the field of network analysis and public health studies. The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) is an HIV study using risk networks and is a key motivator for this work. Two other motivating examples were constructed where it was found that sampled …

Historical And Technical Analysis Of A Baltimore Album Quilt Top, Susan E. Day

Open Access Master's Theses

Almost 200 years after their creation, quilts in the Baltimore Album style continue to fascinate scholars and collectors. They encompass the most intricate of appliqué designs accomplished with sophisticated skills. Their designers remain little-known. A previously unresearched and unfinished Baltimore Album Quilt top is described and analyzed. It is compared to three other historic Baltimore Album Quilts from museum collections, all inscribed and dated between 1845 and 1850, all originating from northern Baltimore County, Maryland, and all interrelated through designs or inscriptions.

Research questions address the maker(s) of the top, the identity and circumstances of the intended recipient, and the …

Selection And Characterization Of Bacteriocinogenic Lactic Acid Bacteria From The Intestine Of Gilthead Seabream (Sparus Aurata) And Whiting Fish (Merlangius Merlangus): Promising Strains For Aquaculture Probiotic And Food Bio-Preservation, Sarah Cheriet, Sana Lenglitz, Amel Romdhani, Paul Hynds, Mohamed Salah Abbassi, Taofik Ghrairi

Articles

This study sought to evaluate the probiotic properties and the food preservation ability of lactic acid bacteria isolates collected from the intestines of wild marine fishes (gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) (n = 60) and whiting fish (Merlangius merlangus) (n = 40)) from the Mediterranean sea in the area of Mostaganem city, Algeria. Forty-two isolates were identified as: Enterococcus durans (n = 19), Enterococcus faecium (n = 15), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 4), Lactococcus lactis subp. lactis (n = 3), and Lactobacillus plantarum (n = 1). All isolates showed inhibition to at least one indicator strain, especially against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus …

An Ecological Study Of The Spatiotemporal Dynamics And Drivers Of Domestically Acquired Campylobacteriosis In Ireland, 2011–2018, Martin Boudou, Coilín Ó Haiseadha, Patricia Garvey, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

In 2021, Campylobacteriosis was the main gastrointestinal disease in the European Union since 2007 according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In the Republic of Ireland, the incidence of the disease is particularly high with approximately 3,000 cases per annum, raising significant concerns for national health authorities with an expected increase in the number of cases in the light of climate change. The current study sought to assess the spatio-temporal patterns of campylobacteriosis in the Republic of Ireland using 20,391 cases from January 2011 to December 2018. An ensemble of spatial statistics techniques including seasonal decomposition, spatial …

Medical Diagnostic Value Of Digital Pcr (Dpcr): A Systematic Review, Sophia Nazir

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is an emerging technique for the absolute quantification of target nucleic acids. dPCR got attention as a precise quantification tool in preclinical research, particularly when used to detect genetic mutations and result in highly precise measurements. In dPCR, the statistic of Poisson distribution was followed for the random distribution of molecules in different partitions, which is essential for dPCR quantification. Amplified target sequences in different partitions are identified by fluorescence and each partition functions as a separate PCR microreactor. Without the need for calibration, the percentage of PCR-positive partitions is sufficient to estimate the concentration …

Recent Progress Of Molecular Diagnosis Via Crispr Cas-Based Biosensors And Bioassays, S. Nazir

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The immune systems of bacteria and archaea served as the inspiration for CRISPR/Cas technology, which won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for its achievements in genetic manipulation. Because of its enormous value globally, molecular diagnostics emerged as a fresh wave of diagnostic technologies. A growing number of studies have demonstrated the compatibility of CRISPR/Cas technology with biosensors and bioassays for molecular diagnostics. As highly precise, sensitive, easily programmable, and device-independent sensors, CRISPR-based detection has received a lot of interest. One of the most precise and sensitive diagnostic techniques is nucleic acid-based detection. It has the potential for detecting other …

Electrochemical Biosensors For The Detection Of Antibiotics In Milk: Recent Trends And Future Perspectives, Baljit Singh Dr., Abhijnan Bhat, Lesa Dutta, Kumari Riya Pati, Yaroslav Korpan, Isha Dahiya

Articles

Antibiotics have emerged as ground-breaking medications for the treatment of infectious diseases, but due to the excessive use of antibiotics, some drugs have developed resistance to microorganisms. Because of their structural complexity, most antibiotics are excreted unchanged, polluting the water, soil, and natural resources. Additionally, food items are being polluted through the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed. The normal concentrations of antibiotics in environmental samples typically vary from ng to g/L. Antibiotic residues in excess of these values can pose major risks the development of illnesses and infections/diseases. According to estimates, 300 million people will die prematurely in …

Global Uncertainty And Economic Growth–Evidence From Pandemic Periods, Deepa Bannigidadmath, M. H. A. Ridhwan, Fiskara Indawan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper investigates whether global uncertainty predicts economic growth rates using a global sample of 136 countries. We use the panel regression model and find strong evidence that global uncertainty negatively predicts the economic growth rate. Further, the negative impact of global uncertainty on economic growth rates is amplified during pandemic periods versus non-pandemic periods. Our main findings hold after a range of robustness tests.

Early Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Variants Through Dynamic Co-Mutation Network Surveillance, Paul W. Bible, Qiang Huang, Huining Qiu, Yong Huang, Fangfang Zheng, Jing Gu, Jian Sun, Yuantao Hao, Yu Liu

Computer Science Faculty publications

Background: Precise public health and clinical interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a global rush on SARS-CoV-2 variant tracking, but current approaches to variant tracking are challenged by the flood of viral genome sequences leading to a loss of timeliness, accuracy, and reliability. Here, we devised a new co-mutation network framework, aiming to tackle these difficulties in variant surveillance.

Methods: To avoid simultaneous input and modeling of the whole large-scale data, we dynamically investigate the nucleotide covarying pattern of weekly sequences. The community detection algorithm is applied to a co-occurring genomic alteration network constructed from mutation corpora of weekly …

Dementia And Cognitive Impairment In French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comprehensive Review On Moving Out Of The Shadows Of Neglect, Cyrille D. Nkouonlack, Wepnyu Y. Njamnshi, Samuel A. Angwafor, Joseph N. Siewe Fodjo, Michel K. Mengnjo, Leonard Ngarka, Maggy Mbede, Leonard N. Nfor, Carlson Abomate, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Dementia is a global public health problem with increasing prevalence and incidence worldwide. The African continent is expected to bear the biggest brunt of the burden of dementia by 2050 because of the rapid demographic changes, including rapid population growth, an increase in life expectancy, and ageing. However, French-speaking Sub-Saharan African (FS-SSA) countries are underrepresented in research on dementia in Africa. While the reasons are diverse and complex, linguistic and cultural barriers to research, disproportionately affect these countries and may be significant factors. Any efforts, therefore, to redress the burden of dementia in Africa must consider the specific demographic, cultural, …

Tnf-Α Promotes Expression Of Inflammatory Factors By Upregulating Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase-2 Expression In Human Gingival Fibroblasts, Jianxia Hou, Min Xu, Churen Zhang, Ye Han, Jie Zhang, Xiaochi Chang, Sha Li

Journal of Dental Sciences

Abstract Background/purpose Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease. The oxidative stress environment can cause or exacerbate the inflammation in periodontitis. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) may be the most important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in periodontal tissues. The pathological mechanism of periodontitis may be related to the increased ROS caused by enhanced NOX activity. The purpose was to investigate the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) on inflammatory cytokines and ROS, and the role of NOX-2 in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Materials and methods HGFs were cultured and divided into the normal control group (NC group) and …

Predictive Factors And Prognosis Of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding In Gastric Cancer: A Large Population-Based Study (Ugib-Gc Trial), Anya Kiattiweerasak, Phubordee Bongkotvirawan, Natsuda Aumpan, Yoshio Yamaoka, Muhammad Miftahussurur, Ratha-Korn Vilaichone

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Gastric cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Significant number of gastric cancer patients presented with bleeding.

Objective: This study aimed to identify risk factors and overall survival rates of bleeding gastric cancer patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2007-2022 at tertiary care center in Thailand. Clinical information, endoscopic findings and histological type were extensively reviewed and were compared between bleeders and non-bleeders. Patients were monitored for at least 5 years.

Results: There were 20,981 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during study period. Total of 201 gastric cancer patients were included in …

The Effect Of A Plasma Next-Generation Sequencing Test On Antimicrobial Management In Immunocompetent And Immunocompromised Patients-A Single-Center Retrospective Study, Denise Marie A Francisco, Laila Woc-Colburn, Travis J Carlson, Todd Lasco, Miriam Barrett, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: To describe the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and to determine whether NGS leads to changes in antimicrobial management.

Design and setting: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged ≥18 years admitted to a single tertiary-care center in Houston, Texas, with an NGS test performed between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018.

Patients: In total, 167 NGS tests were performed. Most patients were of non-Hispanic ethnicity (n = 129), white (n = 106), and male (n = 116), with a mean age of 52 years (SD, 16). Moreover, 61 patients were immunocompromised: solid-organ transplant (n = 30), patients …

Bridging Science And Spirituality: The Intersection Of Religion And Public Health In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shahana Ayub, Gibson O Anugwom, Tajudeen Basiru, Vishi Sachdeva, Nazar Muhammad, Anil Bachu, Maxwell Trudeau, Gazal Gulati, Amanda Sullivan, Saeed Ahmed, Lakshit Jain

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had global impacts on social interactions and religious activities, leading to a complex relationship between religion and public health policies. This article reviews impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religious activities and beliefs in relation to the spread of the virus, as well as the potential of religious leaders and faith communities in mitigating the impact of the pandemic through public health measures and community engagement.

METHODS: A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar, with search terms including "religion," "COVID-19," "pandemic," "coronavirus," and "spirituality." We included English articles published between January 2020 …

Engaging Patients In Antimicrobial Stewardship: Co-Designed Educational Tool To Improve Periprocedural Care Through De-Implementation Of Guideline-Discordant Antimicrobial Use, Hawra Al Lawati, Marlena Shin, Rebecca Lamkin, Tyler Thompson, Isabella Epshtein, Hillary Mull, Dipandita Basnet Thapa, Dimitri Drekonja, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Teena Huan Xu, Howard Gold, A Rani Elwy, Judy Strymish, Westyn Branch-Elliman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Effective de-implementation models often include replacement of an ineffective practice with an alternative. We co-developed patient education materials as a replacement strategy for inappropriate post-procedural antibiotics in cardiac device procedures. Lessons learned and developed materials may be used to promote infection prevention in other periprocedural settings.

Combining Charlson Comorbidity And Vacs Indices Improves Prognostic Accuracy For All-Cause Mortality For Patients With And Without Hiv In The Veterans Health Administration, Kathleen A Mcginnis, Amy C Justice, Vincent C Marconi, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Ronald G Hauser, Krisann K Oursler, Sheldon T Brown, Kendall J Bryant, Janet P Tate, Veterans Aging Cohort Study Affiliations

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: As people age with HIV (PWH), many comorbid diseases are more common than among age matched comparators without HIV (PWoH). While the Veterans Aging Cohort (VACS) Index 2.0 accurately predicts mortality in PWH using age and clinical biomarkers, the only included comorbidity is hepatitis C. We asked whether adding comorbid disease groupings from the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) improves the accuracy of VACS Index.

METHODS: To maximize our ability to model mortality among older age groups, we began with PWoH in Veterans Health Administration (VA) from 2007-2017, divided into development and validation samples. Baseline predictors included age, and components …

Clinical Approach To Evaluation Of Underlying Cardiac Device Infection In Patients Hospitalized With Bacteremia, Dierdre B Axell-House, Sarwat Khalil, M Rizwan Sohail

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

More than 400,000 cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, are implanted every year in the United States (US). Infection is a serious complication of CIED therapy and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. While CIED pocket infection can be diagnosed based on clinical exam findings, positive blood culture may be the only manifestation of CIED lead infection. Thus, management of bacteremia in patients living with CIEDs requires special consideration. This review summarizes contemporary data in the context of the recently updated 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Criteria for …

Delphi Panel Consensus Regarding Current Clinical Practice Management Options For Demodex Blepharitis, Marjan Farid, Brandon D Ayres, Eric Donnenfeld, Ian Benjamin Gaddie, Preeya K Gupta, Edward Holland, Richard Lindstrom, Stephen C Pflugfelder, Paul M Karpecki, Kelly K Nichols, Christopher E Starr, Elizabeth Yeu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: To obtain consensus on Demodex blepharitis (DB) treatment using a modified Delphi panel process.

METHODS: Literature search identified gaps in knowledge surrounding treatment of DB. Twelve ocular surface disease experts comprised the Demodex Expert Panel on Treatment and Eyelid Health (DEPTH). They completed a live roundtable discussion in addition to 3 surveys consisting of scaled, open-ended, true/false, and multiple-choice questions pertaining to the treatment of DB. Consensus for scaled questions using a 1 to 9 Likert scale was predefined as median scores of 7–9 and 1–3. For other question types, consensus was achieved when 8 of 12 panelists agreed. …

Engineered Cd4 T Cells Expressing A Membrane Anchored Viral Inhibitor Restrict Hiv-1 Through Cis And Trans Mechanisms, Weiming Wang, Khanghy Truong, Chaobaihui Ye, Suman Sharma, Huan He, Lihong Liu, Michael Wen, Anisha Misra, Paul Zhou, Jason T Kimata

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

HIV-1 infection of target cells can occur through either cell-free virions or cell-cell transmission in a virological synapse, with the latter mechanism of infection reported to be 100- to 1,000-fold more efficient. Neutralizing antibodies and entry inhibitors effectively block cell-free HIV-1, but with few exceptions, they display much less inhibitory activity against cell-mediated HIV-1 transmission. Previously, we showed that engineering HIV-1 target cells by genetically linking single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) of antibodies to glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) potently blocks infection by cell-free virions and cell-mediated infection by immature dendritic cell (iDC)-captured HIV-1. Expression of scFvs on CD4

Chromosomal Microarray Analysis Supplements Exome Sequencing To Diagnose Children With Suspected Inborn Errors Of Immunity, Breanna J Beers, Morgan N Similuk, Rajarshi Ghosh, Bryce A Seifert, Leila Jamal, Michael Kamen, Michael R Setzer, Colleen Jodarski, Rylee Duncan, Devin Hunt, Madison Mixer, Wenjia Cao, Weimin Bi, Daniel Veltri, Eric Karlins, Lingwen Zhang, Zhiwen Li, Andrew J Oler, Kathleen Jevtich, Yunting Yu, Haley Hullfish, Bibiana Bielekova, Pamela Frischmeyer-Guerrerio, An Dang Do, Laryssa A Huryn, Kenneth N Olivier, Helen C Su, Jonathan J Lyons, Christa S Zerbe, V Koneti Rao, Michael D Keller, Alexandra F Freeman, Steven M Holland, Luis M Franco, Magdalena A Walkiewicz, Jia Yan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Though copy number variants (CNVs) have been suggested to play a significant role in inborn errors of immunity (IEI), the precise nature of this role remains largely unexplored. We sought to determine the diagnostic contribution of CNVs using genome-wide chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in children with IEI.

METHODS: We performed exome sequencing (ES) and CMA for 332 unrelated pediatric probands referred for evaluation of IEI. The analysis included primary, secondary, and incidental findings.

RESULTS: Of the 332 probands, 134 (40.4%) received molecular diagnoses. Of these, 116/134 (86.6%) were diagnosed by ES alone. An additional 15/134 (11.2%) were diagnosed by …

Implications Of The Paradigm Shift In Management Of Helicobacter Pylori Infections, David Y Graham

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The recent availability of susceptibility testing for Helicobacter pylori infections in the United Sates has resulted in paradigm shifts in the diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up of H. pylori infections. Here, we reviewed the English literature concerning changes in H. pylori diagnosis and therapy with an emphasis on the last 3 years. We focus on the new methods that offer rapid and convenient susceptibility testing using either invasive (endoscopic) or noninvasive (stool) methods of obtaining test material. We also discuss the implications of this availability on therapy and follow-up after therapy. The approach to therapy was categorized into four groups: (1) …

How Widespread And Convenient H Pylori Susceptibility Testing Will Result In Pharmacological Opportunities, Theodore Rokkas, David Y Graham

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction:

Until recently antimicrobial therapy for Helicobacter pylori infections was almost universally empirical and based on a combination of expert opinion and local effectiveness. However, the average cure rates rarely achieved more than 80%. The new requirement that all therapeutic regimens reliably achieve high cure rates, the introduction of potassium competitive acid blockers and the availability of susceptibility testing many pharmacological opportunities particularly since all current therapies will require optimization. The ability to rapidly and inexpensively obtain H. pylori susceptibility data using stool samples makes obtaining susceptibility data practical and allows using susceptibility-based therapy routinely for both treatment naïve patient …