Digital Commons Network^™

Detecting Coral Reef Presence Using Icesat-2 Data And Machine Learning Methods, Gabrielle Trudeau, Lowell Kim

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

As ocean temperatures and sea levels continue to increase and weather storms become more severe and frequent, benthic habitats such as coral reefs become more vulnerable to deadly conditions such as mass bleaching events and infectious diseases. With these ever-changing conditions, it becomes imperative that monitoring efforts are made to ensure longevity of the world’s coral reefs. Current coral reef monitoring techniques require significant manpower to collect in-situ data, such as fixed site surveys using photography and visual counts. The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), while initially intended for collecting data regarding changes in the cryosphere, utilizes a …

Innovation In Bioinformatics: Recent Tools, Database And Involvement Of Artificial Intelligence, Aziz Ahmed, Mohd Shuaib, Abdulbasid Banga, Rizwan Ahmad

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics has evolved in recent years into a crucial subject and a well-liked research area that is interconnected with many approaches and disciplines. The capacity of bioinformatics and its approaches to tackle challenging biological problems and promote research and development. There are various tools and database which are used in bioinformatics. AI is the capacity of a computational system to carry out various activities associated with intellectual beings and as a computer system's imitation of human intelligence processes. The bioinformatics applications with artificial intelligence have the capacity to annotate the data in the direction of logical conclusions. By combining AI …

Black Women Dying To Give Life, Teresa Gray

Publications and Research

ABSTRACT

Maternal Mortality is a prevalent problem that impacts the overall health of the nation. This predicament has been touted by presidential candidates, political leaders, obstetrical leaders, midwifery, nursing and obstetrical organizations as an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. The United States has the worst maternal mortality among high-income countries. Although the impact of maternal mortality on other groups such as Whites, Asians and Hispanics must be recognized and acknowledged, this paper focuses on its impacts on Black women. Black women are disproportionately losing their lives due to pregnancy related complications more than any other group. The contributory …

Management Overview Of The Lung Tuberculosis Control Program At The Dki Jakarta Provincial Health Office In 2023, Mutiara Kiranti, Helen Andriani

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Tuberculosis is one of the infectious diseases that is fatal if not cured immediately. In 2022, the success rate of tuberculosis treatment in DKI Jakarta Province is 81%, while the national target is 90%. In the field, the number of cadres to carry out contact investigations is still insufficient, so that in 2022 the coverage of contact investigations in DKI Jakarta Province will only reach 25%, while the national target is 90%. To increase the scope of successful treatment, the government should try to overcome tuberculosis, which is needed. Proper program management is required to run effectively and efficiently for …

Island Health Crisis: Bridging Gaps In Indonesia's Healthcare Deserts, Joyce Mangoma, Wahyu Sulistiadi

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

This narrative literature review examines critical healthcare challenges in Indonesia's island communities, focusing on workforce shortages, inadequate health infrastructure, and the profound impact of geographical and socioeconomic factors. Drawing from eight studies published between January 2000 and December 2023, the discussion highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. The studies were selected based on their relevance to healthcare issues in island communities, rigorous methodological approaches, and significant insights into healthcare challenges and solutions. This time frame was chosen to encompass a comprehensive evolution of healthcare challenges and responses, particularly considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grounded in …

Mitigating Burnout In Primary School Teachers Since The Covid-19 Pandemic, Janine Celeste Adrian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although teacher burnout has been experienced for decades, teachers faced additional stressors with the onset of COVID-19. Teachers faced newfound stressors due to lockdowns and restrictions on gathering face-to-face and instruction becoming virtual. Even the youngest students (kindergarten to fifth grade) had to be taught according to the virtual learning mandates. As a result, primary school teachers began to experience burnout differently. The purpose of this study was to explore the support primary school teachers needed to help mitigate the burnout they experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored what interpersonal, intrapersonal, or educational support helps mitigate burnout …

Immune Responses Of Neonatal (14-Day Old) And Adult (6 Weeks Old) Mice Lung And Spleen Cells To Gamma-Irradiated Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Stimulation, Oyinkansola F. Adeyemi

Biotechnology Theses

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a global health challenge, especially in vulnerable populations like neonates, whose immune systems are still developing. Understanding the immune responses to Mtb in neonates is critical for the development of better vaccine and treatment strategies. Building upon previous research from our laboratory, which demonstrated that γMtb stimulated neonatal mice (0, 3, and 7 days old) lung cells displayed distinct cytokine profiles and increased expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cell subpopulations than adult mice lung cells. In the current study, we investigated age-dependent immune responses in 14-day-old (neonates) and 6-week-old (adults) mice. We found …

Generation And Characterization Of Lipid Nanoparticles For Dna Plasmid Delivery And Pharmacological Characterization, Sahana John

Biotechnology Theses

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have shown promise for delivering nucleic acids like DNA plasmids, but packaging large plasmids remains challenging. The findings and experimental work detailed in this thesis are geared towards providing a proof of concept and providing preliminary confirmation of the guiding principle.

We synthesized LNPs containing cationic lipids (D-Lin-MC3) to encapsulate the large pLVX-ZsGreen and psiCHECK (luciferase) plasmids (~10-14kb) using a microfluidic system. Characterization included size, charge, morphology, plasmid encapsulation efficiency and in vitro/in vivo studies. The LNP-pDNA particles were ~100nm in size with high encapsulation efficiency. The LNPs efficiently transfected 293T cells with low cytotoxicity, enabling strong …

Perceptions Of Pre-Service Teachers About Natural Disasters: Coronavirus, Earthquake, Fire, And Flood, Pınar Bozca, Eylem Yalçınkaya Önder

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This research explores the perceptions of preservice teachers in Turkey in terms of their preparedness for various disasters, including epidemics, earthquakes, fires, and floods, all of which have profound social and economic impacts on education. Using a descriptive survey model, the study examined the responses of 512 preservice teachers at a single university across all levels of their educational program. The survey, conducted digitally due to the pandemic, consisted of 70 questions. Findings reveal inconsistent levels of confidence and readiness across different types of disasters. For instance, while most preservice teachers understand the severity of the coronavirus and are concerned …

Crisis Management: Unveiling Information And Communication Technologies’ Revamped Role Through The Lens Of Sub-Saharan African Countries During Covid-19, Ruthbetha Kateule, Egidius Kamanyi, Mahadia Tunga

The African Journal of Information Systems

The management of COVID-19 pandemic has revealed inefficiencies in coordinating global response, particularly in African countries. Therefore, creating an urgent need to examine the literature on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in crisis management to appreciate its contextual role. Employing a systematic review, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), this paper critically assessed the extent of the use of ICT in crisis management in Africa’s response to COVID-19 to reconstruct its resilience against future crises. Findings indicate that while countries with limited ICT infrastructure faced considerable challenges in utilizing ICT solutions in COVID-19 management, countries …

An Interactive Web Application For Exploring Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Blood Transcriptomic Diversity., Eléonore Bettacchioli, Laurent Chiche, Damien Chaussabel, Divi Cornec, Noémie Jourde-Chiche, Darawan Rinchai

Faculty Research 2024

In the field of complex autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systems immunology approaches have proven invaluable in translational research settings. Large-scale datasets of transcriptome profiling have been collected and made available to the research community in public repositories, but remain poorly accessible and usable by mainstream researchers. Enabling tools and technologies facilitating investigators' interaction with large-scale datasets such as user-friendly web applications could promote data reuse and foster knowledge discovery. Microarray blood transcriptomic data from the LUPUCE cohort (publicly available on Gene Expression Omnibus, GSE49454), which comprised 157 samples from 62 adult SLE patients, were analyzed with …

The Effect Of Educating Mas On Hpv Vaccination: A Pilot Project, Alexis Petersen, Karlen E. Luthy, Michael S. Robinson, Janelle L. B. Macintosh

Student Works

Background: The HPV vaccine protects patients against infection and cancers, yet it is underutilized. Medical Assistants (MAs) can play a pivotal role in vaccination and are the focus of this project.

Aim Statement: This project aims to examine whether one educational session can improve the perceptions, knowledge, and comfort level of MAs regarding HPV vaccination.

Methods: The project took place at three separate clinics of one pediatric organization in Utah.

Interventions: A 10–15-minute educational session about the HPV vaccine was presented to the MAs at each clinic, and a pre- and post-survey method was used to analyze the effect of …

Seeking Asylum Somewhere Over The Rainbow: The Long-Term Effect Of Southern Border Restrictions Upon Lgbtq+ Asylum Seekers, London Jones

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Social Media On Mothers' Decision-Making Regarding Vaccinations, Wendy M. Patterson

Dissertations

This study involved determining why mothers hesitate to vaccinate their children and where they get their information about vaccinations. This descriptive qualitative study guided by the health belief model explored the influence social media has on mothers' perceived barriers to vaccinating their children. A descriptive qualitative approach was used, and one-on-one audio interviews were conducted via Zoom or in person with 19 participants. Participants were mothers 19 or older, had children between zero and 18, made medical decisions for their children who resided in their household, and sought information about vaccinations via healthcare providers, social media platforms, friends, or family. …

T-Cell Redirecting Bispecific Antibodies: A Review Of A Novel Class Of Immuno-Oncology For Advanced Prostate Cancer, Julia Palecki, Amman Bhasin, Andrew Bernstein, Patrick Mille, William Tester, William Kelly, Kevin Zarrabi

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Novel T-cell immunotherapies such as bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) are emerging as promising therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer. BiTEs are engineered bispecific antibodies containing two distinct binding domains that allow for concurrent binding to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) as well as immune effector cells, thus promoting an immune response against cancer cells. Prostate cancer is rich in tumor associated antigens such as, but not limited to, PSMA, PSCA, hK2, and STEAP1 and there is strong biologic rationale for employment of T-cell redirecting BiTEs within the prostate cancer disease space. Early generation BiTE constructs employed in clinical study have demonstrated meaningful antitumor …

Reports Of Autosomal Recessive Disease And Consanguineous Mating Within The Human Population, Johnathon L. Schluter

Master's Theses

It is anecdotally evident when investigating published reports of autosomal recessive disease that a substantial number of cases are the result of related (consanguineous) mating. This research seeks to quantify the percent of manuscripts describing autosomal recessive diseases published between 2000 and 2020 in which consanguineous mating is indicated. We analyzed 602 peer-reviewed manuscripts to identify the percentage of cases presented in which consanguineous mating was indicated, the underlying genes (novel gene or new mutation) and geographical region. These papers were accessed through a specific set of parameters on the free access PubMed Central (PMC) database. A total of 552 …

Dublin Institute Of Technology (Dit) College Sites: A Fascicle Of Maps, Photographs, Images And Documents, Leonard Hynes, Phil Hanlon Dr., Anne Murphy

Level 3

No abstract provided.

Keep Our Children Smiling: Fluoride Varnish Education In The Pediatric Primary Care Setting, Isabella Mortola

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease. In early childhood, it is associated with many negative factors such as pain, loss of teeth, and impaired growth. Fluoride varnish (FV) is a protective resin coating treatment that is reimbursable by most insurances and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), and the American Dental Association (ADA) due to its high efficacy in preventing dental caries. FV is a low-cost treatment that can be easily applied in 1-2 minutes during a well-child visit in the primary care setting, where children …

Federal Powers In A Pandemic, Julia Whitehead, Braden Leach

Georgia State University Law Review

This Article examines how the young federal government responded to infectious diseases to ascertain the limits of federal powers and analyzes how federal powers were used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Avidity Maturation Of Humoral Response Following Primary And Booster Doses Of Bnt162b2 Mrna Vaccine Among Nursing Home Residents And Healthcare Workers, Oladayo A. Oyebanji, Nicholas Sundheimer, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram, Brigid M. Wilson, Jürgen Bosch, Christopher L. King, David H. Canaday

Faculty Scholarship

Infections, despite vaccination, can be clinically consequential for frail nursing home residents (NHR). Poor vaccine-induced antibody quality may add risk for such subsequent infections and more severe disease. We assessed antibody binding avidity, as a surrogate for antibody quality, among NHR and healthcare workers (HCW). We longitudinally sampled 112 NHR and 52 HCWs who received the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine after each dose up to the Wuhan-BA.4/5-based Omicron bivalent boosters. We quantified anti-spike, anti-receptor binding domain (RBD), and avidity levels to the ancestral Wuhan, Delta, and Omicron BA.1 & 4/5 strains. The primary vaccination series produced substantial anti-spike and RBD levels …

Synergizing Ai, Iot, And Blockchain For Diagnosing Pandemic Diseases In Smart Cities: Challenges And Opportunities, Ibrahim Alrashdi, Ali Alqazzaz

Sustainable Machine Intelligence Journal

The advent of smart cities has paved the way for transformative advancements in healthcare, particularly in the domain of disease diagnosis. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, accurate and timely identification of Pandemic diseases has become paramount. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in synergizing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain technologies for diagnosis of Pandemic diseases in smart cities. This study provides an overview of each technology and its relevance to sustainable healthcare in smart cities, emphasizing its potential for analyzing medical data and making informed decisions. We also explore how IoT devices can …

Covid-19 Vaccine Motivation And Hesitancy Among A Sample Of African American, Afro-Caribbean, And African Respondents In The United States, Shauna K. Elbers, Denise A. Vaughan, Yordanos M. Tiruneh

School of Medicine Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the motivations and decisions behind COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is crucial for designing targeted public health interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a qualitative analysis to explore COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among diverse ethnic subgroups of Black Americans in the United States. This study investigates the 2021–2022 responses of 79 African American, Afro-Caribbean, and African respondents over the age of 18 in Washington State and Texas. Respondents were asked “Do you plan to get the COVID-19 vaccination?” Qualitative responses were analyzed by content category and ethnic subgroup. Of the 79 responses, 60 expressed favorable perceptions, 16 expressed unfavorable perceptions, and …

Dna G-Quadruplexes As Targets For Natural Product Drug Discovery, Kai-Bo Wang, Yingying Wang, Jonathan Dickerhoff, Danzhou Yang

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

DNA guanine (G)-quadruplexes (G4s) are unique secondary structures formed by two or more stacked G-tetrads in G-rich DNA sequences. These structures have been found to play a crucial role in highly transcribed genes, especially in cancer-related oncogenes, making them attractive targets for cancer therapeutics. Significantly, targeting oncogene promoter G4 structures has emerged as a promising strategy to address the challenge of undruggable and drug-resistant proteins, such as MYC, BCL2, KRAS, and EGFR. Natural products have long been an important source of drug discovery, particularly in the fields of cancer and infectious diseases. Noteworthy progress has recently been made in the …

Short- And Long-Term Predicted And Witnessed Consequences Of Digital Surveillance During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review, Leigha Comer, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Bradley Hiebert, Maxwell J. Smith, Anita Kothari, Saverio Stranges, Jason Gilliland, Jed Long, Jacquelyn Burkell, Jacob J. Shelley, Jodi Hall, James Shelley, Tommy Cooke, Marionette Ngole Dione, Danica Facca

Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the deployment of digital technologies for public health surveillance globally. The rapid development and use of these technologies have curtailed opportunities to fully consider their potential impacts (eg, for human rights, civil liberties, privacy, and marginalization of vulnerable groups). OBJECTIVE: We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify the types and applications of digital technologies used for surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predicted and witnessed consequences of digital surveillance. METHODS: Our methodology was informed by the 5-stage methodological framework to guide scoping reviews: identifying the research question; identifying …

Flattening The Curve: Why Amending The International Health Regulations Is The Common-Sense Solution To Future Pandemics, Brittney Graff

BYU Law Review

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge for the World Health Organization (WHO) and international community. The outbreak and ongoing pandemic prompted States to reassess the efficacy of the International Health Regulations (IHR). In November 2021, the World Health Assembly (WHA) decided to develop a new agreement to increase international pandemic preparedness. This paper analyzes the current gaps in the IHR to present a pragmatic approach wherein the WHA would amend rather than replace the IHR. It starts by examining the purpose and history of the IHR, including past revisions. It then addresses the constitutional framework of the IHR, and …

Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (Upar) In Inflammation And Disease: A Unique Inflammatory Pathway Activator, Mostafa Hamada, Kyle S. Varkoly, Omer Riyadh, Roxana N. Beladi, Ganesh Munuswamy-Ramanujam, Alan Rawls, Jeanne Wilson-Rawls, Hao Chen, Grant Mcfadden, Alexandra R. Lucas

Student Publications

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a unique protease binding receptor, now recognized as a key regulator of inflammation. Initially, uPA/uPAR was considered thrombolytic (clot-dissolving); however, recent studies have demonstrated its predominant immunomodulatory functions in inflammation and cancer. The uPA/uPAR complex has a multifaceted central role in both normal physiological and also pathological responses. uPAR is expressed as a glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked receptor interacting with vitronectin, integrins, G protein-coupled receptors, and growth factor receptors within a large lipid raft. Through protein-to-protein interactions, cell surface uPAR modulates intracellular signaling, altering cellular adhesion and migration. The uPA/uPAR also modifies extracellular activity, activating …

Review Of Treatment Of Hepatitis C Among Persons Who Are Housing Insecure And Use Substances, Kate Kelley

Faculty Scholarship

With the advent of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA), reduction of hepatitis C infection (HCV) has become a public health priority. The World Health Organization’s goal of global elimination of HCV by 2030 has brought to light the challenges in treating certain populations. This review examines the burden of HCV infection on unhoused individuals and people who use substances in the United States in the last five years, and presents best practices in patient care and treatment.

Reversible Male Contraception By Targeted Inhibition Of Serine/Threonine Kinase 33, Angela F Ku, Kiran L Sharma, Hai Minh Ta, Courtney M Sutton, Kurt M Bohren, Yong Wang, Srinivas Chamakuri, Ruihong Chen, John M Hakenjos, Ravikumar Jimmidi, Katarzyna Kent, Feng Li, Jian-Yuan Li, Lang Ma, Chandrashekhar Madasu, Murugesan Palaniappan, Stephen S Palmer, Xuan Qin, Matthew B Robers, Banumathi Sankaran, Zhi Tan, Yasmin M Vasquez, Jian Wang, Jennifer Wilkinson, Zhifeng Yu, Qiuji Ye, Damian W Young, Mingxing Teng, Choel Kim, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Men or mice with homozygous serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) mutations are sterile owing to defective sperm morphology and motility. To chemically evaluate STK33 for male contraception with STK33-specific inhibitors, we screened our multibillion-compound collection of DNA-encoded chemical libraries, uncovered potent STK33-specific inhibitors, determined the STK33 kinase domain structure bound with a truncated hit CDD-2211, and generated an optimized hit CDD-2807 that demonstrates nanomolar cellular potency (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 9.2 nanomolar) and favorable metabolic stability. In mice, CDD-2807 exhibited no toxicity, efficiently crossed the blood-testis barrier, did not accumulate in brain, and induced a reversible contraceptive effect that …

Health Equity: Communicating Impaired Water Status, Emily Potter

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Introduction: Land use changes in the Rivanna River and James River Watersheds have increased the number of impaired recreational waters, and there is a disparity in the equitable communication of these impairments to different populations. Ineffective communication contributes to inequities in access to safe, accessible, and affordable water for vulnerable populations, placing public health at risk.

Methods: This study uses secondary data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Watershed Index Online (WSIO) Indicator Data Tables, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Rivanna River Association, and James River Association. Correlations, linear regression, and percent change were used to identify statistically significant trends …

Mentorship Matters: Promising Results From Vpha’S Pilot Mentorship Program, Ashley Tharpe, Stacey B. Plichta, Anna R. Robertson, Kim Baskette

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Purpose

The Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) Pilot Mentorship Program seeks to support public health students, early career professionals, and career switchers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in their growth as public health professionals. The program provides opportunities for participants to gain job-seeking and professional communication skills through live webinars, to connect with each other through online networking events, to manage stress through wellness webinars, and to interact with experienced public health professionals.

Methods

VPHA formed a volunteer committee to develop and implement the program in Fall 2022. Initially, the program was envisioned as a traditional one-to-one mentoring program; however, …