Digital Commons Network^™

Boundless Community: A Virtual Platform Designed For Collaborative Development Of Emotional Well-Being, Sai On Ng

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research aims to apply the US Army concept of spiritual readiness to help Christians manage emotional stress in a civilian context through an online community. This project invites disconnected Christians to join an online community where they can address negative emotions by developing self-awareness of their maladaptive thinking and embody the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. This approach assists individuals in building emotional resilience, a concept emphasized in the military. This project addresses five negative emotions (anger, shame, sadness, fear, and loneliness) by replacing them with positive emotions taught in the Bible. The project consists of eight …

Refereed Research - Breaking The Shackles Of Poverty: How Bridging Ties Enable Subsistence Entrepreneurs To Upgrade Their Businesses To A Prosperous Level, Asifa Ilyas, Ralf Wagner

Subsistence Marketplaces

Subsistence entrepreneurs establish and run their business ventures under harsh economic and social conditions. These survival-driven businesses are impoverished and generate insufficient income for entrepreneurs and their families. Subsistence entrepreneurs can break this vicious poverty cycle by upscaling their ventures into more sustainable and profitable businesses. However, it is not clear what prevents these entrepreneurs from developing more prosperous and sustainable business ventures.

This study fills the gap by investigating the effect of bridging social ties on subsistence businesses' performance. Further, the study examines the impact of group identity, jealousy, gender, and power on subsistence entrepreneurs' efforts to build bridging …

Physical Characteristics, Movement Pattern And Heart Rate Response Of Indian Cricketers During Batting In Twenty20 (T20) Matches, Subhashis Biswas, Rupayan Bhattacharya, Arnab Das

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(6): 1413-1425, 2023. The study aims to provide a morphological profile of Indian cricketers and find physiological demands and positional differences of the batsmen in T20 matches according to their batting order. Eighty-three male cricketers (age: 17.93 ± 2.23 years) participated in this study and categorized into upper-order (n = 36), middle-order (n = 35) and lower-order (n = 12) batsmen. Height, weight, body fat%, and somatotype were measured. Movement analysis and heart rate (HR) responses were recorded during batting in T20 matches using PolarV800 smart-watch and H7 HR sensor. Descriptive statistics, …

Unclear Guidelines From The Sentencing Commission And A Prejudiced Warden Result In (Un)Compassionate Release, Mary Trotter

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

Congress first developed compassionate release in 1984, granting federal courts the authority to reduce sentences for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons. Compassionate release allows the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and inmates to apply for immediate early release on grounds of “particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by the court at the time of sentencing.” Questions remain about how the BOP and the courts grant compassionate release and whether the courts apply the compassionate release guidelines consistently. The uncertainty is due to the lack of clarity from the USSC to define “extraordinary or compelling circumstances,” …

Data-Supported Policy Recommendations For Usda Food Insecurity-Related Programs, Kara Woods, Anne M. Cafer, Meagen Rosenthal, Jillian Morrison, Natalie Minton, Brian K. Phillips, Si-Arah Mccray, Iris Crosby, Henry English, Kandi Williams

Food Systems

This report summarizes the findings obtained from a collaborative research project between the University of Mississippi Community First Research Center for Wellbeing and Creative Achievement (CREW), Southern University Agriculture Center, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The purpose of this research initiative was to examine the demand for nutrition incentive and produce prescription programs by farmers in rural areas across Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and to examine to what degree, if any, local farmers are currently incorporated into existing USDA Farm Bill funded produce prescription and nutrition incentive initiatives based on the 2018 Farm Bill changes.

Usda Food Insecurity Programs: Barriers & Policy Recommendations, Alcorn State University. Socially Disadvantaged Farmers And Ranchers Policy Research Center, University Of Mississippi. Community-First Research Center For Wellbeing And Creative Achievement, Southern University. Agriculture Center, University Of Arkansas At Pine Bluff

Food Systems

An evaluation of the effectiveness of nutrition incentive and produce prescription programs in rural areas across Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi identified barriers to participation for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFRs) and informed five policy goals for widening access and funding.

The College Voice, Vol. 58, No. 6 [December 6, 2023], Connecticut College

2023-2024

No abstract provided.

December 6, 2023 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Health Care Providers’ Experiences With Integrated Care Services Needed To Treat Patients With Type 3 Compared To Type 2 Diabetes, Sharon Hope Jaycox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Hawks' Herald -- Dec. 6, 2023, Roger Williams University

Hawk's Herald

No abstract provided.

The Association Between Cardiovascular Health And Cognition In Adults With Down Syndrome., Lauren Frank, Brian Helsel, Danica Dodd, Amy E. Bodde, Jessica C. Danon, Joseph R. Sherman, Daniel Forsha, Amanda Szabo-Reed, Richard A. Washburn, Joseph E. Donnelly, Lauren T. Ptomey

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Evidence in the general population suggests that predictors of cardiovascular health such as moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), cardiorespiratory fitness, and systolic blood pressure are associated with cognitive function. Studies supporting these associations in adults with Down syndrome (DS) are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between systolic blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and MVPA on cognition in adults with DS.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from a trial in adults with DS. Participants attended a laboratory visit where resting blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ Peak), and cognitive function …

Novel Fire And Herbivory Regime Impacts On Forest Regeneration And Plant Community Assembly, Devri A. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Human activities are increasing the occurrence of megafires that have the potential to alter the ecology of forest ecosystems. The objective of this study was to understand the impact of a 610 km2 megafire on patterns of forest regeneration and herbivory of three forest types (aspen/fir, oak/maple, and pinyon/juniper) within the burn scar. Sapling density, meristem removal, and height were measured across a transect network spanning the area of the burn scar over three years from 2019-2021. The network consisted of 17 burned/unburned transect pairs in adjacent burned/unburned forest stands (6 aspen/fir, 5 oak/maple, and 6 pinyon/juniper). Species that regenerated …

Scaffolded Simulation In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education, Lori Bobo, Stacy Mikel, Yolanda Chandler, Hungwei Tseng

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on nursing students’ confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills. Next, we also attempted to gain insights into students’ perceptions of the benefits of scaffolded clinical simulations.

Method: We used a mixed-methods research design to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on 133 second-semester baccalaureate nursing students’ confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills.

Results: Findings from this study indicate that students who perceived the benefits of scaffolded simulation activities (i.e., peer observations, debriefings, and self-reflections) …

Biomarkers For Heart Failure Prediction And Prevention, Prasanti Alekhya Kotta, Vijay Nambi, Biykem Bozkurt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Heart failure (HF) is a global pandemic affecting over 64 million people worldwide. Its prevalence is on an upward trajectory, with associated increasing healthcare expenditure. Organizations including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have identified HF prevention as an important focus. Recently, the ACC/AHA/Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Guidelines on heart failure were updated with a new Class IIa, Level of Evidence B recommendation for biomarker-based screening in patients at risk of developing heart failure. In this review, we evaluate the studies that have assessed the various roles and contributions of biomarkers in …

Determinants Of Undernutrition In Children Under Five Years In The Southern Africa Sub-Region: A Scoping Review, George Gw Waliomuzibu Mukisa, Tonderai Tw Shumba, Andrit Al Lourens

Journal of Health Research

Background: Undernutrition remains a fundamental public health challenge responsible for impaired growth, mortality, and morbidity in children under five years. This review aimed to assess the current evidence on child undernutrition determinants within the Southern African subregion.

Methods: The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews. The search was conducted from electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, HINARI, EbscoHost and CINAHL. The search focused on studies on child undernutrition determinants conducted in the Southern African subregion and published in English between January 2000 and November 2022.

Results: The review showed that there …

Predicting Factors Of Health-Related Quality Of Life Among End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis At A Tertiary Level Hospital In Nepal., Jyoti Gahatraj, Poolsuk Janepanish Visudtibhan, Tiraporn Junda, Nipaporn Butsing

Journal of Health Research

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) puts tremendous burdens upon affected patients and their support persons in Nepal. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Nepalese persons with hemodialysis-dependent ESRD is not well understood. This study aimed to examine HRQoL and its predicting factors among persons undergoing hemodialysis in Nepal.

Methods: A purposive sampling was applied to recruit 106 persons with ESRD receiving hemodialysis at a tertiary hospital in Nepal between October and December 2021. The structured questionnaires included personal information, the World Health Organization Quality of Life instruments (WHOQOL-BREF), the fatigue assessment scale (FAS), the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), …

Understanding Digital Well-Being And Insights From Technological Impacts On University Students’ Everyday Lives In Bangkok, Chulanee Thianthai, Patrapan Tamdee

Journal of Health Research

Background - Digital wellbeing has been widely discussed due to the influence of digital technology on our life. This paper defined digital wellbeing for university students in Bangkok and reviewed how they engaged with technology, while examining the technological impacts on their everyday lives.

Methods - Qualitative data was collected from university students across different majors and genders, ranging in age from 18-32 years old. The researchers used 30 in-depth individual interviews in conjunction with a brain writing 6-3-5 design thinking technique to gain insight into how digital natives living in Bangkok defined digital wellbeing and experienced daily life impacts …

Development And Implementation Of A Unique, Tailored School Lunch Training Program For Teachers And Their Stakeholders At Public Primary Schools In Thailand, Kantanit Chammari, Arisa Keeratichamroen, Kitti Sranacharoenpong, Punnee Ponprachanuvut, Nuttarat Srisangwan, Piyanit Churak, Panrawee Praditsorn

Journal of Health Research

Background: Although teachers responsible for the school lunch program were trained by the Ministry of Education (MOE) staff, they were not equipped with the basic knowledge of nutrition for children. This study aimed to develop and implement a unique, tailored school lunch training program for teachers and their stakeholders.

Methods: The training program was developed using the “Design for Learning (D4L) model.” Public primary schools run by the government from all regions of Thailand were selected. Target persons included principals, health teachers, nutrition teachers, cooks, and local staff from the MOE. All participants participated in a 5-day training course. …

Effects Of Dimerization On The Deacylase Activities Of Human Sirt2., Jie Yang, Nathan I Nicely, Brian P Weiser

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Human sirtuin isoform 2 (SIRT2) is an NAD+-dependent enzyme that functions as a lysine deacetylase and defatty-acylase. Here, we report that SIRT2 readily dimerizes in solution and in cells and that dimerization affects its ability to remove different acyl modifications from substrates. Dimerization of recombinant SIRT2 was revealed with analytical size exclusion chromatography and chemical cross-linking. Dimerized SIRT2 dissociates into monomers upon binding long fatty acylated substrates (decanoyl-, dodecanoyl-, and myristoyl-lysine). However, we did not observe dissociation of dimeric SIRT2 in the presence of acetyl-lysine. Analysis of X-ray crystal structures led us to discover a SIRT2 double mutant (Q142A/E340A) that …

Addressing Resource Constraints For Alzheimer’S Dementia Patients And Caregivers In The Global South: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Zaheen Rashed '24

Student Research

There are two main focuses of this paper: to address the care that AD patients in countries with few healthcare resources receive and to explore the experiences of familial caregivers who care for these patients. This thesis will investigate issues including access to the education required to administer informed care, who is ultimately responsible for caring for AD patients in countries with few health facilities, and the lack of resources that is apparent in countries that do not have AD specialists or clinics. This paper will pinpoint the root issue in treating AD patients globally to serve as the first …

Tiny Drifters Amidst Global Change: Examining Environmental Drivers, Trophic Impacts, And Management Strategies Of Estuarine Plankton Communities In The Anthropocene, Taylor Nicole Dodrill

Dissertations and Theses

Plankton productivity supports estuarine food webs, and has been tied to the success of fisheries, macroinvertebrates, and cultured shellfish yields. Climate change and alterations to nutrient loads are thought to be influencing plankton assemblages, with toxin-producing harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the rise and nutritional quality of plankton declining globally. These shifts in plankton communities may contribute to low biomass yields and toxin-based closures of important fisheries. The objectives of this dissertation are to identify environmental drivers, trophic impacts, and management strategies to understand and respond to changing estuarine plankton communities. To address these objectives, I used a combination of …

Purification And Characterization Of L-Asparaginase Produced From Bacillus Sp., Sahar I. H., Zaid A. H., Milad A.

Baghdad Science Journal

The objective of this study was to isolate and identify the asparaginase-producing bacteria, then purify and characterize the enzyme in order to investigate their properties in the future. Fifteen local bacterial isolates were isolated from various sites in the city of Baghdad, identified by conventional morphological and biochemical procedures, and confirmed using vitek 2 methods, and submitted to primary screening processes for asparaginase production. For secondary screening, eight isolates with the greatest yellow zone ability on a specific solid medium were chosen. Bacillus sp. was reported to have the highest enzyme production (7.5 U/mg proteins). After 24 hours of incubation, …

A Credentialing Protocol Education To Enhance Nurse Float Pool Competency, Dalton J. Skipper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Emerging Trends In Wheat (Triticum Spp.) Breeding: Implications For The Future, Mujahid Alam, P. Stephen Baenziger, Katherine Anna Frels

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Wheat (Triticum spp and, particularly, T. aestivum L.) is an essential cereal with increased human and animal nutritional demand. Therefore, there is a need to enhance wheat yield and genetic gain using modern breeding technologies alongside proven methods to achieve the necessary increases in productivity. These modern technologies will allow breeders to develop improved wheat cultivars more quickly and efficiently. This review aims to highlight the emerging technological trends used worldwide in wheat breeding, with a focus on enhancing wheat yield. The key technologies for introducing variation (hybridization among the species, synthetic wheat, and hybridization; genetically modified wheat; transgenic …

A Literature Review On Thermogenesis As A Prospective Obesity Treatment, Kellyn Sheppard

Senior Honors Theses

The disease of obesity has quickly escalated from an epidemic to a worldwide pandemic in the last few decades, and viable treatment methods are being investigated with urgency. One such treatment method is increased induction of the thermogenesis pathway that is active in brown adipose tissue. This pathway is typically activated in mammals when they are exposed to cold temperatures for extended periods of time but can also be induced exogenously. Thermogenesis is a metabolically inefficient process that occurs in the mitochondria of a cell, meaning it uses substrate energy without generating ATP. The inefficiency of this process allows excess …

Teachers’ Perspectives On Instructional Practices For English Language Learners Implemented During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loubna El Bdaoui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Nurses’ Lived Experiences Of Coping With The Long-Term Effects Of Compassion Fatigue From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Philip Joseph Nelan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Neonatal Survival After Serial Amnioinfusions For Bilateral Renal Agenesis: The Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy Trial, Jena L Miller, Ahmet A Baschat, Mara Rosner, Yair J Blumenfeld, Julie S Moldenhauer, Anthony Johnson, Mauro H Schenone, Michael V Zaretsky, Ramen H Chmait, Juan M Gonzalez, Russell S Miller, Anita J Moon-Grady, Ellen Bendel-Stenzel, Amaris M Keiser, Radhika Avadhani, Angie C Jelin, Jonathan M Davis, Daniel S Warren, Daniel F Hanley, Joslynn A Watkins, Joshua Samuels, Jeremy Sugarman, Meredith A Atkinson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Early anhydramnios during pregnancy, resulting from fetal bilateral renal agenesis, causes lethal pulmonary hypoplasia in neonates. Restoring amniotic fluid via serial amnioinfusions may promote lung development, enabling survival.

OBJECTIVE: To assess neonatal outcomes of serial amnioinfusions initiated before 26 weeks' gestation to mitigate lethal pulmonary hypoplasia.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial conducted at 9 US fetal therapy centers between December 2018 and July 2022. Outcomes are reported for 21 maternal-fetal pairs with confirmed anhydramnios due to isolated fetal bilateral renal agenesis without other identified congenital anomalies.

EXPOSURE: Enrolled participants initiated ultrasound-guided percutaneous amnioinfusions of isotonic fluid …

From Mother To Infant, From Placenta To Gut: Understanding Varied Microbiome Profiles In Neonates, Riadh Cheddadi, Venkata Yeramilli, Colin Martin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The field of human microbiome and gut microbial diversity research has witnessed a profound transformation, driven by advances in omics technologies. These advancements have unveiled essential connections between microbiome alterations and severe conditions, prompting the development of new frameworks through epidemiological studies. Traditionally, it was believed that each individual harbored unique microbial communities acquired early in life, evolving over the course of their lifetime, with little acknowledgment of any prenatal microbial development, but recent research challenges this belief. The neonatal microbiome's onset, influenced by factors like delivery mode and maternal health, remains a subject of intense debate, hinting at potential …

Role Of Sex In The Association Of Socioeconomic Status With Cardiovascular Health In Black Americans: The Jackson Heart Study, Joshua J Joseph, Amaris Williams, Rosevine A Azap, Songzhu Zhao, Guy Brock, David Kline, James B Odei, Randi Foraker, Mario Sims, Laprincess C Brewer, Darrell M Gray Ii, Timiya S Nolan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with cardiovascular health (CVH). Potential differences by sex in this association remain incompletely understood in Black Americans, where SES disparities are posited to be partially responsible for cardiovascular inequities. The association of SES measures (income, education, occupation, and insurance) with CVH scores was examined in the Jackson Heart Study.

METHODS AND RESULTS: American Heart Association CVH components (non-high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, diet, tobacco use, physical activity, sleep, glycemia, and body mass index) were scored cross-sectionally at baseline (scale: 0-100). Differences in CVH and 95% CIs (Estimate, 95% CI) were calculated using linear regression, adjusting …