Digital Commons Network^™

Ligand- And Strain-Specific Control Of Microbial Communities, Austin Grant Rottinghaus

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Microbes naturally coexist in complex, multi-strain communities that are valuable assets for their host. Commensal and probiotic microbes prevent pathogen colonization, reduce the frequency and severity of various ailments, provide essential nutrients, and offer various additional benefits. Understanding the dynamics of and tailoring microbial communities to provide additional beneficial functions is a primary focus of researchers in medicine and agriculture. To date, consortia have primarily been manipulated by supplementing the communities with microbes that were engineered in vitro or by introducing stimuli that alter the metabolism or composition of the community. This method has proven successful, with numerous microbes engineered …

The Cost Of Child Support: Policy Design And Father Identity, Lara Markovitz

Brown School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Child support policy is one of the key forces in the lives of families in the U.S., where 1 in 4 children and half of African American children live apart from their fathers (Carlson et al., 2017; Grall, 2020; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Most unmarried fathers of newborns express a strong desire and commitment to their children (Carlson & McLanahan, 2002; England & Edin, 2007). However, by the time their children turn five, fathers'; involvement (caregiving and time, provision of child support) diminishes greatly (Turner & Waller, 2017). This decrease in father involvement among low-income NRFs is thought to be …

Breastfeeding Knowledge Among A Sample Of Women Attending Maternal And Pediatric Hospital Of Soran City, Hiwa Abdulrahman Awlla, Kareem Jamal Hamad

Polytechnic Journal

Background and objectives: Breastfeeding is the ideal method suited for the physiological and psychological needs of an infant and the most vital intervention for reducing infant mortality and ensuring optimal growth and development of a child. Human breast milk is considered the healthiest form of milk for children and contains essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals during the first six months. The purpose of this study was to find out about breastfeeding knowledge and its relationship with women’s socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out from December 2020 through February 2021, involving a simple random sample of 100 women …

The Vasorelaxant Effect Of Adiantum Capillus-Veneries Extract In The Vascular Activity Of Goat’S Isolated Renal Artery, Aveen Muhsen Asaad, Ismail S. Ibraheem Kakey

Polytechnic Journal

The current study represents the first attempt to investigate the effect of Adiantum capillus-veneris extract (ACVE) on goat’s isolated renal artery smooth muscle’s cell. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the possible action of Adiantum capillus-veneris extract (ACVE) (1×10-4–10-9 mg/ml) in the vascular activity of goat isolated renal artery by using the organ bath and PowerLab data acquisition system, and the phytochemical analysis for the ACVE extract was done by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results of the current study showed that ACVE caused concentration-dependent relaxation of endothelium intact renal artery rings precontracted with a high level of KCl …

Genotyping Of The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis) Parasitizing Domestic Small Ruminants In Erbil – The Kurdistan Region Of Iraq, Khalis A. Hamadameen, Hemdad H. Mawlood, Nawzad K. Bawaker, Omer M. Amin, Hawri H. Mohammed

Polytechnic Journal

Small ruminants such as sheep and goats are deemed an important economic source in the Kurdistan region. Infestations with haematophagous ectoparasites such as fleas, which are common vectors in transmitting serious bacterial diseases, pose a great menace on the public health and animal welfare. To meet the requirements of the study, convenient sampling and molecular characterization were used to investigate infestations of sheep and goats with the cat flea, Ctenocephalides (C.) felis in Erbil governorate. A total of 400 samples (200 of sheep and 200 of goats) from 12 ruminant farms at five districts from intensive and semi- intensive breeding …

Heavy Metal Accumulation And Contamination Of Edible Plants Irrigated By Wastewater In Erbil- Kurdistan Region Of Iraq, Dilshad A. Rasul, Karzan M. Khalid, Faeza Burhan Omer

Polytechnic Journal

Heavy metals are important factor for metabolic reaction in edible plants, and also needed by different organs of human body, but their relatively excessive accumulation is hazardous and health risk. Therefore, their concentration in edible plants must be ranged in line, otherwise considered as contaminants. In this study, three edible plants (E. sativa Mill., A. graveolens L. and L. Sativum L.) were harvested and separated to root and shoot parts, then followed by determining some essential and non-essential metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Mn and Ni), using ICP-MS. As a result, the maximum mean values for those metals were (46.58 …

Covad Survey 2 Long-Term Outcomes: Unmet Need And Protocol, Zoha Zahid Fazal, Parikshit Sen, Mrudula Joshi, Naveen Ravichandran, James B. Lilleker, Vishwesh Agarwal, Sinan Kardes, Minchul Kim, Jessica Day, Ashima Makol

Medical College Documents

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term …

A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis To Explore Diabetes Self-Care Factors In A Rural Sample, Laurie Abbott, Lucinda Graven, Glenna Schluck, Jennifer Lemacks

Faculty Publications

Diabetes is a public health problem that requires management to avoid health sequelae. Little is known about the determinants that influence diabetes self-care activities among rural populations. The purpose of this analysis was to explore the relationships among diabetes self-care activities, diabetes knowledge, perceived diabetes self-management, diabetes fatalism, and social support among an underserved rural group in the southern United States. A diabetes health promotion program was tested during a cluster randomized trial that tested a disease risk reduction program among adults living with prediabetes and diabetes. A structural equation model was fit to test psychosocial factors that influence diabetes …

Effect Of Paclobutrazol On Growth And Root Morphology Of 12 Crossed Stevia In Vitro, Suseno Amien, Qurrota Aini, Noladhi Wicaksana

Jurnal Kultivasi

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a low-calorie alternative sweetener. The superior varieties of Stevia in Indonesia are limited. Availability of seeds plays an important role in the Stevia plant breeding program for both the selection stage and the production of high-yielding varieties. Tissue culture is the best method of Stevia propagation, but the low adaptability of plantlets causes death in the acclimatization phase. The growth and root morphology of 12 crossbreed Stevia were evaluated. A Completely Randomized Design was used with factorial consisting of two factors were Stevia genotypes (STG1,7,8,10, SBG3,4,5,7,10, SGB2,3, and SBT11) and the plant growth regulator (PGR) …

Art. 78 Petition - Fusl000136 (2022-05-24)

Art. 78 Petitions

No abstract provided.

The Eat Sleep Console Approach: An Evaluation Of Impact, Outcomes And Continuation Of Care, Stefanie Disilvio

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), a subgroup of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), is a constellation of postnatal symptoms that occurs due to the abrupt cessation of intrauterine opioid exposure. Historically, these infants have been evaluated and treated by the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool (FNAST) (Appendix A). Recent evidence supports the use of the Eat Sleep Console Approach (ESC) (Appendix B) as an alternative to the FNAST. The ESC model focuses on the comfort and care of these infants by maximizing nonpharmacologic methods and increasing family involvement in the treatment of their infant. The purpose of this project was to …

Improving Measurements And Self-Management Skills Of Cardiovascular Disease By Incorporating A Healthy Lifestyle In Hispanic Adults: A Promotoras Led Program, Kelly Llewellyn

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Hispanic community members face unique challenges related to language barriers, culture, access to care, and trust in healthcare providers. Hispanic community members have a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes than their non-Hispanic counterparts. Hispanic males were most likely to die of cardiovascular disease in 2017 (CDC, n.d.a), and for females, death from cardiovascular disease was only second to cancer (CDC, n.d.b.). Hispanics are 70% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanics (Office of Minority Health, nd.) Promotoras are trusted members of the Hispanic community who can assist healthcare providers in providing disease prevention education and self-management …

Novel Signal Sequences And Fusion Partners For Paratransgenesis In Asaia, Christina Grogan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mosquitoes transmit many pathogens that cause human disease. One such disease, malaria, is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, infecting over 200 million people and killing over 600,000 per year. Current strategies to control vector-transmitted diseases are increasingly undermined by mosquito and pathogen resistance. Research has turned to additional and novel methods of control, such as altering the microbiota of the vectors. In this method, called paratransgenesis, symbiotic bacteria are genetically modified to affect the mosquito’s phenotype by engineering them to deliver antiplasmodial molecules into the midgut to kill parasites. These molecules must be released by the …

Circadian Rhythms Mediate Infection Risk In Daphnia Dentifera, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, David T. Nguyen, Jessica L. Hite, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological rhythms mediate important within-host processes such as metabolism, immunity, and behavior which are often linked to combating disease exposure. For many hosts, exposure to pathogens occurs while feeding. However, the link between feeding rhythms and infection risk is unclear because feeding behavior is tightly coupled with immune and metabolic processes which may decrease susceptibility to infection. Here, we use the Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata host–pathogen system to determine how rhythms in feeding rate and immune function mediate infection risk. The host is known to have a nocturnal circadian rhythm in feeding rate, yet we found that they do not exhibit …

Attitudes Toward Transgenic Corn Usage Among Amish & Conservative Mennonite Farmers In Ohio, Scot Long

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

Mass adoption and planting of genetically modified corn are part of the larger industrialized agricultural production system in the United States. Amish and conservative Mennonite farmers in the Holmes County settlement region offer an alternative production system often characterized by lower usage of chemical inputs, greater implementation of crop rotation, and significantly higher usage of hybrid versus GMO field corn. Moreover, the rationale among Amish/Mennonite farmers toward adoption of GMO (based on “convenience”) or rejection of GMO (based on “too many unknowns”) stems both from cultural diffusion of neighboring farms as well as variable need for nonfarm income. This article …

An Ebp Approach To Managing Post Cardiac Arrest Interdisciplinary Care, Mary Kay Bader, Teresa Wavra, Tauseef Qureshi, Jon Cline, Marne Andersen

2022 Southern California Nursing Research Conference

The Joint Commission (TJC) published new performance standards on Post Cardiac Arrest (PCA) care that went into effect on Jan 1, 2022. The new standards encourage hospitals to review and synthesize current scientific literature on Post Cardiac Arrest Syndrome (PCAS) and analyze current hospital practice. Following a review of the evidence, hospitals are guided to create a multidisciplinary protocol and education that facilitates training of personnel, implementation of the evidence into clinical practice, data collection, and case review processes. The intent of the standard is to bring hospital based clinical practice in line with the established standards to improve patient …

Identifying Critical Aging Care Challenges And Opportunities In High-Income Countries: A Cross-Country Comparison Of Denmark, Germany, And The United States, Cassandra Martin

Capstone Collection

Despite the rapid growth in the aging population in the United States, insufficient resources and attention are invested in improving the support systems this population relies on. This discussion explored the question of how the United States as a high-income country fails to operate an aging care support infrastructure that has comparable comprehensiveness, availability, affordability, and overall quality to other high-income countries. Comparing financing structures, long-term care models, and various aging care supports is important for answering this question. This paper approached exploring this question by analyzing specified indicators from publicly available data across the United States, Germany, and Denmark. …

Manual Of Sustainable Urban Practices Towards Long-Term Conservation, Haley Kilmer

Capstone Collection

This paper analyzes how urban living and design can be detrimental to the surrounding ecosystems and how it is directly affecting the biodiversity loss of an area. To answer this question, I first did extensive background research on urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss as it relates to urban ecosystems. Then, the public’s perceptions were collected through surveys and interviews in order to make meaningful suggestions in the construction of an interactive, biological corridor map. The results showed that increasing the biodiversity of an urban area can help to mitigate many of the common environmental challenges associated with living in …

Health Promoting Self-Care: Evaluating The Impact Of Food And Fitness Challenge On The Physical And Psychological Health Of Healthcare Workers, Giancarlo Lyle-Edrosolo, Gena Oppenheim, Emily Enos, Marlon G Saria

2022 Southern California Nursing Research Conference

Background: The unprecedented rates of burnout, stress, and turnover amongst healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of prioritizing caregiver physical and mental health. Despite a direct correlation between nurses with multiple health problems and turnover intention, literature searched over the last two decades yielded minimal results using terms such as, nurses and diet, fitness or exercise therapy. A recent study, which focused on female nurses, found an improvement in psychological health by addressing diet, while another found a decrease in occupational stress with an aerobics program. There is even less data to support the use of a …

The All Of Us Research Program: Data Quality, Utility, And Diversity, Andrea H. Ramirez, Lina Sulieman, David J. Schlueter, Alese Halvorson, Jun Qian, Francis Ratsimbazafy, Roxana Loperena, Kelsey Mayo, Melissa Basford, Nicole Deflaux, Karthik N. Muthuraman, Karthik Natarajan, Abel Kho, Hua Xu, Consuelo Wilkins, Hoda Anton-Culver, Eric Boerwinkle, Mine Cicek, Cheryl R. Clark, Elizabeth Cohn, Lucila Ohno-Machado, Sheri D. Schully, Brian K. Ahmedani, Maria Argos, Robert M. Cronin, Christopher O'Donnell, Mona Fouad, David B. Goldstein, Philip Greenland, Scott J. Hebbring, Elizabeth W. Karlson, Parinda Khatri, Bruce Korf, Jordan W. Smoller, Stephen Sodeke, John Wilbanks, Justin Hentges, Stephen Mockrin, Christopher Lunt, Stephanie A. Devaney, Kelly Gebo, Joshua C. Denny, Robert J. Carroll, David Glazer, Paul A. Harris, George Hripcsak, Anthony Philippakis, Dan M. Roden

Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research Articles

The All of Us Research Program seeks to engage at least one million diverse participants to advance precision medicine and improve human health. We describe here the cloud-based Researcher Workbench that uses a data passport model to democratize access to analytical tools and participant information including survey, physical measurement, and electronic health record (EHR) data. We also present validation study findings for several common complex diseases to demonstrate use of this novel platform in 315,000 participants, 78% of whom are from groups historically underrepresented in biomedical research, including 49% self-reporting non-White races. Replication findings include medication usage pattern differences by …

Environmental Exposures And Human Health Challenges: Evidence-Based Insights From Health Surveillance Systems, Jagadeesh Puvvula

Theses & Dissertations

Human exposure to environmental hazards is associated with a variety of preventable adverse health outcomes. As the environmental health risks result from the complex interaction between hazard, exposure, and susceptibility, these exposure-outcome associations are heterogeneous across the population. Improving environmental health literacy by advocating evidence-based environmental risk communication could play a role in reinforcing protective behavior against environmental hazards. The use of public health surveillance systems to assess the exposure-response associations is one of the effective ways to quantify the environmental health risks. However, there are several gaps in effectively quantifying environmental health risks. This dissertation aims to address a …

Warming Overcomes Dispersal-Limitation To Promote Non-Native Expansion In Lake Baikal, Larry L. Bowman Jr., Daniel J. Wieczynski, Lev Y. Yampolsky, David M. Post

ETSU Faculty Works

Non-native species and climate change pose serious threats to global biodiversity. However, the roles of climate, dispersal, and competition are difficult to disentangle in heterogeneous landscapes. We combine empirical data and theory to examine how these forces influence the spread of non-native species in Lake Baikal. We analyze the potential for Daphnia longispina to establish in Lake Baikal, potentially threatening an endemic, cryophillic copepod Epischurella baikalensis. We collected field samples to establish current community composition and compared them to model predictions informed by flow rates, present-day temperatures, and temperature projections. Our data and model agree that expansion is currently …

Does Shrub Encroachment Reduce Foraging Grass Abundance Through Plant-Plant Competition In Lesotho Mountain Rangelands?, Meredith Root-Bernstein, Colin Hoag

Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Shrub encroachment is understood to be an important problem facing rangeland ecosystems globally. The phenomenon is still poorly understood both in regard to its impacts (e.g., on diversity, productivity, and soil properties) and its causes. We study the impacts and causes of dwarf shrub encroachment in the highlands of Lesotho. There, shrubs have been described as indicators of generalized land degradation and soil erosion. Surprisingly, our findings show that grass abundance is not reduced by shrub abundance, but that forb abundance does decrease with shrub abundance. We suggest that not enough research has been done to examine the role of …

Managing Congestive Heart Failure Through Standardized Symptom Assessment, Shanda M. Joy

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: Transitional care programs have increased in popularity to focus on optimizing transitions of care from acute hospitalization to home based settings to reduce hospital readmissions. The transitional care model utilized at this urban, integrated health facility is mostly 100% telephonic, short term (30 days) case management. Approximately 30% of the patients referred to the program have a diagnosis of congestive heart failure.

Context: Hospital reimbursement has decreased due to high readmissions rates, especially among congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. This process improvement project was aimed at decreasing CHF related readmissions through educating patient/families on CHF watch symptoms and …

Reducing The Digital Divide: Why Culturally Relevant Ehealth Interventions Can Reduce Latino Health Disparities, Blanca Flor Garcia-Silva

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objectives: This paper systematically reviews the recent literature on incorporating culturally relevant material in electronic health (eHealth) tools for Latinos. Latinos are a fast-growing ethnic population set to reach 119 million individuals by 2060 (Velasco-Mondragon et al., 2016). Latinos are also disproportionately affected by comorbidities and other poor health outcomes. Developing a culturally sensitive eHealth tool can lead to positive health outcomes among Latinos. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles and analyses were extracted to identify whether eHealth was associated with positive health outcomes among Latino adults. Four literature databases were used to extract English-language articles published from 2001 to 2022. …

Visual Factors Associated With Physical Activity In Schoolchildren, Síofra Harrington, John Kearney Prof, Veronica O'Dwyer Dr

Articles

Clinical relevance Physical activity is an essential part of childhood physical and mental development. Recent research identified visual problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle in children in Ireland.

Background This study explored the association between visual function in children and their engagement with physical activities outside school.

Methods Participants were 1,626 schoolchildren (728 aged 6–7 years, 898 old 12–13 years) in randomly selected schools in Ireland. Before data collection, parents/legal guardians of participants completed a standardised questionnaire reporting physical activity as no activity (mostly on screens), light activity (occasional walking/cycling), moderate activity (/week engaged in sports), or regular activity ( …

Self-Regulation As A Protective Factor For Diabetes Distress And Adherence In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Alison L Miller, Dana K. Albright Phd, Katherine W Bauer, Hurley O Riley, Marisa E Hilliard, Julie Sturza, Niko Kaciroti, Sharon L Lo, Katy M Clark, Joyce M Lee, Emily M Fredericks

Health Services and Informatics Research

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic increased economic, social, and health stressors for families, yet its impacts on families of youth with chronic conditions, such as type 1 diabetes (T1D), are not well understood. Self-regulation (SR)-or the capacities to control emotions, cognition, and behavior in response to challenge-is known to support T1D management and coping in the face of stress. Strong SR may have protected youth with T1D from the impacts of pandemic-related stressors. This study compared youth and parent emotional functioning and T1D management before and after the pandemic's onset in relation to family pandemic-related stress and youth SR.

METHODS: Parents …

Preventing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury In High-Risk Patients, Sahara Thapa

Master's Projects and Capstones

Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI) can be costly for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and painful for the patients. Most pressure injuries are considered preventable, but many patients die each year from complications from pressure injuries. Pressure injury treatment costs millions of dollars annually, which could be spent on other treatments. A quality improvement (QI) project was formulated to address pressure-related injuries and improve patient care outcomes in one skilled nursing facility in Northern California. Based on a review of current evidence, HAPI prevention education was implemented for all patient care staff. The education focused on skin assessment, risk factors, staging of …

Interventions To Support Teen Mothers In California And Reduce The Disparities Related To The Effects Of Teen Pregnancy, Shanelle Christine Sanchez

Master's Projects and Capstones

The US teen birth rate has slowly been declining; however, teenage pregnancy is still prevalent. In 2018 the US teen birth rate was 17.4 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years, totaling 179,871 births (National Vital Statistic Report). California’s most recent birth rate was 13.6 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years in 2020 (CDC, 2020). Few studies focus on teen mothers’ health, life needs, and outcomes as a result of adolescent pregnancy and subsequently, adolescent parenting. Additionally, few studies have looked at the cultural differences and views of adolescent pregnancy and parenting within the Hispanic population, which are greatly …

Reframing Culturally Competent Care To Improve Mental Health Outcomes Among African Americans, Jaelen Kennedy-Valdez

Master's Projects and Capstones

African Americans are continuously disadvantaged when it comes to interacting with mental health services which has been evident in the utilization of services, treatment engagement, and quality of services compared to their White counterparts (Alang, 2019). Many researchers and providers have called for culturally competent care and tailored treatment for African Americans to address barriers to access and quality of health care (Alang, 2019). In this paper, a systematic review will be conducted to assess several models that have been integrated in the U.S. healthcare settings and services. In addition, we will define the components of culturally competent care and …