Digital Commons Network^™

Research On The Factors Influencing New Tobacco Consumption Behavior, Yuqing Wen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the global environment of tobacco control, along with the increasing concern for health, electronic companies around the world have focused on the research and production of "non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes" to meet the psychology of consumers to quit smoking and the pursuit of fashion, and the most popular products are "Electronic Cigarette” (E-cig) and its similar products. In recent years, domestic E-cig-related products have gradually known by the public, with increasing exposure in the news media and rapid growth in sales. Among them, HnB E-cig has smoking taste closer to the characteristics of traditional cigarettes and therefore is gradually …

Intersections And Conflicts Between Adolescent Boys’ Musical Possible Selves, University Study, And Parent Values, Jason Goopy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Adolescents require meaningful and achievable musical possible selves to imagine a future that includes music. Previous research has investigated how to support tertiary music students in their career identity development; however, adolescents make consequential decisions regarding future music study and career intentions in secondary school. This article reports on the intersections and conflicts between adolescent boys’ musical possible selves, university study intentions, and parent values. Research was conducted at an Australian independent K-12 boys’ school using one-on-one semi-structured interviews incorporating a “draw and tell” artifact elicitation technique with Year 12 students and their parents. Two resonating narratives of adolescent boys …

Toward A Synthesis Of The Board-Strategy Relationship: A Literature Review And Future Research Agenda, Pieter-Jan Bezemer, Amedeo Pugliese, Gavin Nicholson, Alessandro Zattoni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research Question/Issue

The strategy role of the board of directors is a contentious topic in both theory and practice and the debate on what boards should or should not do around firm strategy has intensified with changes in global corporate governance. Boards face interventionist regulatory developments, calls for changes in their composition, growing owner engagement, and societal questioning on the corporation's very purpose. With this review, we aim to assess how the research agenda in this area has evolved with these developments.

Research Findings/Results

Our analysis of 152 articles published in 45 high-quality journals between 2008 and 2020 reveals that …

Nursing Students Doing Gender: Implications For Higher Education And The Nursing Profession, Lesley J. Andrew, Ken Robinson, Julie Dare, Leesa N. Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The average age of women nursing students in Australia is rising. With this comes the likelihood that more now begin university with family responsibilities, and with their lives structured by the roles of mother and partner. Women with more traditionally gendered ideas of these roles, such as nurturing others and self-sacrifice, are known to be attracted to nursing as a profession; once at university, however, these students can be vulnerable to gender role stress from the competing demands of study. A qualitative research design, guided by Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy, explored the gendered behaviours and experiences of 22 women nursing students, …

Autonomy Versus Support: Self-Reliance And Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems In Young People, Amelia Ishikawa, Debra Rickwood, Emily Bariola, Navjot Bhullar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

Many young people with mental ill-health do not seek support, and developmental growth in self-reliance may be a barrier to help-seeking. Increasing autonomy is a positive developmental task for youth and a key aspect of resilience. This study examined the influence of perceived social support and resilience on the previously unexamined relationship between self-reliance and intentions to seek help from informal, professional, and self-help sources for mental health problems.

Methods:

An online survey was completed by a representative Australian community sample of 5,203 young people aged 12–25 years (half female), in May–June 2020.

Results:

Path analysis showed the hypothesised …

Communety: Deep Learning-Based Face Recognition System For The Prediction Of Cohesive Communities, Syed Afaq Ali Shah, Weifeng Deng, Muhammad Aamir Cheema, Abdul Bais

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Effective mining of social media, which consists of a large number of users is a challenging task. Traditional approaches rely on the analysis of text data related to users to accomplish this task. However, text data lacks significant information about the social users and their associated groups. In this paper, we propose CommuNety, a deep learning system for the prediction of cohesive networks using face images from photo albums. The proposed deep learning model consists of hierarchical CNN architecture to learn descriptive features related to each cohesive network. The paper also proposes a novel Face Co-occurrence Frequency algorithm to quantify …

Managing Emotional Labour: The Importance Of Organisational Support For Managing Police Officers In England And Italy, Yvonne Brunetto, Ben Farr-Wharton, Paresh Wankhade, Chiara Saccon, Matthew Xerri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper empirically examines the impact of organisational psychological support on employees’ outcomes as an example of the ‘Common Good HRM’ model on the well-being–performance continuum of police officers, using a Conservation of Resources (COR) theoretical framework. The study uses Structural Equation Modelling to analyse data from 220 Italian police and 228 English police officers to compare the impact of Perceived Organisational Support (POS) on organisational stress, employees’ resilience, and engagement. The findings show that low Perceived Organisational Support (POS) leads to high stress, which then comprises employees’ resilience and likely demotivates them from being engaged on the job, explaining …

Principles And Philosophies For Speech And Language Therapists Working With People With Primary Progressive Aphasia: An International Expert Consensus, A. Volkmer, J. Cartwright, L. Ruggero, A. Beales, J. Gallée, S. Grasso, M. Henry, R. Jokel, J. Kindell, R. Khayum, M. Pozzebon, E. Rochon, C. Taylor-Rubin, R. Townsend, F. Walker, S. Beeke, Deborah Hersh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language-led dementia associated with Alzheimer’s pathology and fronto-temporal lobar degeneration. Multiple tailored speech and language interventions have been developed for people with PPA. Speech and language therapists/speech-language pathologists (SLT/Ps) report lacking confidence in identifying the most pertinent interventions options relevant to their clients living with PPA during their illness trajectory.

Materials and methods:

The aim of this study was to establish a consensus amongst 15 clinical-academic SLT/Ps on best practice in selection and delivery of speech and language therapy interventions for people with PPA. An online nominal group technique (NGT) and consequent focus …

Toxic Chemical Releases And Idiosyncratic Return Volatility: A Prospect Theory Perspective, Stephen Bahadar, Muhammad Nadeem, Rashid Zaman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We investigated whether and how firms’ toxic chemical releases (TCRs) affect idiosyncratic return volatility (IRV) using a prospect theory lens. Utilising a large sample of US public listed firms over the period 2001–2018, we find a significant and positive association between TCRs and IRV, suggesting that firms releasing more toxic chemicals have higher IRV. Additional analyses show that a positive association between TCR and IRV is more evident among firms with (i) high revenue, (ii) lower financial constraints and (iii) fewer environmental violations. A further test also suggests that a positive association between TCRs and IRV is contingent on political …

Barriers To And Solutions For Representative Inclusion Across The Lifespan And In Life Course Research: The Need For Structural Competency Highlighted By The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madison N Lecroy, Ebony B Carter, Sarah S Farabi, Dominic N Reeds, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Exclusion of special populations (older adults; pregnant women, children, and adolescents; individuals of lower socioeconomic status and/or who live in rural communities; people from racial and ethnic minority groups; individuals from sexual or gender minority groups; and individuals with disabilities) in research is a pervasive problem, despite efforts and policy changes by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. These populations are adversely impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH) that reduce access and ability to participate in biomedical research. In March 2020, the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute hosted the "Lifespan and Life Course Research: integrating …

Eating Disorders In Weight-Related Therapy (Edit): Protocol For A Systematic Review With Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of Eating Disorder Risk In Behavioural Weight Management, Hiba Jebeile, Denise E. Wilfley, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy (EDIT) Collaboration brings together data from randomised controlled trials of behavioural weight management interventions to identify individual participant risk factors and intervention strategies that contribute to eating disorder risk. We present a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis which aims to identify participants at risk of developing eating disorders, or related symptoms, during or after weight management interventions conducted in adolescents or adults with overweight or obesity. We systematically searched four databases up to March 2022 and clinical trials registries to May 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials of …

Cognition And Education Benefits Of Increased Hemoglobin And Blood Oxygenation In Children With Sickle Cell Disease, Joanna P. Macewan, Allison A. King, Andy Nguyen, Anuj Mubayi, Irene Agodoa, Kim Smith-Whitley

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), decreased hemoglobin is associated with lower oxygen saturation (SpO2) and increased risk of stroke, both of which are associated with lower intelligence quotient (IQ) scores. Thus, increasing hemoglobin and SpO2 in individuals with SCD may increase IQ and educational attainment.

METHODS: A cohort simulation model was built to determine academic performance and educational attainment based on cognitive function (measured by IQ) of a pediatric SCD cohort randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The model contained two key stages: childhood (<10 years) and adolescence (≥10 years). In stage 1, increased hemoglobin and increased SpO2 (assigned to the treatment group) were determinants of higher IQ, prevention of IQ deterioration over time. Increased hemoglobin was also a determinant of decreased stroke risk. In stage 2, improvement in adolescent IQ as a result of treatment was a determinant of academic performance.

RESULTS: In a simulated cohort of 2000 children and adolescents with …

Controversies And Progress On Standardization Of Large-Scale Brain Network Nomenclature, Lucina Q. Uddin, Evan M. Gordon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Progress in scientific disciplines is accompanied by standardization of terminology. Network neuroscience, at the level of macroscale organization of the brain, is beginning to confront the challenges associated with developing a taxonomy of its fundamental explanatory constructs. The Workgroup for HArmonized Taxonomy of NETworks (WHATNET) was formed in 2020 as an Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)-endorsed best practices committee to provide recommendations on points of consensus, identify open questions, and highlight areas of ongoing debate in the service of moving the field toward standardized reporting of network neuroscience results. The committee conducted a survey to catalog current practices in …

Genetics Of Vegetarianism: A Genome-Wide Association Study, Nabeel R. Yaseen, Catriona L. K. Barnes, Lingwei Sun, Akiko Takeda, John P. Rice

2020-Current year OA Pubs

A substantial body of evidence points to the heritability of dietary preferences. While vegetarianism has been practiced for millennia in various societies, its practitioners remain a small minority of people worldwide, and the role of genetics in choosing a vegetarian diet is not well understood. Dietary choices involve an interplay between the physiologic effects of dietary items, their metabolism, and taste perception, all of which are strongly influenced by genetics. In this study, we used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify loci associated with strict vegetarianism in UK Biobank participants. Comparing 5,324 strict vegetarians to 329,455 controls, we identified …

Health Disparities In Aging: Improving Dementia Care For Black Women, Caleigh A Findley, Makayla F Cox, Adam B Lipson, Ratasha Bradley, Kevin N Hascup, Carla Yuede, Erin R Hascup

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In the United States, 80% of surveyed Black patients report experiencing barriers to healthcare for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), delaying the time-sensitive treatment of a progressive neurodegenerative disease. According to the National Institute on Aging, Black study participants are 35% less likely to be given a diagnosis of ADRD than white participants, despite being twice as likely to suffer from ADRD than their white counterparts. Prior analysis of prevalence for sex, race, and ethnicity by the Centers for Disease Control indicated the highest incidence of ADRD in Black women. Older (≥65 years) Black women are at a disproportionately …

Psychosocial Work Environment Stressors For School Staff During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Barriers And Facilitators For Supporting Wellbeing, Liz R Rolf, Liz Vestal, Ashley C Moore, Nikole Lobb Dougherty, Nancy Mueller, Jason G Newland

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: After periods of remote and/or hybrid learning as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the return to in-person learning has been beneficial for both students and teachers, but it has not been without challenges. This study was designed to assess the impact of the return to in-person learning on the school experience, and efforts made to ease the transition in furthering a positive in-person learning environment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a series of listening sessions with 4 stakeholder groups: students (

RESULTS: Three main themes emerged around school staff experiences: (1) increased levels of stress and anxiety …

A Practitioner's Guide To Geospatial Analysis In A Neuroimaging Context, Julie K Wisch, Ganesh M Babulal, Kalen Petersen, Peter R Millar, Enbal Shacham, Stephen Scroggins, Anna H Boerwinkle, Shaney Flores, Sarah Keefe, Brian A Gordon, John C Morris, Beau M Ances

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Health disparities arise from biological-environmental interactions. Neuroimaging cohorts are reaching sufficiently large sample sizes such that analyses could evaluate how the environment affects the brain. We present a practical guide for applying geospatial methods to a neuroimaging cohort.

METHODS: We estimated brain age gap (BAG) from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from 239 city-dwelling participants in St. Louis, Missouri. We compared these participants to population-level estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). We used geospatial analysis to identify neighborhoods associated with patterns of altered brain structure. We also evaluated the relationship between Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and BAG.

RESULTS: …

Scaling-Up Child And Youth Mental Health Services: Assessing Coverage Of A County-Wide Prevention And Early Intervention Initiative During One Fiscal Year, Cole Hooley, Deborah Salvo, Derek S Brown, Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Anna S Lau, Ross C Brownson, Patrick J Fowler, Debbie Innes-Gomberg, Enola K Proctor

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: In the U.S., the percentage of youth in need of evidence-based mental health practices (EBPs) who receive them (i.e., coverage rate) is low. We know little about what influences coverage rates. In 2010, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) launched a reimbursement-driven implementation of multiple EBPs in youth mental health care. This study examines two questions: (1) What was the coverage rate of EBPs delivered three years following initial implementation? (2) What factors are associated with the coverage rates?

METHODS: To assess coverage rates of publicly insured youth, we used LACDMH administrative claims data from July …

Symmetric Data-Driven Fusion Of Diffusion Tensor Mri: Age Differences In White Matter, Andrea Mendez Colmenares, Michelle B Hefner, Vince D Calhoun, Elizabeth A Salerno, Jason Fanning, Neha P Gothe, Edward Mcauley, Arthur F Kramer, Agnieszka Z Burzynska

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In the past 20 years, white matter (WM) microstructure has been studied predominantly using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Decreases in fractional anisotropy (FA) and increases in mean (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) have been consistently reported in healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, DTI parameters have been studied individually (e.g., only FA) and separately (i.e., without using the joint information across them). This approach gives limited insights into WM pathology, increases the number of multiple comparisons, and yields inconsistent correlations with cognition. To take full advantage of the information in a DTI dataset, we present the first application of …

The Relationship Of Trait-Like Compassion With Epigenetic Aging: The Population-Based Prospective Young Finns Study, Henrik Dobewall, Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen, Saara Marttila, Pashupati P Mishra, Aino Saarinen, C Robert Cloninger, Igor Zwir, Mika Kähönen, Mikko Hurme, Olli Raitakari, Terho Lehtimäki, Mirka Hintsanen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Helping others within and beyond the family has been related to living a healthy and long life. Compassion is a prosocial personality trait characterized by concern for another person who is suffering and the motivation to help. The current study examines whether epigenetic aging is a potential biological mechanism that explains the link between prosociality and longevity.

METHODS: We used data from the Young Finns Study that follows six birth-cohorts from age 3-18 to 19-49. Trait-like compassion for others was measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory in the years 1997 and 2001. Epigenetic age acceleration and telomere length …

Qunex-An Integrative Platform For Reproducible Neuroimaging Analytics, Jie Lisa Ji, Matthew F Glasser, Michael P Harms, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Neuroimaging technology has experienced explosive growth and transformed the study of neural mechanisms across health and disease. However, given the diversity of sophisticated tools for handling neuroimaging data, the field faces challenges in method integration, particularly across multiple modalities and species. Specifically, researchers often have to rely on siloed approaches which limit reproducibility, with idiosyncratic data organization and limited software interoperability.

METHODS: To address these challenges, we have developed Quantitative Neuroimaging Environment & Toolbox (QuNex), a platform for consistent end-to-end processing and analytics. QuNex provides several novel functionalities for neuroimaging analyses, including a "turnkey" command for the reproducible deployment …

Factors Associated With Persistent Postsurgical Pain After Total Knee Or Hip Joint Replacement: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Arunangshu Ghoshal, Shivam Bhanvadia, Som Singh, Lauren Yaeger, Simon Haroutounian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Studies have identified demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and perioperative variables associated with persistent pain after a variety of surgeries. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of factors associated with persistent pain after total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR) surgeries. To meet the inclusion criteria, studies were required to assess variables before or at the time of surgery, include a persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) outcome measure at least 2 months after a TKR or THR surgery, and include a statistical analysis of the effect of the risk factor(s) on the outcome measure. Outcomes from studies …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Remote Smartphone Cognitive Testing In Frontotemporal Dementia Research, Jack Carson Taylor, Nupur Ghoshal, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Remote smartphone assessments of cognition, speech/language, and motor functioning in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) could enable decentralized clinical trials and improve access to research. We studied the feasibility and acceptability of remote smartphone data collection in FTD research using the ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD-mApp).

METHODS: A diagnostically mixed sample of 214 participants with FTD or from familial FTD kindreds (asymptomatic: CDR®+NACC-FTLD = 0 [

RESULTS: It was feasible for participants to complete the ALLFTD-mApp on their own smartphones. Participants reported high smartphone familiarity, completed ∼ 70% of tasks, and considered the time commitment acceptable (98% of respondents). Greater disease severity …

Financial Burden Of Men With Localized Prostate Cancer: A Process Paper, Ashley J Housten, Hannah E Rice, Su-Hsin Chang, Allison J L'Hotta, Eric H Kim, Bettina F Drake, Robin Wright-Jones, Mary C Politi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Many individuals undergoing cancer treatment experience substantial financial hardship, often referred to as financial toxicity (FT). Those undergoing prostate cancer treatment may experience FT and its impact can exacerbate disparate health outcomes. Localized prostate cancer treatment options include: radiation, surgery, and/or active surveillance. Quality of life tradeoffs and costs differ between treatment options. In this project, our aim was to quantify direct healthcare costs to support patients and clinicians as they discuss prostate cancer treatment options. We provide the transparent steps to estimate healthcare costs associated with treatment for localized prostate cancer among the privately insured population using a …

Adapting A Mobile App To Support Patients With Anorexia Nervosa Following Post-Acute Care: Perspectives From Eating Disorder Treatment Center Stakeholders, Anneliese Haas, Agatha A Laboe, Claire G Mcginnis, Marie-Laure Firebaugh, Jillian Shah, Anna M Bardone-Cone, Kathleen M Pike, C Barr Taylor, Denise E Wilfley, Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a harmful, life-threatening illness. Patients with severe AN often receive acute treatment but, upon discharge, experience high relapse rates. Evidence-based, outpatient treatment following acute care is critical to preventing relapse; however, numerous barriers (e.g., location, financial limitations, low availability of providers) preclude individuals from accessing treatment. mHealth technologies may help to address these barriers, but research on such digital approaches for those with AN is limited. Further, such technologies should be developed with all relevant stakeholder input considered from the outset. As such, the present study aimed to garner feedback from eating disorder (ED) treatment …

The Perspectives Of General Nephrologists Toward Transitions Of Care And Management Of Failing Kidney Transplants, Tarek Alhamad, Haris Murad, Mengmeng Ji, Omar Alomar, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The management of failing kidney allograft and transition of care to general nephrologists (GN) remain a complex process. The Kidney Pancreas Community of Practice (KPCOP) Failing Allograft Workgroup designed and distributed a survey to GN between May and September 2021. Participants were invited via mail and email invitations. There were 103 respondents with primarily adult nephrology practices, of whom 41% had an academic affiliation. More than 60% reported listing for a second kidney as the most important concern in caring for patients with a failing allograft, followed by immunosuppression management (46%) and risk of mortality (38%), while resistant anemia was …

An Eye Tracking Based Framework For Safety Improvement Of Offshore Operations, Muhammad A. Raza, Raj Kiran, Saima Ghazal, Ziho Kang, Saeed Salehi, Edward Cokely, Jiwon Jeon

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Offshore drilling operations consist of complex and high-risk processes. Lack of situational awareness in drilling operations has become an important human factor issue that causes safety accidents. Prolonged work shifts and fatigue are some of the crucial issues that impact performance. Eye tracking technology can be used to distinguish the degree of awareness or alertness of participants that might be related to fatigue or onsite distractions. Oculomotor activity can be used to obtain visual cues that can quantify the drilling operators' situational awareness that might enable us to develop warning alarms to alert the driller. Such systems can help reduce …

A Critical Scientific Evaluation Of A Purportedly Negative Data Report - Response To Seneviratne Et Al. 2022, Bankole Johnson, Giovanni Addolorato, Otto Lesch, Lei Liu, Zachary A Rodd

2020-Current year OA Pubs

A core principle in the pursuit of scientific knowledge is that science is self-correcting and that important results should be replicable. Hypotheses need to be reinforced, adjusted, or rejected when novel results are obtained. Replication of results confirms hypotheses and enhances their integration into scientific practice. In contrast, publication of substantiated and replicated negative findings (i.e., non-significant or opposite findings) can be the basis to reject erroneous hypotheses or develop alternative strategies for investigation. Replication is a problem in all research fields. The Psychology Reproductivity Project reported that only 36% of 'highly influential' published research in highly ranked journals were …

Critcom: Assessment Of Quality Of Interdisciplinary Communication Around Deterioration In Pediatric Oncologic Patients, Jocelyn Rivera, Sara Malone, Kim Prewitt, Lara Counts, Douglas A Luke, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: High-quality clinical care requires excellent interdisciplinary communication, especially during emergencies, and no tools exist to evaluate communication in critical care. We describe the development of a pragmatic tool focusing on interdisciplinary communication during patient deterioration (CritCom).

METHODS: The preliminary CritCom tool was developed after a literature review and consultation with a multidisciplinary panel of global experts in communication, pediatric oncology, and critical care to review the domains and establish content validity iteratively. Face and linguistic validity were established through cognitive interviews, translation, and linguistic synthesis. We conducted a pilot study among an international group of clinicians to establish reliability …

Human Deprivation Amblyopia: Treatment Insights From Animal Models, Kevin R Duffy, Mark F Bear, Nimesh B Patel, Vallabh E Das, Lawrence Tychsen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Amblyopia is a common visual impairment that develops during the early years of postnatal life. It emerges as a sequela to eye misalignment, an imbalanced refractive state, or obstruction to form vision. All of these conditions prevent normal vision and derail the typical development of neural connections within the visual system. Among the subtypes of amblyopia, the most debilitating and recalcitrant to treatment is deprivation amblyopia. Nevertheless, human studies focused on advancing the standard of care for amblyopia have largely avoided recruitment of patients with this rare but severe impairment subtype. In this review, we delineate characteristics of deprivation amblyopia …