Digital Commons Network^™

Nexus Between Rural Agricultural Land Ownership And Agricultural Credits Access: A Case Of Tanzania, Gelas Rubakula

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Agricultural investment in low- and middle-income countries faces credit access challenges. Several financial institutions, particularly banks, normally impose some conditions where the possession of a land title deed is required to access agricultural credits. This paper examines whether, and to what extent, rural agricultural land ownership influences agricultural credit access for rural farmers in Tanzania. The study focuses only on rural farmers and tries to find out whether these smallholder farmers can use their land, which is largely unformalized, as a collateral for credit access. The study survey was cross-sectional, using quantitative data collected in December 2017 to March 2018 …

Does Market Accessibility Improve Household Food Security? Evidence From Small-Holder Maize Producers In Southern Tanzania, Monica Sebastian Kauky

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study investigated the impact of market accessibility on household food security among smallholder maize producers in Southern Tanzania, utilizing data from a sample of 407 households primarily engaged in maize farming. Tobit and probit models assessed the relationship between food security and market access. Contrary to expectations, the findings revealed no significant association between market access and food security. Instead, the results underscored the importance of resource availability, indicating that larger farm sizes and higher household wealth indices significantly reduce the risk of food insecurity. These findings suggest that rather than focusing exclusively on enhancing market access, policymakers should …

Ad Hominem Arguments In Zimbabwean Political Discourse: An Analysis Of Political Argumentation, Jack Mutsvairo, Mawande Dlali

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The article investigates the motivation behind the prevalent use of the subtypes of ad hominem (personal attacks) arguments in Zimbabwe political discourse in the build-up to the 2023 harmonised council, parliamentary and presidential elections. This qualitative case study research looks at the use of ad hominem arguments by Zimbabwean politicians. Using analytical tools and concepts from informal logic and pragma-dialectical argumentation theories, this article focuses on identifying, analysing, and evaluating ad hominem arguments used in Zimbabwean political discourse, particularly in parliamentary debates and broadcast interviews. Data were purposively sampled and gathered from Hansard records, and a television interview transcript. It …

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase Ii Interim Demolition Plan Construction Drawings And Floodplain Encroachment Analysis (Dated November 27, 2024), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Large Language Models For Ceus Li-Rads Categorization Of Small Liver Nodules In Patients At Risk For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Jiayan Huang, Rui Yang, Xiaotong Huang, Keyu Zeng, Yan Liu, Jun Luo, Andrej Lyshchik, Qiang Lu

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLMs) offer opportunities to enhance radiological applications, but their performance in handling complex tasks remains insufficiently investigated.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of LLMs integrated with Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (CEUS LI-RADS) in diagnosing small (≤20mm) hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) in high-risk patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2014 to December 2023, high-risk HCC patients with untreated small (≤20mm) focal liver lesions (sFLLs), were included in this retrospective study. ChatGPT-4.0, ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-4o mini, and Google Gemini were integrated with imaging features from structured CEUS LI-RADS reports to assess their diagnostic performance for sHCC. …

Long-Term Measurements Of Seasonal Snowpacks Indicate Increases In Mid-Winter Snowmelt And Earlier Snowpack Disappearance In The Northeastern U.S., Geoff Wilson, Mark Green, John Campbell, Alexandra R. Contosta, Nina Lany, Amey Bailey

Faculty Publications

Snowpacks are changing in northeastern North America as the regional climate warms, yet the relative influence of changes in precipitation compared to changes in ablation on snowpacks is poorly understood. We use 56 years of weekly snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements from three locations within a study site which vary in elevation and aspect, paired with adjacent daily climate measurements, to investigate relationships between climate and snowpack onset, maximum, and disappearance. Maximum snowpack size and snowpack duration are shrinking at all sites, at rates ranging from 4.3 days/decade at the coldest site to 9.6 days/decade at the warmest site. The …

Long-Term Measurements Of Seasonal Snowpacks Indicate Increases In Mid-Winter Snowmelt And Earlier Snowpack Disappearance In The Northeastern U.S., Geoff Wilson, Mark Green, John Campbell, Alexandra R. Contosta, Nina Lany, Amey Bailey

Faculty Publications

Snowpacks are changing in northeastern North America as the regional climate warms, yet the relative influence of changes in precipitation compared to changes in ablation on snowpacks is poorly understood. We use 56 years of weekly snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements from three locations within a study site which vary in elevation and aspect, paired with adjacent daily climate measurements, to investigate relationships between climate and snowpack onset, maximum, and disappearance. Maximum snowpack size and snowpack duration are shrinking at all sites, at rates ranging from 4.3 days/decade at the coldest site to 9.6 days/decade at the warmest site. The …

Social Learning And Cultural Enrichment For Fish Welfare, Chiawen Chiang, Becca Franks

Animal Sentience

This commentary examines how understanding animal culture—shared behaviors and knowledge transmitted through social learning—plays a role in advancing welfare practices for captive fishes. Despite extensive evidence of fishes' complex sociocultural capacities, their psycho-social needs remain underestimated and unmet in zoos and aquaria. We explore what considering fish culture might mean for welfare practices: diverse social learning opportunities, cultural development, and thoughtful group management. More knowledge about wild fishes' lives will help bridge the gap between their full, complex lives and current captive welfare practices.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Justice-Involved Individuals And Executive Function Consequences On Transition And Reintegration Into The Community, Alaina L. Randerson

Student Capstone Papers

The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world (Carson, 2022), with an increasing number of justice-involved individuals (JII) potentially affected by mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Despite the high prevalence of mTBIs in the general population, limited research exists on the prevalence and impact of mTBIs in JII. Preliminary evidence suggests that the prevalence of mTBIs in incarcerated individuals is 50 times higher than in the general public (Siegler et al., 2017). This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of JII with mTBI, focusing on the origin of mTBIs, executive dysfunction, and the occupational barriers …

Aspiration Of Left Atrial Masses Using The Large-Bore Manual Aspiration System: The Aspirate La Procedure, Shaurya Srivastava, Hussam Al Hennawi, Ahmad Abulshamat, Appa Bandi, Mohammed Qintar

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Transcatheter mass extraction of left-sided cardiac masses has gained popularity in recent years, with scarce data on effectiveness, safety, and types of devices used. Mostly, left-sided aspirations use mechanical and continuous-flow–mediated devices (the AngioVac [AngioDynamics] and Penumbra systems [Penumbra]). To our knowledge, the use of manual aspiration devices has not been reported yet. Here, we report the first case series on the use of the AlphaVac (AngioDynamics) (a large-bore manual aspiration device) system for left-sided intracardiac masses.

Structural Variant Allelic Heterogeneity In Mecp2 Duplication Syndrome Provides Insight Into Clinical Severity And Variability Of Disease Expression., Davut Pehlivan, Jesse D. Bengtsson, Sameer S. Bajikar, Christopher M. Grochowski, Ming Yin Lun, Mira Gandhi, Angad Jolly, Alexander J. Trostle, Holly K. Harris, Bernhard Suter, Sukru Aras, Melissa B. Ramocki, Haowei Du, Michele G. Mehaffey, Kyunghee Park, Ellen Wilkey, Cemal Karakas, Jesper J. Eisfeldt, Maria Pettersson, Lynn Liu, Marwan S. Shinawi, Virginia E. Kimonis, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Kyle Mckenzie, Timo Roser, Angela M. Vianna-Morgante, Alberto S. Cornier, Ahmed Abdelmoity, James P. Hwang, Shalini N. Jhangiani, Donna M. Muzny, Tadahiro Mitani, Kazuhiro Muramatsu, Shin Nabatame, Daniel G. Glaze, Jawid M. Fatih, Richard A. Gibbs, Zhandong Liu, Anna Lindstrand, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, James R. Lupski, Huda Y. Zoghbi, Claudia M B Carvalho

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, also known as X-linked intellectual developmental disorder Lubs type (MRXSL; MIM: 300260), is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by copy number gains spanning MECP2. Despite varying genomic rearrangement structures, including duplications and triplications, and a wide range of duplication sizes, no clear correlation exists between DNA rearrangement and clinical features. We had previously demonstrated that up to 38% of MRXSL families are characterized by complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) of intermediate complexity (2 ≤ copy number variant breakpoints < 5), yet the impact of these genomic structures on regulation of gene expression and phenotypic manifestations have not been investigated.

METHODS: To study the role of the genomic rearrangement structures on an individual's clinical phenotypic variability, we employed a comprehensive …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Representation Of Gender Images In Wedding Speeches In Tanzania, Reuben Ndimbo, Antoni Keya

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study examined parents’ counsel during weddings to determine how wedding discourse represents gender relations. This article utilized a qualitative methodology, using audio-visual records of speeches and the focus group discussion technique to gather data. Using critical discourse analysis, the study found that wedding discourse reinforces stereotypical gender roles following the dominant male ideology, portraying men as the supreme heads of households who are responsible for making important decisions, including financial and political matters. On the other hand, women are projected as obedient, showing humility: perpetuating the image of dependent and submissive individuals. The study provides a basis for linguistic …

Synthesis Of Higher-Order Catenanes And Catenane-Based Materials, Gray Harlan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Catenanes are a subset of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) and are composed of interlocked rings that can be oriented linearly, radially, or branched. A defining feature of all MIMs is that they are bound through their architectures consisting of mechanical bonds, leading to unique topologies. Catenanes have attracted interest due to their stimuli-responsive behavior and the degrees of freedom afforded by the mechanical bond, a feature which is absent with standard covalent bonds. The stimuli responsiveness of catenanes arises from their templated syntheses, where two or more pre-macrocycles are brought together by a driving force. Various templation strategies rely on …

Critical Review Of Loneliness Rates Among Undergraduates, Emily Schmitz

Psychology Student Publications

This study assesses loneliness rates among undergraduates from fall 2008 to spring 2019 through a secondary analysis of the National College Health Assessment II (NCHA II). The NCHA II, a comprehensive and nationally representative survey, covers a wide range of mental and physical health issues among U.S. college students. The survey consisted of questions which had students self-identify if they have felt very lonely within the last 2 weeks, 30 days, and 12 months. The study revealed that 54.90% to 67.40% of undergraduate students reported feeling very lonely during these survey periods. The results showed that most undergraduates experienced loneliness, …

Agot: Agricultural Guide For Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Kara Smallegan, Meghan Skidmore Otd, Otr, Cns, Angela Labrie Blackwell Phd, Otr

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

As agriculture is a hazardous occupation, this project discusses agricultural workers with health conditions/disabilities, experiencing disruption to occupational performance and participation, increasing risk of secondary injuries, and impacting overall well-being and how occupational therapy practitioners can improve these factors through the development of a guidebook. The guide covers population insights, risk factors, assessment guide, conditions, and resources to aid occupational practitioners when assisting the agricultural worker population.

Older Adult's Fall Prevention Program, Myles Butler, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The decline in bodily functions with aging increases older adults' vulnerability to falls, which is a leading cause of death within this population. The poster presents an educational based fall prevention program focused on safety awareness and risk management for older adults. In conclusion, implementing a fall prevention program leads to increased awareness regarding risk factors that are detrimental to the safety and well-being of the older adult community

Occupational Therapy Role In Aiding Health Management For Caregivers Of Children With Neurological Conditions, Peyton Mcgee, Mary Jan Greer, Caitlin Boyd

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Neurological disorders are identified as a dysfunction on any part of the nervous system that cause disability (Kumar et al., 2022). In order to enhance the outcome of children with neurological conditions, there should be an emphasis on the role and well-being of their caregivers. Common symptoms of neurological disorders among children include delayed developmental milestones, seizures and epilepsy, regression of skills, abnormal movements and behaviors, headaches, sensory processing issues, and communication difficulties. Adjusting to a new normal can be overwhelming for caregivers, especially when children transition out of rehab. The aim of the proposed capstone project is to aid …

Improving Adls, Iadls, And Qol In Breast Cancer Survivors, Tincy Samuel, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Breast cancer and its treatment can significantly impact breast cancer survivor’s ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), and Quality of Life (QoL). Physical activity programs have been found to positively impact various aspects of quality of life in breast cancer patients, including physical condition, state of mind, and selfesteem. However, there is a gap in the OT practice and the literature regarding how to improve independence in ADLs, IADLs, and overall quality of life in breast cancer survivors. A program was created to improve Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental Activities of …

Evaluations Of Digital Public Health Interventions In The Who Southeast Asia Region: A Systematic Literature Review, Nachiket Gudi, Elstin Anbu Raj, Beate Jahn, Uwe Siebert

Open Access archive

Introduction Digital health technologies have been enhancing the capacity of healthcare providers and, thereby, the delivery of targeted health services. The Southeast Asia Region (SEAR) has invested in strengthening digital public health. Many digital health interventions have been implemented in public health settings but are rarely assessed using the holistic health technology assessment (HTA) approach. Methods A systematic literature review was performed to provide an overview of evaluations of digital public health interventions in the World Health Organization (WHO) SEAR. Searches were conducted on four electronic databases. Screening title abstracts and full texts was independently conducted by two reviewers, followed …

Using Bivalves As An Indicator For Fecal Bacteria, Kamala Chuss

Honors Scholar Theses

This project focuses on the integration of fecal bacteria from warm-blooded animals into bivalve tissue, and the utilization of bivalves as an indicator for fecal bacteria in waterways. Bivalves may give a more representative long-term average of fecal bacteria in water as compared to direct water testing. The primary objective is to create a standard operating procedure to use bacterial testing of bivalves as a proxy for bacteria concentration in the water. This method can be used in places where bivalves do not already exist by adding them to a body of water, or by collecting bivalves that already exist …

Grain Boundary Solute Segregation Across The 5d Space Of Crystallographic Character, Lydia Harris Serafin

Theses and Dissertations

Solute segregation in materials with grain boundaries (GBs) has emerged as a popular method to thermodynamically stabilize nanocrystalline structures. However, the impact of varied GB crystallographic character on solute segregation has never been thoroughly examined. This work examines Co solute segregation in a dataset of 7272 Al bicrystal GBs that span the 5D space of GB crystallographic character. Considerable attention is paid to verification of the calculations in the diverse and large set of GBs. In addition, the results of this work are favorably validated against similar bicrystal and polycrystal simulations. As with other work, we show that Co atoms …

Detection And Monitoring Of Stress Using Wearables: A Systematic Review, Anuja Pinge, Vinaya Gad, Dheryta Jaisinghani, Surjya Ghosh, Sougata Sen

Faculty Publications

Over the last few years, wearable devices have witnessed immense changes in terms of sensing capabilities. Wearable devices, with their ever-increasing number of sensors, have been instrumental in monitoring human activities, health-related indicators, and overall wellness. One health-related area that has rapidly adopted wearable devices is the mental health monitoring and well-being area, which covers problems such as psychological distress. The continuous monitoring capability of wearable devices allows the detection and monitoring of stress, thus enabling early detection of mental health problems. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the different types of sensors and wearable devices used …

Achieving Inter- And Transdisciplinarity In Ecohealth: Insights From A Rodent-Borne Disease Project In A Polycrisis Era, Isabelle Arpin, Clémence Massart, Vincent Bourret, Guillaume Castel, Valeria Carolina Colombo, Jana Eccard, Jasmin Firozpoor, Maciej Grzybek, Heikki A. Henttonen, Herwig Leirs, Andrew Mcmanus, Ben Roche, Tarja Sironen, Vincent Sluydts, Peter Stuart, Annetta Zintl, Nathalie Charbonnel

Publications

Introduction: Inter- and transdisciplinary research (ITDR) is increasingly promoted to address “wicked problems”, particularly in health sectors adopting approaches like Ecohealth. Our Ecohealth-inspired project on rodent-borne diseases, initiated just before the COVID-19 pandemic, provided an opportunity to evaluate ITDR implementation.

Methods: We employed a recently developed semi-quantitative evaluation method to measure our project’s success in achieving ITDR and analyzed factors influencing this achievement.

Results: The project showed strengths in system description, team task allocation, and data sharing, but had lower scores in engaging societal actors throughout the project cycle.

Discussion: We identified the underexplored influence of problem wickedness as a …

Reversing Chronic Disease Through Functional Medicine: Acknowledging Privilege And Seeking Justice, Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This piece is based on twenty-eight months of digital-auto-ethnographic research. While my research methods included traditional ethnographic research in face-to-face settings and digital ethnography, my personal experience is also embedded in the work. In this piece, you will find “interludes” that provide glimpses into my healing journey. When writing in this autoethnographic register, I provide “thick descriptions” (Geertz 3) of how I experienced illness and recovery. By including my own story, I am acknowledging that the observed and the observer are inextricably intertwined. All ethnography is relational. Ethnographic data results from a trusting relationship between ethnographer and participant. Furthermore, in …

Connections Between Household Socioeconomic Status, Modifiable Risk Factors, And Diabetes Status Among Adults In Jamaica, Sheriann Elizabeth Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, diabetes is one of the most prevalent and challenging disorders. In Jamaica, the prevalence of the disease has increased by 42% since 2001. This study explored the connection between household socioeconomic status, modifiable risk factors, and diabetes status among adults in Jamaica using the social-ecological model. The study explored whether household socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors were associated with diabetes and whether they predicted diabetes among Jamaican adults. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to analyze data with 11,206 respondents from the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2019 dataset. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed statistically significant associations between …

Connections Between Household Socioeconomic Status, Modifiable Risk Factors, And Diabetes Status Among Adults In Jamaica, Sheriann Elizabeth Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, diabetes is one of the most prevalent and challenging disorders. In Jamaica, the prevalence of the disease has increased by 42% since 2001. This study explored the connection between household socioeconomic status, modifiable risk factors, and diabetes status among adults in Jamaica using the social-ecological model. The study explored whether household socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors were associated with diabetes and whether they predicted diabetes among Jamaican adults. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to analyze data with 11,206 respondents from the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2019 dataset. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed statistically significant associations between …

Structural Variant Allelic Heterogeneity In Mecp2 Duplication Syndrome Provides Insight Into Clinical Severity And Variability Of Disease Expression, Christopher M Grochowski, Ming Yin Lun, Mira Gandhi, Angad Jolly, Alexander J Trostle, Holly K Harris, Bernhard Suter, Sukru Aras, Melissa B Ramocki, Haowei Du, Michele G Mehaffey, Kyunghee Park, Ellen Wilkey, Cemal Karakas, Jesper J Eisfeldt, Maria Pettersson, Lynn Liu, Marwan S Shinawi, Virginia E Kimonis, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Kyle Mckenzie, Timo Roser, Angela M Vianna-Morgante, Alberto S Cornier, Ahmed Abdelmoity, James P Hwang, Shalini N Jhangiani, Donna M Muzny, Tadahiro Mitani, Kazuhiro Muramatsu, Shin Nabatame, Daniel G Glaze, Jawid M Fatih, Richard A Gibbs, Zhandong Liu, Anna Lindstrand, Fritz J Sedlazeck, James R Lupski, Huda Y Zoghbi, Claudia M B Carvalho

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, also known as X-linked intellectual developmental disorder Lubs type (MRXSL; MIM: 300260), is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by copy number gains spanning MECP2. Despite varying genomic rearrangement structures, including duplications and triplications, and a wide range of duplication sizes, no clear correlation exists between DNA rearrangement and clinical features. We had previously demonstrated that up to 38% of MRXSL families are characterized by complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) of intermediate complexity (2 ≤ copy number variant breakpoints < 5), yet the impact of these genomic structures on regulation of gene expression and phenotypic manifestations have not been investigated.

METHODS: To study the role of the genomic rearrangement structures on an individual's clinical phenotypic variability, we employed a comprehensive …

Methodological Report Of A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Abortion-Related Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Amongst Health Professionals In Britain, Strategies Adopted And Lessons Learned: Evidence From The Sacha Study, The Sacha Study Team, R. S. French, M. J. Palmer, O. Mccarthy, N. Salaria, R. Meiksin, J. Shawe, M. Lewandowska, R. Scott, K. Wellings, G. Wong, S. Sheldon, J. Reiter, W. V. Norman, C. Murphy, P. A. Lohr, L. Keogh, C. Free, S. Cameron, P. Baraitser, A. Aronsson

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Most surveys examining health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and practices around abortion have used convenience samples and have targeted doctors. Our goal in the SACHA Study, drawing on evidence-based strategies to maximise response rates, was to achieve a representative sample of a wider range of health professionals, working in general practice, maternity services, pharmacies, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) clinics and specialist abortion services in Britain, to explore the knowledge, attitudes and experience of abortion care and views on future models of delivery. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey of midwives, doctors, nurses and pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales was …

Unraveling The Relationship Between Sleep Behaviors And Physical Activity In The United States: Insights From 2015 To 2020 Nhanes Data, Shreela V Sharma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Physical activity is an important component of metabolic health. However, little is known about the impact of specific types/intensities of physical activity on sleep health, especially among ethnically diverse populations. We examined the association of various sleep behaviors with moderate to vigorous work/recreational activity.

Methods: Self-reported data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2020 were cross-sectionally analyzed for a sample of 11,039 participants in the United States (U.S.). Weighted univariate logistic regressions determined unadjusted associations, while weighted multivariable regression models adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, BMI categories, and socio-economic status assessed the multivariable associations with moderate and …

Considering The Impact Of Ai On The Professional Status Of Teaching, Benjamin D. Parker

Educational Studies

The purpose of this perspective essay is not to dissect the merits or deficits of AI in practice in classrooms, nor is it intended to approach the topic from a technical standpoint. Rather, this manuscript begins from a place of acceptance, recognizing that AI in education is already here and the adaptive and evolutionary nature of the technology positions it to maintain a presence in schooling spaces for the foreseeable future. From there, assuming AI will become further integrated into the fabric of schooling experiences, it seems necessary to take a step back and look holistically at the potential impact …