Digital Commons Network^™

Risk Factors Associated With 30-Day Unplanned Hospital Readmission For Patients With Mental Illness, Huaqiong Zhou, Irene Ngune, Matthew A. Albrecht, Phillip R. Della

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Unplanned hospital readmission rate is up to 43 % in mental health settings, which is higher than in general health settings. Unplanned readmissions delay the recovery of patients with mental illness and add financial burden on families and healthcare services. There have been efforts to reduce readmissions with a particular interest in identifying patients at higher readmission risk after index admission; however, the results have been inconsistent. This systematic review synthesized risk factors associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions for patients with mental illness. Eleven electronic databases were searched from 2010 to 30 September 2021 using key terms of 'mental …

Would You Like Fries With That? Investigating Fast-Food Outlet Availability Near Schools In Perth, Western Australia, Gina S. A. Trapp, Paula Hooper, Wesley Billingham, Lukar Thornton, Ainslie Sartori, Kelly Kennington, Amanda Devine, Stephanie Godrich, Ros Sambell, Justine Howard, Alexia Bivoltsis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Issue addressed: Locating fast-food outlets near schools is a potential public health risk to schoolchildren, given the easy access and repeated exposure to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods they provide. Fast-food outlet availability near schools has not been previously investigated in Perth, Western Australia. This study aimed to quantify fast-food outlet availability near Perth schools and determine whether differences in area-level disadvantage and school type exist. Methods: Fast-food outlet locations were sourced from Perth Local Governments in 2018/2019. All Perth Primary (n = 454), Secondary (n = 107) and K-12 (n = 94) schools were assigned an area-level disadvantage decile ranking based …

Calling An Ambulance For Non-Emergency Medical Situations: Results Of A Cross-Sectional Online Survey From An Australian Nationally Representative Sample, Brennen Mills, Michella Hill, Alecka Miles, Erin Smith, Eben Afrifa-Yamoah, David Reid, Shane Rogers, Moira Sim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective

To investigate the Australian general public's perception of appropriate medical scenarios that warrants a call to an emergency ambulance.

Methods

An online survey asked participants to identify the likely medical treatment pathway they would take for 17 hypothetical medical scenarios. The number and type of non-emergency scenarios (n = 8) participants incorrectly suggested were appropriate to place a call for an emergency ambulance were calculated. Participants included Australian residents (aged >18 years) who had never worked as an Australian registered medical doctor, nurse or paramedic.

Results

From a sample of 5264 participants, 40% suggested calling an emergency ambulance …

Episodic Memory Dysfunction And Hypersynchrony In Brain Functional Networks In Cognitively Intact Subjects And Mci: A Study Of 379 Individuals, Brenda Chino, Pablo Cuesta, Javier Pacios, Jaisalmer De Frutos-Lucas, Lucía Torres-Simón, Sandra Doval, Alberto Marcos, Ricardo Bruña, Fernando Maestú

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Delayed recall (DR) impairment is one of the most significant predictive factors in defining the progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) could accompany this decline in the DR performance even in a resting state condition from the preclinical stages to the diagnosis of AD itself, so the characterization of the relationship between the two phenomena has attracted increasing interest. Another aspect to contemplate is the potential moderator role of the APOE genotype in this association, considering the evidence about their implication for the disease. 379 subjects (118 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 261 cognitively intact …

Deep Feature Meta-Learners Ensemble Models For Covid-19 Ct Scan Classification, Jibin B. Thomas, K. V. Shihabudheen, Sheik Mohammed Sulthan, Adel Al-Jumaily

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The infectious nature of the COVID-19 virus demands rapid detection to quarantine the infected to isolate the spread or provide the necessary treatment if required. Analysis of COVID-19-infected chest Computed Tomography Scans (CT scans) have been shown to be successful in detecting the disease, making them essential in radiology assessment and screening of infected patients. Single-model Deep CNN models have been used to extract complex information pertaining to the CT scan images, allowing for in-depth analysis and thereby aiding in the diagnosis of the infection by automatically classifying the chest CT scan images as infected or non-infected. The feature maps …

Epigenetic Regulation Of Corneal Epithelial Differentiation By Tet2, Yuzuru Sasamoto, Siyuan Wu, Catherine A. A. Lee, Jason Y. Jiang, Bruce R. Ksander, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Epigenetic DNA modification by 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), generated by the Ten-eleven translocation (TET) dioxygenases, regulates diverse biological functions in many organ tissues, including the mammalian eye. For example, 5hmC has been shown to be involved in epigenetic regulation of retinal gene expression. However, a functional role of 5hmC in corneal differentiation has not been investigated to date. Here, we examined 5hmC and TET function in the human cornea. We found 5hmC highly expressed in MUC16-positive terminally differentiated cells that also co-expressed the 5hmC-generating enzyme TET2. TET2 knockdown (KD) in cultured corneal epithelial cells led to significant reductions of 5hmC peak distributions …

Exploring Sociodemographic Correlates Of Suicide Stigma In Australia: Baseline Cross-Sectional Survey Findings From The Life-Span Suicide Prevention Trial Studies, Lisa N. Sharwood, Alison L. Calear, Philip J. Batterham, Michelle Torok, Lauren Mcgillivray, Demee Rheinberger, Stephanie Zeritis, Tuguy Esgin, Fiona Shand

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The risk of suicidal behaviour in Australia varies by age, sex, sexual preference and Indigenous status. Suicide stigma is known to affect suicide rates and help-seeking for suicidal crises. The aim of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic correlates of suicide stigma to assist in prevention efforts. We surveyed community members and individuals who had attended specific emergency departments for suicidal crisis. The respondents were part of a large-scale suicide prevention trial in New South Wales, Australia. The data collected included demographic characteristics, measures of help-seeking and suicide stigma. The linear regression analyses conducted sought to identify the factors …

Editorial: Untangle The Broad Connections And Tight Interactions Between Human Microbiota And Complex Diseases Through Data-Driven Approaches, Liang Wang, Zuo-Bin Zhu, Li Zhang, Jian Li, Qi Zhao

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is well-known that microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment and occupy almost all habitats in animals and humans (Finlay and Clarke, 1999; Rosenberg, 2021). Traditionally, microorganisms are studied as individuals grown in isolation under artificial conditions; however, with the development of experimental techniques and computational methods, microbes are now frequently considered as a functional group in a particular niche and studied at the community level in order to best mimicking the real-world situations (American Academy of Microbiology, 2004). During the study of microbial communities, two terms are commonly used, that is, microbiota and microbiome.

Psychological Profiles Of South African Smallholder Farmers, Navjot Bhullar, Nkhanedzeni B. Nengovhela, Livhuwani Mudau, Renato A. Villano, Isaac Koomson, Heather M. Burrow

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The present study examined smallholder farmer profiles based on key psychological variables associated with farm business performance in the South African context. A sample of 471 beef farmers (mean age = 54.15 years; SD = 14.46; men = 76 %) and 426 poultry farmers (mean age = 47.28 years; SD = 13.53; women = 54.5 %) provided data on a range of measures assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, personality characteristics, present and future time orientation, expected benefits of, and efficacy to perform the farm business tasks, and farm-related concerns. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profile segments of …

Site Selection Of Combined Offshore Wind And Wave Energy Farms: A Systematic Review, Shabnam Hosseinzadeh, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Rodney A. Stewart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Growing energy demand worldwide and onshore limitations have increased interest in offshore renewable energy exploitation. A combination of offshore renewable energy resources such as wind and wave energy can produce stable power output at a lower cost compared to a single energy source. Consequently, identifying the best locations for constructing combined offshore renewable energy farms is crucial. This paper investigates the technical, economic, social, and environmental aspects of Combined Offshore Wind and Wave Energy Farm (COWWEF) site selection. Past literature was evaluated using a systematic review method to synthesize, criticize, and categorize study regions, dataset characteristics, constraints, evaluation criteria, and …

Using Nanomaterials As Excellent Immobilisation Layer For Biosensor Design, Azeez Olayiwola Idris, Seyi Philemon Akanji, Benjamin O. Orimolade, Foluke Omobola Grace Olorundare, Shohreh Azizi, Bhekie Mamba, Malik Maaza

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The endless development in nanotechnology has introduced new vitality in device fabrication including biosensor design for biomedical applications. With outstanding features like suitable biocompatibility, good electrical and thermal conductivity, wide surface area and catalytic activity, nanomaterials have been considered excellent and promising immobilisation candidates for the development of high-impact biosensors after they emerged. Owing to these reasons, the present review deals with the efficient use of nanomaterials as immobilisation candidates for biosensor fabrication. These include the implementation of carbon nanomaterials—graphene and its derivatives, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoparticles, carbon nanodots—and MXenes, likewise their synergistic impact when merged with metal oxide nanomaterials. …

Validity And Reliability Of Inertial Measurement System For Linear Movement Velocity In Flywheel Squat Exercise, Sergio Maroto-Izquierdo, Kazunori Nosaka, Jesús Alarcón-Gómez, Fernando Martín-Rivera

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of an Inertial Measurement System integrated into a secondary pulley (IMS) for determining linear velocity during flywheel squat exercises. Thirty-one male participants who were highly experienced in a flywheel resistance exercise training performed flywheel squat exercises with three incremental loads, and mean velocity (MV), mean propulsive velocity (MPV) and max velocity (Vmax) of the exercises were simultaneously recorded with a validated linear encoder and the IMS, in two different sessions. Validity was analyzed using ordinary least products regression (OLP), Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and Hedge’s g for …

Student Voices That Resonate – Constructing Composite Narratives That Represent Students’ Classroom Experiences, Olivia Johnston, Helen Wildy, Jennifer Shand

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Words and stories have the power to resonate with people. Composite narratives can be constructed using multiple participant accounts, representing their experiences while also capturing the properties and categories of qualitative research findings. The ability of composite narratives to represent the multiple facets of theory construction through a singular narrative point-of-view is unique and provides a concise and credible method to present research findings. This paper explains how composite narratives can be constructed to present the research data that findings are built upon through an illustrative example of the process. The example of a composite narrative presented in this article …

Late-Nc Staging In Routine Neuropathologic Diagnosis: An Update, Peter T Nelson, Katherine E Schwetye, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

An international consensus report in 2019 recommended a classification system for limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic changes (LATE-NC). The suggested neuropathologic staging system and nomenclature have proven useful for autopsy practice and dementia research. However, some issues remain unresolved, such as cases with unusual features that do not fit with current diagnostic categories. The goal of this report is to update the neuropathologic criteria for the diagnosis and staging of LATE-NC, based primarily on published data. We provide practical suggestions about how to integrate available genetic information and comorbid pathologies [e.g., Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic changes (ADNC) and Lewy body disease]. …

Relationship Between Electrode Position And Temporal Modulation Sensitivity In Cochlear Implant Users: Are Close Electrodes Always Better?, Ning Zhou, Xuyang Shi, Omkar Dixit, Jill B Firszt, Timothy A Holden

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Temporal modulation sensitivity has been studied extensively for cochlear implant (CI) users due to its strong correlation to speech recognition outcomes. Previous studies reported that temporal modulation detection thresholds (MDTs) vary across the tonotopic axis and attributed this variation to patchy neural survival. However, correlates of neural health identified in animal models depend on electrode position in humans. Nonetheless, the relationship between MDT and electrode location has not been explored. We tested 13 ears for the effect of distance on modulation sensitivity, specifically targeting the question of whether electrodes closer to the modiolus are universally beneficial. Participants in this study …

Lgmdd1 Natural History And Phenotypic Spectrum: Implications For Clinical Trials, Andrew R Findlay, Sarah E Robinson, Stephanie Poelker, Michelle Seiffert, Rocio Bengoechea, Conrad C Weihl

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the full phenotypic spectrum and characterize the natural history of limb girdle muscular dystrophy type D1 (LGMDD1).

METHODS: We extracted age at clinical events of interest contributing to LGMDD1 disease burden via a systematic literature and chart review. Manual muscle testing and quantitative dynamometry data were used to estimate annualized rates of change. We also conducted a cross-sectional observational study using previously validated patient-reported outcome assessments (ACTIVLIM, PROMIS-57) and a new LGMDD1 questionnaire. Some individuals underwent repeat ACTIVLIM and LGMDD1 questionnaire assessments at 1.5 and 2.5 years.

RESULTS: A total of 122 LGMDD1 patients were included from …

Vol 68 #1, Melanie Argo

MPLA Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Early Intervention And Intensive Management Of Patients With Diabetes, Cardiorenal, And Metabolic Diseases, Yehuda Handelsman, Samuel Klein, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Increasing rates of obesity and diabetes have driven corresponding increases in related cardiorenal and metabolic diseases. In many patients, these conditions occur together, further increasing morbidity and mortality risks to the individual. Yet all too often, the risk factors for these disorders are not addressed promptly in clinical practice, leading to irreversible pathologic progression. To address this gap, we convened a Task Force of experts in cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, and primary care to develop recommendations for early identification and intervention in obesity, diabetes, and other cardiorenal and metabolic diseases. The recommendations include screening and diagnosis, early interventions with lifestyle, and …

Human Cardiac Pericytes Are Susceptible To Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Brittany D Brumback, Oleksandr Dmytrenko, Ashley N Robinson, Adam L Bailey, Pan Ma, Jing Liu, Stephanie C Hicks, Sherwin Ng, Gang Li, David M Zhang, Catherine E Lipovsky, Chieh-Yu Lin, Michael S Diamond, Kory J Lavine, Stacey L Rentschler

2020-Current year OA Pubs

COVID-19 is associated with serious cardiovascular complications, with incompletely understood mechanism(s). Pericytes have key functions in supporting endothelial cells and maintaining vascular integrity. We demonstrate that human cardiac pericytes are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection in organotypic slice and primary cell cultures. Viral entry into pericytes is mediated by endosomal proteases, and infection leads to up-regulation of inflammatory markers, vasoactive mediators, and nuclear factor kappa-B-dependent cell death. Furthermore, we present evidence of cardiac pericyte infection in COVID-19 myocarditis patients. These data demonstrate that human cardiac pericytes are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest a role for pericyte infection in COVID-19.

Urban Air Mobility (Uam) Flight Path: Literature Review And Conceptual Design Of Uam Corridor Virtual Lane System Using “Tracks”, Immanuel Bankole

Student Works

As the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry grows and becomes more popular, most of the conversations in the public domain are focused on the (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) eVTOL aircraft and the physical infrastructure that will support these eVTOL aircraft. However, there is a lack of research on UAM traffic management and flight paths taken by aircraft between locations.

The United States (U.S.) Federal Aviation Administration has proposed the use of corridors to minimize the interaction between UAM operations and traditional air traffic as eVTOL aircraft perform flight activities. The government also acknowledges the need for additional structures (such …

Clinical Importance Of Clonal Hematopoiesis In Metastatic Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers, Bill H Diplas, Kelly Bolton, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) has been associated with development of atherosclerosis and leukemia and worse survival among patients with cancer; however, the association with cancer therapy efficacy, in particular immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), and toxicity has not yet been established. Given the widespread use of ICB and the critical role hematopoietic stem cell-derived lymphocytes play in mediating antitumor responses, CH may be associated with therapeutic efficacy and hematologic toxicity.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between CH and outcomes, hematologic toxicity, and therapeutic efficacy in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal tract cancers being treated with systemic therapy, both in the first-line metastatic …

Southern Educator, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

Certification now Easier for Paraprofessionals

COE Earns CAEP Accreditation

Undergraduate Assists in District-wide Project Eaglet

Building Beautiful Bridges over Educational Gaps

Functional And Clinical Studies Reveal Pathophysiological Complexity Of Clcn4-Related Neurodevelopmental Condition, Elizabeth E Palmer, Linda J Richards, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Missense and truncating variants in the X-chromosome-linked CLCN4 gene, resulting in reduced or complete loss-of-function (LOF) of the encoded chloride/proton exchanger ClC-4, were recently demonstrated to cause a neurocognitive phenotype in both males and females. Through international clinical matchmaking and interrogation of public variant databases we assembled a database of 90 rare CLCN4 missense variants in 90 families: 41 unique and 18 recurrent variants in 49 families. For 43 families, including 22 males and 33 females, we collated detailed clinical and segregation data. To confirm causality of variants and to obtain insight into disease mechanisms, we investigated the effect on …

The Diagnosis Of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency: Implementation Of The Pidtc 2022 Definitions, Christopher C Dvorak, Jeffrey J Bednarski, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Shearer et al in 2014 articulated well-defined criteria for the diagnosis and classification of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) as part of the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium's (PIDTC's) prospective and retrospective studies of SCID.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the advent of newborn screening for SCID and expanded availability of genetic sequencing, revision of the PIDTC 2014 Criteria was needed.

METHODS: We developed and tested updated PIDTC 2022 SCID Definitions by analyzing 379 patients proposed for prospective enrollment into Protocol 6901, focusing on the ability to distinguish patients with various SCID subtypes.

RESULTS: According to PIDTC 2022 Definitions, 18 of 353 …

Steering Particles Via Micro-Actuation Of Chemical Gradients Using Model Predictive Control, Mark N. Mcdonald, Cameron K. Peterson, Douglas R. Tree

Faculty Publications

Biological systems rely on chemical gradients to direct motion through both chemotaxis and signaling, but synthetic approaches for doing the same are still relatively naïve. Consequently, we present a novel method for using chemical gradients to manipulate the position and velocity of colloidal particles in a microfluidic device. Specifically, we show that a set of spatially localized chemical reactions that are sufficiently controllable can be used to steer colloidal particles via diffusiophoresis along an arbitrary trajectory. To accomplish this, we develop a control method for steering colloidal particles with chemical gradients using nonlinear model predictive control with a model based …

Forgotten Brother Reuben Lewis: Missouri River Fur Trader And Indian Agent For The Arkansas Cherokees, Jay H. Buckley, Deveney Reber

Faculty Publications

Reuben Lewis was born in 1777, the fourth and youngest child of William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether. Their oldest child, Jane, married and lived out her days at Locust Hill, the family estate in Virginia. The Lewis’ second child, baby Lucinda, died in infancy. Their third child, Meriwether – the closest in age and friendship to Reuben – became the famous first half of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which explored the uncharted West before he met his tragic and mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee. While Reuben’s life has been rightly overshadowed by his older brother Meriwether’s …

Ash Aerosol Particle Size Distribution, Composition, And Deposition Behavior While Co-Firing Coal And Steam-Exploded Biomass In A 1.5 Mwth Combustor, Rajarshi Roy, Brian Schooff, Xiaolong Li, Scott Montgomery, Jacob Tuttle, Jost O.L. Wendt, Kingsley Dickson, Brian Iverson, Andrew R. Fry

Faculty Publications

Five different blends of Utah bituminous coal and steam-exploded pine (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, 0/100 by mass) were fired in a 1.5 MWth combustor. Primary objectives were to understand mineral matter behavior by analyzing aerosol size distribution, aerosol size-segregated composition, ash deposition mass, and ash composition. For particle size < 0.1 μm, pure coal had the lowest aerosol concentration and pure biomass showed the highest (higher nucleation of potassium salts), a trend which reversed for particles >0.1 μm. During pure biomass combustion, aerosol particles >15 μm contained higher mass fractions of potassium (+126%), calcium (+132%), and iron (+115%) and lower fractions of aluminum (−49%) and silicon (−29%) than pure coal. Ash deposition mass decreased with increasing biomass blends. …

Future Aware Pricing And Matching For Sustainable On-Demand Ride Pooling, Xianjie Zhang, Pradeep Varakantham, Hao Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The popularity of on-demand ride pooling is owing to the benefits offered to customers (lower prices), taxi drivers (higher revenue), environment (lower carbon footprint due to fewer vehicles) and aggregation companies like Uber (higher revenue). To achieve these benefits, two key interlinked challenges have to be solved effectively: (a) pricing – setting prices to customer requests for taxis; and (b) matching – assignment of customers (that accepted the prices) to taxis/cars. Traditionally, both these challenges have been studied individually and using myopic approaches (considering only current requests), without considering the impact of current matching on addressing future requests. In this …

Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Mentoring Development Of Preservice K-8 Teachers’ Mathematical And Professional Identities, Eryn M. Maher, Ha Nguyen, Tuyin An, Gregory Chamblee

College of Science & Mathematics: Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Human-Centered Ai For Software Engineering: Requirements, Reflection, And Road Ahead, David Lo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Since its inception in the 2000s, AI for Software Engineering (AI4SE) has grown rapidly. AI in its different forms, e.g., data mining, information retrieval, machine learning, natural language processing, etc., has been demonstrated to be able to produce good results for automating many tasks, including specification mining, bug and vulnerability discovery, bug localization, duplicate bug report identification, failure detection, program repair, technical question answering, code search, and many more. AI4SE has much potential to improve software engineers’ productivity and software quality. Due to its potential, it is currently one of the most popular research areas in the software engineering field.To …