Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Body Mass Index On Therapeutic Response To Bacterial Vaginosis In Pregnancy, Kevin P Lee, Misha V Koshelev, D3code Team, Omar Pacha

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Perifollicular Macular Amyloidosis, Imran T Baig, Jamael L Thomas, Misha V Koshelev

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Macular amyloidosis is a common type of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis. We present a case report of a 74-year-old patient with no significant past medical history who was evaluated for dark macules and pruritus for over a year. On exam, follicular-based brown macules on the upper and lower back, bilateral shoulders, and bilateral dorsal upper arms were noted. The morphology and distribution of follicular-based macules was unusual, so the differential included follicular lichen planus, follicular eczema, and macular amyloidosis. Punch biopsy showed deposits of eosinophilic fibrillary material along with pigmentary incontinence in the papillary dermis, consistent with macular amyloidosis. Additionally, …

New Sedatives And Analgesic Drugs For Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures, Jae Min Lee, Yehyun Park, Jin Myung Park, Hong Jun Park, Jun Yong Bae, Seung Young Seo, Jee Hyun Lee, Hyung Ku Chon, Jun-Won Chung, Hyun Ho Choi, Jun Kyu Lee, Byung-Wook Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Procedural sedation has become increasingly common in endoscopy. Sedatives and analgesics induce anxiolysis and amnesia. In addition, an appropriate level of sedation is necessary for safe procedures including therapeutic endoscopy. Midazolam and propofol are the most commonly used drugs in sedative endoscopy. In recent years, the need to ascertain the safety and effectiveness of sedation has increased in practice. Therefore, new sedatives and analgesic drugs for optimal sedative endoscopy, have recently emerged. This article reviews the characteristics of sedatives and analgesics, and describes their clinical use in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Amphotericin B Resistance In Leishmania Mexicana: Alterations To Sterol Metabolism And Oxidative Stress Response, Edubiel A Alpizar-Sosa, Nur Raihana Binti Ithnin, Wenbin Wei, Andrew W Pountain, Stefan K Weidt, Anne M Donachie, Ryan Ritchie, Emily A Dickie, Richard J S Burchmore, Paul W Denny, Michael P Barrett

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Amphotericin B is increasingly used in treatment of leishmaniasis. Here, fourteen independent lines of Leishmania mexicana and one L. infantum line were selected for resistance to either amphotericin B or the related polyene antimicrobial, nystatin. Sterol profiling revealed that, in each resistant line, the predominant wild-type sterol, ergosta-5,7,24-trienol, was replaced by other sterol intermediates. Broadly, two different profiles emerged among the resistant lines. Whole genome sequencing then showed that these distinct profiles were due either to mutations in the sterol methyl transferase (C24SMT) gene locus or the sterol C5 desaturase (C5DS) gene. In three lines an additional deletion of …

Covid-19 And Blood Clots: A Report Of Massive Pulmonary Embolism In Covid-19 Patient Supported On Veno-Venous Ecmo And The Utility Of Thrombolysis, Bindu Akkanti, Joseph Zwischenberger, Mark T Warner, Kha Dinh, Rahat Hussain, Farah Kazzaz, Pascal Kingah, Lisa M Janowiak, Biswajit Kar, Igor D Gregoric

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are not equivalent to other etiologies of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as fulminant activation of coagulation can occur, thereby resulting in widespread microvascular thrombosis and consumption of coagulation factors. A 53-year-old female presented to an emergency center on two occasions with progressive gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and admitted to a satellite intensive care unit with hypoxemic respiratory failure. She was intubated and mechanically ventilated, but her ARDS progressed over the next 48 hours. The patient was emergently cannulated for veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) and transferred to our …

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Presenting As Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: A Rare Case, Mohan Sonu Chandra, Monisha G A, Ravi Kiran M

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sjogren's syndrome is a late-onset, slowly progressing autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of the exocrine glands by lymphocytic infiltration, resulting in dry mouth (xerostomia) and dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca). Sjögren's syndrome may be associated with various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic sclerosis. We report a case of a 34-year-old female who delivered a live baby 20 days ago. She presented in a postictal state after two episodes of tonic-clonic movements of limbs with altered sensorium with a history of headache for seven days. Further evaluation revealed that the subject had a history of multiple …

Post–Lung Transplantation Outcomes And Ex Vivo Histopathological Findings In Severe Post-Covid-19 Pulmonary Disease—A Single-Center Experience, Hana Javaid, Masayuki Nigo, Bihong Zhao, Daniel Ocazionez Trujillo, Rodrigo Hasbun, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Manish Patel, Soma Jyothula

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of patients with severe and persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) require continuous ventilatory support and occasional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Lung transplantation is a treatment option for patients who develop severe ARDS.

METHODS: Our lung transplant database was retrospectively reviewed for patients who underwent lung transplantation for COVID-19 pulmonary disease at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, from January 2020 to March 2022. We evaluated outcomes of patients who were followed in our clinic at least 6 months post-transplant. Pretransplant patient characteristics, COVID-19-related treatment, histopathology results, and postdischarge …

The Effects Of Leadership In Corporate Social Advocacy On Positive Employee Outcomes, Sung-Un Yang, Minjeong Kang, Young Kim, Ejae Lee

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Despite the growing attention to corporate social advocacy in the extant literature, little empirical research has examined the effects of corporate social advocacy in the context of employees. The purpose of this study was to delve into the impact of leadership in corporate social advocacy (CSA) on positive employee outcomes, using data from an online survey of full-time employees working in various corporations in the United States. Controlling for the participants’ tenure, demographic information, and company size, this study found that leaders’ facilitation of corporate social advocacy strongly influenced employee advocacy for their organizations, which was also significantly mediated by …

Modulation Of The Association Between Age And Death By Risk Factor Burden In Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19, Ashwin Sunderraj, Chloe Cho, Xuan Cai, Shruti Gupta, Rupal Mehta, Tamara Isakova, David E Leaf, Anand Srivastava

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Older age is a key risk factor for adverse outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19. However, few studies have investigated whether preexisting comorbidities and acute physiologic ICU factors modify the association between age and death.

DESIGN: Multicenter cohort study.

SETTING: ICUs at 68 hospitals across the United States.

PATIENTS: A total of 5,037 critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs between March 1, 2020, and July 1, 2020.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary exposure was age, modeled as a continuous variable. The primary outcome was 28-day inhospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression tested the association between …

When And Why Consumers Choose Supersized Food?, Asim Qazi, Veronique Cova, Shahid Hussain, Ubedullah Khoso

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

This study aims to achieve three objectives: to explore the perception of consumers about supersized foods (in both pre- and post-consumption scenarios), to identify why consumers prefer supersized options over other available options and to determine the types of situations that push consumers to make such decisions.

Design/methodology/approach:

This qualitative study uses the triangulation of projective methods, coupled with semi-structured interviews with 120 participants. The data was collected from major cities of Pakistan, using a convenient sample of 25 semi-structured interviews, 35 narratives and 60 sentence completions and constructions analyzed by performing thematic analysis.

Findings:

The findings indicate that …

Efficacy And Safety Of Acupuncture And Or Moxibustion For Managing Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Weiting Liu, Carol Chunfeng Wang, Khui Hung Lee, Xiaopeng Ma, Timothy Leen Kang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Acupuncture and moxibustion have been accepted as add-on options for primary dysmenorrhea (PD); however, the clinical evidence is still inadequate. We searched AMED, CENTRAL, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wangfang database, ANZCTR, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO ICTRP, from their inception to February 2021. The pooled analysis of 13 RCTs with 675 participants for VAS showed that acupuncture and moxibustion were more effective in managing PD than the control group with the MD of −1.93 (95% CI [−2.80, −1.06] and −2.67 (95% CI [−4.96, −0.38]). With the CMSS, seven studies with 487 participants showed that these modalities were …

Human Leucocyte Antigen Genotype Association With The Development Of Immune-Related Adverse Events In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Single Agent Immunotherapy, Afaf Abed, Ngie Law, Leslie Calapre, Johnny Lo, Vikas Bhat, Samantha Bowyer, Michael Millward, Elin S. Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Biomarkers that predict the risk of immune-mediated adverse events (irAEs) among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these treatments. Methods: We carried out high resolution human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-I typing on 179 patients with NSCLC treated with anti-program death (PD)-1/program death ligand (PDL)-1. Toxicity data were collected and graded as per common terminology criteria for adverse event (CTCAE) v5.0. We used 14.8-week for landmark analysis to address lead-time bias to investigate the correlation between HLA-I/II zygosity, supertypes and alleles with irAE. Furthermore, we assessed the association for irAE with clinical benefit …

‘Even Though You Hate Everything That's Going On, You Know They Are Safer At Home’: The Role Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Families In Methamphetamine Use Harm Reduction And Their Own Support Needs, Sandra Gendera, Carla Treloar, Rachel Reilly, Katherine M. Conigrave, Julia Butt, Yvette Roe, James Ward

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: First Nations people who use methamphetamine are overrepresented in regional and remote Australia and more likely to turn to family for support. This can place strain on families. The support needs of family members of individuals using methamphetamine are poorly understood. Methods: We conducted 19 focus groups and seven interviews with mostly First Nations community, family members and service providers. In total, 147 participants across six sites participated as part of a larger study investigating First Nations perspectives of how to address methamphetamine use and associated harms. We applied a social and emotional wellbeing framework to examine support needs …

Abdominal Aortic Calcification On Lateral Spine Images Captured During Bone Density Testing And Late-Life Dementia Risk In Older Women: A Prospective Cohort Study, Tenielle Porter, Marc Sim, Richard L. Prince, John T. Schousboe, Catherine Bondonno, Wai H. Lim, Kun Zhu, Douglas P. Kiel, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Simon M. Laws, Joshua R. Lewis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Dementia after the age of 80 years (late-life) is increasingly common due to vascular and non-vascular risk factors. Identifying individuals at higher risk of late-life dementia remains a global priority. Methods: In prospective study of 958 ambulant community-dwelling older women ( ≥ 70 years), lateral spine images (LSI) captured in 1998 (baseline) from a bone density machine were used to assess abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). AAC was classified into established categories (low, moderate and extensive). Cardiovascular risk factors and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping were evaluated. Incident 14.5-year late-life dementia was identified from linked hospital and mortality records. Findings: At …

Feasibility, Psychosocial Effects, Influence, And Perception Of Elastic Band Resistance Balance Training In Older Adults, Nichola M. Davis, Andy Pringle, Anthony D. Kay, Anthony J. Blazevich, Danielle Teskey, Mark A. Faghy, Minas A. Mina

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study utilised feedback from older adults during balance-challenging, elastic band resistance exercises to design a physical activity (PA) intervention. Methods: Twenty-three active participants, aged 51 – 81 years, volunteered to perform a mini balance evaluation test and falls efficacy scale, and completed a daily living questionnaire. Following a 10 min warm-up, participants performed eight pre-selected exercises (1 × set, 8 – 12 repetitions) using elastic bands placed over the hip or chest regions in a randomised, counterbalanced order with 15 min seated rests between interventions. Heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured throughout. Participant interview …

Renewable And Recyclable Polymeric Materials For Food Packaging: A New Open Special Issue In Materials, Shima Jafarzadeh, Masoumeh Zargar, Mehrdad Forough

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

“Renewable and Recyclable Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging” is a new open Special Issue of Materials that will publish original and review papers on new scientific and applied research, and the articles it contains will make a contribution to the discovery and understanding of biodegradable and recyclable materials, their functional properties, characterization and applications.

Esculin Hydrolysis Negative And Tcda-Only Producing Strains Of Clostridium (Clostridioides) Difficile From The Environment In Western Australia, Nirajmohan Shivaperumal, Daniel R. Knight, Korakrit Imwattana, Grace O. Androga, Barbara J. Chang, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background and Aims: Clostridium (Clostridiodes) difficile clade 3 ribotype (RT) 023 strains that fail to produce black colonies on bioMérieux ChromID agar have been reported, as well as variant strains of C. difficile that produce only toxin A. We have recently isolated strains of C. difficile from the environment in Western Australia (WA) with similar characteristics. The objective of this study was to characterize these strains. It was hypothesized that a putative β-glucosidase gene was lacking in these strains of C. difficile, including RT 023, leading to white colonies. Methods and Results: A total of 17 environmental isolates of C. …

Moderate Increase Of Serum Uric Acid Within A Normal Range Is Associated With Improved Cognitive Function In A Non-Normotensive Population: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study, Jinqi Wang, Rui Jin, Zhiyuan Wu, Yueruijing Liu, Xiaohan Jin, Ze Han, Yue Liu, Zongkai Xu, Xiuhua Guo, Lixin Tao

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Associations between serum uric acid (SUA) and changes in cognitive function are understudied in non-normotensive populations, and many previous studies only considered the baseline SUA at a single time point. We aimed to examine the effects of baseline SUA and 4-year changes in SUA on cognitive changes in the non-normotensive population. Materials and methods : In the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), cognitive function was measured based on executive function and episodic memory in four visits (years: 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018). We identified two study cohorts from CHARLS. The first cohort included 3,905 non-normotensive participants. Group-based …

Regeneration Time: Ancient Wisdom For Planetary Wellbeing, Anne Poelina, Sandra Wooltorton, Mindy Blaise, Catrina Luz Aniere, Pierre Horwitz, Peta J. White, Stephen Muecke

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In these regenerative times prompted by the Anthropocene, Aboriginal voices are situated to draw on ancient wisdom for local learning and to share information across the globe as ecological imperative for planetary wellbeing. In this paper, postqualitative research foregrounds the sentient nature of life as ancestral power and brings the vitality of co-becoming as our places into active engagement. It enables coloniality to surface and reveals how it sits in our places and lives, in plain sight but unnoticed because of its so-called common sense. Postqualitative research relates with ancient knowledges in foregrounding Country's animacy and presence, revealing the essence …

September 1, 2022, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Broken Effects? How To Reduce False Positives In Panel Regressions, Xina Li, Phebo D. Wibbens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many published papers in the management field have used statistical methods that, according to the latest insights in econometrics, can lead to elevated rates of false positives: results that appear “significant, ” whereas they are not. The question is how problematic these less robust econometric analyses are in practice for management research. This paper presents simulations and an empirical replication to investigate two widespread but now largely discredited practices in panel data analysis: nonclustered standard errors and random effects (RE). The simulations indicate that these two practices can lead to strongly elevated rates of false positives in typical empirical settings …

Rise Up Industries And The Challenge Of Reentry For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Andrew Blum

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Rise Up Industries provides reentry services and support to formerly incarcerated individuals who were previously in gangs through an intensive job training program, offered alongside a holistic set of support services. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Executive Director, Andrew Blum, provides a deeper understanding of this approach and the results it has produced to date, while situating it in the context of other initiatives focused on reentry and reducing recidivism.

This case study concludes that RUI’s reentry program is a promising approach and likely makes a small-scale contribution to solving a very hard problem – successfully fostering the reentry …

Editorial, Teresa R. Behrens

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Jennifer Holberg Talks With Makoto Fujimura, Jennifer Holberg, Makoto Fujimura

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In this episode, Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell interviews Jennifer Holberg, professor of English at Calvin University, co-director of Calvin Center for Faith and Writing, and frequent writer for the Reformed Journal Blog. Jennifer discusses her childhood as an army brat, the effects of the early death of her mother, and her forthcoming book “Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape our Faith,” which is expected to come out in July 2023.

Energetics Of Tidally Induced Internal Waves Over Isolated Seamount, Nataliya Stashchuk, Vasiliy Vlasenko

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Tidally generated internal waves over Rosemary Bank Seamount, North Atlantic, were investigated using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model. The model results were validated against in-situ data collected during the 136th cruise of the RRS ‘James Cook’ in June 2016. The current study focuses on the sensitivity of the model output to the parameter settings. The estimates of the available potential energy integrated over the model domain were taken as a proxy for evaluating the sensitivity of the model results to the grid steps, horizontal and vertical viscosity, diffusivity, and mixing schemes. It was found that coarse grid …

The Breadth Of Normative Standards: Antecedents And Consequences For Individuals And Organizations, Shilpa Madan, Shankha Basu, Sharon Ng, Krishna Savani

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Normative standards refer to ideals to which people, products, and organizations are held. The present research (N = 2,224) investigates a novel construct—the breadth of normative standards, or the number of criteria that normative standards need to meet. Using archival and primary data in both organizational and consumer contexts, Studies 1–2 found that Indians’ and Singaporeans’ normative standards in several domains (e.g., a good job, a good body wash) needed to satisfy more criteria than those of Americans and the British. Using incentive-compatible designs, Studies 3–5 identified two downstream consequences of broader normative standards; decision-makers with broader standards pay greater …

September 1, 2022, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

What You See Is What You Get? Measuring Companies' Projected Employer Image Attributes Via Companies' Employment Webpages, Christian P. Theurer, Philipp Schapers, Andranik Tumasjan, Isabell M. Welpe, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Information on a company's employment webpage sends signals about the employer image the company intends to project to applicants. Nonetheless, we know little about the content of recruitment signals sent via company employment webpages. This study develops a method to measure companies' projected employer image attributes based on their employment webpages. Specifically, we analyze companies' projected employer image attributes by applying computer-aided text analysis (CATA) to the employment webpages of 461 Fortune 500 companies (i.e., more than 11,100 individual pages). Our results show that projected employer image attributes remain relatively stable over time. Moreover, we find relatively low levels of …

Bayesian Methods In Economics And Finance: Editor's Introduction, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

Modern days, Bayesian methods have gained prominence in theoretical work and applications in economics and finance due to the rapid development of computational technologies and their ability to learn. The special issue intends to examine central aspects in Bayesian analysis and applications, including prior choices, model selection with massive data and latent variables, hypothesis testing, Bayesian learning. In total, this special issue contains ten papers, all subject to the Journal of Econometrics (JOE)’s normal refereeing process. Most of these papers came from a conference held at the ESSEC Singapore campus on 10 December 2018.

Smart Charging Of Electric Vehicle: An Innovative Business Model For Utility Firms, Owen Wu, Safak Yucel, Yangfang (Helen) Zhou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Problem Definition: By providing an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional vehicles, electric vehicles will transform urban mobility, particularly in smart cities. In practice, once an electric vehicle is plugged in, the charging station completes charging as soon as possible. Given that the procurement cost of electricity and associated emissions vary significantly during a day, substantial savings can be achieved by smart charging—delaying charging until the cost is lower. In this paper, we study smart charging as an innovative business model for utility firms. Practical Relevance: Utility firms are already investing in charging stations and they can achieve significant cost savings …