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The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 9, December 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for December 2021.

The Effect Of The Medilepsy Mobile App On Medication Adherence And Transition Readiness In Adolescents And Young Adults With Epilepsy, Michelle Tall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Medication nonadherence and lack of transition readiness are global challenges for individuals living with epilepsy and their families. Medication adherence measures the level of compliance with healthcare providers' treatment recommendations. Transition readiness is the gradual steps patients take to develop independence and self-management as they transfer from pediatric to adult healthcare models. Factors impacting medication adherence and transition readiness skills include developmental stage/age; forgetfulness; family/caregivers; socioeconomic status; knowledge/attitude about the disease; side effects; number of medications; and subjective and objective quantifications of adherence. One promising intervention for patients and families is mobile technology used for reaching, teaching, and communicating. However, …

Framework Of Big Data Analytics In Real Time For Healthcare Enterprise Performance Measurements, Ahmed Mohamed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Healthcare organizations (HCOs) currently have many information records about their patients. Yet, they cannot make proper, faster, and more thoughtful conclusions in many cases with their information. Much of the information is structured data such as medical records, historical data, and non-clinical information. This data is stored in a central repository called the Data Warehouse (DW). DW provides querying and reporting to different groups within the healthcare organization to support their future strategic initiatives. The generated reports create metrics to measure the organization's performance for post-action plans, not for real-time decisions. Additionally, healthcare organizations seek to benefit from the semi-structured …

A Linear Dynamical Perspective On Epidemiology: Interplay Between Early Covid-19 Outbreak And Human Mobility, Shakib Mustavee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

This research investigates the impact of human activity and mobility (HAM) in the spreading dynamics of an epidemic. Specifically, it explores the interconnections between HAM and its effect on the early spread of the COVID-19 virus. During the early stages of the pandemic, effective reproduction numbers exhibited a high correlation with human mobility patterns, leading to a hypothesis that the HAM system can be studied as a coupled system with disease spread dynamics. This study applies the generalized Koopman framework with control inputs to determine the nonlinear disease spread dynamics and the input-output characteristics as a locally linear controlled dynamical …

Investigating The Role Of The Skeletal Muscle In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Neuromuscular Junction Dysfunction, Agnes Badu-Mensah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) dysfunction has been identified as one of the earliest events in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) pathology. However, which tissue type induces NMJ disruption; be it the motoneurons (hMN), Schwann cells or skeletal muscle (hSKM) remains unresolved. While mechanisms by which ALS hMN contribute to NMJ dysfunction are well-described in literature, limited information exist on how the other tissue types in the tripartite synapse (hSKM and Schwann cells) induce and/or contribute to ALS NMJ disruption. A fair understanding of the role of each tissue type in NMJ dysfunction would help shape the trajectory of future ALS research and …

The Potential Of Location Data For Contact Tracing And Understanding Individual Mobility During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Marcus Figaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

In this study, we first review contact tracing methods used during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide an analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of different data collection and privacy protection methods. Our findings provide the benefits and drawbacks of using GPS versus Bluetooth for contact tracing, as well as the different data collection and storage methods and their effectiveness in protecting user privacy. We then analyze Twitter data to understand individual mobility behavior and sentiment by using a Natural Language Processing tool on text content of user tweets and Tweet coordinate data. Social media's ability to provide data on location …

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 8, November 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for November 2021.

The State Of The Hospitality Industry 2021 Employment Report: Covid-19 Labor Force Legacy, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly Semrad, Manuel A. Rivera

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing impact on the U.S. hospitality industry. The report details the primary economic issues the industry faces as well as provides a unique workforce analysis that anticipates continued labor shortages as the country moves towards an endemic. The research was conducted using a national survey with almost 1,000 U.S. hospitality workers. The survey includes questions pertaining to COVID-19 related hospitality employee topics such as: the impact COVID-19 had on hospitality jobs, employees' intentions to leave the industry, employees likelihood to accept or look for a hospitality job, employees' perceived …

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 7, October 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for October 2021.

Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 3. Diffusion Of Human-Machine Communication During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic

Human-Machine Communication

This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 3. Diffusion of Human-Machine Communication During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Role Of Vidura Chatbot In The Diffusion Of Knowcovid-19 Gateway, Kerk F. Kee, Prasad P. Calyam, Hariharan Regunath

Human-Machine Communication

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global emergency. Clinicians and medical researchers are suddenly thrown into a situation where they need to keep up with the latest and best evidence for decision-making at work in order to save lives and develop solutions for COVID-19 treatments and preventions. However, a challenge is the overwhelming numbers of online publications with a wide range of quality. We explain a science gateway platform designed to help users to filter the overwhelming amount of literature efficiently (with speed) and effectively (with quality), to find answers to their scientific questions. It is equipped with a chatbot …

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 6, September 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for September 2021.

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 5, August 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for August 2021.

From Bloom To Bust: Harmful Algae Blooms And Their Impacts On The Waterfront Economy, Sergio Alvarez

Rosen Research Review

The true costs of harmful algae blooms (HABs) and the mechanics that determine their socio-economic impacts are for the most part unknown. Florida’s 2017–2019 red tide (Karenia brevis) bloom is a historical case study of the ever-growing threats to coastal welfare posed by HABs. A new research project at Rosen College of Hospitality Management has this at its heart. The central objective of the project is the identification of direct, indirect, and induced socioeconomic impacts caused by the 2017–2019 K. brevis bloom in Florida.

Valuing The Negative Impacts Of Harmful Algae Blooms, Sergio Alvarez

Rosen Research Review

Ecological disturbances can impact several ecosystem services, including cultural services such as outdoor recreation opportunities. In Florida, one ecological disturbance that is negatively impacting recreation is the occurrence of harmful algae blooms. In recent work, Dr. Sergio Alvarez at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management has assessed the impact that harmful algae blooms have on human wellbeing by using random utility models to estimate changes in the value of recreation in coastal ecosystems resulting from these blooms. The results indicate that harmful algae blooms, which reduced boating access between June and September 2018, may have resulted in losses of up …

Assessing Telemedicine Outcomes With Hospitality Principles, Wei Wei, Yunying (Susan) Zhong

Rosen Research Review

Hospitality as a concept has relevance across many industries of service provision, including the health care sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the way in which patients access health care from their service providers. In this study, Dr. Wei Wei and Dr. Yun Ying (Susan) Zhong build a predictive model outlining the most important factors in enabling patients to experience positive emotional outcomes during telemedicine encounters.

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 3/4, Summer 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

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An Examination Of Oppression Via Anti-Abortion Legislation, Saphronia P. Carson

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Significant disparities in reproductive health care access and outcomes exist along race, ethnicity, and income lines. One of the starkest examples of this is the dramatic reduction in abortion access over the past 45 years that disproportionately affects minority and low-income women. While existing literature has exposed these disparities and potential reasons for them, there is less attention to the ways reduced access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion, can coerce, exploit, and systematically oppress women of color and low-income women. This research uses a reproductive justice framework to discuss the impact of anti-abortion legislation and the anti-abortion movement on …

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 2, May 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

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Covid-19: Exploring The Probability Of Disease Extinction - A Modeling And Simulation Study, Donald Porchia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

There are two distinct topics considered in this dissertation. The first is the formulation of a compartmental model using reactive social distancing in which disease transmission changes as a function of the state variables of the model; in this case, the cumulative incidence. The model assumes a single strain epidemic of Covid-19 in the United States and is used to estimate the cumulative number of deaths due to the epidemic where incidence data is used to calibrate and validate the model. The second topic concerns the use of the stochastic threshold to determine disease persistence or extinction. The Covid-19 pandemic …

The Reliability Of Tensiomyography For Assessment Of Muscle Function: A Systematic Review, Stephon Moise, Daniel Hampton

UCF DPT Research Capstone

Tensiomyography (TMG) is a non-invasive tool used to assess skeletal muscle tissue, including Displacement (Dm), Contraction Time (Tc), Sustain Time (Ts), Relaxation Time (Tr), and Delay Time (Td). This tool can be used clinically to determine muscular response to exercise.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of TMG measurements.

METHODS: Studies were identified from multiple databases and evaluated for inclusion. All studies underwent a quality assessment using the Modified Downs and Black checklist for assessing quality studies, and results were extracted from qualified articles.

RESULTS: 635 studies were identified with 16 studies retained following full …

Is There A Correlation Between Rate Of Electromyography Rise In The Flexor Carpi Radialis Muscle And Comfortable Gait Speed?, Emily Montecalvo, Vanessa Novoa, Shikha Ravikumar

UCF DPT Research Capstone

Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults. Although gait speed (a strong predictor of falls) correlates with handgrip strength, its correlation with muscle power (amount of force produced over time) is unknown. Since peak quadriceps rate of force development (RFD) occurs at a submaximal force during ambulation, RFD could be a determinant of gait speed13. Quadriceps RFD is a measure of lower extremity power13, just as handgrip RFD is a measure of upper extremity power. Assuming that RFD is uniform throughout the body, handgrip RFD may also be correlated with gait speed. One method of studying …

The Impact Of Skeletal Muscle Disuse On Distinct Echo Intensity Bands: A Retrospective Analysis, Zachary Logeson, Gerard-Kyle Abad, Johnathon Methven, Molly Gradl

UCF DPT Research Capstone

Echo intensity (EI) is a novel tool for assessing muscle quality. EI has traditionally been reported as the mean of the pixel histogram, with 0 and 255 arbitrary units (A.U.) representing exceptional and poor muscle quality, respectively. Analyzing specific EI bands, rather than the mean, may provide novel insight into changes in muscle quality.

PURPOSE: As our previous work showed deterioration of muscle quality after knee immobilization, we sought to retrospectively explore whether the increase in EI following disuse was limited to specific bands of the EI histogram.

METHODS: Thirteen females (age = 21 yrs) underwent two weeks of knee …

The Scoop, Vol. 8 Issue 1, April 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 8

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A Review: Examining Narcissism In Eating Disorders: The Relationship Between Two Types Of Eating Disorders—Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa—And Two Forms Of Narcissism, Kayla Lashinger

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This research investigates the relationship between narcissism and eating disorders (EDs). Two forms of narcissism are studied, as each are present in the individual (O’Brien, 1987). The first form, core narcissism, is major, and refers to the way the individual views themselves while the second form, narcissistic defenses, are minor, serving only to protect the sense of self (Waller et al., 2006; O’Brien, 1987). Core narcissism is exhibited as grandiose or vulnerable narcissism where grandiose includes feelings of entitlement and high self-esteem while vulnerable includes low self-esteem and self-criticality (Maples et al., 2011). The narcissistic defenses can be displayed as …

Does The Andersen Behavioral Model For Health Services Use Predict How Health Impacts College Students’ Academic Performance?, Emily Vernet

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

College is a critical time in a person’s life. Young adults experience transitional changes in their independence, physical and mental health, and utilization of health care. The purpose of this research study is to examine the use of the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use in predicting how health impacts the academic performance of college students through predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Data was collected from 438 college students attending a large university in the Southeast. Students answered questions about their demographic characteristics, health, healthcare use, and academics using a survey adapted from the 2018 National College Health Assessment …

The Scoop, Vol. 7 Issue 12, March 2021, Health Sciences Library

Volume 7

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The Relationship Between Depression And Cardiovascular Disease, Jomaries O. Gomez

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

While there has been extensive research on the link between depression and cardiovascular disease, few reviews have summarized the array of findings. In this literature review, we examined approximately 50 clinical papers and research studies to determine if reducing depression could reduce the risk of having a cardiovascular incident and if reducing the severity of cardiovascular disease could reduce depression. We identified two major mechanisms through which depression affects the cardiovascular system. We present evidence that depression and cardiovascular disease may have a reciprocal relationship. For instance, depression is as much of a risk factor for heart disease as smoking …

The Influence Of Mental Imagery On Myofascial Restrictions, Juan Rodriguez, Brandon Launstein, Ramon Ramos

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Mental imagery (MI) has been shown to influence flexibility when used with stretching. Currently, little evidence supports the efficacy of MI as an independent tool to increase flexibility. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to assess if a guided MI protocol could influence subject range of motion (ROM) measures. Thirty individuals with no history of lower limb injuries underwent initial measures, random group assignment, and post- intervention measures.The imagery group followed a guided visualization of a hamstring stretch, and the control group remained still for the same amount of time. No significant group by time differences were found between …

Total Salivary Protein Concentration And Its Correlation To Dental Caries, Emyli Peralta, Jonathan Joseph

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

According to the World Health Organization, dental cavities are the number one chronic disease in children. Saliva coats the teeth all day and serves many functions to maintain and protect teeth. Saliva has many proteins that can be both detrimental and essential to the preservation of tooth enamel. The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between the total protein concentration in saliva and the prevalence of cavities in the mouth. We hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between total salivary protein concentration and the prevalence of cavities in the participant.Saliva samples were collected …