Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Taunton, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Leominster, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Ai And Data Science For Public Policy, Kenneth Benoit

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are reshaping public policy by enabling more data-driven, predictive, and responsive governance, while at the same time producing profound changes in knowledge production and education in the social and policy sciences. These advancements come with ethical and epistemological challenges surrounding issues of bias, transparency, privacy, and accountability. This special issue explores the opportunities and risks of integrating AI into public policy, offering theoretical frameworks and empirical analyses to help policymakers navigate these complexities. The contributions explore how AI can enhance decision-making in areas such as healthcare, justice, and public services, while emphasising the need …

A Dynamic Urban Digital Twin Integrating Longitudinal Thermal Imagery For Microclimate Studies, Vasantha Ramani, Marcel Ignatius, Joie Lim, Filip Biljecki, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Recently, the concept of a digital twin for the built environment has received significant attention due to its potential benefits to urban planners, engineers, and designers. The development of tools that aid in integrating real-world physical systems with digital capabilities is essential for advancing digital twin technology. In this work, we present one such digital twin tool that integrates the longitudinal thermal envelope data of buildings on the campus of the National University of Singapore with a virtual 3D model. Thermal images of the buildings were captured using a neighborhood-scale infrared observatory for a few months. The temperature profile of …

From Personal Comfort To District Performance: Using Smartwatch And Wifi Data For Occupant-Driven Operation, Martín Mosteiro-Romero, Matias Quintana, Clayton Miller, Rudi Stouffs

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This work proposes the use of a data-driven, agent-based model of building occupants’ activities and thermal comfort in an urban university campus in order to assess how district operation strategies can be leveraged to support the transition to flexible work arrangements. The results show that when users are given the flexibility to pursue more comfortable workspaces, they are still comfortable only 58% of the time.

Introducing The Cool, Quiet City Competition: Predicting Smartwatch-Reported Heat And Noise With Digital Twin Metrics, Clayton Miller, Matias Quintana, Mario Frei, Xuan Yun Chua, Chun Fu, Bianca Picchetti, Winston Yap, Adrian Chong, Filip Biljecki

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The productivity and satisfaction of humans in the built environment is impacted significantly by their exposure to high temperature and various noise sources. This paper outlines the city-scale collection of 12,009 smartwatch-driven micro-survey responses that were collected alongside 2,825,243 physiological and environmental measurements from 106 people using the open-source Cozie-Apple platform combined with geolocation-driven urban digital twin metrics from the Urbanity Python package. This paper introduces a machine learning competition that will be launched for participants to compete in training models on the various contextual data to predict noise distraction and source as well as thermal preference across a diversity …

Pancreatitis Pain Quality Changes At Year 1 Follow-Up, But Gp130 Remains A Biomarker For Pain, Jami L Saloman, Kristofer Jennings, Kimberly Stello, Shuang Li, Anna Evans Phillips, Kristen Hall, Evan L Fogel, Santhi Swaroop Vege, Dana K Andersen, William E Fisher, Christopher E Forsmark, Phil A Hart, Stephen J Pandol, Walter G Park, Mark D Topazian, Stephen K Van Den Eeden, Jose Serrano, Darwin L Conwell, Liang Li, Dhiraj Yadav

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background/objectives: Debilitating abdominal pain is a common symptom affecting patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). CP pain is dynamic due to multiple underlying mechanisms. The objective of this study was to 1) evaluate changes in pain phenotype at one year follow-up and 2) validate putative pain biomarkers in a prospective cohort study.

Methods: The Neuropathic and Nociceptive PROMIS-PQ questionnaires were used to classify pain for participants with in the PROCEED study. Putative serum biomarkers were measured via immunoassay.

Results: At enrollment, 17.6 % (120/681) subjects with CP reported no pain in the previous year. Of those, 29 % experienced pain during …

Exploring Latent Clusters In Pediatric Ocd Based On Symptoms, Severity, Age, Gender, And Comorbidity, Orri Smárason, Robert R Selles, Davíð R M A Højgaard, John R Best, Karin Melin, Tord Ivarsson, Per Hove Thomsen, Bernhard Weidle, Nicole Michelle Mcbride, Eric A Storch, Daniel Geller, Sabine Wilhelm, Lara J Farrell, Allison M Waters, Sharna Mathieu, Noam Soreni, S Evelyn Stewart, Gudmundur Skarphedinsson

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Given diverse symptom expression and high rates of comorbid conditions, the present study explored underlying commonalities among OCD-affected children and adolescents to better conceptualize disorder presentation and associated features. Data from 830 OCD-affected participants presenting to OCD specialty centers was aggregated. Dependent mixture modeling was used to examine latent clusters based on their age- and gender adjusted symptom severity (as measured by the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale; CY-BOCS), symptom type (as measured by factor scores calculated from the CY-BOCS symptom checklist), and comorbid diagnoses (as assessed via diagnostic interviews). Fit statistics favored a four-cluster model with groups distinguished primarily by …

Measuring Perceived Utility Of Genomic Sequencing: Development And Validation Of The Genetic Utility (Gene-U) Scale For Adult Screening, Hadley Stevens Smith, Caryn Kseniya Rubanovich, Jill Oliver Robinson, Ariel N Levchenko, Sarah A Classen, Janet Malek, Adam H Buchanan, Barbara Biesecker, Kyle B Brothers, Benjamin S Wilfond, Christine Rini, Cinnamon S Bloss, Amy L Mcguire, Sara J Knight

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Purpose: As population-based screening programs to identify genetic conditions in adults using genomic sequencing (GS) are increasingly available, validated patient-centered outcome measures are needed to understand participants' experience. We aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the perceived utility of GS in the context of adult screening.

Methods: Informed by a 5-domain conceptual model, we used a 5-step approach to instrument development and validation: (1) item writing, (2) cognitive testing, (3) pilot testing and item reduction, (4) psychometric testing, and (5) evaluation of construct validity. Adults undergoing risk-based or population-based GS who had received GS results as part …

Update On Pediatric Cancer Surveillance Recommendations For Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Noonan Syndrome, Cbl Syndrome, Costello Syndrome, And Related Rasopathies, Melissa R Perrino, Anirban Das, Sarah R Scollon, Sarah G Mitchell, Mary-Louise C Greer, Marielle E Yohe, Jordan R Hansford, Jennifer M Kalish, Kris Ann P Schultz, Suzanne P Macfarland, Wendy K Kohlmann, Philip J Lupo, Kara N Maxwell, Stefan M Pfister, Rosanna Weksberg, Orli Michaeli, Marjolijn C J Jongmans, Gail E Tomlinson, Jack Brzezinski, Uri Tabori, Gina M Ney, Karen W Gripp, Andrea M Gross, Brigitte C Widemann, Douglas R Stewart, Emma R Woodward, Christian P Kratz

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Noonan syndrome, and related syndromes, grouped as RASopathies, result from dysregulation of the RAS-MAPK pathway and demonstrate varied multisystemic clinical phenotypes. Together, RASopathies are among the more prevalent genetic cancer predisposition syndromes and require nuanced clinical management. When compared with the general population, children with RASopathies are at significantly increased risk of benign and malignant neoplasms. In the past decade, clinical trials have shown that targeted therapies can improve outcomes for low-grade and benign neoplastic lesions but have their own challenges, highlighting the multidisciplinary care needed for such individuals, specifically those with NF1. This perspective, which …

Automated Electronic Health Record Data Extraction And Curation Using Extractehr, Tamara P Miller, Kelly D Getz, Edward Krause, Yun Gun Jo, Sandhya Charapala, M Monica Gramatages, Karen Rabin, Michael E Scheurer, Jennifer J Wilkes, Brian T Fisher, Richard Aplenc

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Purpose: Although the potential transformative effect of electronic health record (EHR) data on clinical research in adult patient populations has been very extensively discussed, the effect on pediatric oncology research has been limited. Multiple factors contribute to this more limited effect, including the paucity of pediatric cancer cases in commercial EHR-derived cancer data sets and phenotypic case identification challenges in pediatric federated EHR data.

Methods: The ExtractEHR software package was initially developed as a tool to improve clinical trial adverse event reporting but has expanded its use cases to include the development of multisite EHR data sets and the support …

First Interim Results From Fine-Real: A Prospective, Non-Interventional, Phase 4 Study Providing Insights Into The Use And Safety Of Finerenone In A Routine Clinical Settingfirst Interim Results From Fine-Real: A Prospective, Non-Interventional, Phase 4 Study Providing Insights Into The Use And Safety Of Finerenone In A Routine Clinical Setting, Susanne B Nicholas, Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Nihar R Desai, Lixin Guo, Sankar D Navaneethan, Kevin M Pantalone, Christoph Wanner, Stefanie Hamacher, Samuel T Fatoba, Andrea Horvat-Broecker, Antonio Garreta-Rufas, Alain Gay, Martin Merz, David C Wheeler

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Finerenone, a selective non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, improves kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The FINE-REAL study (NCT05348733) aims to evaluate the characteristics and treatment patterns of participants treated with finerenone in clinical practice.

Methods: FINE-REAL is a prospective, single-arm, non-interventional study of patients initiated on finerenone as part of their routine care in accordance with country-approved labels. The study, initiated in June 2022, is expected to be completed by January 2028. The cutoff for this pre-specified interim analysis was June 13, 2023.

Results: Participants were …

Exploring The Transformative Effect Of Community Managed Nature Tourism On Community Empowerment In Odisha: Perspective From Local Residents, Jagadish Behera, Rajdeep Deb

Journal of Tourism Insights

In this study, an attempt was made to examine the relationships between community managed nature tourism and community empowerment from the local residents’ perspective, as well as to test how these relationships varied among different demographic characteristics of residents. For this study, five hypotheses were proposed based on the review of literature and tested using residents living near the protected nature camps in Odisha. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 184 local residents selected from across the eight nature camps of Odisha. The variables examined in this study included residents' gender, age, education, occupation, and income. Data analysis was …

The Pressing Necessity For Maternal Healthcare Reform In The Us, Chelsea Cousin

Opinion Matters: Student Analyses of World News

This Op-Ed discusses the impact of the historical legacy of slavery and anti-Black discrimination on inequities in modern Black female maternal health and pre and post natal care.

Veteran Health Equity: Reflecting On Patient Experiences And Unmet Health Needs Among Veterans Of Color, Mariah Brennan, Jeanette Harvie, Deborah Bradbard, Rosalinda V. Maury

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Research has consistently demonstrated the presence and severity of racial health disparities in the U.S., particularly for Black Americans. Many of the root causes of these disparities are complex and are associated with various forms of structural discrimination. This study examines the health experiences of veterans of color, particularly their interactions in the VA and Military Health system to better understand racial/ethnic disparities across disease burden, mortality, and indicators of patient healthcare experiences. This mixed-methods study included an online survey (n=219) and virtual focus groups and one-on-one interviews (n=17). Overall, a majority of study participants had positive patient experiences from …

Sustainability Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, And Threats And Pestel Analysis For Special District Revenue Generation, Toyasha Sebbag

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addresses the ability of the client organization to create new programming that is separate from its general fund and is revenue-neutral because the client organization is a conservation district operating under the California Water Code Division 21 Sections 74000-76501. The constraint of California Proposition 13’s property tax rate increases makes it difficult for the client organization to fund new programming. To overcome these limitations, the multiple streams framework (MSF) and the s/SWOT and PESTEL frameworks were used to analyze the role of policy entrepreneurs and address potential limitations in the client organization’s creation of new programming, ensuring sustainability …

Effective Strategies To Mitigate The Impact Of Cargo Shipment Abandonment, Ozoemenam Peter Peter Ohagwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders in multiple U.S. exporters refuse to pay freight charges and abandon their cargo shipments, leaving shipping business leaders with monetary losses. Some small and medium-sized U.S.-based shippers lack effective strategies to address the risk of cargo shipment abandonments. Grounded in the theory of constraints, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore the effective strategies used by small and medium-sized U.S.-based shippers to successfully mitigate the risk of cargo shipment abandonment. The participants included three U.S. shipping industry leaders from non-vessel-operating common carriers and three from vessel-operating common carriers, all with an average of 25 …

Illuminating Progress: Charting An Energy-Driven Future For The Islamic World, Syarifah Huswatun Miswar

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

This paper examines the development of the energy sector in the Islamic world, focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries in the transition to sustainable energy. Despite being rich in natural resources, many Islamic countries are still dependent on fossil fuels and face constraints in universal energy access. This study analyzes the current energy landscape in OIC countries, identifies key barriers to energy development, and emphasizes the need for a new roadmap that integrates knowledge and development. The research also investigates the potential role of Islamic finance in funding sustainable energy projects, with a …

Too Precarious By Half: Understanding Indonesia’S Refusal Of Ex-Isis Indonesian Citizens’ Return In Favor Of Its Security Interest, Abel Josafat Manullang, Ana Maulana, Yosua Saut Marulitua Gultom

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

The problems stemming from ISIS does not only come during the pinnacle of its campaign of terror, rather it is also available following its downfall. One prominent example would be the many former ISIS members who now wish to return home. Indonesia, having some of its citizens joining ISIS back then, made the stern call to deny their return. To this day, debates and discussions over it still remain to this day. Against that backdrop, the article seeks to explain why the aforementioned decision was made by taking into account the security dimension of the matter. In carrying out this …

Commercial Truck Drivers' Perceptions About The Influences Of Safety Regulations On Retention, Akeisha Arnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistent shortage of commercial truck drivers remains a prominent concern in the industry. There is a potential for the shortage to exacerbate, possibly reaching an estimated 50,000 drivers, due to the need for more adequately qualified candidates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to improve the understanding of how commercial truck drivers who have worked in the industry for at least 1 year perceived the relevance of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DoT) safety regulation 49 CFR Part 395 on the number of allowed active driving hours potentially impacts their retention decisions. The research questions focused on the …

Selected Indiana Government Statistical Agencies And Their Data, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides coverage of Indiana state government agencies statistics and selected Tippecanoe County, Indiana local government statistical publications. Presentation describes state agencies such as the Indiana Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health, Local Government Finance, and State Budget Agency. Examples of historical and current data are presented.

Research Review: "Military Service And Political Participation In The United States: Institutional Experience And The Vote", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research review highlights findings from a study of U.S. veteran voting participation. This study finds that military service is associated with greater voter participation. Holding socioeconomic and demographic characteristics constant, veterans are more likely to vote than non-veterans. Non-Hispanic white and African American veterans are more likely to vote than their non-veteran peers and Hispanic veterans with lower educational attainment are more likely to vote than Hispanic non-veterans but the effect of military service on the propensity to vote decreases as educational attainment increases. The effect of military service on increasing voter participation is strongest among those with less …

Which Way? Experiences Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Attaining Supports To Meet Their Interwoven Socio-Cultural, Health And Disability-Related Needs And Aspirations Within The Context Of Australia’S National Disability Insurance Scheme, Jody Barney, Alexandra Devine, Damien Howard, Marie Huska, Hannah Lack, Yeokyung Kim, Yi Yang, George Disney, Peter Summers, Ashley Mcallister

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The life experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are often more complex than for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are hearing, or non-Aboriginal Australians who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. In turn, this can make engaging with and benefiting from policies and programs such as Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) more complex, particularly for individuals living in remote settings. To understand more about these complexities, yarnings were held with 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS participants who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing living in rural …

New Local Government It Employees’ Onboarding Perception Of Barriers, Solutions, And Expected Outcomes For Service Delivery Engagement, Ursula White-Oliver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee onboarding and socialization experienced by local government information technology (IT) employees is an industry issue among those without prior public sector employment. This study entailed an evaluation of the onboarding process by gathering perspectives from a local government IT department to help an organization understand onboarding and socialization needs and desires of new employees. The purpose was to address public IT employees’ experiences and what they thought needed to change about their experiences. Surveys of employees and personal individual interviews with thirty-one managers and subject matter experts from across the organization were used to provide data about transitioning to …

Co-Producing Learning Space In A Prison-University Partnership, Ross E. Little

Journal of Prison Education Research

This article explores a classroom co-produced by learners serving prison sentences, undergraduate criminology students and a pair of lecturer-facilitators. This space, in a high security prison for men serving life sentences (‘HMP Lifer’), provides a good example of ethical praxis and moral sight working in combination to mitigate against moral and ethical blindness. It is a mechanism by which pedagogical concerns, and some human-centred ones, can be realised in an unconventional context.

There are two areas to the discussion. Firstly, the effects of incorporating students from outside the prison into the classroom space, such as enhanced proximity, the reduction of …

Revisiting Marcuse On Repressive Tolerance: A Twenty-First Century Retrospective, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Herbert Marcuse’s essay Repressive Tolerance (RP) has been praised by the Left and vilified by the Right for its alleged promotion of censorship targeting reactionary opinions and actions. I argue that this interpretation of the text is mistaken. According to my alternative reading of the text, RP should be understood as an exercise in provocation and irony aimed at defending civil disobedience and dissent. Marcuse’s defense of dissent, however, appeals to a critique of pure tolerance that exposes the unavoidably partisan practice of tolerance, which invariably favors the reigning undemocratic status quo. The choice whether to tolerate in a manner …

أثر الكفاءة التشغيلية في القيمة السوقية للمصارف, علي نعيم جاسم, رسل صبحي عبد الخضر

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

تستند الدراسة إلى تحديد وفهم مدى تأثير مؤشرات الكفاءة التشغيلية للبنك في القيمة السوقية المصرفية للبنوك المدروسة. تمثلت العينة ببنكان هما بنك الخليج التجاري ، والشرق الأوسط والتجاري في العراق ، تحلل بياناتها المالية من خلال الإجراءات الإحصائية ، فتبدأ الدراسة بفرضيات لاغية وبديلة. ابحث في القيمة السوقية لعينة البنوك ، ولكن قدم الفرضية البديلة لوجود وتأثير الكفاءة التشغيلية للبنك في القيمة السوقية لعينة البنوك. توصلت الدراسة إلى عدد من الاستنتاجات أهمها أن المؤشرات مثل الكفاءة التشغيلية للبنك لم يكن لها أي تأثير في القيمة السوقية. كما أسفرت الدراسة عن سلسلة من التوصيات أهمها ضرورة تدريب العاملين في المصارف المبحوثة …

تحليل اثر بعض المتغيرات الاقتصادية والاجتماعية على ظاهرة الفقر في العراق للمدة (2007-2012 ), فاطمة فرج سعد

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

الفقر ظاهرة اقتصادية اجتماعية ظهرت في المجتمع العراقي نتيجة الظروف الاستثنائية التي انعكست على الاقتصاد والمجتمع العراقي , الا ان هذه الظاهرة ظهرت بشكل كبير في التسعينيات نتيجة الحروب والدمار الذي تعرض له البلد وما تلاها من فرض العقوبات الاقتصادية التي عزلت العراق عن العالم الخارجي لسنوات طويلة مما ادى ذلك الى زيادة نسبة السكان دون خط الفقر فيه وكذلك التغيرات السياسية في نيسان عام 2003 وما تبعه من عمليات الارهاب و النزاعات الطائفية والتهجير القسري كل ذلك ادى الى انتشار مظاهر الفقر كالأمية وسوء التغذية وارتفاع معدلات البطالة وتضاؤل دخول الافراد ثم انخفضت معدلات الفقر في العراق للمدة (2007-2012) …

Estimating The Economic Impact Of A Natural Disaster On The Workforce Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Virginia Beach - Chesapeake - Norfolk Metropolitan Statistical Area, Robert M. Mcnab, Yin-Hsuen Chen, George Mcleod

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

In this paper, we explore the potential economic impacts associated with a major hurricane making landfall in Hampton Roads. We estimate the direct damages from a Florence-like Category 3 hurricane with a 3.6 feet tidal offset are estimated at $15.6 billion, equivalent to 10% of the 2022 regional GDP. If we apply existing flood insurance rates to these projected damages, we estimate that the total economic impact would exceed $12 billion with a short-term loss of more than 76,000 jobs. The job losses are concentrated in sectors that provide services to households which would bear the brunt of damages during …

Bike Buses: An Evaluation Of An Emerging Active Transportation To School Intervention, Evan Howington, John H. Macarthur, Nathan W. Mcneil

PSU Transportation Seminars

Bike Buses are a relatively new form of Active Transportation to School (ATS) that have gained popularity in Europe and the United States in recent years. Generally, a bike bus consists of one or more adult supervisors, often parents, who guide a group of students along a defined ‘route’ to one or more schools. Using literature from the last 15 years published on ATS in North America, we identify four thematic areas of influence on Bike Buses: school policies, parent and student attitudes and behaviors, the urban environment, and the street environment. We conclude that Bike Buses can be situated …