Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Excess Mortality From Covid-19: A Commentary On The Italian Experience, Paolo Pasquariello, Saverio Stranges

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

No abstract provided.

Gama-Lactams And The Reformatsky Reaction: New Tricks For Old Chemistry, Dylan Dupont

Honors Theses

DUPONT, DYLAN. An Alternative Synthetic Pathway to γ-Lactam Compounds

Through the Application of Novel Reformatsky-Type Chemistry. Department

of Chemistry, June 2020

ADVISOR: James C. Adrian Jr. Ph.D.

It is the intent of the present report to relate the results of our attempt to elucidate and optimize a novel preparation of γ-lactam compounds. To achieve this end, it is proposed that the use of novel Reformatsky-type chemistry may provide a viable means. Generally, it has herein been validated that employment of α-amino ketones in traditional Reformatsky chemistry will form the traditional Reformatsky ester-adduct, and that this adduct is capable of spontaneously …

Mining User-Generated Content Of Mobile Patient Portal: Dimensions Of User Experience, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Cherie Noteboom

Research & Publications

Patient portals are positioned as a central component of patient engagement through the potential to change the physician-patient relationship and enable chronic disease self-management. The incorporation of patient portals provides the promise to deliver excellent quality, at optimized costs, while improving the health of the population. This study extends the existing literature by extracting dimensions related to the Mobile Patient Portal Use. We use a topic modeling approach to systematically analyze users’ feedback from the actual use of a common mobile patient portal, Epic’s MyChart. Comparing results of Latent Dirichlet Allocation analysis with those of human analysis validated the extracted …

Mathematical Modeling Of Nonlinear Blood Glucose-Insulin Dynamics With Beta Cells Effect, Gabriela Urbina, Daniel N. Riahi, Dambaru Bhatta

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We consider mathematical modeling of blood glucose-insulin regulatory system with the additional effect of the secreted insulin by the pancreatic beta cells and in the presence of an external energy input to such system. Such modeling system is investigated to determine the time-dependent nonlinear dynamics that take place by the quantities, which represent the glucose and insulin concentrations in the blood, insulin action as well as in the absence or presence of secreted insulin due to the pancreatic beta cells. Using both analytical and numerical procedures, we determine such quantities versus time for both diabetes patients and normal human and …

Investigating The Influence Of Environmental Factors On The Incidence Of Renal Disease With Compositional Data Analysis Using Balances, Jennifer M. Mckinley, Ute Mueller, Peter M. Atkinson, Ulrich Ofterdinger, Chloe Jackson, Siobhan F. Cox, Rory Doherty, Damian Fogarty, J. J. Egozcue, V. Pawlowsky-Glahn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This research uses an urban soil geochemistry database of elemental concentration to examine the potential relationship between Standardised Incidence Rates (SIRs) of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of uncertain aetiology (CKDu), and cumulative low level geogenic and diffuse anthropogenic contamination of soils with PTEs. A compositional data analysis approach was applied to determine the elemental balance(s) of the geochemical data showing the greatest association with CKDu. The research concludes that both anthropogenic and geogenic factors may be contributing influences to explain high incidences of CKDu, up to 12 times greater in some Super Output Areas (SOAs) than would be expected for …

Nanocarbon Modification Of Membranes For Enhanced Water Desalination And Water Treatment, Worawit Intrchom

Dissertations

Water scarcity is foreseen to be one of the great global issues in the coming decades. The challenges are not only in providing water supply to cope with the growing public demand, but recovering clean water to natural resources. Clean water supply, from brackish and seawater is attractive. Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging thermal membrane-based process that has been used for desalination and other pollutant separations from water. MD can be operated at low temperature, so low-grade energy sources are a good alternative heat source for MD. High salt rejection and low membrane fouling also make MD interesting for …

Benson's Relaxation Therapy And Sleep Quality Among Elderlyat A Social Institution In Inakaka, Indonesia, Nur Baharia Marasabessy, Lucky Herawati, Irhamdi Achmad

Kesmas

Serious sleep disturbances among elderlies include attention or memory disorders, depression and often fall. A quasi experimental study design with pre-posttest with control group was performed to determine effect of Benson’s relaxation therapy on sleep quality among the elderly, and influences of sex, age anddisease suffered differences. Of a total of 46 elderlies from a Social Institute in Ambon, 29 were taken for the treatment group and 19 for the control group.The treatment group was interfered with Benson’s breathing relaxation for 14 days. Sleep quality was measured using Pittsburg sleep quality index form. Datawere analyzed using independent t-test and multivariate …

Religious Leader’S Support Toward Individual At Risk Ofhiv/Aids To Attend Voluntary Counselling And Testing Service, Imelda Februati Ester Manurung, Chatarina Umbul Wahyuni, Ari Probandari

Kesmas

Religious leader is a figure who is believed to have the gift of healing. A person with illness will follow any advice the religious leader gives for his/her recovery.Based on the phenomenon, religious leader is a potential local figure to give support for individuals at risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) andacquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This study aimed to determine factors related to religious leader’s support toward individuals at risk of HIV andAIDS to attend voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) service. This study was an observational analytical with cross-sectional design. The population of thisstudy was religious leader in Kupang …

Adverse Effect Of Aerosol Pesticide On Lung Dysfunction Amongpaddy Farmers In Purworejo, Central Java, Indonesia, Fajaria Nurcandra, Renti Mahkota, Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono

Kesmas

The World Health Organization estimated that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the highest non-communicable disease worldwide by2030, and pesticide exposure is one of major risk factors. This study aimed to determine effect of pesticide exposure on lung dysfunction among paddyfarmers. A case-control study was performed on April - May 2016 in Purworejo. The case group comprised 66 farmers suffering from lung dysfunction during2015 based on medical records, while the control group comprised 59 neighboring farmers showing normal lung function. Both case and control groups weretested using a spirometer and COPD assessment test (CAT) questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis of …

Adaptation And Validation Of The Tamil (Sri Lanka) Version Ofthe Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Pethirupillai Amal Dinesh Coonghe, Pushpa Fonseka, Sampasivamoorthy Sivayogan, Ajantha Keshavaraj, Rahul Malhotra, Truls Ostbye

Kesmas

The study aimed to develop the Tamil (Sri Lanka) version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and investigate its reliability and validity as a briefscreening tool for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan elderly with normal cognition and MCI were recruited from a neurology clinic.Adaptation of the English MoCA to the Tamil (Sri Lanka) involved context-specific content modification and translation. The content validity, reliability, sensitivity,and specificity of the tool were evaluated. Study participants were 184 older adults, comprising 85 with normal cognition and 99 neurologist-diagnosed MCI.The tool had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83). Receiver operating characteristic curve …

Effects Of Climbing Choice, Demographic, And Climate On Walking Behavior, Febriani Fajar Ekawati, Frank Francis Eves

Kesmas

Walking is a public health recommendation to increase physical activity. Although walking for transport is associated with health benefits, it is frequently avoided when a mechanized alternative is available and when the weather or individuals’ available resources are unfavorable. The present quasi-experimental study used chosen walking speed to estimate the use of resources by pedestrians and investigated 730 pedestrians’ behavior when approaching a choice point between a short stair and a ramp at an exit from a university campus toward the local train station on six separate days. Results revealed that individuals who climbed the stairs walked faster than those …

Myths About Menstrual Personal Hygiene Among Female Adolescents, Tyas Diah Palupi, Terry Y.R. Pristya, Randy Novirsa

Kesmas

Poor personal hygiene during menstruation among adolescents can lead to urinary tract infection, reproductive tract infection, and skin irritation. This studyaimed to determine the relationship between belief in myths and personal hygiene during menstruation. Cross-sectional quantitative study was conductedusing a sample of 119 10th grade female students from Tangerang 13 State Senior High School selected through purposive sampling. Logistic regressionanalysis was used in this study to determine the relationship between myths and personal hygiene after age of menarche, attitude, socioeconomic status,information, and maternal education were controlled. In the bivariate selection, modeling was completed by entering confounding and interaction variablesthen reducing …

Identifying The Weak Foundation Of Public Health Resilience Fornational Disaster Policy In Indonesia’S Mid-Term Developmentagenda 2015–2019: A Policy Content Analysis, Gita Miranda Warsito, Meiwita Budiharsana, Sharyn Burns

Kesmas

Indonesia is one of the most susceptible nations toward natural disasters in the world. Since 1992, approximately 37 tsunami incidents have occurred inIndonesia, with at least 1,244 cases of natural disasters during 2018. Despite the overwhelming impact of disasters on Indonesia, Public Health Resilience,as an approach to disaster countermeasures, has been poorly elaborated in Indonesia’s development agenda (National Mid-term Development Plan (NMDP),or Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional (RPJMN), 2015 - 2019). By utilizing the method of policy content analysis, this study aimed to analyzethe policy background of Public Health Resilience against disasters in the NMDP 2015 - 2019 and National …

Correlation Of Knowledge And Beliefs To Adherence With Antibiotic Use In Adult Patients At A Private Hospital In Sidoarjo, Muhammad Hasan Wattiheluw, Fauna Herawati, Setiasih Setiasih, Rika Yulia

Kesmas

Infectious diseases are one of the top ten causes of death in the world. Antibiotic therapy is administered for infectious diseases, but if bacteria are exposed to antibiotics continuously, then the bacteria are able to adapt to the medication, thereby resulting in antibiotic resistance. This condition results in an increase in mortality, long hospitalization period, and increased cost of antibiotic therapy and health services. Adherence to using antibiotics may be influenced by knowledge and beliefs about them. This study aimed to understand correlation between knowledge and belief with adherence to antibiotic use at a private hospital in Sidoarjo. This cross-sectional …

Environment And Global Health: Investments In Natural Capital Can Improve Human Health, Stephen Posner, Taylor Ricketts

Reports and Policy Briefs

Gund Fellows led several key “big data” studies on how investments in nature can benefit people’s health and economic prosperity in developing countries. This policy brief summarized research evidence on links between health and the environment for stakeholders and partners, including the Biodiversity Results and Integrated Development Gains Enhanced Project (BRIDGE) managed by USAID’s Forestry and Biodiversity Office.

Ginkgo Biloba Extract Protects Against Methotrexate-Induced Hepatotoxicity: A Computational And Pharmacological Approach, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Fazli Dayyan, Fawad Ali Shah, Zulkifal Malik, Atif Ali Khan Khalil, Abdullah Alattar, Reem Alshaman, Amjad Ali, Zahid Khan

All Works

Ginkgo biloba extract possess several promising biological activities; currently, it is clinically employed in the management of several diseases. This research work aimed to extrapolate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Ginkgo biloba (Gb) in methotrexate (MTX)-induced liver toxicity model. These effects were analyzed using different in vivo experimental approaches and by bioinformatics analysis. Male SD rats were grouped as follows: saline; MTX; Gb (pretreated for seven days with 60, 120, and 180 mg/kg daily dose before MTX treatment); silymarin (followed by MTX treatment); Gb 180 mg/kg daily only; and silymarin only. Histopathological results revealed that MTX induced marked hepatic …

Identification Of Patterns And Disruptions In Ambient Sensor Data From Private Homes, Yan Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The world’s population is rapidly aging and the increasing demand for home and health care services from this aging population brings unprecedented challenges to the economy and society. Ambient-assisted smart homes, residences equipped with ambient sensors to monitor the resident’s daily activities in a continuous and unobtrusive way, present great potential to manage the growing care service needs of this older population segment, and enable them to age-in-place.

Despite growing research, using ambient sensor data from private homes to monitor daily activities, health and wellness still faces significant challenges. To study ambient sensor data from private homes where annotated data …

A Web-Based, Positive Emotion Skills Intervention For Enhancing Posttreatment Psychological Well-Being In Young Adult Cancer Survivors (Empower): Protocol For A Single-Arm Feasibility Trial, John M. Salsman, Laurie E. Mclouth, Michael Cohn, Janet A. Tooze, Mia Sorkin, Judith T. Moskowitz

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs) experience clinically significant distress and have limited access to supportive care services. Interventions to enhance psychological well-being have improved positive affect and reduced depression in clinical and healthy populations but have not been routinely tested in AYAs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this protocol is to (1) test the feasibility and acceptability of a Web-based positive emotion skills intervention for posttreatment AYAs called Enhancing Management of Psychological Outcomes With Emotion Regulation (EMPOWER) and (2) examine proof of concept for reducing psychological distress and enhancing psychological well-being.

METHODS: The intervention development and testing are …

Integrated Multiple Mediation Analysis: A Robustness–Specificity Trade-Off In Causal Structure, An-Shun Tai, Sheng-Hsuan Lin

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Recent methodological developments in causal mediation analysis have addressed several issues regarding multiple mediators. However, these developed methods differ in their definitions of causal parameters, assumptions for identification, and interpretations of causal effects, making it unclear which method ought to be selected when investigating a given causal effect. Thus, in this study, we construct an integrated framework, which unifies all existing methodologies, as a standard for mediation analysis with multiple mediators. To clarify the relationship between existing methods, we propose four strategies for effect decomposition: two-way, partially forward, partially backward, and complete decompositions. This study reveals how the direct and …

Genetic Biocontrol For Invasive Species, John L. Teem, Luke Alphey, Sarah Descamps, Matt P. Edgington, Owain Edwards, Neil Gemmell, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Rachel L. Melnick, Kevin P. Oh, Antoinette J. Piaggio, J. Royden Saah, Dan Schill, Paul Thomas, Trevor Smith, Andrew Roberts

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species are increasingly affecting agriculture, food, fisheries, and forestry resources throughout the world. As a result of global trade, invasive species are often introduced into new environments where they become established and cause harm to human health, agriculture, and the environment. Prevention of new introductions is a high priority for addressing the harm caused by invasive species, but unfortunately efforts to prevent new introductions do not address the economic harm that is presently manifested where invasive species have already become established. Genetic biocontrol can be defined as the release of organisms with genetic methods designed to disrupt the reproduction …

A Call For Consistency In The Official Naming Of The Disease Caused By Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 In Non-English Languages, Lu Dong, Zhe Li, Isaac Fung

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

We investigated the adoption of World Health Organization (WHO) naming of COVID-19 into the respective languages among the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, and the variation of COVID-19 naming in the Chinese language across different health authorities. On May 7, 2020, we identified the websites of the national health authorities of the G20 countries to identify naming of COVID-19 in their respective languages, and the websites of the health authorities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore and identify their Chinese name for COVID-19. Among the G20 nations, Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey do …

Inhibition Of Cancer Causing Genes Through The Delivery Of Omomyc In Anti-Myc Therapy: A Systematic Review, Angie Mcgraw

University Honors Theses

A systematic review of the available studies on the interference of OmoMyc with Myc's function in cancerous cells is presented. Myc is a transcription factor that regulates cellular processes such as apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation. However, Myc is often overexpressed in a variety of cancers, resulting in abnormal growth of cancer cells. Although the inhibition of Myc has been highly desired, it remained a challenge due to its undruggable characteristics. Attempts to inhibit Myc have involved the usage of small-molecules, but these attempts have failed, causing adverse effects and incomplete inhibition of Myc. Despite promising preclinical studies of OmoMyc, it …

Brain Structure Changes Over Time In Normal And Mildly Impaired Aged Persons, Charles D. Smith, Linda J. Van Eldik, Gregory A. Jicha, Frederick A. Schmitt, Peter T. Nelson, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Richard R. Murphy, Anders H. Andersen

Neurology Faculty Publications

Structural brain changes in aging are known to occur even in the absence of dementia, but the magnitudes and regions involved vary between studies. To further characterize these changes, we analyzed paired MRI images acquired with identical protocols and scanner over a median 5.8-year interval. The normal study group comprised 78 elders (25M 53F, baseline age range 70-78 years) who underwent an annual standardized expert assessment of cognition and health and who maintained normal cognition for the duration of the study. We found a longitudinal grey matter (GM) loss rate of 2.56 ± 0.07 ml/year (0.20 ± 0.04%/year) and a …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Designing Peptides To Bind Kappa B Dna And Mimic Nf-Kappa B Protein Complexes, Nicholas A. Markowich

Honors College Theses

Transcription factors are important proteins that regulate gene expression and protein synthesis. Transcription factors can either boost the gene’s transcription rate by helping RNA polymerase activate transcription or restrict it by interfering with RNA polymerase, thereby repressing transcription. Nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) transcription factors are a family of proteins that control the synthesis of proteins involved in many cellular processes such as inflammatory and immune responses, cell growth, and apoptosis. However, the overexpression and activation of these transcription factors is linked to deadly conditions such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases which currently have few safe cures. The goal of this research …

Phase-Adjusted Estimation Of The Covid-19 Outbreak In South Korea Under Multi-Source Data And Adjustment Measures: A Modelling Study, Xiaomei Feng, Jing Chen, Kai Wang, Lei Wang, Fengqin Zhang, Zhen Jin, Lan Zou, Xia Wang

Mathematics Faculty Articles

Based on the reported data from February 16, 2020 to March 9, 2020 in South Korea including confirmed cases, death cases and recovery cases, the control reproduction number was estimated respectively at different control measure phases using Markov chain Monte Carlo method and presented using the resulting posterior mean and 95% credible interval (C_rI). At the early phase from February 16 to February 24, we estimate the basic reproduction number R₀ of COVID-19 to be 4.79(95% C_rI 4.38 - 5.2). The estimated control reproduction number dropped rapidly to R_c ≈ 0.32(95% C_rI …

Emerging Technologies In Healthcare: Analysis Of Unos Data Through Machine Learning, Reyhan Merekar

Student Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare industry is primed for a massive transformation in the coming decades due to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. With a practical application to the UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing) database, this Thesis seeks to investigate how Machine Learning and analytic methods may be used to predict one-year heart transplantation outcomes. This study also sought to improve on predictive performances from prior studies by analyzing both Donor and Recipient data. Models built with algorithms such as Stacking and Tree Boosting gave the highest performance, with AUC’s of 0.6810 and 0.6804, respectively. In this …

Prediction Of Drug-Drug Interaction Potential Using Machine Learning Approaches, Joseph Scavetta

Theses and Dissertations

Drug discovery is a long, expensive, and complex, yet crucial process for the benefit of society. Selecting potential drug candidates requires an understanding of how well a compound will perform at its task, and more importantly, how safe the compound will act in patients. A key safety insight is understanding a molecule's potential for drug-drug interactions. The metabolism of many drugs is mediated by members of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, notably, the CYP3A4 enzyme. Inhibition of these enzymes can alter the bioavailability of other drugs, potentially increasing their levels to toxic amounts. Four models were developed to predict CYP3A4 inhibition: …

I. Non-Degradable Polysiloxane Networks For Controlled Release Applications, And Ii. Additive Free, Degradable Silyl-Ether Furyl-Maleimide Networks, Caleb M. Bunton

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

I. Two different series of non–degradable polysiloxane networks were prepared for the encapsulation and controlled release of a small molecule agent. For the first series, hydrosilylation was utilized to prepare networks of varying crosslink densities, as determined from swelling studies, from vinyl terminated and silylhydride functional poly(dimethyl)siloxanes. For the second series, the thiol-ene reaction was utilized to prepare networks of varying crosslink densities, as determined from swelling studies, from vinyl terminated and mercaptopropyl functional poly(dimethyl)siloxanes. Nile red dye was used as an encapsulated agent and dye release from each series of networks was measured using UV–vis spectroscopy to determine controllability …

Co-Authorship Visualization Of Research On Covid-19 From Web Of Science Data Using Bibliometric Analysis, Akbar Iskandar, Firman Azis, Riskha Dora Candra Dewi, R. Rusli, Ansari Saleh Ahmar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Bibliometric analysis is one of the research approaches that utilizes quantitative and mathematical data to address problems posed in the context of visualization to see patterns in the field of science. In fact, bibliometric analysis may also include a wider overview of the names of the most influential writers in the area of science. This data analysis would discuss the co-authorship of COVID-19 research covering author productivity and author collaboration. The data was collected on 11th May 2020 of Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database. The literature review was conducted using the keyword: TOPIC: ("covid") AND YEAR PUBLISHED: (2020). …