Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Progression Magazine, 2017 Winter, Coastal Carolina University

Progression Magazine

Magazine of the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

A Customized Quantitative Pcr Microrna Panel Provides A Technically Robust Context For Studying Neurodegenerative Disease Biomarkers And Indicates A High Correlation Between Cerebrospinal Fluid And Choroid Plexus Microrna Expression, Wang-Xia Wang, David W. Fardo, Gregory A. Jicha, Peter T. Nelson

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

MicroRNA (miRNA) expression varies in association with different tissue types and in diseases. Having been found in body fluids including blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), miRNAs constitute potential biomarkers. CSF miRNAs have been proposed as biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases; however, there is a lack of consensus about the best candidate miRNA biomarkers and there has been variability in results from different research centers, perhaps due to technical factors. Here, we sought to optimize technical parameters for CSF miRNA studies. We examined different RNA isolation methods and performed miRNA expression profiling with TaqMan® miRNA Arrays. More specifically, we developed a customized …

Reliability Of An Observational Method Used To Assess Tennis Serve Mechanics In A Group Of Novice Raters, Natalie L. Myers, W. Ben Kibler, Gilson J. Capilouto, Philip M. Westgate, Tony English, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: Previous research has developed an observational tennis serve analysis (OTSA) tool to assess serve mechanics. The OTSA has displayed substantial agreement between the two health care professionals that developed the tool; however, it is currently unknown if the OTSA is reliable when administered by novice users.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to determine if reliability for the OTSA could be established in novice users via an interactive classroom training session.

Methods: Eight observers underwent a classroom instructional training protocol highlighting the OTSA. Following training, observers participated in two different rating sessions approximately a week apart. Each observer …

Genomic Signature Of Adaptive Divergence Despite Strong Nonadaptive Forces On Edaphic Islands: A Case Study Of Primulina Juliae, Jing Wang, Chao Feng, Tenglong Jiao, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg, Ming Kang

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Both genetic drift and divergent selection are expected to be strong evolutionary forces driving population differentiation on edaphic habitat islands. However, the relative contribution of genetic drift and divergent selection to population divergence has rarely been tested simultaneously. In this study, restriction-site associated DNA-based population genomic analyses were applied to assess the relative importance of drift and divergent selection on population divergence of Primulina juliae, an edaphic specialist fromsouthern China. All populations were found with low standing genetic variation, small effective population size (NE), and signatures of bottlenecks. Populations with the lowest genetic variation were most genetically differentiated from other …

A Cluster Analysis Of Challenging Behaviors In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elizabeth Stevens, Abigail Atchison, Laura Stevens, Esther Hong, Doreen Granpeesheh, Dennis Dixon, Erik J. Linstead

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We apply cluster analysis to a sample of 2,116 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to identify patterns of challenging behaviors observed in home and centerbased clinical settings. The largest study of this type to date, and the first to employ machine learning, our results indicate that while the presence of multiple challenging behaviors is common, in most cases a dominant behavior emerges. Furthermore, the trend is also observed when we train our cluster models on the male and female samples separately. This work provides a basis for future studies to understand the relationship of challenging behavior profiles to …

A Multi-Country Assessment Of Factors Related To Smallholder Food Security In Varying Rainfall Conditions, Meredith T. Niles, Molly E. Brown

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Given that smallholder farmers are frequently food insecure and rely significantly on rain-fed agriculture, it is critical to examine climate variability and food insecurity. We utilize data from smallholder farmer surveys from 12 countries with 30 years of rainfall data to examine how rainfall variability and household resources are correlated with food security. We find that on average, households that experienced a drier than average year are 3.81 months food insecure, while households within a normal range of rainfall were 3.67 months food insecure, and wetter than average households were 2.86 months food insecure. Reduced odds of food insecurity is …

The Role Of Pre-Existing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Colorectal Cancer Stage And Survival In Elderly Americans: A Seer-Medicare Population-Based Study 2002-~2011, Sanae El Ibrahimi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Diabetes is a common comorbid condition among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, yet its effects in CRC outcomes, particularly stage at diagnosis, risk of death and variations by diabetes severity (complications vs no complications) and Hispanic ethnicity have not been adequately studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between pre-existing T2DM and advanced stage at diagnosis in elderly patients with CRC; to examine whether diabetes is an independent predictor of poor survival from all-cause and CRC-specific mortality; to assess whether variations exist by diabetes severity and to analyze the outcomes for the Hispanic group.

The Surveillance Epidemiology …

The Impact Of Economic Recession On The Health Of Adult Nevadans, Ariana Goertz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recessions are generally considered to cause negative consequences, but recent studies have provided evidence that some health outcomes improve as the economy deteriorates. The relationship between economic downfalls and health is not straightforward; it is important to look at how health has been impacted in one of the areas hit hardest by the recession. Las Vegas, Nevada was previously considered recession-proof, seemingly unaffected by previous economic downturns exhibited by the rest of the country. However, during the Great Recession of 2007-2009, Las Vegas led the country in highest rates of unemployment and foreclosures. This was quite a collapse for a …

Altering The Expression Of Artemisinin Through Osmotic Manipulation, Tyler Friesen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Artemisinin is an anti-malarial drug used in combination therapy to treat all malarial parasites in the blood stage. The expression of artemisinin within the plant Artemisia annua is only 1% of the dry weight. Methods for increasing the level of artemisinin within the plant were proposed. This paper looks into finding homologous enzymes across multiple species in order to find species where genetic manipulations will be useful. The second part of this paper looks at the use of osmotic stress to increase the reactive oxygen species in order to increase the amount of artemisinin within the plant. The database portion …

Home Health Care Delivery Problem, Aldy Gunawan, Hoong Chuin Lau, Kun Lu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We address the Home Health Care Delivery Problem (HHCDP), which is concerned with staff scheduling in the home health care industry. The goal is to schedule health care providers to serve patients at their homes that maximizes the total collected preference scores from visited patients subject to several constraints, such as workload of the health care providers, time budget for each provider and so on. The complexity lies in the possibility of cancellation of patient bookings dynamically, and the generated schedule should attempt to patients’ preferred time windows. To cater to these requirements, we model the preference score as a …

Disease Gene Classification With Metagraph Representations, Sezin Kircali Ata, Yuan Fang, Min Wu, Xiao-Li Li, Xiaokui Xiao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks play an important role in studying the functional roles of proteins, including their association with diseases. However, protein interaction networks are not sufficient without the support of additional biological knowledge for proteins such as their molecular functions and biological processes. To complement and enrich PPI networks, we propose to exploit biological properties of individual proteins. More specifically, we integrate keywords describing protein properties into the PPI network, and construct a novel PPI-Keywords (PPIK) network consisting of both proteins and keywords as two different types of nodes. As disease proteins tend to have a similar topological characteristics …

An Analysis Of Operant Conditioning And Its Relationship With Video Game Addiction, Daniel Vu

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

A report published by the Entertainment Software Association revealed that in 2015, 155 million Americans play video games with an average of two gamers in each game-playing household (Entertainment Software Association, “Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry”). With this massive popularity that has sprung alongside video games, the question must be asked: how are video games affecting today's people? With the current way some video games are structured, the video game rewards players for achieving certain accomplishments. For example, competitive video games reward players who achieve victories by giving them a higher ranking or other games display …

Utilizing Consumer Health Posts For Pharmacovigilance: Identifying Underlying Factors Associated With Patients’ Attitudes Towards Antidepressants, Maryam Zolnoori

Theses and Dissertations

Non-adherence to antidepressants is a major obstacle to antidepressants therapeutic benefits, resulting in increased risk of relapse, emergency visits, and significant burden on individuals and the healthcare system. Several studies showed that non-adherence is weakly associated with personal and clinical variables, but strongly associated with patients’ beliefs and attitudes towards medications. The traditional methods for identifying the key dimensions of patients’ attitudes towards antidepressants are associated with some methodological limitations, such as concern about confidentiality of personal information. In this study, attempts have been made to address the limitations by utilizing patients’ self report experiences in online healthcare forums to …

Fungi Of Forests: Examining The Diversity Of Root-Associated Fungi And Their Responses To Acid Deposition, Donald Jay Nelsen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global importance of forests is difficult to overestimate, given their role in oxygen production, ecological roles in nutrient cycling and supporting numerous living species, and economic value for industry and as recreational zones. Fitness of the forest-forming trees strongly depends on microbial communities associated with tree roots. In particular, fungi impact tree fitness: mycorrhizal species provide water and nutrients for the trees in exchange for C, endophytic fungi play key roles in host defense against pathogenic organisms, and saprotrophic fungi decompose dead organic matter and facilitate nutrient cycling. In addition, pathogenic fungal species strongly affect forest fitness. Despite their importance, …

Using Virtual Reality To Improve Sitting Balance, Alice Kay Barnes

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis focuses on using virtual reality (VR) to enhance sitting balance and core strength. It is a study in how to create a VR exercise program which is interesting enough to keep players/patients motivated, but comfortable to play and not overwhelming to the senses. The software used for this study was written with the hope that a later version of it might be used with occupational/physical therapy patients one day. For this master’s thesis, the initial testing has been done with healthy volunteers. The software incorporates what developers know thus far about designing for VR, and it is hoped …

Green Chemistry Oxidative Modification Of Peptoids Utilizing Bleach And Tempo, Jesse Leland Roberts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biotherapeutic drugs, derived from biological molecules such as proteins and DNA, are becoming an integral and exceptionally critical aspect of modern medicine. Compared to common pharmaceutical drugs, biotherapeutics are much larger in size and have greater target specificity, allowing them to treat many chronic diseases ranging from cancer to rheumatoid arthritis. The major issue with protein based therapeutics is that they readily undergo proteolysis, or enzymatic degradation, when administered through subcutaneous injections. Traditionally, biotherapeutic modification procedures have centered on the use of PEG derivatives. This process, called PEGylation, is unfavorable due to the increases in molecular weights of the proteins …

Seasonal Forcing In Stochastic Epidemiology Models, Lora Billings, Eric Forgoston

Lora Billings

Seasonal Forcing In Stochastic Epidemiology Models, Lora Billings, Eric Forgoston

Eric Forgoston

Implementation Of Cigarette Excise Policy Against Cigarette Consumption Reduction Among Adolescent In Kuningan, Indonesia, Jani Ramjani, Fitri Kurnia Rahim, Icca Stella Amalia, Wahyu Manggala Putra

Kesmas

Indonesia has the highest prevalence of smoking (50.68%) compared to other ASEAN countries. On January 1st, 2017, the Indonesian government raised cigarette excise taxes. The purpose of this study was to analysis the impact of cigarette excise increase on cigarette consumption among adolescents aged 17 to 25 years. The study design used cross-sectional survey. A total of 153 adolescents were recruited in this study through simple random sampling technique. Questionnaires and observation papers were used in this study. A face-to-face interview was conducted to fulfill the data collection through home visit for each respondent. The data were obtained during May …

The Change In Mental Health Status Of Indonesian Health Care Migrant Worker In Japan, Susiana Nugraha, Yuko Hirano, Honda Sumihisha

Kesmas

Under the Japan – Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement, more than 1,000 of Indonesian health care workers have migrated to Japan. Social adjustment during the process of migration is linked to mental health changes. This study aimed to figure out the strongest predictor that influences the change in mental health status as a result of migration. Baseline data were collected in Jakarta in 2013 during pre-departure orientation. Follow-up study was conducted one year after the study participants migrated to Japan in 2014. Using longitudinal design, this study employed 92 participants consisting of nurse and certified care worker candidates. The multiple linear …

Husband’S Education Level And Alcohol Drinking Habit As Risk Factors Of Hiv Infection Among Housewives In Pati District, Nurul Aeni, Annemarie Westendorp

Kesmas

Cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in Pati District increase, particularly among housewives. The aim of this study was to analyse the risk factors of HIV infection among housewives in Pati District using case-control study design. The respondents were 90 housewives divided into case and control group. The case group consisted of 30 housewives living with HIV, while the control group comprised 60 housewives living in the similar area of the counterparts. The data collection was focused on demographic, sexual behaviour, and sociocultural variables possessed by housewives and their husbands. The study resulted that the risk factors of HIV …

Effect Of Health Education On Community Participation To Eradicate Aedes Aegypti-Breeding Sites In Buahbatu And Cinambo Districts, Bandung, Zahratul Elsa, Uun Sumardi, Lia Faridah

Kesmas

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is still a major public health problem in many regions in Indonesia including Bandung City. Community participation in implementing Eradication of Mosquito-Breeding Sites is still needed as it is considered the most effective method in controlling the dengue fever. This study aimed to determine the influence of health education towards community participation to eradicate mosquito-breeding sites, which was measured by knowledge level and larva index conducted in Bandung, specifically in two different locations with the highest and the lowest incidence rates of DHF. This study used quasi-experimental method. Samples were 100 people living in Cijawura and …

Maternal Energy Intake At The Sixth Month As Dominant Factor Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Success, Devi Suryanti Sihite, Sandra Fikawati, Ahmad Syafiq

Kesmas

Breastfeeding mothers needed adequate energy intake to provide 6-month exclusive breastfeeding that is necessary for infant growth and development. This study aimed to investigate real intake at the first and sixth month of breastfeeding and determine the dominant factor affecting 6-month exclusive breastfeeding provision. The design of this study was cross-sectional conducted in March-April 2015 among 109 mothers with 6-12- month-old infant living and registered at integrated health care in Kalangan Primary Health Care area. Data were collected through interview using questionnaires. Breastfeeding mothers’ intake was asked using Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The study found that 6-month exclusive breastfeeding proportion …

Increasing Use Of Research Findings In Improving Evidence-Based Health Policy At The National Level, Meiwita Budiharsana

Kesmas

In February 2016, the Minister of Health decided to increase the use of research findings in improving the quality of the national health policy and planning. The Ministry of Health has instructed the National Institute of Health Research and Development or NIHRD to play a stronger role of monitoring and evaluating all health programs, because “their opinion and research findings should be the basis for changes in national health policies and planning”. Compared to the past, the Ministry of Health has increased the research budget for evidence-based research tremendously. However, there is a gap between the information needs of program …

Spatial Analysis Of Determinants Of Filariasis-Endemic Areas In West Sumatra, Masrizal Masrizal, Fivi Melva Diana, Rosfita Rasyid

Kesmas

West Pasaman District and Agam District are filariasis-endemic areas in West Sumatra with prevalence of 12.40 per 100,000 cases and 11.27 per 100,000 cases respectively. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with the prevalence of filariasis and mapping the vulnerability of the area in West Sumatra. A case control study design was conducted in the West Pasaman District and Agam District. The study used a sample of 74 cases and 74 controls taken by simple random sampling for the case and purposive random sampling for control. Data analysis used univariate, bivariate, multivariate and spatial. The results in Agam …

Equity Level Of Health Insurance Ownership In Indonesia, Risky Kusuma Hartono

Kesmas

Social health insurance from government program are expected to be able to reduce inequalities access to health services in the middle of rising of health care cost, while private health insurance is still limited for up and middle class population. This study aimed to analyze the equity level of health insurance ownership including social and private health insurance in Indonesia. This study examined the condition of Indonesia in the middle of entering National Health Insurance (NHI) era. This study used data of Indonesian Socio-Economic Survey 2012. Data were analyzed by using econometric approach through multinomial logit analysis. The results showed …

Using Data To Improve Services For Infants With Hearing Loss: Linking Newborn Hearing Screening Records With Early Intervention Records, Maria Gonzalez, Lori Iarossi, Yan Wu, Ying Huang, Kirsten Siegenthaler

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention: Volume 9 Issue 1, pages 1-53

The purpose of this study was to match records of infants with permanent hearing loss from the New York Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System (NYEHDI-IS) to records of infants with permanent hearing loss receiving early intervention services from the New York State Early Intervention Program (NYSEIP) to identify areas in the state where hearing screening, diagnostic evaluations and referrals to the NYSEIP were not being made or documented in a timely manner. Data from 2014-2016 NYEHDI-IS and NYEIS information systems were matched using The Link King. There were 274 infants documented in NYEIS Information System as receiving early …

Challenges In Characterizing The Environmental Fate And Effects Of Carbon Nanotubes And Inorganic Nanomaterials In Aquatic Systems, Peter Laux, Christian Riebeling, Andy M. Booth, Joseph D. Brain, Josephine Brunner, Cristina Cerrillo, Otto Creutzenberg, Irina Estrela-Lopis, Thomas Gebel, Gunnar Johanson, Harald Jungnickel, Heiko Kock, Jutta Tentschert, Ahmed Tlili, Andreas Schäffer, Adriënne J. A. M. Sips, Robert A. Yokel, Andreas Luch

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The current lack of commonly used protocols for dispersion, characterization, and aquatic toxicity testing of nanomaterials (NMs) has resulted in inconsistent results, which make meaningful comparisons difficult. The need for standardized sample preparation procedures that allow the reproducible generation of relevant test conditions remains a key challenge for studies of the environmental fate and aquatic toxicity of NMs. Together with the further development of optimized and cost-effective analytical techniques for physicochemical characterization that depend on reproducible sample preparation, such methods have the potential to overcome the current uncertainties with regard to NM dispersion properties, effective dose, and particle dissolution. In …

In Place: November 27, 2017, Place

PLACE Historical Documents

In PLACE is a newsletter designed to keep the Linfield College community apprised of information related to PLACE activities, as well as ways to bring the program into classes. Included in this issue:

• Spotlight On: "What's the Big Idea"
• Upcoming Events
• PLACE in the News

Sustainable East Africa Research In Community Health (Search): A Community Cluster Randomized Study Of Hiv "Test And Treat" Using Multi-Disease Approach In Rural Uganda And Kenya, Laura Balzer, Diane V. Havlir, Joshua Schwab, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya Petersen

Laura B. Balzer