Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Advance Care Planning As A Shared Endeavor: Completion Of Acp Documents In A Multidisciplinary Cancer Program, Melissa A. Clark, Miles Q. Ott, Michelle L. Rogers, Mary C. Politi, Susan C. Miller, Laura Moynihan, Katina Robison, Ashley Stuckey, Don Dizon

Statistical and Data Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objective—We examined the roles of oncology providers in advance care planning (ACP) delivery in the context of a multidisciplinary cancer program.

Methods—Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 200 women with recurrent and/or metastatic breast or gynecologic cancer. Participants were asked to name providers they deemed important in their cancer care and whether they had discussed and/or completed ACP documentation. Evidence of ACP documentation was obtained from chart reviews.

Results—Fifty percent of participants self-reported completing an advance directive (AD) and 48.5% had named a healthcare power of attorney (HPA), 38.5% had completed both, and 39.0% had completed neither document. Among women who …

Intelligent Profiling Of Blood Donors In Ireland, Joanna Kossakowska

Theses

The demand for blood products in Ireland is constantly rising due to population growth and population ageing. It is believed that within the next decade these two factors will present challenges to blood donor recruitment and the availability of blood supplies. Improving the retention of blood donors will have a positive impact on the availability of blood products. Identification of suitable donors with the potential for long-term donating can potentially enhance the predictability of blood supply levels.

This research proposes that the patterns of blood donation behaviours of donors can be isolated from blood donor databases held by blood collecting …

Computational Fluid Dynamics In A Terminal Alveolated Bronchiole Duct With Expanding Walls: Proof-Of-Concept In Openfoam, Jeremy Myers

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematical Biology has found recent success applying Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to model airflow in the human lung. Detailed modeling of flow patterns in the alveoli, where the oxygen-carbon dioxide gas exchange occurs, has provided data that is useful in treating illnesses and designing drug-delivery systems. Unfortunately, many CFD software packages have high licensing fees that are out of reach for independent researchers. This thesis uses three open-source software packages, Gmsh, OpenFOAM, and ParaView, to design a mesh, create a simulation, and visualize the results of an idealized terminal alveolar sac model. This model successfully demonstrates that OpenFOAM can be …

Mathematical Models Of The Inflammatory Response In The Lungs, Sarah B. Minucci

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation in the lungs can occur for many reasons, from bacterial infections to stretch by mechanical ventilation. In this work we compare and contrast various mathematical models for lung injuries in the categories of acute infection, latent versus active infection, and particulate inhalation. We focus on systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), agent-based models (ABMs), and Boolean networks. Each type of model provides different insight into the immune response to damage in the lungs. This knowledge includes a better understanding of the complex dynamics of immune cells, proteins, and cytokines, recommendations for treatment with antibiotics, and a foundation for more …

Socio-Demographic Determinants Of Racial Disparities In Stage At Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer In New York State, Christophe Maxime Fokoua Dongmo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Discovering Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeted To Ligand-Stimulated Rage-Diaph1 Signaling Transduction, Jinhong Pan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The receptor of advanced glycation end product (RAGE) is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell surface molecules, which plays an important role in immune responses. Full-length RAGE includes three extracellular immunoglobulin domains, a transmembrane domain and an intracellular domain. It is a pattern recognition receptor that can bind diverse ligands. NMR spectroscopy and x-ray crystallization studies of the extracellular domains of RAGE indicate that RAGE ligands bind by distinct charge- and hydrophobicity-dependent mechanisms. It is found that calgranulin binding to the C1C2 domain or AGEs binding to the V domain activates extracellular signaling, which triggers interactions of …

Internet Health Information Seeking And The Patient-Physician Relationship: A Systematic Review, Sharon Swee-Lin Tan, Nadee Goonawardene

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background: With online health information becoming increasingly popular among patients, concerns have been raised about the impact of patients' Internet health information-seeking behavior on their relationship with physicians. Therefore, it is pertinent to understand the influence of online health information on the patient-physician relationship. Objective: Our objective was to systematically review existing research on patients' Internet health information seeking and its influence on the patient-physician relationship. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and key medical informatics, information systems, and communication science journals covering the period of 2000 to 2015. Empirical articles that were in English were included. We analyzed the content …

Unlv Title Iii Aanapisi & Mcnair Scholars Institute Research Journal, Nir Herscovici, Joyce Hsu, Matthew Khumnark, Joy Lamug, Jeong Lim Lee, Kendall Lyons, Andrea Mandril, Niroshini Moodley, Eric Ng, Timothy Ogburn, Andrew A. Ortiz, Emily Khanh Pham, Nha Trang Vivian Sam, Devlynn Scarpati, Olivia Tsang, Termaine Antonio Turner Ii, Pang Kou Vang, Kanisha Wilson, Shannon Zayas, Claudia Chiang-Lopez, Victoria Copeland, Andrea Darby, Bridgett Giordmaina, Briceida Hernandez-Toledo, Mark Larubio, Ana Lesquives, Yessenia Madrigal, Summer Millwood, Angel Mims, Blaine Pennock, Katie Randolph, Amber K. Stephens, Sarah Werman, Eben-Ezer Arias-Garcia, Ernesto H. Bedoy, Royale Cannon, Irma De Santiago, Lorraine Louise K. Francisco, Imani A. Gayden, Jeffrey Gonzalez, Isaiah Shornell Henry, Ashley C. Lee, Marielle Leo, Elizabeth Ochoa, Bernajane Palisoc, Sean Tanzey, Howard Yanxon

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the AANAPISI and McNair Scholars Programs

Table of Contents

About AANAPISI

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements

Dr. Len Jessup, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

Title III AANAPISI and McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Ms. Terri Bernstein, Director for College Programs

Dr. Matthew Della Sala, Assistant Director for Undergraduate Research

Optimized Multilayer Perceptron With Dynamic Learning Rate To Classify Breast Microwave Tomography Image, Chulwoo Pack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most recently developed Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems and their related research is based on medical images that are usually obtained through conventional imaging techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), x-ray mammography, and ultrasound. With the development of a new imaging technology called Microwave Tomography Imaging (MTI), it has become inevitable to develop a CAD system that can show promising performance using new format of data. The platform can have a flexibility on its input by adopting Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as a classifier. Among the various phases of CAD system, we have focused on optimizing the classification phase …

Myeloperoxidase-Mediated Protein Lysine Oxidation Generates 2- Aminoadipic Acid And Lysine Nitrile In Vivo, Hongqiao Lin, Bruce S. Levison, Jennifer A. Buffa, Ying Huang, Xiaoming Fu, Zeneng Wang, Valentin Gogonea, Joseph A. Didonato, Stanley L. Hazen

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Recent studies reveal 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) is both elevated in subjects at risk for diabetes and mechanistically linked to glucose homeostasis. Prior studies also suggest enrichment of protein-bound 2-AAA as an oxidative post-translational modification of lysyl residues in tissues associated with degenerative diseases of aging. While in vitro studies suggest redox active transition metals or myeloperoxidase (MPO) generated hypochlorous acid (HOCl) may produce protein-bound 2-AAA, the mechanism(s) responsible for generation of 2- AAA during inflammatory diseases are unknown. In initial studies we observed that traditional acid- or basecatalyzed protein hydrolysis methods previously employed to measure tissue 2-AAA can artificially generate …

Examining The Activities, Effectiveness, And Contribution Of Local Health Departments Using A National Longitudinal Survey Of Public Health Systems, Lava R. Timsina

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Health services research and public health services and systems research in the past have contributed to a strong foundation of evidence-based progress in organizing, financing, and delivering medical care and public health strategies across the United States. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine disparities in public health systems and in the delivery of population health services in communities served by these systems using nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Local Public Health Systems (1998, 2006, 2012, and 2014).

Data from the 1998 cohort of 497 local health jurisdictions serving at least 100,000 residents, and from …

Advancing Vibrational Spectroscopy For Cellular And Sub Cellular Analysis: Raman Spectroscopy As An In Vitro Chemotherapeutic Screeening And Assessment Protocol, Zeineb Farhane

Doctoral

Vibrational spectroscopy, including Raman micro-spectroscopy, has attracted considerable attention over the last few years, as a powerful, non-invasive tool for clinical applications, especially in cancer diagnosis, in vivo and ex vivo. As a molecular fingerprinting technique with optical resolution, Raman micro-spectroscopy is able to monitor biochemical processes, drug uptake, efficacy and mode of action and mechanisms of interaction of chemotherapeutic drugs at a subcellular level. In vitro applications may be more strategically achievable, and can help guide drug design and discovery, and eventually evaluate To this end, different lung cell lines were used and Raman micro-spectroscopy was coupled to valuable …

Comprehensive Structural, Thermal And Toxicological Characterization Of 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Alkylbenzenesulfonate Ionic Liquids, Hiranmayee Kandala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis and characterization of 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium alkylbenzenesulfonate ionic liquids for extraction of lignin from prairie cord grass have been studied. The ionic liquids (ILs) 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium benzenesulfonate (EBS), 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium toluenesulfonate (ETS) and 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium xylenesulfonate (EXS) have been synthesized in this research. An extensive structural, physical, thermal and toxicological characterization has been performed to understand the behavior of these ionic liquids. The reaction yield for the synthesis of EBS, ETS, and EXS ionic liquids was determined to be 91.2 ± 1.5 %, 96.1 ± 0.7 %, 99.0 ± 0.5 % respectively. Spectral analysis using NMR and FTIR confirms the …

Influence Of Macular Pigment Optical Density Spatial Distribution On Intraocular Scatter, Christopher Putnam, Pauline Bland, Carl Bassi

College of Optometry Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

How Leaders Market And Commercialize Healthcare Technology Innovation, Roxie Mooney, Rocky J. Dwyer Dr.

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

This study investigates what strategies technology development marketing leaders utilized to commercialize a new product innovation in the healthcare market. Analysis of data generated 3 major themes: strategies implemented during the prelaunch phase, strategies implemented during the pilot customer phase, and strategies implemented in the broader market launch phase of the CoI process. Findings from this study may contribute to maximizing commercial success and the diffusion of new product innovations in healthcare, which might lead to better patient outcomes and enhanced ways of practicing medicine.

Association Between Hiv And Violence Among Female Commercial Sex Workers In Ukraine : Analysis Of Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Conducted In 2015-2016, Ganna Momotyuk

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A cross-sectional analysis investigated the association between HIV and violence in female commercial sex workers (FCSW) in Ukraine between 10/2015 and 01/2016. Methods: 3,885 FCSW from a total of 4,300 were questioned about behavioral and social demographics and tested for HIV in mobile testing van. Results: of the 3,885 respondents, 5.89% were HIV positive, and 47.00% had experienced violence. We tested for and found that drug use was an effect modifier for the association between HIV and violence. Analyses were stratified by injecting drug use and no injecting drug use. High risk for HIV was found in the non-IDU stratum …

Detecting Agitation Onset In Individuals With Dementia Using Smart Phone Sensors, Christianne Fowler, Ajay Gupta, Kurt Maly, Karen Karlowicz, Maheedhar Gunnam, Rohila Gudipati, Mahesh Kukunooru, Rahul Rachamalla

Nursing Faculty Publications

Individuals living with dementia (ILWD) often experience problematic agitated behaviors, this occurs in up to 80% of ILWD. These behaviors lead to stress for caregivers and increased frequency of institutionalization. There are many proven methods to intervene during agitated behavior outburst and the earlier these methods are used the better the results. Technology has been used successfully to monitor many aspects of health monitoring for older adults. Technology is now being investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of predicting the onset of problem behaviors, especially escalating agitation in ILWD. Off the shelf technology, smart watches and android phones, are being tested …

Dynamical Systems Modeling To Identify A Cohort Of Problem Drinkers With Similar Mechanisms Of Behavior Change, Kidist Maxwell, Rebecca Everett, Sijing Shao, Alexis Kuerbis, Lyric Stephenson, H. T. Banks, Jon Morgenstern

Publications and Research

One challenge to understanding mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) completely among individuals with alcohol use disorder is that processes of change are theorized to be complex, dynamic (time varying), and at times non-linear, and they interact with each other to influence alcohol consumption. We used dynamical systems modeling to better understand MOBC within a cohort of problem drinkers undergoing treatment. We fit a mathematical model to ecological momentary assessment data from individual patients who successfully reduced their drinking by the end of the treatment. The model solutions agreed with the trend of the data reasonably well, suggesting the cohort patients …

Wellness Education And Job-Related Injuries And Illnesses For Federal Employees, Eunice Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-related injuries and illnesses may lead to absenteeism, which affects the level of productivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the success of an employee workplace training program on work-related injury and illness rates at selected federal districts within a federal organization. Newman's model, which describes internal and external factors that may have an effect on an individual's health, was the framework that guided this project. A pre-post design was used to compare data from 2 publically available data sets, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Illness and Injury and the Voice of the Employee Survey, for the …

Health Portal Functionality And The Use Of Patient-Centered Technology, Anita Joyce Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health portals are dedicated web pages for medical practices to provide patients access to their electronic health records. The problem identified in this quality improvement project was that the health portal in the urgent care setting had not been available to staff nor patients. To provide leadership with information related to opening the portal, the first purpose of the project was to assess staff and patients' perceived use, ease of use, attitude toward using, and intention to use the portal. The second purpose was to evaluate the portal education materials for the top 5 urgent care diagnoses: diabetes, hypertension, asthma, …

Journal Of The Arkansas Academy Of Science- Volume 71 2017, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Disease On The Survival Of Three Commercially Fished Species, John M. Hoenig, Maya L. Groner, Matthew W. Smith, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, David M. Taylor, Donald F. Landers Jr., John T. Swenarton, David T. Gauthier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Recent increases in emergent infectious diseases have raised concerns about the sustainability of some marine species. The complexity and expense of studying diseases in marine systems often dictate that conservation and management decisions are made without quantitative data on population-level impacts of disease. Mark-recapture is a powerful, underutilized, tool for calculating impacts of disease on population size and structure, even in the absence of etiological information. We applied logistic regression models to mark-recapture data to obtain estimates of disease-associated mortality rates in three commercially important marine species: snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in Newfoundland, Canada, that experience sporadic epizootics …

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis And Schistosomiasis In Children Of Poor Families In Leyte, Philippines: Lessons For Disease Prevention And Control, Harvy Joy Liwanag, Jhanna Uy, Janis Ruth Gatchalian, Betty De La Calzada, Justine Alessandra Uy, Manuel Dayrit, Ramil T. Bataller

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Objective

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to be a public health problem in the Philippines. We assessed the association of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and schistosomiasis with selected health-related and socioeconomic variables in four villages in Leyte, Philippines.

Methods

Stool specimens from 418 adults and 533 of their children from 209 families were examined through the Kato-Katz technique.

Results

STH and schistosomiasis were present in 64.6% and 12.5%, respectively, of study participants. Analysis through the generalized linear mixed model revealed a number of associations between infection in parents and their children. Findings indicate that years of disease prevention and control efforts …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Fractionated Borohydride-Capped And Electrochemical Colloidal Silver, Marjorie M. Markopoulos

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ionic silver (Ag+) are known to be broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Recent studies show these agents may be an alternative to the most widely used drinking water disinfectant, chlorine. Chlorine is a toxic industrial chemical with a lethal concentration of 430 ppm after 30 minutes. Additionally, chlorine can react with naturally occurring materials to produce a number of disinfection byproducts such as chloroform and trihalomethanes. Some of these byproducts pose cancer risks in addition to other negative impacts to human health. These would be eliminated with the use of Ag+ or AgNPs. The main goal of this …

Biomarkers Of Tubulointerstitial Damage And Function In Type 1 Diabetes, Ian De Boer, Xiaoyu Gao, Ionut Bebu, Andrew Hoofnagle, John Lachin, Diabetes Control And Complications Trial/Epidemiology Of Diabetes Interventions And Complications (Dcct/Edic) Research Group.

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Objective To evaluate biomarkers of renal tubulointerstitial damage and function in type 1 diabetes with and without diabetic kidney disease.

Research design and methods Cross-sectional case-control study of Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study participants. Cases (N=43) had incident persistent estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 with urinary albumin excretion >300 mg/24 hour. Controls (N=43) had persistent eGFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m2 and urinary albumin excretion <30 mg/24 hour. Urinary and plasma biomarkers reflecting tubular injury, inflammation, fibrosis, secretion, and synthetic function were measured from stored specimens collected at the first study visit with reduced eGFR (for case participants) or the corresponding study year (for control participants).

Results Mean (SD) age was 51 (9) and 50 (8) years for case and control participants, and mean (SD) duration of diabetes was 30 (6) and 30 (5) years, respectively. Mean (SD) eGFR was 39 …

Assessing Very Early Infant Diagnosis Turnaround Times: Findings From A Birth Testing Pilot In Lesotho, Michelle Gill, Heather J. Hoffman, Majoalane Mokone, Vincent Tukei, Matsepeli Nchephe, +Several Additional Authors

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Very early infant diagnosis (VEID) (testing within two weeks of life), combined with rapid treatment initiation, could reduce early infant mortality. Our study evaluated turnaround time (TAT) to receipt of infants’ HIV test results and ART initiation if HIV-infected, with and without birth testing availability. Data from facility records and national databases were collected for 12 facilities offering VEID, as part of an observational prospective cohort study, and 10 noncohort facilities. HIV-exposed infants born in January–June 2016 and any cohort infant diagnosed as HIV-infected at birth or six weeks were included. The median TAT from blood draw to caregiver result …

Risk Of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Among Dabigatran Users – A Self Controlled Case Series Analysis, Wenze Tang, Hsien-Yen Chang, Meijia Zhou, Sonal Singh

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

This article aims to evaluate the real world risk of gastrointestinal bleeding among users naïve to dabigatran. We adopted a self-controlled case series design. We sampled 1215 eligible adult participants who were continuous insured users between July 1, 2010 and March 31, 2012 with use of dabigatran and at least one gastrointestinal bleeding episode. We used a conditional Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios. The population consisted of 64.69% of male and 60.25% patients equal to or greater than age 65 at start of observation. After adjustment for time-variant confounders, the incidence rate of gastrointestinal bleeding was similar during …

Willingness Of Community-Recruited Men Who Have Sex With Men In Washington, Dc To Use Long-Acting Injectable Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis., Matthew E Levy, Rudy Patrick, Jonjelyn Gamble, Anthony Rawls, Jenevieve Opoku, Manya Magnus, Michael Kharfen, Alan E Greenberg, Irene Kuo

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Objectives

Clinical trials are currently investigating the safety and efficacy of long-acting injectable (LAI) agents as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Using National HIV Behavioral Surveillance data, we assessed the self-reported willingness of men who have sex with men (MSM) to use LAI PrEP and their preference for LAI versus daily oral PrEP.

Methods

In 2014, venue-based sampling was used to recruit MSM aged ≥18 years in Washington, DC. Participants completed an interviewer-administered survey followed by voluntary HIV testing. This analysis included MSM who self-reported negative/unknown HIV status at study entry. Correlates of being “very likely” to use LAI PrEP and …

Conventional Early Infant Diagnosis In Lesotho From Specimen Collection To Results Usage To Manage Patients: Where Are The Bottlenecks?, Appolinaire Tiam, Michelle M Gill, Heather J Hoffman, Anthony Isavwa, Mafusi Mokone, Matokelo Foso, Jeffrey T Safrit, Lynne M Mofenson, Thorkild Tylleskär, Laura Guay

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Early infant diagnosis is an important step in identifying children infected with HIV during the perinatal period or in utero. Multiple factors contribute to delayed antiretroviral treatment initiation for HIV-infected children, including delays in the early infant HIV diagnosis cascade.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate early infant diagnosis turnaround times in Lesotho. Trained staff reviewed records of HIV-exposed infants (aged-6-8 weeks) who received an HIV test during 2011. Study sites were drawn from Highlands, Foothills and Lowlands regions of Lesotho. Central laboratory database data were linked to facility and laboratory register information. Turnaround time geometric means …

Conventional Early Infant Diagnosis In Lesotho From Specimen Collection To Results Usage To Manage Patients: Where Are The Bottlenecks?, Appolinaire Tiam, Michelle M Gill, Heather J Hoffman, Anthony Isavwa, Mafusi Mokone, Matokelo Foso, Jeffrey T Safrit, Lynne M Mofenson, Thorkild Tylleskär, Laura Guay

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Early infant diagnosis is an important step in identifying children infected with HIV during the perinatal period or in utero. Multiple factors contribute to delayed antiretroviral treatment initiation for HIV-infected children, including delays in the early infant HIV diagnosis cascade.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate early infant diagnosis turnaround times in Lesotho. Trained staff reviewed records of HIV-exposed infants (aged-6-8 weeks) who received an HIV test during 2011. Study sites were drawn from Highlands, Foothills and Lowlands regions of Lesotho. Central laboratory database data were linked to facility and laboratory register information. Turnaround time geometric means …