cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Potential Impact of Targeted Vaccination Strategies in Mitigating Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Outbreaks in the Healthcare Setting
Creators: name: Abdirizak, Fatima
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are two coronaviruses that have generated substantial nosocomial outbreaks. In particular, MERS continues to pose a significant threat in the Middle East since 2002.  Currently, no licensed vaccine or drug treatment is available to treat patients infected with either virus. However, there are some MERS vaccines in the preclinical stage of development. We sought to evaluate the potential impact of targeted vaccination strategies for mitigating SARS and MERS outbreaks in healthcare settings by using simple statistical methods and detailed transmission trees describing the progression of prior nosocomial outbreaks. Our proposed vaccine strategies target two groups, patients and healthcare workers, who have contributed disproportionately to transmission. We assumed vaccination coverage levels at 50% and 75%. Our study found that vaccine strategies targeting patients averted nearly 50% of MERS and SARS. Thus, considering that SARS and MERS are amplified in healthcare settings due to diagnostic delays and suboptimal infection control measures, which facilitate the generation of super-spreading events, our results suggest that implementing a vaccine deployment strategy targeting patients has the potential to substantially limit transmission in the healthcare setting.
Characteristics and Risk Behaviors of Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women Compared to Men Who Have Sex with Men – 20 U.S. Cities, 2011 and 2014
Creators: name: Shadaker, Shaun
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are heterogeneous with respect to sexual behavior. We examined differences in sexual risk behaviors and HIV protective behaviors between men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) and men who have sex with men only (MSMO). Among MSMW, we also examined associations between partner gender and disclosure of same-sex attraction to sexual risk behaviors.
Methods: Data for this analysis were from MSM who participated in National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) in 2011 and 2014. Prevalence differences comparing MSMW and MSMO were calculated for demographics and behaviors. Adjusted prevalence ratios comparing MSMW to MSMO were calculated for the outcomes condomless sex, exchange sex, testing for HIV, and disclosure of same-sex behavior.
Results: MSMW were less likely than MSMO to have condomless sex with male partners (aPR 0.77; 95%CI 0.73-0.80), to have been diagnosed with another STD (aPR 0.83; 95%CI 0.73-0.95), and to disclose their same-sex behavior to healthcare providers (aPR 0.72; 95%CI 0.69-0.76). However, MSMW were more likely than MSMO to engage in exchange sex (aPR 2.43; 95%CI 2.17-2.72) and to have ever injected drugs (aPR 2.00; 95%CI 1.76-2.28)
Conclusions: MSMW have distinctive sexual risk behaviors and could benefit from tailored interventions to reduce the prevalence of HIV in this population.
Definition and Validation of Influenza Vaccination Status:  Implications for Observational Studies of Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in an Inpatient Setting
Creators: name: Strickland, Courtney
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: INTRODUCTION: With the rise of non-traditional providers offering influenza vaccination, it is becoming more of an endeavor to obtain documentation on vaccination. Researchers are relying more on self-report of vaccination, but the accuracy of differing definitions of self-reported vaccination status in the context of inpatient vaccine effectiveness studies is not well understood.
OBJECTIVES: The first objective of this study was the assess agreement among four different definitions of self-reported influenza vaccination compared against documented influenza vaccination in a group for whom documented vaccination is expected to be available. For the definition with best agreement, enrollee characteristics were examined to assess which were associated with agreement between definitions. The second objective was to assess the effect of ten different vaccination status definitions, including variations of self-report and documented vaccination, on vaccine effectiveness (VE).
METHODS: We used data from the inpatient component of the US Flu VE Network study of VE in patients hospitalized with acute respiratory illness (ARI). Variations of self-reported vaccination status were defined and compared to documented vaccination status. Agreement was assessed using the kappa statistic of agreement and other measures of agreement. VE was measured using logistic regression controlling for certain patient demographics and illness characteristics.
RESULTS: Self-report with date had the highest percent agreement and kappa statistic (79.5%; 57.7%, 95% CI: 50.1, 65.2). Those in the oldest age groups (18-49 and ?65 years) and those influenza positive were more likely to have agreement between self-reported vaccination with date and documented vaccination status (p < 0.05 for both age group and case status). Estimated VE differed three-fold depending on definition of vaccination, with documented vaccination having the lowest VE (10%, 95% CI: -54, 48) and self-reported vaccination with date and location having the highest VE (37%, 95% CI: -10, 64).
CONCLUSION: Defining vaccination status using self-reported vaccination with date provides the most accurate classification of vaccination status. Older adults and those with lab-confirmed influenza were more accurate in their self-report of influenza vaccination. Differing definitions have an impact on estimated VE, and understanding how VE is influenced by choice of vaccination status definition is important to examine and report in studies of influenza VE.
Youth Alcohol Marketing Exposure and Sex Risk Behavior: A Social Cognitive Perspective from Uganda
Creators: name: Sangtani, Vinita
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: INTRODUCTION: Twenty four percent girls and 37.8% boys age 15-19 years were current drinkers of alcohol in Uganda in 2010 (World health organization (WHO), n.d.). Marketing of alcohol to youth in African countries, particularly Uganda, is very aggressive (DeBruijn, 2011). Consequences of this are reflected in the high consumption rates among this population. Given the high rates of HIV (4-10%), the sex risk behaviors exhibited by this population have been linked to alcohol consumption (Swahn, Ali, Palmier, Sikazwe, & Mayeya, 2011). More evidence is needed.
AIM: To demonstrate the effect of alcohol marketing exposure on alcohol consumption by adolescents in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, and the consequent effect on the number of sex partners they have.
METHODS: A mHealth survey was conducted among 12-18 year olds in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, in 2014. Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships.
RESULTS: Exposure to alcohol advertising on TV, print media, and outdoor advertising was positively related to the frequency of alcohol consumption. The relationship was mediated by cognitions favoring the advertising. Alcohol consumption in turn predicted the number of sex partners.
DISCUSSION: The double jeopardy of alcohol marketing effects on youth is demonstrated by confirming the strong positive effect on alcohol consumption, which in turn is related to sex with multiple partners. Implications for public policy and public health researchers are discussed and interventions are proposed.
Mental Health Stigma-Reducing Education: Trainee Confidence in their Ability to Demonstrate Skills
Creators: name: Barnett, Jessica
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Background: Mental health stigma-reducing and awareness trainings encourage trainees to talk about mental health with the hope that increased discussions will lead to reduced stigma and increased access to mental health services. This survey study aimed to examine the current levels of confidence among participants, or “first aiders” who completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training in their ability to demonstrate the skills that were taught in the training. Additionally, this study examined the difference in levels of confidence between the YMHFA instructors and first aiders in the ability of the first aiders to demonstrate the skills that were taught in the training. We examined differences in levels of confidence among first aiders according to their socio-demographic and personal characteristics. Finally, we explored the ways in which first aiders who completed the course used their knowledge and skills after the training.
Methods
Seven hundred fifty-seven first aider participants were surveyed post-training and 129 first aider participants were surveyed at follow-up. Fourteen YMHFA instructors were surveyed.
Results
The data indicated that there was a significant decrease in confidence among first aiders between post-training and follow-up. With the exception of age, there were no statistically significant differences in levels of confidence among first aiders according to the following sociodemographic and personal characteristics: a.) gender; b.) race; c.) reason for attendance; d.) role of use. Survey data also indicated the various ways in which first aiders are currently using their training.
Conclusions
First aiders’ confidence declined after follow-up even though they reported various ways in which they are using their training. Instructors reported positive perceptions of the training and reported a high level of confidence in the ability of their trained first aiders to demonstrate the taught skills.
A Subnational Examination of HIV/AIDS Mortality Rates in Mexico as a Function of the Social Gap Index and Multidimensional Poverty
Creators: name: Vakamudi, Harini
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Background: While Mexico has maintained a relatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS and provides universal coverage of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV/AIDS mortality rates have failed to decrease at the national level. However, national trends mask heterogeneity in HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality across states and regions, a finding which likely parallels the distribution of social and economic inequality in Mexico.

Objectives:  As HIV/AIDS mortality likely differs as a function of community social and material deprivation, I evaluated the states’ annual HIV/AIDS mortality rates in Mexican residents aged 15 and over as a function of the Social Gap Index (SGIx) for each year from 2004-2011. Additionally, I evaluated the relationship between indicators of a state’s educational attainment, healthcare deprivation, and prevalence of poverty with annual mortality rates for each year from 2004-2011.

Methods:  Using demographic information and mortality data from the Mexican Ministry of Health’s Epidemiological and Statistical Mortality System and population level measures of social and material deprivation from The National Council for Evaluation of Social Development and Policy, univariate regression analysis and Pearson correlation were conducted to examine the relationship between annual mortality rate with state level indicators of educational gap, healthcare access, and poverty. Additionally ANOVA was conducted to examine the relationship with between annual mortality rate and state SGIx. All analyses were conducted for each year from 2004-2011.

Results:  Mean annual mortality rate at the national level steadily increased from 2005 (M=3.11, SD=1.67) to 2011 (M=3.97, SD=2.32), with the greatest mortality rate in the state of Tabasco (10.45 per 100,000) in 2010. Regression analysis and Pearson correlation indicated no statistically significant relationship between annual mortality and the component variables at the state level. Similarly, the relationship between state SGIx score and annual mortality rate was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the limited predictive validity of state and population level measures in determining HIV/AIDS mortality rates. This is likely due to the concentration of HIV/AIDS among high-risk subpopulations in Mexico. Coupled with the limited effectiveness of universal HAART therapy, this suggests the need for future research which specifically samples from high-risk population groups, including men who have sex with men and female commercial sex workers.
LGB Cancer Survivors are More Likely to Participate in Risky Behaviors than Straight Cancer Survivors, United States, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2014
Creators: name: Nguyen, Thuy Hang
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Cancer registries do not collect sexual orientation in their records, leading to limited information about LGB cancer survivorship. Studies have shown that both the LGB population and the population of cancer survivors participate in risky behaviors (i.e. smoking, drinking, and being overweight/obese; sleep inadequacy among cancer survivors), but information about LGB cancer survivors is limited. 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data was used to determine if LGB cancer survivors were more likely to participate in risky behaviors than straight cancer survivors. LGB survivors were more likely to drink at least one alcoholic beverage within the past 30 days (AOR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.44-2.75), to report being an ever smoker (AOR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.12-2.25), and to binge drink (AOR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.21-3.28) than straight cancer survivors. There is a strong association between sexual orientation among cancer survivors and risky behaviors. The findings of this study concludes that risky behaviors may be detrimental to the health and survivorship of LGB cancer survivors and further research is needed to determine the association between LGB cancer survivorship, being an adolescent and young adult (AYA), and risky behavior.
An Analysis of Association between Using Solid Fuel and Anemia among Reproductive Age Women, 15-49 Years Old in Timor-Leste
Creators: name: Pinto, Venancio Soares
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Introduction: In Timor-Leste, anemia affects approximately 21% of reproductive age of women. The established risk factor for anemia is poor nutritional status, but recently solid fuel use in the household has emerged as a possible risk factors. The association between
solid fuel and anemia has been studied in children and pregnant women, but there hasn’t been a study conducted to find the association among all reproductive age women from 15-49 years old.
Aim: The objective of this study is to determine if use of solid fuels (charcoal, wood, and straw/shrubs/grass) compared to cleaner fuels (electricity, LPG. natural gas, biogas, and kerosene) associated with the increasing of the prevalence of anemia among reproductive age women (15-49 years old) in Timor-Leste.
Methods: This study used data from the Timor-Leste Demographic Health Survey (TLDHS) 2009-2010. The data used was based on the individual level within household from 13 districts in Timor-Leste. Bivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess associations between each independent variable (type of fuels, age group, BMI group, residence, wealth index, education level and smoking behavior) and the outcome variable (anemia) and mutlivariable logistic regression model was also performed with significant covariates.
Results: The association based on the type of fuels showed that the odds ratio for anemia in women using solid fuels was 1.73 (OR: 95% CI: 1.49 - 2.01) compared to the women using cleaner fuels. After adjustment for other covariates, the odds ratio for anemia in women that use solid fuels was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.29-1.64) compared to women using cleaner fuels.
Discussion: Based on our study population, this study found that reproductive age women 15-49 years old in Timor-Leste who used solid fuel as a source of energy for cooking or heating activities in the household were at higher risk for anemia.
Learning management guidelines for social studies to promote human rights in a democratic society
Creators: name: Phinla, Wipada
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 390102
subject: Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development

description: Thailand is ruled by majority democratic vote but the majority could lead to illegitimate authority of a large group of people’s desires due to the principle of democratic legitimacy. Respect for human rights is fundamental to democracy in listening to different aspects of equality and justices. Therefore, the proposed solution - diversity of opinion by peaceful means - should be molded into the body of knowledge on human rights in social studies within a democratic society. Teachers are a key mechanism in the preparation of people to become effective citizens. Learners need to be trained to recognize their similarities and differences related to other people. When people cease to respect each other, they may cause the infringement of others’ rights and freedom. Our approach can make the students peacefully live with democratic rights and coexist with other people.
Georgia State University Graduate Students' Health Insurance
Creators: name: Dongchung, Tenzin
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess Georgia State University (GSU) graduate students’ healthcare and health insurance knowledge, attitudes, and experiences, particularly among the international graduate students.
Methods:  Data were collected from a web-based and paper-based survey administered to GSU graduate students who were willing and consented to participate. Participants were asked about: (1) current health insurance, (2) health care use, experiences, and knowledge, (3) GSU student health center experiences and use, and (4) demographic information.
Results: Approximately 98% of the respondents reported having some type of health insurance and the majority of the respondents (72%) reported that they are in very good health. Overall, health insurance-related knowledge was relatively poor among both the U.S. citizens and international students, though, U.S. citizens demonstrated better knowledge of health insurance terms compared to the international students. Knowledge about the GSU health insurance and coverage, specifically, was alarmingly poor, particularly among GSU-insured international students. About 73% of the respondents reported that they do not anticipated using GSU health services in the upcoming year.
Conclusion: GSU graduate students’ health insurance knowledge is relatively poor, particularly among the international students. It is essential that students better understand health insurance terms and benefits so that they can make more informed health care decisions.
Appraisal of quality and analysis of the similarities and differences between osteoarthritis Clinical Practice Guideline recommendations: A systematic review
Creators: name: Gray, Bimbi
name: Gibbs, Alison
name: Bowden, Jocelyn L
name: Eyles, Jillian P
name: Grace, Sandra
name: Bennell, Kim
name: Geenen, Rinie
name: Kolasinski, Sharon
name: Barton, Christian
name: Conaghan, Philip G
name: McAlindon, Timothy
name: Bruyere, Olivier
name: Géczy, Quentin
name: Hunter, David J
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 4207
subject: Sports science and exercise
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Objective: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) aim to support management of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), but recommendations are often conflicting and implementation is poor, contributing to evidence-to-practice gaps. This systematic review investigated the contextual and methodological factors contributing to conflicting recommendations for hip and knee OA. Method: Our systematic review appraised CPGs for managing hip and knee OA in adults ≥18 years (PROSPERO CRD42021276635). We used AGREE-II and AGREE-REX to assess quality and extracted data on treatment gaps, conflicts, biases, and consensus. Heterogeneity of recommendations was determined using Weighted Fleiss Kappa (K). The relationship between (K) and AGREE-II/AGREE-REX scores was explored. Results: We identified 25 CPGs across eight countries and four international organisations. The ACR, EULAR, NICE, OARSI and RACGP guidelines scored highest for overall AGREE-II quality (83%). The highest overall AGREE-REX scores were for BMJ Arthroscopy (80%), RACGP (78%) and NICE (76%). CPGs with the least agreement for pharmacological recommendations were ESCEO and NICE (−0.14), ACR (−0.08), and RACGP (−0.01). The highest agreements were between RACGP and NICE (0.53), RACGP and ACR (0.61), and NICE and ACR (0.91). Decreased internal validity determined by low-quality AGREE scores(<60%) in editorial independence were associated with less agreement for pharmacological recommendations. Conclusion: There were associations between guideline quality and agreement scores. Future guideline development should be informed by robust evidence, editorial independence and methodological rigour to ensure a harmonisation of recommendations. End-users of CPGs must recognise the contextual factors associated with the development of OA CPGs and balance these factors with available evidence.
Associations between Multi-Level Contextual Factors and Mental Health Service Utilization in Adolescents with Comorbid Depression and Substance-use: Moderating Role of School Connectedness on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Service Utilization
Creators: name: Thornton, Katherine
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: INTRODUCTION: Comorbid depression and substance-use has been a prevalent issue in adolescent health. Although rates have remained relatively stable their presence is still alarming and efforts to see a decrease have led leaders and organizations to call for research to better understand factors related to both depression and substance-use as well as how these factors may change when focusing on the presence of these disorders together.
AIM: The primary aim of this study is to better understand the contextual factors related to mental health care utilization in comorbid adolescents. Specifically focus will be directed to better understand how and individual’s relationship to their school and teachers may relate to mental health care use and whether or not increased school attachment could reduce disparities present in mental health care use.
METHODS: Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was utilized to test the research objectives for this study. The NSDUH is an on-going cross-sectional survey of the civilian and non- institutionalized population of the United States. In order to address the research aims multi-level logistic regression procedures were used to determine the relationship between mental health care utilization and research measures in adolescents with comorbid depression and substance-use.
RESULTS: Multi-level modeling showed that the model that controlled for individual-level and family-level factors was able to best predict mental health care use (model 4, -2LL=945,303, p > > 0.001). In addition, school attachment was shown to be positively associated with mental health care use in all models tested, including the best-fit model selected (OR=2.18 (95% CI 2.13, 2.22). Other contextual factors that were significantly associated with mental health care use were gender (OR=1.92 (95% CI 1.88, 1.94)), parental attachment (OR=1.72 (95% CI 1.70, 1.74)), and poverty (OR=1.59 (95% CI 1.58, 1.62)). In addition, the school attachment and race/ethnicity interaction term was found to be significant with an odds ratio of 3.02 (95% CI 2.96, 3.22).
DISCUSSION: This research has shown the importance of contextual factors, specifically the school environment, on the service-use of comorbid adolescents. Particularly interesting in the world of mental health prevention is the use of schools as key coordinators in providing specialty mental health services to adolescents who need them especially for those who suffer from service-use disparities.
Cross-sectional Examination of U.S. Gun Ownership and Support for Gun Control Measures: Socio-demographic, Geographic, and Political Associations Explored
Creators: name: Anderson, Lynne
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: Background: Gun violence in the United States is a public health threat without global parallel. Gun-related injury, disability, and death impact vulnerable populations disproportionately; women and youth, residents of impoverished cities and communities, and black males are most frequently the victims-which starkly contracts sociodemographic patterns associated with owners of guns. The purpose of the study is to determine associations between gun control policy support and sociodemographic characteristics, geographic region, and political views among gun owners in the US.
Methods: Cross-sectional national data pooled from 3 waves of the biennial General Social Survey administered from 2010 to 2014 were utilized to examine sociodemographic, geographic, and attitudinal differences among respondents who responded positively that they owned a personal firearm (N=2990). The main outcome measure included favor towards gun sale restrictions. Prevalence of gun ownership and support of gun control policy was examined calculated by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, region of residence, and political views. Prevalence ratios and 95 percent confidence intervals were calculated based on logistic regression models.
Results: An estimated 33.5 percent of U.S. adults reported owning a gun while 73.3 percent were in favor of laws requiring a person to obtain a police permit before purchasing a gun. After adjusting for significant study variables, adults 65 of age or older, male, non-Hispanic white, earning $35,000 or more, residing in the Midwest or South, and with Conservative political views were more likely to own a gun than their respective counterparts. Additional characteristics that were found to be significantly associated in favor of permit laws before gun purchase included females, Non-Hispanic Black/Other, Hispanic, college graduates, residing in the Northeast, and siding with liberal political views.
Conclusions: The result of this investigation reveal characteristics among gun owners that are associated with support for gun restriction laws. Public health professionals can utilize these findings to development more tailored, culturally-sensitive gun violence prevention advocacy campaigns and outreach efforts.
Prevalence and Odds of Serious Mental Illness among Homeless LGBT Youth and Young Adults in Atlanta
Creators: name: Hopper, Rachel
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: INTRODUCTION: National estimates of young people who experience homelessness vary, but the numbers are large. Among those numbers, a significantly high percentage of homeless youths identify as LGBT. Additionally, LGBT youth are at higher risk of increased mental health risks than heterosexual youth. Further understanding of this occurrence among the homeless youth population is important in policy and program planning and implementation.

AIM: To examine the relationship between serious mental illness (SMI) and sex at birth, race/ethnicity, and sexual minority status in homeless youth.

METHODS: Homeless youths, both heterosexual and self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBT), aged 14-25, were recruited via convenience sampling to be part of the Atlanta Youth Count and Needs Assessment in summer of 2015.

RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that SMI occurs in females 1.445 times its occurrence in males, adjusted for race/ethnicity and being lesbian/gay, bisexual or transgender (P=0.0478, 95% CI=1.004, 2.081). Serious mental illness is also 2.196 times more likely in transgender groups than in lesbian/gay and bisexual groups, adjusted for sex at birth and race/ethnicity (P=0.0284, 95% CI=1.085, 4.334).

DISCUSSION: With regards to research questions, there were no differences between homeless LGBT and homeless non-LGBT youth in regards to SMI, unlike previous literature. Consistent with previous literature, there was a difference between the transgender group and the LGB groups in regards to SMI. Also hypothesized, being born female and being transgender was associated with higher likelihood of SMI, as with previous literature. However, being bisexual was not associated with higher likelihood of SMI, unlike previous literature.
Mother-daughter concordance in putamen response to loss as a mechanism underlying the intergenerational transmission of depression
Creators: name: Ellwood-Lowe, Monica E.
name: Schouboe, Sophie N. F.
name: Colich, Natalie L.
name: Ho, Tiffany C.
name: Gotlib, Ian H.
Publisher: name: F1000Research
Year: 2016

description: Background: Maternal history of depression increases the risk that daughters will develop depression, although the mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of this increased risk are not well understood. In this context, researchers have documented structural neural concordance between mothers and daughters in patterns of cortical thickness and volumes of corticolimbic gray matter (Foland-Ross et al., 2016; Yamagata et al., 2016). In this study we used fMRI to investigate mother-daughter functional neural concordance during anticipation of reward gain and loss.

Conclusions: This is the first demonstration of neural functional concordance between depressed mothers and their daughters. These findings may have important implications for understanding the intergenerational transmission of depression, highlighting the putamen as a possible region of susceptibility for the development of disorder in daughters of depressed mothers.
Activation of dopamine 1 receptors in human neuronal-like cells transdifferentiated from blood circulating monocytes replicates findings from in vivo studies
Creators: name: AR Lescallette
name: M Valente
name: J Matricon
name: R Gardette
name: S Seung-Kwon
name: MT Strassnig
name: EFH Saunders
name: T Jay
name: MO Krebs
name: A Hosmalin
name: V Feuillet
name: A Bellon
Publisher: name: F1000Research
Year: 2016

description: During brain development, dopamine regulates the outgrowth and retraction of neuronal extensions even before synaptic transmission occurs. Numerous studies in vivo and in vitro have shown that activation of the dopamine 1 receptor (D1R) results in retraction of the neuropil. Considering that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental illness in which dopamine appears to participate it is thus possible that dopamine’s effects on the neuronal structure could be related to this illness pathophysiology.
Unsafe Abortion, Its Determinants and Associated Factors: The Case of Malawi. A Systematic Literature Review.
Creators: name: Mkulichi, Alexander
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: INTRODUCTION: Unsafe abortion is a public health problem globally, but disproportionately affects the developing world. Interventions aimed at addressing the determinants and risk factors of unsafe abortion have proven to be effective in the reduction of unsafe abortion-related maternal mortality. Identification of determinants of unsafe abortion is important in intervention planning and implementation.

AIM: To determine whether religion, marital status and mother’s level of education are related to unsafe abortion practices in Malawi, and find which categories are associated with reduction rates in seeking unsafe abortion.

METHODS: Relevant online publications were identified from selected databases, then critically appraised. Study methodologies as well as reported data were examined with focus on post-abortion care (PAC) mother’s marital status, education and religion.

RESULTS: Majority of studies were cross-sectional and hospital-based. The largest proportion of PAC mothers were married, educated and Christians. Educated mothers, single or unmarried mothers are more likely to seek unsafe abortion.

DISCUSSION: Health facility and community level stigma deters unmarried women from accessing contraception and PAC services. Increased number of unsafe abortion among educated mothers (most of whom were current students) than their counterparts could be explained by the desire to remain in school. These findings could also be attributed to improved health-seeking behavior among this group in comparison with the uneducated who may not have sought care. The role of religion in influencing the likelihood of seeking unsafe abortion has not been studied in Malawi.
CONCLUSION: Complications of unsafe abortion includes heavy bleeding, infection, reproductive tract injury, and death. Abortion-related deaths account for about 23.5% of all maternal deaths in Malawi. The single or unmarried, and educated (attained at least primary education) Malawian women are more likely to have unwanted pregnancy and subsequent unsafe abortion than their counterparts.
Comparison of capillary and venous plasma drug concentrations after repeated administration of Aripiprazole, Olanzapine, Risperidone, Paliperidone or Quetiapine
Creators: name: Remmerie, Bart
name: Meulder, Marc De
name: Ariyawansa, Jay
name: Savitz, Adam
Publisher: name: F1000Research
Year: 2016

description: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has proven useful to optimize the risk/benefit balance of some drugs, in particular drugs with a narrow safety margin, a narrow therapeutic concentration window, or with high inter-individual variation in systemic clearance. Classic TDM is considered less useful in treatment with antipsychotics because of the high inter-individual variation in the concentration-response relationship. However, poor adherence to antipsychotic treatment is a major challenge, particularly in chronic disorders like schizophrenia.Therefore, TDM of antipsychotics, particularly at the point-of-care (POC), may be helpful for physicians in clinical decision-making by helping them to dissociate true non-response from non-adherence as reasons for poor response. For POC testing, fingerstick-based capillary sampling may be an easier and patient-preferred alternative to venous sampling, provided that both are well correlated.

The purpose of this study is to compare fingerstick-based capillary and corresponding venous plasma concentrations for selected antipsychotics and their major metabolites.
Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children:  A Comparison of Two Factor Extraction Methods
Creators: name: Lewis, Rayleen
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: INTRODUCTION:  Assessment tools that demonstrate adequate construct validity are needed to identify youth at risk of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) so these at risk youth can be referred to appropriate resources such as counseling. Research on the construct validity of instruments designed to measure PTSS have not shown a consistent factor structure of PTSS. Furthermore, the factor structure of PTSS measured using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), a widely used instrument, have only been studied using principal component analysis (PCA), a data reduction technique, rather than exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a factor analytic technique.

AIM: The present study aims to 1) evaluate the construct validity of the TSCC using EFA, and 2) demonstrate differences in factor solutions extracted using EFA and PCA.
 
METHODS: A secondary data analysis was conducted on a sample of 121 adolescents exposed to community violence in a mid-sized southern city. Two factor analyses were conducted on the sample using EFA and PCA.
 
RESULTS:  Using EFA, PTSS measured by the TSCC demonstrated a three factor structure. The factors were named the Posttraumatic Stress factor, Fear factor, and Sexual Concerns factor. Using PCA, five less interpretable components were extracted.
 
DISCUSSION: The factor structure of PTSS measured by the TSCC differed from currently proposed factor solutions in the PTSS literature, lending evidence that more EFA work is necessary to determine the factor structure of PTSS. As expected, there were also differences between the factor solutions produced using the two different analytic techniques. Future research is needed to confirm this factor solution in larger, more diverse samples.
Samoyeds: Accelerating MoE Models with Structured Sparsity Leveraging Sparse Tensor Cores
Creators: name: Wu, Chenpeng
name: Gu, Qiqi
name: Shi, Heng
name: Yao, Jianguo
name: Guan, Haibing
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing (cs.DC)
subject: Operating Systems (cs.OS)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: The escalating size of Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) based Large Language Models (LLMs) presents significant computational and memory challenges, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance efficiency without compromising model accuracy. Structured sparsity emerges as a compelling strategy to address these challenges by leveraging the emerging sparse computing hardware. Prior works mainly focus on the sparsity in model parameters, neglecting the inherent sparse patterns in activations. This oversight can lead to additional computational costs associated with activations, potentially resulting in suboptimal performance.
 This paper presents Samoyeds, an innovative acceleration system for MoE LLMs utilizing Sparse Tensor Cores (SpTCs). Samoyeds is the first to apply sparsity simultaneously to both activations and model parameters. It introduces a bespoke sparse data format tailored for MoE computation and develops a specialized sparse-sparse matrix multiplication kernel. Furthermore, Samoyeds incorporates systematic optimizations specifically designed for the execution of dual-side structured sparse MoE LLMs on SpTCs, further enhancing system performance. Evaluations show that Samoyeds outperforms SOTA works by up to 1.99$\times$ at the kernel level and 1.58$\times$ at the model level. Moreover, it enhances memory efficiency, increasing maximum supported batch sizes by 4.41$\times$ on average. Additionally, Samoyeds surpasses existing SOTA structured sparse solutions in both model accuracy and hardware portability.
Cattle Gut Microbe Series: Truperella pyogenes
Creators: name: Myer, Phillip
name: Mason, Katie M.
name: Ault-Seay, Taylor B.
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 309999
subject: Other agricultural, veterinary and food sciences not elsewhere classified

description: This publication in the Cattle Gut Microbes Series will introduce and discuss microbes, or groups of microbes, that are important to cattle production.
Community Stigma and Discrimination Against Persons Living With HIV/AIDS in Kenya
Creators: name: Muthoni, Catherine
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2016

description: Introduction: HIV/AIDS is a significant public health problem. An estimated 36.7 million people in the world are living with HIV/AIDS, and the largest burden of HIV/AIDS is in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 25.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for approximately 70% of the people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide. The purpose of this study is to examine associated factors among persons who exhibit stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya.
Methods:  Secondary data with a probability sample of 11,909 participants who took part in the 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic Health Survey were analyzed. Logistic regression models and ordinal logistic regression models were conducted to examine associated factors among persons who exhibit stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. The factors examined included age, sex, education, wealth quintile, marital status, literacy, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission. All analyses accounted for complex sampling design. All analyses were performed using SAS 9.4. Results
Overall, the majority (74%) of respondents indicated that they were willing to buy vegetables from a vendor with HIV/AIDS, and the majority (96%) reported that they would be willing to care for family members with AIDS. Approximately 51.6% of persons with primary education (95%CI: 50.4-52.9) were willing to care for a family member with AIDS in the household compared to 5.4% persons with no education (95% CI: 0.2-4.9). Primary education was significantly associated with being willing to buy vegetables from a vendor with HIV/AIDS (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 2.9-4.2) compared to no education. Persons in the “richest” wealth index (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.9-3.4) were more likely to report that a female teacher with AIDS should be allowed to teach, compared to persons in the poorer wealth index. No association was detected between marital status and exhibiting stigma and discrimination. Persons with correct perceptions of HIV exhibited lower levels of stigma and discrimination compared to persons with incorrect perceptions of HIV.
Conclusion:
These findings highlight the importance of educating individuals and communities on the risks of stigmatizing attitudes toward PLWHA. Education may promote acceptance and understanding, which may ultimately affect people’s attitudes, behaviors and opinions towards PLWHA.
Learning management of social studies teachers in the development of creative problem solving for learners in the 21st century
Creators: name: Phinla, Wipada
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 390102
subject: Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development

description: Today’s global society is reflected in technological advances, complicated communications and quick and convenient access to information. To cope with such advancement, the learning management for learners in the 21st century requires the instillation in individuals to possess a higher level of thinking ability, make appropriate social adjustment and know how to solve the problem faced with situations in daily life. Solving the problem creatively is an ability that is essential for the development of children and youth of the nation. This is due to the fact that various organizations require individuals who are creative to improve the work in accordance with each aspect of problems effectively and select the best option in solving the problems creatively. However, creative problem solving can be trained by social studies teachers providing the learning process through the content in the lessons with step by step and in a systematic way.
The Association Between a History of Prior Experience with Meditation and the Prevalence of Chronic Health Conditions: Evidence from the 2012 NHIS.
Creators: name: Smith, Morgan
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has grown in popularity since the 1990’s. One possible explanation is the Western medicine’s inability to adequately treat pain and chronic diseases. Hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity each pose significant public health challenges, and effective treatment requires lifestyle modification. Meditation, by attenuating the body’s stress response, may positively impact a wide range of chronic health concerns. However, research on meditation has been mixed and is often criticized for methodological shortcomings. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) most recently included questions about CAM in 2012. NHIS-based research describes differences in both CAM utilization and the prevalence of chronic health outcomes by region.
We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2012 NHIS data to test our hypothesis of a negative association between ever having meditated and select chronic health outcomes. Due to software limitations we conducted separate analyses to account for the complex sampling and multilevel data structure with clustering of observations by region. Hypertension and meditation were not associated in the weighted logistic (OR=1.05 (95%CI= (0.91, 1.22)] or the unweighted marginal (OR=1.00 95%CI= (0.85, 1.18)] adjusted models. High cholesterol was positively associated with ever having meditated in both the weighted logistic (OR=1.27, 95%CI= (1.11, 1.46)] and unweighted marginal (OR=1.23, 95%CI= (1.17, 1.28)] adjusted models. Diabetes was not associated with ever having meditated in the weighted adjusted logistic model (OR=0.81, 95%CI= (0.62, 1.07)]. However, a negative association with meditation was found in the unweighted adjusted marginal (OR=0.81, 95%CI= (0.70, 0.95)] model. The association of meditation with BMI was negative in all models.
Understanding the Role Street Medicine Programs Play in the Career Trajectories of Student Volunteers Who Choose to Work with Underserved Populations
Creators: name: Smith-Graham, Sydney
Publisher: name: Georgia State University
Year: 2017

description: INTRODUCTION: Street medicine programs utilize a nontraditional healthcare model to provide care to populations experiencing homelessness. Through street medicine programs, clinicians take to the streets to offer services to individuals who are living unsheltered. Many street medicine programs offer health professional students the opportunity to volunteer and provide care to this vulnerable population.
AIM: This exploratory study aimed to answer the following question: what influence does volunteering with a street medicine program have on the career trajectories of student volunteers who ultimately choose to work with medically underserved populations (MUPs)?
METHODS: This study used an exploratory mixed methods approach to answering the research question. The core ideas that emerged from the qualitative data collected from street medicine student volunteers were used to inform the development of a web-based survey administered to a broader, national sample of street medicine student volunteers. The survey included closed- and opened- ended questions, as well as demographic questions. The Health Professionals’ Attitude Towards the Homeless Inventory (HPATHI; Buck et al., 2005) questionnaire was embedded into the survey to measure students’ attitudes towards the population experiencing homelessness before and after volunteering with a street medicine program.
RESULTS: The results suggested that 15 (65.22%) of the 23 participants who completed the web-based survey reported that volunteering with a street medicine program influenced their decision to ultimately work with MUPs. Of the 19 participants who provided qualitative feedback, 7 (36.84%) mentioned that their decision to work with MUPs was influenced by their increased exposure and awareness to the barriers and needs of MUPs while volunteering with a street medicine program. Additionally, 6 (31.58%) participants mentioned that their previous decision to work with MUPs was reinforced while volunteering with a street medicine program.
CONCLUSION: Volunteering with a street medicine program appears to help motivate students to work with MUPs. Incorporating opportunities to volunteer with a street medicine program into current health professional school curriculum has the potential to impact a greater network of students, as well as influence decisions regarding the students’ careers.