University at Albany, State University of New York
University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY): Scholars ArchiveNot a member yet
6197 research outputs found
Sort by
Polygenic Risk Scores of Grip Strength in Men and Women with or at Risk for HIV
No full textBackground: Adequate hand function among older adults is necessary for the successful completion of activities of daily living and can affect whether an older adult is able to live independently. Current research highlights grip strength, the strength people have in their hands, as a robust predictor of morbidity and mortality, and explores the decline in grip strength over time. A person’s family history and genes (DNA) affect how much grip strength they have. Previous studies have identified genes that affect grip strength, mainly in European ancestry populations. In this study, we examined whether these genetic elements predict grip strength in a multiracial United States (US) cohort study of people living with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and if this association is influenced by HIV status.
Methods: We used demographic, clinical and genetic data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). In both MACS and WIHS participants, grip strength was measured using a Jamar® hydraulic handheld dynamometer, with 3 trials at each visit. The maximum of the 3 trials was used as the grip strength phenotype variable. Using grip strength influencing genetic variants, specifically Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), identified in previous studies, we created polygenic risk scores (PRS) that combined information from multiple SNPs into a single metric. We conducted cross-sectional analyses using a single grip strength measurement and repeated measures analysis using multiple grip strength measurements in each participant to study their association with the PRS. We also tested for associations of individual genes with grip strength, and any differences by HIV status. All analyses were conducted separately in men and women due to differences in sociodemographic characteristics beyond sex (e.g., race, ethnicity, education, income) and protocol differences with grip strength measurement frequency (semiannual in MACS, annual in WIHS).
Results: We observed significant associations between PRS of grip strength and continuous grip strength in MACS men older than 50 years of age in the combined group of HIV + and HIV- participants, when adjusted for 10 principal components of ancestry (PCs) and HIV in both cross-sectional (β =0.09, standard error (se) =0.03, p-value = 0.01) and in repeated measures (β =0.06, se =0.02, p-value = 0.03) analyses. We also observed significant associations in seronegative men older than 50 years in cross-sectional analysis (β =0.12, se =0.05, p-value = 0.01) and in HIV-positive men older than 50 years in repeated measures analysis (β =0.08, se =0.03, p-value = 0.04). No effect modification by HIV status was seen in the MACS cohort. There were no significant associations observed in the WIHS cohort in any analysis.
Conclusion: PRS of grip strength with SNPs derived from European ancestry populations were associated with continuous grip strength in men older than 50 years from the MACS cohort, regardless of the HIV status. This study demonstrates that PRS of grip strength developed for the general population could predict grip strength in people with HIV. PRS of grip strength may help identify low grip strength and support the design of interventions to promote healthy aging among people with or at risk for HIV
Opting Out: Over-alerting and Warning Fatigue in the era of Wireless Emergency Alerts
Get PDFWhile warning fatigue is commonly described among emergency management practitioners as a problem due to over-alerting, which leads to opting out, there has been limited research to define these concepts in a systematic manner that can inform policymaking around public alerting strategies, especially as they relate to Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). In this study, we draw from semi-structured interviews with emergency managers and open-ended responses from surveys with emergency managers and members of the public, to develop definitions of “over-alerting” and “warning fatigue” and to identify the conditions that cause the public to “opt out” of WEA messages. We conduct thematic content analyses to identify the dimensions of each concept, showing how they are represented by a variety of factors. We find that the antecedents to warning fatigue include alert frequency, relevancy, and message content; symptoms of warning fatigue comprise mental strain, emotional and physiological stress, and evaluative fatigue; the consequences of warning fatigue are threefold, including desensitization, complaining, and opting out. By identifying the dimensions and factors that comprise warning fatigue, it becomes possible to determine what the true drivers are that affect decisions to turn off or tune out emergency alerts
Investigating RNA Dysfunction of Inherited Neuromuscular and Neurodevelopmental Disease
Get PDFITPase deficiency is a rare but fatal, autosomal recessive enzyme deficiency involving encephalopathy, microcephaly, congenital cataracts, hypotonia, developmental delay, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Within a decade since the original description of the severe form in humans, there are huge gaps in the field regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms driving pathogenesis resulting from ITPase deficiency. Past studies have focused on characterization of the organism level ITPase-deficient phenotype, but the molecular and cellular characterization remains to be fully described. Due to the biochemical function and established biological role of the ITPase enzyme, investigation into the consequences of inosine accumulation and misincorporation into RNA represents a promising research avenue. To address the open questions, I used RNA sequencing approaches to determine base pair preferences and establish a stochastic model of inosine misincorporation. I determined the molecular effects of this inosine misincorporation on the fate of RNA containing inosine. I tested the molecular and cellular responses to introduction of inosine-containing RNAs and how these responses are tied to inosine levels. Specifically, I uncovered that inosine misincorporation into mRNA leads to translation disruption and basic activation of the integrated stress response with an innate immune gene expression signature. I identified factors that respond to inosine levels and/or activate the ISR including protein kinase R (PKR) in cellular models of ITPase deficiency. Beyond the functional, mechanistic investigation, I also characterized the transcriptomes of several model systems of ITPase deficiency currently in use with modern RNA sequencing techniques. The majority of the work presented in the dissertation pertains to severe ITPase deficiency reflecting the collective time spent on the subject. As a secondary project, I contributed to a study on myotonic dystrophy type 1, a multisystemic disease and the most common adult muscular dystrophy, that is featured here as part of the dissertation. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 or DM1 is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by excessive CTG repeats in the 3’UTR of the DMPK gene that leads to production of toxic CUG RNA. These toxic CUG RNAs sequester the muscleblind-like (MBNL) family of alternative splicing regulators leading to global spliceopathy that is linked to the various symptoms of disease. I was involved in a genome-scale screen for modifiers of toxic CUG RNA, leading to the identification of core components of the spliceosome including SNRPD2. My contribution was in characterizing transcriptomic changes resulting from altered SNRPD2 levels in control and DM1 patient cells using RNA sequencing. Taken together, my thesis uncovers novel RNA dysfunction processes underlying inherited neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular disease
Reproductive Justice: People Matter! History Matters! Places Matter!
Get PDFResearch has established that racial disparities in contraceptive use exist in the United States with African American women being more likely than white women to report using a contraceptive method associated with lower efficacy or no contraception at all. Several factors have been suggested to explain low uptake of highly effective forms of contraception and disparities including cost, systemic racism, negative attitudes, and cultural mistrust stemming from the history of medical racism. However, the lived experiences of rural African American Southern women are underrepresented in contraceptive research. Utilizing mixed methods, this study explores the contraceptive experiences of 14 rural African American women in northeastern North Carolina. Through data analysis, I identified a contraceptive decision-making pattern shared between the women. Data analysis also revealed negative attitudes of different forms of contraceptives. Ultimately, this research sheds light on several factors influential in African American women\u27s contraceptive behaviors
The Complete Message is the Best Message: The Case for Standardizing Wireless Emergency Alerts
Get PDFStandardized messaging for alerts and warnings has been made possible through the use of the Warning Lexicon and workflow. The effectiveness of this approach to motivate protective action behaviors, in comparison with the current standard of practice, has not yet been tested. Using an experimental design to test the effectiveness of the Warning Lexicon, we tested three message types for five hazards: blackouts, law enforcement incidents, infectious diseases, heavy snow, and chemical releases, and found that messages created using the Warning Lexicon contents and workflow produced better messaging outcomes than the current standard of practice. Specifically, participants who received the standardized Warning Lexicon message had higher levels of understanding, belief, and self-efficacy than those who received an incomplete or complete standard of practice message. The implications of this research are clear: alerting authorities should write complete messages following a standardized format to maximize positive outcomes for message receivers
The Developmental Impact of Childhood Abuse: Heart Rate Variability, Adult Psychopathology, and the Protective Role of Social Engagement
Get PDFChildhood abuse is a prevalent experience that can have a profound impact on health and well-being. Extensive literature has linked childhood abuse to an elevated risk of psychopathology, including suicidality and substance use. Recent neuroimaging and psychophysiological research suggest that childhood abuse may influence the development of the body’s stress response systems. Exposure to chronic and uncontrollable stress, such as childhood abuse, has been implicated in the dysregulation of neural circuits that govern autonomic control and emotion regulation. This study examined resting high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) as an index of physiological regulation and its associations with adult mental health outcomes in the context of childhood abuse. Given the developmental nature of stress response system maturation, the timing of abuse exposure was also examined. The sample included Black American birthing people, a population disproportionately impacted by early life adversity and underrepresented in psychophysiological research. This study tested whether cumulative and developmentally timed childhood abuse were associated with adult mental health through resting HF-HRV, and whether childhood social engagement moderated these associations. As hypothesized, cumulative abuse and abuse during adolescence were each inversely associated with adult mental health. However, childhood abuse was not significantly associated with resting HF-HRV, and HF-HRV did not mediate the associations between abuse and mental health at any time point. A significant interaction emerged, where social engagement in early childhood moderated the relationship between early abuse and adult mental health. Specifically, higher levels of social engagement reduced the negative impact of abuse on adult mental health. These findings highlight the importance of developmental timing in understanding the long-term impacts of childhood abuse and suggest that early childhood social engagement may represent a potential point of intervention for resilience-promoting efforts
Risk Factors for Executive Functioning Development in Preschool Children with Type 1 Diabetes
Get PDFLinks between Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and decreased cognitive functioning in children are well documented, but research on executive functioning (EF) in this population is more limited. Multiple T1D-related risk factors (e.g., hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, glycemic variability, diabetic ketoacidosis) for EF have been established throughout the literature, but their individual effects have been difficult to determine given their interrelated nature. In result, cumulative risk has been proposed as a more robust predictor of EF differences in children with T1D. Moreover, despite the importance of early T1D onset as a risk factor for EF impairment, no studies have previously investigated EF in preschool-aged children, specifically. The current study addressed these gaps in the literature by, first, examining differences in EF scores between a group of preschool children aged 2-6 years old with T1D and a group without T1D. Second, individual and cumulative effects of T1D-related risk factors on EF among preschoolers with T1D were considered. A sample of 32 children (n=16 with T1D and n=15 without T1D) and their parents completed EF tasks and parent-report questionnaires; information about T1D management, including HbA1c, glycemic variability, and history of complications, was abstracted from medical records. We found that EF in preschoolers with T1D was similar to same-aged peers without T1D. Moreover, in the current sample, overall EF performance was unaffected by history of T1D complications, including DKA episodes, HbA1c, and glycemic variability. These results suggest that some young children may be protected from the effects of T1D on EF and highlight the need for early intervention and monitoring
Limitations of the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh Gust Algorithm
Get PDFABSTRACT:
Accurate wind and gust forecasts are crucial in operational meteorology, yet there is a distinct gap in the literature regarding the verification of operational gust forecasts. In the present work, we assess the performance of the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh\u27s (HRRR) gust potential, verifying it against the Automated Surface Observing System\u27s (ASOS) observed gusts across the Continental United States (CONUS). The HRRR gust\u27s diurnal cycle reveals a significant underprediction of the gust during daylight hours and a slight overprediction of the gust during hours of darkness. The daytime underprediction undermines the assumption that forecasts represent a potential that tends to overpredict the gust.
These underpredictions result from the gust algorithm\u27s failure to appropriately respond to surface roughness and dominant land-use type. Each vegetation type, including its associated surface roughness, is found to have a distinct relationship with the observed gust that is not reflected in the forecasts. We also question the gust algorithm\u27s reliance on planetary boundary layer (PBL) diagnostics. It is found that no relationship exists between the predicted PBL height and that of the forecast gust while one does exist with the observed gust. We also consider possible replacements or additions to the PBL diagnostics, such as sensible heat flux and surface lapse rate. Both predicted sensible heat fluxes and unstable lapse rates have a moderate negative correlation with gust forecast bias, suggesting they have information that can be used to improve the algorithm. The result of this work is an understanding of the limitations of the current algorithm so that a new and better one can be implemented
Reassurance after Abandonment: Alliance Politics after Alliances End
Get PDFThis dissertation examines how major powers respond after pursuing abandonment policies, with particular attention to whether and how they seek to reassure their clients. Drawing from the literatures on reputation, alliance politics, and international credibility, it develops the theory of Selective Reassurance, arguing that reputational concerns, especially the desire to maintain a reputation for keeping promises, shape uneven patterns of post-abandonment military support. The study employs a mixed-methods design. Quantitatively, it analyzes U.S. material support from 1950 to 1989 using Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood models, revealing that the United States systematically increased military aid to states in regions affected by abandonment, though not necessarily to formal allies. Qualitatively, it draws on archival evidence from two case studies: the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and the Iranian Revolution. The analysis traces the motivations and internal deliberations behind reassurance efforts. The findings show that reputational considerations and subsequent reassurance measures are more conditional and geographically bounded than existing theories would imply. Rather than pursuing global reassurance, major powers tend to engage in targeted signaling aimed at proximate or strategically significant states. This study contributes to the understanding of alliance politics by demonstrating that reassurance is selective and strategic, challenging the view that decision-makers regard reputation as a universal concern and highlighting the costs of retrenchment tied to maintaining a reputation for keeping promises
Essays on Place-Based Policy and Regional Economic Development
Get PDFThe first chapter examines the economic impacts of large theme park openings in China from 2000 to 2020 using a newly compiled dataset on county-level theme parks and entrepreneurship. Leveraging the staggered openings of theme parks across various counties, we document three main findings. First, theme park openings lead to a 14% increase in entrepreneurial activities, especially in tourism-related service sectors. This result is robust to the instrumental variable approach, the heterogeneous treatment effect, alternative specification and measurement, and propensity score matching. Second, theme park openings generate spillover effects on neighboring counties within a 50-75 kilometer radius. Third, we identify tourism and agglomeration as the potential mechanisms driving these economic impacts. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that theme park openings promote employment by 11% and overall economic activities by 2%. This study sheds new light on the evaluation of the effectiveness of tourism-related place-based policies.
The second chapter studies how direct flight connections affect the spending of international visitors. A novel dataset on card payments made by Chinese travelers through point-of-sale (POS) terminals enables us to investigate that question. We instrument for the frequency of direct flights between Chinese cities and foreign countries by exploiting overseas airport expansions as exogenous shocks. Our IV estimates indicate that a 1% increase in the weekly frequency of direct flights leads to a 2% increase in cross-border card transaction value. This suggests that in a city with the average frequency, adding one extra weekly direct flight increases the value of transactions by 52% to the destination country. While improving air connectivity promotes international travel, we find that negative shocks to consumer preferences for destination countries, such as boycotts, diminish the positive impact of air connectivity.
The third chapter examines the competitive effects of regional airline exits in the U.S. from April 2019 through December 2020, leveraging the first wave of COVID-19 as a natural experiment. Using propensity score matching and difference-in-differences, we find consumers are worse off after exits, with a 16% decrease in flight availability and a 6% rise in fares. Longer-haul markets and those dominated by full-service carriers experience less impact. Incumbent airlines expand services and raise fares, while competing regional airlines and those with greater cash reserves seize market share, with less impact on on-time performance