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Impact of a Multimodal Program on Daily Weights Adherence in Hospitalized CHF
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative improvement project was to compare the implementation of multimodal program and standard practice in hospitalized CHF patients, specifically focusing on their influence on adherence to daily weights and the impact on length of stay (LOS).Temple University. College of Public HealthNursingA poster presented at the 2025 TUHS Nursing Research & EBP Conference, which took place April 24, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA
The Relationship Between Linguistic Mazes and Executive Function in African American Adults
No full textPeople tend to become more disfluent or show a change in their disfluency patterns with age, producing less informative utterances across contexts (e.g., Samani et al., 2017; Andrade & Martins-Reis, 2010). The specific pattern and mechanism behind this phenomenon are still unsettled (for a review, see Mortensen et al., 2006). Fleming (2014) reported that declining executive function abilities in the context of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) were associated with a greater number of linguistic content mazes. Confirming this finding in diverse populations would further establish that subtle language changes can be indicative of executive dysfunction and an increased risk of developing MCI or dementia. African Americans are at an elevated risk for abnormal cognitive decline due to complex risk factors, yet cognitive-linguistic screeners are often less specific for this population due to their cultural and educational biases (Norman et al., 2011; Wooten et al., 2023). This thesis expands on previous research by exploring the relationship between executive function, naming, and fluent language production using a word definition task in a cohort study of community-dwelling African Americans. To explore if these variables predict the use of linguistic mazes, the prevalence of linguistic mazes across utterances (pmaze) was calculated and compared to performance on a battery of neuropsychological measures of cognition and language. No significant correlations were found between the neuropsychological measures and pmaze, indicating that pmaze may not be caused by executive dysfunction alone. This thesis concludes with a discussion of variables beyond executive dysfunction that may influence linguistic mazes and the theoretical and clinical implications of these findings.Communication Science
ANALYSIS OF THE INTERKINGDOM MICROBIOME ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENDODONTIC INFECTIONS: A CROSS- SECTIONAL STUDY
No full textEndodontic infections develop when bacteria from the oral cavity infiltrate the pulp through breaches in enamel and dentin, leading to inflammation, necrosis, and apical periodontitis. Primary infections are dominated by anaerobic bacteria including Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, and Prevotella while secondary infections often involve gram-positive facultative anaerobes like Enterococcus faecalis. Fungi, particularly Candida albicans, have also been implicated.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed microbial analysis, enabling detailed profiling of bacterial and fungal communities through 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing, respectively However, most studies have focused primarily on bacterial populations, with only a few that characterized the mycobiome or assessed both domains simultaneously. The potential interkingdom interactions between bacterial and fungal taxa whether synergistic or antagonistic remain poorly understood. This study addresses these gaps, this study sought to characterize both the bacteriome and mycobiome in primary and secondary infections, while exploring the potential interkingdom interactions in both types of infection.
Methods
Sixty-three patients were recruited: 30 with primary endodontic infections (infections occurring in teeth with necrotic pulps and no prior endodontic treatment), 30 with secondary/persistent infections (infections in previously treated teeth where the root canal system has been reinfected or the initial infection was not completely eliminated), and 3 negative controls undergoing extraction for orthodontic reasons. Root canal samples were collected using files and paper points under sterile conditions. DNA extracted from the samples was subjected to dual amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA (V1–V3) and ITS2 regions to profile bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Taxonomic assignment and diversity analyses were performed using QIIME2, Phyloseq, and Microbiome Packages in R. Differential abundance analysis was performed using MaAsLin2.
Results
Beta diversity analysis revealed significant compositional differences in bacterial communities between primary and secondary infections (PERMANOVA, p = 0.001), whereas fungal community structure was more conserved across groups. Alpha diversity metrics, including Shannon and Chao1 indices, did not significantly differ between infection types for either domain. Both primary and secondary endodontic infections were dominated by strict anaerobes, including Propionibacterium, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Porphyromonas, Pyrimadobacter, Fretibacterium and Olsenela. However, secondary infections still showed enrichment of gram-positive facultative anaerobes, such as Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus vestibularis, Rothia mucilaginosa, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Corynebacterium accolens compared to primary infections. Fungal communities in both primary and secondary infections were primarily composed of Candida, Malassezia and Cladosporium species but secondary infections showed significantly higher relative abundance of Malassezia globosa (novel variants 94.5%, 96.6%) and Candida dubliniensis Interkingdom correlations were identified for primary but not secondary infections including positive associations between fungi and strict anaerobes including Prevotella oris, and Parvimonas micra, suggesting potential synergistic interactions. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between fungi and several facultative species such as Streptococcus infantis and Lactobacillus gasseri, suggesting competitive exclusion or antagonism in secondary infections.
Conclusions
This study provides the first simultaneous characterization of the bacteriome and mycobiome in primary and secondary endodontic infections using next-generation sequencing. The identification of distinct bacterial profiles anaerobe-dominated communities in primary infections versus gram-positive facultative anaerobes in secondary infections alongside conserved yet compositionally varied fungal communities, underscores the ecological divergence between infection types. Notably, the detection of significant bacterial-fungal correlations, particularly involving Cladosporium and strict anaerobes, suggests that specific fungal taxa may participate in synergistic interactions that contribute to the persistence and biofilm resilience of endodontic infections.Oral Biolog
INVESTIGATION OF CANDIDA ALBICANS AND ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS BIOFILMS UNDER LOW IRON CONDITIONS
No full textEnterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive coccus found in the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals as commensal. Through the acquisition of mobile genetic elements, this commensal bacterium can transform into a multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen. As a pathogen, E. faecalis can cause endocarditis, septicemia, urinary tract, and endodontic infections. Similarly, Candida albicans is the most common fungal opportunistic pathogen found in the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, and on the skin. This yeast can form hyphae, leading to invasive infections in immunocompromised patients. Iron is important for the formation of hyphae and iron levels in the host can affect Candida infection outcomes. C. albicans and E. faecalis are frequently co-isolated from various infection sites in humans, and both have been shown to form interkingdom biofilms in vitro. Specifically, we want to focus on the characterization of this dual-species interaction under low iron conditions. We used a C. albicans strain expressing mCherry from a constitutive promoter mixed with one of three strains of E. faecalis (a commensal strain OG1RF, OG1RF that contains the pheromone responsive plasmid pCF10, and an oral clinical isolate). Pheromone responsive plasmids are associated with virulence and are present in as high as 80% of clinical isolates. These strains were grown overnight in an optic bottom 24-well plate under a low iron concentration (400µM of bathophenanthrolinedisulfide acid). The biofilms were stained with Syto9 and Calcofluor White and imaged using laser scanning confocal microscopy. As expected, C. albicans produced low levels of hyphae in low iron conditions. However,
C. albicans showed an increase in hyphal formation when grown with OG1RF, OG1RF with pCF10, or the clinical isolate despite being in low iron condition. All strains of E. faecalis had increased chaining and could be observed in close association with Candida hyphae. E. faecalis colony forming units (CFU) were the same whether it was grown with or without C. albicans. However, there was a significant decrease in C. albicans CFU when grown with E. faecalis under high or low iron conditions. The bacteriocin EntV that is known to inhibit C. albicans may be produced under high or low iron conditions. In addition, E. faecalis, being an efficient iron scavenger, may outcompete C. albicans for iron, reducing the fungal load regardless of available iron. We hypothesize that E. faecalis may induce hyphae formation in C. albicans under low iron conditions through multiple mechanisms. First, E. faecalis produces hydrogen peroxide. which can be observed within the bacterial chains wrapping around the hyphae and this peroxide can further induce hyphal formation. Second, during steady-state growth, E. faecalis may release N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) that is known to trigger increased hyphal growth via transcriptional induction of BRG1 and/or phosphorylation of the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Cek1. Cek1-P levels were observed to be enhanced in the presence of E. faecalis. Future experiments are focused on determining the transcriptional levels of entV and BRG1 and measuring the levels of NAG.Microbiology and Immunolog
STUDENTS AND CAREERS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ SENSE OF BELONGING IN THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
No full textCommunity colleges offer compelling opportunities for learning, connections, and exposure to new industries. This mixed methods dissertation study was conducted at an urban community college, the largest in Philadelphia, to explore student perceptions of their sense of belonging and career supports on campus. Protean career theory and boundaryless career theory informed the design of qualitative interview questions and supplementary items in the University Belongingness Questionnaire for Community College students (UBQ-CC). Data from 73 students and a subsequent 10 interviews of those surveyed revealed positive relationships between factors of sense of belonging and career support (N = 53–66; following cleaned data). Meta-inferences revealed the building blocks of career belonging in community college contexts (CBC3). CBC3 is an operational framework to advance student career outcomes and provide direction in what impacts student success toward their professional development.Educational Leadershi
IMPACT OF ECONOMIC POLICY UNCERTAINTY ON FINANCIALIZATION OF ENTERPRISES
No full textSince 2008, the economic policy uncertainty in China has increased under the impact of the financial crisis, reaching new heights with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile，against the backdrop of gradual financial marketization reform and rapid financial market development, the growing enthusiasm of enterprises participating in financial markets has sparked academic and governmental concerns about China's economic "shift from real to virtual economy" and corporate financialization. Taking the elevated economic policy uncertainty induced by the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic as research contexts, this dissertation systematically investigates the mechanisms and heterogeneous effects of economic policy uncertainty on enterprises financialization.
Existing research has identified that economic policy uncertainty affects corporate investment and innovation through risk circumvention mechanisms, precautionary savings mechanisms, and investment shift mechanisms. Building on these theoretical foundations, the dissertation explores the financialization patterns of Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2008 to 2021 under economic policy uncertainty. The results reveal that rising economic policy uncertainty prompts enterprises to increase financial asset allocations, but such allocations are primarily driven by liquidity-seeking precautionary savings motives rather than profit-oriented investment substitution strategies. Further heterogeneity analysis categorizing enterprises by size, risk resilience, growth potential, capital intensity, profitability, leverage ratios, and financing constraints demonstrates significant differential responses to economic policy uncertainty across firm characteristics.Global Financ
Corporate Debt Structure and Corporate Innovation Output
No full textCorporate debt structure has significant influence on corporate debt risk and innovation-driven strategies, especially having a certain impact on the innovation willingness and ability of micro market players. Based on the panel data of listed companies from 2000 to 2019, this paper empirically tests and analyzes the influential effect of corporate debt structure on corporate innovation output. The empirical analysis herein shows that there are significant differences in the influences of corporate debt structure on enterprise innovation output, among which long-term debts of an enterprise have a significantly inhibitory effect on its innovation activities while short-term debts do not show inhibitory effect that is significantly negative; as for different industry types, the inhibitory effect of long-term debts on innovation output only exists in manufacturing industry and social service industry; as for different ownership type, the long-term debts of state-owned and private enterprises show significantly inhibitory effect. Whereby great importance should be attached to the negative influence of deleveraging policies, directly or indirectly, on the innovation activities of the real-economy sectors, and it should be actively promoted to introduce fiscal policies relevant to supporting corporate innovation, especially to introduce differentiated policies of innovation supporting, so as to promote the implementation of innovation-driven development strategies.Business Administration/Financ
RESEARCH ON DIGITAL CURRENCY RESHAPING CHINA'S SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM
No full textIn the digital economy era, the world is in a wave of digital currency innovation. China's "14th Five-Year" digital economy development plan proposes to explore the establishment of digital renminbi governance rules and promote the use of digital renminbi, which is of great significance to reshape China's social credit system. Based on the theoretical development of digital currency and central bank digital currency at home and abroad, this dissertation refines the core characteristics of fiat digital currency, and puts forward the significant advantages of digital currency in the reconstruction of the modern social credit system, the risks brought by the development of digital currency to the social credit system, and the challenges and opportunities faced by the reform of social credit system. In combination with the exploration and practice of China's digital renminbi and social credit system, this dissertation proposes that the development of China's digital renminbi has become an important element of the reform of social credit system, and the innovation of digital renminbi has accelerated the reconstruction of China's social credit system. In addition, this dissertation suggests that the government should play a leading role in the integration of digital renminbi into the innovation of social credit system, that market players should play a basic role in innovating digital renminbi and improving the social credit system, and that social players should be mobilized to participate in the reconstruction of the social credit system in the digital era.Global Financ
Essays on Multimodal Machine Learning and Social Media Analytics
No full textSocial media platforms are rapidly gaining popularity as the leading channels for both entertainment and marketing. Content on these platforms inherently encodes information across multiple modalities, such as images and text, or video and audio. Building on existing literature that explores the impact of attributes such as content and influencer characteristics on social media engagement, this dissertation focuses on how to utilize information from unstructured social media content and design to enhance engagement. In Essay one, I introduce a novel, deep learning-based measure called Music-Motion Synergy (MM Synergy) to assess the quality of dancing videos shared on social media. To develop this measure, I propose a new Context-Aware Multi-Task Multimodal Transformer (CA-MulT-MTL) model. The model addresses four key challenges, including: (1) capturing core dancing content with sequential unstructured data on audio and body movement, (2) understanding the interactions between multimodal elements, (3) simultaneously predict diverse engagement metrics that reflect management-relevant objectives, and (4) incorporating contextual video information. I instantiate the CA-MulT-MTL model based on a sample of 79, 588 short-form dancing videos on TikTok and find it outperforms state-of-the-art deep learning benchmark models. The model-derived MM Synergy scores are validated by human ratings and informative of consumer responses to video content. Furthermore, through an online controlled experiment, I establish the causal impact of MM Synergy levels on consumers’ video watch intention, purchase intention, and the probability of liking. This proposed scalable machine learning method serves as a useful decision-support tool for influencers to develop popular dance videos and empowers platforms to not only leverage MM Synergy as a quality control tool prior to publishing videos but also embed it into recommendation systems to enhance business outcomes and customer experiences.
In Essay two, I examine how consumer engagement evolves following the adoption of co-posting—a novel form of co-branding strategy on social media. Specifically, I investigate how co-posting affects both content characteristics and subsequent consumer responses. Drawing on a unique dataset of 223,435 Instagram posts from 199 fashion brands, I employ a stacked difference-in-differences model combined with propensity score matching to account for selection bias. The results show that adopting co-posting leads to an approximate 11.5% increase in consumer engagement, as measured by likes and comments. Beyond engagement metrics, I find that co-posting is associated with higher image-text alignment and improved visual novelty in the brand’s subsequent posts, suggesting that co-posting may encourage brands to create more cohesive and creative content. These findings contribute to our understanding of collaborative branding strategies in digital environments and offer actionable insights for firms aiming to optimize content strategy through co-branding on social platforms.Business Administration/Marketin
EFFECTIVELY PREVENT EMITTING BLACK CARBON AND PM2.5 POLLUTION INTO THE AIR WITH ELECTRORHEOLOGY
No full textBlack carbon, an important part of PM2.5 air pollution (usually constitutes 5% - 20% of PM2.5 particles in urban areas and can be more in heavy industry regions), known as “silent killer”, is also the second largest contributor to global warming. Because per unit of mass, black carbon has a warming impact on climate 460 – 1,500 times stronger than CO2, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently emphasized that the black carbon issue for global warming is more urgent than CO2 now. To resolve this urgent issue, many technologies have been introduced. Among them, the technology of electrostatic air filters has received much attention and developed many applications. Unfortunately, none of these technologies can eliminate black carbon particles at the source of emissions, such as power plants, large manufacturing facilities and cargo ships, to prevent emissions of black carbon into the air because they all rely on extra filters to capture the black carbon particles. Such carbon filters typically have short lifetimes, cannot sustain higher temperatures, cannot work with high airflow either. Consequently, the current technologies cannot be adopted by the main pollution sources to control black carbon particles. Therefore, as indicated by UNEP and WHO, new technology that can effectively catch black carbon particles and other PM2.5 pollutants and prevent them from entering the air is urgently needed.
Here in this thesis, we report our new electrorheological technology, which can meet such urgent needs to capture all PM2.5 particles in exhaust air, including black carbon particles effectively, and can be relatively easily installed in the emission system of power plants, manufacturing facilities and cargo ships, achieving the pollutant source control. This new technology is based on the physics of electrorheology. Under a strong electric field, black carbon particles and other particulate pollutants are polarized and attracted toward electrodes. When the polluted airflow becomes a special flow with pollutant particles moving adjacent to the surface of electrodes, black carbon and other particles are captured by the electrodes, following the basic physics of electrorheology. Our laboratory tests have confirmed that this technology can capture more than 98% of black carbon and other PM2.5 particles. Different from the current electrostatic precipitators, which utilize foam-like electrodes to cause corona discharge to deal with suspended pollutants, require low flow speed and not very effective on black carbon particles, our new technology is effective to remove all suspended polluters including black carbon. Our electrorheological technology utilizes electrodes made of flat metals and the electric field perpendicular to the airflow. Therefore, it can allow high exhaust airflow through the particle-removing channels. The captured particulate matters can be sucked out quickly by vacuum cleaners when the electric field is turned off. This technology will not only be suitable for residential and commercial buildings as air filters to provide clean air, but more importantly, it will also be appropriate for large industrial facilities and freighters to control emission from combustion systems (coal-fired boilers, HD diesel engines, etc.). It can be incorporated into chimneys, flue liners and exhaust pipes to prevent emission of black carbon and other PM2.5 particles into air. Such applications are critically and urgently needed as the current technologies fail to do so. We also note that this technology is much more energy efficient than the current electrostatic air filters since it does not rely on corona discharges, which consume a lot of power.
In view of the assessment by UNEP and WMO that presently black carbon particles become the most urgent issue for global warming, and create significant negative impact to human health, we hope that our technology will help mitigate global warming, improve the environment, and protect public health.Physic