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Maternal Substance Use and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Admission Among Medicaid Beneficiaries: A State-wide Audit
No full textIntroduction: Mounting evidence suggested a strong association between maternal substance abuse and poor neonatal outcomes. This study aims to investigate an association between maternal substance abuse and NICU admissions and transitions in the LOC among newborns who were Medicaid beneficiaries.
Methods: A hybrid linkage approach was utilized to link two datasets (Birth Registry and Nevada Medicaid Claims) spanning 2015-2021 with nearly 85% linkage efficiency. The infant records were analyzed using univariate and bivariate statistical methods with significance level set at 5%.
Results: A total of 84,181 infant records were identified, of which 70,817 (84.1%) admitted to a single LOC during their entire course of hospitalization and remaining 13,364 (15.9%) had the multiple transitions in the LOC. A significantly larger proportion of infants with multiple transitions in the LOC had mothers with a history of consuming tobacco (9.1% vs. 5.9%), cigarettes (8.8% vs. 5.8%), drugs (33.8% vs. 19.9%, and prescription drugs (24.6% vs. 14.5%) as opposed to their well-born nursery care infants p\u3c0.001). Of 70,817 infants admitted to the single LOC, nearly 4% were admitted to the higher NICU levels (0173 and 0174). Among these babies, infants admitted to the higher level of care (e.g. intermediate and NICU) were born to mothers with a history of substance abuse as opposed to those receiving the routine care.
Conclusion: The positive association between maternal substance use and NICU admissions underscore the need of developing harm reduction strategies in perinatal settings to improve health outcomes of mother-infant dyads.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_podium/1056/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Modality Differences in Recognition Memory: Repetition Effects on Recollection and Familiarity
No full textResearch has shown that memory for visual objects tends to be superior compared to memory for auditory objects. The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why recognition memory tends to be better for visual information. Recognition memory relies on two processes, recollection and familiarity. Recollection involves retrieving contextual details of a memory while familiarity is simply a feeling that something has been encountered before. We investigated recollection and familiarity in the two modalities by having participants lean a list of auditory objects (e.g., dog barking) and visual objects (e.g., picture of a lion) under full attention (FA) or divided attention (DA) conditions. Specifically, during divided attention participants needed to memorize auditory or visual objects, while identifying whether an interleaved number matched the same number seen 2 numbers before. We aimed to equate visual and auditory memory by decreasing visual performance and increasing auditory performance. This was achieved by showing visual images in gray scale repeating auditory objects 2 times at study. Visual memory was equal to auditory memory in both FA and DA conditions. We also found that recollection was greater for visual than auditory objects. Dividing attention reduced both visual recollection and familiarity. Dividing attention also reduced auditory familiarity, but had no effect on auditory recollection. This suggests that attention is particularly important for the formation of visual recollection. Overall, we concluded that visual memory is superior to auditory memory.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1210/thumbnail.jp
Effect of Macronutrients on a Rat Model of Clostridioides Difficile Infection
No full textClostridioides difficile (C. diff) is an anaerobic, spore forming, gram-positive bacteria. C. diff is the causative agent of C. difficile infections (CDIs) and is recognized as the leading cause of nosocomial infective diarrhea worldwide. CDI is associated with the use of antibiotics that alter the gut microbiome and C. diff resides in the large intestine where onset of the disease then occurs. Having observed the impacts of CDI on mice models, the Abel-Santos lab now shifts to observing this infectious disease in rat models. Establishing the infectious dosage at 109 spores, this study aims to identify the correlation between diet composition and CDI sign severity. To determine the interplay between diet and CDI, the hypervirulent strain C. difficile R20291 (RT027) was used in a rat model of antibiotic-induced CDI. 8 rats were placed in three different diet groups (high protein, high carbohydrate, and high fat) and given a mixture of antibiotics. After the spore challenge on Day 0, disease outcome was assessed using modified scoring procedures different from the ones used in mouse models. Microbial community dynamics will also be assessed later in the study through fecal sample collections. From preliminary findings, high protein diets resulted in the exacerbation of CDI, whereas diets higher in fat and carbohydrates were found to protect rats from developing severe CDI symptoms. The animals are still undergoing scoring and will be scored for at least two weeks to observe any changes in symptoms if there are potential relapses in symptoms.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1223/thumbnail.jp
Investigation of the Influence of Body Weight Support and Listening to Different Beats of Music
No full textMusic has been an important part of human expression throughout history. With recent technological advancements, it has never been easier for individuals to listen to music while they train. Previous studies have indicated there is a relationship between music and physical activity. The goal of our research project is to examine the relationship between the physiological effects of listening to music while running at different body weight support (BWS). A lower body positive pressure treadmill (Boost) was used to provide BWS. Phase one measured preferred stride frequency and self selected speed. Phase two measured VO2, heart rate, stride frequency, and EMG. In phase two, participants ran three music conditions (fast music, slow music, no music) at each of three BWS (0% BWS, 20% BWS, 50% BWS). Data were collected from a single subject (F, 42, 5’06.0”, 84.6 kg). SF displayed a negative linear relationship with BWS for each music condition. Qualitatively, at 50% BWS, SF was higher for Fast Music (FM) (1.35 strides/min) and No Music (NM) (1.35 strides/min) compared to Slow Music (SM) (1.31 strides/min). These results could imply that lower tempos can influence the rhythm we run at. In regards to Fast Music, the data may indicate some individuals naturally run faster.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1227/thumbnail.jp
Utilizing a Hybrid Apprach to Link Maternal and Neonatal Records
No full textLinkage of independent datasets allows comprehensive and robust analysis. This study aims to utilize a hybrid strategy to link maternal records with neonatal data with an overarching goal of investigating correlates of adverse birth outcomes.
To link 126,757 records from Nevada Medicaid with 249,181 maternal records from Birth Registry, a hybrid linkage approach was utilized. Data normalization was first performed for the standardization of linkage keys. First, a deterministic approach was used to link these records using a unique identifier followed by a fuzzy or probabilistic algorithm using a set of block variables. These block variables included date of birth, gender, zip code of birth place, and first/last name of the neonates. For this matching, a minimum threshold of 40 out of 50 was deemed appropriate (10 points for each block variable). After the linkage, data were de-identified to adhere with the ethical guidelines. All linkage procedures were performed via PROC SQL functionality (left join) in SAS 9.4 software.
In the first deterministic phase, 63% of the records (n= 80,107 of 126,757 records) were linked (true positives). From remaining 46,650 records, 26,095 were matched through the probabilistic linkage which sum up to 106,202 records in total. Further, 538 records were identified as false positives, which were removed from the dataset. This results in an 83.4% linkage efficiency with a total number of 105,664 linked records.
The hybrid linkage offers a viable strategy to improve the linkage efficiency and numerous benefits to population-based research.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1229/thumbnail.jp
Repurposing Non-toxic and Cost-effective Organic Ligancds to Enhance the Removal of Uranium and Thorium From Wastewater
No full textCheap, effective and industrially practical remediation methods for uranium and thorium are of utmost importance. Electrocoagulation is a cheap but only mildly effective method for the remediation of these elements. It was recently shown that chelating ligands enhance this process. Unfortunately, few ligands have been tested for this enhancement. Of these, the most effective, Alizarin Red S, had a 99.2% uranium removal efficiency but was expensive (2 / 1 gram, non-toxic to humans, environmentally friendly and selectively chelate to uranium or thorium. Four potential ligands were found from the over 3000 which fit all four qualities well. The differences however included the solubility in water, charge and price. Pamoic acid (1.88 / g) are neutral molecules with low water solubility. Acid blue 40 (1.5 / g) and contains two negative charges. Both have excellent water solubility due to their ionic charges. Herein, we effectively found four potential ligands for use in the removal of uranium or thorium from water via ligand enhanced electrocoagulation.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1237/thumbnail.jp
Development and Migration: A Case Study of Agricultural Households in Northern Ghana
No full textThis study explores the intricate relationship between economic development and migration patterns in Northern Ghana\u27s agricultural communities. Utilizing data from the EGC-ISSER Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey, the analysis focuses on the economic motivations driving migration, considering factors such as urbanization and economic growth. The findings reveal that while urbanization and economic prosperity individually decrease migration, in line with the assumptions of the human capital models of migration, their interaction significantly increases it, suggesting that growing wealthy urban centers; the emergence of new; or the growth of smaller urban centers (made possible due to economic growth) offer enhanced opportunities that attract migrants despite potential saturation. These findings shed light on the complex dynamics between economic development and migration and help make sense of economic development\u27s short-term effects (namely, increased migrations). The results provide a mechanism for understanding the changing levels of migrations (primarily domestic) over the course of economic development. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to align development strategies with migration management in low-income countries.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1244/thumbnail.jp
Reproducible Research Data Pipelines – Case Study of Bubble Collapse in Subcooled Nucleate Pool Boiling
No full textVapor bubble collapse is relevant to the study of subcooled nucleate boiling, as can occur in power plants and missile systems, in studies of wear due to cavitation, and even in the study of hydrothermal vents in the Earth sciences. Empirical correlations relate the rate of bubble collapse to thermal conditions of the subcooled fluid, and one may choose to produce a purpose built correlation for any process. However, they are time and resource intensive due to the data and process requirements for automated bubble tracking. A reproducible research data pipeline has been developed to discriminate between existing correlations for a given experimental condition.
The research data pipelines and associated tooling developed throughout the course of this study are open sourced, and the data also published openly. The following codes have been published: BoilerCV, a bubble detection and boiling correlation development pipeline; Boilerdata, a pipeline for producing boiling curves; BoilerDAQ, a library for data acquisition and control of a nucleate pool boiling apparatus; Boilercore, common pipeline utilities; Context Models, a package enabling development of interoperable and reusable data models; and Copier Pipeline, a general project template for research data pipeline development.
The correlation investigation pipeline is promising for correlation selection for a given experimental condition considering the spread in the present correlations, and useful as a general tool for further correlation development and nucleate pool boiling bubble analysis
Incarcerated Nations: Confinement, Removal, and Policing on the Colorado River Indian Reservation
No full textThe United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world. The nation\u27s prisons and jails hold more than 2.1 million inmates, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains another 500,000 annually. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. taxpayers paid approximately $85 billion per year to cover the cost of mass incarceration in prisons and jails. This economic burden does not include the added expenses borne by families and communities who lose members to prison along with their potential earnings. Scholars often attribute the expansion in American incarceration to the War on Drugs and identify African Americans as the most prominent victims of unjust systems of imprisonment. However, Indigenous Peoples experienced mass incarceration long before the 1980s. American policies removed Indigenous Peoples from sacred homelands to reservations led by Indian agents who intended to alter traditional lifeways. Federal Indian policy imprisoned, impoverished, and surveilled Indigenous Peoples. Removal and reservation policies created long-standing carceral practices justified as necessary within the United States. Removing and incarcerating Indigenous Peoples made land and resources available to American settlers. However, Americans have often overlooked these practices when considering mass incarceration, even though Indigenous Peoples continue to be disproportionately imprisoned compared to other ethnic groups in the United States. By considering how and why the United States imprisoned Indigenous People, this dissertation elucidates the normalization of mass incarceration and explains how settler colonial projects targeting Indigenous Peoples established carceral structures that continue to affect Americans today. An analysis of the Colorado River Indian Tribes provides the ideal setting to interrogate the detention policies of the United States and the role of settler colonialism in the mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples
Music and Narrative Memory
No full textMusic can overlap with many activities, but its effects on our memory for those activities are not fully understood. The experiments here investigated the effects of calm and intense background music on both memory and narrative transportation (the feeling that one is absorbed into the events of a narrative) during reading. Participants read narratives either in silence or with background music and completed a measure of narrative transportation (Transportation Scale-Short Form; Appel et al., 2015). Participants were then tested, either in silence or with background music, on memory for explicit details and inferences from the narrative. Across both experiments, memory task performance was consistently better for inferences compared to explicit details. In Experiment 1, encoding condition showed a non-significant trend toward an effect on memory task performance, with slightly better memory when narratives were accompanied by calm music during reading than by silence. Breaking it down further, participants who enjoyed the music and participants who felt the music matched the narratives showed a benefit of music accompanying the memory task. In Experiment 2, for intense music, participants who felt the music did not match the narratives showed a benefit of silence accompanying the memory task. Overall, this study showed that the ability of music to benefit memory for a narrative seems to be dependent upon both the music and the individual reading the narrative. Future research could explore a wider variety of music, participant-selected music, a longer retention interval, and music intended to match the narrative