95038 research outputs found
Sort by
The Reign of the Reggaetonera: Portrayals of Latinidad in Anglo-American Media
Get PDFThis thesis explores the mass media representations of female reggaetón artists by mainstream Anglo-American media companies like Rolling Stones and the New York Times. I investigate textual portrayals of these artists written in the time period 2018-2024, which follows the "reggaetón boom" in the United States. My analysis engages with existing discursive stereotypes of Latinidad in the US, including themes of hypersexuality, national origin, and tropicalization. By applying a critical discourse analysis to this set of media publications, this thesis strives to explain how Latinidad is marketed and commodified in the United States media industry, and it evaluates the characterizations that US journalists seek to apply to reggaetoneras. This thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the extent of exoticization that Latinos/as face in contemporary media structures in the United States.Bachelor of Art
Workplace Violence and New Graduate Nurse Retention: Strategies for Support and Prevention
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this preliminary literature review is to identify effective strategies for mitigating WPV and enhancing support systems to improve retention rates and mental health among new graduate nurses. The purpose of the integrative review will directly inform healthcare institutions, including the Tar Heel Academic Practice Partnership (TAPP), in crafting a quality improvement initiative to tackle this critical issue.
Background: WPV significantly impacts new graduate nurses, contributing to anxiety, depression, burnout, and decreased job satisfaction, ultimately leading to higher turnover rates. Despite existing prevention programs, many new nurses feel unsupported, as hospitals focus on de-escalation training rather than addressing systemic issues. Viral TikTok accounts highlight nurses' frustrations with WPV, underreporting due to fear of retaliation, and the emotional toll of persistent mistreatment, emphasizing the gap between institutional policies and lived experiences. Understanding WPV through both scholarly research and social media insights is crucial for developing more effective interventions that prioritize nurse well-being and retention.
Literature Search: A comprehensive literature search and synthesis was performed using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases for relevant articles within the specified parameters. Twelve articles were selected for systematic review and thematic analysis. Additionally, three first-person narratives from TikTok recounting experiences of workplace violence were analyzed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool.
Discussion: This review examines the impact of WPV on NGN’s and identifies key themes from both TikTok narratives and academic literature. Findings highlight the lack of training, inadequate support, and frustration with systemic issues like understaffing. The study advocates for comprehensive policy reforms and better preparation for NGNs. It also discusses a quality improvement initiative at UNC aimed at equipping nursing students with tools to handle WPV. Limitations include the age of some studies and varying definitions of WPV.
Conclusion: WPV remains a significant challenge in healthcare, contributing to nurse burnout, turnover, and poor patient care, particularly among new graduate nurses (NGNs). This review highlights strategies such as transition programs with preceptor support, resilience training, and organizational policies that focus on workplace empowerment and leadership engagement to reduce WPV and improve retention. Social media platforms, like TikTok, have raised awareness of WPV by providing a space for nurses to share their experiences, though it also presents challenges regarding professionalism. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of these interventions on nurse retention, workplace culture, and patient outcomes.
Keywords: Workplace violence, nurse retention, new graduate nurses, resilience training, social media, healthcare policies.Bachelor of Scienc
Simulation-based machine learning for real-time assessment of side-branch hemodynamics in coronary bifurcation lesions
Get PDFProvisional stenting is the standard treatment for coronary bifurcation lesions, relying on real-time assessment of side-branch (SB) hemodynamics to guide intervention. Functional metrics such as fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) are used for this purpose. Still, their application in bifurcation lesions is limited by procedural complexity and the lack of preoperative planning tools. We developed a simulation-based machine learning (ML) framework to predict iFR under resting, and FFR under hyperemic conditions. The framework leveraged a synthetic hemodynamic dataset of 252 bifurcation lesions generated from 7 patient-specific geometries using HARVEY, a massively parallel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. Anatomical variability was incorporated using four linear mixed-effects (LME) models to establish robust predictions. Two clinically relevant data-splitting strategies were evaluated: (1) a scenario excluding untreated cases, simulating models blind to new geometries, and (2) a scenario incorporating matched untreated cases, reflecting real-world conditions where preoperative anatomical data is available. Morphological features, including lesion severity, length, and curvature, were systematically varied alongside inherited anatomical parameters like bifurcation angle and side-branch count. Splitting approach 2 demonstrated superior predictive performance, achieving a maximum diagnostic accuracy of 0.847 (AUC: 0.899) for FFR and 0.797 (AUC: 0.874) for iFR. Mixed-effects models effectively account for patient-specific anatomical variability, with Bland-Altman analyzes confirming minimal bias between CFD and ML predictions. Incorporating preoperative anatomical information reduced variability and improved diagnostic accuracy across the studied thresholds. The proposed ML framework offers precise, real-time functional assessments of SB hemodynamics, reducing procedural uncertainty in provisional stenting strategies using only pre-operative lesion-specific features and a precomputed synthetic hemodynamic dataset of 252 bifurcation lesion instances. Using synthetic data sets and patient-specific anatomical insights, this approach paves the way for personalized coronary intervention planning, bridging the gap between computational modeling and clinical applicability
Incident Diabetes Diagnosis among the Uninsured during COVID-19 Hospitalization
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Undiagnosed diabetes is associated with lack of insurance, which decreases access to preventive care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, uninsured patients previously unknown to health systems were hospitalized. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of electronic health record (EHR) data from patients with diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19 in a safety-net health system from June 2020 to December 2021, examining the association between payor status and incident diagnosis of diabetes. Incident diagnosis of diabetes was defined by excluding a prior known diagnosis of diabetes based on diagnosis codes, medications, and hemoglobin A1c from the past 5 years. Regression analysis evaluated the association between payor status and incident diagnosis of diabetes. Data were analyzed in 2023. RESULTS: Among 872 patients with diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19, 24.0% were uninsured, 34.6% received county-funded charity coverage (CFCC), 17.1% received Medicaid, and 24.3% received Medicare. The rate of incident diagnosis of diabetes in the total sample was 20.3%; incident diagnosis of diabetes was more common among the uninsured (30.1%) than CFCC (18.2%) and Medicare patients (11.3%). After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and BMI, uninsured patients had higher odds of incident diagnosis of diabetes (aOR 2.64, 95% CI [1.41-4.92], p=0.002) than Medicare patients. Odds of incident diagnosis of diabetes were similar for CFCC and Medicare patients. CONCLUSION: Uninsured patients had higher odds of incident diagnosis of diabetes during COVID-19 hospitalization that may have gone undetected without hospitalization. These findings reflect decreased access to preventive care and missed opportunities to screen for diabetes among the uninsured
Description of two new species and a new population of Mesobiotus cf. coronatus from Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park, Ecuador
Get PDFIn this study, we present descriptions of two new eutardigrade species and additionally a detailed description of new population of Mesobiotus cf. coronatus discovered in the Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park in Ecuador. The presented analysis is based on morphological and morphometric data using light and scanning electron microscopy; description of Macrobiotus sharopovi sp. nov. and the population of Mesobiotus cf. coronatus were also supported with genetic data (nuclear barcode sequences, i.e., 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and ITS-2, and one mitochondrial COI sequence). Based on the egg morphology, Mac. sharopovi sp. nov. belongs to Mac. paulinae morpho-group and is most similar to Mac. papei, Mac. paulinae, Mac. polypiformis and Mac. shonaicus but differs from them mainly by some characters of eggs (number of egg processes on circumference, details of eggshell morphology and features of filaments and their number) and adults (size of cuticular pores). Based on such features as the presence of gibbosities and well visible dorsal sculpture, the second new species, i.e., Ramazzottius syraxi sp. nov. is the most similar to Ram. baumanni species complex, Ram. belubellus, Ram. saltensis and Ram. szeptycki but differs from them by gibbosities configuration and morphology of dorsal sculpture. Mesobiotus cf. coronatus, which belongs to Meb. harmsworthi morpho-group, is potentially a new species but due to unclear taxonomic position of nominal Meb. coronatus, a formal description of this taxon is not possible in the present study
A Brick to a Bundle:�A Qualitative Study of Behavioral Responses to Xylazine Adulteration
No full textThis presentation was delivered to the Food & Drug Administration to share findings from a qualitative study on xylazine adulteration. We highlight behavioral responses (e.g., using less) and motivations for change (e.g., overdose beliefs) among people who use drugs in two midwestern U.S. cities
Racial differences in endometrial cancer genomics and outcomes using UNCseqTM targeted DNA sequencing
Get PDFObjective To use an institution-sponsored targeted sequencing effort to characterize the genomic differences in endometrioid and serous endometrial cancers (ECs) between Black and White patients and to investigate the impact on clinical outcomes. Methods Tumor tissue from Black and White patients with serous or endometrioid ECs underwent DNA sequencing using the UNCseqTM panel. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed for all patients and within histologic and molecular subcategories using clinicopathologic data from the medical record. Results Tumor tissue from 200 endometrioid or serous ECs were included, with 169 tumors (84.5 %) from White and 31 (15.5 %) from Black patients. Black patients more frequently had serous (vs. endometrioid, p < 0.0001) and TP53 mutant (by modified TCGA subclassification, p = 0.01) tumors, compared to White patients. Over a median follow-up of 62.4 months, PFS and OS were significantly shorter for Black patients (p < 0.04). Modified TCGA categorized TP53 mutant tumors had the worst PFS and OS (p < 0.04). Of serous tumors, 25.0 % were categorized as POLE, MSI or TP53 wild type, whereas 11.6 % of endometrioid tumors were categorized as TP53 mutant. White patients more often had somatic mutations in ARID1A or PTEN (p < 0.05). Conclusions Several potential molecular drivers of the racial disparity in EC were identified. Future studies are warranted to validate the clinical impact of these findings amongst a larger diverse study population and evaluate their potential as clinically actionable targets in treatment
Health Research Ethics in Southern Africa: Building Capacity and Cultivating Excellence.
Get PDFThe health research landscape in southern Africa is becoming increasingly complex as research efforts intensify to address the region's significant disease burden. The increasing volume and complexity of health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights the ongoing need for enhanced research ethics capacity. To supplement a review published in 2014, this paper provides an overview of research ethics capacity-building initiatives supported through substantive long-term competitive awards from the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health between 2014 and 2024. These programs aimed to enhance the capabilities of research ethics committees (RECs) and strengthen research ethics capacity throughout Southern Africa, with broader benefits to the African continent and globally as collaborative health research increases. The programs have successfully developed and delivered comprehensive research ethics curricula tailored to research ethics concerns in the region. Trainees and graduates include clinicians, researchers, REC members, REC administrators, lawyers, and ethicists, with focused efforts to ensure gender parity. This increased representivity of scholars has improved the membership on RECs and in skilled research ethics leadership in the region. For the benefit of future planning, this paper also describes some of the many challenges faced in delivering on program goals - including COVID-19. We also describe innovative solutions developed to address these challenges and meet the needs of students, faculty and institutions, while cultivating excellence in health research ethics. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for future research, underscoring the importance of continued diverse global investment in research ethics capacity to protect research participants and maintain and improve ethical standards and practice in health research within the region and globally. This will enable the development of innovative evidence-based global health solutions based on ethical research
Multiplex Immunoassay for Biomarker Profiling of Whole Blood Cell Lysates and Supernatants and Pathogen Response in Neat Whole Blood Cultures
Get PDFReplicating in vivo conditions is essential for understanding immune responses and measuring immune biomarkers in blood. Sampling immune biomarkers in plasma or serum often fails to detect disease-relevant signals, possibly because these markers are sequestered in immune cells or extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, traditional whole blood cultures using external media may not accurately mimic the physiological environment of blood cells. To address these limitations, we developed a strategy using whole blood cell lysates and supernatants to optimize biomarker detection. Additionally, we employed neat whole blood culture methods, preserving the natural cellular and biochemical environment to assess sensitivity to immune modulators, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This cost-effective approach minimizes variability and contamination risks. By utilizing Luminex multiplex immunoassays, we profiled immune biomarkers with higher sensitivity and efficiency than traditional ELISAs. Blood samples from individuals with high alcohol consumption validated our method by assessing biomarker levels before and after LPS stimulation, providing insights into intracellular responses and inflammatory pathways. This method enhances our understanding of inflammatory processes in blood cells, demonstrating the advantages of cell lysates, supernatants, and advanced multiplex assays in immunological research
Social Workers’ Reports on Needs and Recommendations to Enhance School Safety
Get PDFIssues with school safety and violence have raised concerns that warrant attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners alike. In this study, we explored how school social workers—a group of school personnel who are understudied in the school violence literature—experience school safety and violence in the United States. Using a sample of 271 school social workers, we analyzed qualitative responses to two open-ended survey questions: (a) What are the most concerning safety issues facing educators and staff in your school? (b) What policies, procedures, resources, or interventions are needed to better prevent or address violence in your school? Data were collected online between March and June 2022 by the American Psychological Association Task Force on Violence against Educators and School Personnel. Derived using a socioecological framework, findings reflect school social workers’ needs for workplace safety and perspectives on how to prevent and mitigate school violence at the school site, district, and community levels. Implications range from promoting strong relationships in schools and between the school and community to bolstering funding sources that can sustain programs, training, and staffing aimed at improving experiences for all students. The implications of our findings for future research and practice are presented