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Digital Technologies and the Barriers K-12 Teachers Face: A Phenomenological Study During a Global Pandemic
Get PDFThe COVID 19, global pandemic has brought upon many changes in the world we live in today. The educational community has had to accept the drastic changes in teaching and learning through embracing digital technologies more rigorously than ever before. Specifically, in Long Island, New York, once the initial cases of COVID 19 were identified, educational institutions were challenged with enabling instruction remotely. Teachers faced the reality of mandatory implementation of digital technology in the curriculum. This research sought to identify the phenomenon of how teachers have experienced known barriers to using digital technologies during a global pandemic; specifically, when teachers had no choice but to embrace these modalities to best educate students. This phenomenological study surveyed teachers in Long Island, New York to ascertain a better understanding of their experiences related to the extrinsic and intrinsic barriers faced while adopting, integrating, and implementing digital technologies in the classroom during the COVID 19 global pandemic. Themes emerging from the essence of the phenomenon included three major points that are recommended for teachers to use as a model to guide them in creating a digital classroom; (a) accepting change, (b) breaking barriers, and (c) checking for self-efficacy. The abc’s Model for a Digital Classroom Teacher evolved from this research can guide not just teachers but can encourage other diverse occupations to adopt, integrate, and implement digital technologies in a wide variety of disciplines
Investigation of dermal bioavailability and bioequivalence of topical dermatological drug products via microdialysis in rabbits
Get PDFThere is no standard technique to measure skin pharmacokinetics (PK) and therefore to evaluate bioequivalence (BE) for topical dermatological drug products (TDDPs). Generic companies are required to conduct costly clinical endpoint studies to evaluate BE. For this reason, regulatory agencies are looking for more efficient methods to measure the drug bioavailability of TDDPs. It is about 40 years since microdialysis was developed as a tool to study tissue biochemistry in animals, specifically, neurotransmitter release in the rodent brain, and 30 years since it was applied to study skin PK. However, improvements in the dermal microdialysis (dMD) technique are required to become accepted by the regulatory agencies for the assessment of dermal BE. The purpose of this dissertation is to improve the experimental design and to address methodological deficiencies in order to lower data variability to obtain an acceptable BE estimate for TDDPs Recommendations include extended sampling duration timepoints to adequately characterize the dermal PK-profile, inclusion of a probe-performance marker to the perfusate to account for variation between samples, the precise control of the dMD probe membrane length along with increasing the number of replicate probes/application sites. Studies were performed in rabbits with Metronidazole (MTZ) TDDPs as a tool compound. MTZ is a hydrophilic, low protein-bound drug that is an ideal substrate for dMD recovery. The experiments were designed to evaluate four MTZ TDDP simultaneously in the same rabbit: gel-reference, gel-test, cream-reference, and cream-test, where the test products were US-FDA approved generics. Results of these studies show that the dMD was capable to clearly differentiate among MTZ formulations and evaluate non-BE for them. Moreover, the point estimate of bioavailability parameters, Ln AUC (extent) and Ln Cmax (rate) of reference/test ratios for each formulation were within BE limits. However, studies were not statistically powered to bring all 90% confidence interval (CI) of bioavailability parameters inside the BE boundaries (N=7). Another set of experiments were conducted using TDDP containing equal amounts of lidocaine (LDC) and prilocaine (PLC). LDC and PLC are molecules more lipophilic than MTZ and with higher protein binding, therefore they are more challenging for the dMD technique. For LDC/PLC products we investigated the capability of dMD to discriminate amongst escalating doses of a brand cream (EMLA). Moreover, the combination of dMD with sensitive analytical equipment, LC-MS/MS allowed the detection of skin metabolites. The experiment was designed to adequately characterize concentration-time profiles of LDC and PLC in a range of brand cream doses. The brand gel in one dose was administrated as a negative control formulation. DMD was able to sensitively assess the dose-response of LDC and PLC and their corresponding metabolites in the range of doses. The results demonstrated there is disproportionality in the exposure of each analyte and even its metabolite in the range of defined doses, although, both LDC and PLC were administrated in the same dose and same formulation. The exposure of PLC was lower than the ones for LDC while the main metabolite of PLC (Orto-Toluidine) was higher than the exposure of LDC’s metabolite, monoethylglyclxylidide, (MEGX). Moreover, dMD was able to differentiate among two formulations from only three experiments. These results suggest that dMD, with properly controlled variables, can accurately characterize the bioavailability of different groups of TDDPs and it should be further considered in the evaluation of TDDPs’ BE. Another goal was to apply a novel type of study, retrodialysis/ microdialysis (dermal infusion) to investigate disposition parameters like clearance, the volume of distribution, and half-life of MTZ independent of the dermal absorption procedure. The result of this study was deconvolved to investigate absorption functions like input rate, cumulative amount, and fractional input. The comparison of these results with the ones acquired from identical experiments in Yucatan-mini pig helped to compare and understand the role of the skin character in the absorption process. Moreover, the results of the cumulative amount and calculated dermal bioavailability (F) parameters confirmed the BE results. In the next step, the IVPT data of humans were utilized to explore the correlation of human in vitro data with in vivo rabbit data. The graphed Levy plots of different formulations in the test and reference products demonstrated a correlation for each product. Therefore, the IVPT data for each formulation was convolved with the MTZ dermal unit impulse response (dUIR) of the rabbit, and the prediction error for each formulation was calculated. The resulting plasma concentration profiles of brand cream and generic gel can predict the extent of absorption of the rabbit model with a percentage error less than60% in each formulation. The developed IVIVR adequately predicted the extent of absorption for different formulations but not the rate
Experimental use of Drosophila to Model Proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells
Get PDFDrosophila have been vectors for scientific research since the beginning of the 20th century. Their successful use within experiments that investigated mendelian genetics inspired their continuous application to biological research. This includes topics that detailed what is now known as innate immunity. The innate immune system of Drosophila is a first line of defense against pathogens. Innate immunity has been extensively researched and has reserved responses between Drosophila and mammals. Specifically, Drosophila have been experimentally targeted to draw conclusions on human infecting viruses such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-Cov-1). Such experiments modeled viral protein function resulting from viral gene expression. Drosophila can additionally be applied to research pertaining to the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). Using transgenic Drosophila that contain a modified SARS-CoV-2 gene would ultimately force expression of the chosen gene within ocular tissue. This ocular tissue can be isolated and properly stained to observe cell proliferation. Evaluating proliferation can help develop standard knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. 1
Occurrence of Tick-Borne Diseases and Parasites of American Black Bears in Lakewood and Hiles, Wisconsin
No full textWe conducted a study of 159 American Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) to establish the occurrence rates of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis as well as the presence of their vectors Dermacentor variabilis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. There are many factors that influence the prevalence of not only the ticks, but tick-borne diseases as well including seasonal and environmental changes, interactions between humans and their domestic animals, as well as changes observed in the tick and host species themselves. We studied the effects of sex, location, and the presence of fecal parasites based on the tick exposure of the bears. Multivariable logistical regression revealed that sex influences the presence of ticks (p=0.0346) and there was weak evidence for the effect of sex on the presence of fecal parasites (p=0.061). We found no effect of location on the presence of the ticks (p= 0.5487) or fecal parasites (p=0.0908). The presence of ticks in American black bears significantly decreases the presence of fecal parasites (p= 0.0055). All bears sampled in May and June of each year had ticks present. We used the Fisher’s exact test for count data to compare two periods of time. In the years 2003-winter 2005, we found no bears exposed to Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis), or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In summer 2005, we found six bears exposed to Lyme disease, which is significantly greater than the previous years (p=0.003841). Even though we found two bears exposed to Ehrlichiosis in summer 2005, this is not significantly different than the previous years (p= 0.1689). We found three bears were exposed to RMSF, but once again, the difference is not significant than in previous years (p= 0.06757). No bears were exposed to babesiosis (Babesia canis) in any of the years sampled. Based on our results, we found evidence of increased exposure in black bears to babesiosis. This may indicate a one-time increase in exposure or possibly a trend towards increased exposure over time, but additional research would be needed to determine which of these two options is actually the case
Who’s afraid of whiteness? White privilege, white racial identity and the motivated defense of white supremacy
Get PDFRacial inequality pervades American society, yet this reality is largely denied or misattributed by many White people (Bonilla-Silva & Dietrich, 2011). Why are White Americans so resistant to acknowledging their privilege as unearned and therefore illegitimate? While some research suggests nominal benefit of raising awareness of White privilege (e.g., decreases in modern racist beliefs), other work indicates outright defensive reactions (e.g., increased hardship claiming). System Justification Theory conceptualizes these defenses as attempts to legitimize the current social order and resist change. In this dissertation, I sought to address the inconsistencies in the literature by identifying factors that affect the type of reactions White people have to being reminded of White privilege. Using an experimental paradigm comparing a condition in which participants read a paragraph about White privilege to a control paragraph about chairs, in a sample of 500 White Mechanical Turk participants, we investigated the degree to which White racial identity, social dominance orientation, and self-regard affected defensive or non-defensive reactions, as measured by racial system justification, colorblind racism, and affirmative action attitudes. We found significant condition x White racial self-regard interactive effects on racial system justification, colorblind racism and affirmative action attitudes. Individuals low in White racial self-regard defended the racial status quo in response to evidence of White privilege, whereas those who were racially secure were able to incorporate information about White privilege and acknowledge systemic racism. Thus, interventions geared toward maintaining racial self-regard while interrogating the ways White people perpetuate racial inequality may be necessary to sustain White engagement in dismantling racism
Comic narrative expression and aesthetics: From print to webtoons
Get PDFComics are a unique way for artists to tell stories. The production and distribution of comics are affected by technological development. In this process, comics formed their special narrative language and aesthetic system. With the development of digital technology and portable devices, comics as a medium is undergoing major transformations towards digitization. However, most digital comics still abide by the format and layout that traditional printed comics have used for so long. Although some platforms have tried to innovate their design and layout to be delivered digitally, not all of these attempts have been successful. Webtoon originated in South Korea as one form of digital comics. It adopts the vertical reading format associated with smartphones and integrates multimedia elements as well. As a new form of comics, webtoons have brought new narrative manners and aesthetic changes. Through comparative analysis between traditional printed comics and webtoons, this paper examines these potential adaptive, narrative and aesthetic changes brought on by this transformation from print comics to digital comics. Several aspects such as space, time, composition, panels, transition between scenes, the blending of images and texts, reading modes, and the impact of the control of multimedia elements on readers’ reading will be examined. Creators should be alert to the impact of these potential changes as comics transform from print to digital. This can promote the innovation of the comics so that the industry can maintain its unique art charm in the world of creative multimedia
In vitro and in silico approaches to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of combination antibiotic therapy against drug-resistant bacteria
Get PDFThis thesis focuses on combating antibacterial resistance by developing novel in vitro and in silico techniques. In vitro techniques such as in vitro pharmacodynamic (IVPD) modeling are powerful tools for investigating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic response of antibiotics against bacteria. The standard IVPD model in the literature works for simulating monotherapy and combination therapy of drugs having similar half live. But it does not work for combination therapy of drugs having different half live. The method present in the literature for combination therapy of drugs with different half live was described by Blaser. By utilizing Blaser’s method, it was observed that the concentration of drug having a longer half-life could not be achieved as expected in vivo. Therefore, it was essential to develop a novel in vitro pharmacodynamic model to address this limitation. The novel IVPD model in this thesis has overcome this issue by varying the infusion rate at which the drug with longer half-life was being supplemented to the central vessel. The change in infusion rate was calculated to mimic the in vivo plasma concentration of the longer half-life drug. The novel IVPD model was verified by running a 48 hour experiment where the concentration of drug with longer half-life (ceftriaxone) was monitored.
Another aspect of this research was dedicated to developing a physiologically based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PBPK-PD) model for combination therapy of amicrobial medications acting synergistically (ampicillin and ceftriaxone). PBPK modeling is a dynamic method that predicts in vivo systemic drug exposure in humans based on the compound’s physicochemical properties and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) characteristics. Interlinking it with the pharmacodynamic model would help to understand the change in pharmacodynamic response caused due to alterations in the pharmacokinetics of drug that impact systemic exposure. An advantage of developing PBPK-PD model for combination therapy is it can act as a predictive tool to optimize dosing regimen and understand the pharmacodynamic response in special populations (renal impaired patients, pediatrics, pregnant women, etc.).
To develop the PBPK-PD model, substrate profiles for ampicillin and ceftriaxone were first created and verified in healthy volunteers against published literature. Verification was performed by visual predictive check and by calculating the fold error for maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC). A custom PD model was developed using lua script code which can simulate a pharmacodynamic response for drugs acting synergistically. The PBPK model was interlinked with the PD model. The PBPK-PD model was verified against in vitro results published in the literature. The PD end point was the observed decrease in bacterial count over a period of 72 hours. A dosing regimen of ampicillin 2g q 4 hours and ceftriaxone 2g q 12 hours was simulated using the PBPK-PD model. It was observed that the PBPK-PD model developed in this research could capture the in vitro pharmacodynamic experiment data.
Once verified, the PBPK-PD model was extended to a population of severe renal impaired patients. PBPK-PD model was used to justify the change in dose frequency of ampicillin when given in combination with ceftriaxone in severe renal impaired patients’ population. Two dosing regimens were simulated in severe renal impaired patients: 1) ampicillin 2g q 8 hours and ceftriaxone 2g q 12 hours, and 2) ampicillin 2g q 6 hours and ceftriaxone 2g q 12 hours.
In a patient population with renal impairment a regimen comprised of ampicillin IV 2000 mg every q-6 hours and ceftriaxone IV 2000 mg q-12 hours achieved complete eradication of bacteria. The novel PBPK-PD model created in this dissertation research is of clinical significance as an in silico approach can be used to optimizing dosing regimens in special patient populations being treated with a combination of antimicrobial drugs acting synergistically
Scientific literacy at a tragic low: A call for more public engagement in science
Get PDFScience is the catalyst for humanity’s progress. Without it, we would not understand our world, our universe, even our own bodies to the extent we do now. We would not have the ability to travel, connect, and innovate at the heights we currently enjoy. In fact, many people are alive today only because of scientific discoveries and advancements. Life-saving surgeries, medications, and implants impossible a mere hundred years ago are now routine, thanks to science. It follows that science should be revered, trusted, and understood. Unfortunately, in the information age, communication gets complicated. As with any other topic, there are agitators who aim to tarnish the reputation of science and scientists or spin scientific information for personal or political gain. The public must work against these forces. As long as science remains the best way to make sense of the world and continues to improve and save the lives of millions of people, scientists need and deserve our support. Better engagement on scientific topics among teachers, students, journalists, politicians, scientists, and everyday citizens needs to occur. This thesis examines some of the ways science is communicated, evaluates some examples of science communication, and proposes some improvements. Ultimately, increased scientific literacy brings a brighter, healthier world with greater fulfillment for its inhabitants
Shame and depression: Psychological and cultural factors in a sample of Middle Eastern women
Get PDFShame is a self-conscious emotion that has been frequently tied to psychopathology; however, despite its deep-rooted influence in the Arab culture, little research has been conducted on its effect on the mental health of this population. Thus, this study investigated the impact of shame proneness on depression severity in a sample of adult Middle Eastern women living in the United States. The study also explored other factors that are highly relevant for this population, including anger suppression, religiosity, interdependent self construal, and Middle Eastern ethnic identity. Specifically, the study investigated the role anger suppression plays in explaining the relationship between shame and depression. Religiosity’s possible impact on strengthening the relationships between shame and anger suppression was also examined. Finally, interdependent self construal and ethnic identity’s effects on the relationship between shame and depression were assessed. Participants included 203 adult women who self-identified as Middle Eastern or Arab-American. Data were collected electronically, utilizing several self-report measures. Results showed that shame proneness was a significant and positive predictor of depression severity. Additionally, anger suppression was found to play a significant role in explaining the relationship between shame and depression. Contrary to the authors’ prediction, degree of religiosity did not significantly strengthen the relationship between shame and anger suppression and, instead was significantly and negatively correlated with shame, anger suppression, and depression. Similarly, interdependent self construal and ethnic identity did not significantly strengthen the relationship between shame and depression severity. Clinical implications are discussed in the context of risk and protective factors of mental health in Middle Eastern women
Multivariate pharmametric approach as a solution to the challenges associated with in-situ UV fiber-optic dissolution testing
Get PDFThe advancement and automation in analytical techniques is a current thrust of the pharmaceutical industry. It has been over 30 years since unconventional semi or fully automatic methods have begun to be developed to achieve the measurement in-situ in the dissolution test apparatus. The current study focuses on the fiber optic dissolution system (FODS), its challenges, and solutions to the challenges. The inaccuracy in dissolution profile predictions due to some limitations associated with the FODS makes it difficult to adopt this advanced automated technology for various purposes. The traditional dissolution methods are still widely used even though they are time-consuming and have other major drawbacks. The reason preventing wider adoption may be the perceived challenges in the method\u27s reliability which is largely due to the lack of availability of proper guidelines and protocols to validate the analytical methods.
A successful validation scheme/protocol was developed for the dissolution testing using the FODS for CPM IR tablets. The protocol can be easily applicable to the other drug products compatible with the FODS analysis. The possible challenges associated with the FODS were identified during this study, and potential solutions were discussed thoroughly with individual examples. The overall scheme and illustration of the solution to the common problems related to the FODS could be very beneficial in building confidence to adopt the FODS widely in various applications of dissolution testing.
The problem of inaccurate dissolution profile predictions due to UV signal saturation associated with high dose formulations did not resolve by simple solutions explained in troubleshooting. Another challenge with FODS was its limitation to resolve strong overlapping UV signals during dissolution testing of multiple component drug products. A further in-depth study was required to develop an enduring solution that can be applied to other compounds showing similar issues with the FODS. Therefore, In the present work, an approach combining appropriate multivariate calibration methods with the UV spectral information from FODS was established to resolve the challenges associated with FODS, ultimately to predict accurate dissolution profiles. The PCR and PLS multivariate calibration models were developed with the calibration set consisting of full UV spectra and validated with the external data set. For the challenges associated to the UV signal saturation, the selection of different spectral regions and incorporation of quadratic terms were also explored. The conventional dissolution testing followed by HPLC analysis was used as a reference method to evaluate computed multivariate models\u27 accuracy with the \u27built-in\u27 Opt-Diss model.
The proposed approach showed promising results and was comparable to traditional dissolution method. The method was able to accurately predict dissolution profiles of model drug products resolving the challenges associated with FODS. Further, both PCR and PLS models showed statistically equivalent results despite their fundamental differences in the basic principles and methodologies.
The approach developed in this thesis enables the use of FODS for the dissolution testing of drug products posing challenges due to UV signal saturation and band overlap, as an improved alternative to the commonly preferred method of HPLC analysis. The method is quick, simple, and economical in the long run compared to traditional dissolution followed by HPLC analysis with its many associated source of error. Thus, the approach presented is a significant step forward toward the advancement in the automation of dissolution testing of pharmaceutical drug products