Scholarly Works, Population Health Sciences

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  • Decision support for United States – Canada energy integration is impaired by fragmentary environmental and electricity system modeling capacity
    Calder, Ryan S. D.; Dimanchev, Emil; Cohen, Stuart; McManamay, Ryan A. (IOP Publishing, 2024-09-02)
    The renewable energy transition is leading to increased electricity trade between the United States and Canada, with Canadian hydropower providing firm lower-carbon power and buffering variability of wind and solar generation in the U.S. However, long-term power purchase agreements and transborder transmission projects are controversial, with two of four proposed projects cancelled since 2018. Here, we argue that controversies are exacerbated by a lack of open-source data and tools to understand the economic, environmental, and health tradeoffs of new hydropower generation and transmission infrastructure in comparison to alternatives. This gap includes impacts that incremental transmission and generation projects have on the economics of the entire system, for example, how new transmission projects affect exports to existing markets or incentivize new generation. We identify priority areas for data synthesis and model development, such as integrating linked hydropower and hydrologic interactions in energy system models and openly releasing (by utilities) or back-calculating (by researchers) hydropower generation and operational parameters. Publicly available environmental (e.g., streamflow, precipitation) and techno-economic (e.g., costs, reservoir size,) data can be used to parameterize freely usable and extensible models. Existing models have been calibrated with operational data from Canadian utilities that are not publicly available, limiting the range of scientific and commercial questions these tools have been used to answer, and the range of parties that have been involved. Studies conducted using highly resolved, national scale public data exist in other countries, notably, United States, and demonstrate how greater transparency and extensibility can drive industry action. Improved data availability in Canada could facilitate approaches that (1) increase participation in decarbonization planning by a broader range of actors; (2) allow independent characterizations of environmental, health, and economic outcomes of interest to the public; and (3) identify decarbonization pathways consistent with community values.
  • Re: Urgent action needed on traffic violence in Washington, D.C.
    Calder, Ryan S. D.; Koopman, Phil; Batra, Sonal; Douglas, Katherine; Paichadze, Nino; Breehey, Sonya; Kwan, Christy; Hall, Faith; Baca, Alex; Gray, Peter; Doyle, Mike; Lowery, Jeremiah (2023-05-08)
  • SARS-CoV-2 Rapidly Infects Peripheral Sensory and Autonomic Neurons, Contributing to Central Nervous System Neuroinvasion before Viremia
    Joyce, Jonathan D.; Moore, Greyson A.; Goswami, Poorna; Harrell, Telvin L.; Taylor, Tina M.; Hawks, Seth A.; Green, Jillian C.; Jia, Mo; Irwin, Matthew D.; Leslie, Emma; Duggal, Nisha K.; Thompson, Christopher K.; Bertke, Andrea S. (MDPI, 2024-07-28)
    Neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19, acute and long term, suggest SARS-CoV-2 affects both the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS/CNS). Although studies have shown olfactory and hematogenous invasion into the CNS, coinciding with neuroinflammation, little attention has been paid to susceptibility of the PNS to infection or to its contribution to CNS invasion. Here we show that sensory and autonomic neurons in the PNS are susceptible to productive infection with SARS-CoV-2 and outline physiological and molecular mechanisms mediating neuroinvasion. Our infection of K18-hACE2 mice, wild-type mice, and golden Syrian hamsters, as well as primary peripheral sensory and autonomic neuronal cultures, show viral RNA, proteins, and infectious virus in PNS neurons, satellite glial cells, and functionally connected CNS tissues. Additionally, we demonstrate, in vitro, that neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 neuronal entry. SARS-CoV-2 rapidly invades the PNS prior to viremia, establishes a productive infection in peripheral neurons, and results in sensory symptoms often reported by COVID-19 patients.
  • Developing medical simulations for opioid overdose response training: A qualitative analysis of narratives from responders to overdoses
    Edwards, G. Franklin; Mierisch, Cassandra; Mutcheson, Brock; Coleman, Keel; Horn, Kimberly; Parker, Sarah Henrickson (PLOS, 2024-03-28)
    Medical simulation offers a controlled environment for studying challenging clinical care situations that are difficult to observe directly. Overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) programs aim to train potential rescuers in responding to opioid overdoses, but assessing rescuer performance in real-life situations before emergency medical services arrive is exceedingly complex. There is an opportunity to incorporate individuals with firsthand experience in treating out-of-hospital overdoses into the development of simulation scenarios. Realistic overdose simulations could provide OEND programs with valuable tools to effectively teach hands-on skills and support context-sensitive training regimens. In this research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals experienced in responding to opioid overdoses including emergency department physicians, first responders, OEND program instructors, and peer recovery specialists. Two coders conducted qualitative content analysis using open and axial thematic coding to identify nuances associated with illicit and prescription opioid overdoses. The results are presented as narrative findings complemented by summaries of the frequency of themes across the interviews. Over 20 hours of audio recording were transcribed verbatim and then coded. During the open and axial thematic coding process several primary themes, along with subthemes, were identified, highlighting the distinctions between illicit and prescription opioid overdoses. Distinct contextual details, such as locations, clinical presentations, the environment surrounding the patient, and bystanders’ behavior, were used to create four example simulations of outof- hospital overdoses. The narrative findings in this qualitative study offer context-sensitive information for developing out-of-hospital overdose scenarios applicable to simulation training. These insights can serve as a valuable resource, aiding instructors and researchers in systematically creating evidence-based scenarios for both training and research purposes.
  • Addressing opioid misuse through community-engaged strategy development: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
    Zimmerman, Emily B.; Rafie, Carlin; Wenzel, Sophie G.; Hosig, Kathryn; Villani, Domenique; Dance, Jon; Lee, Samantha S. (2024-07-19)
    Background: Involving stakeholders in the research process facilitates collaboration, increasing understanding of factors influencing their wellbeing and motivating community action. Currently, there is a need for randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of community-engaged research approaches for health, well-being, and engagement outcomes. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of both the SEED Method and a modified Delphi method in a participatory project to develop local strategies to address the opioid epidemic in three rural communities. The purpose of this study is to increase the level of evidence for community-engaged research methods through a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Two communities will use the SEED Method and one will use a modified Delphi method. We aim to recruit a total of 144 participants (48 per community). The evaluation team will randomize participants to an intervention group or a control group. In addition, we will collect outcome data from the participatory research team members leading the projects in each county (n = 18) and from additional community members who participate in focus groups (n = 32). The primary outcome for all participants will be the change in self-reported civic engagement as measured by the total score on the Individual Mobilization Scale. Discussion: In the context of participatory action to address opioid misuse in rural counties, this study will provide an understanding of the effectiveness of two community engagement methods for increasing civic engagement, as well as the extent to which participants successfully create locally tailored action strategies. The study will also explore how the observed effects differ depending on the participant’s role in the project (stakeholder participant, community research team member, or focus group participant), which is an important consideration for participatory research.
  • Raising an Eye at Facial Muscle Morphology in Canids
    Sexton, Courtney L.; Diogo, Rui; Subiaul, Francys; Bradley, Brenda J. (MDPI, 2024-04-25)
    The evolution of facial muscles in dogs has been linked to human preferential selection of dogs whose faces appear to communicate information and emotion. Dogs who convey, especially with their eyes, a sense of perceived helplessness can elicit a caregiving response from humans. However, the facial muscles used to generate such expressions may not be uniquely present in all dogs, but rather specifically cultivated among various taxa and individuals. In a preliminary, qualitative gross anatomical evaluation of 10 canid specimens of various species, we find that the presence of two facial muscles previously implicated in human-directed canine communication, the levator anguli occuli medialis (LAOM) and the retractor anguli occuli lateralis (RAOL), was not unique to domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris). Our results suggest that these aspects of facial musculature do not necessarily reflect selection via human domestication and breeding. In addition to quantitatively evaluating more and other members of the Canidae family, future directions should include analyses of the impact of superficial facial features on canine communication and interspecies communication between dogs and humans.
  • Geohealth Policy Benefits Are Mediated by Interacting Natural, Engineered, and Social Processes
    Calder, Ryan S. D.; Schartup, Amina T. (American Geophysical Union, 2023-08-29)
    Interest in health implications of Earth science research has significantly increased. Articles frequently dispense policy advice, for example, to reduce human contaminant exposures. Recommendations such as fish consumption advisories rarely reflect causal reasoning around tradeoffs or anticipate how scientific information will be received and processed by the media or vulnerable communities. Health is the product of interacting social and physical processes, yet predictable responses are often overlooked. Analysis of physical and social mechanisms, and health and non-health tradeoffs, is needed to achieve policy benefits rather than “policy impact.” Dedicated funding mechanisms would improve the quality and availability of these analyses.
  • Une mauvaise publicité pour l’hydroélectricité québécoise
    Calder, Ryan S. D. (La Presse, 2019-10-11)
  • Canada ignores Muskrat Falls at its peril
    Calder, Ryan S. D. (The Telegram, 2019-10-07)
  • Why Similar Policies Resulted In Different COVID-19 Outcomes: How Responsiveness And Culture Influenced Mortality Rates
    Lim, Tse Yang; Xu, Ran; Ruktanonchai, Nick; Saucedo, Omar; Childs, Lauren M.; Jalali, Mohammad S.; Rahmandad, Hazhir; Ghaffarzadegan, Navid (Health Affairs, 2023-12)
    In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, per capita mortality varied by more than a hundredfold across countries, despite most implementing similar nonpharmaceutical interventions. Factors such as policy stringency, gross domestic product, and age distribution explain only a small fraction of mortality variation. To address this puzzle, we built on a previously validated pandemic model in which perceived risk altered societal responses affecting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Using data from more than 100 countries, we found that a key factor explaining heterogeneous death rates was not the policy responses themselves but rather variation in responsiveness. Responsiveness measures how sensitive communities are to evolving mortality risks and how readily they adopt nonpharmaceutical interventions in response, to curb transmission.We further found that responsiveness correlated with two cultural constructs across countries: uncertainty avoidance and power distance. Our findings show that more responsive adoption of similar policies saves many lives, with important implications for the design and implementation of responses to future outbreaks.
  • Resident Support for the Federally Mandated Smoke-Free Rule in Public Housing: 2018-2022
    Dearfield, Craig T.; Ulfers, Margaret; Horn, Kimberly; Bernat, Debra H. (MDPI, 2024-01-17)
    This study examines support for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) mandatory smoke-free rule up to four years post-rule among smokers and non-smokers. A repeated cross-sectional design was used where District of Columbia public housing residents aged 18+ (n = 529) completed surveys during three time points: July 2018 (pre-rule), November 2018–March 2020 (post-rule), and September 2020–December 2022 (post-rule + COVID-19). Full support for the rule was indicated by agreeing that smoking should not be allowed in all indoor locations and within 25 feet of buildings. Descriptive statistics showed significant differences in support across time for smokers (5.3%, 30.7%, and 22.5%, respectively) and similar support across time for nonsmokers (48.2%, 52.2%, and 40.0%, respectively). In unstratified regression analysis, pre-rule support was lower than when the rule was in effect (aOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.90), and tobacco users were less likely to support the rule (aOR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.50). Stratified logistic regression results showed that pre-rule support was lower among smokers compared to post-rule support (aOR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.59); support among nonsmokers did not vary by time. Findings overall indicate low support for the smoke-free rule up to 4 years post-implementation. Engaging residents with the rule and promoting health and well-being may further enhance policy effectiveness and acceptance.
  • Profiles of youth citizenship: A cluster analysis of ethical factors, demographics, and problem-solving disposition
    Bush, Sarah A.; Rudd, Rick D.; Friedel, Curtis R.; Archibald, Thomas G.; Redican, Kerry J. (Mississippi State University Libraries, 2023-12-01)
    Youth have the capacity to drive positive change in their communities through active and engaged citizenship (AEC). Teen-leadership programs provide youth with opportunities to develop the skills necessary to participate as partners in community problem-solving efforts. Situated in relational developmental systems metatheory, this study aimed to examine how cluster membership based upon demographic characteristics, ethical factors, and problem-solving disposition impacted AEC. The findings indicated significant differences between clusters for AEC, civic duty, and civic skills. These differences were predominately observed through membership in long-term or short-term leadership programs, gender, enrollment in honors/AP courses, ethical views, and problem-solving disposition. Youth leadership practitioners should consider avenues for infusing problem-solving and character development in gender inclusive program curriculum to increase likelihood for contributing.
  • COVID-19 related messaging, beliefs, information sources, and mitigation behaviors in Virginia: A cross-sectional survey in the summer of 2020
    Silverman, Rachel; Short, Danielle; Wenzel, Sophie; Friesen, Mary Ann; Cook, Natalie (PeerJ, 2024-01-08)
    Background. Conflicting messages and misleading information related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) have hindered mitigation efforts. It is important that trust in evidence-based public health information be maintained to effectively continue pandemic mitigation strategies. Officials, researchers, and the public can benefit from exploring how people receive information they believe and trust, and how their beliefs influence their behaviors. Methods. To gain insight and inform effective evidence-based public health messaging, we distributed an anonymous online cross-sectional survey from May to July, 2020 to Virginia residents, 18 years of age or older. Participants were surveyed about their perceptions of COVID-19, risk mitigation behaviors, messages and events they felt influenced their beliefs and behaviors, and where they obtained information that they trust. The survey also collected socio-demographic information, including gender, age, race, ethnicity, level of education, income, employment status, occupation, changes in employment due to the pandemic, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and zip code. Analyses included specific focus on the most effective behavioral measures: wearing a face mask and distancing in public. Results. Among 3,488 respondents, systematic differences were observed in information sources that people trust, events that impacted beliefs and behaviors, and how behaviors changed by socio-demographics, political identity, and geography within Virginia. Characteristics significantly associated (p < 0.025) with not wearing a mask in public included identifying as non-Hispanic white, male, Republican political identity, younger age, lower income, not trusting national science and health organizations, believing one or more non-evidence-based messages, and residing in Southwest Virginia in logistic regression. Similar, lesser in magnitude correlations, were observed for distancing in public. Conclusions. This study describes how information sources considered trustworthy vary across different populations and identities, and how these differentially correspond to beliefs and behaviors. This study can assist decision makers and the public to improve and effectively target public health messaging related to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic and future public health challenges in Virginia and similar jurisdictions.
  • Canadian hydropower and the U.S. energy transition: controversies, opportunities, and strategic research directions
    Calder, Ryan S. D.; Borsuk, Mark E.; Mortazavigazar, A.; Howarth, Richard B.; Jackson, Chloe; Mavrommati, Georgia (2023-12-13)
    Recent modeling for the northeast United States suggests that the least-cost decarbonization pathway involves a combination of build-out of domestic renewables generation and increased intertie capacity with Canada. U.S. imports of Canadian hydropower have increased by > 1 TWh per year between 2007–2021 because it is a cost-effective and low-carbon alternative to domestic fossil fuel generation. Yet, increased interconnection capacity and imports are controversial and have been opposed by U.S. environmental groups and members of the public. Development of new hydroelectric reservoirs disrupts foodways and lifeways of Indigenous populations and has greenhouse gas impacts greater than wind and solar (though less than fossil fuel alternatives). Two recently cancelled hydropower transmission projects linking New England and Quebec, Canada demonstrate the need to better understand the gap between pathways that appear optimal from the perspective of energy systems modeling and the pathways that will ultimately be socially and environmentally acceptable. The experience of the northeast mirrors that in other parts of the U.S. where substantial resources have been invested in pursuit of renewable projects that are ultimately abandoned following mobilization of stakeholders with adverse interests or values. A research program integrating environmental and economic modeling seeks to resolve controversies surrounding the use of Canadian hydropower in U.S. energy transitions. This includes conceptual disputes over valuation of hydropower from existing reservoirs in cost-benefit analysis; debates over whether new transmission infrastructure stimulates new generation capacity; and analysis of the relative importance of different benefits and impacts to the public.
  • Alternative approaches for creating a wealth index: the case of Mozambique
    Xie, Kexin; Marathe, Achla; Deng, Xinwei; Ruiz-Castillo, Paula; Imputiua, Saimado; Elobolobo, Eldo; Mutepa, Victor; Sale, Mussa; Nicolas, Patricia; Montana, Julia; Jamisse, Edgar; Munguambe, Humberto; Materrula, Felisbela; Casellas, Aina; Rabinovich, Regina; Saute, Francisco; Chaccour, Carlos J.; Sacoor, Charfudin; Rist, Cassidy (BMJ, 2023-08)
    Introduction: The wealth index is widely used as a proxy for a household's socioeconomic position (SEP) and living standard. This work constructs a wealth index for the Mopeia district in Mozambique using data collected in year 2021 under the BOHEMIA (Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa) project. Methods: We evaluate the performance of three alternative approaches against the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) method based wealth index: feature selection principal components analysis (PCA), sparse PCA and robust PCA. The internal coherence between four wealth indices is investigated through statistical testing. Validation and an evaluation of the stability of the wealth index are performed with additional household income data from the BOHEMIA Health Economics Survey and the 2018 Malaria Indicator Survey data in Mozambique. Results: The Spearman's rank correlation between wealth index ventiles from four methods is over 0.98, indicating a high consistency in results across methods. Wealth rankings and households' income show a strong concordance with the area under the curve value of ∼0.7 in the receiver operating characteristic analysis. The agreement between the alternative wealth indices and the DHS wealth index demonstrates the stability in rankings from the alternative methods. Conclusions: This study creates a wealth index for Mopeia, Mozambique, and shows that DHS method based wealth index is an appropriate proxy for the SEP in low-income regions. However, this research recommends feature selection PCA over the DHS method since it uses fewer asset indicators and constructs a high-quality wealth index.
  • The standards of reporting randomized trials in pets (PetSORT): Methods and development processes
    Ruple, Audrey; Sargeant, Jan M.; Selmic, Laura E.; O'Connor, Annette M. (Frontiers, 2023-03)
    BackgroundReporting of clinical trials conducted in client- and shelter-owned dog and cat populations is not optimal, which inhibits the ability to assess the reliability and validity of trial findings and precludes the ability to include some trials in evidence synthesis. ObjectiveTo develop a reporting guideline for parallel group and crossover trials that addresses the unique features and reporting requirements for trials conducted in client- and shelter-owned dog and cat populations. DesignConsensus statement. SettingVirtual. ParticipantsFifty-six experts from North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia working in academia, government (research and regulatory agencies), industry, and clinical veterinary practice. MethodsA steering committee created a draft checklist for reporting criteria based upon the CONSORT statement and the CONSORT extensions for reporting of abstracts and crossover trials. Each item was presented to the expert participants and was modified and presented again until >85% of participants were in agreement about the inclusion and wording of each item in the checklist. ResultsThe final PetSORT checklist consists of 25 main items with several sub-items. Most items were modifications of items contained in the CONSORT 2010 checklist or the CONSORT extension for crossover trials, but 1 sub-item pertaining to euthanasia was created de novo. ConclusionThe methods and processes used to develop this guideline represent a novel departure from those used to create other reporting guidelines, by using a virtual format. The use of the PetSORT statement should improve reporting of trials conducted in client- and shelter-owned dogs and cats and published in the veterinary research literature.
  • Adverse Health Outcomes Following Hurricane Harvey: A Comparison of Remotely-Sensed and Self-Reported Flood Exposure Estimates
    Ramesh, Balaji; Callender, Rashida; Zaitchik, Benjamin F.; Jagger, Meredith; Swarup, Samarth; Gohlke, Julia M. (American Geophysical Union, 2023-04)
    Remotely sensed inundation may help to rapidly identify areas in need of aid during and following floods. Here we evaluate the utility of daily remotely sensed flood inundation measures and estimate their congruence with self-reported home flooding and health outcomes collected via the Texas Flood Registry (TFR) following Hurricane Harvey. Daily flood inundation for 14 days following the landfall of Hurricane Harvey was acquired from FloodScan. Flood exposure, including number of days flooded and flood depth was assigned to geocoded home addresses of TFR respondents (N = 18,920 from 47 counties). Discordance between remotely-sensed flooding and self-reported home flooding was measured. Modified Poisson regression models were implemented to estimate risk ratios (RRs) for adverse health outcomes following flood exposure, controlling for potential individual level confounders. Respondents whose home was in a flooded area based on remotely-sensed data were more likely to report injury (RR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.27-1.77), concentration problems (1.36, 95% CI: 1.25-1.49), skin rash (1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.48), illness (1.29, 95% CI: 1.17-1.43), headaches (1.09, 95% CI: 1.03-1.16), and runny nose (1.07, 95% CI: 1.03-1.11) compared to respondents whose home was not flooded. Effect sizes were larger when exposure was estimated using respondent-reported home flooding. Near-real time remote sensing-based flood products may help to prioritize areas in need of assistance when on the ground measures are not accessible.