Island University Research Articles

Proposition 13—America's Second Great Tax Revolt: A Forty Year Struggle for Library Survival

Proposition 13—America's Second Great Tax Revolt: A Forty Year Struggle for Library Survival

Removing the stigma of medication for opioid use disorder

Removing the stigma of medication for opioid use disorder

S1150 Predictors of Development of Hepato-Renal Syndrome in Cirrhotic Patients With Acute Kidney Injuries

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis with high mortality rates. Hepato-renal syndrome (HRS) is the cause of AKI in approximately 10–20% of cirrhotic patients while prerenal AKI and acute tubular necrosis are more common causes. Correct differentiation is imperative as management and outcomes differ substantially. Diagnosis of HRS is often delayed requiring 48 hours of attempts at volume expansion before a definitive diagnosis can be made. Mortality associated with HRS is substantially higher compared to other causes of AKI and treatment requires a timely multidisciplinary approach. We hypothesize that the risk of HRS can be predicted based on patient's baseline clinical characteristics and laboratory values at the time of development of AKI. We aim to describe potential variables associated with HRS in cirrhotic patients presenting with AKI. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 235 cirrhotic patients admitted with AKI to Staten Island University Hospital, NY. We collected demographics, medical history, vital signs, laboratory data, medications, procedures during hospital stay and outcomes. Patients with a diagnosis of HRS were identified as a separate group. We performed a bivariate analysis to determine variables associated with the development of HRS. RESULTS: Patients were predominantly males (61%) and Caucasians (55%). Mean age of our cohort was 66 (±13) years. Alcoholic liver cirrhosis was the most common etiology (52%). The mean Charleson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score and MELD score were 5 and 18, respectively. Ascites was the most encountered clinical sign of portal hypertension (21%). 16% of patients received albumin and 25 patients (11%) were diagnosed with HRS. Death occurred in 11% of patients. Variables that were statistically significantly associated with the diagnosis of HRS included alcoholic cirrhosis, higher CCI and MELD scores, clinical signs of portal hypertension (history of hepatic encephalopathy and/or ascites), lower platelet count and sodium level, higher bilirubin and INR. Mortality in patients with HRS was 40%. CONCLUSION: HRS-AKI is a diagnosis of exclusion and is often difficult to establish. We identified clinical variables and laboratory data that can guide clinicians through an early diagnosis of HRS to allow for a better targeted approach in an attempt to lower mortality. We intend on developing a predictive model for the diagnosis of HRS based on the identified associated variables identified in this study.Table 1.: Clinical characteristics and outcomes of cirrhotic patients admitted with Acute Kidney injuryTable 2.: Variables associated with the development of HRS in cirrhotic patients admitted with Acute Kidney Injury

Composer and Broadway Pianist Invites Listeners ‘Inside His Head’

Composer and Broadway Pianist Invites Listeners ‘Inside His Head’

Important Implications on the Use of Beta-Blockers for Nurse Practitioners and Clinicians

•Beta-blockers remain an important group of medications for heart failure and other indications. •Cardioselective beta-blockers work on beta-1 receptors found mostly in the heart, which can decrease heart rate and contractility. •Noncardioselective beta-blockers work on various beta-receptors, and some also work on alpha-receptors. •It is important to fully understand and appreciate the use of beta-blockers in patient care. Section Editor Timothy Nguyen, PharmD, BCPS, CCP, FASCP, is a professor of pharmacy at The Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University (Long Island University Pharmacy) in Brooklyn, NY; an adjunct clinical pharmacology professor with the Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Long Island University; and an adjunct clinical pharmacology professor at the School of Nursing (Graduate Program), Saint Peter’s University in Brooklyn, NY. He can be reached at [email protected]

Resource utilization of adult patients referred to the emergency department from an urgent care center

ABSTRACT Background The rise of urgent care centers (UCC) continues to serve as an alternative to emergency departments (ED) for patients with a perceived lower acuity complaint. Patients that are deemed to be higher acuity are often evaluated at an UCC and then redirected to EDs. However, limited data exist on resource utilization by patients who are transferred from UCCs to EDs. The objective of this study was to compare resource utilization in the ED between patients who were transferred from UCCs and those who were initially evaluated in the ED. Methods This was a retrospective study of adult patients transferred from UCCs in Staten Island, NY to Staten Island University Hospital, between 1 March 2018 and 31 December 2018. The first group (UCC Group) included those initially evaluated at an UCC and then referred to the ED. The second group (ED Group) included those who had their initial evaluation in the ED. Results 572 subjects were enrolled in the UCC Group, and 84,481 in the ED Group. The UCC Group was more likely to undergo laboratory tests, plain radiographs and computed tomography, electrocardiograms, intravenous fluids, and parenteral medications. Patients in the UCC group were also more likely to be admitted to an inpatient bed or placed into ED observation (p < 0.0001). Overall, ED length of stay was longer in the UCC Group (p < 0.001). Conclusions Patients referred from an UCC required more ED resources and were more likely to be admitted to a hospital bed compared to those who initially self-referred to the ED.

Reinventing Networking During Era of Social Distancing

Reinventing Networking During Era of Social Distancing

INTERNATIONAL FIELD SCHOOL FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Engineering graduates increasingly find that they are part of teams that draw a multi-disciplinary membership across a broad range of cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic backgrounds. Although engineering students often have the opportunity to participate in international projects (e.g. co-operative education programs, study abroad), formal international field schools are not typical within engineering curricula, particularly at the first- and second-year level. To provide an early introduction to intercultural perspectives, first-year engineering students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) participated in a field school at Tra Vinh University (TVU) in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam over a period of three weeks. This field school consisted of a number of cultural and engineering activities, and involved pairing of students at both TVU and VIU for the duration of the experience. To measure student response during the field school, participating VIU students completed the on-line Intercultural Effectiveness Scale questionnaire pre- and post-experience. Students at both institutions also completed reflection exercises throughout the three-week period. This feedback suggested each student pairing continuously developed skills necessary to overcome linguistic, cultural, and technical barriers to learning and growing over their time together. Students described an enhanced understanding of self, and an increased likelihood to further participate in intercultural experiences.

Improvement in Laboratory Eating Behavior at the Microstructural Level of Bites by Young Women with Overweight and Obesity

Abstract Objectives Effective weight management interventions that target within-meal eating behaviors, such as biting, chewing, swallowing, and pausing, are limited. The Eating Pace Instructional Classes (EPIC) intervention successfully coached healthy young-adult females with overweight and obesity to eat slower by modifying their within-meal eating behaviors. It was hypothesized that the experimental group who received the 5-week EPIC intervention would reduce bite frequency, bite size, and bite number more than the non-treatment control group. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of mixed-macronutrient ad libitum meals eaten over a universal eating monitor (UEM) in the laboratory, before (PRE) and after (POST) the intervention. A total of 82 meals was analyzed: PRE and POST meals for each experimental participant (E: n = 21, mean age 20.2 ± 3.1 years, mean BMI 30.9 ± 2.1 kg/m2) and each control participant (C: n = 20, mean age 21.4 ± 4.7 years, mean BMI 31.7 ± 2.8 kg/m2). A manual approach was created from pilot work and calculated bite outcomes from UEM data during scale stability, using the range of 1–31 grams for a bite of food and other specific criteria. From this manual method, we developed bite analysis software in MatLab that calculated bite frequency, bite size, and bite number for each meal. Results Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant time-by-group effect for mean bite frequency (E: −0.75 ± 0.39, C: +0.18 ± 0.42 bites/minute; P = 0.025, ηp2 = 0.123), but changes in mean bite size (E: −0.50 ± 0.04, C: +0.68 ± 1.06 grams; P = 0.254, ηp2 = 0.033) and mean bite number (E: +2.57 ± 6.66, C: +2.45 ± 2.94 bites; P = 0.974, ηp2 = 0.000) did not reach significance. Conclusions The EPIC intervention that reduced the overall eating rate of women who were overweight and obese effectively decreased bite frequency. There was a trend towards smaller bite size, and bite number did not change significantly. These promising results support the incorporation of the EPIC approach and our microstructural methodology into the design and assessment of weight management interventions that modify within-meal eating behaviors. Funding Sources The randomized controlled EPIC Study, the basis for this secondary data analysis, was funded by a University of Rhode Island College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Community Access to Research and Extension Services (CARES) grant.

Consumer behavior over the life course: Research frontiers and new directions

Psychology & MarketingVolume 37, Issue 9 p. 1316-1316 BOOK REVIEW Consumer behavior over the life course: Research frontiers and new directions Yuko Minowa, Corresponding Author Yuko Minowa yminowa@liu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-7806-4034 Business Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York Correspondence Business Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Email: yminowa@liu.eduSearch for more papers by this author Yuko Minowa, Corresponding Author Yuko Minowa yminowa@liu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-7806-4034 Business Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York Correspondence Business Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Email: yminowa@liu.eduSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 May 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21367Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume37, Issue9September 2020Pages 1316-1316 RelatedInformation

Court rules in favor of college

Case name: Felkner v. Rhode Island College, et al., No. 2016‐17 (R.I. 03/18/19).

Characterizing the role of POLQ variants in genomic instability and cancer

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer that arises from melanocytes. It is developed due to ultra‐violet (UV) radiation inducing DNA damage when left unrepaired lead to mutations, which lead to genomic instability. Unrepaired DNA, or its faulty repair, can lead to mutagenesis, which can propagate further through rounds of replication, eventually resulting in uncontrolled cell growth leading to cancer. However, cells have various kinds of DNA repair pathways, which includes specialized enzymes that can repair DNA. One of the most important DNA repair enzyme is DNA polymerase theta (Pol θ or POLQ). POLQ has been shown to be involved in double strand break repair through a non‐canonical DNA end‐joining pathway known as the micro‐homology mediated end‐joining (MMEJ). POLQ is a low fidelity DNA polymerase and it introduces various kinds of mutations during DNA repair. Previous reports show that breast cancer patients that overexpress POLQ tend to have poorer survival rate indicating a potential role for POLQ in cancer. In collaboration with the Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer and Rhode Island College, we have identified several variants of POLQ in melanoma patients. Here we demonstrate that the variants of POLQ induce genomic instability and have accumulations of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). We show that POLQ variants are sensitive to DNA damaging agents like etoposide. In addition, biochemical studies indicate that some of these variants display a slower polymerization rate compared to wild‐type (WT) suggesting a different mechanism for nucleotide incorporation. Together, this suggests that the cancer‐associated variants lead to genomic instability. Our studies suggest that variants of POLQ alter the DNA repair landscape and has potential to impact cancer treatment.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported by Linfield College Start‐Up Funds and Linfield College Faculty Student Research Collaborative Grant (FSRCG) to SR.

STUDENTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTENTION IN METROPOLITAN AND INDONESIA FREE TRADE ZONE: IS IT DIFFERENT?

This study aims to determine the Entrepreneurship Intention of students in Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa) which is a metropolitan area and Riau Islands University (Unrika) in Indonesia Free Trade Zone. To distinguish Entrepreneurship Intention from students in this study using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This type of research is quantitative exploratory research. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the WarpPLS approach. Respondents in this study are Unesa and Unrika students, 6th-semester Economics or had taken entrepreneurship courses with a total of 142 students. There are similar intentions of Unrika entrepreneurship with Unesa. In Unrika, they were in the free trade zone area so they were more consumptive towards electronics because of their low price and reluctant to be entrepreneurs. In the free trade zone, if we want to sell an item outside the island, it will be charged by the gonverment, and the price will be same like the price from the outside of free trade zone. Moreover, most of their parents are workers or civil servants and not entrepreneurs. The cause of Unesa students is reluctant to become entrepreneurs because most of them want to become civil servants based on the influence of the family environment which on average comes from the village and works as a civil servant. For Unrika, most of them are college workers, so their mindset before and when they are studying is as workers.

McDermott: A Personally Transforming Encounter

Research Article| April 01 2020 McDermott: A Personally Transforming Encounter David Sprintzen David Sprintzen Long Island University Post Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google The Pluralist (2020) 15 (1): 93–95. https://doi.org/10.5406/pluralist.15.1.0093 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation David Sprintzen; McDermott: A Personally Transforming Encounter. The Pluralist 1 January 2020; 15 (1): 93–95. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/pluralist.15.1.0093 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressThe Pluralist Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2020 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Market basket analysis with association rules

This study was conducted in order to make a Market Basket Analysis by using Association Rules. The data used in the study are the sales data of any supermarket received from the Vancouver Island University website. Data were analyzed in the Weka program using a data set containing 225 different products. Apriori and FP Growth, which are Association Rules algorithms, were tried in order. Since the data set is categorical, the Apriori algorithm did not yield any results. Therefore, the FP Growth algorithm was used and the top 10 rules were given according to the conviction value. The best rule accordingly; a customer who buys Milk, Sweet Relish and Pepperoni Pizza (Frozen) also gets eggs. Best rule with 21.06 Conviction and 1 (100%) confidence values are this rule. 24 customers who received these 3 products in the dataset received eggs. Similarly, also other rules were interpreted in this study. As a result, product placement in the supermarket can be made according to these rules. Thus, sales of these products will increase and supermarket revenue will increase directly.

Case 4: Scalp Swelling Beyond the Immediate Postpartum Period.

1. Mark Bouchard, MD* 2. Linda Di Toro, MD† 3. Jeremy Neuman, MD‡ 4. Richard Sidlow, MD* 5. Dana M. Kaplan, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics and 2. ‡Department of Radiology, Staten Island University Hospital—Northwell Health, Staten Island, NY 3. †Premier Pediatrics of New York, Staten Island, NY A 14-week-old boy, accompanied by his biological parents, presents to their pediatrician’s office after his mother noticed “bumps” on the child’s scalp that same morning. According to the pediatrician this is a new physical finding compared with his routine 2-month visit examination, and she directs the family to the emergency department for further evaluation. Both parents deny a history of head trauma; insect bites; changes in behavior, appetite, or activity; or recent fevers or illness. Birth history, confirmed by medical record review, is significant in that the patient was born full term via emergency cesarean delivery after a failed vacuum-assisted delivery. Bruising without swelling was noted on the scalp where the vacuum device was applied twice, which spontaneously resolved after several days. Scalp electrodes were also placed intravaginally during labor. In the emergency department, the patient’s development and growth, including head circumference, are both appropriate for age. There is no significant family medical history. Psychosocially, both parents deny a history of substance abuse, psychiatric comorbidities (including postpartum depression), previous investigations with child protective services, or domestic violence in the home. On physical examination the patient is active and alert, with scant, thin hair noted over the scalp without apparent breakages. The only abnormal finding is a 3×3-cm swelling noted over the occiput with extension over the right parietal …

1572: THE OVERLAP OF PEDIATRIC HYPERINFLAMMATORY DISORDERS AND POSSIBLE PEDIATRIC SEPSIS SCORING CRITERIA

1Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY 2Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 3Cohen Children’s Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY

Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University

Sustainability initiatives in higher education are growing in importance. This case study may guide faculty at other institutions seeking to gain deeper insight into the state of sustainability education where they work. Members of the Vancouver Island University Sustainability Advisory Committee hosted a workshop for faculty members, students and staff to explore how sustainability is incorporated into teaching and learning at the institution, to share perspectives, and examine ways to enhance individual and collective pedagogical practices. A World Café posed four questions for participants to answer as they rotated between tables. The resulting qualitative data were content analysed and interpreted. Key themes and categories from data concerning participants' successes and inspirations while teaching and learning at Vancouver Island University (VIU), challenges and barriers in blending sustainability into coursework, faculty's perceptions of student perspectives of sustainability in VIU courses and about resources and opportunities to integrate sustainability in interdisciplinary courses are reported and discussed. This case study differs from others in that it does not describe an evaluation of a programme but, rather, explicates a process by faculty working at a new university to elicit information from their peers and develop networks that will engage the university in interdisciplinary sustainability for years to come.

In-hospital acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: What is the scope of the problem?

BACKGROUNDAcute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) is a frequently encountered condition in the Gastroenterology field with a mortality rate of 10-14%. Despite recent newer innovations and advancements in endoscopic techniques and available medications, the mortality rate associated with AUGIB remained persistently elevated.AIMTo explore mortality, characteristics and outcome differences between hospitalized patients who develop AUGIB while in-hospital, and patients who initially present with AUGIB.METHODSThis is a retrospective of patients who presented to Northwell Health Staten Island University Hospital from October 2012 to October 2016 with AUGIB that was confirmed endoscopically. Patients were divided in two groups: Group 1 comprised patients who developed AUGIB during their hospital stay; group 2 consisted of patients who initially presented with AUGIB as their main complaint. Patient characteristics, time to endoscopy, endoscopy findings and interventions, and clinical outcomes were collected and compared between groups.RESULTSA total of 336 patients were included. Group 1 consisted of 139 patients and group 2 of 196 patients. Mortality was significantly higher in the 1st group compared to the 2nd (20% vs 3.1%, P ≤ 0.05). Increased length of stay (LOS) was noted in the 1st group (13 vs 6, P ≤ 0.05). LOS post-endoscopy, vasopressor use, number of packed red blood cell units and patients requiring fresh frozen plasma were higher in group 1. Inpatients were more likely to be on corticosteroids, antiplatelets and anticoagulants. Conversely, the mean time from bleeding to undergoing upper endoscopy was significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2.CONCLUSIONIn-hospital AUGIB is associated with high mortality and morbidity despite a shorter time to endoscopy. Larger scale studies assessing the role of increased comorbidities and antithrombotic use in this setting are warranted.

Court rules in favor of college

Case name: Felkner v. Rhode Island College, et al., No. 2016‐17 (R.I. 03/18/19).