University of Central Florida

BACKGROUND: Perinatal health outcomes are influenced by a variety of socioeconomic, behavioral, and economic factors that reduce access to health services. Despite these observations, rural communities continue to face barriers, including a lack of resources and the fragmentation of health services. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patterns in health outcomes, health behaviors, socioeconomic vulnerability, and sociodemographic characteristics across rural and nonrural counties within a single health system catchment area...

PURPOSE: Benign intracranial meningioma is one of the most common primary brain neoplasms. Proton therapy has been increasingly utilized for nonoperative management of this neoplasm, yet few long-term outcomes studies exist. METHODS: The medical records of a total of 59 patients with 64 lesions were reviewed under a prospective outcomes tracking protocol for histologically proven or radiographically benign meningioma. The patients were treated with proton therapy at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute between 2007 and 2019 and given a median dose of 50...

In this Information Age, computers and mobile phones are important carriers of data transmission and many scientists work hard to speed up that process. Professor Peter Delfyett of the University of Central Florida has done just that. A member of the US National Academy of Engineering, he developed the world's fastest and most powerful mode-locked semiconductor laser. I have known Professor Delfyett since 2011, when he took part in the CIOMP-OSA International Summer Session. His sincere and friendly attitude, humorous and optimistic nature and excellent academic style left a deep impression...

BACKGROUND: Interventions to increase the uptake of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among Black young adults are central to ending the pandemic. Black young adults experience harms from structural forces such as racism and stigma that reduce receptivity to traditional public health messaging. As such, Black young adults continue to represent a priority population to focus efforts promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake. OBJECTIVE: In Aims 1 and 2, the Tough Talks for HIV disclosure digital health intervention will be adapted to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and tailored for Black young adults in the southern United States (Tough Talks for COVID-19)...

OBJECTIVE: We explored the impact of COVID-19 on universal screening programs for opioid use and related conditions among practicing clinicians or staff who work with pregnant patients. METHODS: Semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 15) were conducted with practicing clinicians or staff in West-Central Florida between May and October 2020, representing both a range of professions and clinical settings that serve pregnant patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and reviewed for accuracy...

BACKGROUND: In the United States, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation and up-to-date (UTD) status are associated with multiple factors at the individual level such as racial/cultural (e.g., race, immigration status), socioeconomic status (e.g., living below poverty level, education), and healthcare access (e.g., insurance status/type). HPV vaccination rates differ dramatically by US geographic areas and within states. To tailor interventions to local areas, it is important to understand county-level characteristics associated with HPV vaccination rates...

Introduction Previous studies have claimed gap year clinical experiences before medical school matriculation increase student self-efficacy and clinical confidence. At the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, 41 first-year medical students participated in a new certification course to become emergency medical responders before beginning their coursework. This study describes the results of a follow-up study that aims to investigate the impact the course had on student competency, self-efficacy, and clinical efficacy and if the course would prepare students similarly to previous clinical experience...

The increasing volume, variety, velocity, distribution, structural intricacy, and complexity of use of digital evidence can make it difficult for practitioners to find and understand the most forensically useful information (Casey E. Digital evidence and computer crime: Forensic science, computers, and the Internet. Academic Press; 2011. p. 31; Pollitt M. The hermeneutics of the hard drive: Using narratology, natural language processing, and knowledge management to improve the effectiveness of the digital forensic process [PhD dissertation]...

This systematic review examined the effect of diet quality, defined as adherence to healthy dietary recommendations, on all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality. Web of Science, Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify eligible studies published by May 2021. We used a random-effects model meta-analysis in two different approaches to estimate pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for highest and lowest categories of diet quality: (1) each dietary quality index as the unit of analysis and (2) cohort as the unit of analysis...

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted many large gatherings, and research conferences are no exception. Large conferences, once attended in-person, have primarily switched to a virtual format, utilizing online platforms. Every January, Medical Students Providing Across Continents (MedPACt), the University of Central Florida College of Medicine's global health interest group, hosts a student-run Global Health Conference that features a keynote speaker, discussion panel, and research presentations, and workshops for participants to engage in...

A new shock tube facility has been designed, constructed, and characterized at the University of Central Florida. This facility is capable of withstanding pressures of up to 1000 atm, allowing for combustion diagnostics of extreme conditions, such as in rocket combustion chambers or in novel power conversion cycles. For studies with toxic gas impurities, the high initial pressures required the development of a gas delivery system to ensure the longevity of the facility and the safety of the personnel. Data acquisition and experimental propagation were implemented with remote access to ensure safety, paired with a LabVIEW- and Python-based user interface...

OBJECTIVE: Active shooter incidents (ASI) have continued to increase over the years, with the majority of attacks occurring in the workplace. Workplace violence in the hospital setting is a growing concern in the emergency department (ED). While ASI are inherently unpredictable by nature, it is prudent to be prepared for these scenarios in the hospital to prevent fatalities. The goal of this study is to access the level of familiarity of emergency department staff with ASI hospital policy and response protocol...

The research aims to improve the comfort and safety of the smart home by adding a motion recognition algorithm to the smart home system. First, the research status of motion recognition is introduced. Second, based on the requirements of the smart home system, a smart home system is designed for middle-aged and elderly users. The software system in this system includes intelligent control subsystems, intelligent monitoring subsystems, and intelligent protection subsystems. Finally, to increase the security of the smart home, the intelligent monitoring subsystem is improved, and an intelligent security subsystem is proposed based on a small-scale motion detection algorithm...

Background: We evaluate the public health surveillance program, Screen, Test, and Protect (STP) designed to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university in the United States. Methods: STP was established at the University of Florida in May 2020. This report details STP's full-time workforce, centralized database, and testing and vaccination programs. We evaluate the program's success in controlling COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 academic school year. Results:  COVID-19 cases rose among the campus community in the first few weeks of campus reopening in Fall 2020...

Community service serves as a major aspect of pharmacy education; however, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a significant disruption to student involvement. The College of Pharmacy student council, which serves as the local student government organization for the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Jacksonville campus, developed a community service initiative to offer more consistent opportunities for students to participate in community service events, while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions...

INTRODUCTION: For doctors, the human body is the focus of investigation/intervention on a daily basis making the anatomy essential to safe medical practice.1 Most medical students agree with the statement that "I feel that working with cadaveric material is an important part of becoming a doctor"2 . By integrating anatomical models into a prosection driven lab, we can move away from the clutter, discomfort, complexity of a cadaveric dissection, and clarify characteristics/functions of a structure that are not apparent in situ...

INTRODUCTION: Integrating critical pharmacology teaching across the preclinical years effectively using active learning methods is challenging for medical schools in optimal conditions. Due to COVID 19, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (UCF COM) was forced to transition to virtual learning modalities for 2020-2021, which necessitated developing innovative but engaging virtual methods to implement pharmacology education. In transitioning to virtual modalities, the literature was reviewed for best practices in on-line and blended learning...

The Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine collaborated with the college's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to enhance its existing diversity programming, created to foster a sense of community throughout the college. Through this partnership, a library-driven idea for an occasional diversity-themed lunch and learn session gained valuable institutional support and transformed into a larger event series. A second related project emerged with a goal of creating a diversity corner for the college...

The dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora Münchh. (Rosaceae, Maloideae) is a small deciduous tree species native to the central and eastern US and south into northern Mexico. Dwarf hawthorn is drought tolerant and commonly found in disturbed areas (e.g., hedges and roadsides). In May 2021, we observed several individuals of dwarf hawthorn growing on the border of an empty field in the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory at The University of Florida main campus in Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA (N29.633382, W82...

The following paper presents case examples of one research team's use of social network analysis (SNA) with three different collaboratives in South Florida: (a) a Collective Impact initiative seeking to end youth homelessness, (b) a university collaborative of campus organizations working towards Black students' concerns, and (c) a movement network of local social justice organizations. The research team used SNA to assess the level of connectivity of three different community coalitions. While research questions were slightly different for each collaborative, each project asked about the frequency of communication between organizations to determine connectivity...