UMBC Staff Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/7733
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Action Research at Educare: Shifting Focus to the Learner for the 21st Century(The International Academic Forum, 2020-09-15) Vandarakis, Anthony; Farmer, Frederick; Wood, ElizabethA new small-school, Educare or Edu2 (pronounced edu-car-ai; from the Latin word meaning "to draw out") opened its doors in Montreal, Canada, in September 2019. Edu2 has launched an innovative educational environment to address the challenges of preparing students to live meaningful and fulfilling lives in the 21st century. In order to achieve that, Edu2 has engaged in the challenging work of rethinking how schools should organize and what constitutes worthwhile knowledge. Edu2 sees the need for school to foster a supportive community, promote a healthy and happy learning environment, advance digital and traditional literacies, and view learner-generated knowledge as essential. The Action Research at Educare: Shifting Focus to the Learner for the 21st Century research team is led by professor Elizabeth Wood. We are investigating, in partnership with the founder-educators of Edu2, the extent to which the school’s vision has materialized. An ongoing focus of the partnership research is community building, educational technology, and student-centered pedagogy: Edu2 is committed to these core tenets while meeting the global academic standards of the Quebec Education Program (QEP). Our research team is committed to chronicling Edu2’s first year of operation through the (voices) experiences of all community members - teachers, students, parents, and researchers. This presentation will explore the experiences of both students and teachers as they engage with the various opportunities, challenges and feelings of belonging to this unique community during the initial year.Item Key Governance Practices That Facilitate the Use of Remote Sensing Information for Wildfire Management: A Case Study in Spain(MDPI, 2025-2-14) Prados, Ana; Allen, MackenzieWe present results from a comprehensive analysis on the use of Earth Observations (EO) in Spain for wildfire risk management. Our findings are based on interviews with scientists, firefighters, forest engineers, and other professionals from government and private sector organizations in nine autonomous regions in Spain. Our aim is to identify the key governance practices facilitating or hindering the use of remote sensing (RS) information and to provide recommendations for improving their integration into landscape management and fire suppression activities to reduce wildfire risk. We share several case studies detailing activities and institutional arrangements facilitating the translation of satellite science and research into decision-making environments, with a focus on how this knowledge flows among the various stakeholder categories. Among the barriers faced by fire management teams in Spain, we identified institutional silos, lack of technical skills in satellite data processing and analysis, and the evolving acceptance of satellite data by decision makers.Item International Service Learning 3.0: Using Technology to Improve Outcomes and Sustainability(World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2020) Vandarakis, AnthonyToday’s International Service Learning practices require an update: modern technologies, fresh educational frameworks, and a new operating system to accountably prosper. This paper describes a model of International Service Learning (ISL), which combines current technological hardware, electronic platforms, and asynchronous communications that are grounded in inclusive pedagogy. This model builds on the work around collaborative field trip learning, extending the reach to international partnerships across continents. Mobile technology, 21st century skills and summitbasecamp modeling intersect to support novel forms of learning that tread lightly on fragile natural ecosystems, affirm local reciprocal partnership in projects, and protect traveling participants from common yet avoidable cultural pitfalls.Item Estimating the Costs to Mississippi Medicaid Attributable to Tobacco Using Paid Amounts to Providers for Tobacco-Related Illnesses(The Hilltop Institute, 2019-06-03) Woodcock, Cynthia; Stockwell, Ian; Middleton, Alice; Idala, David; Betley, CharlesResearch Objective: Estimating the costs of tobacco-related illness incurred by...Item Reporting Requirements Matter (A Lot): Evidence From Arkansas's Medicaid Work Requirements(Health Affairs, 2025-03-03) Henderson, Morgan; Spicer, Laura; Middleton, AliceWe reexamine enrollment data from Arkansas Works, the state’s Medicaid work requirement program. As the only real-world instance of the implementation of Medicaid work requirements in a preexisting Medicaid expansion population, it is a valuable source of data for understanding the impacts of reporting requirements on enrollment.Item Exploring the Relationship Between Nursing Staff and Family Members' Appraisal of Resident Care in Nursing Homes: The Role of Facility Ownership(MDPI, 45699) Millar, Roberto; Diehl, Christin; Kusmaul, Nancy; Stockwell, IanBackground/Objectives: To address long-standing staffing challenges and elevating care standards in the United States, new legislation will require a minimum of 0.55 h per resident day (HPRD) of registered nurse (RN) care, 2.45 HPRD of certified nursing aide (CNA) care, and a combined total of 3.48 HPRD across any combination of nursing staff. We examine differences in family members? views of care quality between facilities meeting the minimum staffing requirements and those that do not and whether there is any difference in those associations by facility ownership. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized public data from 218 Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities in Maryland, collected in 2023. We used regression analyses to examine the association between staffing requirements and quality of care ratings, considering facility ownership status as a potential moderator. Results: Compared to facilities with CNA staffing levels below the cut off, facilities that met the CNA staffing requirement were rated more favorably by family members in overall quality and across the subdomains of staffing, care, activities, and security. In contrast, meeting the RN 0.55 cut off was not associated with family ratings across any quality domain. A facility for-profit status did not moderate the relationship between staffing and family ratings. Conclusions: These results suggest that CNA staff time is a significant driver of care quality and that non-profit facilities may already be closer to meeting new federal requirements. These findings highlight the need for regulations that support the minimum nursing staffing requirements to enhance care quality. Future research should identify the specific factors contributing to higher quality care in non-profit facilities and explore ways to implement these practices in for-profit settings.Item Behavioral, Cognitive, and Functional Risk Factors for Repeat Hospital Episodes Among Medicare-Medicaid Dually Eligible Adults Receiving Long-Term Services and Supports(Sage, 2024-09-26) Fakeye, Oludolapo; Rana, Prashant; Han, Fei; Henderson, Morgan; Stockwell, IanRepeat hospitalizations adversely impact the well-being of adults dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in the United States. This study aimed to identify behavioral, cognitive, and functional characteristics associated with the risk of a repeat hospital episode (HE) among the statewide population of dually eligible adults in Maryland receiving long-term services and supports prior to an HE between July 2018 and May 2020. The odds of experiencing a repeat HE within 30 days after an initial HE were positively associated with reporting difficulty with hearing (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 1.10 [95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.19]), being easily distractible (AOR: 1.09 [1.00-1.18]), being self-injurious (AOR: 1.33 [1.09-1.63]), and exhibiting verbal abuse (AOR: 1.15 [1.02-1.30]). Conversely, displaying inappropriate public behavior (AOR: 0.62 [0.42-0.92]) and being dependent for eating (AOR: 0.91 [0.83-0.99]) or bathing (AOR: 0.79 [0.67-0.92]) were associated with reduced odds of a repeat HE. We also observed differences in the magnitude and direction of these associations among adults 65 years of age or older relative to younger counterparts.Item Behind the Curtain: Comparing Predictive Models Performance in 2 Publicly Insured Populations(Wolters Kluwer Health, 2024-11) Sun, Ruichen; Henderson, Morgan; Goetschius, Leigh; Han, Fei; Stockwell, IanIntroduction: Predictive models have proliferated in the health system in recent years and have been used to predict both health services utilization and medical outcomes. Less is known, however, on how these models function and how they might adapt to different contexts. The purpose of the current study is to shed light on the inner workings of a large-scale predictive model deployed in 2 distinct populations, with a particular emphasis on adaptability issues. Methods: We compared the performance and functioning of a predictive model of avoidable hospitalization in 2 very different populations: Medicaid and Medicare enrollees in Maryland. Specifically, we assessed characteristics of the risk scores from March 2022 for the 2 populations, the predictive ability of the scores, and the driving risk factors behind the scores. In addition, we created and assessed the performance of an “unadapted” model by applying coefficients from the Medicare model to the Medicaid population. Results: The model adapted to, and performed well in, both populations, despite demographic differences in these 2 groups. However, the most salient risk factors and their relative weightings differed, sometimes dramatically, across the 2 populations. The unadapted Medicaid model displayed poor performance relative to the adapted model. Conclusions: Our findings speak to the need to “peek behind the curtain” of predictive models that may be applied to different populations, and we caution that risk prediction is not “one size fits all”: for optimal performance, models should be adapted to, and trained on, the target population.Item RNA-Puzzles Round V: blind predictions of 23 RNA structures(Springer Nature, 2024-12-02) Bu, Fan; Adam, Yagoub; Adamiak, Ryszard W.; Antczak, Maciej; de Aquino, Belisa Rebeca H.; Badepally, Nagendar Goud; Batey, Robert T.; Baulin, Eugene F.; Boinski, Pawel; Boniecki, Michal J.; Bujnicki, Janusz M.; Carpenter, Kristy A.; Chacon, Jose; Chen, Shi-Jie; Chiu, Wah; Cordero, Pablo; Das, Naba Krishna; Das, Rhiju; Dawson, Wayne K.; DiMaio, Frank; Ding, Feng; Dock-Bregeon, Anne-Catherine; Dokholyan, Nikolay V.; Dror, Ron O.; Dunin-Horkawicz, Stanisław ; Eismann, Stephan; Ennifar, Eric; Esmaeeli, Reza; Farsani, Masoud Amiri; Ferré-D’Amaré, Adrian R.; Geniesse, Caleb; Ghanim, George E.; Guzman, Horacio V.; Hood, Iris V.; Huang, Lin; Jain, Dharm Skandh; Jaryani, Farhang; Jin, Lei; Joshi, Astha; Karelina, Masha; Kieft, Jeffrey S.; Kladwang, Wipapat; Kmiecik, Sebastian; Koirala, Deepak; Kollmann, Markus; Kretsch, Rachael C.; Kurciński, Mateusz; Li, Jun; Li, Shuang; Magnus, Marcin; Masquida, BenoÎt; Moafinejad, S. Naeim; Mondal, Arup; Mukherjee, Sunandan; Nguyen, Thi Hoang Duong; Nikolaev, Grigory; Nithin, Chandran; Nye, Grace; Pandaranadar Jeyeram, Iswarya P. N.; Perez, Alberto; Pham, Phillip; Piccirilli, Joseph A.; Pilla, Smita Priyadarshini; Pluta, Radosław ; Poblete, Simón; Ponce-Salvatierra, Almudena; Popenda, Mariusz; Popenda, Lukasz; Pucci, Fabrizio; Rangan, Ramya; Ray, Angana; Ren, Aiming; Sarzynska, Joanna; Sha, Congzhou Mike; Stefaniak, Filip; Su, Zhaoming; Suddala, Krishna C.; Szachniuk, Marta; Townshend, Raphael; Trachman, Robert J.; Wang, Jian; Wang, Wenkai; Watkins, Andrew; Wirecki, Tomasz K.; Xiao, Yi; Xiong, Peng; Xiong, Yiduo; Yang, Jianyi; Yesselman, Joseph David; Zhang, Jinwei; Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Zhou, Yuanzhe; Zok, Tomasz; Zhang, Dong; Zhang, Sicheng; Żyła, Adriana; Westhof, Eric; Miao, ZhichaoRNA-Puzzles is a collective endeavor dedicated to the advancement and improvement of RNA three-dimensional structure prediction. With agreement from structural biologists, RNA structures are predicted by modeling groups before publication of the experimental structures. We report a large-scale set of predictions by 18 groups for 23 RNA-Puzzles: 4 RNA elements, 2 Aptamers, 4 Viral elements, 5 Ribozymes and 8 Riboswitches. We describe automatic assessment protocols for comparisons between prediction and experiment. Our analyses reveal some critical steps to be overcome to achieve good accuracy in modeling RNA structures: identification of helix-forming pairs and of non-Watson–Crick modules, correct coaxial stacking between helices and avoidance of entanglements. Three of the top four modeling groups in this round also ranked among the top four in the CASP15 contest.Item Astronomers Observe Real-time Formation Of Black Hole Jets For The First Time(UMBC News, 2025-01-13) Hansen, Sarah; Demond, MarlaynaItem Nursing Facility Characteristics Are Differentially Associated With Family Satisfaction and Regulatory Star Ratings(Southern Gerontological Society, 2025-01-08) Millar, Roberto J.; Diehl, Christin; Kusmaul, Nancy; Stockwell, IanResearch suggests that nursing facility structural characteristics are important contributors toward residents’ quality of care. We use 2021 data from 220 Maryland nursing facilities to examine associations between two different quality-of-care metrics: family satisfaction and Care Compare five-star quality ratings. We used descriptive statistics to explore differences in quality metrics across facility ownership (for-profit vs. non-profit), geographic location (urban vs. rural), and resident census (1–60, 61–120, and 121+). Relationships were examined across overall ratings, as well as across subdomains of the two frameworks (e.g., staffing). Family members of residents in non-profit, rural, and low-census facilities rated facilities higher. Non-profit and low-resident census facilities were more likely to be rated four or five stars, while no significant association was observed across geographic location, or interactions across structural factors. Findings emphasize the need for comprehensive quality-of-care frameworks that explore quality care across stakeholders and types of facilities.Item Synthetic anti-RNA antibody derivatives for RNA visualization in mammalian cells(Oxford, 2024-12-31) Banna, Hasan Al; Berg, Kimberley; Sadat, Tasnia; Das, Naba Krishna; Paudel, Roshan; D'Souza, Victoria; Koirala, DeepakAlthough antibody derivatives, such as Fabs and scFvs, have revolutionized the cellular imaging, quantification and tracking of proteins, analogous tools and strategies are unavailable for cellular RNA visualization. Here, we developed four synthetic anti-RNA scFv (sarabody) probes and their green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions and demonstrated their potential to visualize RNA in live mammalian cells. We expressed these sarabodies and sarabody–GFP modules, purified them as soluble proteins, characterized their binding interactions with their corresponding epitopes and finally employed two of the four modules, sara1-GFP and sara1c-GFP, to visualize a target messenger RNA in live U2OS cells. Our current RNA imaging strategy is analogous to the existing MCP-MS₂ system for RNA visualization, but additionally, our approach provides robust flexibility for developing target RNA-specific imaging modules, as epitope-specific probes can be selected from a library generated by diversifying the sarabody complementarity determining regions. While we continue to optimize these probes, develop new probes for various target RNAs and incorporate other fluorescence proteins like mCherry and HaloTag, our groundwork results demonstrated that these first-of-a-kind immunofluorescent probes will have tremendous potential for tracking mature RNAs and may aid in visualizing and quantifying many cellular processes as well as examining the spatiotemporal dynamics of various RNAs.Item Leveraging the Medicaid Current Beneficiary Survey to Estimate Undercounting in Claims Data during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency(2024-06-29) Gill, Christine; Blake, Elizabeth; Roll, MelissaItem Leveraging State Data Sources to Improve Analysis of Medicaid Participant Race and Ethnicity(2024-06-29) James, Parker; Woodcock, Cynthia; Middleton, Alice; Idala, David; Smirnow, AlexisItem Hilltop Hospital Pricing Work Featured in New State of Reform Article(The Hilltop Institute, 2022-09-23) The Hilltop Institute; Henderson, Morgan; Mouslim, MorganeHilltop’s newly funded National Science Foundation (NSF) project on hospital pricing behavior is featured in a new article by State of Reform, an organization focused on conversations that bridge the gap between health care and the policy that governs it. Hilltop researchers Morgan Henderson, PhD, and Morgane Mouslim, DVM, ScM, will collect, clean, document, and synthesize a sample of pricing data posted by hospitals in response to a 2021 federal rule mandating that hospitals disclose previously confidential data on the prices they charge. The resulting data set and documentation will be made available to other researchers. Drs. Henderson and Mouslim will also conduct two studies on the relationship between payer mix and hospital pricing behavior.Item Healthcare Upside/Down: Pricing Impacting Financially Vulnerable Populations w/ Henderson & Mouslim(Healthcare NOW Radio Podcast Network, 2022-11-16) Henderson, Morgan; Mouslim, MorganeS2E2: Healthcare Cash Price Variability Impacting Financially Vulnerable Populations with Morgan Henderson, Principal Data Scientist and Morgane Mouslim, Health Policy Analyst at The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and host Dr. Nick. As we move clearly into a transparent and fair system of healthcare service that offers economic, affordable, and accessible healthcare to everyone it is important to take account of all the groups and find an appropriate path for every member of our community. Self-pay patients are an understudied yet important and financially vulnerable population of emergency room users and as you will hear the Emergency Room facility fees may be a key cost driver in patient ER bills. Depending on your facilities status it may be that the ER fee is tied to economic drivers and fixed costs and is hard to adjust. Your better pill to swallow is to consider alternative delivery options until health policy catches up and addresses these issues identifying alternative approaches for these groups that offer a lower cost more economic option would start to address the inequities and failures of our existing system.Item Health Service Utilization of Medicaid Beneficiaries Receiving Supportive Housing Services(2024-07-002) Mood, MaryAnnItem Foad Hamidi Launches New Projects To Expand Technology-rich Learning Opportunities For Youth In Baltimore(UMBC News, 2024-12-17) Meyers, CatherineFoad Hamidi, an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems, has won funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support two new projects offering technology-rich informal learning opportunities to diverse populations in Baltimore and beyond.Item Data Supporting Evidence-Based Decisions(The Hilltop Institute, 2024-04-10) Middleton, AliceItem Data Sharing Success: HIV Surveillance and Maryland Medicaid(The Hilltop Institute, 2023-10-12) James, Parker