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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (10 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2022)

Objective: The inaccurate portrayal of health information has contributed to distrust in public health throughout COVID-19 causing reduced compliance with recommended health behaviors putting the health and safety of individuals at risk. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between cultural orientation and privacy perspectives on trust in public health officials to better disseminate health information and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Methods: A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted on survey data collected from 634 participants in a cross-sequential study titled “Thoughts and Feelings about COVID-19.” Horizontal Collectivism describes individuals who value equality over power. In Vertical Collectivism, people are willing to sacrifice personal gains for the common group goals. Vertical Individualism emphasizes personal status. Low Comfort privacy disposition describes one’s willingness to share medical information. Results: Horizontal Collectivism, Vertical Collectivism, Vertical Individual, and Low Comfort privacy disposition were significant predictors of trust in public health officials, regarding COVID-19. There was higher trust in public health officials among high Horizontal Collectivism and high Vertical Collectivism cultural orientation constructs. There was lower trust in public health officials among high Vertical Individualism and Low Comfort privacy disposition. Conclusion: Findings from this study shed light on how cultural patterns and attitudes towards health-related privacy could obscure trust in public health officials within the United States. Moreover, understanding the association between these factors could inform effective communication of information regarding COVID-19 and support efforts to efficiently slow the spread of the Coronavirus and prevent future pandemics.

    Cover page: Effects of Cultural Orientation and Privacy Perspectives on Trust in Public Health Officials During COVID-19
    • Thesis
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2023)

    Anthropogenic climate change is expected to continue increasing temperatures globally as well as alter the nutrient composition of many ecosystems. Higher air temperatures have been causing lakes to warm, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations are rising in many freshwater systems due to increased input of terrestrial organic matter, a phenomenon known as “browning.” The combined effects of warming and browning on fish populations is unclear. I investigated the effects of warming and browning on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), an ecologically and economically important species in California’s Eastern Sierra. A previous study found antagonistic effects of temperature and DOC on fish growth rates, with higher temperatures increasing fish growth rates and higher DOC decreasing fish growth rates. This study aimed to investigate whether these relationships could be replicated and still applied years later as global temperatures have continued to increase. I found that fish growth rates and body condition were higher in lower elevations. Fish body condition also increased with chlorophyll-a concentration and decreased with DOC concentration and the δ13C signature of fish muscle. These patterns suggest that autochthonous production along with increased terrestrial insect consumption may promote increased body condition. Fish grew faster and had better body condition at warmer temperatures, likely contributing to the higher fish growth seen in lower elevations. My results suggest that two major symptoms of climate change, higher temperatures and greater allochthonous carbon concentrations, will have opposing effects on trout growth and productivity in mountain lakes.

      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2014)
      While human or animal models are often considered the gold standard experimental system for defining virulence factors, cell culture-based infection models have proven useful for identifying important virulence factors and for examining the interactions between pathogens and the epithelial barrier. The first step in infections for most mucosal pathogens involves binding (adhesion) to the epithelial cells that line the mucosa. Successful pathogens can then penetrate the barrier by (1) inducing their uptake (i.e., "entry" or "invasion") into epithelial cells, (2) crossing the barrier by inducing epithelial cell death, and/or (3) penetrating between cells. This chapter describes growth conditions to form polarized cultures, either two-dimensional monolayers or three-dimensional cysts, of various immortalized epithelial cell lines. It describes assays to measure key early interactions between P. aeruginosa and host cells, including binding, invasion, and cytotoxicity. Many virulence factors defined by these criteria have been shown to be important for pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa infections in animals or humans. These methods are also applicable to other pathogens.
        Cover page: Assessing Pseudomonas Virulence Using Host Cells
        • Article
        UCLA Women's Law Journal, Volume 20, Issue 1 (2013)
        [no abstract]
          Cover page: Foreword
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Davis Previously Published Works (2015)
          Focus group data collected for a larger project to develop a fotonovela for Latino caregivers was used to conduct a meaning-centered thematic analysis in order to elicit Latino family caregiver perspectives on how behavior problems occurring in the context of dementia are perceived and managed. A sample of 42 Spanish-speaking Latino caregivers were recruited from organizations affiliated with the Alzheimer's Association near San Diego, California. Caregivers were queried on challenging behaviors, coping strategies, as well as other daily challenges. Focus group sessions were conducted in Spanish, translated and transcribed into English, and analyzed using qualitative, grounded anthropological methods. In addition to a range of behavior problems, five indigenous approaches to managing challenging behaviors were identified: acceptance, love, patience, adaptability, and establishing routines of care. Additionally, participants identified persistent challenges which deter effective coping. These include: issues with providers, problems with family members, limited knowledge of resources, emotional distress, and financial strain. To our knowledge, this is one of the few qualitative studies to report indigenous coping strategies for dementia behavioral problems. These findings have the potential to inform culturally-tailored intervention.
            Cover page: Using an Emic Lens to Understand How Latino Families Cope With Dementia Behavioral Problems
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2024)
            Drier and hotter conditions linked with anthropogenic climate change can increase wildfire frequency and severity, influencing terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycles at broad spatial and temporal scales. The impacts of wildfire are complex and dependent on several factors that may increase terrestrial deposition and the influx of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from plants into nearby aquatic systems, resulting in the darkening of water color. We tested the effects of plant biomass quantity and its interaction with fire (burned vs. unburned plant biomass) on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and degradation (biological vs. photochemical) and DOM composition in 400 L freshwater ponds using a gradient experimental design. DOC concentration increased nonlinearly with plant biomass loading in both treatments, with overall higher concentrations (>56 mg/L) in the unburned treatment shortly after plant addition. We also observed nonlinear trends in fluorescence and UV-visible absorbance spectroscopic indices as a function of fire treatment and plant biomass, such as greater humification and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (a proxy for aromatic DOM) over time. DOM humification occurred gradually over time with less humification in the burned treatment compared to the unburned treatment. Both burned and unburned biomass released noncolored, low molecular weight carbon compounds that were rapidly consumed by microbes. DOC decomposition exhibited a unimodal relationship with plant biomass, with microbes contributing more to DOC loss than photodegradation at intermediate biomass levels (100-300 g). Our findings demonstrate that the quantity of plant biomass leads to nonlinear responses in the dynamics and composition of DOM in experimental ponds that are altered by fire, indicating how disturbances interactively affect DOM processing and its role in aquatic environments.
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              • Peer Reviewed
              Research Grants Program Office (RGPO) Funded Publications (2020)
              As part of a National Cancer Institute Moonshot P30 Supplement, the Stanford Cancer Center piloted and integrated tobacco treatment into cancer care. This quality improvement (QI) project reports on the process from initial pilot to adoption within 14 clinics. The Head and Neck Oncology Clinic was engaged first in January 2019 as a pilot site given staff receptivity, elevated smoking prevalence, and a high tobacco screening rate (95%) yet low levels of tobacco cessation treatment referrals (<10%) and patient engagement (<1% of smokers treated). To improve referrals and engagement, system changes included an automated "opt-out" referral process and provision of tobacco cessation treatment as a covered benefit with flexible delivery options that included phone and telemedicine. Screening rates increased to 99%, referrals to 100%, 74% of patients were reached by counselors, and 33% of those reached engaged in treatment. Patient-reported abstinence from all tobacco products at 6-month follow-up is 20%. In July 2019, two additional oncology clinics were added. In December 2019, less than one year from initiating the QI pilot, with demonstrated feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy, the tobacco treatment services were integrated into 14 clinics at Stanford Cancer Center.
                Cover page: Integration of Tobacco Treatment Services into Cancer Care at StanfordCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2014)
                The mucosal epithelium consists of polarized cells with distinct apical and basolateral membranes that serve as functional and physical barriers to external pathogens. The apical surface of the epithelium constitutes the first point of contact between mucosal pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and their host. We observed that binding of P. aeruginosa aggregates to the apical surface of polarized cells led to the striking formation of an actin-rich membrane protrusion with inverted polarity, containing basolateral lipids and membrane components. Such protrusions were associated with a spatially localized host immune response to P. aeruginosa aggregates that required bacterial flagella and a type III secretion system apparatus. Host protrusions formed de novo underneath bacterial aggregates and involved the apical recruitment of a Par3/Par6α/aPKC/Rac1 signaling module for a robust, spatially localized host NF-κB response. Our data reveal a role for spatiotemporal epithelial polarity changes in the activation of innate immune responses.
                  Cover page: Host Cell Polarity Proteins Participate in Innate Immunity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection
                  • Article
                  • Peer Reviewed
                  Research Grants Program Office (RGPO) Funded Publications (2022)
                    Creative Commons 'BY-NC-ND' version 4.0 license
                    • Article
                    • Peer Reviewed
                    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2025)
                    Many microbes disperse through the air, yet the phenotypic traits that enhance or constrain aerial dispersal or allow successful colonization of new habitats are poorly understood. We used a metabarcoding bacterial and eukaryotic data set to explore the trait structures of the aquatic, terrestrial, and airborne microbial communities near the Salton Sea, California, as well as those colonizing a series of experimental aquatic mesocosms. We assigned taxonomic identities to amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and matched them to functional trait values through published papers and databases that infer phenotypic and/or metabolic traits information from taxonomy. We asked what traits distinguish successful microbial dispersers and/or colonizers from terrestrial and aquatic source communities. Our study found broad differences in taxonomic and trait composition between dispersers and colonizers compared to the source soil and water communities. Dispersers were characterized by larger cell diameters, colony formation, and fermentation abilities, while colonizers tended to be phototrophs that form mucilage and have siliceous coverings. Shorter population doubling times, spore-, and/or cyst-forming organisms were more abundant among the dispersers and colonizers than the sources. These results show that the capacity for aerial dispersal and colonization varies among microbial functional groups and taxa and is related to traits that affect other functions like resource acquisition, predator avoidance, and reproduction. The ability to disperse and colonize new habitats may therefore distinguish microbial guilds based on tradeoffs among alternate ecological strategies.IMPORTANCEMicrobes have long been thought to disperse rapidly across biogeographic barriers; however, whether dispersal or colonization vary among taxa or groups or is related to cellular traits remains unknown. We use a novel approach to understand how microorganisms disperse and establish themselves in different environments by looking at their traits (physiology, morphology, life history, and behavior characteristics). By collecting samples from habitats including water, soil, and the air and colonizing experimental tanks, we found dispersal and invasion vary among microorganisms. Some taxa and functional groups are found more often in the air or colonizing aquatic environments, while others that are commonly found in the soil or water rarely disperse or invade new habitat. Interestingly, the traits that help microorganisms survive and thrive also play a role in their ability to disperse and colonize. These findings have significant implications for understanding microorganisms success and adaptation to new environments.
                      Cover page: Traits determine dispersal and colonization abilities of microbes.
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