Dwayne Porter - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Dwayne Porter

GIScience & Remote Sensing

Journal of South Carolina Water Resources

Effective research translation and science communication are necessary for successful implementat... more Effective research translation and science communication are necessary for successful implementation of water resources management initiatives. This entails active involvement of stakeholders through collaborative partnerships and knowledge-sharing practices. To follow up a recent study with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)–funded Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions (OHHC2I) project investigators, the center’s Community Engagement Core (CEC) documented center partners’ science communication practices and needs to inform a collaborative training and improve investigator-partner bidirectional communication. Thirteen (13) individuals participated in 10 semi-structured qualitative interviews focused on their research translation needs, science communication and dissemination tactics, and interactions and experiences with scientists. Based on our findings, we recommend a collaborative, scientist-stakeholder training to include...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

In response to increasing threats from sea-level rise and storm surge, the City of Charleston, So... more In response to increasing threats from sea-level rise and storm surge, the City of Charleston, South Carolina, and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) propose constructing a seawall around the Charleston peninsula. The proposed seawall will terminate close to lower wealth, predominantly minority communities. These communities are identified as environmental justice (EJ) communities due to their history of inequitable burdens of industrial and urban pollution and proximity to highways and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Superfund sites. The present study documents community concerns and opinions related to the proposed seawall, existing flooding problems, and other issues. The project was guided by knowledge co-production and participant-observation approaches and included interviews with community members, collection of locality-specific data, GIS mapping to visualize key issues, development of an ArcGIS Story Map, and participation in public meetings. Communi...

Preparing a Workforce for the New Blue Economy

Abstract The field of Oceans and Human Health (OHH) is a “metadiscipline,” combining elements of ... more Abstract The field of Oceans and Human Health (OHH) is a “metadiscipline,” combining elements of oceanography, marine biology, ecology, biomedical science, environmental health science, medicine, public health, social sciences, economics, and communication science and fostering collaborations among scientists from these and other disciplines as well as with public health professionals, natural resource managers, and land use planners. Initially, OHH programs focused primarily on illnesses associated with exposure to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters, such as those caused by harmful algal blooms (HABs) and Vibrio bacteria, as well as a few health benefits including potential new pharmaceuticals. More recently, OHH programs have expanded to encompass health effects from other freshwater bodies and reported health-promoting effects of “blue” spaces (coastal areas, rivers, or landscapes involving water features). Today’s OHH centers follow community participatory approaches to research, and results are incorporated into products and tools to increase understanding of health risks and benefits associated with aquatic environments and to communicate this information in ways that protect and enhance public health. This chapter explores OHH topics including forecasting of HABs and Vibrios, the wicked problem of plastics in the marine environment, aquaculture as a source of sustainable seafood, potential for growth of wellness tourism, environmental justice, and development of a human health observing system. Highlighted throughout the chapter are some of the myriad opportunities for OHH programs to contribute to the new blue economy and vice versa through data streams, information products and services, new and developing technologies, and workforce development.

Journal of Health Communication

Scientists are trained to communicate research in a technical manner but often lack the skills to... more Scientists are trained to communicate research in a technical manner but often lack the skills to communicate scientific findings to the general public. Effective communication and research translation are increasingly important competencies for researchers and have broader benefits to scientists and society. The aim of the study was to assess the perceptions, experiences, and training needs relative to science communication and research translation of project investigators associated with the Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions at the University of South Carolina. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Center’s investigators. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed for emergent themes related to science communication and research translation. Investigator descriptions of their research varied in length, and researchers mentioned multiple target audiences. Most investigators preferred in-person and written communication channels and felt “comfortable” communicating uncertain findings to the public despite no formal science communication training. Investigators suggested training focused on plain language development for target communities, assessment of audience needs, and formatting research findings for various groups. Working with multiple target audiences that have preferred communication channels necessitates a comprehensive approach to science communication training to enhance two-way communication between scientists and stakeholders.

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Background: Interest in the development of statistical methods for disease cluster detection has ... more Background: Interest in the development of statistical methods for disease cluster detection has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Evaluations of statistical power provide important information for the selection of an appropriate statistical method in environmentally-related disease cluster investigations. Published power evaluations have not yet addressed the use of models for focused cluster detection and have not fully investigated the issues of disease cluster scale and shape. As meteorological and other factors can impact the dispersion of environmental toxicants, it follows that environmental exposures and associated diseases can be dispersed in a variety of spatial patterns. This study simulates disease clusters in a variety of shapes and scales around a centrally located single pollution source. We evaluate the power of a range of focused cluster tests and generalized linear models to detect these various cluster shapes and scales for count data. Results: In general,...

Health & Place, 2021

The food environment has been associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, however many studi... more The food environment has been associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, however many studies utilize cross-sectional research designs. This study examined 3,473 participants in the Moving to Opportunity experiment, who were randomized into groups that affected where they lived. The relationship between the built environment, food prices and neighborhood poverty, assessed over four to seven years, on fruit or vegetable consumption was examined using instrumental variable analysis. Higher food prices and neighborhood poverty were associated with lower fruit or vegetable consumption. Policies and programs that address food prices should be implemented and evaluated for their effects on fruit and vegetable consumption.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2021

BACKGROUND Drug overdose is a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States and has c... more BACKGROUND Drug overdose is a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States and has contributed significantly to a decline in life expectancy during recent years. To combat this health issue, this study aims to identify the leading neighborhood-level predictors of drug overdose and develop a model to predict areas at the highest risk of drug overdose using geographic information systems and machine learning (ML) techniques. METHOD Neighborhood-level (block group) predictors were grouped into three domains: socio-demographic factors, drug use variables, and protective resources. We explored different ML algorithms, accounting for spatial dependency, to identify leading predictors in each domain. Using geographically weighted regression and the best-performing ML algorithm, we combined the output prediction of three domains to produce a final ensemble model. The model performance was validated using classification evaluation metrics, spatial cross-validation, and spatial autocorrelation testing. RESULTS The variables contributing most to the predictive model included the proportion of households with food stamps, households with an annual income below $35,000, opioid prescription rate, smoking accessories expenditures, and accessibility to opioid treatment programs and hospitals. Compared to the error estimated from normal cross-validation, the generalized error of the model did not increase considerably in spatial cross-validation. The ensemble model using ML outperformed the GWR method. CONCLUSION This study identified strong neighborhood-level predictors that place a community at risk of experiencing drug overdoses, as well as protective factors. Our findings may shed light on several specific avenues for targeted intervention in neighborhoods at risk for high drug overdose burdens.

Toxicology, 2021

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been shown to be associated with extrahepatic comorb... more Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been shown to be associated with extrahepatic comorbidities including neuronal inflammation and Alzheimer's-like pathology. Environmental and genetic factors also act as a second hit to modulate severity and are expected to enhance the NAFLD-linked neuropathology. Using a mouse model of NAFLD, exposed to microcystin subsequent to the onset of fatty liver, we show that the cyanotoxin could significantly increase proinflammatory cytokine expression in the frontal cortex and cause increased expression of Lcn2 and HMGB1. The above effects were NLRP3 inflammasome activation-dependent since the use of NLRP3 knockout mice abrogated the increase in inflammation. NLRP3 was also responsible for decreased expression of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) tight junction proteins Occludin and Claudin 5 suggesting BBB dysfunction was parallel to neuroinflammation following microcystin exposure. An increased circulatory S100B release, a hallmark of astrocyte activation in microcystin exposed NAFLD mice also confirmed BBB integrity loss, but the astrocyte activation observed in vivo was NLRP3 independent suggesting an important role of a secondary S100B mediated crosstalk. Mechanistically, conditioned medium from reactive astrocytes and parallel S100B incubation in neuronal cells caused increased inducible NOS, COX-2, and higher BAX/ Bcl2 protein expression suggesting oxidative stress-mediated neuronal cell apoptosis crucial for neurodegeneration. Taken together, microcystin exacerbated neuronal NAFLD-linked comorbidities leading to cortical inflammation, BBB dysfunction, and neuronal apoptosis.

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2020

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, 2020

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2019

Scientific Reports, 2019

With increased climate change pressures likely to influence harmful algal blooms, exposure to mic... more With increased climate change pressures likely to influence harmful algal blooms, exposure to microcystin, a known hepatotoxin and a byproduct of cyanobacterial blooms can be a risk factor for NAFLD associated comorbidities. Using both in vivo and in vitro experiments we show that microcystin exposure in NAFLD mice cause rapid alteration of gut microbiome, rise in bacterial genus known for mediating gut inflammation and lactate production. Changes in the microbiome were strongly associated with inflammatory pathology in the intestine, gut leaching, tight junction protein alterations and increased oxidative tyrosyl radicals. Increased lactate producing bacteria from the altered microbiome was associated with increased NOX-2, an NADPH oxidase isoform. Activationof NOX2 caused inflammasome activation as shown by NLRP3/ASCII and NLRP3/Casp-1 colocalizations in these cells while use of mice lacking a crucial NOX2 component attenuated inflammatory pathology and redox changes. Mechanistica...