Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Patient Engagement And Adherence Utilizing Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Equipment: A Quality Improvement Project, Katelyn Fournier

Master's Theses and Capstones

To combat uncontrolled hypertension, a quality improvement project was designed that aimed to increase patient recorded self-care measures such as maintenance, management, and monitoring. By increasing both education and supplying volunteers with a free electronic home blood pressure monitor (HBPM) it was predicted that positive changed behaviors surrounding self-care would occur and subsequently, a reduction in average blood pressure. To examine this, results from Dickson’s Self-Care of High Blood Pressure Inventory (SC-HI V3) and blood pressure measurements were recorded and analyzed for average trends. Results from the improvement proved effective as self-care values well surpassed the 10% goal that was …

Exploring Educators’ Perceptions Of Legislation About Discrimination, Archer Brooke Miller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Across the nation, there have been efforts in “36 states to restrict education on racism, bias, the contributions of specific racial or ethnic groups to U.S. history, or related topics” (Stout). These laws essentially banned the teaching of critical race theory and systemic racism in all public K-12 classrooms. This study is pertinent because teaching about systemic racism is important. It was critical to shed light on this topic and show people why Sections 297 and 298 of House Bill 2 were salient and what impact it was having.

Uncovering The Interest Of Private Landowners In Learning More About Landscaping With Native Plants, Catherine A. Taylor

Honors Theses and Capstones

Increasing populations in New England and the subsequent residential development associated with this growth has had profound impacts on local ecosystems. Residential development often results in habitat loss and fragmentation (Radeloff et al, 2009). Habitat fragmentation, or dividing habitat into smaller, less dense parts, can induce the decline of local populations of native species and interrupt vital ecosystem services. Important services offered by functioning ecosystems include carbon sequestration, flood reduction, and water purification. It has been shown that benefits can be restored to local ecosystems through strategies to restore ecosystem functions (Burghardt et al, 2008). On an individual household scale, …

Changing Perceptions Of Masculinity And Femininity In America?: Revisiting The Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Sarah Ann Bell

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study replicated previous research regarding college students’ perceptions of personality and character traits as “masculine”, “feminine”, or “neutral .” The sample consisted of 56 undergraduate students recruited from introductory sociology classes at a public university in New England. Participants completed online surveys where they ranked how desirable it is in American society for a man or for a woman to possess each of 60 traits used in the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. While participants ranked some traits as less gendered than 20 years ago, aligning with previous research, they ranked other traits as more gendered than those traits had previously …

The Liberatory Potential Of Fashion, David Billie Suoth

Honors Theses and Capstones

Fashion has the potential to be liberatory and this can be seen in the ways fashion has been targeted by systems of oppression. Fashion is the use of clothes as a vessel to create a greater social meaning. According to Edward Sapir, the meaning of fashion “while it is primarily applied to dress and the exhibition of the human body is not essentially concerned with the fact of dress or ornament, but with its symbolism” (Barnard, 2007, p. 65). Fashion with the symbolism behind it is able to show the sentiments and attitudes of civilization at different points in history …

Paying Attention: The Effects Of Different Social Media Posts On Consumers, Noah Lapointe

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mindfulness And Pain Regulation: The Role Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Individuals With Chronic Pain, Ariana C. White

Honors Theses and Capstones

Chronic pain is a significant and widely prevalent health condition which requires comprehensive care to address the many facets contributing to symptomatology. In 2016, 20% of American adults (about 50 million) reported experiencing chronic pain, of which 7.4% indicated that chronic pain frequently limited their life and participation in activities within the past 3 months (CDC, 2018). As a result, many individuals with chronic pain turn to opioid-based medication for pain relief, but long-term use of opioids actually increases pain sensation (Tobin, 2019). Moreover, opioid medication is unable to target underlying mental health components which emerge as part of chronic …

Narratives About The Role Of Recreation, Place Attachment, And Community Attachment And Their Effects On Youth Future Orientation In New Hampshire, Hannah Joy Falcone

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Health Effects Of Anthropogenic Pm2.5 Emissions, Andrew Charles Meyer

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study analyzes the health impacts of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), a common anthropogenic pollutant resulting from vehicles, manufacturing, and wood burning. PM2.5 is an emission of particular concern given its small size of roughly 2.5 micrometers, allowing it to stay in the atmosphere for up to 10 days and penetrate the deepest area of the lungs, the alveoli. This penetration can lead to adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes, and ultimately lead to an increased mortality rate. This study utilizes data from 1,885 counties in the U.S. between 2001 and 2017, and included health outcome, PM2.5 , and demographic …

Affective Forecasting And Mood Disorder Symptoms: How Clinical Symptoms Relate To The Prediction Of Future Emotions, Madison R. Bouchard-Liporto

Honors Theses and Capstones

The ability to accurately predict future feelings and emotions, termed affective forecasting, is an important skill as it has a significant impact on the decisions individuals make throughout daily life. Previous research has suggested that depression and anxiety symptoms may be linked to biases in affective forecasting. Here, we hypothesized that greater symptom severity of depression and anxiety would be associated with increased predictions and experiences of negative affect in response to negative stimuli and decreased predictions and experiences of positive affect in response to positive stimuli among a random sample of undergraduate college students. Participants read descriptions of 20 …

College Of Health And Human Service Faculty’S Confidence And Inclusion Of Lgbtq+ Health Content In Curriculum, Carley S. Kanter

Honors Theses and Capstones

In the health care system, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, (LGBTQ+) face discrimination and health disparities. Students who are better prepared in higher education to provide care for this population have higher levels of confidence in LGBTQ+ health content than those who have less exposure. Therefore, faculty who teach curriculum related to health and wellness have an opportunity to prepare students to provide high quality, patient centered care by teaching culturally competent care that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ populations. The aim of the study is to determine whether the degree of confidence in teaching LGBTQ+ health …

Presidents And The U.S. Constitution: The Executive’S Role In Interpreting The Supreme Law Of The Land, Mitchell Scacchi

Honors Theses and Capstones

In 1832, President Andrew Jackson issued a veto message claiming the same duty as the Supreme Court to interpret the U.S. Constitution. Do modern presidents exercise the principal role in interpreting the U.S. Constitution that President Jackson claimed was their duty, and, if so, in what ways do they choose to articulate their interpretations? The hypothesis is that modern presidents have exercised a principal role in interpreting the U.S. Constitution similar to the interpretative duty expressed by President Jackson, and they perform this duty, in part, through the issuance of veto messages and signing statements. After a content analysis of …

Before And After The #Metoo Movement: Investigating How The Media Discusses Male Perpetrated Sexual Harassment, Maya Rose Coykendall

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Income Inequality And Workplace Mobility During The Covid-19 Pandemic, John Washburn

Honors Theses and Capstones

With the pandemic being a once in a lifetime event (hopefully), there are many areas of research with purpose that were impossible to research beforehand. This paper looks at how income inequality created a separation between the rich and the poor regarding work and residential movement during the pandemic in the United States. By taking work and residential movement data from the Google Mobility report, which measures movement during the pandemic as a percent change benchmarked against pre pandemic movement and correlating it to the logarithm of Gross domestic product per capita, the effects of income can be seen. By …

Covid-19’S Impact On Human Trafficking: The Invisible Industry In New Hampshire, Brittany Dunkle

Honors Theses and Capstones

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that operates on the premise of exploitation, such as forced prostitution and labor, and organ trafficking. This is a global industry resulting in billions. Despite the current global pandemic, COVID-19, putting a halt to many livelihoods around the world, human trafficking will persist, but in conditions that are potentially more harmful for the victims. Victims of trafficking are in an increasingly vulnerable position, and it is important to establish possible mechanisms to protect as many victims and potential victims as possible. Typical risk factors (i.e., poverty, state’s interest vs. individual interest, unemployment) …

Improving Care Transitions For Individuals With Suicide Risk After Discharged From Acute Unit, Maureen Ndu

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Suicide is a public health problem and the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Suicide accounted for more than 47,5000 deaths in the US in 2017, translating to about 130 suicide deaths each day. An average of 20 veterans commits suicide each day compared to 93 suicides in the general population in the US. Individuals with suicide risks are 300 times at an increased rate of suicide death in the first week and 200 times in the first month of hospital discharge. Nurses are in a strategic position to improve the care transition of individuals with suicide …

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate And The Racial Multiplier: Clinical Implications And Current Attitudes, Brittney A. Spooner

Honors Theses and Capstones

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality and has high and increasing incidence worldwide. CKD is characterized by a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), but as GFR is difficult to measure directly, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations have been created to measure serum creatinine levels as a function of GFR. Some eGFR equations contain a racial multiplier that increases the eGFR of black patients, causing a spurious increase in reported kidney function. This study included a literature search that collected information on the rationale behind the multipliers usage and a survey that gathered information …

Consumer Preferences Of Solar Systems In Boston And Atlanta: A Choice Experiment, Sam Mabile

Honors Theses and Capstones

Creating a cleaner energy grid has become a hot topic over the past 20 years, as the effects of fossil fuels on our planet has become clearer. The solar market in the US has exploded over the past 10 years, with an average annual growth rate of about 42% (Solar Industry Research Data, 2020). Choice experiments are often conducted to better understand consumers preferences towards products or characteristics of products. In this study, data of a choice experiment in a survey of residents in Boston and Atlanta regarding preferences for attributes of household solar energy collecting system are …

Care Ethics, Disability, And Public Policy, Piper Gibson

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Increment And Decrement Effects In Motion Induced Blindness, Sofia C. Lombardo

Honors Theses and Capstones

Motion induced blindness (MIB) refers to the perceptual disappearance of a stationary stimulus in the presence of a motion mask. The current study investigated the degree to which afterimages affect MIB inhibition when measured as a contrast detection threshold in a modified replication of White et al. (2020). Adult participants (N = 3) with normal or corrected-to-normal eyesight completed a series of target detection tasks while viewing a standard MIB stimulus with the motion mask removed that consisted of increment versus decrement inducer and target components. A univariate ANOVA data analysis procedure revealed a significant afterimage effect (Scheffé p < 0.0253) on contrast detection threshold was found for targets presented at an interstimulus interval of 500 ms. This effect was stronger for decrement targets compared to increment targets in the decrement inducer conditions. Based on a comparison with previous research in which the MIB effect was found to endure across interstimulus intervals up to 15500 ms, the current findings indicate that afterimages do not significantly influence contrast detection thresholds for MIB. Further research is necessary for determining the strength and duration of afterimage effects on contrast detection thresholds in MIB that may be caused by interaction with the motion mask.

The Role Of Tax Incentives On Business Location And Economic Growth, Sadie Xi Rose Mazzola

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Scottish Marine Renewable Energy: U.S. Approaches For Development Of Wave And Tidal Technologies, Stella Kathryn Fairall

Honors Theses and Capstones

Marine renewable energy, energy harnessed from various ocean resources such as waves, tides, currents, thermal gradients, and marine streams, has incredible potential in the United States. Several European countries have realized the potential of the resource in the North Sea and Atlantic and have created incredibly successful industries already. The United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, is the world leader because of the comprehensive policy, labor force, and markets it has established in order to make MRE a competitive energy source. In the United States, the industry is immature, underfunded, and lacks policy support. In order to establish itself as a world …

Does The Emigration Of Skilled Labor From Hungary Merit Being Called A Brain Drain?, Alexa Marie Mayo

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Examining The Relationship Between Confusion And Learning: A Descriptive Meta-Analysis, Dara L. Mcweeney, Aaron Y. Wong, Caitlin Mills

Honors Theses and Capstones

Previous research into confusion and learning neglects to investigate how this relationship varies when faced with impact factors such as multiple types of affect and learning measurements, learning environment, or grade level. Moreover, past research also reports di-verse effect size values for this relationship, making the correlation ambiguous. As such, the current research seeks to reconcile these nuances between confusion and learning through a meta-analytic approach. In this analysis, it was found that there was no relationship between confusion and learning gains, or in the subgroup analysis of grade level. Since only one impact factor, grade level, was analyzed, it …

Corticostriatal Pathway Inactivation And Connections To Associative Learning With Nicotine Stimulus In Rats, Anna Kalinowski

Honors Theses and Capstones

The main concern of this study is looking into the neural mechanisms of associative learning with a nicotine stimulus. The goal of this study was to find out if inactivating the corticostriatal pathway through DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) inhibited goal-tracking behavior in rats. In this experiment, rats underwent two surgeries. One was to inject DREADDs into the infralimbic cortex and the other in the dorsomedial caudate-putamen (dmCPu). Rats were initially trained on levers through water deprivation. Once they reached the criterion, they moved on to the self-administration phase. After the rats were trained in self-administration sessions …

Reducing Turnaround Time From Pathology Collection To Patient Awareness In Gastroenterology Practice, Adrianna Hyams

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Means of improving the turnaround time from specimen completion to the patient being notified of results are not well known or researched. The aim of this study is to decrease the turnaround time (TAT) from when the specimen is collected to the time the patient is notified from 4 weeks to 2 weeks. This quality improvement project took place in a privately owned gastroenterology office in southern Indiana.

Methods: An exhaustive literature review was completed to determine the best means of improving pathology TAT. The Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) method of quality improvement was used for this project. …

Understanding The Factors That Influence Tweet Popularity, Kyle A. Jalbert

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Uses Unaddressed: How Social Technologies Tacitly Allow Gender-Based Violence, Brooke J. Marston

Honors Theses and Capstones

Growing technological capabilities have enhanced and intensified the potential for surveillance in many areas of life. Particularly, the placement of advanced technology in the hands of everyday people has produced ample opportunities for interpersonal monitoring. This growing capacity to surveil others we know without sophisticated techniques has concerning implications for acts of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence, which often hinge on surveillance, isolation, and control. Often, technology is used to the advantage of abusers in achieving such ends, and the wealth of personal information that is often available online leaves users vulnerable to acts of gender-based violence such as …

Integrating Yoga Into A Medication Assisted Treatment Program To Improve Retention, Linda Davidson

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: In 2017, Health and Human Services declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2017). As a response, access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) programs was encouraged. In 2016, a community health center in Western North Carolina started a MAT program integrating buprenorphine treatment with behavioral health (BH) services. Data from May 2018 through May 2019 demonstrated retention in the MAT program ranged from 65-75% at a given time with behavioral health attendance under 50%.

Aims: The aim of this quality improvement project was to examine if integrating yoga, an …

Counterfactuals And Prefactuals In Shakespeare: Understanding The Human Mind And Human Behavior Through The Literary Analysis Of Conditional Mental Simulation Thoughts In The Narratives Of Plays, Cierra R. Cowan

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.