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Adaptive Leadership And The Maronite Church, Emily Michelle Fattouh

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

An analysis of the Maronite Catholic Church in the United States and the adaptive challenges it faces, and how adaptive leadership will help strengthen and grow the community.

How Leadership Improves Intercultural Negotiation, Xinrui Wang

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

With the gradual deepening of economic integration, trade cooperation around the world has become more extensive, and the influence of cultural differences in international trade cooperation has become increasingly obvious. It is becoming important to recognize cultural differences, recognize cultural conflicts arising from different cultural backgrounds, and strengthen intercultural coordination and management of collaborators from different cultural backgrounds. This can facilitate the smooth development of intercultural negotiations despite being a challenging task.

This paper uses the case study method to study the Rumaila oilfield project of Jichai and BP, and it uses intercultural leadership theory to analyze and summarize the …

Culture As A System Of Shared Meaning: Exploring Intercultural Leadership Identity Through Practical Application, Emily Patrick

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This explorative, inductive, applied research study aims to examine the intersection of intercultural communication of values and leadership identities and capacities. Using existing and guiding cultural value theories, experiential learning techniques, meaning making ideologies, and adult learning principles, a two-and-a-half-hour intensive workshop was designed for a group of twenty-eight leadership and entrepreneurship students, predominantly Mexican nationals at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, City. Specifically, the study demonstrates how culture affects leadership identities and capacities using the agreed-upon symbols, rituals, heroes and values that make up each culture’s perspectives, practices or applications of culture in everyday life. The expressed values …

Sponsored International Students, Chimchanbo Uk

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my study was to explore and understand the spaces sponsored international students experience at the University of San Diego. Given that we live in a diverse society, it is important for me to explore and understand the experiences of students who have traveled thousands of miles away from their home country to seek education in the United States. It is important for one to take the time to connect with students from other cultures in order to gain insight on how to better serve diverse student populations. As we come from different backgrounds our stories can be …

Does Sita Sing The Blues? Reworking The Ramayana Narrative, Claire Jacob

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper analyzes whether Nina Paley's 2008 animated film, Sita Sings the Blues, is consonant with Ramayana traditions by evaluating it in relation to the Valmiki Ramayana and Chandravati Ramayana.

To Dust You Shall Return: A Theological Argument For The Human Compost Movement, Sydney N. Ederer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research paper analyzes Catholic, Daoist, and Jewish beliefs on death, the body, the soul, afterlife, and after death rituals in order to build a connection between these beliefs and human composting practices. It uses these three religious traditions to find support for and recognize potential opposition against the human compost movement. These conclusions are in turn used to make a claim for human composting. Thorough research and a careful analysis of religious beliefs and traditions surrounding death and the body provides theological support for human composting as a recommended method for body disposal after death. Therefore, this research is …

Habitat Preferences Of Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) And Black Marlin (Istiompax Indica) In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nima Farchadi, Michael G. Hinton, Andrew R. Thompson, Zhi-Yong Yin

Theses

Overexploitation and climate change can reduce the abundance and shift the spatial distribution of marine species. Determining the habitat suitability of a mobile pelagic species, such as Makaira nigricans (BUM) and Istiompax indica (BLM), can help describe their spatiotemporal distribution patterns over a broad spatial scale, which is a crucial need for fisheries management. Using 14 years (1997-2010) of Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) catch data from purse-seine vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), we modeled the dynamic habitat suitability of BUM and BLM in response to environmental variables within the EPO using a species distribution model (MaxEnt) with …

Evidence-Based Strategies For Reducing Post-Discharge Hospital E.R. Visits And Patient Initiated Calls In The Post Craniotomy Population, Homira Feely

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Evidence-based Strategies for Reducing Post-discharge E.R. Visits and Patient Initiated Calls in the post Craniotomy Population

Homira Feely, NP

Katherine Curran, BSN

Joseph Burkard, DNSc, CRNA

University of San Diego

OBJECTIVE

Health-care professionals are generally compassionate and well-meaning, but the infrastructure in which they function often has made the continuum of care between hospitals, outpatient settings and patients’ homes far from seamless. The result is a persistently high rate of emergency room visits and hospital readmissions within 30 days of a patient’s discharge – an avoidable pattern that has cost the U.S. health system tens of billions of dollars over …

The Effects Of Density Gradients On The Distribution And Behavior Of Copepods, Connor Cayson

Theses

Observations of fine-scale behavioral dynamics of zooplankton may shed insight into much larger-scale ecosystem patterns and phenomena. Some zooplankton, such as copepods, are known to aggregate near density gradients; however, it is not clear the extent to which density gradients alone affect copepod distribution and behavior, since these gradients are often associated with phytoplankton layers. In this study, we investigated the behavior of Calanus pacificus in response to salinity gradients through laboratory experiments observed with high-resolution video and analyzed using computational techniques. Image data were collected using two cameras recording continuously for a duration of 30 minutes or more, allowing …

Command Climate And Ethical Behavior: Perspectives From The Commandant's Of The Marine Corps, Brian Kerl

Dissertations

Marine Corps commanding officers today face challenges aggravated by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, strategic uncertainty, and societal changes that carry over to the military such as women serving in infantry roles and the use of social media. These challenges are exacerbated by the stressors unique to the military such as lengthy separations from loved ones and multiple relocation moves, which underscore the significance of command climate and its influence on ethical behavior. Importantly, the consequences of a command climate not focused on ethics may negatively affect combat readiness and warfighting effectiveness. To date, however, little scholarly work, if …

Professional Heartbreakers: Male Entertainers And The Divide Between Popular Culture And History In Japan, Meradeth Lin Edwards

Theses

While prostitution in Japan is widely studied, there are seldom specific examinations of males in these roles. This paper uses primary sources and secondary sources to study men as purchasable commodities, and how these roles have shaped the fictional world as well as the real world in Japan.

Bubble Stream Production By Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas), Megan Slack

Theses

Bubble stream production in belugas has been poorly characterized and its function is not well understood. I examined behavioral states when producing bubble streams (“bubbling”), and when bubbling calls, to determine whether bubbling was significantly associated with a particular call category or behavioral state. Using 19 hours of video and audio recordings collected over a two-day period, I quantified bubble streams of a 4-month old calf and an unrelated adult female housed together. Based on the overall activity budgets and pool of vocalizations for both animals, I calculated the expected counts of bubble streams with and without vocalizations, assuming that …

Bariatric Surgery Regain And Long-Term Weight Loss Among Women: Self-Efficacy, Social Support And Health Promotion Lifestyle Behaviors, Raelene Z. Brooks

Dissertations

Although bariatric surgery appears to produce success in a short period of time immediately after surgery, weight regain over time in this population cannot be ignored. Understanding the relationship between potential psychosocial predicting post-surgical variables influencing bariatric surgery may prevent long-term weight regain. The purpose of this research is to examine self-efficacy, social support, and lifestyle habits and their relationship to long term weight loss and regain in women post bariatric surgery. Weight regain is observed as early as 18 months to 2 years after bariatric surgery. Patients face challenges sustaining the dramatic lifestyle changes required to ensure positive long-term …

The Impact Of Copper On Non-Indigenous And Native Species Of Suspension-Feeding Bivalves In Mission Bay, San Diego, California, Brian Juhl

Theses

Native (Chione californiensis) and non-indigenous bivalve species [Musculista senhousia (now known as Arcuatula senhousia), and Venerupis philippinarum] were collected from Mission Bay, San Diego, California and exposed to copper contaminated water at estimated concentrations of 0 ppb, 25 ppb, and 50 ppb over the course of two experimental periods of 18 days and 12 days. Bivalves were placed in tanks in a temperature controlled environment, and measurements of a number of parameters were taken during and after the exposure to copper: survivorship, feeding rates, growth, mucus production, and tissue copper concentrations for the entire body, …

From Fallen Women To Founding Mothers: How Petty Criminals Became Pioneers On The Australian Frontier 1788-1828, Katherine Spencer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Historians have often portrayed female convicts transported to the Australian colonies as victims of circumstance, exploited by Britain's outdated legal system, colonial authorities, and even their male counterparts. This research paper will seek to move away from the victimhood narrative that plagues the historical record of convict women and instead analyze female convict agency. Contrary to the current research on the subject, convict women in the Australian penal colonies had agency to improve their lives given their unique circumstances. Despite poor conditions, discrimination, and their image as unredeemable “fallen women” among English society, convict women were resourceful, resilient, and able …

Gaze-Driven Video Games As Vision Training: A Case Study In Cerebral Palsy, Mckenna Wade

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that primarily affects motor control, but frequently impacts gaze behavior as well. Due to the primary therapeutic emphasis on motor symptoms, there is a dearth of therapies available for gaze behavior in Cerebral Palsy. Based on research suggesting that video games and Augmented Reality have been useful for improvement of gaze behavior and rehabilitation for other impaired individuals, this case study applies a set of therapeutic gaze-dependent Augmented Reality video games to an adolescent male with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. The video games were determined to be a good fit for the participant by the …

A Common Goal: Primary Care And Psychiatry Improve Depression Detection And Outcomes, Katherine Kilkenny

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) affects over 15 million (6.7%) adult Americans. While one in four primary care patients suffer from depressive symptoms, MDD is accurately diagnosed as little as 25% of the time.

Purpose: Implementation of an evidence-based protocol outlining the process for screening, behavioral health referral, and the role of a collaborative care team would improve detection and treatment of adult MDD patients in the ambulatory setting.

Process: A systematic Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) based screening protocol was implemented. Every new and existing patient completed the PHQ-9 during scheduled primary care appointments. If a patient scored 15 or …

In Honor Of Self: A Weight Loss Project For A Military Population With Mental Disorders, Tanya Denise Stevenson-Gaines

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Obesity in people diagnosed with mental disorders is at an epidemic level. Individuals with a mental illness who are prescribed medication for stability are at risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome. People with mental disorders have a 10 to 30-year decrease in life expectancy associated with chronic illnesses. Military personnel are separated from service when they are measured outside of body composition assessment standards.

Aims: To address the problem of obesity in military members by providing a weight loss program with structured and collaborative weight management education and telephonic coaching.

Methods: Stakeholders were informed about the purpose and goals …

Management Of Chronic Low Back Pain With A Nonpharmacological Pain Management Kit Among Military Personnel, Heidi M. Sterling Bsn, Rn, Dnp Student, Karen A. Macauley Phd, Dnp, Fnp-Bc, Gnp-Bc, Robert Topp Phd, Rn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background & Purpose:Low back pain is the second leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 17% of Americans. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is particularly debilitating among professions such as active duty military personnel (ADMP) who are required to maintain military readiness without the assistance of opioids. This scenario can result in individuals enduring untreated pain or resigning from participation in their unit. The purpose of this project is to determine the effect of providing a nonpharmacological pain management kit (NPMK) on pain and functional ability among ADMP who report CLBP.

Study Design:ADMP who suffer from CLBP were …

Optimizing Chronic Pain Management: Self-Care Utilization Among Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Paul Krug, Anamarie J. Lazo, Joseph Burkard, David Bittleman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: To implement a chronic pain management regimen that utilizes a self-care approach, integrating all dimensions of the biopsychosocial model to optimally treat the complex needs of younger Veterans with comorbid PTSD and chronic pain. The project aims to provide more insight and knowledge on safer chronic pain management among Veterans, reflected by improvement in patient’s pain level, quality of life, and depression scale.

Design: The project was implemented at the ASPIRE Center, a domiciliary residential rehabilitation treatment program for Veterans who suffer from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The 5A’s behavior change model was utilized during clinic …

Stop, Meditate, And Listen: A Treatment Modality For Iraqi Refugees With Depression, Katherine Goehring

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purposes: To implement a mindfulness meditation program with Arabic speaking clients as an adjunctive treatment of depression

Background: Depression rates among Iraqi refugees are between 28.3 and 75% compared to 8.6% in the general population (Slewa-Younan, Guajardo, Heriseanu, & Hasan, 2015). Treatment options are limited at Neighborhood Healthcare in El Cajon due to budget limitations, cultural beliefs and language barriers, among other reasons. Individual therapy is intended to be a brief intervention due to limited staffing. Many middle eastern refugees decline group therapy due to stigma surrounding mental health treatment and concerns about privacy. Even though traditional treatment …

Screening For Binge Eating Disorder In Patients Undergoing A Weight Loss Program, Doris Cheruiyot

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, it is more prevalent than Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia combined. BED is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by feeling a lack of control and marked distress over one’s eating behaviors. BED is a serious condition that impairs health-related quality of life (HRQL) and increases health care costs.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to identify patients at risk for binge eating disorder at an outpatient weight loss clinic using the validated BEDS-7 screening tool.

Evidence-based Intervention: The 7-item Binge-Eating Disorder Screener …

Improving Quality Of Life In Veterans With Chronic Pain Through Patient Engagement, Linda Nyagaya

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Various psychosocial factors affect follow up care among veterans with chronic pain. Engaging veterans by giving them the choice to decide contact modality for after clinic visit increases likelihood of successfully reaching patient and adherence to recommended pain management.

Purpose: To engage veterans through self-determined effective communication method: telephone, email or Myhealthevet for follow up care. The intervention aims to improve chronic pain self-care by assessing number of medications used for pain, numeric pain rating and quality of life score.

Framework/EBP Model: The Iowa Model and 5A’s will guide implementation and assessment of this project. Patients will self-determine the …

Prevention Of Functional Decline In Hospitalized Geriatric Patients: An Evidence-Based Mobility Pilot Project On An Acute Care Elderly (Ace) Unit, Hannah Grushkowsky

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Problem: Functional decline is the leading complication of hospitalization in the elderly. Loss of functional independence during hospitalization results from the inability to maintain function during hospitalization compounded by acute illness. Potential negative outcomes from decreased function include increased length of stay (LOS), morbidity, and added discharges to a skilled nursing facilities (SNF).

Introduction: A mobility-based protocol created by an interdisciplinary team was implemented for three months on an 8 to 12-bed specialized Acute Care Elderly (ACE) medical-surgical floor. The purpose of the project was to evaluate if an evidence-based practice (EBP) mobility protocol can decrease discharges to SNFs, falls, …

Family Nurse Practitioner Student Competencies In Integrated Psychiatric Healthcare, Mark Manning

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Title: Practicum to Practice: Family Nurse Practitioner Student Competencies in Integrated Psychiatric Mental Healthcare.

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a widespread and costly diagnosis that affects nearly 16 million people annually and costs the United States nearly $83 Billion. Primary care providers such as Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) play a crucial role in screening for health problems, preventing, and managing illness. Opportunities exist to integrate psychiatric mental healthcare into FNP curriculum and clinical practicums to better prepare providers to identify and screen for depression.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidenced-based practice project is to evaluate FNP student competencies …

Reducing Pediatric Asthma Visits In The Emergency Department, Kathleen Grimley Ahn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this project was to reduce the number of unnecessary pediatric asthma management visits to an urban emergency department (ED) by performing a brief action plan for improved National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guideline adherence. This plan was shared with parents during an NP-initiated follow-up phone call.

Rationale/Background: Inadequate outpatient management of pediatric asthma can result in avoidable visits to the ED. Acute exacerbations comprise a large portion of pediatric asthma patients seeking care in the ED. Reasons for persistent under-utilization of outpatient care for asthma management in primary care settings are multifactorial. Daily symptom …

The Effect Of Mantram Repetition On Qol In Low-Income, Urban Dwelling Older Adults, Marissa Katerina Mackiewicz

Dissertations

Background: Quality of life is an important concept of increasing significance for the healthcare in the United States, especially when taken in perspective of the aging population. Low-income, urban dwelling older adults are challenged in a number of ways that may negatively impact their QOL. This unique group is prone to report lower QOL, therefore, interventions targeted to improve QOL are timely. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of mantram repetition (MR) on QOL in a sample of low-income, urban dwelling older adults.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-posttest study was conducted using a sample population of low-income …

The Weight Of A Healthy Home: Early Screening For Childhood Obesity Risk, Sara Herbenick, Kathy James, Dnsc, Aprn, Faan, Jill Milton, Msn, Fnp

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose

Despite the Healthy People 2020 target of 14.5%, the California obesity prevalence among low-income children ages 2 to 19 was 21% in 2010. An obesogenic home environment is a major contributor to overeating and sedentariness during this phase of development as children have less autonomy and are influenced by family environmental cues. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to implement a screening tool at a low socioeconomic elementary school clinic to identify children at risk of developing obesity and provide standardization for practitioners on educating parents regarding child obesity risk factors. The Family Nutrition and Physical Activity (FNPA) …

What’S Keeping America’S Heroes Awake? Screening For Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Male Veterans With Hypertension And Diabetes, Aaron James Stirling

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: To reduce cardiovascular risk through optimal obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) management with proactive screening utilizing the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in male Veterans with hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Background: OSA is a common finding in primary care, with 1 in 5 adults feeling its effects: excessive sleepiness, impaired cognition, reduced quality of life and increased mortality. Unmanaged OSA has been highly correlated with increased cardiac risk in populations with chronic diseases such as HTN and DM. Fortunately, identification and treatment of OSA has been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes and reduce mortality. Evidence supports outpatient screening to …

Diabetes Self Management Education In An Underserved Primary Care Setting, Jessica Salas

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Objective: A key component to the management of type 2 diabetes is appropriate self management of the disease by the patient. The purpose of this project was to provide culturally appropriate Diabetes Self Management Education in an underserved primary care setting to improve glycemic control among Spanish speaking patients who have uncontrolled diabetes.

Research Design and Methods: The evidence based practice project took place at a primary care practice in an underserved area. Fifteen Spanish speaking patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes with a hemoglobin A1c greater than 7% were included in the intervention. The intervention included implementation of Diabetes …