Digital Commons Network^™

Keynote Panel: Creative Research Methods At Govstate - Possibilities For Cross-Pollination And Collaboration, Ujvala Rajadhyaksha, Katherine Carl, Frank Czuba, Christopher A. Dignam, Megan Vangorder

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Earthworms In Selective Forest Types In Michigan-Illinois Region, Xiaoyong Chen

Research Days

Both invasive exotic and native earthworms have undesirable ecological effects on the structure, function, and biodiversity of forest ecosystems in the Great Lakes area. Understanding the biological parameters and distribution patterns of these earthworms is crucial for their life cycle and their impacts on ecological processes such as nutrient biogeochemistry cycling and carbon sequestration in forests, as well as for informing forest management practices. In this study, abundance, distribution, and mass-length relation of earthworms were investigated in selective typical forest types along a Michigan-Illinois latitudinal gradient. These forest types include Hemlock-White pine-Maple (HWM) forests in Huron Mountains of Michigan, White …

New & Current Non-Invasive Occupational Therapy Interventions In Post Stroke Rehabilitation, Cynthia Carr Drot, Ms, Otr/L, Genevieve Marion Ots, Jaclyn Robbins Ots, Gema Solis Ots

Research Days

Occupational therapy practitioners use neuro-rehabilitative interventions to treat patients, post-stroke, across a continuum of care in the United States. New and current evidence-based interventions are being used in a variety of settings to treat patients. The objective of this study was to identify which new and current neuro-rehabilitative interventions approaches were being utilized by occupational therapy practitioners throughout the U.S., in their practice for patients who have experienced stroke. To achieve this a nationwide, anonymous online survey conducted by occupational therapy graduate students was delivered to members of the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association through …

Mangos Vs. Poison Ivy: A Connection Between Allergens And Flavor Profiles, Sana S. Mahar

Research Days

Mangoes and Poison ivy have been recorded to have similar connections in allergens due to their relation. The family Anacardiaceae consists of the cashew family, which contains mangos, and the sumac family, which contains poison ivy. Both groups have been noted to cause allergens, and potential connections have been made between the two. Mangos, which are safe to eat, release a similar substance that can induce contact dermatitis when unripe. My goal with this study is to test to see if individuals who have been exposed to poison ivy have different flavor profiles and reactions to mangos. I hypothesize if …

Exploring The Necessity For A Community-Based Driver Rehabilitation Program Within The Chicago Southland Area: The Physician's Perspective, Luther King

Research Days

Individuals who experience neurological, visual, or physical deficits in function may have difficulty driving. Limitations in driving can lead to isolation and a decreased quality of life. Limitations in community mobility can also impact an individual's activities of daily living. Driver rehabilitation helps individuals with an impairment to achieve their highest level of independence in community mobility through operating a motor vehicle or other forms of transportation. In a previously conducted research study we found that there is a lack of referrals and communication from physicians regarding driver rehabilitation programs. This research project aims to assess physicians' knowledge and perceptions …

How Do Parents Impact Their Children's Attitudes On Gender?, Devine Kazlauskas

Research Days

Parents impact their children’s attitudes on gender. To transform bias gender norms there must be gender responsive parenting. My research will go more in depth to describe how parents impact their children’s perspectives about gender, identity, and roles gender plays in society. Personally, I have always wondered about how the way I was parented influenced my opinions on how I choose to identify myself. Politics also have a greater impact on how children choose to identify regarding the LGBTQ+ community. This presentation explores the pros and cons regarding parents who enforce pre-defined gender roles and expectations versus parents who allow …

Unlocking The Potential: Unraveling The Impact Of Standardized Testing On 3-8th Graders In Illinois, Khalliah Gardner

Research Days

This presentation examines the impact of standardized testing on students in grades 3 to 8 in Illinois. I will explore how standardized tests affect students' grades, fairness in education and their overall happiness using existing research and data. I will also investigate the perceptions and attitudes of teachers, parents, and students towards standardized testing. My findings indicate that while standardized testing may provide valuable information about student performance and help identify areas for improvement in education systems, it also has several negative consequences. Big tests can make teachers only teach for the test, instead of teaching everything. Big tests worsen …

Unraveling The Gender Disparity: Investigating The Factors Behind Women’S Higher Acl Injury Risk, Kylie Smith

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Children's Illiteracy: What Causes It?, Alyssa Dillinger

Research Days

Illiteracy means, “a lack of ability to read or write.” To be considered literate, you must achieve at least a fourth grade reading level because to learn other subjects in fourth grade, you must be able to read. According to the NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress), over half of children read below their grade level. Murnane, Sawhill, and Snow explain, “Over the past forty years literacy skills scores on assessment tests have not improved much—in sharp contrast to sizable increases in math scores over this same period,” (10). We see the firsthand effects of low reading proficiency in children. …

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Delivery Of Trauma-Informed Services To Hospital-Based Clients, Frank Czuba Drot, Otr/L, Kaycee Sain Mot, Otr/L, Bridget Burke Ots, Morgan Carr Ots, Daria Lending Ots

Research Days

Trauma informed care (TIC) is an emerging healthcare approach developed to help professionals better understand how to care for individuals who have experienced trauma, the impact trauma can leave on an individual’s ability to carry out everyday tasks, and strategies to prevent further traumatization. This research study explored the role of occupational therapists (OTs) working in hospital-based settings understanding and utilization of trauma informed services to typically presenting clients. Individuals who experience healthcare services in a hospital setting for medical issues or distress may be traumatized by this hospitalization. These clients may be admitted to the hospital for various medical …

Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions Of Managing Stress On Fieldwork Through Occupational Engagement, Rebecca Kvasnicka

Research Days

Stress is a major concern that increases in graduate school impacting academic performance. Due to this issue, graduate students must find ways to manage stress and maintain well-being to promote occupational performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived effectiveness of occupations chosen by graduate level OT students in maintaining well-being and managing stress during level II fieldwork. This descriptive research described and explored occupations utilized to manage stress and their effectiveness. Data was gathered using SurveyMonkey and analyzed for frequencies of responses and common themes. 34 participants completed the survey. Our results identified occupations OT students …

Links To Parent Involvement And Higher Education Success Literature Review, Tiffany M. Weathers-Fincher

Research Days

Parental involvement in education is a topic of ongoing debate and research due to its impact on student's academic and social development. This literature review explores parental involvement in higher education, focusing on transitioning from K-12 to college. Epstein's Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence guides this study, emphasizing parents' critical role in nurturing a conducive learning environment.

The review highlights the complexities, challenges, and impacts of parental involvement in higher education, emphasizing the need for effective partnerships between families, institutions, and communities to nurture student success. While parental involvement is familiar in K-12, it becomes less clear in college, …

Using A Core Vocabulary Intervention For Language Delayed Kindergarten Students Using Augmentative & Alternative Communication (Aac), Angela M. Riccelli, Ravi Nigam

Research Days

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of core vocabulary selection and the subsequent usage of a prescribed core vocabulary intervention over a period of one trimester and to report its impact on the overall communicative effectiveness of language-delayed kindergarten students using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Study participants were provided with a pretest, speech and language therapy sessions in which intervention took place, and a posttest, which was administered by a speech–language pathologist. Intervention implementation commenced at the beginning of the school year and extended through the end of the trimester. Data were examined at weekly …

Nursing Education And The Emerging Artificial Intelligence, Somi Nagaraj, Nancy J. Macmullen

Faculty Research Events

The emerging artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming patient care across all domains of nursing practice, including administration, clinical care, education, policy, and research. Nursing researchers are exploring the potential influences of AI health technologies (AIHTs) on nursing in general and on nursing education more specifically. ChatGPT, a trending Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool developed by Open AI. The impact of ChatGPT on the nursing education is profound. The technological evolution in healthcare is advancing. The complexity of curricular revision can create challenges in the face of rapid practice change.

This PowerPoint presentation explains the meaning of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the history …

Value Creation In Stakeholders For Ai - Virtual, Tarra Taylor

Faculty Research Events

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the higher education industry by increasing convenience, productivity, and value creation for all stakeholders. By adopting AI, tertiary institutions can align with the triple bottom-line goals of people, profit, and planet. However, challenges such as job security concerns and the loss of human element in the learning process may arise. With the looming academic crisis and enrollment decline in 2025, higher educational leaders can leverage AI to make the case for its implementation. Universities will need a strategic and innovative admissions process to manage enrollment and improve student value. AI can also …

Efficacy Of Trauma Informed Care In Reducing Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms Among Patients On Medication Assisted Therapy For Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomised Control Trial, John Akinbote

Research Days

Authors:

John Akinbote

Kibble Courtney

Jesus Reyes

William Matallana

Veronica Cardenas



The concept of trauma-informed care (TIC) has been over flogged in the traditional healthcare settings of patients with mental disorders with some success but there is a need to ascertain its impact amongst patients in recovery for drug addiction. It is pertinent to state that patients with early life adverse childhood events (ACEs), ongoing stressors and significant life events remain vital targets of trauma -related diagnostic entities since these factors play role in predicting the predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors in the dynamics of opioid use disorder and other …

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Regret: An Explorative Analysis, Emely M. Oviedo, Sydney B. Snapp, George Kazanecki, Timothy Pedigo Ph.D, Figen Karadgon Ph.D

Research Days

Regret has been found to be associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive distortions (Markman et al., 2009; Markham & Miller, 2006). In relation to regret, past actions and decisions create painful experiences resulting in negative rumination (Olatunji et al., 2013). However, if the negative rumination is reduced there is the potential to learn important feedback from previous decisions that have resulted in painful experiences. Thus, the current research explores the mitigating role of mindfulness on the amount of regret experienced. It was hypothesized that the participants would report experiencing less amount of regret following mindfulness meditation. First, participants were asked …

Covid-19 Vaccine Anxiety In The New Roaring 20s’, Sana S. Mahar

Research Days

Over the last two years, the discussion on vaccines has grown exponentially. The decision to be vaccinated, while to some is a “no brainer”, is now a debatable topic. The purpose of this presentation is to investigate some of the root causes for vaccine anxiety in the last two years. For this analysis, I will use reputable media sources to identify vaccine anxiety references within political, medical, and social media contexts and the types of anxiety conveyed; namely fear, anxiety, and distrust within vaccines. Politically in the last 2 years, Donald Trump’s ideologies of the danger of vaccinations lead to …

Ways That Nutrition Can Improve Mental And Physical Well-Being, Will Ravetto

Research Days

People are searching for things to do to help themselves feel their best. No matter if its to have energy to get you through the day or to do well on a big test or activity it all starts with what we eat to help us conquer every day. My research dives into the multiple food groups and concepts that create one’s diet. Exploring accessible nutritional foods that will improve immune health and longer lasting energy. This includes foods that aid recovery such as proteins, amino acids and even carbohydrates. I also, discourage foods one should stray away from like …

What's Your Biggest Secret?, Emely M. Oviedo, Sydney B. Snapp, George Kazanecki

Research Days

Initial study (e.g., Kahneman & Tversky, (1982) has indicated that failed actions (i.e., switches that result in negative outcomes) evoke more regret than inactions (i.e., non-switches resulting in negative outcomes), a vigorous finding in the regret literature. Subsequent work, however, revealed that individuals report more inaction regrets than action regrets (e.g., Gilovich & Medvec, 1994). The current research examines whether regret stemming from actions versus inactions are moderated by one’s attachment style. Attachment can be both crucial when it comes to decision making and one’s ability to mitigate the negative effects following a decision. Participants will be asked to complete …

How Technology May Be Used For Future Disease Prediction: A Systematic Literature Review, Rich P. Manprisio, Mohammed Salam

Research Days

Exasperated by the current pandemic, our healthcare system continues to struggle with the accuracy and effectiveness of disease treatments. However, despite these growing challenges, technological advancements have aided potential disease prediction. There has been a positive correlation between utilizing technologies and leveraging them for disease predictions. Thanks to our continued reliance and technological advancement, current research shows that it has many viable options to aid the healthcare field. This systematic review looks at the current state of how technologies have been and can be used to improve healthcare.

The Effects Of Eye Pressure And Diabetes On Vision, Rinsa Reji

Research Days

Vision is the primary sense that allow us to connect with the world. The optic nerve contains millions of nerve fibers that send visual messages to the brain which enables vision. The optic nerve is located at the back of each eye and connects directly to the brain. The optic nerve can be damaged due to high eye pressure and the condition is known glaucoma. The high eye pressure or intraocular pressure increases when the flowing fluid inside the eyes, also known as aqueous humor, builds up instead of draining out. The aqueous humor usually drains through the tissue called …

Parental Involvement In Urban Schools, Tiffany M. Weathers-Fincher

Research Days

Parental involvement continues to decline in urban schools, and their engagement is critical to closing growing educational gaps. As a result, this research aims to explore the perceptions of elementary school principals and teachers and parents' experiences relating to promoting parental involvement. The researcher examined existing research to explore this topic and utilized Epstein's Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence, commonly used to study family involvement within schools. Research suggests that the participation of parents is at the core of student academic success, and the lack thereof is a consequence of the disconnection of the spheres of influence, which are …

Comparison Of Soil Organic Carbon Stocks In Two Forest Types In Huron Mountains, Michigan, Nicholas Johnson

Research Days

It is of utmost importance to keep track of the soil organic carbon (SOC) level in forests due to how it affects atmospheric CO2 concentrations and how it mitigates climate change. This study investigates the amount of soil organic carbon that we have gathered from two different forest types such as the Red Pine and Hemlock Sugar Maple Forest. The soil samples used from these two forest types were taken from the Huron Mountain located in Michigan. The Red Pine forest is a plantation forest while the Hemlock Sugar Maple forest is natural. We will be comparing the levels of …

Cpa – Performed Election Audits: What They Are, Why They Are Coming, And How To Prepare For Them, William Kresse Jd

Research Days

My recent nationwide survey of 1,680 potential American voters shows that over two-thirds would have greater confidence in elections, and that over 40% would vote more frequently, if post-election audits were routinely conducted by independent CPAs credentialed for election auditing. Low voter confidence in American elections has triggered professional groups and state legislators to call for post-election audits. But who should conduct these audits? Post-election audits conducted by election administrators raises the issue of information asymmetry. My research explores whether having routine post-election audits conducted by independent Certified Public Accountants further credentialed for election auditing (“CPA Audits”) would affect the …

Role Of Humane Orientation In Work Family Conflict And Work Family Positive Spillover: Results From A Cross Cultural Study, Ujvala Rajadhyaksha

Research Days

This poster presentation shares results of a large-scale, collaborative, cross-cultural study that examined the role of the humane orientation (HO) as a moderator of the relationships between work- and family-related support, work-family conflict, and work-family positive spillover. For this study, I had the privilege of working with principal investigators Barbara, Beham from Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany; Ariane, Ollier-Malaterre from Université du Québec A Montréal, Canada and Tammy D. Allen from University of South Florida, United States. The study sample comprised of 10,307 participants from 30 countries in 5 continents My role as collaborator involved responsibility for gathering …

Body Dimension And Length-Weigh Relationships Of Invasive Exotic Earthworm Species In Huron Mountains Forests, Paula Arroyo, Xiaoyong Chen, Timothy Gsell, John A. Yunger, Mary E. Carrington

Research Days

Invasive exotic earthworms have undesired ecological effects on structure, function, and biodiversity of forest ecosystems in the Great Lakes region. Biological parameters including body length, weight, growth rate, and regeneration patterns of earthworms are necessary to understand their life cycle and impacts on ecological processes such as nutrient biogeochemistry cycling and carbon sequestration in the forests, as well as for forest management practices. In this work, earthworms were surveyed in main forest types of the Huron Mountains Preserve of Michigan, Upper Peninsula during the period of May 2021 to October 2022. Earthworms were captured from established sampling quadrates using a …

Role Of Nod2 Receptor In Immune Response To Staphylococcus Aureus, Precious Mckenzie, Aparna Palakodeti Ph.D

Research Days

Staphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive, commensal bacterium, causes several opportunistic diseases and infections in humans. Furthermore, some strains of S.aureus have developed resistance to antibiotics such as methicillin and pose a health risk. Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) on host immune cells recognize specific components of S.aureus cell wall and mount an immune response against the bacteria. One such PRR is the Nuclear Oligomerization Domain 2 (NOD2) receptor which is present in the cytosol of host immune cells. NOD2 recognizes Muramyl-Dipeptide (MDP), a component of the peptidoglycan cell wall of several bacteria including S. aureus. The binding of MDP to NOD2 allows …

Rational Love: How Personality Types Can Influence Conflict Resolution, Rachel Beckmann, Sarah Solon

Research Days

Is love rational? Current literature tells us that personalities impact how an individual handles general conflict (Deventer et al., 2019; Geukes et al., 2019). Due to previous research, we now hypothesize that parties with dissimilar love languages and/or enneagram types may experience conflict more intensely than those similar. Love languages and enneagram types both help to explain human personality and interpersonal interactions. Personalities impact how an individual handles general conflict and the duration of any conflict (Deventer et al.,2019; Geukes et al.,2019). Conflict duration is prolonged with those who take conflict personally, believing that their personality is viewed negatively (Squires, …

Post Secondary Leadership: Promoting Leadership Development In Average Achieving Students, Deborah J. Clair

Research Days

This proposed research seeks to explore the intersection of leadership and average-achieving high school students. Specifically, the study aims to shed light on the experiences of adults who were once perceived as average-achieving high school students but possessed innate talents and abilities that were overlooked and excluded from leadership opportunities during their time in high school. Despite facing deficit thinking by school administration due to their grades, these individuals went on to become successful leaders in their careers. While there have been anecdotal claims and media coverage of the success of average-achieving students, there has been limited formal research conducted …