Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Understanding The Effect Of Adaptive Mutations On The Three-Dimensional Structure Of Rna, Justin Cook

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are variations in the genome where one base pair can differ between individuals.¹ SNPs occur throughout the genome and can correlate to a disease-state if they occur in a functional region of DNA.¹According to the central dogma of molecular biology, any variation in the DNA sequence will have a direct effect on the RNA sequence and will potentially alter the identity or conformation of a protein product. A single RNA molecule, due to intramolecular base pairing, can acquire a plethora of 3-D conformations that are described by its structural ensemble. One SNP, rs12477830, which …

The Relationship Between Focused Attention And Object Permanence In Infants With Motor Delays, Amber Delprince, Melanie Tommer, Claire Boe, Jessica Spirnak, Karl Jancart, Regina Harbourne Ph.D

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Background: Focused attention (uninterrupted attention to task) and understanding of object permanence (knowledge that objects exist when not seen) are two constructs in infancy that build future cognitive skills. The relationship between the two in infants with delays is poorly understood.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of early focused attention at the point of early sitting independence to object permanence skill one year later in infants with motor delays.

Methods: 15 infants (aged 8-16 months) with motor delays were scored on an analog scale of 1-5 (5 = greatest focus) to indicate their level …

Going Out Or Staying In: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Influenced College Students’ Drinking And Socializing, Megan Huey, Amy Yuhas, Mai-Ly N. Steers, Chelsie M. Young

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

People’s daily social activities have been altered during the pandemic since they carry risk for contracting COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, drinking socially has been the highlight of many college students’ lives. This study explores how COVID-19 has impacted college students’ drinking and social activities. We examined samples from a large, southern, public university both prior (N=65, Mean age=22.15, SD=2.03, 78.87% female) and during COVID-19 (N=47, Mean age=22.42, SD=1.64, 75.47% female). Students filled out an alcohol-related Timeline Followback measure (TLFB), in which they recalled their drinking over the past 30 days using anchor events inputted into a calendar. The events …

Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Glycemic Control In Children And Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes, Julianna Morgan

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

The purpose of this research presentation is to identify the relationship between socioeconomic status and glycemic control in children and young adults living with Type 1 diabetes. Poor blood glucose regulation can often lead to various lasting complications such as chronic kidney disease, loss of eyesight, infection, and even death. These can be devastating to an individual, yet preventable. The complications resulting from the lack of strict glucose regulation are a significant problem currently facing healthcare and disproportionally affecting patients from lower socioeconomic groups. Using CINAHL, research studies about the relationship between type 1 diabetes control and socioeconomic status were …

Development Of A Rapid Drug Detection Method For Insects Using Paper Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Psi-Ms), Alexandria Plyler

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Insects have the ability to reflect the chemical environment that they have developed in. Thus, necrogenous insects can reflect the chemical environment of cadavers they have fed on. Forensic scientists can potentially utilize insect larvae as an alternate biological matrix to detect drugs in cadavers that are skeletonized, burned, or otherwise badly damaged. Analysis of insects using paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PSI-MS), an analytical method requiring little to no sample preparation, could prove a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive alternative form of toxicological analysis. Traditional tissue analysis via GC and LC-MS often require lengthy sample preparation, use expensive reagents, and …

Exploration Of The Cultural Beliefs, Values And Practices Of African American Women Regarding Postpartum Depression: A Mini-Focused Ethnography, Stephanie Jacobs

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this study was to understand the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of African American women regarding postpartum depression. Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most prevalent perinatal mental health illness in women and affects approximately 10 to 20% of all women in the United States. African American women have a disproportionately higher prevalence of postpartum depression (35-67%) and experience it differently. The research question was: What are the cultural care beliefs, values and practices of African American women regarding postpartum depression? This mini-focused ethnography was the method used for this study. It included semi-structured interviews of four African …

Understanding The Meaning Of Well-Being In Older Adults: A Mini-Phenomenology, Francesca Ezeokonkwo, Rick Zoucha, Kathleen Sekula

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Title: Understanding the Meaning of Well-being in Older Adults: A Mini-phenomenology

Background and Objective: Loneliness is a major concern in older adults, the fastest-growing segment of society, due to age-related losses. As the aging population continues to rise, so will their vulnerability to loneliness. Previous studies suggest that promoting well-being is a potential strategy to prevent or reduce loneliness. The aim of this mini-study was to explore the meaning of well-being in older adults.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive mini-phenomenological research design was utilized for this study. Four older adults ages 72 to 78 (mean age of 74.3) participated in the …

Catholic Terminal Sedation-A New Framework For Providing Terminal Palliative Sedation As A Requirement In Catholic Healthcare Organizations, Noah Dimas

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The present attitudes surrounding death and dying in the United States have been trending toward the acceptance of so-called “Assisted Death” interventions at the end-of-life (EoL), specifically Physician-Assisted Suicide. The acceptance of these interventions is rooted in the notion of autonomy within the American culture of medicine that generally states a patient is allowed to request whatever medical interventions they wish. As such, legislative bodies around the United States have begun to legalize Assisted Death in response to the regularly cited desire to die peacefully and without pain from an expected terminal illness. However, for Catholic healthcare organizations, there is …

Long-Term Object Permanence And Sitting In Infants With Motor Delays, Karl Jancart, Amber Delprince, Melanie Tommer, Jessica Spirnak, Claire Boe, Regina Harbourne

Graduate Student Research Symposium

This study investigated the development of Object Permanence (OP) in infants with varying levels of motor delays and the relationship between sitting skill development and OP skill over time. Infants (n = 37; baseline mean age = 12mos, 14dys), stratified into groups of mild, moderate, and significant motor delay, participated in a randomized controlled trial (Harbourne et al, 2018). Children were assessed at baseline, 1.5-mos, 3-mos, 6-mos and 12-mos. OP behaviors were coded on a 20-point ordinal scale using Datavyu software. Sitting skill was measured using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88, sitting dimension (GMFM-SD). A Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni correction …