Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Sympton Clusters In First-Time Ischemic Stroke Survivors Who Discharge From The Hospital To Home, Paula De La Pena

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine symptoms and relationships between those symptoms in first-time ischemic stroke survivors who discharge home after their initial stroke. Current measurement of recovery after stroke places emphasis on the physical aspects of recovery when current literature suggests that other, more subtle symptoms may be equally contributory to recovery. This descriptive, exploratory research study was conducted via a secondary analysis of both structured and unstructured data in a study cohort of 115 first-time ischemic stroke survivors from a tertiary academic medical center in the Midwest. Unstructured clinical notes were analyzed for the presence of …

Using Community Engagement To Create A Telecoaching Intervention To Improve Self-Management In Adolescents And Young Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Qualitative Study, Christina L Duncan, Emily F Muther, Jennifer J Lindwall, Kristine Durkin, Elizabeth Ruvalcaba, Eliza Williamson, Corrine Ahrabi-Nejad, Evelyn Bord, Angela Green, Megan L Harrison, Deepika Polineni

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at risk for deviating from their daily treatment regimen due to significant time burden, complicated daily therapies, and life stressors. Developing patient-centric, effective, engaging, and practical behavioral interventions is vital to help sustain therapeutically meaningful self-management.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to devise and refine a patient-centered telecoaching intervention to foster self-management in AYA with CF using a combination of intervention development approaches, including an evidence- and theory-based approach (ie, applying existing theories and research evidence for behavior change) and a target population-centered approach (ie, intervention refinement based on the …

Using Community Engagement To Create A Telecoaching Intervention To Improve Self-Management In Adolescents And Young Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Qualitative Study., Christina L. Duncan, Emily F. Muther, Jennifer J. Lindwall, Kristine Durkin, Elizabeth Ruvalcaba, Eliza Williamson, Corrine Ahrabi-Nejad, Evelyn Bord, Angela Green, Megan L. Harrison, Deepika Polineni

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at risk for deviating from their daily treatment regimen due to significant time burden, complicated daily therapies, and life stressors. Developing patient-centric, effective, engaging, and practical behavioral interventions is vital to help sustain therapeutically meaningful self-management.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to devise and refine a patient-centered telecoaching intervention to foster self-management in AYA with CF using a combination of intervention development approaches, including an evidence- and theory-based approach (ie, applying existing theories and research evidence for behavior change) and a target population-centered approach (ie, intervention refinement based on the …

Development And Validation Of A Home-Based Exercise Program Integrated With Patient Education Based On The Health Belief Model For Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Amirah Mustapa, Alia Alghwiri, Haidzir Manaf

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a comprehensive approach that integrates an exercise routine with patient education based on the health belief model (HBM) approach to promote effective exercise in this population. Method: A 3-phase study was conducted. In Phase I, two comprehensive scoping reviews were performed to develop the program. An initial draft of the program consisted of exercise protocols and HBM-based education. In Phase II, nine experts were chosen to further develop and refine the program’s content by providing feedback and validating it using the content validity index (CVI) and the Patient Education …

Strategies For Health Literacy Assessment And Patient Education In Athletic Training Practice: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Stephanie R. Toubman, Justin Young, Lindsey E. Eberman, Matthew J. Rivera

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Health literacy plays a vital role in patients’ health and dictates their ability to locate, process, and understand basic health information to make informed decisions. Athletic trainers in the secondary school (SSATs) setting work with patients with varying health literacy levels. The purpose of this study was to explore SSATs' knowledge of health literacy and integration of best practice behaviors for patient education. Methods: A cross-sectional design, web-based survey including demographic, patient education practice behaviors, and health literacy knowledge assessment questions. Practice behavior questions identified techniques, strategies, and educational materials used during patient education. Health literacy knowledge assessment …

Professional Behaviors As Forced Assimilation: A Critical Reflection On The U.S. History Of Education And Beyond, Quinn P. Tyminski, Karla Reese, Linn Wakeford

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Historically, education has been used as a mechanism of assimilation for marginalized identities in the United States, demanding conformity to the dominant culture and society. The occupational therapy (OT) profession is not immune and must examine and understand how our educational systems have erected and maintained barriers designed to exclude people from historically minoritized communities through the lens of professional behaviors. Professionalism and professional behaviors are not well-defined constructs in OT, and there is significant variability among educational institutions in how professional behavior standards are written, communicated, and applied. There is significant inconsistency across OT educational programs in the US …

A Multisensory, Interdisciplinary Approach To Visual Neglect For Enhancement Of Visual Attention Following Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage: A Case Report, Leah G. Allan

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This case report provides a review of the medical background and inpatient rehabilitation course of a 41-year-old female presenting with right basal ganglia hematoma in the setting of hypertension and polysubstance use. Emphasis is placed on analysis and discussion of the interdisciplinary, multisensory therapy approaches used to address her visual neglect and homonymous hemianopia.

Method: Single-patient case report

Results: On the Disability Rating Scale, the patient’s score improved from a Day 16 score of 10 to a Day 58 score of 7. On the Modified Barthel Index, her performance improved from a Day 16 score of …

Use Of Ai In Family Medicine Publications: A Joint Editorial From Journal Editors, Sarina Schrager, Dean A. Seehusen, Sumi M. Sexton, Caroline Richardson, Jon Neher, Nicholas Pimlott, Marjorie A. Bowman, José E. Rodríguez, Christopher P. Morley, Li Li, James Domdera

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

There are multiple guidelines from publishers and organizations on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in publishing.1–5 However, none are specific to family medicine. Most journals have some basic AI use recommendations for authors, but more explicit direction is needed, as not all AI tools are the same.

Sentiment Analysis Of #Meanspo Tweets: Humans Vs. Automatic Classifications, Fayika Farhat Nova, Aniruddha S. Shinde, Rachel Pfafman, Annalise Harrison, Caralyn Logan Delaney, Jessica Pater

Health Services and Informatics Research

With the increasing adoption of automatic text classifications driven by AI, there is a growing need to explore their safe and accurate applications, particularly in sensitive online communities. Sentiment analysis of X (formerly known as Twitter) data is widely used by researchers to automatically categorize textual data, providing valuable insights into the content of specific online communities. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of automatic sentiment classification models (TextBlob and Vader) by analyzing n=6930 #meanspo tagged tweets from 2020 to 2022 from X. This community is known for promoting harmful eating disorder related content, often in a harsh and …

Toward Personalized Digital Experiences To Promote Diabetes Self-Management: Mixed Methods Social Computing Approach, Tavleen Singh, Kirk Roberts, Kayo Fujimoto, Jing Wang, Constance Johnson, Sahiti Myneni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes affects nearly 34.2 million adults and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Digital health communities have emerged as avenues to provide social support to individuals engaging in diabetes self-management (DSM). The analysis of digital peer interactions and social connections can improve our understanding of the factors underlying behavior change, which can inform the development of personalized DSM interventions.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to apply our methodology using a mixed methods approach to (1) characterize the role of context-specific social influence patterns in DSM and (2) derive interventional targets that enhance individual …

A Survey On Food Ingredient Substitutions, Hyunwook Kim, Revathy Venkataramanan, Amit P. Sheth

Publications

Diet plays a crucial role in managing chronic conditions and overall well-being. As people become more selective about their food choices, finding recipes that meet dietary needs is important. Ingredient substitution is key to adapting recipes for dietary restrictions, allergies, and availability constraints. However, identifying suitable substitutions is challenging as it requires analyzing the flavor, functionality, and health suitability of ingredients. With the advancement of AI, researchers have explored computational approaches to address ingredient substitution. This survey paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research in this area, focusing on five key aspects: (i) datasets and data sources used to …

Unitlessness: Highlighting The Trans-Discursive Qualities Of Nondualism And Implications For Psychological Terminology, Christian U. Krägeloh

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Nondual awareness has recently gained increased interest in broader psychological research. In meditation contexts, it reflects the dissolution of subject and object, while in Maha_ya_na Buddhism, practitioners aim to develop insight that leads to awareness of nonduality in everyday-life situations. Traditionally, teaching of nondualism employed paradoxes to prompt nonconceptual inquiry into reconciling dualistic contradictions. To offer an approach to communicate nondualism to a modern audience of psychology researchers, the framework of unitlessness is introduced here, which differentiates between linguistic characteristics (units) and experiential phenomena (unity), both within an enveloping ineffability (unitlessness). This type of nondualism is trans-discursive, as it acknowledges …

Debating Member-Checks Of Exceptional Human Experiences, James Houran, Everton De Oliveira Maraldi, Beth M. Houran

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This integrative essay reflects on member-checking and engaged research approaches in the study of exceptional human experiences (EHEs)—subjective accounts that often challenge conventional views of consciousness and physical reality. Member-checking, or inviting research participants to review data or interpretations, can improve credibility by aligning research with their lived experience. While benefits include transparency and insight, risks include confirmatory bias, emotional distress, power asymmetries, and logistical complexity. The evolving nature of EHEs further complicates participant validation. We therefore advocate a six-level "fit-for-purpose" system to balance rigor with ethical care and responsiveness. We also explore digital, asynchronous, and AI-assisted strategies to enhance …

The Impact Of Having A Native Spanish-Speaking Nurse In Labor And Delivery For Latina Mothers, Lesvia Muñoz Mazariegos

Nursing | Senior Theses

Labor and Delivery is the physiological process in which a pregnant woman gives birth to a baby. With an increase of the Hispanic/Latinx population, the need for Spanish-speaking nurses also increases. Specifically in labor and delivery, language barriers play a critical role for a Latina mother’s laboring experience. However, according to the research, there is limited data on the effects of language concordance/discordance for laboring Latina mothers. To investigate, primary research articles were reviewed focusing on patient experiences with language concordance and discordance, childbirth experiences across different races, and nurses' perceptions of patient experiences related to language barriers. This proposed …

Chalkboards To Chatbots: Helping Faculty Harness Ai For The Future Of Higher Education, Justin C. Grace

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into nursing education presented significant opportunities yet posed challenges due to varied faculty readiness. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project evaluated an educational intervention aimed at enhancing nursing faculty's AI proficiency and confidence at Regis University’s Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. Using a mixed-methods, pre- and post-intervention design, validated surveys assessed changes in faculty perceptions, knowledge, and skills related to AI. The intervention included a digital toolkit with nine instructional videos demonstrating practical AI applications using FreedAI’s large language model, ChatGPT, supported by voiceover narration and closed captioning. Data analysis involved descriptive …

Dynamical Measures Of Developing Neuroelectric Fields In Emerging Consciousness, William Bosl, Jenny R. Capua Shenkar

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Debating Member-Checks Of Exceptional Human Experiences, James Houran, Everton De Oliveira Maraldi, Beth M. Houran

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This integrative essay reflects on member-checking and engaged research approaches in the study of exceptional human experiences (EHEs)—subjective accounts that often challenge conventional views of consciousness and physical reality. Member-checking, or inviting research participants to review data or interpretations, can improve credibility by aligning research with their lived experience. While benefits include transparency and insight, risks include confirmatory bias, emotional distress, power asymmetries, and logistical complexity. The evolving nature of EHEs further complicates participant validation. We therefore advocate a six-level "fit-for-purpose" system to balance rigor with ethical care and responsiveness. We also explore digital, asynchronous, and AI-assisted strategies to enhance …

El Uso De Las Prácticas Curativas No Occidentales En Lugar De Y Dentro De La Cultura Biomédica, Lynda Gulledge

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper explores the difficulties that the Hispanic community faces when accessing healthcare in the United States, which emphasizes the use of biomedical culture. Topics such as cultural and linguistic barriers, past and present healthcare policies, and the use of non-Western medical practices are examined. Furthermore, this paper explores the history and use of curanderismo as an accessible and culturally appropriate form of healthcare. Lastly, the integration and acknowledgement of curanderismo in biomedical culture is explored and encouraged in order to create a more holistic healthcare experience for the Hispanic community.

Effect Of Praziquantel Treatment On The Nutritional Status Of Children Infected With Schistosoma Haematobium, Louis Fok, Hongying Dai, David Brett-Major, Abebe Animut, Berhanu Erko, John Linville, Yohannes Negash, Abraham Degarege

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

This quasi-experimental trial examined the relationship between Schistosoma haematobium infection and nutritional status, and the impact of single dose praziquantel (PZQ) therapy on undernutrition. A total of 353 children were examined, 112 of which were infected with S. haematobium and treated with PZQ. Children's heights, weights, and mid-upper arm circumferences (MUAC) were measured at baseline and one month post-treatment. Infected children had significantly smaller mean BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ) (-1.16 vs. 0.11, p < 0.01) and weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) (-0.61 vs. -0.31, p = 0.03) than the uninfected ones at baseline. S. haematobium infection was associated with underweight (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.63-1.90). One month after treatment, BAZ, WAZ, …

Experiences Of Those With "Other" Disfluencies, Kathleen Scaler Scott, Emma Schaedler, Erica Scheinberg, Sarah Hardy, Margaret Koester, Brenna Field, Emma Maley, Kayla Montemarano, Kateri Grice

Student Research Poster Presentations 2025

This ethnographic study collected and analyzed interviews of 8 children with “other” fluency disorders: cluttering, atypical disfluency, excessive non-stuttering like disfluency. Each school-age child participated in a semi-structured interview focusing on grand and mini tour questions. The participants were asked to speak about their perspective and experience with communication in general. Preliminary results of this study revealed the following themes: friendships are hard; high-level communication is a goal; everyone doesn’t ‘get’ me when I talk. Clinical and research implications of findings will be discussed.

Waldorf Education: New Perspectives On A Holistic Approach, Martyn Rawson

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article outlines some of the core ideas underlying the practices of Waldorf education as re-envisioned by an experienced practitioner, as a contribution to the discussion about the educational implications of transpersonal psychology. It outlines a pedagogical anthropology that takes the spiritual dimension into account. It distinguishes between the lived body, the emergent psyche and the agentic Self as the spiritual core of being in the person. Learning is explained as a transformative process that involves the changing relationships to one’s own body, to others and to the world through which potentialities become abilities. The aim of the transformative education …

A History Of Individuation: Aristotle, Jung, Simondon And The Vital Impulse, Sam Gould

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This paper theoretically situates transformation as a biophysiological process specific to information transfer in and throughout a multicellular organism, conceptualized as the epigenesis, morphogenesis, and formation of the self in the unfolding process of individuation. The self will be ascribed, not merely as the Jungian definition of something to be realized through individuation, but rather, as a twofold operation: (a) As a conjunction within the process of individuation that extends into, as part of, the possible future process of individuation; to account for this phase in the operation of the unfolding of the self, the paper refers to Gilbert Simondon’s …

A Cross Attention Approach To Diagnostic Explainability Using Clinical Practice Guidelines For Depression, Sumit Dalal, Deepa Tilwani, Manas Gaur, Sarika Jain, Valerie L. Shalin, Amit P. Sheth

Psychology Faculty Publications

The lack of explainability in using relevant clinical knowledge hinders the adoption of artificial intelligence-powered analysis of unstructured clinical dialogue. A wealth of relevant, untapped Mental Health (MH) data is available in online communities, providing the opportunity to address the explainability problem with substantial potential impact as a screening tool for both online and offline applications. Inspired by how clinicians rely on their expertise when interacting with patients, we leverage relevant clinical knowledge to classify and explain depression-related data, reducing manual review time and engendering trust. We developed a method to enhance attention in contemporary transformer models and generate explanations …

Exploring The Impact Of Yoga On Self-Perception In People With Aphasia, Meta Riley Hurm

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Instances of complex diagnoses and acquired language loss, such as aphasia, are often accompanied by a variety of deficits in quality of life. Most notably, individuals’ self-perceptions can be altered by these diagnoses, as new life complications bring about the necessity for major adjustments. This study utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyze the effects of participation in an adapted yoga program on self-perception, specifically evoking change in identity, emotional health, sense of community, and self-acceptance. Through interviews with six individuals with a primary aphasia diagnosis, findings revealed three major superordinate themes of self-perception: identity, self-care, and attunement. Participants' answers …

Increasing Cervical Cancer Screening At An Underserved Clinic, Aseiya Begum

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: Cervical cancer remains a preventable disease when detected early through routine screenings, yet national screening rates continue to fall short, particularly among underserved populations. Increasing engagement in preventive care is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality.

Local Problem: At the project site, cervical cancer screening rates were below national benchmarks at only 58%, with many eligible patients overdue for screening.

Methods: A quality improvement project was used to identify eligible patients through chart reviews. Screening completion rates were monitored before and after implementation to assess impact.

Interventions: The project implemented targeted outreach strategies, including personalized MyChart electronic messages and …

Risk And Crisis Communication Research In Singapore, Augustine Pang, Jerena Ng, Jason Shi-Yang Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This chapter aims to capture the latest insights on the state of risk and crisis communication research in Singapore, examined through the theoretical lens posited by Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) (Coombs, 2023). This chapter is divided into three sections: the first, consolidates risk and crisis communication research studies, the second examines the state of research, and the third offers a case study on the research conducted. Last but not least, we offer some suggestions on how research can grow. It is hoped that this chapter can offer a comprehensive view of risk and crisis communication research in Singapore and …

"Understanding Obesity Experiences And Treatment Decision-Making In Hispanic-Latino Communities”, Viviane Fornasaro-Donahue

Open Access Dissertations

Obesity disproportionately affects Hispanic-Latino adults in the United States, yet rates of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) remain lower in this population compared with non-Hispanic White adults. This dissertation comprises three interconnected phases aimed to (I) explore perceptions of obesity, obesity treatment, and patient-provider communication, (II) inform the development of a culturally responsive bilingual educational material about obesity and MBS, and (III) evaluate its acceptability among Hispanic-Latinos adults with obesity.

Phase I involved a qualitative exploration using semi-structured interviews with Hispanic-Latino adults (n=26) recruited from a community and a clinical MBS setting. These interviews explored participants’ perceptions of …

An Observational Study Of Discourse Tasks And Running Speech Sampling In The Assessment Of Paediatric Voice Quality, Victoria Reynolds, Kristin Scavo-Smith, Kate Oteng-Bediako, Sophie Scanlon

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Running speech sampling is an essential component of a paediatric voice evaluation, in that it should provide the examiner with a representative vocal sample of the child's everyday voice use outside of the clinic setting. Current speech sampling practices, consisting of reading tasks, informal conversation sampling and the voice question ('Tell me about your voice problem'), may not elicit consistent samples or samples of sufficient length to allow the examiner to make a reliable and valid judgement about vocal quality. The aim of this study is to compare the voice quality of children produced in response to existing running …

Understanding Food Insecurity Among International Students At Ohio University, Kyle Butler, Joshua Osondu

Sustainable Living Hub Reports and Publications

Recently, food insecurity has emerged as a concern among the student body of Ohio University (OHIO), particularly among its international graduate students. This survey study was undertaken to provide data to inform OHIO’s response to food insecurity among its international graduate students.

Language In The Teaching Or: Expressing Confidence Versus Community, Aarya Ramprasad, Imaima Casubhoy, Melanie Meister, Brenda Bethman, Austin Bachar, Gary Sutkin

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.