Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Metrics In Action: Exploring U.S. Superfund Sites Affiliated With The Fashion Industry, Nidia K. Trejo

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Little is known of Superfund sites, long-term clean up sites, affiliated with the apparel and footwear supply chain in the United States. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) manages the clean up of contaminated sites that pose a significant risk to human health and the environment under the Superfund program. A site can become contaminated if hazardous waste from industrial operations are mismanaged or dumped into the environment, in an uncontrolled manner. In this study, a proposed Superfund site (Mohawk Tannery in Nashua, New Hampshire), an active Superfund site (Ciba-Geigy Corp. in Toms River, New Jersery), and a …

The Expansion Of Language Interpretation Services Post-Executive Order 13166: Effects On Maternal And Fetal Outcomes Of Non-English-Speaking Patients, Lilly Annabelle Smith

Honors Theses and Capstones

Over 69 million people older than the age of 5 in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home (U.S. Census, 2022). Of this population, around 38% report speaking English less than "very well" or limited English proficiency, “LEP”. Research has shown patient-provider communication quality in healthcare settings to be directly linked to the provider's ability to deliver safe and suitable care for LEP patients (Au et al., 2009). Executive Order (EO) 13166, signed into law in 2000, requires all federal agencies to implement and document language interpretation services in their establishments (Basu et al., 2017). LEP mothers …

Assessing Lung Cancer Screening Protocols And Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis Between Indonesia And The United States, Priscilla Sitorus

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background/Significance: Social inequity is a large problem within the healthcare system, especially in third-world countries, like Indonesia. Poor access to healthcare and screening protocols can contribute to delayed diagnoses, poorer outcomes, and increasing mortality rates. Purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of lung cancer screening protocols in Indonesia compared to California and help identify potential barriers and factors in lung cancer screening in both regions. This will later help reform policy interventions and decisions to improve community access. Methods: The study will be divided into two portions using a mixed method approach. The qualitative component will include lung …

Trauma In Weird Literature: Weird Experiences And Neuropsychiatric Conditions, Mijin Cho

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

This study aims to explore the element of trauma or shock in weird fiction using H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour out of Space” as the focal text. I am interested in the cognitive estrangement and body disfigurement following encounters with the weird, which in this case would be the meteorite’s Colour, on the characters experiencing it in the story, including the Gardners and Ammi. The goal is to investigate our reactions to being pushed past our thresholds as human beings using analysis of characters, diction, and rhetoric in weird fiction stories and non-fiction patient narratives to better understand how weird …

Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Asian Consumers Of The Maryland Behavioral Health Service System, Kota Takayama Ph.D, Teresa Crowe Ph.D

JADARA

This exploratory study examines the demographic profile and diagnoses of deaf and hard of hearing Asian consumers in Maryland who received behavioral healthcare services from January 2016 to January 2019. Results show that: 1) most deaf consumers lived in private residences, 2) most consumers felt somewhat satisfactory in their mental health recovery, 3) almost half had mood disorder diagnoses, 4) nearly 25% had a schizophrenia diagnosis which was more than three times higher than the prevalence for non-Asian populations, and 5) deaf Asian consumers were more likely to have alcohol-related disorders. The discussion includes comparisons with other racial and ethnic …

Understanding Social Dynamics In Toxic Conversations And Public Health Intervention Acceptance On Social Media, Ana Aleksandric

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Social media is now central to daily life, offering users a space to share content and opinions. However, these platforms also facilitate the spread of hate speech and misinformation, which can negatively impact public health. This dissertation develops methodologies to analyze social media data for insights that could inform health interventions. The research first examines user responses to toxic content, focusing on behavioral and emotional reactions, as well as group dynamics and bystander effects in toxic interactions. Another key focus is public opinion toward health interventions, particularly COVID-19 vaccination, using geolocated posts and analyzing factors such as race, ethnicity, and …

Exploring The Effects Of Art Therapy Interventions On Self-Evaluations Of Food Addiction: A Randomized Control Study, Dawn Fiacco

Art Therapy | Doctoral Dissertations

Processed sugar is highly addictive and associated with chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Often, people know that eating processed sugar has negative health consequences but continue to do so, possibly for emotional reasons. The gap between knowledge and behavior makes treating eating issues difficult. Art therapy is a nonverbal modality and could possibly circumvent usual rationalizations, making it an effective way to bridge the cognitive and emotional aspects of problematic eating. This randomized control, mixed methods study was conducted to examine whether a 7-week art directive program could help people with self-identified problematic …

Improvement Of Hypertension Self-Care Management In African American Older Adults With Uncontrolled Hypertension Through Shared Decision-Making, Sigga Jobe

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: Hypertension affects nearly half of the population in the U.S., with the prevalence disproportionately higher in African Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). Complications of uncontrolled hypertension, such as cardiovascular disorders and stroke, increase with age, prompting the importance of controlling high blood pressure in older adults. African American older adults are at higher risk of developing uncontrolled hypertension and related complications due to the lack of healthcare access, financial constraints leading to the inability to access healthier food choices, exercise capabilities, weight control, adherence to recommended medications, and knowledge deficit.

Methods: This project focused on …

Global Deaf And Disability-Led Partnerships For Accessible Emergency Response And Humanitarian Action, Alina A. Engelman, Joe Booze, Alexia Izquierdo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Disability-serving non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in fostering care networks and supporting humanitarian action for disabled people before and during emergencies, particularly in the absence of targeted philanthropic and governmental support. However, relatively few NGOs serving disabled people are led or operated by people with disabilities, especially by disabled women. This analysis, based on survey and interview data with leadership, explores the impact of two disability-led operations. Findings have profound implications for how social work practice can center disability justice both in preparing for and responding to emergencies. This paper assesses the needs and impact of two …

Networks Extracted From Nonlinear Fmri Connectivity Exhibit Unique Spatial Variation And Enhanced Sensitivity To Differences Between Individuals With Schizophrenia And Controls, Spencer Kinsey, Katarzyna Kazimierczak, Pablo Andrés Camazón, Jiayu Chen, Tülay Adali, Peter Kochunov, Bhim M Adhikari, Judith Ford, Theo G M Van Erp, Mukesh Dhamala, Vince D Calhoun, Armin Iraji

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder associated with widespread alterations in functional brain connectivity. Although data-driven approaches such as independent component analysis are often used to study how schizophrenia impacts linearly connected networks, alterations within the underlying nonlinear functional connectivity structure remain largely unknown. Here we report the analysis of networks from explicitly nonlinear functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in a case-control dataset. We found systematic spatial variation, with higher nonlinear weight within core regions, suggesting that linear analyses underestimate functional connectivity within network centers. We also found that a unique nonlinear network incorporating default-mode, cingulo-opercular and central executive regions …

Parental Perception Of Improvement In Prelinguistic Skills In Kids With Autism In Two Months Of Goal Directed Cognitive Approach, Ratnapriya Chowdhry, Santosh Kondekar, Surbhi Rathi, Abhinaya V, Tasneem Motiwala

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

The study aimed to assess the parental perception of improvement in prelinguistic skills in children with Autism Spectrum disorder [ASD] after 1 and 2 months of Goal Directed Cognitive Approach. This was assessed by a questionnaire filled by parents of 26 consecutive ASD kids at a neurodevelopmental center. Parents were asked to rate these skills on a Likert scale of 1-5 before and after 1 month and 2 months of GDCA to check for any improvement. 69% of ASD kids were boys. Mean age at presentation was 2.6 years. The children were subjected to GDCA for an average duration of …

Returning Individual Research Results From Digital Phenotyping In Psychiatry, Francis X. Shen, Matthew L. Baum, Nicole Martinez-Martin, Adam S. Miner, Melissa Abraham, Catherine A. Brownstein, Nathan Cortez, Barbara J. Evans, Laura T. Germine, David C. Grady, Ingrid A. Holm, Elisa A. Hurley, Sara Kimble, Gabriel Lazaro-Munoz, Kimberlyn Leary, Mason Marks, Patrick J. Monette, Jukka-Pekka Onnela, P. Pearl O'Rourke, Scott L. Rauch, Carmel Shachar, Srijan Sen, Ipsit Vahia, Jason L. Vassy, Justin T. Baker, Barbara E. Bierer, Benjamin C. Silverman

Articles

Psychiatry is rapidly adopting digital phenotyping and artificial intelligence/machine learning tools to study mental illness based on tracking participants’ locations, online activity, phone and text message usage, heart rate, sleep, physical activity, and more. Existing ethical frame-works for return of individual research results (IRRs) are inadequate to guide researchers for when, if, and how to return this unprecedented number of potentially sensitive results about each participant’s real-world behavior. To address this gap, we convened an interdisciplinary expert working group, supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant. Building on established guidelines and the emerging norm of returning results in …

“Your Legs Don’T Look All That Good” An Analysis Of Impoliteness And Politeness In Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injuries In The Workplace, Grace Kozal

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Background: Social communication disorders are a common outcome from traumatic brain injury (TBI). This social communication disorder can be seen through impolite speech acts during conversation. While politeness is a social norm for workplace discourse, instances of impoliteness may have poor consequences. This research explores the use of impoliteness in persons with TBI within computer generated work-based conditions.

Methods: Language samples from the Voicemail Elicitation Task (VET) and Feedback/Advice Spoken Task (FAST) were transcribed word-for-word. Transcripts from all 62 participants were coded for impoliteness using a developed Impoliteness Codebook and were analyzed to identify significant differences in the number of …

Psychological Energy: Early Theorists In The Analytical Tradition, Michael Da

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Since the dawn of Western psychology, theorists have used variations of the term “energy” to describe the dynamic forces at work within the psyche and the soma and the psychotherapeutic processes of change. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, terms used for psychological energy included “libido,” “psychic energy,” “orgone energy,” “bioenergetics,” and “psycho-energetics.” This paper uses philosophical hermeneutics to compare the major theorists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: William James, Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud, C. G. Jung, Wilhelm Reich, Alexander Lowen, and Roberto Assagioli. Analysis reveals these theorists generally agreed psychological energy is (a) a …

When Divergent Worlds Collide: Dr. Santiago Ramón Y Cajal’S Influence On The Surrealism Movement, William J. Hardman Iii, Md

MA Theses

Dr. Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s drawings were created for the sole purpose of illustrating his newly discovered and earth-shattering revelations in the field of neuroscience culminating with his magnum opus: the “Neuron theory” and the “Theory of Dynamic Polarization.” For these discoveries and many others, he shared the 1906 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology with his rival Dr. Camilo Golgi, an Italian pathologist. At no time did he envision that his drawings would capture the interest of artists as it did with members of the Surrealism Movement. This thesis will explore and present for the first time supporting evidence …

Implementation Of A Prediabetes Risk Assessment And Motivational Interviewing In Adults Ages 35 And Older, Emma Lilleberg

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends screening for prediabetes using a validated assessment tool in asymptomatic adults starting at age 35. An effective process to raise screening numbers to identify those at risk of prediabetes and diabetes is needed to provide quality care.
Methods: Nursing staff were educated on use of the risk assessment tool and principles of motivational interviewing (MI). Utilizing the ADA risk assessment tool identified those at risk. Nursing staff completed MI with individuals who scored 5 or higher. A readiness for change survey was completed by patients after receiving MI. Additionally, individuals received education on …

Autopathography Across Media: Trauma And Fluid Embodied Subjectivity, He (Kristen) Shen

Honors Theses

Illness memoirs with first-person point of view have gained more attention in recent years among medical sociologists and anthropologists. Different from traditional “case histories”written by doctors that are in danger of ignoring patients’ voices, autopathograhical works delineate narrators’ transformative experiences of persons to patients, emphasizing the importance of gaining social understanding of illness. Focusing on three works within the category of autopathography across genres and media forms in the late 1950s and contemporary periods, The Cancer Journals (1980) written by Audre Lorde, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019) written by Esmé Weijun Wang, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) directed …

Inclusive Integration Of Refugees And Migrants In Djibouti's National Healthcare System: Current Situation And Prospects For Improvement, Farhan Houssein Ali, Njah Mansour, Kenza Hassouni

Health Sciences

Cet examen narratif vise à décrire et synthétiser les données actuelles sur la situation des migrants et des réfugiés à Djibouti, ainsi que les progrès de la stratégie d'intégration inclusive mise en œuvre par le gouvernement djiboutien. Il s'appuie sur diverses sources, notamment la littérature grise et les publications scientifiques. Les résultats indiquent que le nombre de migrants et de réfugiés est en augmentation constante depuis 2019, avec un état de santé vulnérable et des risques sanitaires alarmants. Il est urgent d'accélérer la mise en œuvre de la stratégie tout en l'adaptant aux données actuelles et d'établir un système fiable …

Dental Outreach In Academic Dental Settings, Tisha Clayborn

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Creating an effective outreach program in a dental academic setting involves a strategic approach combining educational objectives and community service. This Dental Outreach Program Guide aligns with organizational objectives, contributes to community well-being, and serves as a model for future outreach initiatives in academic dental settings. This program utilizes the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model to design and evaluate an oral health strategy. This program aims to outline a strategic plan incorporating evidence-based decision-making, data-driven metrics, and a comprehensive roadmap for successful implementation.

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Intracommunity Attitudinal And Experiential Barriers To The Utilization Of Psychotherapeutic Services In Bipoc Populations, Jade Turner

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the role that intracommunity attitudes and beliefs and negative mental healthcare experiences play in determining treatment-seeking behavior in BIPOC communities. Through in-depth semistructured interviews, five participants shared their perspectives and experiences, providing rich and nuanced insight into the subjective landscape of mental healthcare avoidance among racial and ethnic minority populations. The analysis revealed five overarching themes (pray it away, isolated and invisible, fear, perceived importance of racial matching, and therapeutic experiences profoundly impact treatment-seeking) shedding light on the nuanced ways in which BIPOC individuals make sense of and navigate mental health within …

Deconstruction Of Body Representation Of The Back In Healthy Back Pain-Free Individuals And People With Chronic Low Back Pain, Simon Pratt

Theses

Changes in various body representations have been increasingly investigated and subsequently posited to be potentially important factors in the development and maintenance of chronic low back pain. Three main domains of body representation are considered here: body model, body schema (comprising superficial and postural schema), and body image. Most studies informing our contemporary understanding of these body representations have been undertaken in areas such as the hand and forearm, with a comparative dearth of studies performed on the low back. Consequently, this thesis consists of a comprehensive investigation of body representation initially in healthy back pain-free individuals and then in …

The Impact Of Treatment Dosage On Cognitive-Linguistic Outcomes Of Patients With Aphasia: An Investigation Of Three Service Delivery Models, Adele J. Derendinger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study addresses the gap in literature by directly comparing the effectiveness of Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) and modified ICAPs (mICAPs) to usual care service delivery models for people with aphasia. Through a prospective study design, cognitive-linguistic function change scores across different service delivery models were examined. The findings reveal significant within-group improvements in cognitive-linguistic function for participants in ICAPs, with some improvement seen in mICAPs and usual care conditions. Intensive models demonstrated greater improvement compared to non-intensive usual care models, particularly evident in the Western Aphasia Battery – Revised and the Boston Naming Test – Second Edition. …

Using A Translanguaging Framework To Examine Language Production In A Trilingual Person With Aphasia, Mira Goral, Katarina Antolovic, Zahra Hejazi, Franziska M. Schulz

Publications and Research

When language abilities in aphasia are assessed in clinical and research settings, the standard practice is to examine each language of a multilingual person separately. But many multilingual individuals, with and without aphasia, mix their languages regularly when they communicate with other speakers who share their languages. We applied a novel approach to scoring language production of a multilingual person with aphasia. Our aim was to discover whether the assessment outcome would differ meaningfully when we count accurate responses in only the target language of the assessment session versus when we apply a translanguaging framework, that is, count all accurate …

(Plant)Ing Traditional Roots: Exploring An Impact Of Environmental Shifts On Traditional Phytotherapy Practices In The Cusco Region Of Perú, Nicole Elizabeth Wilmot

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the potential outcomes of environmental shifts on plant-based medical practices in the Cusco region of Peru. Located in the Andes mountain range, at a high elevation, the environment varies immensely, specifically in the various types of native plants in the region. Historically, using plants as natural forms of medicine or healthcare has been deeply rooted in many indigenous communities, traditions, and cultures globally. Environmentally, there have been potential changes and shifts in temperature, water, and soil that affect the nutrition and health of plants to maintain their beneficial properties. Due to various factors, adaptations or shifts to …

A Validation Study Of The Occupational Depression Inventory In Poland And Ukraine, Krystyna Golonka, Karine O. Malysheva, Dominika Fortuna, Bożena Gulla, Serhii Lytvyn, Leon T. De Beer, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

This study examined the psychometric and structural properties of the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI). We relied on two samples of Polish employees (NSample1 = 526, 47% female; NSample2 = 164, 64% female) and one sample of Ukrainian employees (NSample3 = 372, 73% female). In all samples, the ODI exhibited essential unidimensionality and high total-score reliability (e.g., McDonald’s omegas > 0.90). The homogeneity of the scale was strong (e.g., 0.59 ≤ scale-level Hs ≤ 0.68). The ODI’s total scores thus accurately ranked individuals on a latent occupational depression continuum. We found evidence of complete measurement invariance …

The Impact Of Spanish Language Training For Labor And Delivery Nurses On Postpartum Depression Incidence Among Hispanic Women, Leilani Gutierrez

Nursing | Senior Theses

Postpartum depression and anxiety are experienced by 70-80% of new mothers, and the likelihood is twice as high for Hispanic women compared to caucasian women. Supportive techniques to help monolingual mothers in labor are lacking. A translator's assistance on the hospital floor, such as a video call from an iPad, is often impersonal and lacks the supportive atmosphere that women preparing to give birth need. The primary objective of this study is to explore the potential benefits of providing Spanish-speaking courses to labor and delivery nurses, particularly in cultivating a nurturing and supportive atmosphere for Hispanic mothers during childbirth. By …

Assessing The Acquisition Of Romani In Roma Children, Hirsto Kyuchukov, Jill De Villiers, Yanwan Zhu, Iris Zhong

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The paper presents the first comprehensive look at the language development of Romani-speaking children from resource-poor Roma communities in several European countries. 250 participants aged 3- to 10-years participated. The experimental tasks assess knowledge in eight key areas of grammar and morphology, including fast mapping of novel items. The special properties of Romani allow new insights on long distance wh-movement and possessive agreement, and the data question the universality of other distinctions in passives and wh-movement from complements. The results demonstrate that the Roma children as a group are as proficient in their primary language as children in other countries, …

Exploring Lexical Stress Perception: An Investigation Across Varied Listener Experience With Prosody, Olivia J. Pride

Honors Theses and Capstones

Prosody is a characteristic of speech that allows others to understand emotion, emphasis, and meaning of language more deeply. Perceptual accuracy by speech-language pathologists is critical to diagnosing speech disorders. This study examined perceptual abilities of three different groups in identifying lexical stress across groups. Four SLPs, 6 SLP graduate students, and 6 untrained listeners listened to 396 audio files elicited in a prior study using the lexical stress tasks from the Prosodic Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) and the naturalistic lexical stress (NLS) tasks. Listeners were asked if syllable stress was on the first syllable, second syllable, …

Nursing Education And Comfort Level In Caring For Patients With Eating Disorders, Jaylyn E. Jewell

Honors Theses and Capstones

Nurses are integral to providing care to patients with eating disorders, who often present to the generalized hospital setting related to physical complications from their disorder. Despite the vital role nurses play, a lack of education is cited. This project sought to assess knowledge on eating disorders of nurses at a local hospital through dissemination of a survey. A total of n=18 responses were gathered. Results supported the fact that many nurses have received inadequate education on eating disorders, and consequently have low knowledge and competency in the care of these patients. This project seeks to identify this lack of …

“Share The Fear”: Communication Concerns Of Parents With Cancer With Dependents And Coparents: A Qualitative Needs Assessment Study, Cinzia Caparso, Zoe Bowen, Sung Won Choi

Nursing Faculty Research Publications

Background: The estimated 1.6 million adults in the United States with cancer who also have dependents face unique challenges given the profound impact of cancer on their families, such as increased psychological distress, decreased quality of life, and altered family functioning. Unfortunately, little is known about the mutual cancer-related communication concerns for the perspectives of the parents with cancer or the coparents. Coparents care for the patient and dependents until they reach adulthood (e.g., unmarried, divorced, stepparent, and/or same-sex partnerships).

Objective: To understand the mutual cancer-related communication concerns from the perspectives of parents with cancer and the coparents and intervention …