Digital Commons Network^™

More Than Mealtimes: The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Pediatric Feeding For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Anika J. Peters

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Feeding is a foundational occupation essential for growth, development, and family participation. However, children with developmental disabilities often experience significant feeding challenges that impact nutrition and participation in mealtime routines. This capstone project examines the role of occupational therapy in pediatric feeding assessment and intervention within an outpatient setting. Using a descriptive mixed-methods approach, outcomes were evaluated for pediatric clients (N=18) and occupational therapists (N=15) through goal attainment tracking, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), clinician needs assessment data, and resource feedback. Results demonstrated improvements in food acceptance, texture tolerance, oral-motor skills, and engagement in mealtime participation. COPM scores reflected …

Transitioning Home: The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Aging In Place, Syrena Meyer

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

This capstone project explored the role of occupational therapy in supporting older adults transitioning home from hospitalization to successfully age in place. With the growing population of adults over age 65 and a strong preference to remain in their homes, there is an increasing need for interventions that promote safety, independence, and quality of life. This project focused on developing advanced clinical skills in inpatient and transitional care settings while implementing evidence-based interventions and educational resources. The Person-Environment-Occupation Model was used throughout the 14-week experience to identify strategies to enhance occupational performance in patients. Key activities included patient care, use …

The Role Of Mterf-3 In Mitochondrial Transcription, Reese C. Jones

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

The Mitochondrial Termination Factor (MTERF) family is a protein group of mitochondrial termination factors that are classified as regulators. Each MTERF protein has their own specialized role with respect to mitochondrial transcription, and not all are terminator factors. The protein group is based on sequence similarly, and the MTERF-3 protein is the most conserved of the family showing a crucial role across species. This is supported by the knockout mice exhibiting embryonic lethality when the gene is removed. Understanding the regulatory role of MTERF-3 and its interactions with the mitochondrial transcription machinery is the major aim of this project. To …

The Rate Of Burnout In Athletic Trainers In Collegiate Settings, Dorise Clark

Create@State

No abstract provided.

Arkansas Educators' Views On Corporal Punishment: Demographic Influences And Social Work Implications, Phillip Hill, Esaa Samarrah

Research and Creative Works Expo

Corporal punishment (CP) in U.S. public schools, defined as "the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain so as to correct their misbehavior" (Gershoff & Font, 2016), remains legal in 17 states despite mounting evidence of its ineffectiveness and disproportionate harm to marginalized students. This study presents survey data from 94 Arkansas public school educators, examining their knowledge of legality, personal and indirect experiences with CP, perceptions of its effectiveness, and attitudes toward its continued use. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics, with reverse coding applied to the negative-impact Likert items so …

What Is The Best Way To Cool Off Your Coffee?, Casen Reed

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

This experiment is working on answering the best way to cool off a hot cup of coffee. To get an answer to this question, we will be directing a stream of gas at different angles above parallel onto the surface of water that has been brought up to a boil. Evaporation and convection heat values will be calculated and analyzed to compare the cooling rates of each angle that has been tested.

A Critically Appraised Topic: Effectiveness Of Hydrogen-Rich Water Therapies In Reducing Inflammation, Bill Craig, Dawn Hammerschmidt, Jay Albrecht

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Inflammation is an important part of healing, but prolonged inflammation or inflammatory disease can cause excess pain and tissue damage. Hydrogen-rich water therapies have shown to have positive effects on this wide variety of conditions and may have a role in future therapeutic intervention for inflammatory conditions and acute injury care. Hydrogen is a commonly known element that has recently been the subject of scientific studies to analyze its beneficial properties when used as a therapeutic intervention. Hydrogen is physically the smallest element on the periodic table, and when two hydrogen atoms combine to form H2, it is known as …

Testing Of Accelerated Pozzolanic Activity Of Fly Ash, Anne Oberlink, Tom Robl, Bob Jewell, Haley Johnson

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The determination of the pozzolanic reaction in fly ash by ASTM strength activity index has been shown to be problematic, frequently producing false positives. The use of Wenner probe resistivity has been demonstrated to be rapid, simple and non-destructive method, producing no false positives. However, using this method and confirming it with other techniques finds that the reaction itself is slow with a dilatancy of 28 days or more before the measurements become discriminatory, a major drawback to this method. This study used high-temperature, high humidity curing of OPC-based mortars with various fly ash sources to determine how pozzolanic activity …

Demographic Disparities In Contraceptive Use: Insights From Female Nsfg Respondents, 2015–2023, Adira Brenner

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Disparities in contraceptive use persist in the United States despite expanded access to family planning services. Historical policies and ongoing social determinants of health (SDOH) are significant drivers of the continued inequality in reproductive healthcare access and utilization. This study examines demographic trends in contraceptive use using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) between 2015 and 2023.

Data were obtained from the NSFG and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) datasets. A cross-comparison was conducted, focusing on variables such as age, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment.

The consensus was that contraceptive use increased to approximately 65% in …

Nitrogen Limitation Impacts The Evolution Of Tobramycin Resistance In E.Coli, Anja Hofmeier

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

We are investigating how nutrient-limitation affects the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. We evolved E. coli for 24 days in nitrogen- or carbon-limited environments with and without tobramycin. Many nitrogen-limited strains that evolved with tobramycin did not develop antibiotic resistance and went extinct. Surprisingly, fitness competitions showed that nitrogen-limited populations had an even larger fitness advantage in nitrogen-limited environments with tobramycin than in their evolutionary environments. These populations had a mutation in either gene glnL or glnK. We isolated each mutation in a clone and ran fitness assays to investigate how glnL and glnK mutations affected …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Bilingual Children's Subjective Feelings When Language Brokering, Laritza Leyva, Emely B. Bayas, Jordan S. Perry

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This study investigates how bilingual child language brokers (CLBs) subjectively feel when language brokering (i.e., translating for family members who are not proficient in a language) and the factors that contribute to their feelings. CLBs (ages 9-12) were interviewed about their brokering experiences, and overall themes were identified using thematic analysis. While the majority of CLBs reported feeling positively when translating, some mentioned feeling “normal,” negative, and/or bewildered. CLBs further explained that their feelings were influenced by their belief that translating is helpful, their vocabulary knowledge, and family values related to language learning and bilingualism, among other reasons.

Towards A Unified Architecture For Jointly Learning Human And Robot Behavior, Nathan A C Hogg

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

General-purpose robotic manipulators will be maximally useful if they can be trained on existing data, such as pre-collected human footage. Recent advances in robot learning typically rely on visuals to mimic the high-fidelity movements of humans. Our goal is to model large datasets of human actions as sequences of goal-seeking behaviors, driving robotic motion by leveraging this understanding of human intent. This presentation will discuss the current state of robotic imitation learning, the advancements we have made over the past three months, and our future goals.

Propasafe-Hybrid: A Text-Based Hybrid Propaganda Detection Tool (Ila 2026 Presentation), Thomas Kimmeth, Avijit Roy, Vivek Sharma

Publications and Research

This presentation introduces Propasafe-Hybrid, a hybrid system for sentence-level propaganda detection that combines offline transformer-based classification with selective large language model (LLM) explainability. The system employs a two-stage pipeline in which a local BERT-based classifier evaluates all input text and filters non-propagandistic content, while only high-confidence candidates are forwarded to an LLM for rhetorical technique labeling and explanation. This design enables cost-aware, privacy-conscious, and scalable analysis by reducing unnecessary reliance on external models.

Propasafe-Hybrid identifies propagandistic techniques such as loaded language, obfuscation, and appeal to fear, and generates concise natural language rationales that make these techniques interpretable to users. By …

Examining The Efficacy Of The Allosteric Site In Adp Glucose Pyrophosphorylase From A. Tumefaciens, Shanna Kaldani, Isabella Tyma

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

ADP-glucose Pyrophosphorylase (ADP-GlcPPase) is a regulatory enzyme in bacteria that synthesizes glycogen. A. tumefaciens ADP-Glc PPase is activated by Fructose 6-phosphate (Fru6P) and Pyruvate (Pyr). To investigate Fru6P binding, the Tyrosine 124 and Arginine 75 residues of A. tumefaciens ADP-Glc PPase were mutated to Alanine.  We found that Y124A and R75A had some activation by Fru6P and Pyr but did not reach a Vmax equivalent to Wildtype. R75A/Y124A  had similar activation to the single mutants. Thermal Shift assays tested the enzyme-ligand binding of the activators. This project expanded our understanding of the allosteric binding in A. tumefaciens ADP-Glc PPase.

Occupational Therapy For Caregiver Support And General Clinical Practice In Rural Settings, Madysen M. Handel

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

This capstone project aimed to develop advanced clinical practice skills and implement a structured caregiver intervention program within a rural outpatient pediatric occupational therapy setting at Hegg Health Center in Rock Valley, Iowa. Guided by the Model of Human Occupation, the Occupational Adaptation model, and the cognitive behavioral frame of reference, the project emphasized caregiver participation, routine-based strategy use, and support for sensory-emotional regulation across daily environments. Caregiver stress and perceptions of strategy use were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and a caregiver follow-up survey developed to evaluate confidence supporting regulation strategies and participation within home routines. Results …

Optimizing Occupational Therapy In Inpatient Behavioral Health Settings, Haley J. Conrad

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

This capstone project aimed to strengthen occupational therapy practice in inpatient behavioral health by creating theory‑aligned, trauma‑informed, and evidence‑supported resources. A needs assessment revealed gaps in resource organization, translation of theory to practice, engagement strategies, and access to behavioral‑health‑specific tools. Guided by MOHO, the CORE approach, the Recovery Model, and trauma‑informed care, a comprehensive OneNote system was developed to offer organized, accessible practice supports. Practitioners completed pre‑ and post‑implementation surveys, and summed domain scores were calculated for each participant. Results showed meaningful improvements in Adequacy & Organization, Knowledge & Theory, Effectiveness, and especially Quality & Usability, where all practitioners demonstrated …

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Quality Housing, Education And Healthy Environment In 48219 Reflection, Dina Charara, Edward Hill, Michelle El-Sayah, Zaid Jani, Joseph Gjonaj, Zaynab Lughmani, Maxwell Braker, Melanie Cohn

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Healthcare Access, Food Desert, And Transportation, Charmaine White, Nicholas Cominos, Hassan Yassine, Nicholas Saeedi, Maria Pacheco Martinez, Miranda Baumbick, Turner Tomatti, Ariel Wallace

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Sdohs: Environment, Food Scarcity, Community, Leigha Diegel, Ryan Smith, Haidy Aziz, Timothy Zhu, Lauren Timmer, Christian Smolen, Tavan Zadeh, Danielle Foster

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Education, Built Environment, And Access To Primary Care, Parita Patel, Sarah Haidar, Laura Flores, Dane Hubers, Faris Mahjoub, Daniel Serpas-Medina, Sahana Oglesby, Kris Shah

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Education, Employment And Nutrition Needs And Reflection, Ninotchka Valdez, Tyler Forbes, John Pirau, Rachel Perez-Cruet, Nicholas Durand, James Ha, Annie Liang, Willa Roberts

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Financial Insecurity, Alexandria Merrill, Chichi Amanze, Mohammad Muntakim, Jawad Saad, Kenneth Skoug, Kristina Avakumov, Sion Na, Joshua Kidd

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Using Publicity To Encourage Course Materials Reporting At Unc, Nancy A. Henke, Caterina Azzarello

About OER

The University of Northern Colorado (UNC), like many institutions, relies on instructors to report on which learning materials they plan to use in their courses, whether those materials are Open Education Resources (OER), other Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) materials, or cost-bearing commercial resources. This information ensures the institution is meeting federal and state mandates for cost transparency, supports students as they plan for the upcoming semester, helps in assessing the use of OER/ZTC at an institution, and aids in planning open education outreach and advocacy. Yet getting faculty to report their course materials in a timely manner (or at all) …

Rhodium On Alumina Catalyzed Hydrodechlorination Of Trichlorethylene, Amber Krueger, Gage Mueller

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Chlorinated ethylenes are common groundwater contaminants that persist in the environment and pose significant risks to human health such as damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and even increased risk of cancer. Catalytic dehydrochlorination has emerged as a promising strategy for detoxifying compounds such as trichloroethylene (TCE). This study investigates whether rhodium on alumina (Rh/Al₂O₃) in the presence of hydrogen gas can completely degrade TCE to non-toxic products without the accumulation of harmful chlorinated intermediates. While palladium catalysts have been widely studied for dehydrochlorination, the activity and mechanism of rhodium supported on alumina in aqueous systems remains less characterized. …

Improving Occupational Performance In Vision Neurorehabilitation, Catherine Lentsch

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Visual dysfunction affects up to 90% of individuals with traumatic brain injuries and up to half of stroke survivors, significantly impacting independence in daily occupations. This capstone project, conducted at Nebraska Methodist Hospital, aimed to improve clients’ occupational performance and enhance occupational therapy vision neurorehabilitation through advanced clinical skill development and the development of resources. The project involved the evaluation and treatment of eleven neurological patients across inpatient and outpatient settings. Guided by Warren’s Hierarchy of Visual Perceptual Skills and Toglia’s Dynamic Interactional Approach, the project emphasized stabilizing foundational visual skills before progressing to higher‑level visual-perceptual tasks and used near …

Fragile Patients, Intentional Care: Nonpharmacological Pain Management Treatment Approaches In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu), Kristie A. Moeller

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The aim of this project was to increase clinical skills in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and explore how nonpharmacological occupational therapy (OT) interventions impact pain management in the NICU for a variety of patients. Due to the increasing rates of admissions to the NICU and the impact that pain has on child development there was a clear need to gain skills to create interventions that would minimize the effect on infant development (Martin & Osterman, 2025; Pineda et al., 2025). The needs assessment revealed the need for occupational therapists (OTs) role in nonpharmacological pain management to …

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Employment, Education, Fitness, Healthy Food, Pharmacies, And Reflection, Annika Tekumulla, Vamsi Gollapalli, Sebastian Reczek, Alston Prabhu, Matthew Haerens, Ashna Mehra, Susan Dong, Madison Martin

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Food Insecurity, Transportation, And Educational Scarcity, Cindy Shkembi, Adithi Voleti, Sumayah Ahmed, Amogh Govind, Rafid Farjo, Ravel Ray, Jerick Kim, Chidera Orabueze

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Social Determinants In Action: A Field Reflection On Community Health, Jamaica Jordan, Razanne Zaghloul, Raj Khuperkar, Lissette Valdez, Nathan Morren, Cole Duvall, Alexis King

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Neighborhood And Built Environment: Facilitating Safety, Community, And Preventative Health, Zachary Hart, Batoul Dabajeh, Maaz Munawar, Josie Mclearen, Theodore Belecciu, Laura Zvinys, Tarek Harhash, Emily Critchfield

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.