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Tap Dance As A Nonverbal Language For Autism Spectrum Disorder, J Sydney Rhane Burtis

Honors College Theses

Through elements of sound and movement, tap dance employs rhythm as a universal language for nonverbal communication through the medium of music. Through three distinct but related elements, (a literature review, an artist’s statement, and a performance piece), this thesis will explore tap dance as a form of nonverbal language. For individuals with autism spectrum disorder, tap dance may help to achieve further attunement with themselves and the outside world. Due to autistic people’s impaired communicative, interactional, and skilled abilities, experiencing the relationships formed through tap dance may facilitate improvement. The literature review begins with a brief definition of nonverbal …

Cfd Simulation Of Varying Fuel Jet Placement Of Mach 2 Flow (Poster), Sara Broad

Honors Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Role Of Occupational Therapy For Oncology Patients: A Focus On Tumor- And Blood-Based Cancers, Erika N. Clark

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Tumor and blood-based cancer diagnosis rates are increasing rapidly in the United States. To improve survivorship, treatment practices are constantly evolving, however, patients are often left to face the consequences of survival. With decreased range of motion, strength, and ability to participate in desired activities, patients may experience a decrease in overall quality of life. Through a holistic lens, occupational therapists are well suited to address the diverse needs of cancer patients through the duration of their cancer treatments. Unfortunately, occupational therapy remains a widely underutilized service for this population. This capstone experience worked to address this gap by expanding …

Exploring Occupational Therapy In Perinatal Care: Promoting The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Women During And After An Unplanned Pregnancy, Sydney M. Korn

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Unplanned pregnancy can have a significant effect on the health and well-being of both the mother and her child. Those who experience an unplanned pregnancy are two times more likely to experience maternal depression or stress than those who plan their pregnancies which can negatively impact the mother-infant bond. This capstone sought to explore occupational therapy’s role within perinatal care, specifically addressing the mental health needs of women in unplanned pregnancies by collaborating with already established programs at a pregnancy resource center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and incorporating the principles of occupational therapy. It explored the use of modules …

Incorporating Trust-Based Relational Intervention In Occupational Therapy To Address Mental Health Needs Of Elementary Students, Maci K. Stouffer

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Background. The rate of children experiencing mental health issues is increasing exponentially. Many mental health conditions could be successfully treated in childhood, yet they are overlooked, with only half of the diagnosed cases treated and many others undiagnosed. Youth spend much of their day in school. Therefore, their mental health must be addressed within this setting. Purpose. This capstone project aimed to develop and implement a trauma-informed, occupation-based intervention program for elementary students. Equipping students with self-regulation skills, teaching appropriate calming strategies, and providing opportunities to practice the main components of building healthy relationships. The school staff was educated on …

Supporting The Role Of Professional Caregivers In Long-Term Care: Education, Training, And Caregiver Mental Health Interventions That Promote Dementia Care Excellence, Katelyn A. Nelson

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The purpose of this capstone experience was to create a dementia caregiver education program to support caregivers in their role of caring for individuals with dementia. The first four weeks of the capstone experience were spent at Emerald Crest in Burnsville, MN, learning from an occupational therapist with more than 13 years of experience. Advanced knowledge was gained through engaging in OT evaluation and intervention sessions, completing two dementia certifications, interviewing staff members to highlight the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, and applying theory to practice. Knowledge was then synthesized, applied, and built upon to create a training manual for the …

Covid's Effect: World Dependency On Chinese Supply Chains, Rhiannon Toole

Senior Honors Projects

COVID’s Effect: World Dependency on Chinese Supply Chains

Since the 1990s, China has accelerated to become a global economic superpower. After the nation overtook Japan as the world’s second largest economy in 2010, it began to become clear to the world that China was no longer a nation to be overlooked, and that utilizing their massive economy would prove to be invaluable from a growth and monetary standpoint. Of course, this all came to a halt in early 2020 due to COVID’s impact on global supply chains, many of which were sourced out of the virus’ origin country. Companies worldwide …

Evaluation Of Anti-Factor Xa Level Usage For Low Molecular Weight Heparin In A Healthcare System, Natalie Quesep, Lourdes R. Menendez, Erika Dittmar, Radhan Gopalani, Payal Patel

All Publications

Purpose: Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is widely used for the prevention and treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Routine monitoring of therapeutic effects through anti-Xa levels is not recommended but may be beneficial in patients with altered pharmacokinetics including pregnancy, weight extremes, or renal impairment. Levels should be drawn approximately four hours after the third dose to measure peak anti-Xa activity after achieving steady state. Untimely monitoring results in excessive testing, increased laboratory costs, and unwarranted dose adjustments compromising patient safety and efficacy. The purpose of this performance improvement project was to evaluate the appropriateness of …

Byu Scholarsarchive Open Access Journals, Ellen Amatangelo

Faculty Publications

Brigham Young University's institutional repository, ScholarsArchive, is currently home to over 40 Open Access scholarly journals run by faculty, students, and societies. This presentation will highlight some of the journals' features, explore how the library's Scholarly Communications team works with editors, discuss the requirements for having a journal housed in the repository, and examine readership statistics and discoverability.

Learning objectives:
Learn more about the process of managing online journals
Tips for working with journal editors

Validity Of An Inertial Measurement Unit On Performance Readiness In Long Distance Runners, Tara Keating, Emma Patterson

Academic Festival

Lower extremity stiffness in the ankle can be a good indication of readiness of a long-distance athlete based on the amount of energy stored and released2. This study tested the validity of the Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) versus the criterion reference force plates for validity of lower extremity stiffness in multiple ankle hops.

Computer Science And Literacy In K-5 Education: A Reciprocal Relationship, Kayleigh Murphy

Academic Festival

Computer Science (CS) is becoming more important within our society, proving itself to be a necessary skill. Anette Vee explores this as she states in her research “..[a]s programming becomes more important, it will leave the back room and become a key skill and attribute of our top intellectual and social classes, just as reading and writing did in the past” (Vee, p. 43). One might ask themselves, if it is such a vital skill, how will we find opportunities to teach it? While there are important CS lessons that should be taught in their own subject, there are also …

Patient Reported Health Status And The Risk Of Subsequent Hospitalizations In Pad Patients With Intermittent Claudication, Brooklyn Bradley

Academic Festival

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) involves atherosclerotic occlusion of arteries in the lower extremities affecting over 230 million people worldwide¹. Patients with PAD have the highest rates of hospitalizations among atherothrombotic conditions².Health status plays an important role in outcome for patients with PAD. Poor health status has been shown to be associated with ~3 times increased risk rehospitalization in patients with coronary artery disease³, but this has not been studied in PAD. We used a large, multicenter registry of patients with symptomatic PAD (the PORTRAIT Registry) to investigate the relationship between health status and rehospitalization.

Integration Of Mindfulness Meditation Into Nursing Curriculum, Halle Boucher

Academic Festival

Environmental demands long hours, physical demands and emotional content are commonly cited as reasons for increased stress, anxiety and depression for nursing professionals (Alsaraireh & Aloush, 2017; Chen et al., 2013; Foley & Lanzillotta-Rangeley, 2021; Karaca & Şişman, 2019). This has never been more evident than the in the context of the recent pandemic (Serrano et al., 2021). Stress can impact physical health, mental health and overall well-being in the nursing population (Van der Riet et al., 2018). Preparing undergraduate nursing students for practice and management of these realities has become a focal point of individual institutional curriculum. In 2021 …

Student/Faculty Roles In Nursing Curriculum Vaping Research, Alanna K. Mcdonald, Lisa R. Jacobsen

Academic Festival

Student research helps foster creativity and innovation beyond the classroom. When joined by faculty, who enrich instruction, students are introduced to the specific research process and respective skills needed to effectively complete their assigned tasks. In recent times, research has not been performed regarding the levels of knowledge one has surrounding the topic of vape devices. In 2018, a national epidemic was declared regarding vaping among youths (Huey et al., 2020). Nurses play a vital role in educating all individuals on the effects of vaping and implications to their health. Nurses can only advocate for and educate their patients when …

The Big Data Era, Montgomery Gray

Academic Festival

In this project, I will be discussing the current data protection laws, how the use of data benefits and negatively affects consumers, and recommendations for how to make the use of data safer for consumers.

Assessing A Clinical Test Of Ankle Joint Range Of Motion: Influence Of Variations In Foot And Tibia Length, Abbey Cirrone

Academic Festival

The weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT) is a simple, reliable, and clinically-useful method for measuring of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion.¹ During the test, the patient stands with the big toe of one foot 10 cm from a wall and then attempts to push their knee forward to contact the wall.² Patients with inadequate ankle dorsiflexion range of motion will not be able to touch their knee to the wall, suggesting a bony, ligamentous, or muscular restriction at the ankle. The final goal of the test is to find the maximum distance from the wall in which a patient …

The Ethics Of Animal Captivity, Karlee Russo

Academic Festival

In the United States, there are more tigers in captivity than in the wild worldwide (“Captive Animals.,” n.d.). How can removing or robbing an animal from its natural habitat be justified in any way? Zoos across America rationalize this action and their simple existence in a variety of ways, none of which are rooted in absolute legitimacy.

Animal captivity, specifically in zoos, raises a controversial debate centered around animal ethics and rights. The examination of zoos and their practices begins with an investigation of animal rights and equality at the fundamental level. Zoos claim to have their purpose rooted in …

Let Her Be An Athlete, Julie Gallotto

Academic Festival

With 56.1% of children participating in sports, it is without question important to ensure youth athletes have a positive experience so they will continue to exercise and lead healthy lifestyles throughout their life.¹ Exercise has a positive effect on many aspects of cognition and self-esteem in healthy children and adolescents and there is a positive correlation between exercise and mood in children and adults.² For this reason, it is important to encourage exercise in all phases of life. However, some external factors can serve as a deterrent to exercise or turn exercise into a negative thing. One example …

Hemophilia: The Royal Disease, The Romanovs, And The Mad Monk Rasputin, Noah Vargoshe

Academic Festival

The mad monk, the faith healer – so many names are associated with the infamous Grigori Rasputin, most of which arise from the mystery that surrounded his life. Even Robert K. Massie, author of the famed Nicholas and Alexandra, wrote “Without Rasputin, there could be no Lenin”. Yet, the monk’s legacy is intertwined with that of Alexis Nikolaevich Romanov, the last Tsesarevich of Russia. Born as the only son of Nicholas II and Alexandra of Hesse, he would one day inherit the throne – until, not long after his birth, it became clear that he was born with hemophilia. …

Evidence Based Teaching Project: Medication Administration Simulation Enhances Clinical Competency, Karen Decato

Academic Festival

PSCOT Question: In prelicensure BSN nursing programs (P) how does including medication administration simulation with lecture (S) compared to lecture alone (C) affect competency (O) in the clinical area?

Hindbrain Defects Induced By Di-Butyl Phthalate (Dbp) In Developing Zebrafish Embryos, Evelyn Paquette, Naomi Mumper, Alissa Rodrigues, Morgan Voulo, Sierrah Rich

Academic Festival

Di-butyl phthalate (DBP) is a phthalic acid ester (PAE) added during manufacturing of plastic compounds to provide strength, yet keep plastics flexible. DBP is found in products like shower curtains, raincoats, bowls, vinyl fabrics, and medical tubing. However, PAEs are not covalently bound and easily leach into the environment. DBP is found in air, soil and water samples as a noted biological pollutant. Studying the impacts DBP on the developmental stages of life is important as this period underscores the development of adult structures. Zebrafish are used as a model organism in our study due to their physical attributes and …

Pediatric Sbar, Molly Kearns, Autumn Briglia

Academic Festival

This project will explore the SBAR hand-off communication tool and why it is important to nursing. More specifically, this project will focus on the Pediatric population and what information is needed when performing hand-off communication with a pediatric client.

New Enfit Enteral Feeding Tube Connection System, Madeline Neeb

Academic Festival

ENFit is an updated enteral feeding tube connection system that reduces the risk of enteral tubing misconnections.

The Deconstruction Of The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Emmalyn Walenda

Academic Festival

The school-to-prison pipeline has become a prominent social phenomenon in U.S. school systems. Students of all ages are being forced out of educational facilities by the schools’ regulations and rules. The juvenile justice system continues to see school-age children walk through their doors, as “exclusionary disciplinary systems in schools disrupt children’s education and increase the likelihood that affected students will end up in the criminal justice system” (Potera, 2021, p. 16).

The Challenges And Disadvantages Female Athletes Endure In Their Professional Careers, Meghan Sharkey

Academic Festival

In order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in today’s society as a professional athlete, would you ever think they needed to work a part-time job? This is just one of the harsh realities female athletes must endure in their professional athletic careers because of biases, discrimination, and current societal views. Less than just one percent of the overall population play professional sports and only forty percent of professional athletes are women compared to sixty percent representing the male gender. A professional athlete is an athlete that receives payment for their performance in a specific sport, someone who is so talented, …

Leveling The Playing Field: Ensuring Inclusive Experiences For Cisgender And Transgender Women In College Athletics, Kaylee Stenderowicz

Academic Festival

In recent years, as the total number of transgender people has gone up, the number of transgender student-athletes has gone up as well. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) schools are taking steps to promote inclusiveness within their athletics to give every athlete the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level fairly. The NCAA recently updated the transgender participation policy by supporting a sport-by-sport approach which appears to be the best current solution to ensure a level playing field. When looking at a transgender athlete, it may appear that they have some physiological advantages, but they also have mental health …

The Effects Of A Dumbbell Accentuated Eccentric Loading On Vertical Jump Performance, Margaret Michalak

Academic Festival

This study examined the effect of dumbbell accentuated eccentric loading on vertical jump height, flight time, and reactive strength. Vertical jumping is a skill that can improve performance and is critical for many sports. This study aimed to determine if accentuated eccentric loaded jumps can be used as a mode of training for improving jump height, flight time, and reactive strength.

Comparing The Magnitude Of Kinetic Asymmetry During The Squat And Drop Vertical Jump In Collegiate Female Athletes, Jaclyn Mahlmeister

Academic Festival

Sports requiring jumping and landing maneuvers require specific neuromuscular patterns to control knee position and limit injury risk. Clinicians frequently use double-leg support tasks such as the overhead deep squat (DS) and drop vertical jump (DVJ) in their evaluations of female athletes, yet no previous research has determined the inter-relatedness, or lack thereof, of these screens. Examining the magnitude of kinetic asymmetries via force plates can identify athlete biases from a dominant limb, sequela of previous injury, or from sport-specific training to best screen athletes. PURPOSE: To compare landing kinetics between legs during the down phase of DS and landing …

Does Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing Classify As Eugenics?, Erin Hare

Academic Festival

PGT samples and analyzes the DNA of embryos seeking gene-linked diseases prior to implantation. If the test is positive, that is, the gene for the disease is present, there is an option to not implant that embryo. Eugenics is a movement toward selecting desirable traits and eliminating undesirable traits. Eugenic control over reproduction allows for genetic manipulation of those traits to enhance the human race.

The Racial Impact Of Covid-19 On Asian Americans' Mental Health, Chenchen Cui

Academic Festival

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), took the world by surprise with its alarming rate of spread and devastating consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people faced serious challenges, including the deteriorating health of infected loved ones, economic struggles, and political and social unrest. The origin of the first reported cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, coupled with racial references to the virus as the “Chinese virus” or “Kung Flu,” fueled the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia in the United States. Anger, fear, and social media influence have …