Digital Commons Network^™

Incorporating Spanish Language Instruction Into Health Sciences Programs In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Connie Summers, Vannesa Mueller, Celia Pechak, Jeri J. Sias

Faculty Publications

Patient-provider language discordance is a growing problem in health care among Spanish-speaking patients. To produce graduates capable of linguistically competent care, three university programs are incorporating Spanish language instruction into their curricula (pharmacy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology). We review these three models of Spanish language training and summarize the lessons learned to date. Differences in the training models reflect fundamental differences regarding the use of spoken language in the disciplines.

Thematic Patterns In International Blended Learning Literature, Research, Practices, And Terminology, Kristian J. Spring, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

The goal of this research was to discover and compare themes of the top blended learning (BL) articles from seven different regions of the world. Top cited articles in BL from these regions show strong similarities in research processes, practice, terminology, and focus. Small differences are apparent among the regions and top articles in general, but similar patterns demonstrate that themes might promote collaboration and exchange between regions and that the most cited articles from around the world could fit well within the topical, research, and publication practices of the field. Our results suggest that although different regions must have …

Reliability Of Doming And Toe Flexion Testing To Quantify Foot Muscle Strength, Sarah T. Ridge, J. William Myrer, Mark T. Olsen, Kevin Jurgensmeier, A. Wayne Johnson

Faculty Publications

Quantifying the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles has been a challenge for clinicians and researchers. The reliable measurement of this strength is important in order to assess weakness, which may contribute to a variety of functional issues in the foot and lower leg, including plantar fasciitis and hallux valgus. This study reports 3 novel methods for measuring foot strength – doming (previously unmeasured), hallux flexion, and flexion of the lesser toes.

Sibling Influences On Risky Behaviors From Adolescence To Young Adulthood: Vertical Socialization Or Bidirectional Effects?, Shawn D. Whiteman, Alexander C. Jensen Phd, Susan M. Mchale

Faculty Publications

This study built on research on sibling influences to assess potential bidirectional effects of older and younger siblings’ risky behaviors on one another’s risky behaviors; our longitudinal design allowed us to test these effects when siblings were at about the same chronological age, at different points in time.We also tested whether the strength and/or direction of effects of siblings’ risky behaviors changed from middle adolescence to young adulthood. Reports of risky behaviors (i.e., deviant behaviors and excessive alcohol use) were provided by firstborn and secondborn siblings from up to 201 families on five occasions spanning 10 years. In general, accounting …

How Religion Influences Coping With Stress And Challenges In Families, Michael A. Goodman, Antonious Skipper, David C. Dollahite, Loren D. Marks, Emily Layton

Faculty Publications

One key finding of our American Families of Faith research project is that (instead of being defeated by challenges) strong families find ways to effectively cope with and grow closer through stressful situations. Interestingly, six decades ago, Jeff Hill’s uncle, family sociologist Reuben Hill, began to conceptually and empirically examine why some families succumb to crisis as a result of a stressful situation, while other families remain resilient. While stress can lead to crisis, crisis can also lead to familial resilience and the ability of the family to better cope with future stressors. Different families obviously have different strengths and …

Front Matter, Vol. 76 No. 4

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Role Of The Endocannabinoid System And Medical Cannabis, Sabrina Jarvis, Sean Rasmussen, Blaine Winters

Student Works

Our bodies produce substances called endocannabinoids which attach to receptors within the endocannabinoid system (ECS) impacting physiological processes on a daily basis. The cannabis plant contains over 100 different cannabinoids which also manipulate the ECS. Knowledge about these interactions have led to an increase in cannabis based pharmacological studies. Providers should have a basic understanding about how the ECS works and how cannabis is being used to treat certain illnesses. This article presents what is currently known about the ECS and how cannabis based medicines impact it, as well as the current laws providers need know regarding cannabis use.

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Older Coastal Residents After Multiple Disasters, Katie E. Cherry, Laura Sampson, Sandro Galea, Loren D. Marks, Kayla H. Boudoin, Pamela F. Nezat, Katie E. Stanko

Faculty Publications

Objective: Exposure to multiple disasters, both natural and technological, is associated with extreme stress and long-term consequences for older adults that are not well understood. In this article, we address age differences in health-related quality of life in older disaster survivors exposed to the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the role played by social engagement in influencing these differences.

Methods: Participants were noncoastal residents, current coastal residents, and current coastal fishers who were economically affected by the BP oil spill. Social engagement was estimated on the basis of disruptions in charitable …

Does Depth And Sanitation Type Affect The Quality Of Faecal Sludge In The Tropics? The Case Of Yaoundé, Cameroon, W.A. Letah Nzouebet, I. M. Kengne, A. Rechenburg

Open Water Journal

Background: Faecal sludge (FS) management is a challenging problem in low-income countries where large parts of the urban population rely on onsite sanitation systems (Koné, 2010; Strande et al., 2014). In these countries, the discharge of raw faecal sludge directly into the environment is a common practice that threatens environmental and public health, because pollution of water resource. To avoid this situation, characterization of faecal sludge for adequate treatment before discharge into the environment is needed. Many studies were carried out on the faecal sludge characterization and treatment (Kengne, 2008; Bassan et al., 2013). Cameroon like other sub-Saharan countries lack …

Effects Of Increased Land Use Changes On Runoff And Sediment Yield In The Upper River Nzoia Catchment, Maloba Joseck Joab

Open Water Journal

Managing a watershed is vital to the protection of drinking water, recreational opportunities, and river ecosystem health. However, the effect of land use changes and management practices on rivers is often difficult and unmeasured. With increased anthropogenic activities, land cover has continuously altered. The above scenario has resulted to increased quantity of physical parameters in river water among them, suspended sediments, higher turbidity, colour among others especially during rainy season. This study looks at the current state of the upper river Nzoia catchment in Kenya in terms of sediments and run runoff, compares with past cases, simulates future scenarios and …

Icp-Ms Determination Of Potentially Toxic Trace Elements In Little Akaki River Of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Journal Of Environmental Toxicology, Communicated, Minbale Aschale, Yilma Sileshi, Mary Kelly Quinn

Open Water Journal

In this study, river water samples taken from 26 different locations in along the route of the river of Addis Ababa, were analyzed to determine potentially toxic trace elements (Fe, Co, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, Sb, Cu, Ba, B, As, Ni, Sr, Cr, Mn and V) using ICP-MS. The concentrations in μg L^-1 ranged between for Mn 38-3950, Fe 175-4800, B 0.5-6135, Sr 92-465, Ba 55.5-280, Cr 1.25-485, Sb 9.45-66.5, Zn 8.35-77.5, Ni 2.85-14, Cu 2.1-11.55, V 1.5-10.9, Pb 1.15-11.35, Co 0.5-8.85, As 0.5-3.05, Cd 0.03-0.12 and Hg Fe > B > Sr > Ba > Cr > Sb > Zn > Ni > Cu > V > Pb …

Conducting And Using An Academic Library Data Inventory, Holt Zaugg, Quincey Mckeen, Brett Hill, Ben Black

Faculty Publications

This article describes the need for and the processes used to create an inventory of data collected by an academic library. The study uses a survey augmented by multiple interviews to create and populate an inventory of data. The study was able to identify and sort sources of data generated by library personel based on type of data (demographic, location, log, qualitative, and quantitative) and library division. It indicated the frequency of data collection and use, as well as where the data was stored. Finally, the inventory also identified types of data that are not currently collected but that librarians …

Uric Acid Levels In Relation To Progression Of Multiple Sclerosis, Alexander A. Gosch, Mary F. Davis, Joshua C. Denny

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2017

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by demyelination in the central nervous system. In previous studies, serum uric acid (UA) levels have been implied as a useful biomarker in understanding MS disease progression and development. The majority of previous studies have found MS patients have a lower UA level than healthy controls, however some studies have found higher UA levels with MS patients. Previous studies have compared UA levels between subtypes of MS, but have not produced conclusive data. To better understand the correlation between UA levels and MS patients, we compared UA levels between our set of …

Design And Frequency Characterization Of Dual-Piezoresponsive Foam Sensors, Cory Nelson Newton

Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctional "self-sensing" materials at the frontiers of current research are generally designed to gather only a single type of information (such as quasi-static strain data). This project introduces a new sensor that is both multifunctional and dual-response, indicating its ability to not only perform in mechanical and sensing functions but also in its ability to sense multiple types of response. The proposed new class of sensing materials, comprised of nanocomposite polymer foams, exhibits measurable piezoresistive and quasi-piezoelectric phenomena in the form of change in resistance and voltage generation in response to deformation, respectively. An initial sampling of the envelope of …

A Comparison Of Lysophosphatidylcholine And Crush Injury In A Rat Model Of Sciatic Nerve Regeneration, Ryan L. Wood, William G. Pitt, Scott C. Steffensen, Alonzo D. Cook

Faculty Publications

This study examined the effect of using lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) in combination with a nerve crush injury on the healing rate of damaged left sciatic nerves in female rats. The rats were divided randomly into four groups: Control, LPC, Crush or Crush+ LPC. The Control group was the undamaged right sciatic nerve. The other groups were the damaged left sciatic nerve. The healing of the nerves was measured by monitoring gait, electrophysiological parameters: compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes and nerve conductance velocities (NCV); and morphological parameters: total fascicular area, total myelinated fiber counts, fiber densities, fiber diameters, and g-ratio. …

Focusing On Men And Fathers: A Challenge For Social Work Research And Practice, Kevin Shafer, Jennifer L. Bellamy

Faculty Publications

In introducing this special issue of Social Work Research, we feel it is important to discuss why social work practice and research with men and fathers is of critical importance and deserving of specific attention. Social work researchers and practitioners need to focus on men and fathers, both as a special population and as subpopulations of other groups. A focus on men and fathers is critical because (a) it is a social justice issue for men, women, and children; (b) men are underserved by helping professionals, including social workers, particularly in certain contexts and programs; (c) social workers are uniquely …

Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Recognition Threshold Materials For Native Cebuano Speakers, Melissa Dawn Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

While there is a clear and immediate need for reliable speech audiometry materials to evaluate the speech recognition threshold (SRT), these recorded materials are not available in Cebuano, a language of the Philippines with 15.8 million speakers. The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Cebuano trisyllabic words for use in measuring the SRT. To create the SRT materials, common Cebuano trisyllabic words were digitally recorded by a male talker of Cebuano and presented for evaluation to 20 native speakers of Cebuano with normal hearing. Based on psychometric performance, a set …

The Role Of Viral Interleukin-6 In Tumor Development Of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Lymphomas, Rebecca A. Fullwood

Theses and Dissertations

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is a cancer-causing virus, primarily affecting AIDS patients. KSHV is found in 3-10% of the U.S. population and can cause a range of cancers in the highly immunosuppressed; these cancers include Kaposi's sarcoma, pleural effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). The current techniques for treating these cancers are relatively ineffective, largely due to their inefficiency at targeting tumors formed by the infection. One protein produced by KSHV, the viral homolog of interleukin-6 (vIL-6), is thought to play a major role in tumor development post-infection. Here a novel animal model is implemented to study the …

Invisible Students: A Case Study Of Friendless Students During The First Year Of Junior High, Rachel E. Neeley

Theses and Dissertations

This is a case study that investigates the experiences of eight friendless seventh grade students as they transition from elementary school to junior high. In an effort to examine the wide-range of experiences of friendless students, I explored and compared the experiences of students who have high social self efficacy and students who have low self-efficacy. Each student was interviewed two times and both interviews were analyzed using a priori codes of when and where students felt isolated and distressed. The interviews were also analyzed using an open coding method looking for emergent codes. The study highlights and illustrates what …

The Effects Of Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams In Three Art Classrooms, Melanie April Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Challenging and disruptive student behavior is a major concern for all teachers, including those who teach art. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research and resources available for art teachers to manage student behavior. School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a framework that has been shown to improve student behavior. Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is an intervention that utilizes SWPBS principles including group contingency, social skills instruction, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement and has been shown to be effective in general education classrooms. This is the first study of CW-FIT in elementary art classrooms and examined the effects of …

The Ability Of Six Children With Language Impairment To Generate Stories From Pictured Stimuli: A Pilot Study, Molly Roxanne Alldredge

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative production and comprehension is a difficult task for children with language impairment (LI). Their stories are typically shorter and contain more grammatical errors than the stories of typically developing age-matched peers. This pilot study describes the abilities of six children with LI to produce stories from pictured stimuli. Stories were elicited from each child during a 10-week period. Stimulus pictures and coding procedures from the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument were employed to analyze the participants' story grammar (SG). Eight SG elements were assessed including character introduction, setting, initiating event (IE), internal response (IR), internal plan (IP), attempt, and outcome. …

Expecting Excellence: Student And Teacher Attitudes Towards Choosing To Speak English In An Iep, Alhyaba Encinas Moore

Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to immerse learners in the target language, many IEPs in the U.S. hold fast to inflexible English Only policies (Auerbach, 1993; McMillan & Rivers, 2011). However, research has identified several shortcomings of such a rule, such as (1) the benefits of the L1 in L2 learning, and the lack of research supporting the exclusion of the mother tongue (Atkinson, 1993; Brooks-Lewis, 2009; Butzkamm, 2003), and (2) psychological, sociocultural, and linguistic factors that diminish the effectiveness of English Only and contribute to a negative learning environment (Shvidko, Evans, & Hartshorn, 2015). This body of research has prompted a …

Topic Manipulation In Five Children With Language Impairment In Response To Topic Probes, Kimberly Kasey Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes a series of case studies on topic management patterns of five children (ages 5 to 10 years) with language impairment. The children participated in semi-structured topic tasks that assessed conversational abilities on topics that were verbally introduced and topics that were introduced both verbally and with an object. Although there was considerable variability among participants, the children generally responded to most introductions by acknowledging and maintaining the topic. With the exception of one child, however, the children in this study demonstrated immature topic manipulation patterns that could be expected to have negative social ramifications.

Examining Intrinsic Motivation And Holistic Functioning: The Role Of Therapeutic Recreation In Residential Substance Use Treatment, Damien Christopher Cavanaugh

Theses and Dissertations

This evaluative study examined the impact of recreational therapy interventions on intrinsic motivation and holistic functioning among adults at a substance use treatment facility. West (2001) identified motivation as a key variable in treating substance use disorders, and self-determination theory, specifically intrinsic motivation, provided a useful framework for this study. Intrinsic motivation is grounded in self-determination theory and defines various motivation types and how to increase participants' engagement. Holistic functioning is another tool in assessing a participant's recovery. For this evaluation, four domains were specifically assessed: (a) physical, (b) leisure, (c) social, and (d) daily living functioning. These quality of …

Recognition Of Infrastructure Events Using Principal Component Analysis, Lane David Broadbent

Theses and Dissertations

Information Technology systems generate system log messages to allow for the monitoring of the system. In increasingly large and complex systems the volume of log data can overwhelm the analysts tasked with monitoring these systems. A system was developed that utilizes Principal Component Analysis to assist the analyst in the characterization of system health and events. Once trained, the system was able to accurately identify a state of heavy load on a device with a low false positive rate. The system was also able to accurately identify an error condition when trained on a single event. The method employed is …

Recent Desiccation-Related Ecosystem Changes At Lake Abert, Oregon: A Terminal Alkaline Salt Lake, Ron Larson, Joseph Eilers, Keith Kreuz, Wolf T. Pecher, Shiladitya Dassarma, Steve Dougill

Western North American Naturalist

Lake Abert, a terminal alkaline salt lake in south central Oregon, has been a key staging area for migratory waterbirds along the Pacific Flyway. In 2014, the lake shrank to about 5% of its maximum size, and its salinity increased from 75 g · L^–1 to 250 g · L^–1. This resulted in a major ecosystem shift from one dominated at higher trophic levels by invertebrates and waterbirds to one composed primarily of hypersaline-adapted microbes. A large variety of halophilic bacteria and archaea were also detected using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequence analysis. The loss of prey and …

Control Of Matrix Metalloproteinases In A Periodontitis Model: Molecules That Trigger Or Inhibit Mmp Production, Catalina Matias Orozco

Theses and Dissertations

In periodontitis, there is a disruption in the homeostasis of the oral microbiome by peridontopathogenic bacteria. However, while bacteria is essential for periodontitis to occur, the severity, pattern and progression of the disease is not solely determined by the microbial burden, and in fact has a lot to do with the overwhelming host inflammatory response. The response can vary even in two individuals with similar periodontopathogenic profiles. The host response leads to extracellular matrix (ECM) destruction, loss of attachment, alveolar bone resorption and eventually, edentulism. The host's reaction is orchestrated by proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs …

An Investigation Of Ssglux, A Glucosidase Co-Expressed With Cslf6 In Oat (Avena Sativa) And Barley (Hordeum Vulgare), Michael Christopher Gines

Theses and Dissertations

Mixed Linkage Glucan (MLG, or (1,3;1,4)-ß-D glucan) is a component of cell walls for major cereal crops and is significant to food and beverage industries. To better understand genetic factors affecting MLG content in oats, this study investigates the presence of glucosidases likely to participate in MLG production. A glucosidase showing co-expression with CslF6—the primary gene responsible for MLG synthesis—could indicate a hand in MLG production by association. Reference genes for expression analysis as well as glucosidase candidates were first selected using in silico methods. In both cases, barley was used as model species because it has abundant public bioinformatic …

Evidence For The Validity Of The Student Risk Screening Scale In Middle School: A Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Matthew Porter Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

The Student Risk Screening Scale—Internalizing/Externalizing (SRSS-IE) was developed to screen elementary-aged students for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Its use has been extended to middle schools with little evidence that it measures the same constructs as in elementary schools. Scores of a middle school population from the SRSS-IE are analyzed with Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MCFA) to examine its factor structure, factorial invariance between females and males, and its reliability. Several MCFA models are specified, and compared, with two retained for further analysis. The first model is a single-level model with chi-square and standard errors adjusted for the clustered nature …

James Tissot's And Emile Zola's Shopgirl:The Working Girl As La Parisienne, Elizabeth Pusey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues for the cultural space of late nineteenth-century Parisian shopgirls as a position of power. The shopgirls' role in society is an ambiguous position connecting fashion consumer culture, class divides, gender and identity perceptions, and the workspace. Using James Tissot's Femme à Paris series, specifically the image Demoiselles de Magasin, and Emile Zola's novel Au Bonheur des Dames as primary sources, I examine the role of the shopgirl as a liminal position within the definition of the iconic 'La Parisienne' woman. By looking at women's work and the role of shopgirls in the boutique and department store …