Digital Commons Network^™

A Survey Of Current Music Therapy Practices Addressing Motor Goals In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Matthew Proffitt

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Motor deficits in children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have started to become recognized as an area of concern. The purpose of this study was to examine practices of board-certified music therapists who address motor goals of children with ASD. A total of 168 current board certified music therapists completed an 18-item online survey regarding music therapy practices with children who have ASD, particularly the frequency with which they address motor goals and specific goals and interventions. Respondents reported addressing motor goals with children who have ASD more frequently than suggested by previous research. Motor goals most …

The Effects Of Music Therapy And Its Impact On Sound Levels In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sarah L. Timmons

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Sound levels in the neonatal intensive care unit often exceed the recommended level of 45 dBA. Various sounds contribute to the extraneous noise that envelops this fragile environment. Increase in noise and high levels of sound can be detrimental to the health of premature infants, which can cause both short and long-term developmental delays and negative physiologic responses. Music therapy interventions in the NICU have addressed numerous needs of this population, with a positive effect on development, physiologic responses, and hospital stay. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of music therapy on decreasing the sound levels …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration With Music Therapy During Routine Pediatric Dental Procedures, Austin S. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The incorporation of integrative medicine into traditional treatment options has steadily increased during the past two decades. This has resulted in a change in the dynamics of interdisciplinary teams creating the need to better understand the roles and responsibilities of team members. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of dental treatment team members regarding the role and responsibilities of music therapy during treatment.

A total of 10 participants were included in this study. Participants completed a pre-music therapy survey to establish prior knowledge, experience with, and perceptions of music therapy. Following an experiential intervention, participants completed …

Assessing The Production Revenues And Forecasting Models Of Lexington Children's Theatre Productions, 1998–2004 And 2008–2014, Shea Henning Bartlett

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This paper assesses the accuracy of the ticket sales and revenue forecasting model used by Lexington Children’s Theatre, a Central Kentucky Performing Arts non-profit. Research suggests that if bias is present in the models, it could be a result of the Optimism Bias, which is a tendency for humans to predict favorable outcomes. Recent data seems to suggest that humans may also act pessimistically with forecasts if the endgame would work in their favor.

"The Lexington Children’s Theatre provided data for 108 productions over a twelve-year span from 1998 – 2014. Using a series of regression models, I found that …

Importance Of Livestock Production From Grasslands For National And Local Food And Nutritional Security In Developing Countries, Iain A. Wright

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing lands cover more than a quarter of the world’s land surface, often on land that is unsuitable for other forms of use. Despite the perception that productivity is inherently low, the contribution of grasslands in food security in developing countries is significant. However the challenges of spatial and temporal variability of primary productivity need to be managed and mobility of livestock is key to this. Appropriate land management and governance arrangements are essential for facilitating this mobility and for creating the circumstances in which technical options for reducing variability and risk in livestock keeping can be deployed and to …

The Effect Of Music Listening On Relaxation Level And Volume Of Breast Milk Pumped By Mothers Of Infants In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Amber A. Colliver

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Breast milk is considered the gold standard for infant nutrition, but many factors can hinder milk production. Mothers of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are especially prone to stress, which can inhibit volume of breast milk. The purpose of this study was to determine if music listening had an effect on the volume of breast milk pumped and relaxation level of mothers of infants in a NICU.

A total of 28 participants, who were mothers of infants in the NICU, were included in the data analysis of this study, with 14 in the control group and 14 …

Selection And Basis For 2,4-D (2,4-Dicholorphenoxyacetic Acid) Tolerance In Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense), Tara L. B. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

A red clover (Trifolium pratense) population (UK), from a cross between the cultivar Kenland and a 2,4-D tolerant population (Florida), was recurrently selected for 2,4-D tolerance with evaluations after the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th selection cycles. All UK populations were more 2,4-D tolerant than Kenland. The 2,4-D tolerance following the 6^th selection cycle was similar to the Florida population and tolerance was increased following 7 and 8 cycles of selection by removing plants showing 2,4-D injury and doubling the rate of 2,4-D used for selection.

Yield and forage quality were evaluated in …

Nutrient Availability And Dynamics Of Compost Bedded Pack Dairy Barn Waste, Leslie Hammond

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Increased adoption of compost bedded pack dairy barns (CBP), a relatively new housing and manure handling strategy, warrants study to facilitate proper use of CBP waste as a soil amendment. This study: 1) characterized in situ nutrient content and availability of CBP waste in terms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); 2) examined the decomposition of surface-applied CBP waste compared to an alternative processed solid waste amendment; 3) examined nutrient dynamics of incorporated CBP waste in high and low soil test phosphorus (STP) environments. Quick anaerobic mineralization assays revealed that bed management affects nutrient content and availability of CBP waste. …

Production, Persistence And Diversity Of Species In Temperate Grasslands, Meredith L. Mitchell, Brendan P. Christy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Temperate grassland areas are considered to be semi-arid, with rainfall typically between 250 and 500 mm, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer. Grazing plays an important role in all these grasslands with impacts on diversity and persistence. Against this assumption that seasonal productivity would be more uniform within a pasture that was diverse, the research suggested that species rich pastures were less stable, because this species richness was composed of non-perennial, volunteer and weed species. This paper explores the concept that systems diversity of temperate grassland does not always equate to production. In these systems …

Using Various Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains During Forage Conservation Towards Fermentation, Storage, Nutritive Value And Safety Improvement, Jonas Jatkauskas, Vilma Vrotniakiene

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Many research efforts have been devoted to find ways how to produce silages with maximum nutritive value, good fermentation and low mould and yeast counts. While there are different objectives in using silage additives, the main objectives are to improve fermentation and reduce dry matter loss, and to prevent secondary fermentation at feed out time. This paper presents our most significant and recent investigations on forage inoculation before ensiling that have a potential for beneficial application on grassland and ruminant nutrition.

Traditional Livestock Production And Growth Opportunities In India, S. M. Deb

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock and animal health development projects need to be based on an understanding of livestock production systems because different systems need different approaches particularly in view of degradation of environment combined with population pressure. In India, the livestock production system is primarily traditional, consisting of mixed-farming and pastoral systems, therefore, development of marginal and smallholder mixed farms must aim at intensification of the total production system. Resource-poor farming systems may aim at the improved management of the various livestock species in backyards. Pastoral systems must focus on effective management of grazing pressure. Community pasture management involves application of technologies, land …

Nutrient Movements Through Ruminant Livestock Production Systems, Adegbola T. Adesogan, Jose C. B. Dubeux, Lynn E. Sollenberger

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Considerable attention has been paid to reducing nutrient emissions from ruminant livestock in the last few decades. This area will continue to attract considerable research in the future due to increasing farm sizes in some developed countries as well as the increasing demand for meat and dairy products, particularly in developing countries. This paper discusses the deposition and losses of carbon and nitrogen in soils and plants in grazed and harvested forage systems as well as utilization and losses of both nutrients by ruminants in both systems. The paper also outlines several soil, plant, and animal-focused strategies that can be …

Strengthening Livelihood Of Rural Farmer Populations Through Improved Grasslands, Sujatha Premaratne, S. C. Somasiri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper reviews the current background of the grassland resource with a purpose of livestock perspective to improve the livelihood of rural farmers. The use of grasslands for livestock rearing by rural farmers has been a long tradition. In climate and vegetation contrast, these grasslands are much more diverse. They are likely to play an economical role in increasing the milk production in many Asian countries. With an increase of human population, the traditional feeding, breeding and surviving habitats for livestock have been acutely restricted in many countries. Therefore, a continued effort is needed to maintain production for sustainable management …

Livestock And Local Development: Going To A New Humananimal Relationship, Jean François Tourrand, Laurent Dobremez, Benoit Dedieu, Guillaume Duteurtre, M. G. Piketty, P. Lescoat, B. Hubert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Along the past ten years, the French National Agency for Research (ANR) has financed projects regarding livestock. Results of five projects were gathered to understand the long-term livestock trends. At the end of the 19th century, animal breeding was oriented towards the production of goods to meet the local, regional, national and global demand, according to the zone. The market gradually became the key-factor to norm both production and consumption. It is now integrating environmental norms and is starting to invest in the social domain. However, this economical vision of animal production does not take into account the other functions …

Emission Of Green House Gases From Grasslands And Their Mitigation, Prem N. Sharma, Shyam Khadka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The concentrations of green house gases (GHG) in the atmosphere began in pre-industrial times and it continues to increase. This could result into an alarming increase in temperature of up to 5.4 ^oC by year 2100 due to a net global annual GHG emission of H 4.5-6.5 Gt C equivalent. About 18% of the world’s GHG are contributed by livestock and related activities on grasslands that are spread over almost 35 million Km².These grasslands give livelihood to over a billion people most of who are poor. Twenty to 70% of the land surface area is degrading often …

Physiological Function Of Fus: An Rna Binding Protein In Motor Neuron Disease, Liuqing Yang

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

FUS is an RNA binding protein implicated in the motor neuron disease— amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive motor neuron death. Mutations in the FUS gene cause about 4% of familial ALS (FUS ALS). Mutated FUS protein mislocalizes from the motor neuron nucleus to the cytoplasm and forms inclusions in the cytoplasm. It is unclear how FUS mislocalization induces motor neuron dysfunction and degeneration. This dissertation research was designed to investigate the physiological functions of FUS in the nucleus, with a purpose to shed light on the pathogenesis …

Dual Functions For Insulinoma-Associated 1 In Retinal Development, Marie A. Forbes-Osborne

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Proper visual system function requires tightly controlled proliferation of a pool of relatively homogeneous retinal progenitor cells, followed by the stepwise specification and differentiation of multiple distinct cell types. These retinal cells, both neuronal and glial, must be generated in the correct numbers, and the correct laminar location to permit the formation of synaptic connections between individual cell types. After synapses are made, constant signaling is required as part of normal retinal function, and to maintain cellular identity and connectivity. These processes rely on both extrinsic and intrinsic signaling, with regulation of gene expression by cascades of transcription factors having …

Animal And Pasture Responses To Grazing Management Of Chemically Suppressed Tall Fescue In Mixed Pastures, Jessica A. Williamson

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Treatment of endophyte-infected tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh] with the broad leaf herbicide Chaparral® can mitigate fescue toxicosis and enhance forage quality by suppressing seedhead emergence. Applying the herbicide to fescue pastures also reduces forage mass and promotes severe spot grazing when pastures are continuously grazed. A grazing experiment was conducted with steers (2013) and heifers (2014) to evaluate animal and plant responses in fescue-bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) mixtures treated with Chaparral to determine the effects of grazing management on pasture carrying capacity, nutritive values, botanical composition, and animal performance. Continuous and rotational (i.e., four subdivisions to …

Examining Vegetative Growth Of Cool-Season Forage Grasses For Dairy Cattle Grazing Preference, Eric D. Billman

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The objective of this study was to determine dairy cattle preference amongst four species of cool-season forage grasses: eight orchardgrasses (Dactylis glomerata L.), five tall fescues [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.], five perennial ryegrasses (Lolium perenne L.), and six festuloliums [xFestulolium braunii (K. Richt.) A. Camus.]; 24 cultivars in total. Each grazing trial utilized four Holstein-Friesian heifers over six hours. Maturity differences were eliminated by having animals graze only vegetative material. After six grazing trials (three each in 2014 and 2015), consistent results in animal preference were not found; three of the six trials did show preference …

Treatment Outcomes For Opiate Addicted Pregnant Women, Jennifer L. Roth Parr

DNP Projects

The problem of opiate addiction is complex enough but compounded when the patient is pregnant. Substance use during pregnancy produces harmful and costly effects to both the mother and the fetus (Veilleux, Colvin, Anderson, York & Hines, 2010). The rate of opiate addiction among pregnant women in the U.S. has been increasing in epidemic numbers since the beginning of the 21st century. This paper looks at research on the origin of the problem, the demographics of the average pregnant opiate addicted patient, the effects on the woman and her unborn child, and available treatment options.

Self-Management Education In Hispanic Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (Gdm), Laura B. Hieronymus

DNP Projects

The purpose of this Practice Inquiry Project was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a diabetes self-management education intervention in a population of Hispanic women at risk for gestational diabetes mellitus within a CenteringPregnancy(R) model of care.

Measuring Adherence To Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines For The Management Of Hypertension In Women, Cristina M. Jorgensen

DNP Projects

Approximately 1 in 3 adults In the United States (U. S.) with approximately half being women have hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke (Nwankwo, Yoon, Burt, & Gu, 2013). Nearly 70% of people who had a first heart attack, 80% of those who had a first stroke, and 75% of those who had congestive heart failure (CHF) have hypertension (Mozaffarian et al., 2013). Hypertension was the underlying or contributing cause of more than 375,000 deaths in 2011. Despite multiple publications of national hypertension guidelines, only 50% of adults with hypertension have their blood pressure under …

Prenatal Anxiety And Cesarean Delivery In A Clinic Population, Carol A. Kirby

DNP Projects

Although there is an abundance of literature on the topics of prenatal anxiety, stress, depression, etc. during pregnancy, very little research has been conducted on the impact of prenatal anxiety on cesarean delivery and the studies which have been conducted have resulted in conflicting results. This study focused on prenatal anxiety in a clinical population, the characteristics of participants with reported high anxiety, and its association with cesarean deliveries. Prenatal anxiety was defined as Spielberger’s state anxiety and measured with the STAI. Data was collected over all three trimesters of pregnancy and post-delivery. The characteristics of participants who reported high …

Assessment Of Organizational Readiness: Parent Advisory Councils In A Children's Hospital Within A Hospital, Suzanne R. Springate

DNP Projects

Background: A children’s hospital within a hospital (CHWH) in the Midwest region of the United States established a strategic goal to become the preferred provider for children in the region. Outcomes in patient and family experience had fallen short of established organizational expectations. Recognizing that parent advisors are an essential component of patient and family centered care, the strategic plan called for integrating parents into formal, advisory roles.

Purpose: The purpose of this practice improvement project was to perform an assessment of organizational readiness to incorporate parents into formal advisory roles at this CHWH.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was …

Examining The Effectiveness Of An Intervention To Increase Provider Assessment Of Overweight And Obesity In The Primary Care Setting, Kristena R. Lea

DNP Projects

Obesity is an epidemic among adults in the United States, leading to a multitude of co-morbidities and billions of dollars in annual healthcare expenditures. Although primary care is the ideal setting for identification and treatment of overweight/obesity, it is often overlooked by providers. This capstone project was formed by three manuscripts, which were written to explore the lack of overweight/obesity identification and treatment in the primary care setting. Emphasis was made throughout the three manuscripts on the importance of providers using body mass index (BMI) as an objective means to discuss overweight/obesity with patients. The first manuscript is an integrative …

Implementing A Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program, Maryann L. Lancaster

DNP Projects

Objective: To implement a Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers (HAPU) prevention program utilizing an assessment tool to identify patients at risk, and intervene with a sacral Mepilex® dressing. Our aims are to determine if a change in nursing knowledge and change in nursing behavior after implementing our program.

Background: HAPUs are a significant problem in patient care and healthcare organizations must implement prevention protocols to reduce HAPU prevalence. Guidelines for implementing HAPU prevention programs suggest use of a validate risk assessment tool and initiating preventive interventions. One intervention found in the literature is the adjunctive use of prophylactic Mepilex® dressings to sacral …

Dnp Practice Inquiry Project Report: Depression Screening In Primary Care, Mary Kathleen Stafford

DNP Projects

Depression affects many people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability. National guidelines and recommendations have been created that support screening for depression in the primary care setting, however due to many barriers depression screening is often not performed or documented. This capstone project consists of three manuscripts, which evaluate the lack of depression screening in the primary care setting. The first manuscript is an integrative review of the literature to support depression screening in primary care and to address barriers to depression screening. The second manuscript is a guideline analysis of a national guideline published by the Institute …

Measuring Providers’ Adherence To The American Diabetes Association Screening Recommendation For Prevention Of Diabetic Nephropathy, Whitney R. Munroe

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate provider adherence to the ADA’s recommendation for an annual screening urinary albumin excretion level to check for the presence of microalbuminuria. A secondary objective was to assess for adequate treatment (i.e. ACE inhibitor or ARB prescription) in those patients with microalbuminuria present.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 60 randomly selected patients seen within a primary care practice in an urban university setting between January 1^st, 2014 and December 31^st, 2014. Inclusion criteria included age ≥ 18 years and an active diagnosis of type 2 …

Are Type 2 Diabetes Patients Receiving Diabetes Self-Management Education In The Primary Care Setting?, Erica Mahone

DNP Projects

Diabetes is a growing health concern in the United States, with approximately 1.7 million new cases diagnosed yearly. A management option to help patients gain glycemic control is the participation in diabetes self-management education (DSME). DSME aims to teach patients how and why they need to perform self-care, and not solely rely on medications to manage diabetes. A literature review of 10 studies between 2007 and 2014 was conducted and found favorable health outcomes for participants of DSME. Patients who participated in DSME had improved glycemic control, achieved blood pressure and cholesterol goals, and lost weight. An analysis of the …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Refugee Health Literacy Program (R-Help), Cecilia A. Boateng

DNP Projects

Problem Statement: United States refugees often encounter significant barriers when adapting to their new host country; such as cultural and language barriers, and difficulty in navigating through the American healthcare system. For example, navigating through the American Pharmacy system to buy or refill medications is a great challenge for most refugees. To make matters worse, most refugees have difficulty understanding medications instructions which puts them at risk for making medication errors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the feasibility of delivering an evidence based health literacy medication educational program for all newly-arrived refugees attending …