Digital Commons Network^™

Feminist Environmental Ethics: A Modern, Intersectional Approach, Suzanne E. Scharff

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Social Workers In Human Resources, Alexandra H. Pogany

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Continuation Of Thoroughbred Racing: A Dual Mission, Isabella V. Williams

Honors Theses and Capstones

Thoroughbred racing is the highest-profile segment of the equine industry in the United States and around the world, accounting for 50% of industry jobs and 25% of industry revenue. Public interest in the sport is rising thanks to social media and celebrity involvement at marquee events like the Kentucky Derby, leading to increased scrutiny of the sport, posing a high risk to human and equine participants alike. Public outcry at equine injuries in particular threatens the sport’s social license to operate (SLO), making it critical to protect the “whole-life welfare” of the animals involved in the sport to ensure its …

National Park Visits And Climate: Are Rising Temperatures Affecting Visitation Rates?, Olivia Graves-Witherell

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Instances Of Undecidability In The Semigroup Word Problem, Timothy C. Grosky

Honors Theses and Capstones

We will examine the decidability of the word problem in semigroups, which is a yes/no question. We will examine tools that have been developed to help answer it, and then look at some examples where the word problem is decidable or undecidable.

Artificial Intelligence And The Entertainment Industry, Caroline Rae Mccarthy

Honors Theses and Capstones

Artificial intelligence is a fast-growing technology that is quickly taking over many industries, such as the entertainment industry. Artificial intelligence has the capability to replicate voices, create fake videos and photos, called deepfakes, of just about anything, and can practically bring people back to life. This technology, as it stands now, is similar to the wild west because in the vast majority of places, it’s lawless. Artificial intelligence is growing so rapidly that lawmakers haven’t had a chance to keep up. This paper explains more of what AI does in everyday life, and how its abilities can impact the entertainment …

The Influence Of Drd2 Polymorphism Exon 8 C/T (Rs6276) On Manifestations Of Delirium Tremens & Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures, Naomi Schneider

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study explores the correlation between the DRD2 Polymorphism exon 8 C/T (rs6276) and manifestations of delirium tremens (DT). DT is a condition that is clinically diagnosed utilizing two characteristic symptom manifestations: the presence of delirium and severe alcohol withdrawal. It is not entirely understood why DT can occur in some patients, but evidence has suggested that genetic predisposition can play a role. Utilizing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research database and performing a secondary analysis of existing genomic data, this candidate gene association study aims to determine the genotype frequencies within three cohorts: a healthy …

Who Is "Women's Health" For? Lgbtq+ Inclusion In Sexual And Reproductive Health Care, Evan Thomas England

Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout modern Western history, access to fully affirming and supportive sexual and reproductive health care (SRH) has been denied to most women and sexual and gender minorities. Also, as demonstrated by the ubiquity of the term “women’s health,” SRH often reflects a cisgender heterosexual (cishet) women-centered approach, alienating transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming, and sexual minority individuals who are not cishet women but are in equal need of the same life-saving screenings, treatments, and counseling services. Due to the operationalization and reproduction of gendered ideologies and unequal social hierarchies within SRH, inadequate access to quality sexual health education for youth, and …

Pristine Or Perilous? Evaluating The Risks Of Cyanotoxin Production, Exposure, And Accumulation In Gye Lakes, Katherine Low

Doctoral Dissertations

Toxins produced by cyanobacteria (hereafter, cyanotoxins) are among the most lethal known biotoxins. Cyanotoxin exposure is assumed to occur mainly through direct contact with surface-bloom-forming cyanobacteria that are most commonly observed in warm, nutrient-rich lakes. However, recent observations of cyanotoxin accumulation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area where cyanobacteria blooms are rarely observed, have raised concerns over wildlife health in this highly protected region. In response, we sampled twelve clear-water lakes in the GYE to identify potential sources of cyanotoxins (particularly the neurotoxin beta-methylamino-L-alanine, BMAA), exposure routes, and health risks.Despite nutrient limitations and cool water temperatures, the sampled …

Utilizing Health Literacy Universal Precautions And The Teach-Back Method To Improve Hospitalized Patients' Experience With Medication Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Kathleen Meyer

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Patients, especially the elderly, are at high risk for post hospital complications related to poor medication adherence. Addressing health and medication literacy limitations during their inpatient encounter closes critical gaps in a patient’s understanding of their medication regimen. The project goal was to improve the patient experience related to communication about medicines during their inpatient encounter. The intervention implemented was the introduction of health literacy universal precaution concepts and teach-back methodology for medication education.

METHODS: Interdisciplinary educational sessions were created and implemented for nurses, hospitalists, and respiratory therapists. Additionally, at the elbow support was provided throughout the implementation phase …

Evaluating The Impact Of Simulation On Perceived Knowledge And Confidence Of New Graduate Nurses (Ngns) In Maternal-Newborn Care, Disa Seymour

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background: Nursing education worldwide varies in duration and training process, with nurses often facing rapid immersion into patient care complexities when entering the workforce. While new nurses contribute significantly to the nursing community with contemporary knowledge, their transition to practice can be daunting, necessitating support for both competence and retention. As specialty care settings integrate more new graduate nurses (NGNs) to address workforce shortages, collaboration between leaders and educators becomes crucial. Simulation emerges as a vital tool in building confidence while learning, offering a safe space for skill development and growth of confidence.

Purpose: This project’s objective was to …

Impact Of Personal Continuous Glucose Monitor Use During Hospitalization On Rates Of Hypoglycemia And Provider Confidence, Rebecca Longo

DNP Scholarly Projects

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) are an essential tool for managing diabetes in the outpatient setting, helping individuals achieve glucose goals. However, CGMs are not currently FDA-approved for use in the hospital setting. Despite this limitation, many individuals continue using their personal CGM during hospitalization or begin using them prior to discharge if the care team believes the technology will support glucose management during and after leaving the hospital.

This project aimed to evaluate whether individuals using personal CGMs during hospitalization experienced less hypoglycemia and whether reviewing CGM data could improve provider confidence in insulin dosing. While initiating CGM use during …

Enhanced Neuroprotection And Neuropromotion In Extremely Premature Infants Through Mindful Hands-On Care And Increased Family Involvement, Kristen Sergott

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Medical breakthroughs including antenatal corticosteroids and exogenous surfactants have improved survival in extremely premature and extremely low birth weight (EP-ELBW) infants. Currently, babies as young as 22 weeks’ gestation are being actively resuscitated and provided with intensive care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) around the world. As a consequence of premature delivery, fragile and immature newborns are at risk for significant morbidities affecting their multiple organ systems. Additionally, such infants encounter neurodevelopmental trauma induced by recurrent stressful experiences ubiquitous to the NICU. Postnatal stress contributes to alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is associated with alterations in …

Implementation Of Advanced Airway Management Course: A Pilot Quality Improvement Project For Improved Emergency Outcomes For Operating Room And Pacu Nurses, Elizabeth Patry

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Airway management has always been central to critical care; it is a complex skill to learn and necessary for patient survival. To properly care for a patient’s airway, the provider must fully understand airway anatomy including upper and lower anatomy and how they work together to allow for oxygen transportation (Day, 2022). Unfortunately, many nursing school curriculums and department orientations are not able to provide the level of education and training necessary. Due to an extreme nursing shortage, many hospitals are not able to provide in depth orientations upon hire and annual review, this lack of professional support affects …

30 Years Of Change In The Forest Of Northern Maine, Kelsi J. Anderson

Master's Theses and Capstones

In managed forests, harvesting practices are one of the main factors that determine forest structure, composition, and the provision of ecosystem services. We resurveyed a 238,000-ha portion of the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest in northern Maine after 30 years of changes in ownership and harvesting practices. We found significant changes in forest structure and composition across a suite of forest types within the study region. Notably, there was a shift from spruce (Picea rubens, P. glauca, and P. mariana) to balsam fir (Abies balsamea) in the overstory of softwood stands and an increase in American beech (Fagus grandifolia) in the understory of …

Natural Laboratories Of The Deep Sea: Linking Community Composition And Environmental Variables On Low-Temperature Venting Outcrops Of Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems To Explore Potential Impacts Of Climate Change, Inform Habitat Suitability Models, And To Understand The Impacts Of High Bathymetric Resolution On Seafloor Characterization, Anne Marie Hartwell

Doctoral Dissertations

The deep sea covers over two-thirds of the globe and represents 95% of the ocean. Most life on Earth is suspected to live on or near the seabed. Yet, these ecosystems are the least known on Earth and are important to explore as they are home to a diverse array of species that are currently under threat because of multiple anthropogenic pressures, including warming oceans. Exploration of these systems is critical to further the understanding of species interactions, biodiversity and their overall relationship to environmental and terrain variables. Many of these variables are used in species distribution models and technological …

Scares: A Clinician Guide To Spinal Cord Awareness, Response, And Emergency Support Creation And Implantation Of Scares Protocol Among Hospitalist Advanced Practice Providers, Brittany Biega

DNP Scholarly Projects

While they are more common in patients with oncological disease and trauma, SCE still exist among patients without these comorbidities. Less has been established regarding care protocols in this population. The absence of standardized procedures has been linked to preventable, adverse patient outcomes, including cases of permanent damage due to delayed treatment. This project employs Lean Six Sigma methodologies and Johns Hopkins Evidence- Based Practice to devise a robust SCE protocol, aimed at standardizing care and improving patient outcomes. A multidisciplinary team including general medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology developed “Spinal Emergency Management Guidelines” protocol, which was implemented within the …

Assessing Barriers And Facilitators To School Nurse Recommendations Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, Amy E. Dark

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background Vaccine hesitancy among students and caregivers is a pervasive challenge for educational leadership and school health staff, leaving the school community at risk for vaccine preventable disease. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is an underutilized primary prevention strategy against six HPV related cancers.

Purpose The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to measure the effect of an evidence-based educational intervention and facilitated role play on the knowledge and confidence of school nurses (SNs) when discussing HPV vaccination.

Methods This QI project was performed using a brief educational presentation with facilitated role play and a pre/post survey design. …

Implementation Of An Electronic New Patient Intake Questionnaire (E-Npiq) In A Child Development Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Wilma Hyde

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: A rural academic medical center child development clinic in New Hampshire experienced high volumes and inefficient workflows, causing delays in care. With a referral rate at 5-fold capacity, the need to create an efficient intake process that allowed for triage and data collection was apparent.

PURPOSE: Institute an integrated electronic new patient intake questionnaire (e-NPIQ) to improve work efficiency.

METHODS: A literature review on barriers and enablers for patient uptake of electronic questionnaires guided best practices for workflow redesign. The project instituted an integrated e-NPIQ while simultaneously creating a standardized new patient intake process. A mixed methods approach analyzed …

A New Industry For Student- Athletes: An Analysis Of Nil Implications On Well-Being And Team Dynamics, Jamison W. White

Honors Theses and Capstones

As of June 2021, college athletes are allowed to benefit from selling their name, image, and likeness (NIL) by engaging in contracts with sponsors and businesses. Even though this law was passed to allow athletes to earn a fair pay for their hard work though utilizing their popularity and engaging with fans, its potential effect on athletes remains uncertain. This research examines the effects of NIL agreements on student-athletes’ well-being and team perceptions. More specifically, does the adoption of NIL place additional stress on student- athletes or disrupt their team dynamics? If so, what support can be granted to allow …

Developing A Gender Diverse Stimulus Set For Emotion Expressions, Amir Robertson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Much past research has demonstrated that gender plays an important role in emotion perception, such that gendered stereotypes about emotion seem to shape how we perceive and interpret the emotion expressions of men and women. However, the stimulus sets that are typically used in the vast majority of this research have been based on binary ideas of gender, and purposefully limit common elements of gender presentation, with models posing with limited accessories or personal aesthetic choices. In everyday life, however, individuals’ gender and gender presentation are not limited in these ways and likely contribute in important ways to how we …

Effects Of 0, 8, Or 16g/D Of Nicotinic Acid To Prepartum Jersey Cows: Effects On Glucose Concentration In Their Calves, Kaitlyn M. Zarrella

Honors Theses and Capstones

The primary objective of this research project is to further investigate the optimization of colostrum production in multiparous Jersey cows, focusing on the influence of diet and seasonal factors. Previous findings by Dr. Stahl in 2023 at the University of New Hampshire Burley-Demeritt Organic Dairy Research Farm indicated that an intake of 23 g/d of nicotinic acid (Niacin; NA) might have been excessive for prepartum Jersey cows, potentially affecting colostrum yield and quality. While an enhancement in intestinal development was noted in calves receiving colostrum from cows supplemented with nicotinic acid, the dosage may have been too high to positively …

Standard Site Carbon Cycle Protocol Etraining, Elizabeth Burakowski, Haley F. Wicklein, Jennifer Bourgeault

Carbon

Learn how to set up a STANDARD Carbon Cycle Site to take carbon and plant growth measurements using the GLOBE Carbon Cycle Protocols. Includes an overview of the global carbon cycle and descriptions of activities to introduce carbon cycling and systems thinking. This eTraining was initially published in 2017, and was updated in 2024.

Improve Dysphagia Screening In Patients With Neurological Conditions Through Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Kendra Mcintosh

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: A macrosystem in Southern Massachusetts faces challenges in patients with neurological conditions recieveing a dysphagia screening prior to anything enter the patients mouth in the Emergency Room.

Local Problem: The educational gap identified in Registered Nurses regarding the frequency of screening being completed and the knowledge of the indications for a dysphagia screening.

Methods: Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act model, an educational intervention was implemented. An educational poster was displayed in the microsystem. Data was collected pre-and post-intervention through a survey to measure change.

Interventions: The educational poster was displayed in high-traffic areas of the microsystem. This educational poster included …

Enhancing Chest Pain And Oxygen Supplementation Protocol Adherence Through Nurse Education In The Emergency Department For Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome And Unspecified Chest Pain: A Quality Improvement Project, Leah Gamble

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract Background: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and unspecified chest pain are common presentations in the Emergency Department (ED). Proper management, including appropriate oxygen supplementation, is crucial for optimal patient outcomes. However, discrepancies between current practice and evidence-based guidelines have been identified, highlighting a need for targeted educational interventions.

Local Problem: In the ED, knowledge gaps among nurses regarding the correct administration of supplemental oxygen for patients with ACS and unspecified chest pain have been observed. This inconsistency with the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines may lead to poor patient outcomes.

Methods: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) …

Waterville Estates Village District Annual Report 2023, Waterville Estates Village District Representatives

Waterville Estates Village District of Campton & Thornton, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a Village District in the state of New Hampshire.

Looking For The Answer: Exploring The Choice Between Ai And Search Engines, Joseph Driscoll

Honors Theses and Capstones

With the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence, consumers have found themselves faced with an abundance of options for information retrieval. This study is designed to explore when consumers choose to use an AI tool as opposed to a traditional search engine, as well as determining what the user segments look like for AI tools. The results of this study indicate that there are two AI user segments, along with a third segment of non-users that were not included in the study. One segment has fully embraced the use of AI, while the other has tested it and only uses it …

Investigation Of The Causative Agent Of Canine Leproid Granuloma Infection Cases In The Northeastern United States, Nicole J. Marcotte

Honors Theses and Capstones

Canine leproid granuloma syndrome (CLGS) is a form of disease in dogs of many breeds that is characterized by a skin infection in the subcutis and/or dermis. The granulomas that form as a result of infection are typically non pruritic, alopecic, raised, and firm. These mass-like granulomas can ulcerate, causing further infection beneath the skin surface, and are present in areas of the body such as the ears, head, neck, and extremities. CLGS has been known to infect dogs of different breeds and ages, but has most commonly been reported to infect shorthaired, large sized breeds. This disease is suspected …

Examining Relationships Between Methane Emissions And Aquatic Vegetation In Arctic Lakes Using Remote Sensing Techniques And Field Measurements, Helen B. Sears

Master's Theses and Capstones

Lake ecosystems are significant contributors to atmospheric methane (CH4) budget. Aquatic vegetation provides inputs to lake sediments of carbon that then influence the production and emission rates of CH4 from those sediments. Understanding the spatial variability and seasonal changes in the distribution of aquatic plants and CH4 emissions can help identify potential feedback with climate warming. Stordalen Mire, located in the discontinuous permafrost zone in Northern Sweden, is an ideal area to study the relationship of vegetation cover to CH4 emissions from lakes in the Mire, because there are extensive datasets relating to both these parameters for this location. Still, …

Promoting Inpatient Mobility To Improve Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project In A Rural Critical Access Hospital, Chantal Laplante

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Although beneficial to patient outcomes, inpatient ambulation is not a prioritized care intervention, and a task often deferred to physical therapy. Patient immobility is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted approach.

Local Problem: In a rural, critical access hospital, on an 18-bed medical surgical unit, nursing staff lacked ownership of patient mobility. There was no standardized process to document ambulation and mobility tasks were not scheduled, falling to the end of the nursing work list. Many patients did not have activity orders upon admission and nurses lacked resources for ambulation assessment and daily goal setting. There was no …