Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Accent On Receptive Language Assessments For Bilingual Children, Katherine Stariknok

Honors Theses and Capstones

Language assessments are used to screen and diagnose children with language disorders. Many speech-language pathologists (SLP) practicing in Spanish in the United States do not speak Spanish as their first language, so they are administering these assessments in accented speech. This study aims to find what effect an SLP’s accent will have on a bilingual child’s language assessment. Initial findings show that participants were largely able to understand words in the L2 accent, with most of the errors due to several repeating consonantal features (i.e., voicing alone; place and manner of articulation). The broader impact of this work is to …

Language As Resistance: An Exploration Of The Use And Implications Of Spanish In Three Memoirs By Female Chicana Authors, Ella Ross Franzoni

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Nursing Students' And Recent Graduates' Observations Of Fatphobia In The Clinical Setting, Myah Kerbyson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of fatphobic behaviors among the healthcare team and how nursing students’ and recent graduates’ observations of fatphobic behaviors impact the provision of affirming care.

Background: Weight stigma among healthcare providers can lead to fatphobia (e.g., hurtful or stigmatizing language, dismissal of symptoms). These experiences can negatively impact patients’ health and experiences with healthcare, leading some patients to avoid or delay seeking healthcare services. Fatphobia can also cause increased stress levels among patients, which places them at a higher risk of several diseases. The short-term and long-term effects of fatphobia lead overall worse health outcomes.

Methods: …

Weltpolitik Und Weltkrieg: Second International Socialism And Imperialism (1907-1914), Luke P. Taylor

Honors Theses and Capstones

The outbreak of World War I tore apart the Second Socialist International (1889-1914) as the forces of nationalism overcame international solidarity. By 1917, the global socialist movement was split between reformist social democracy and revolutionary communism. Before this dramatic schism, tensions between a reformist right, a radical left, and a moderate center defined the contours of social democratic politics. Contemporary to the Second International, imperialism and competition between the great powers represented a global crisis that exploded into a worldwide conflict. While not initially responsible for the schisms that tore apart the Second International, debates over imperialism reflected, reconfigured, and …

Assessing Parental Conversational Overlap In A Museum Setting And Its Correlation With Child Language Skills, Madison Gould

Honors Theses and Capstones

Research has identified the importance of quality interactions with parents, caregivers, and peers in the promotion of language acquisition. We question how certain aspects of parental language, primarily repetition, expansion, and extension, correlate with child language skills. There is limited research available regarding the impact of conversational overlap on a child’s language development at a singular time point, with most studies being longitudinal, especially when assessing conversations between children and their caregivers in different settings, such as a museum exhibit. Our findings suggest that children need less parental recasting as they age and as their language skills are bolstered.

N-Gram Text Classification On Standard Croatian, Bosnian And Serbian, Kegan Messmer

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study attempts to use three different kinds of n-gram text classification models to differentiate the standard forms of Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian. These three languages, along with Montenegrin, were once considered one language, collectively termed “Serbo-Croatian”. These languages share a common South Slavic ancestry, and there is an argument to be made that their novel status as distinct languages is due to non-linguistic factors, such as culture and politics. This study uses 300,000 sentences from each language, sourced from Wikipedia pages written in the standard forms of each language. Three different classifiers were used: one unigram, one bigram, and …

Studying Us Iranian Immigrant Parents Negotiating Movements Toward Future Belonging, Fatemeh Hajnaghizadeh

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I reflect on how my work with Iranian immigrant parents in the US is informed by my lived experiences and research as a member of the minoritized group both in post-revolutionary Iran and the US. I recognize these experiences as informing my research on diasporic parenting throughout different stages, from designing the methodology to curating the theoretical framework and analyzing data.The desire to engage with minoritized ways of being and knowing beyond static essentializing viewpoints informs my approach to designing methodological processes that centralize confusion/disagreements with dominant practices and ideologies. In my study’s methodology, I use stories …

Development Of An Evidence Based Surgical Site Infection Bundle In Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Jessica Mcbee

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the leading healthcare-acquired infections that negatively impact patient outcomes and increase total cost of healthcare and the patient’s length of stay. At a community hospital in West Virginia, trends in SSI rates and the standardized infection ratio (SIR) increased for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify and implement permanent evidence-based practice changes to reduce SSI rates in colon surgery patients.

METHODS: Baseline rates of SSI and the SIR for the facility was calculated from October 2021 to September 2022. Colon surgery SSI reduction …

Evidence-Based Suicide Assessment And Managment Training For Mental Health Professionals, Clara Abit

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Suicide is a significant public health concern both nationally and globally. While the suicide rate has been decreasing in recent years, evidence shows that the rate of suicide among teenagers and adolescents has been on the rise. Teenage suicide accounts for 14% of all deaths by suicide in the United States, calling for effective interventions in various settings. However, inadequate knowledge of the potential signs and risk factors of suicide hinders mental healthcare professionals' ability to recognize at-risk patients.

Purpose: The project's objective was to evaluate the effects of the intervention on mental health workers' knowledge, skills, and screening …

Multidisciplinary Workflow Implementation For Ctdna Kit Collection To Decrease Inefficiencies For Patients And Staff: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Ryan Montano

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Circulating tumor DNA testing in the oncologic clinic setting is used to detect residual disease and genetic mutations for targeted therapy options.

Local Problem: This quality initiative was developed to standardize circulating tumor DNA kit (ctDNA kit) collection in a rural academic medical cancer center. The use of third-party ctDNA testing kits within the clinic has increased in the last three years to detect genetic markers for targeted therapy.

Methods: The use of a plan-do-study-act framework was utilized to revise the workflow for the ctDNA kit collection process to decrease total collection time and increase staff satisfaction. Intervention: With …

Esg Metric Variance And Methodology Standardization, Jordan Moyer

Honors Theses and Capstones

Across the globe Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scoring has become a tool used for mission-aligned investment. In the United States, there is no standardized method for scoring companies based on ESG practices; it is all completed by private companies with their own ways of managing data and creating scores. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting, though mandatory in some countries, is also completely voluntary in the United States. CSR reports are a key part of the data collection used for ESG scoring. This research looks to understand how much CSR reporting is being influenced by ESG scoring methodologies, as well …

“Wilfrid Sellars And Pragmatism”, Willem A. Devries

Faculty Publications

A brief survey of Wilfrid Sellars' relation to Pragmatism, focusing on the priority of the practical in the constitution of meaning, the critique of the given, and sociality of thought and inquiry.

A Russian Gil Blas, Or The Adventures Of Prince Gavrilo Simonovich Chistyakov, Vasily Trofimovich Narezhny, Ronald D. Leblanc (Translator)

Faculty Publications

Although Vasily Trofimovich Narezhny (1780-1825) is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern novel in Russia, his works have yet to be sufficiently recognized for their many artistic merits. He receives little critical attention in most histories of the rise of the novel in early nineteenth-century Russia. Born in Ukraine, but educated in Moscow, Narezhny wrote lengthy satirical novels imbued with a sardonic tone and an earthy brand of realism that tended to offend the refined aesthetic sensibilities of many contemporary followers of Nikolai Karamzin and his dominant school of literary Sentimentalism during the early years …

Eeg-Based Spanish Language Proficiency Classification: An Eeg Power Spectrum And Cross-Spectrum Analysis, Blaise Xavier O'Mara, Skyler Baumer

Honors Theses and Capstones

Second language proficiency may be predicted with electrophysiological techniques. In a machine learning application, this electrophysiological data may be used for language instructors and language students to assess their language learning. This study identifies how electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum and cross spectrum data of the brain cortex relates to Spanish second language (L2) proficiency of 20 Spanish language students of varying proficiency levels at the University of New Hampshire. The two metrics for assessing cortical power and processing were event-related desynchronization (ERD)—a measure of relative change in power—of the alpha (8-12 Hz) brain frequency band, and alpha and beta (13-30Hz) …

“I'M Kind Of A Big Deal In This Industry:” How Killing Eve’S Villanelle Subverts The Femme Fatale Archetype, Molly Kent

Honors Theses and Capstones

From the instant Catherine Tramell stepped on screen with shaven, glossy legs and a perfectly curled, bouncy, blonde bob, Basic Instinct (1992) became a cult classic, centered around the dangerous and seductive femme fatale who makes the movie tick. Nearly 25 years later, a new monstress steps on screen as a suited, quirky, slicked-back assassin with a penchant for curly-haired women and a destiny to reform the femme fatale trope: Villanelle of Killing Eve.

The co-lead and resident femme fatale of Killing Eve, Villanelle, subverts the traditional role of the femme fatale in a decentering of the patriarchy …

Heparin Vs. Saline: Evaluating Evidence-Based Best Practice For Maintaining Patency Of Implanted Ports, Shannon D. Murdock

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background Implanted ports are frequently used for central venous access in the adult oncology population. Maintaining patency of these ports is important for continuing uninterrupted treatment and supportive care for oncologic patients. Historically, heparin solution has been used as a locking solution for implanted ports to prevent occlusion. However, evidence shows that 0.9% sodium chloride (normal saline or NS) as a lock solution is equally effective as heparin solution at maintaining implanted port patency and poses less risk to patients.

Local Problem In an ambulatory adult oncology clinic serving Seacoast New Hampshire, a gap was identified between clinical practice where …

Enhancing Education To Mitigate Workplace Violence To Increase Staff Safety In A High Acuity Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Michelle Crowley

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The current microsystem is a critical access 8 bed Emergency Department with 3 hallway beds. On average it can see anywhere from 30-50 patients in a 24 hour period. Due to the nature of the microsystem, staff are at high risk for experiencing workplace violence (WPV). Within this microsystem staff do not have a readily available communication device on their person in case of an adverse event leaving them susceptible to patient to staff WPV. Staff within this microsystem are Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB) 1 and 2 trained, however this does not provide education on risk factors for …

Enhancing Nurses' Self-Efficacy In Smoking Cessation Counseling To Improve Patient- Centered Care At A Federally Funded Urgent Care Center: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Adam N. Waller Ii

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: It is well documented that there is a high prevalence of Veteran tobacco use in the United States. Additionally, providing smoking cessation counseling in an emergency setting is beneficial. The broader Veteran Affairs (VA) macrosystem has a plethora of smoking cessation resources available for Veterans. Within a VA Urgent Care Center (UCC) a quality improvement initiative was conducted that focused on increasing registered nurses (RNs) self-efficacy in providing smoking cessation counseling. Prior to this quality improvement (QI) project, smoking cessation did not occur in this UCC. If RNs have higher self-efficacy more smoking cessation counseling will occur.

Methods …

Reducing Instances Of Staff Exposure To Ionizing Radiation In The Pacu, Christina Mcauliffe

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background

On the Post Anesthesia Care Unit mobile X-Rays were necessary on site for confirmation of medical device placement. There was an unofficial procedure in place which consisted of announcing when an X-Ray was to be taken, and which bay it was taken in.

Local Problem

Upon observation it was noted that the mobile X-Ray unofficial procedure was only being adhered to for approximately 25% mobile X-Rays taken on the PACU, unnecessarily exposing staff to ionizing radiation. There was also no written procedure or standardized training policy available at the facility.

Methods

Baseline ionizing radiation knowledge was assessed using …

Using Education To Promote Waste Segregation And Waste Reduction In The Operating Room: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Sarah E. Landgraf

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The operating room (OR) is known to be one of the largest producers of medical waste and of the surgical specialties, orthopedic surgery tends to the largest portion of this. Waste from the OR can be mitigated by recycling non-contaminated materials. This reduces the number of raw materials needed to create new products, decreases landfill use, and lowers hospital costs.

Local Problem: It was observed that a gap in knowledge existed related to recyclables in the OR of a large medical center in New England. Also, it was observed that there was potential for waste and recycling to be …

Improving Initial Pain Assessments Upon Arrival To The Post Anesthesia Care Unit By Implementing The Critical Care Pain Observation Tool, Molly Jacques Ms, Rn

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background

Pain assessments in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) are crucial to recovery, the discharge process, patient outcomes, length of stay, and readmission rates. It is one of the main responsibilities of PACU nurses to adequately assess and treat pain when patients are in phase one and two of recovery after surgery. A thorough and accurate pain assessment tool is needed for these critically ill patients because not all of them are able to verbally express discomfort.

Local Problem

The problem that was identified during this quality improvement project was inconsistent initial pain assessments in the PACU. Patients arrive …

Giving Effective And Timely Hospice Education To Lessen Participant Stress (Get Helps), Caroline Rose Carter

Master's Theses and Capstones

In 2022, 1.72 million people chose to use hospice as their end-of life care. This is a 6.8% increase from 2019, and the number of patients who choose to use hospice is increasing (Summers, 2022). The aim of this quality improvement (QI) study was to decrease levels of stress reported by the patient and informal caretakers by combining the information from the hospice program’s admission packet and other approved handouts, while standardizing the verbiage through a Flesch-Kincaid readability scale to an eighth-grade reading level. Pre-survey perceived stress scores averaged 22.97 on a modified Perceived-Stress Scale, and the mean of the …

Depersonalizing Troubles In Institutional Interaction: Routinizing In Parent-Teacher Conferences, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Faculty Publications

This article advances our understanding of institutional interaction by showing when and how it can be advantageous for professionals to treat addressed-recipients as non-unique. Examining how teachers talk about children-as-students during parent-teacher conferences, this investigation illuminates several specific interactional methods that teachers use to depersonalize the focal student’s trouble, delineating as among these the novel practice of “routinizing”—citing firsthand experience with other similar cases. Analysis demonstrates how teachers use routinizing to enact their expertise, both responsively as a vehicle for attenuating and credentialing their advice-giving to parents/caregivers, and proactively to preempt parent/caregiver resistance to their student-assessments/evaluations. This research …

2023 Cheshire County Ac Agendas & Minutes, Diane Dugray

Advisory Council

No abstract provided.

051123 Cheshire County Ac Agenda & Minutes, Diane Dugray

Advisory Council

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of The Broset Violence Checklist For Early Identification Of Aggressive And Violent Behavior To Improve Unit Safety: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Emily Sharretts

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: There continues to be an increase in workplace violence nationally in the healthcare setting which jeopardizes patient and staff safety. Liu et al. (2019) found about 59% of health care workers experience workplace violence. Kafle et al. (2022) emphasizes the link between workplace violence and increased levels of nurse burnout and therefore decreased job satisfaction.

LOCAL PROBLEM: The microsystem assessment revealed that there was no risk assessment tool to identifying early aggressive or violent patient behavior.

METHODS: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework was used for this quality improvement project to reduce workplace violence on this unit.

INTERVENTIONS:After completion …

Implementing Change: The Use Of Minocycline-Rifampin Impregnated Central Venous Catheters In Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection Prevention In Critically Ill Patients, Shawn B. Murray

Master's Theses and Capstones

Introduction: At a large academic healthcare facility in the northeast a Gap Analysis was conducted finding quality improvement opportunities for central line associated blood stream (CLABSI) prevention in critically ill patients. Review of literature reveals the use of minocycline-rifampin impregnated (MNRI) central venous catheters (CVCs) as being an effective intervention in CLABSI prevention.

Methods: Several assessments were conducted regarding the implications of updating the facilities practice to reflect this evidence including AHRQ Gap Analysis Tool, a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, Stakeholder Feedback, and Resource Allocation.

Results: Facilitators and barriers were identified in implementing this …

Reducing Clabsi Rates Through Education On Maintaining Cvc Dressing Integrity: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Hanna I. Lentine

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a type of hospital-acquired infection (HAI). They arise as a complication from patients having a central venous catheter (CVC) placed. CVCs can provide numerous benefits for patients who require long-term venous access or hemodynamic monitoring. Acquiring a CLABSI can place patients at higher risk for complications, increased length of stay, and mortality. Reducing the risk of infection is imperative for all patients, but especially those who are more vulnerable to opportunistic infections, such as those in critical care units.

LOCAL PROBLEM: This quality improvement project took place at a 234-bed, level II trauma …

Implementing Education For Maternity Nurses To Improve Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Regarding Postpartum Depression: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Haley Merrill

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of childbirth, but often goes undiagnosed. Adequate patient education on PPD increases the patient’s knowledge and supports enhanced communication between patients and provider. Maternity nurses have continued interaction with new mothers and are in a vital position to educate patients regarding PPD. However, maternity nurses may lack confidence in delivering the appropriate education and resources for PPD to postpartum women.

LOCAL PROBLEM: Within the given microsystem, there was currently a gap that existed between PPD education for nurses and the delivery of PPD patient education.

METHODS: Utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act model, a …

Improving Patient Safety Associated With Intramuscular Injections By Educating Nurses On Recommended Practice: A Quality Improvement Project, Alex Annutto

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Intramuscular (IM) injections are used to deliver medication quickly and efficiently. However, the Centers for Disease Control has changed their guidelines on how to administer medication using the IM injection route. A quality improvement was conducted at Wildcat Hospital that focused on increasing healthcare professionals’ IM injection knowledge.

Methods: A pre-intervention survey was administered to RNs, LPNs, and Paramedics to assess their knowledge and IM injection technique. After the initial survey, an educational PowerPoint was presented to staff and management. This was followed with pamphlets that reviewed the information covered in the presentation. A post-intervention survey was administered to …