Digital Commons Network^™

Perinatal Patient Education On Substance Use Risk Factors In The Age Of The Opioid Crisis, Rebecca Ane Leary, Alyssa O'Brien

Honors Theses and Capstones

From 2014 to 2016, NH ranked first for fentanyl and all opioid-related overdose deaths per capita in the United States (Moore et al., 2021). In 2016 the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) found that there are many repercussions of this opioid crisis including overdose deaths, child and elder abuse, and newborns experiencing withdrawal. In utero substance exposure places a child at a higher risk for developmental, behavioral, and physical health concerns. To address this gap, a secondary data analysis using NH Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2013 to 2020 was conducted. PRAMS …

Literary Fiction And Sympathy: How Reading Makes You A Better Person, Emma Rose Wick

Honors Theses and Capstones

I argue in this thesis that literary fiction enhances our ability to sympathize with others as a result of observing—and thereby coming to feel for—the perspectives of the characters by engaging in mental perspective-taking. As a result, we become able to sympathize with an array of individuals whose experiences are unlike our own, and which we may never understand otherwise. I argue that the ability to sympathize with others is valuable for the sake of being a morally good person, and for having an overall good character. This has value in and of itself, particularly from an Aristotelian perspective. I …

2022 Waterfall Themes From Narm Chats, Haley F. Wicklein, Globe U.S. Coordination Office

North American Regional Meeting

No abstract provided.

Pediatric Trauma-Informed Care At Various Levels Of Integration, Felicity Bernard, Dee Watts

All Materials

No abstract provided.

Annual Health Law & Policy Symposium Event Summary, Lucy C. Hodder, Deborah Fornier

All Materials

No abstract provided.

Estimation And Consequences Of Asymmetric Dispersal On The Genetics Of Coastal Marine Organisms In 1-D Habitats, Kyle Teller

Doctoral Dissertations

Estimation and Consequences of Asymmetric Dispersal on the Genetics of Coastal Marine Organisms in 1-D Habitats

Many natural populations have a dispersal that is biased in one direction (asymmetric dispersal), due to physical factors in the environment such as currents in the ocean that transport larvae or winds that carry seeds. These physical factors create a preferred direction for offspring to be carried (the “downstream” direction). When there is asymmetric dispersal there are two parameters that define the dispersal distance, the mean downstream distance, and the standard deviation of dispersal distances. This present research analyzes the effects of the mean …

Teaching Secondary Market Research Through Active Learning Workshops, Wendy G. Pothier

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Data Visualization Using External Data, Sarah H. Theimer

Faculty Publications

This presentation describes how OpenRefine properties (native language, country of citizenship, sex/gender and religion/worldview can be used to enhance MARC data and provide more information about a library collection. The most authors did match to a Wikidata record. Of the records that matched sex/gender was the most frequently populated property. Using Alma’s Data Visualization feature we linked Wikidata properties with alma information to get a clearer understanding of the authors in the philosophy collection.

The Role Of Host-Mediated Feedbacks In Beech Bark Disease Aftermath Dynamics, Kenneth Z. Windstein

Master's Theses and Capstones

This work explores the present-day interactions of a long-ago established tree disease complex known as beech bark disease (BBD) that afflicts the American beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) in northeastern North America. Disease development initiates when an exotic scale insect known as the beech scale (Cryptoccocus fagisuga) infest susceptible American beech and feed on live parenchyma cells in the outer bark. The interactions that occur between the beech scale and living bark predispose the host to infection by two independently vectored species of pathogenic fungi: Neonectria faginata and Neonectria ditissima. Infection by these fungi causes necrosis of bark and meristematic tissue …

A Guide To Trauma Informed Pediatric Primary Care, Felicity Bernard, Corina Chao, Holly Tutko

All Materials

No abstract provided.

Increasing Rn Attendance In Family-Centered Rounds: A Quality Improvement Project, Katherine Power

Master's Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Improving Health Literacy Among Veterans Through An Educational Campaign On Urgent And Emergent Care: A Quality Improvement Project, Emily Dimarino

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Inappropriate use of the VAMC UCC can translate to delays in care and costly transfers. A local VAMC UCC noted that many of their veterans presented for care at the UCC rather than choose to seek care at a local emergency department. This quality improvement project focused on the impact of educational handouts in improving understanding of the VAMC UCC capabilities to overall reduce inappropriate visits and delays in patient care. Methods: Veteran participants utilizing the UCC (n = 10) completed pre-intervention surveys regarding their current health literacy using the Brief Health Literacy screening tool (BRIEF), as well as …

Documenting Body Mass Index And Lifestyle Counseling For Pediatric Patients: A Quality Improvement Project At A Federally Qualified Healthcare Facility, Taylor R. Graziano

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Screening and monitoring growth throughout childhood and adolescence, as well as providing the necessary education on positive lifestyle choices is vital in combating the childhood obesity epidemic. Counseling children on the importance of nutrition and physical activity also helps to prevent numerous comorbid conditions associated with obesity. The United States. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that healthcare workers screen for obesity at least annually in all patients 3-17 years of age, as well as offer lifestyle counseling regardless of Body Mass Index ranking.

Aim: The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve the current percentage of pediatric …

Implementing Educational Initiatives To Decrease Contamination And Costs In The Blood Culture Specimen Collection Process, Hannah M. Mcguire

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The diagnosis of sepsis in a patient presenting with symptoms includes the collection of blood cultures which identifies the presence of specific infectious agents. The culture result will identify the organism as well as report sensitivity to various antimicrobial agents to allow the healthcare provider to determine the specific set of treatments, specifically antibiotics, that will be included in the medication regimen in combating the infection. When blood specimens become contaminated in the collection process, it hinders the success of rapidly treating these patients as repeat cultures will likely need to be completed for accurate treatment. This becomes a …

Building Awareness Around The New American Community In Concord N.H., Heather Mckinnon

M.S. in Leadership

The purpose of this Capstone is to create an opportunity to explore resettlement. The research seeks to understand the resettlement process in the context of exploring immigration in the United States Research will focus on Concord, N.H. This project was chosen as a result of my experiences working with the New American population as a home visitor and home-based manager for the Early Head Start program in Concord, N.H. Depending on demographic statistics, publications, and case studies, this data is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The findings indicate that in order to advocate for new American populations, the community …

Motivation In Healthcare Personnel, Jessica Horton

M.S. in Leadership

The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the unique individual motivating factors that play a role in healthcare personnel’s job satisfaction, engagement as well as explore the leading causes of burnout. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and presently, healthcare workers nationally and internationally, have been experiencing burnout. Determining what factors motivate and demotivate employees is equally critical in ensuring that these skilled healthcare individuals continue to provide high quality, effective, and productive healthcare services especially during a global pandemic. In this paper motivational theories are explained, evaluated, and explored. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods from …

2021 Town Report Lempster, New Hampshire Incorporated 1767., Lempster Town Representatives

Lempster, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Generally Covariant Theory Of Multipole Moment Conserving Quasiparticles, Gavin Eric Riley

Honors Theses and Capstones

This report represents the creation of a field theory which is capable of describing quasiparticle excitations that preserve 2^k -pole moments. These quasiparticles exhibit certain ’semidynamic’ properties such as individual particle immobility but free movement of bound 2^L-tuples. We provide a review of work done on dipole conserving fractons and their dynamics [1] and expand upon it to describe higher moment conserving systems with global quadratic (and higher) phase symmetry. This requires the selection of the temporal and spatial directions. The selection of a temporal direction is done with a foliation defined by an anisotropic scaling of space and time, …

Realtime Event Detection In Sports Sensor Data With Machine Learning, Mallory Cashman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Machine learning models can be trained to classify time series based sports motion data, without reliance on assumptions about the capabilities of the users or sensors. This can be applied to predict the count of occurrences of an event in a time period. The experiment for this research uses lacrosse data, collected in partnership with SPAITR - a UNH undergraduate startup developing motion tracking devices for lacrosse. Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models are trained and perform with high success rates. These models improve upon previous work in human motion event detection and can be used a reference …

Waterville Estates Village District Annual Report 2021, 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.

Integrating Implicit Bias Education Into Cultural Diversity Training Via A Portable Web Page, Anne Durant

M. S. in Management

Implicit bias impacts healthcare access and treatment by coloring decisions and judgements unconsciously. Enhancing awareness of implicit bias requires acquiring self-awareness and awareness of others. The addition of implicit bias education to the cultural diversity annual required education at New Hampshire Hospital for nursing staff using a portable web page adds to the range of inclusiveness within the organizational culture. The web page’s variety of subject matter offers narratives, explanatory tools, free test sites to examine individual biases, and videos to exemplify why implicit bias education is relevant. Examination of unconscious biases are recommended by the Joint Commission to investigate …

Management’S Role In Telework Employee Engagement, Stephanie Read

M. S. in Management

This research breaks down the importance of management’s role in employee engagement in the virtual work environment by analyzing previously conducted academic literature. The academic literature highlights the factors that contribute to employee success while working from home, which is more prominent due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The contributing factors are: mentorship, technological support, communication, age (stage of life), and burnout. Throughout the research conducted, a major focal point in how employee engagement relies on the importance of management influence and involvement.

Measuring The Ne/O Ratio For Imap-Lo, Ryan J. Murphy

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper aims to study if the thinner carbon foils of IMAP-Lo will lead to a better resolution of the C/O ratio and by extension, the Ne/O ratio. This is done by fitting an asymmetric kappa function to the time of flight spectra of both types of carbon foils. The ETU used in the most recent round of IMAP-Lo testing is outfitted with both 2ug/cm^2 and 1ug/cm^2 foils letting us create a model relating how the spectra change in response to different foil thickness. Using this model and validating it against test results, we simulate what we would expect to …

Timeliness Of Electrocardiograms Within The Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Project, Spencer Burke

Honors Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Timeliness in obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG) is imperative for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend performing an ECG within 10 minutes of patient arrival. Delays in door-to-electrocardiogram (DTE) times were evident in the walk-in (WI) patient population who presented to the ED waiting room (WR) where this quality improvement (QI) project took place. The aim of this QI project was to reduce the median DTE time to 10 minutes through improving the point of contact process upon …

The Effects Of The Trump Tariffs And The Coronavirus Pandemic On The U.S. Bicycle Industry, Thurston Randolph Mann

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Supporting The Oral Language Development Of Young Dual Language Learners: Perspectives Of El Teachers In Nh, Maria C. Chouinard

Honors Theses and Capstones

Demographic shifts in the US over the last two decades have increased the diversity gap between teachers and their students. The majority of multilingual children entering US public schools face the challenge of learning academic content in not just one, but two languages. Despite many of the positive effects of being bilingual, Dual Language Learners (DLLs) often face more challenges in education achievement and opportunities than their monolingual English-speaking peers. A key factor of this challenge is the fact that DLLs tend to have monolingual English-speaking peers, and teachers have been shown to play a critical role in student learning. …

Investigating The Main Protease (Mpro) Of Sars-Cov-2 As A Potential Drug Target, Valerie Giovina Pascetta

Honors Theses and Capstones

The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed the lives of roughly 6.2 million people worldwide as of May 2022. The virus’s main protease (M^pro ) has been identified as an attractive drug target due to the critical role it plays in the viral life cycle. The roughly 34 kDa M^pro cleaves functional viral polypeptides out of two long polyproteins at conserved cut sites, allowing them to fulfill their role in processes like transcription and replication. Here, we have studied the enzymatic activity …

Controls On Carbon Gas Fluxes From A Temperate Forest Soil, Natalie A. White, Ruth K. Varner, Clarice R. Perryman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Forest soils consume atmospheric methane (CH₄), serving as a major global CH₄ sink that uptake an estimated 22 ± 12 Tg of CH₄ per year. Temperature and soil moisture have been identified as key controls of the microbial consumption of CH₄ in forest soils. Climate-driven warming and changing moisture regimes may impact forest soils’ role in the carbon cycle, and recent works suggests that forests could become weaker CH₄ sinks. Long-term monitoring sites can capture these changes, leading to better predictions of CH₄ exchange between the atmosphere and soils under climate change. This study …

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Their Role Utilizing Eat, Sleep, Console, In The Management Of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Cerys Eldred

Honors Theses and Capstones

Background: There is a rising prominence of infants being born and diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in the United States. In recent years, a new non-pharmacological method of managing these infants called Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) has emerged. While there is mounting evidence demonstrating the positive outcomes for infants treated with this method, there is limited research regarding nurses’ perceptions of this new intervention. This study seeks to understand the nurse’s experience and role during caring for infants with NAS utilizing the ESC method in comparison to the past practices.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design to …

The Role Of Gli2 In B Cell Biology, Laura Kehoe

Master's Theses and Capstones

B cells are an important part of the host defense against pathogens by secreting immunoglobulins (Igs)/antibodies (Abs). Igs are highly specialized molecules due to a DNA recombination process that occurs to generate the variable region. An Ab molecule also undergoes class switch recombination (CSR) after encountering an antigen. Our lab has shown that the transcription factor GLI2 can regulate IgM secretion in immortalized malignant B cells derived from Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) patients and can modulate several cytokines. However, if GLI2 plays a role in B cell biology and class switch recombination is unknown. In mice with a B cell-specific Gli2-deficiency …