Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Shift Work On Health And Wellbeing, Stephanie M. Gagelin

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Many of today’s industries require workers to perform shift work (typically during 1600-0700). If workers are awake during this time period, circadian misalignment occurs. This scholarly project uses research studies and meta- analyses to provide information about increased health risks associated with circadian misalignment, focusing on the categories of glucose metabolism, cardiovascular system, carcinogenesis, and mental health and acuity.

• Shift work has been found to increase BMI and waist circumference of employees, as well as increase blood glucose levels to “prediabetic” levels in previously euglycemic individuals.

• Shift work has been proven to increase high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), …

Barefoot Training: Effects On Emg Activity Of Gluteus Medius And Tensor Fascia Latae In Habitually Shod Runners, Tom Linner, Casey Murphy, Jeremy O'Keefe

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose/Hypothesis: Running has been a common practice in humans since the species’ dawn. Due to its relative ease and low cost, running continues to be one of the most popular forms of exercise today. Although running provides many benefits such as disease prevention, injury prevalence in running is high. The trend of minimalist shoes and barefoot training has gained popularity over the decade as a return to a more natural form of running. Some researcher hypothesize that barefoot running can reduce injury rate by changing the biomechanics of the runner. In this study we propose a different hypothesis: barefoot running …

Physiological Approach To Characterize Drowsiness In Simulated Flight Operations During Window Of Circadian Low, Bijay Guragain

Theses and Dissertations

Drowsiness is a psycho-physiological transition from awake towards falling sleep and its detection is crucial in aviation industries. It is a common cause for pilot’s error due to unpredictable work hours, longer flight periods, circadian disruption, and insufficient sleep. The pilots’ are prone towards higher level of drowsiness during window of circadian low (2:00 am- 6:00 am). Airplanes require complex operations and lack of alertness increases accidents. Aviation accidents are much disastrous and early drowsiness detection helps to reduce such accidents. This thesis studied physiological signals during drowsiness from 18 commercially-rated pilots in flight simulator. The major aim of the …

Reflections On Teaching The Convergence Of Scandinavian Settlement And Native American Removal In The Upper Midwest, Melissa Gjellstad

Languages & Global Studies Faculty Publications

This article considers student resistance to course content that challenged the dominant narrative of Scandinavian heritage on the Northern Plains. The course viewed the Scandinavian-American immigration to the Upper Midwest through the lens of literary giants such as Drude Krog Jansen, Vilhelm Moberg, and Ole Edvart Rølvaag, but the course also questioned the relative scholarly silence devoted to encounters between Scandinavian Americans and Native Americans during periods of land-taking, settlement, and conflict, including the U.S.–Dakota War. Nonfiction books by Jon Gjerde and Carlton C. Qualey, Karen V. Hansen, and Karl Jakob Skarstein, among others, complicate and inform the realities of …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Joan Rogers, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Michelle Arnhalt, Ivy Steiger

Oral History Student Papers

Objective: This qualitative study was to examine the evolution of occupational therapy practice throughout the life history and career of Joan Rogers. The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond.

Method: The Kawa Model guided Semi-structured interview questions. Throughout the interview process, the researchers gained information regarding Joan Roger’s experiences related to gaining her occupational therapy …

Platelets To The Rescue? A Literature Review Of The Safety And Efficacy Of Platelet-Rich Plasma For Symptomatic Osteoarthritis Of The Knee, Timothy Simonich

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the most common joint disorders in the United States with rising prevalence due to obesity and an aging population. Regarding non-surgical approaches to management, there has been growing interest in the use of intra-articular injections with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP).

Aspirin Use Following Preeclampsia To Prevent Future Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes, Kristi Bohlig

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Introduction: Preeclampsia during pregnancy warrants therapy with low dose aspirin. The purpose of this review is to investigate if these women are at increased future risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and if aspirin therapy prevents future cardiovascular events.

• Research Questions: Do women who had preeclampsia during pregnancy have increased future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality? • Does continued aspirin use in postpartum women, who had preeclampsia during pregnancy, decrease future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality?

• Research Methods: Literature review was conducted utilizing CINAHL, Dynamed plus and PubMed databases.

• Discussion: Many studies have found that preeclampsia does increase …

Pelvic Examinations For Ovarian Cancer Screening In Asymptomatic Adult Women, Riann Collar

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

There is discrepancy amongst organizations and the medical community whether bimanual pelvic examinations should be performed in asymptomatic women for routine screening. The purpose of this literature review was to determine whether bimanual pelvic examinations are beneficial for screening for ovarian cancer in comparison to no screening. In addition, research was conducted to see if healthcare providers’ professional beliefs align with the evidence and national recommendations, to determine women’s thoughts and beliefs regarding pelvic examinations, and identify other screening methods if bimanual pelvic exams are determined to be an invalid screening tool. Throughout reviewing peer reviewed articles and high quality …

Parenteral Ascorbic Acid For Treatment Of Sepsis, Lindsey Hiatt

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Sepsis kills nearly 1 million people each year in the United States and sepsis-related hospitalizations cost approximately $24 billion annually (Paoli, Reynolds, Sinha, Gitlin, & Crouser, 2018). Current treatment guidelines are limited to targeted antibiotics and hemodynamic support. While antibiotics are the definitive treatment to eradicate the infectious pathogen, there are currently no standard-of-care treatments that consistently and successfully attenuate the damage sustained to the body by its own inflammatory response to infection. Many different treatments have been trialed and failed to show improved outcomes. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has long been associated with supporting immune function, and has …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In The Soil Environment: Sorption, Bioaccumulation And Biotransformation, Bosen Jin

Theses and Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals, widely used in both industries and daily lives, such as in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and painting materials. Researchers have investigated PFASs for about two decades, but most of the studies focus on perfluoroalkyl substances with very limited information available on polyfluoroalkyl substances. In this research, we investigated the sorption/desorption mechanisms perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its two cationic and zwitterionic precursor compounds, perfluorooctanesulfonamido ammonium salt (PFOSAmS) and perfluorooctaneamido betaine (PFOAB) in a group of soil. We also studied the bioaccumulation and bioconcentration of these chemicals along with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and its …

Thermal Performance Analysis Of The Liquid Cooling And Ventilation Garment (Lcvg) With Respect To Tubing Geometry, Kayla Marie Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

The technology of a liquid-cooled garment allows astronauts to complete extravehicular activities while maintaining a degree of thermal comfort. The garment has gone largely unchanged despite advancements in technology, materials, and knowledge. This research examines possible advancements in thermal efficiency with an alternate tubing geometry through heat transfer rate calculations. A semi-circle cross-section was selected and compared against the current circular cross-section tubing. Each tubing cross-section was 3-D printed and integrated into forearm sleeves. For comparison, the assembly of each sleeve resembled the current Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment used with the Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Subjects wore the forearm sleeves …

Measuring Friendship Maintenance In Gay Men, Eliah Reding

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the existing friendship maintenance literature to develop a psychometrically sound scale for the measurement of friendship maintenance among gay men. Existing friendship maintenance research does not adequately capture the uniqueness of gay male friendship. Utilizing DeVellis’s (2016) steps of scale development, this dissertation constructs a new scale, the GayFABS, to assess the unique aspects of friendship maintenance in gay men. Unique in this dissertation is the use of a focus group to establish content validity rather than the traditional approach of expert review. An exploratory factor analysis is conducted to structure the scale and its component subscales. …

The Reliability Of Indirect Assessments Of Standing Forward Head Posture In Asymptomatic Adults, Bailey Strand

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Measurement reliability has important decision-making implications for physical therapists and researchers when assessing individuals. Given that physical therapists often visually assess forward head posture (FHP) to guide treatment, the aims of this study were to quantify: (a) the reliability of indirect (visual) assessments of standing FHP in asymptomatic adults, and (b) the magnitude of the biological (postural) and technical errors involved.

Methods: A reliability analysis of two indirect assessments (visual assessments of real and 3D body scanned people) of FHP was undertaken. The sample comprised 10 physical therapists and 50 asymptomatic participants. Participants were scanned using the Vitus Smart …

Influences Of Nesting Behaviors In Common Eiders (Somateria Mollissima Sedentaria) In The Western Hudson Bay, Tanner John Stechmann

Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive decisions of birds are shaped by minimizing predation while meeting physiological needs of parents and offspring. As a result, birds must make decisions about investment in offspring that allows them to maximize their overall fitness. This often drives nesting behaviors and can provide insights into reproductive success. Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) are thought to have high nest attendance (time spent tending the nest) and use substantial energetic resources during breeding. However, the specific behaviors at the nest of these birds are not well studied, with even less known about the Hudson Bay common eider (S. m. sedentaria). The objectives …

Development Of Dna-Based Biosensors And Antibacterial Additive, Yuqian Xing

Theses and Dissertations

In the first project, an ultrasensitive assay has been developed for the detection and determination of Hg2+(aq) based on single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (spICP-MS). In the presence of Hg2+(aq), AuNPs modified with a segment of single-stranded DNA can aggregate due to the formation of well-known thymine (T)-Hg2+-T complex. The spICP-MS can sensitively and quantitatively measure the degree of aggregation by the overall decrease in number of detected AuNPs or NP aggregates. Compared with most other Hg assays that use the same principle of aggregation-dispersion with DNA modified AuNPs, this spICP-MS-based method achieved a much lower detection limit of 0.031 …

Associations Between Parental Alcoholism And Adult Internalized And Externalized Indicators Of Maladjustment, Stephanie Brezinski

Theses and Dissertations

Associations between parental alcoholism and internalized and externalized indicators of maladjustment in adult children of alcoholics were examined. College students (N = 2,531) and respondents from the general population (N = 703) provided self-reports of various internalized and externalized indicators of maladjustment. Several hypotheses were tested: (1) CAST scores will be positively associated with symptom severity; (2) Combined maternal and paternal alcoholism will be associated with the most severe maladjustment compared to ACAs from a single parent and/or non-ACAs; (3) Male ACAs will exhibit relatively more externalized symptoms than internalized symptoms and female ACAs will exhibit relatively more internalized symptoms …

Photography Methods To Understand Rural Resilience And Environmental Literacy: The Example Of Fracking In The Bakken, Bruce Evan Farnsworth

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the social and environmental impacts of fracking through deep ethnographic interviews and observations with farmers and ranchers living and leasing on the Bakken and Three Forks shale oil formations of western North Dakota, currently the second largest oil-producing region in the United States. This study investigates how photographic methods such as photo elicitation, repeat photography, and aerial photographs/maps elicit local knowledge and testify to the resilience of ranchers and farmers challenged by oil development and the alteration of their environment. Motivated by heritage, political marginalization and the pervasive loss of ruralness, the participants express several roles, among …

Chromatin Associated Small Rna Show Evidence Of Processing After Promoter Proximal Rna Polymerase Ii Pausing, Nii Koney-Kwaku Koney

Theses and Dissertations

Paused Pol II has been implicated in the generation of short non-coding RNAs, such as transcription start site RNAs (TSSa RNAs) and transcription initiation RNAs (tiRNAs), which are found within or around the 5’ ends of gene promoters. The generation of these RNAs (which I termed “processed RNAs”) is known to occur in the nucleus; however, whether their biogenesis is co-transcriptional or post-transcriptional is unknown. These RNAs have been proposed to be remnants of 5’ to 3’ processing and protected by paused Pol II. Processed RNAs may represent a novel class of small RNAs derived from promoter-proximal transcription termination.

I …

Temporal Trends In The Standing Broad Jump Test Performance Of United States Children And Adolescents, Bridget Kate Pinoniemi

Theses and Dissertations

Muscular fitness is a very important indicator of health. Using a systematic review strategy, the aim of this study was to estimate the temporal trends in broad jump performance of United States youth. Broad jump data on apparently healthy United States youth (aged 10–17 years) were located through a systematic electronic database search and by pearling reference lists, topical systematic reviews and personal libraries. Sample-weighted temporal trends (expressed as percent and standardized trends) were estimated for separate age-sex groups using best-fitting regression models relating the year of testing to mean jump performance. Mean trends standardized to the year 1985 were …

Characterizing The Contribution Of Groudwater In The Water Budgets Of Wetlands Using Gis Groundwater Modeling And The Field Measurement Of Water Quality, Brianna Fuller Speldrich

Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands provide many benefits to society, including flood attenuation, groundwater recharge, water quality improvement, and habitat for wildlife. Because their structure and function are sensitive to changes in hydrology, characterizing the water budgets of wetlands is crucial to effective management and conservation. The groundwater component of a budget, which often controls resiliency and water quality, is particularly difficult to estimate and can be costly, time-consuming, and invasive. This study used a GIS approach using a digital elevation model (DEM) and the elevations of lakes, wetlands, streams, and hydric soils to produce a water-table surface raster for a portion of the …

From Here To There: An Occupational Screening Tool For Transitioning Soldiers, Bailey Fruit, Hannah Williams

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Time has shown that it can be difficult for military personnel to resume their typical life roles within civilian life. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were the longest wars in United States history and involved some of the most intense ground engagements since Vietnam (Cogan, 2014). This left many soldiers to deal with the traumatic experiences they went through. This study aimed at developing a screening tool to address the difficulties experienced by veterans during their transition into civilian life.

The researchers began with a thorough review of literature to identify the occupational challenges the project would address. Following …

Antennas And Wave Propagation In Wireless Body Area Networks: Design And Evaluation Techniques, Ala Alemaryeen

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, fabrication of miniature electronic devices that can be used for wireless connectivity becomes of great interest in many applications. This has resulted in many small and compact wireless devices that are either implantable or wearable. As these devices are small, the space for the antenna is limited. An antenna is the part of the wireless device that receives and transmits a wireless signal. Implantable and wearable antennas are very susceptible to harmful performance degradation caused by the human body and very difficult to integrate, if not designed properly. A designer need to minimize unwanted radiation absorption by the human …

Sparc, A Matricellular Protein, In A Cell Culture Model Of Heavy Metal Cadmium Induced Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma, Emily Rae Biggane

Theses and Dissertations

Bladder cancer, the most common urinary tract malignancy, has environmental toxicant exposure as one of its biggest risk factors. This lab examines potential biomarkers employing an in vitro model of urothelial carcinoma using a normal bladder cell line and its malignantly transformed cells transformed counterpart, transformed by exposure to long term, low doses of cadmium (Cd2+). Initial microarray analysis determined that Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) was the most repressed gene across all transformed cell lines compared to its normal counterpart (Garrett et al., 2014, Larson et al., 2010).

SPARC, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, functions by regulating …

Temporal Trends In The Grip Strength Of Children And Adolescents, Faith Lavoy Dooley

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To estimate national and international temporal trends in the handgrip strength of children and adolescents, and to examine relationships between trends in handgrip strength and trends in health-related and sociodemographic indicators.

Methods: Data were obtained in two ways: (a) through a systematic electronic database search for studies reporting on temporal trends in the handgrip strength of apparently healthy 9–17-year-olds, (b) pearling reference lists, topical systematic reviews and personal libraries, and (c) by examining large national fitness datasets suitable to temporal trends analysis. Sample-weighted temporal trends were estimated using best-fitting regression models relating the year of testing to mean handgrip …

Integrating Best Practice Into Fieldwork: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Level Ii Experiences Of Occupational Therapy Students, Cherie Graves

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore occupational therapy student’s experiences with integrating best practice professional ideals during Level II fieldwork. Occupational therapy students in the United States complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork prior to graduation. Students transition from the classroom setting where they are prepared with knowledge about the professions best practice ideals, to the fieldwork setting where many factors impact the learning experience. Using qualitative research, a narrative inquiry was undertaken to explore the experiences of four occupational therapy students during their Level II fieldwork experiences. I interviewed each student on five occasions throughout the …

A Consensual Qualitative Review Exploring Mental Health Stigma And Its Impact On Psychological Help-Seeking Among Fundamentally Religious Individuals, Teresa Huff-Pomstra

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the wide range and availability of mental health (MH) treatment and resources, individuals with MH concerns often do not seek out treatment, with stigma presenting as a significant barrier to help-seeking. Various multicultural factors may interact with stigma, such as race or gender, and together may impact the HS process. One factor in particular, one’s religious beliefs, may be influential in how someone goes about addressing their MH. Religious faith holds an important place for many Americans, with 77% professing identification with some religion (Pew Research Center, 2014). The goal of this Consensual Qualitative Research project was to explore …

Melnet: A Deep Learning Based Model For Melanoma Detection, Shudipto Sekhar Roy

Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma is identified as the deadliest in the skin cancer category. However, early-stage detection may enhance the treatment result. In this research, a deep learning-based model, named “melNET”, has been developed to detect melanoma in both dermoscopic and digital images. melNET uses the Inception-v3 architecture to handle the deep learning part. To ensure quality optimization, the architectural aspects of Inception-v3 were designed using the Hebbian principle as well as taking the intuition of multi-scale processing. This architecture takes advantage of parallel computing across multiple GPUs to employ RMSprop as the optimizer. While going through the training phase, melNET uses the …

Alpha1a-Adrenergic Receptor Modulation Of Epileptiform Activity And Seizures, Joseph Patrick Biggane

Theses and Dissertations

The research herein aimed to increase our understanding about potential roles of adrenergic receptor subtypes in epileptic seizures and seizure-like (epileptiform) phenomena. Previous observations in our laboratory led us to hypothesize that the alpha1A-adrenergic receptor is a critical component of the modulatory role of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor, and more broadly, norepinephrine, on epileptiform and seizure activity. We utilized a combination of genetic and pharmacological manipulation to elucidate specific effects of the alpha1A-adrenergic receptor subtype on altering hyperactivity in models of epilepsy, both in slice and in vivo. This research sought to address three main research questions: (1) What are the …

An Evaluation Of Remote Sensing Methods For Ecological Management In Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Jenna Folluo

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of four chapters that examine various aspects of remote sensing for ecological management in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Chapter one reviews the use of remote sensing as a management tool and discusses its applications in TRNP. Chapter two describes the application of multiple remote sensing methods and how well they can detect and map invasive vegetation, particularly leafy spurge. Chapter three provides a study on defining and mapping vegetation communities in TRNP at varying spatial scales. Chapter four explores the use of remote sensing techniques to detect prairie dog mounds and map colonies.

Avian Igy As An Immunotherapy For Flaviviral Infections, Kyle O'Donnell

Theses and Dissertations

Flaviviruses compose a group of positive single strand RNA viruses. This group possess 70 individual viruses that cause disease in humans and animals. This group contains the most prevalent arbovirus dengue virus (DENV) and a recently emerging arbovirus zika virus (ZIKV). Both DENV and ZIKV represent significant world health threats and both viruses, at the moment, are contained to tropical and sub tropical regions due to vector habitat restrictions. DENV can cause severe hemorrhagic fever termed dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome depending on the extent of vascular permeability. The disease burden attributed to dengue infection is approximately 390 …