Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Intersectionality Of Religious Faith, Spirituality, And Healthcare Communication, Felix Okeke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is my own contribution in responding to the concern raised by certain communication scholars. Their concern was that little research and few publications have been done in the communication field by communication scholars that trace the relationship among religious faith, spirituality, and healthcare communication. While Parrott (2004) describes this apparent neglect as “collective amnesia,” others label it “religion blindness.” Thus, in trying to trace this relationship, this project uses Christian, biblical, and bioethics backgrounds to establish the value, sacredness, and dignity of human life, since these concepts make healthcare and healthcare communication necessary in the first place. These …

The Contribution Of A Global Ethics Approach To Health And The Environment In The Niger Delta Region, Augustine Wayii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE CONTRIBUTION OF A GLOBAL ETHICS APPROACH TO HEALTH AND THE

ENVIRONMENT IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION

By

Augustine Lezorgia Wayii, M. ED, M.A.

May 2020

Dissertation supervised by Gerard Magill, PhD

The dissertation presents a global ethics approach that connects health and the environment in the context of the Niger Delta Region. The people of the Niger Delta region in Nigeria are experiencing major catastrophes that connect health and the environment. In the bid to ameliorate these pivotal problems, this dissertation undertakes an ethical analysis that connects health and the environment. Insofar as these problems can be characteristic …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Inherent Barriers To The Potential Implementation Of Ultrasound In The Prehospital Setting Between The Saudi Red Crescent Authority And The National Guard Hospital, Maher Alsulami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study was designed to illuminate both the obstacles and the opportunities inherent in the current medical emergency systems within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in relation to the possible inclusion of ultrasound machines to assist both Saudi Red Crescent Authority professionals and emergency physicians in the hospital. The research explored the issue of implementing the ultrasound from the perspective of multiple institutions: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority and the National Guard Hospital. The research explored multiple healthcare professionals within both organizations including paramedics, EMTs, emergency doctors, and Saudi Red Crescent station administrators.

The purpose of this qualitative method …

Retrospective Cohort Study Of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain In An Outpatient Pain Specialist Clinic, Gauri Desai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a back pain that lasts for three or more than three months in the lumbar region of the spinal cord. A nerve injury or damage in the spinal cord region (neuropathic pain) requires multimodal treatment approach for pain reduction. With various treatment options utilized in the pain management of these patients, identifying demographical and clinical characteristics of patients with chronic LBP utilizing interventional procedures and pharmacologic treatments is imperative.

Objective: (i) To describe the demographics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, drug use status) and clinical characteristics (procedures, medications) …

Functionalized Materials From Atom Transfer Radical Processes, Sean Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is focused on the synthesis, characterization, and application of functionalized materials prepared from atom transfer radical processes. Atom transfer radical processes encompass both atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) and polymerization (ATRP) reactions, both of which are catalyzed by ppm amounts of copper complexes. The synthetic efforts of ATRA include increasing adduct selectivity through optimization of reaction conditions to generate small molecules in high to moderate yields. ATRA provides retention of the halogen moiety, which is an attractive functional group that can be further modified with other transformations. Specifically, the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition (CuAAC) allows for the realization …

Melatonin-Tamoxifen Drug Conjugates As Breast Cancer Drugs: Pharmacological Evaluation In Phenotypically Diverse Breast Cancer Models And Pharmacokinetic Assessment In Liver Microsome And Female Mouse Models, Mahmud Hasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tamoxifen is a first-generation selective estrogen receptor modulator, which reduces the risk of both invasive and non-invasive breast cancer (BC) as well as tumor recurrence in several clinical trials. However, chronic use of tamoxifen can increase uterine cancer risk and induce tamoxifen resistance. In past studies, melatonin alone reversed tamoxifen resistance induced by light exposure at night in rodents. This study demonstrates that melatonin or melatonin-based ligands (e.g., melatonin-tamoxifen drug conjugates) may be novel BC therapies that are efficacious and free of side effects. To investigate this further, five melatonin-tamoxifen drug conjugates with different linker sizes were synthesized and screened …

Atom Transfer Radical Processes: From Catalyst Design To Polymer Synthesis, Characterization, And Application, Michael Novak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the toxicity of heavy metals and their prevalence in the environment there exists a need to develop highly active transition metal catalysts ultimately reducing the amount needed for chemical transformations. Additionally, there is interest in the scientific community for creating new materials that can remove these pollutants from industrial wastewater prior to its release into the environment. The work presented here focuses on the reduction and removal of heavy metals from industrial hazardous waste by designing novel highly active catalysts and developing polymeric adsorbents.

Highly active catalyst complexes consisting of novel hybrid ligands, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl-bis-[2-(pyridylmethyl)amine] (M1-T2), and bis[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2-(pyridylmethyl)amine (M2-T1), …

Fluoride Removal With Augmented Bentonite In Drinking Water And Community Perceptions In Arusha, Tanzania, Kara Okular

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High fluoride concentrations in drinking water affect millions of people around the world. The World Health Organization recommended a fluoride concentration in drinking water of ≤ 1.5 mg/L; fluoride above this concentration can cause long-term dental and skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride imparts no taste to water; therefore, people do not realize that they are ingesting high fluoridated water. Researchers sought to develop a material to remove fluoride from drinking water through sorption. Aluminum was used to form a double ionic layer on the bentonite clay surface. Once mixed in contaminated water, a coagulant, ferric sulfate, was used to separate the bentonite …

The Haven: A Clinical Ethnography Of A Farm-Based Therapeutic Community, Monica Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic communities are communal spaces where individuals live for an extended period in hopes of recovering from personal crises, or while coping with severe mental illness. They provide a humanistic alternative to inpatient hospitalization. Although they are seldom studied, even less is known about farm-based therapeutic communities in the United States, where communal work is viewed as central to recovery. This dissertation examines the experience of living and working at the Haven. Originally conceived as a farm-based community where suffering individuals could experience reprieve from the demands of the “working world,” and heal by living in community, recent changes in …

Trust In The Nurse And Perceived Quality Nursing Care By Adult Oncology Patients With Implantable Vascular Access Port Devices: A Mixed Methods Study, Lois Rajcan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of nurse behaviors that promote trust and quality nursing care as perceived by oncology patients with totally implantable vascular access devices (TIVAD).

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was used to answer the study questions. This design was comprised of two phases: 1) a quantitative online survey of oncology patients with TIVADs followed by; 2) qualitative interviews using purposively selected patients from the survey sample.

Results: Trust in the nurse and perceived quality of nursing care by patients with TIVADs were determined to be of average levels. Two qualitative …

A Catholic Ethic For Smartphones In Tanzania, Faustine Tarimo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project is a synthesis of Church documents and papal encyclicals to form a Catholic ethic for the smartphone use in Tanzania. The research question for this project is how a Catholic communication ethic shapes the use of smartphones for human communication in Tanzania. The problem I want to address is the perceived danger of losing connectivity or ‘real’ face-to-face encounters between people in “let’s talk culture” in Tanzania. The goal of this project is to appreciate the use of smartphones, at the same time to attend to a Catholic ethic to integrate into a “let’s talk culture” some digital …

Identifying The Effects Naturally Forming Bacterial Communities Have On The Efficiency Of Passive Remediation Systems Built To Treat Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage, Michelle M. Valkanas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) has resulted in worldwide devastation. Passive remediation systems (PRS) are a cost-effective option to treat AMD. While the geochemistry (abiotic) of these systems is well understood, little work has been done to characterize the microbial communities (biotic) that naturally form within these systems. The goal of this dissertation was to identify the effects that bacterial communities have on the efficiency of PRSs. Four passive remediation sites built to treat coal mine drainage were studied: two that treat acidic discharges (Boyce and Middle Branch) and two that treat circumneutral discharges (Wingfield Pines and Lowber). Survey studies suggested …

The Rhetoric Of Jimmy Carter: Renewing America’S Confidence In Civic Leadership Through Speech And Political Education, Christopher Bondi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

July 15, 2019 marked the fortieth anniversary of President Jimmy Carter’s “Crisis of Confidence” speech, a catalyst for what became an often overlooked yet significant turning point in the nation’s history. Carter’s words were both poignant and pointed as he calmly, yet directly, addressed the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and engagement in narcissistic practices that led to a coveting of material goods. In an examination of the events that shaped this historical moment, this dissertation contends that, despite President Carter’s attempt to steer America in a more environmentally and socially conscious direction, the nation instead acquiesced to Ronald Reagan’s …

The Ethical Accountability Of Organizational Leadership To Communities Of Stakeholders In Healthcare, Lisa Martinelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE ETHICAL ACCOUNTABILITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO COMMUNITIES OF STAKEHOLDERS IN HEALTHCARE

By

Lisa A. Martinelli, JD, MA

October 2020

Dissertation supervised by Professor Gerard Magill

While much is written on organizational ethics in healthcare, this dissertation uniquely links organizational ethics and stakeholder theory to the ethical accountability of leadership to their distinct, vulnerable stakeholder communities. It does so by examining the healthcare organization’s moral agency in relation to stakeholder theory and applies those considerations to three major stakeholder categories: confidentiality and privacy of healthcare information, research and attention to specific pediatric populations, and ethics of care concerning the …

Control Of Corrosion On Ss316l Using Surface Initiated Polymers, Alexander Rupprecht

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pitting corrosion is arguably one of the most destructive and dangerous forms of corrosion, resulting in damage to structures, the environment, and public health. In addition, damage caused to structures such as bridges, pipelines, and boats, corrosion also has a profound effect on the biomedical community. Implanted metallic devices (i.e., vascular stents and artificial joints) are prone to pitting corrosion caused by aggressive ions present in extracellular fluid. To provide a corrosion-resistant surface on SS316L, films of poly(styrene), poly(methyl acrylate), and poly(methyl methacrylate) were formed using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The resulting hydrophobic polymer films had a fractional …

Epidemics, Politics And Public Health: Ludwig Rajchman, Md, The League Of Nations Health Organization And The Creation Of A Transnational Health Institution, Paul J. Weinbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional scholarship on the League of Nations labels the organization as a failure because it did not prevent the outbreak of the World War II. Recent research examines League activities in a more comprehensive manner and concludes that the organization should be credited with important and enduring achievements. Perhaps the most successful work was carried out by the Health Section led by Dr. Ludwick Rajchman. Using primary sources from the League archives in Geneva, documents from organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, articles from medical journals and other relevant secondary sources, I argue that the Health Section, became the world’s …

A Qualitative Study Of The Social Emotional Needs Of Newly Arrived Immigrant Secondary Students In One Texas High School, Janie Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Immigration has been part of American history, through time increasing the diversity in population. The U.S. Department of Education reported that newly arrived immigrant students are welcomed to classrooms in public schools, and recent data revealed that more than 840,000 immigrant students occupy American classrooms. Immigrant students may demonstrate high aspirations and hope for a good public education however, some experiences bring about isolation, anxiety, and oppression, demonstrating a critical need for a caring and equitable environment. This qualitative case study utilized interviews with newcomer students to determine the social-emotional impact of the lived experiences of newly arrived immigrant students …

To Reach The Unreachable Stars: Reexamining The Shared Arthurian Vision Of C. S. Lewis's Science Fiction Trilogy And Raymond Chandler's Marlowe Novels, Hollis Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although Raymond Chandler and C. S. Lewis seem to be a rather strange pairing, the ways in which they both borrow from Arthurian literature and use the myth to speak to their cultural moment are strikingly similar. Following T. S. Eliot’s use of the Grail quest in The Waste Land (which set a standard for the use of such material in Modern literature), these authors use Arthurian elements as a means of exposing hidden connections between the fragments of the literary past and the present within Chandler’s Marlowe novels and Lewis’s science fiction trilogy. Both men present Western identity as …

Through The Devil's Mirror: The Villain And The Sinthomosexual As Manifestations Of The Death Drive, Andrew Markus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lee Edelman’s No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (2004) offers a model for reading queer sexuality and societal place very much in line with that which begins to emerge in early Gothic literature, including Matthew Lewis’s The Monk: A Romance (1796). The Gothic villain aligns with Edelman’s sinthomosexual to illustrate a pattern of victimization and retaliation which results in both the villain and sinthomosexual’s persistent abjection from the social order. However, a close reading of Lewis’s narrative for its depiction of psychological trauma rooted in sexual expression suggests that this queer negativity is not the sum total of …

Approaches To Curricular And Co-Curricular Community Engagement With College Students: Building Relationships, Shifting Power, And Developing A Social Justice Mindset, Luci-Jo Dimaggio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Which programmatic principles of community engagement have a higher potential to irritate the beliefs that college students hold regarding their own power, privilege, understanding of social justice? This study takes a qualitative approach to the exploration of three groups of students representing curricular community engagement, co-curricular community engagement, and a hybrid model. Data showed that reflection and education as components of community engagement with college students allow students to better develop characteristics indicative of a social justice mindset.

Capacity Building: A Study Of Career Academies And Student Career Self-Efficacy., Shawn Timothy Hinds Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The phrase “College and Career Readiness” echoes throughout the halls of schools and districts across the United States. Politicians pass legislation aimed at ensuring the readiness of every student graduating from high school. Despite these efforts, the United States is falling further behind in a global race for economic wellbeing and academic preparedness based on one of the most respected global measures of student achievement, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Murphy & Adams, 1998; Tucker, 2016). Even as the social fabric of the country changes and the number of Students of Color and students in poverty increase, there have …

Perceptions Of Executive Functions And Self-Care Actions In Major Depressive Disorder., Melanie G. Walters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation encompasses a study of the effect of impaired executive functions on decision-making and self-care of depressive illness. The first chapter provides an introduction and summarizes the body of literature on the executive functions and its association with depressive symptoms. The second chapter contains the second of two systematic reviews which examines conceptualizations of executive functions, classical and current measures used to assess the executive functions, and challenges and limitations related to current methods of assessment. The third chapter describes the development of a vignette technique and its use in a study to examine the association of depressive symptoms …

A Phenomenological Study Of Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Students In The Age Of Kindergarten Readiness., Adam Nelson Stephens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kindergarten has changed dramatically from a play-based, social experience a generation ago to the literacy- and numeracy-based curricula of today. With this shift in academic expectations, children now take a kindergarten readiness assessment at the beginning of the school year to determine their likelihood of success based on their pre-kindergarten preparation. While previous studies have examined teachers’ perceptions of current kindergarten practices, expectations, and students, few use teachers’ descriptions as the data (Abry et al., 2015; Hustedt et al., 2018). This phenomenological study reports how kindergarten teachers at three Central Kentucky elementary schools describe their attitudes about their own kindergarten …

The Impact Of A Digital Intervention On Perceived Stress, Resiliency, Social Support, And Intention To Leave Among Newly Licensed Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Lisa Concilio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nursing shortage has been deemed a public health crisis with the turnover rate of newly licensed nurses (NLNs) growing (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014). One out of five NLNs are leaving the profession due to work dissatisfaction and feelings of inadequacy (National Academy of Medicine, 2017). NLN attrition during the first year of hire has been associated with feelings of overwhelming stress and decreased sense of support which negatively impact patient safety (Spence Laschinger et al., 2016). As seasoned nurses are attempting to retire amidst a nursing shortage (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2018), NLNs require more support …

Veteran Teachers’ Perceptions On The Negative Implications Of Classroom Disruptive Behavior And Redirection Strategies, Charvelia Sharae Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Classroom teachers are responsible for creating an environment where all students are able to receive an optimal educational experience. However, disruptive behavior demonstrated by students in classrooms often makes it more difficult for teachers to provide quality instruction to all students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions of veteran teachers related to student disruptive behavior as well as the redirection strategies utilized to decrease the occurrence of such behavior during instructional time. Along with completing an open-ended survey related to strategies used to address disruptive behavior, the veteran teacher participants shared their experiences in …

Supporting Postnatal Women With Opioid Use Disorder Treated With Medication Avoidance Therapy, Lea Ann Quave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent data in 28 U.S. states revealed that opioid use during pregnancy had increased by four times since 2014, going from 1.5 to 6.5 per 1,000 admissions. The use of opioids during pregnancy is dangerous to the mother and developing fetus, greatly increasing the risk for maternal death, miscarriage, and premature birth. The increase in the number of women with opioid abuse disorder (OUD) is reflected by a fivefold increase of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal syndrome from opioids. Corresponding with U.S. trends, a community hospital in the Texas Gulf Coast region has seen an increase …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

Let Me Serve Your Majesty: Psalm 8, Matthew Fredrickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The speaker in Ps 8 proclaims a desire to serve Yahweh’s heavenly power/victory by appealing to humanity’s status as God’s images (Gen 1:27) and accepting the role of Yahweh’s new servant (Isa 55:3), as a priest/minister of God (Isa 61:1-6; cf Isa 42:1). This thesis translates אשר תנה as one word in verse 2b (אשרתנה), rendered, “May I serve your heavenly power/victory!” This is illustrated (in part) by two participles in Ps 8, ינקם (v. 3) and עבר (v. 9), which refer to cosmic foes of Yahweh—“the ones who nurse” (the goodly gods in CAT 1.23) and the “one …

The Functions And Uses Of The Marker “Bita:ʕ” In Egyptian Arabic: A Corpus Analysis: Discourse And Vagueness Functions, Asmaa Taha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discourse markers are used considerably in Egyptian colloquial Arabic, yet few studies examine them in colloquial Arabic. A mixed-method research design adopting a descriptive corpus-based approach is used to better understand the communicative discourse and vagueness functions of the words bita:ʕ, bita:ʕa, and bitu:ʕ in Egyptian Arabic discourse. This study also highlights the collocational behavior of bita:ʕ, bita:ʕa, and bitu:ʕ as well as their colligation patterns. A correlation is found between colligation patterns of the markers bita:ʕ and its variants and particular discourse and vagueness functions in context. Additionally, the study investigates the morphosyntactic phenomenon in which bita:ʕ has …

Studying Abroad And Intercultural Outcomes: Differences Experienced Between International Exchange Students And U.S. Study Abroad Students, Patricia V. Lin-Steadman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major focus of many U.S. higher-education institutions is to increase internationalization of their campus through, in part, the promotion of study abroad experiences among domestic students and to recruit and retain international students to their institution. This study explored the effects of certain factors on various domains of the Global Engagement Measurement Scale (GEMS) – Cultural Engagement, Ambiguity Tolerance, Knowledge of Host Site, and Diversity Openness – among U.S. students who have studied abroad and international exchange students who have studied in the U.S. There was a particular focus, on determining whether U.S. study abroad students, compared to international …