Digital Commons Network^™

New Uab Study Better Explains Racial Disparities In Strokes, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Uab Receives Grant To Continue Interprofessional Student Training, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Food Access And Food Choice: Applications For Food Deserts, Gayaneh Kyureghian, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr.

Cornhusker Economics

Poor food choices have been shown to contribute to the rise of major chronic diseases, including overweight and obesity (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)). Consequently, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, emphasizes the need to shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes nutritious food, such as fruits and vegetables. Despite these efforts only 42 percent, and less than 60 percent of Americans, meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption, respectively. In academic and policy circles as well as in the public eye, the local food environment has been associated with food choices and …

Volume 50, Number 18: December 19, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Experiences Of Discrimination Among Arab Americans And Muslim Americans Post-9/11 Attacks, Lenna Jawdat

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored the experiences of discrimination among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in the United States following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Although previous research has documented discrimination among these groups, many of these are quantitative studies that fail to capture their qualitative experiences. Twenty-eight Arab American and Muslim American adults completed a mixed methods survey which asked respondents how the events of 9/11 impacted their sense of safety and security. Additionally, they were asked to explore their experiences of discrimination since 9/11 and to speak about their experiences of media bias. The findings indicate that many Arab …

Bystander Empowerment Amongst Trained Facilitators Of The Mentors In Violence Prevention (Mvp) Program : An Exploratory Study, Katherine H. Driscoll

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explores how a sample of college students trained to be peer facilitators of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program describe the impact of their training. Participants (N=7) were undergraduates from a medium size New England University who attended an MVP Train the Trainer program, which consisted of 25-30 hours of training on facilitation skills and exposure to the MVP curriculum. Participants of this study were asked open-ended questions on the messages of the MVP program, their concept of being an empowered bystander, their use of training, and ways they identify themselves as more empowered bystanders. The findings …

Meniscal Repair Outcomes At Greater Than Five Years: A Systematic Literature Review And Meta-Analysis, Jeffrey J. Nepple, Warren R. Dunn, Rick W. Wright

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A History Of Reminiscences : Clinical Descriptions Of Nostalgia, Psychodynamic Theories Of Mourning, And The Confluence Of Teleology, Alexandra P. Jamali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This historical study looks at medical, psychological and psychiatric descriptions of nostalgia as a pathological condition. By conducting a historical analysis on the medical nosology that addresses this clinical phenomenon from the years 1688-2011, this paper examines the conceptual shift of nostalgia from a medical disease to a psychopathological condition and, ultimately, how it is explained within psychoanalytic literature. In examining the way that nostalgia has been described within psychoanalytic literature, specifically from the years 1950- 2011, this study demonstrates that nostalgia continues to be understood as a psychopathological condition, primarily affiliated with minority groups and displaced persons. Within the …

The Role Of Military Leadership In Servicemembers' Perceptions Of Mental Health Treatment, Peter M. Farley

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine how combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom believe unit leadership in the military addresses the topic of mental health wellness, and how this may influence their individual perceptions on the issue. The specific research question of the study was, "How do veterans perceive mental health wellness is addressed by unit leadership, and how does this affect their attitudes towards psychological treatment in the military? A total of 107 servicemembers completed an online survey consisting of 13 Likert scale and four open-ended questions that …

What's The Impact Of Cultural Competency Education? : Exploring Clinical Social Workers' Attitudes Towards Clients Health-Related Beliefs, Opinions And Psychosocial Contexts, Sheryl J. Jaffe

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This descriptive study explored clinical social workers' attitudes towards their clients' health-related opinions, beliefs, and psychosocial context. Individuals who self-identified as having earned a graduate degree in social work and were employed as clinical social workers were recruited utilizing a snowball sampling method. 120 clinical social workers completed an online survey, a modified version of the Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey (Crosson et al, 2004; Dobbie et al, 2002) which included several demographic variables. The results indicated that 117 participants (97.5%) had previously completed some form of cultural competency coursework or training. No statistically significant differences were found for the participants' …

Association Of Genetic Variation, Gene Expression, And Protein Abundance Within The Natriuretic Peptide Pathway, Bipin Sunkara

Honors College Theses

Background: The natriuretic peptide (NP) system is a critical physiologic pathway in heart failure, but there is marked individual variability in its functioning which may be genetic in origin. We investigated how genetic variations in NP pathway genes correlate with gene expression and protein abundance.

Methods: DNA, RNA, and tissue from human kidney (n=77) were obtained. Kidney was chosen as target tissue because each of the four candidate genes and proteins (natriuretic peptide receptor 1 (NPR1), NPR2, NPR3 and membrane metallo-endopeptidase (MME)) are expressed there. DNA samples were genotyped for 120 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in these four genes using …

The Lived Experience Of Indonesian Nursing Faculty Participating In A Nursing Education Reform Based On The 2009 World Health Organization Global Standards, Joan Elaine Edwards

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Problem: In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) published global standards for initial education of professional nurses and midwives. Curriculum revision is challenging; but even more difficult in developing countries such as Indonesia. Faculty may not be equipped educationally and experientially for the educator role. Indonesian nursing curricula are not currently based on the 2009 WHO global standards. Purpose: To understand the lived experience of Indonesian nursing faculty participating in curriculum revision based on 2009 World Health Organization global standards. Design: A mixed descriptive and interpretive phenomenological qualitative research approach, based on van Manne's methodology. Participants: Thirty-seven nursing faculty from …

Widening The Lens : A Snapshot Of Parenting Coordination, Elisabeth N. Callahan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Parenting coordination is an innovative alternative dispute resolution process that assists separating or divorced parents who are deadlocked in high levels of conflict. The primary aim of this process is to reduce conflict between parents in order to support healthier child adjustment. Parenting coordinators (PCs) assist parents in disengaging from their couple relationship and replacing it with a co-parenting relationship that enables them to continue to effectively parent their children in a cooperative, if not a coordinated, fashion. This cross-sectional descriptive study investigates PCs' perceptions about the process and the families engaged in it with them, based on a sample …

"I'M Not Done In Any Way" : An Exploratory Study Of College-Educated Women At Late Midlife, Diana Giglio

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores the commonalities in the life experiences of a small sample of women in late middle age. Twelve college-educated women, ages 55 to 68, from two northeastern states, responded to open-ended interview questions and produced narratives of their lives in relation to self, family, work, and significant relationships. Changes the women have perceived in themselves over the course of their adult lives were explored, including the influence of age-related physical changes. The narratives also show how social movements of the 1960s and early 1970s influenced these women's lives. The findings suggest an increase in self-confidence and an …

Breaking The Silence : Uncovering The Gendered Communication Patterns Before, During, And After Instances Of Sexual Assault At Nescac Colleges, Carolyn A. Curtis

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem that many college women face. This study explores the gendered communication patterns employed by men and women prior to, during, and after instances of heterosexual sexual assault on New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) college campuses. It was hypothesized that gender plays a role in instances of sexual assault in that norms of masculinity and femininity influence the communication employed by men and women, with women's voices being silenced, muted, and ignored and men's voices being assertive and dominant. Nine mental health and sexual assault professionals, from eight different colleges, were interviewed to …

Embodied Connections : Engaging The Body In Group Psychotherapy, Alissa W. Kimmell

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

An increasing number of therapists are turning to body-oriented practices in response to the perceived shortcomings of talk therapy. Although the literature on individual approaches to body-oriented therapy is growing, we currently know very little about how clinicians are adapting these models to group psychotherapy. Using a grounded theory methodology, this study explores the experiences of fifteen clinicians who have integrated body-oriented practices into interpersonal group therapy. I analyzed data from 40-60 minute telephone interviews through an iterative process of open and focused coding using the constant comparative method. This process revealed participants' common theory of body-oriented practice in group …

Addressing Manifestations Of Oppression At End-Of-Life Among African Americans : Unpacking White Privilege In Hospice Care, Nikki M. Bagli

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The U.S. Census shows that African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population and have higher mortality rates than whites but they only account for 8.9% of the hospice population. This qualitative study examined variables needed to expand hospice services among African Americans, and whether race-based historical injustice needed to be addressed with patients at end-of-life. The investigation is based on the perspectives of seven African American hospice patients receiving in- and out-patient services through one hospice program in the Southeast, U.S. Hospice usage was considered from a relational perspective whereby the cultures of both African Americans and hospice …

The Natural Hair Transformation : A Journey Of Resilience And Resistance, Melissa H. Cranston-Bates

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The study sought to explore the self-identity motives, challenges, and rewards of the natural hair transformation experienced by Black women college students. Women in this study made the decision to stop the use of chemicals that alter the natural state of their hair. The study found that while many participants faced resistance and negative reactions from their families and individuals in their social circles, most described the natural hair transformation as one that was ultimately empowering across several categories of identity. At the same time, participants described immediate and lasting injuries, both physical and psychological, resulting from the use of …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Career Ideation : An Application Of Hope Theory And Social Cognitive Career Theory, Miya V. Drucker

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explores hope theory (Snyder, 1991) and social cognitive career theory (Lent, Hackett and Brown, 1994) perspectives related to the impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on a young adult's professional identity and career ideation. Hope theory posits that there are three primary influences on one's sense of hope, these are: selfagency, pathways and attainment of goals. Social cognitive career theory posits that career ideation and performance is manifested by the interplay of multiple factors, including: selfefficacy, outcome expectations, goals, and negotiation of supports and barriers. The scientific and counseling literatures have not adequately explored the effects …

Social Work As A Healing Vocation : The Exploration Of Clinicians' Trauma Histories And Implications For Practice, Mira L. Elwell

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative exploratory study examines the experiences of social workers who believe they came to the vocation in some part due to a personal history with trauma. Thirteen licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) with histories of trauma were interviewed about their clinical practice focusing on career choice, countertransference, and disclosure. Clinicians discussed how personal experiences with trauma influenced and impacted their decisions to enter social work as a profession. Clinicians also discussed working with clients who were survivors of trauma, decisions surrounding self-disclosure, and the impact and importance of therapy and supervision of one's own. Study results indicated that positive …

The Impact Of Sibling Mental Illness On The Well Sibling, Lisa N. Frierson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the emotional and psychological effects well siblings encounter when a brother or sister is diagnosed with a major mental illness. Qualitative, exploratory interviews were conducted in person and audio-taped with 10 volunteers who were recruited from the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). Questions were aimed at developing a broader understanding of the feelings and experiences that may be unique to this vulnerable population. Major findings were consistent with previous research demonstrating reactions which are associated with the sudden rupture in a sibling relationship due to mental illness. In particular survivor guilt …

Women In Combat : Narratives Of Nurses In World War Ii, Korea And The Vietnam War, Kathryn J. Hall

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored what could be learned from the narratives of female military nurses in World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War. There is very little literature regarding the experiences of female military nurses and scarcer data about women military nurses performing their roles in combat arenas. The sample was comprised of twelve female military nurses who volunteered for their military service during World War II, Korea and/or the Vietnam War. The sample was a well-educated group of nurses who achieved officer rankings while serving and, though the vast majority of the nurses were unspecified as to race, …

The Demographic And Clinical Characteristics Of Female Veterans Who Engage In Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Heather W. Gladstone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Prior research has demonstrated that specific types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are beneficial in decreasing mental health symptoms. Despite this, rates of CAM use are relatively low among veterans, and data about CAM use among female veterans is non-existent. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the demographic and clinical characteristics of female veterans that engage in CAM. Female Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (n=365) in Veterans Affairs (VA) care participated in a web-based survey that was one component of a larger VA study. Results indicated that slightly more than one third of …

Women's Social And Emotional Experiences With Abortion, Alicia M. Flanagan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed methods exploratory study piloted a non-validated online qualitative survey instrument to assess women's social and emotional experiences with abortion stigma from women recruited on college campuses in New England. Abortion stigma is defined as prejudices and discrimination directed at women who have abortions, and people and institutions that support women who have abortions. Thirty-nine women took an online survey instrument that asked respondents to: provide their reproductive health histories; report when they first learned of abortion; give information regarding their community's attitudes about abortion; state their feelings about abortion. Eight women, sampled from the qualitative survey pool, participated …

Reclaiming The Borderlands : A Relational And Transnational Feminist Approach To The History And Treatment Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Rebecca G. Hawes-Sivitz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This paper utilizes transnational feminist theory to both deconstruct the history of borderline personality disorder and to contextualize treatment within a relational psychodynamic frame. Using transnational feminist understandings of the borderland and splintering self-states, the concept of borderline personality disorder is reframed and explored through a historical perspective. Relational psychodynamic theory is considered as a response to this deconstruction, offering a contemporary perspective, which acknowledges the structural oppressions intrinsic in mental illness. Additionally this paper argues that this perspective highlights a path to engage authentically with intersections of self-states rather than at the poles of binary constructions of identity and …

An Expression Of Deep Concern : Championing The Needs Of Never Married Couples And Their Children Coping With Family Related Litigation And Separation : A Project In Collaboration With The Hampshire Bar Association, Northampton, Massachusetts, Deborah J. Druar

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The National Center for Health Statistics has estimated that in 2010, 40.8 percent of births will be to never-married parents (Child Trends Data Bank, 2012). A never married parent who files a complaint at the Probate and Family Court in Hampshire County, Massachusetts seeking to establish paternity, custody, visitation or financial support is mandated to attend the For The Children© (FTC©) parent education program. This qualitative, exploratory, retrospective study, done in collaboration with the Hampshire County Bar Association, explored whether the unique needs of never-married couples with children engaged in family related litigation are met in the curriculum of the …

The Management Of Transference And Countertransference In The Wilderness Therapy Milieu, Jon E. Dukes

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study set out to explore the ways in which clinicians in Wilderness Therapy (WT) manage and address the clinical phenomena of transference and counter transference as it arises in the field. Additionally, the topics of personal and professional boundaries were explored in order to help assess ways clinicians maintain appropriate boundaries and educate their para professional staff about this topic. Seven clinicians from various WT programs across the country participated in a thirty to forty minute long interview via telephone. Throughout the interview process, valuable information was gained pertaining to the process of transference and counter transference within …

Managing Autonomous Transportation Demand, Bryant Walker Smith

Santa Clara Law Review

No abstract provided.

Successful Identification Of Pathogens By Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr)-Based Electron Spray Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (Esi-Tof-Ms) In Culture-Negative Periprosthetic Joint Infection., Christina L Jacovides, Rachael Kreft, Bahar Adeli, Bryan Hozack, Garth D Ehrlich, Javad Parvizi

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection poses many challenges, one of which is the difficulty of isolating the infecting organism. Recently, a sophisticated modality (the Ibis Biosciences T5000 biosensor system) has been introduced that uses pan-domain primers in a series of polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) to identify and speciate essentially all bacteria and fungi as well as to identify key antibiotic resistance genes. We investigated the role of the Ibis in identifying infecting organisms in cases of known and suspected periprosthetic joint infection.

METHODS: Synovial fluid specimens were collected prospectively from eighty-two patients undergoing eighty-seven arthroplasty procedures (sixty-five knee …

Addressing Client Mental Health Within The Personal Training Relationship, Alana R. Honigman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

I undertook this study to expand the literature regarding connections between mental and physical health to include ways in which client mental health arises and is addressed within the personal training relationship. My research was guided by an ethical framework with the purpose of improving best care practices for clients. The four research questions I posed concerned the frequency with which mental health issues are addressed, typical interventions personal trainers utilize in response to these issues, the reasons personal trainers choose specific interventions, and the training personal trainers receive regarding client mental health. Participants (N = 58) were recruited through …