Digital Commons Network^™

Early Childhood Library Resources And Support, Lisa Catherine Riese

Graduate Research Papers

The increasing demands on teachers' time and the extra strain that small districts face in trying to meet the needs of all students, can mean that sometimes programming or certain groups may be overlooked. In the Colo-Nesco district, realignment of district buildings has caused a loss of library access and resources for the preschool program. This research project created an annotated list of library resources that align with the Iowa Early Learning Standards. Titles were found within the Children's Core database, have been published within the past ten years, and align with the seven content areas of the standards. This …

Young Adult Memoir Dealing With Alcohol, Abuse, Infidelity, Violence And Poverty, Kelly Reinhold

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to create a memoir that exposes genuine family issues, such as alcoholism, drugs, infidelity, poverty and abuse, from the perspective of a young adult who lived through these experiences first-hand. The story took place in the early 1990' s when the main character was eleven years old. At the time, she was facing the divorce of her parents and was forced to make painful decisions on her living arrangements and choices within her relationships with her parents and brother.

Eat Until You're Full: The Pursuit Of Autonomy And Health Through The Adoption Of Organic Agriculture In Mae Ta, Thailand, Erin Jean Plews-Ogan

Senior Independent Study Theses

This research explores the role that farmers' concerns about health and community autonomy play in the emergence of an organic agriculture movement in the village of Mae Ta in northern Thailand. In the midst of the push for export-oriented and urban-centered development, many rural people have migrated to urban areas for work or adopted contract farming of chemical-intensive cash crops. Yet farmers in Mae Ta chose a unique alternative: sufficiency-based organic polyculture. Why take on such a risk without solid policy and market support for organic agriculture in Thailand? I investigated these questions through six weeks of participant observation and …

The Influence Of Emergency Rns' Characteristics And Readiness For Change On Their Intention To Implement Evidence-Based Practice, Mary Kathryn Naccarato

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Emergency departments are a major source of hospital admissions with patients at risk for pressure ulcer development. Yet, there is a paucity of literature in two key areas: emergency RNs' role in PU prevention and their knowledge, skills, attitudes and intentions toward implementation of PU prevention guidelines. Manuscript 1 was an integrative review that found multiple factors--knowledge, attitudes, and environmental--that affect nurses' use of PU prevention. Manuscript 2 was an integrative review that found the readiness for change construct as a precursor to implementing an organizational or individual change. Some nurse researchers suggest a readiness assessment as the first step …

Environmental, Human And Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Pedestrian Injury And Death In Las Vegas, Nv, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Courtney Coughenour, Timothy J. Bungum

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: Pedestrian crashes are a deterrent to physical activity, especially walking. The purpose of this study was to analyze pedestrian crash characteristics in Clark County, NV and to determine if there was a significant relationship between pedestrian crashes and socio-economic variables.

Methods: Police reported pedestrian crash data collected between January 2009 and December 2011 were analyzed. Frequencies and rates for pedestrian crashes, injuries and deaths were calculated for environmental and human characteristics. Chi square tests were utilized to determine if there were significant differences in environmental and human characteristics for pedestrian injuries and deaths. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression analysis …

Association Between Patient Experience And Hospital Financial Performance Pre And Post Implementation Of Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services (Cms) Pay For Performance Initiative, Anthony C. Stanowski

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Hospitals are the ultimate service providers in that no goods are produced. Hospital employees and independent providers deliver a highly technical set of services with the noble goal of improving the state of wellness of their patients. Historically, the hospital industry considered satisfying patients as secondary to conquering the disease of the patient. CMS' implementation of a Pay-For-Performance (P4P) system, within the context of a Value Based Purchasing (VBP) program, altered providers' perspective by associating a financial reward/penalty based on how well hospitals satisfied patients, as well as based on the provision of core clinical processes. In future years, the …

Suggestions For Evaluating The Quality Of The Army’S Science And Technology Program: The Portfolio And Its Execution, John W. Lyons, Richard Chait, James A. Ratches

Defense and Technology Papers

This paper presents a methodology discussing the goal of establishing the strongest possible technology program appropriately aligned to the needs of its customers and the expectations of its stakeholders. The first chapter presents the essential elements of the Army S&T portfolio followed by discussions of the Army S&T portfolio and the evaluation of it.

“Damning The Dams”: A Study Of Cost Benefit Analysis In Large Dams Through The Lens Of India's Sardar Sarovar Project, Evelyn Wong

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the evaluation of the economic, environmental and social effects of dams, and lessons learned from previous dams. It then focuses on cost benefit analysis as a decision-making tool pre-project for evaluating the potential gains and losses of building a dam; and as a framework for evaluating dams in operation. It reviews the basic assumptions required for a legitimate cost benefit analysis, and the inherent limitations of this method. It uses the Sardar Sarovar dam as a case study for the use and abuse of cost benefit analysis in decision-making, interstate politics, propaganda and activism. It also illustrates …

Clustering Methods And Their Applications To Adolescent Healthcare Data, Morgan Mayer-Jochimsen

Scripps Senior Theses

Clustering is a mathematical method of data analysis which identifies trends in data by efficiently separating data into a specified number of clusters so is incredibly useful and widely applicable for questions of interrelatedness of data. Two methods of clustering are considered here. K-means clustering defines clusters in relation to the centroid, or center, of a cluster. Spectral clustering establishes connections between all of the data points to be clustered, then eliminates those connections that link dissimilar points. This is represented as an eigenvector problem where the solution is given by the eigenvectors of the Normalized Graph Laplacian. Spectral clustering …

Adolescent Depression Education Program For Middle School Nurses: A Feasibility Study, Teresa Carnevale

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

While healthcare providers have increased depression screening of adolescents during preventive care, an enormous number of adolescents do not have regular contact with healthcare providers and, therefore, do not get screened. Nationwide screenings by school nurses would be an ideal way to capture students not seen by healthcare providers; however, this screening is not required and therefore does not occur. The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the three-step process by which the feasibility of using school nurses to identify and screen for adolescent depression (AD) was explored. In a pre-dissertation study, school nurses reported they lacked knowledge, time, …

Tyrosinase Reactive T Cells Reject Or Edit Established Human Melanomas In Vivo, Telma Raquela Martins Da Palma

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Adoptive transfer of T cell receptor (TCR) gene transduced T cells can mediate dramatic tumor regressions in melanoma patients. However, improvements in these therapies are needed as most patients either fail to respond to the therapy or eventually experience recurrent disease. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of T cells expressing the high-affinity TIL 1383I TCR for treatment of human melanomas, we developed xenograft models for the malignancy. Human T cells transduced with the TIL 1383I TCR exhibited strong in vitro reactivity against HLA-A2+Tyrosinase+ targets but failed to impact tumor growth in vivo. In contrast, TIL 1383I TCR-expressing murine T cells …

Combination Therapy For Inflammation And Neurodegeneration In Multiple Sclerosis Rodent Model, Nicole Neva Marie Trager

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex demyelinating CNS disease that involves both immunologic and neurodegenerative mechanisms of pathophysiology. MS is characterized by lymphocyte infiltration in the CNS resulting in extensive axonal neurodegenerative processes. The current therapies for MS act through either immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive mechanisms; none address both the immune and degenerative arms of the disease. The immunomodulatory agents are generally broad spectrum and non-specific immunosuppression and are associated with significant toxicities. Thus, novel therapies or therapeutic strategies are needed to fully combat both inflammatory and neurodegenerative events that define MS. The animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is used …

The Roles Of Primary Cilia In Polycystic Kidney Disease, Samred H. Kathem, Ashraf M. Mohieldin, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited genetic disorder that results in progressive renal cyst formation with ultimate loss of renal function and other systemic disorders. These systemic disorders include abnormalities in cardiovascular, portal, pancreatic and gastrointestinal systems. ADPKD is considered to be among the ciliopathy diseases due to the association with abnormal primary cilia function. In order to understand the full course of primary cilia and its association with ADPKD, the structure, functions and role of primary cilia have been meticulously investigated. As a result, the focus on primary cilia has emerged to support the vital roles …

Emerging Opportunities For Pharmacists To Improve Health Care For The Poor And Underserved, Lawrence M. Brown

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The changing organization, financing, and priorities of the U.S. health care system are creating new imperatives for employers, health care insurers, hospitals, and especially interprofessional health care practitioners. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 was created with the aim of decreasing overall health care cost, improving access to health care, and improving health care quality, while including provisions that support coordinated health care practitioner collaboration within the system. This coordinated collaboration among health professions has the potential to provide comprehensive, population-based, cost-effective, and high-quality patient care and a new emphasis on health promotion, wellness, and disease …

Modeling Of Misalignment Effects In Microfluidic Interconnects For Modular Bio-Analytical Chip Applications, Sudheer D. Rani, Taehyun Park, Byoung Hee You, Steve A. Soper, Michael C. Murphy, Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos

Faculty Publications

Minimizing misalignments during the interconnection of microfluidic modules is extremely critical to develop a fully integrated microfluidic device. Misalignments arising during chip-to-chip or world-to-chip interconnections can be greatly detrimental to efficient functioning of microfluidic devices. To address this problem, we have performed numerical simulations to investigate the effect of misalignments arising in three types of interconnection methods: (i) end-to-end interconnection (ii) channel overlap when chips are stacked on top of each other, and (iii) tube-in-reservoir misalignment occurring due to the offset between the external tubing and the reservoir. For the case of end-to-end interconnection, the effect of misalignment was investigated …

Successful Vitrification And Autografting Of Baboon (Papio Anubis) Ovarian Tissue, Christiani A. Amorim, Sophie Jacobs, Ram V. Devireddy, Anne Van Langendonckt, Julie Vanacker, Jonathan Jaeger, Valérie Luyckx, Jacques Donnez, Marie Madeleine Dolmans

Faculty Publications

STUDY QUESTIONCan a vitrification protocol using an ethylene glycol/dimethyl sulphoxide-based solution and a cryopin successfully cryopreserve baboon ovarian tissue?SUMMARY ANSWEROur results show that baboon ovarian tissue can be successfully cryopreserved with our vitrification protocol.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYNon-human primates have already been used as an animal model to test vitrification protocols for human ovarian tissue cryopreservation.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONOvarian biopsies from five adult baboons were vitrified, warmed and autografted for 5 months.PARTICIPANTS/ MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSAfter grafting, follicle survival, growth and function and also the quality of stromal tissue were assessed histologically and by immunohistochemistry. The influence of the vitrification procedure on …

Vibration Control Of Buildings Using Magnetorheological Damper: A New Control Algorithm, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

This paper presents vibration control of a building model under earthquake loads. A magnetorheological (MR) damper is placed in the building between the first floor and ground for seismic response reduction. A new control algorithm to command the MR damper is proposed. The approach is inspired by a quasi-bang-bang controller; however, the proposed technique gives weights to control commands in a fashion that is similar to a fuzzy logic controller. Several control algorithms including decentralized bang-bang controller, Lyapunov controller, modulated homogeneous friction controller, maximum energy dissipation controller, and clipped-optimal controller are used for comparison. The new controller achieved the best …

Advent Devotional Guide 2013, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeochemical Analysis For Tasuj Plain Aquifer, Iran, Ata Allah Nadiri, Asghar Asghari Moghaddam, Frank T.C. Tsai, Elham Fijani

Faculty Publications

This study investigated the hydrogeochemical processes of groundwater in the Tasuj plain, Iran. The Tasuj plain is one of the 12 marginal plains around Urmia Lake which is currently under a critical ecological condition. In the last decades, the Tasuj plain aquifer suffered from severe groundwater level declination and caused degradation of groundwater quality. To better understand hydrogeochemical processes in the Tasuj plain, this study adopted graphical methods and multivariate statistical techniques to analyze groundwater samples. A total of 504 groundwater samples was obtained from 34 different locations (qanats, wells, and springs) over 12 years (1997-2009) and analyzed for 15 …

Supervised Committee Machine With Artificial Intelligence For Prediction Of Fluoride Concentration, Ata Allah Nadiri, Elham Fijani, Frank T.C. Tsai, Asghar Asghari Moghaddam

Faculty Publications

The study introduces a supervised committee machine with artificial intelligence (SCMAI) method to predict fluoride in ground water of Maku, Iran. Ground water is the main source of drinking water for the area. Management of fluoride anomaly needs better prediction of fluoride concentration. However, the complex hydrogeological characteristics cause difficulties to accurately predict fluoride concentration in basaltic formation, non-basaltic formation, and mixing zone. SCMAI predicts fluoride by a nonlinear combination of individual AI models through an artificial intelligent system. Factor analysis is used to identify effective fluoride-correlated hydrochemical parameters as input to AI models. Four AI models, Sugeno fuzzy logic, …

Does Living By The Sword Mean Dying By The Sword, Charles Chernor Jalloh

Articles

This article examines the right to self-representation in international criminal law, and the common challenges posed for judges effectuating that right in international criminal courts. Using a comparative law approach, the paper demonstrates how the interpretation of that right initially borrowed heavily from U.S. common law and later European civil law to address the problems caused by self-representing, disruptive, and uncooperative defendants. Although the right to self-representation is a Sixth Amendment right in U.S. law, and an equally fundamental one in international law, the author contends that this right seems better in theory than in practice. Indeed, since no self-representing …

Public Sector Industrial Relations In Canada: Does It Threaten Or Sustain Democracy?, Mark Thompson, Sara Slinn

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Regulating The Impacts Of International Project Financing: The Equator Principles Resulting The Impacts Of International Project Financing, Cynthia A. Williams

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Prolonged Sexual Abstinence After Childbirth: Gendered Norms And Perceived Family Health Risks. Focus Group Discussions In A Tanzanian Suburb, Columba Mbekenga, Andrea B. Pembe, Elisabeth Darj, Kyllike Christensson, Pia Olsson

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Prolonged sexual abstinence after childbirth is a socio-cultural practice with health implications, and is described in several African countries, including Tanzania. This study explored discourses on prolonged postpartum sexual abstinence in relation to family health after childbirth in low-income suburbs of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods: Data for the discourse analysis were collected through focus group discussions with first-time mothers and fathers and their support people in Ilala, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Results: In this setting, prolonged sexual abstinence intended at promoting child health was the dominant discourse in the period after childbirth. Sexual relations after childbirth involved the …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Depression Among Patients With Epilepsy In A Kenyan Tertiary Care Hospital, Nduku Kiko

Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine

Aim: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression in patients with epilepsy at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi. Design: Cross-sectional Survey Background: Depression is a recognized common co-morbidity of epilepsy that often goes untreated and has great impact on quality of life of patients and management of patients with epilepsy. Patients and Setting: Patients with epilepsy on follow up at the Aga Khan University Hospital were evaluated for presence and factors associated with depression. Methodology: The study recruited eligible patients with epilepsy who were on follow up in the neurology clinic. Beck Depression Inventory was administered to evaluate …

Moving Beyond "Slaves, Sinners, And Saviors": An Intersectional Feminist Analysis Of Us Sex-Trafficking Discourses, Law And Policy, Carrie N. Baker

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article analyzes stories and images of sex trafficking in current mainstream US public discourses, including government publications, NGO materials, news media, and popular films. Noting the similarities and differences among these discourses, the first part demonstrates that they often frame sex trafficking using a rescue narrative that reiterates traditional beliefs and values regarding gender, sexuality, and nationality, relying heavily on patriarchal and orientalist tropes. Reflecting this rescue narrative, mainstream public policies focus on criminal justice solutions to trafficking. The second part suggests alternative frameworks that empower rather than rescue trafficked people. The article argues that the dominant criminal justice …

The Slutwalk Movement: A Study In Transnational Feminist Activism, Joetta L. Carr

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In the past two years the term "slut" ricocheted through the North American media and showed up on signs and banners on every continent as young feminists and their allies launched a series of demonstrations under the name of SlutWalks. In January 2011, a Toronto police officer told students at York University that if women wanted to avoid rape they should not dress like sluts. This incident sparked international outrage, with protests spreading quickly throughout the world, and revealed the misogyny and victim-blaming vitriol that characterize contemporary patriarchal culture. In the wake of the global SlutWalk movement, important questions have …

Early Onset Type 2 Diabetes And Associated Risk Factors, Grace Nyambura Kiraka

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Background: The incidence of type 2 diabetes in patients below the age of 40 (early onset diabetes) is markedly on the rise and has been linked increased prevalence of risk factors such as the metabolic syndrome and family history of diabetes. Objective: To determine the proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi (AKUHN) who have early onset type 2 diabetes and the association of age of onset with risk factors (family history of diabetes, obesity, waist circumference, hypertension, low HDL cholesterol and hypertriglyceridaemia) in this group of patients. Methods: This was a cross sectional …

Primary Antiretroviral Drug Resistance Profiles Among Hiv-1 Therapy Naïve Patients In Two Referral Hospitals In Kenya, Simon Onsongo Nyangena

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Objective: To characterize antiretroviral drug resistance mutations among drug naïve patients in two referral hospitals in Kenya Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was first described in 1982. Since then the virus has spread globally to infect millions of people. HIV was first described in Kenya in the period between 1984/1985. Currently, Kenya has an estimated HIV-1 prevalence of 6.2% with a country population of about 40 million people. With the introduction of antiretroviral drugs, the survival of most HIV patients has been prolonged markedly. However this is greatly threatened by increasing rates of antiretroviral …

Is There One Right Answer To The Question Of The Nature Of Law?, Dan Priel

Articles & Book Chapters

For some time during the late 1970s and early 1980s Ronald Dworkin's claim that there are uniquely right answers to virtually all legal questions was the subject of heated debate. But as often happens with such debates, it eventually ran out of steam, even though neither side succeeded in convincing the other. It may therefore seem a bit odd to return to this topic now. IfT do so, it is because I wish to examine it from an angle that I think it has not yet been looked at, and which I think is relevant to some debates that are …