Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying A Daily Light Integral For Warm-Season Putting Green Species, Benton Prichard Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

A major constraint for ultradwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis) putting green cultivars is poor performance under reduced light environments (RLEs) due to the overall poor shade tolerance of bermudagrass. The objectives of this research were to quantify a daily light integral (DLI) requirement for warm-season putting green cultivar establishment, quantify a DLI requirement for established warm-season putting green cultivars, and identify differences in plant responses of warm-season putting green cultivars under RLEs during establishment and for established turf stands, as well. Using regression analysis, DLI requirements were generated to quantify the amount of light needed to …

Petroleum Releases From Underground Storage Tanks In Northwest Indiana: Successful Remediation Techniques And Implications Of Cost Effectiveness, Richard Jason Lenz

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to the passage of the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 1.6 million bare steel Underground Storage Tanks (UST) were in use in the United States. Many of them were leaking. In Indiana approximately 13,000 UST remain but have been upgraded to meet current industry and regulatory standards. Cleaning up the petroleum releases from leaking UST has continued since it became evident that bare steel underground tanks leaked. In Northwest Indiana glacial moraine and outwash deposits from the Wisconsin Ice Age that retreated 10,000 years ago left 200 feet of glacial till above the underlying bedrock. Soil Vapor …

Impact Of Early Childhood Classroom Resources On Process Quality Beyond Technical Assistance, Julie Anna Sims

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether phase 1 early childhood classrooms receiving classroom resources and technical assistance for early childhood teachers through the Allies for Quality Care project would have greater improvements in process quality than phase 2 classrooms receiving only technical assistance. Process quality refers to what children experience in the early childhood classroom that directly impacts their development and was assessed through the Environment Rating Scales (ERS). Classroom resources were provided to improve the quality of the environment that children experience. The technical assistance was one-on-one to help early childhood teachers understand developmentally appropriate practices. The study examined …

Improved Methods For The Analysis Of Estrogen Residues In Environmental Aqueous Matrices, Sameera Ranmal Gunatilake

Theses and Dissertations

Improved analytical methods using novel cleanup techniques and inexpensive instrumentation for the determination of residue estrogens in municipal wastewater and swine lagoon wastewater have been developed. Presented approaches are less expensive, less time consuming, yet produce comparable detection limits and extraction efficiencies to existing methods. Chapter I provides an overview on environmental estrogens. Chapter II describes a novel method to quantify five estrogens including estriol, estrone, 17alpha-estradiol, 17beta-estradiol, and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol in influent and effluent municipal wastewater. The method includes sample preparation using solid-phase extraction followed by a “QuEChERS” cleanup, dansylation and LC/MS/MS detection. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance solid phase extraction (SPE) was …

Fall Prevention Through Proactive Toileting, Kristin Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper will summarize the quality improvement falls prevention project conducted by a University of San Francisco Clinical Nurse Leader student. Falls in the hospital setting are an ongoing problem in our healthcare system as they have great physical and financial impacts (Salamon, Victory, & Bobay, 2012). Hospital A, an urban teaching hospital, uses the Schmid scale for determining if a patient is a fall risk which includes the assessment of need for ambulatory aids, history of falls, and impaired cognition among other criteria (Schmid,1990). Fall rates are climbing in the United States and the trend is similar on Hospital …

The Effect Of The July 1, 2012 Federal Student Aid Changes On The Annual Student Debt Of Community College Students In Mississippi, Albert Lee Collins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the changes to federal student aid, which were implemented on July 1, 2012, on student loan debt in Mississippi’s publicly-supported community colleges, particularly the change in the Estimated Family Contribution. The literature indicates a national epidemic of student borrowing. This research could provide Mississippi community college administrators the opportunity to observe and evaluate actual changes and to better understand the problem of student loan debt, which is escalating nationally. This study is expected to provide community college leaders a snapshot of the magnitude of the problem so that they …

The Use Of Tonometry As A Diagnostic Tool To Evaluate Intraocular Pressures In Normal And Abnormal California Sea Lion Eyes, Johanna Del Carmen Mejia-Fava

Theses and Dissertations

Ocular disease is one of the most common problems encountered in sea lions at various zoos and aquariums around the world.1 The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is one of the most common marine mammals maintained in zoos and is also the most commonly afflicted with ocular disease. Studies have shown that pinnipeds housed in captivity manifest an array of ocular lesions.2 Eye disease can range from a pinpoint corneal opacity to loss of vision due to keratopathy, cataracts and secondary glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that has not been extensively studied in the sea lion.3 Observation of clinical signs …

The Utility Of Immediate And Delayed Feedback Within The Math To Mastery Intervention Package In A School Setting, Marylyn Woods Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use a single subject research design to examine the effects of immediate feedback and delayed feedback within the Math to Mastery Intervention Package. The participants were 6 elementary school students who were performing approximately 1 year below grade level in math. A combined simple phase change design was used for the study. 3 of the students experienced the design in the A/B/A/C order, while the other 3 students experienced the design in a reversed order for B and C. During this study, ‘A’ represented the baseline phase and the return to baseline phase, …

Trauma As Evangelical Anti-Abortion Strategy: A Qualitative Study Of Post Abortion Groups And The Personhood Amendment In Mississippi, Jonelle Henry Husain

Theses and Dissertations

Post-abortion support groups are a new sub-movement or strategy of the broader anti-abortion movement that provide support to women who understand their prior abortions as problematic. These groups construct abortion as a form of trauma that causes post-abortion syndrome (PAS), a broad array of negative mental health and behavioral problems similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Although these claims are not substantiated by empirical evidence, claims that abortion causes PAS are increasingly featured in the public domain to bolster national anti-abortion claims that abortion represents a public health issue. A majority of PAS support groups are offered by crisis pregnancy centers …

Use Of Natural Antimicrobials To Control Spoilage In Marinara-Type Sauce, Austin R. Abessinio

Theses and Dissertations

Marinara-type sauces were created using three natural antimicrobials, as well as two combination treatments (natamycin, propionic acid, cultured dextrose, natamycin-propionic acid, and natamycin-cultured dextrose) and two controls (sodium benzoate-potassium sorbate, no preservatives). Samples were subjected to a shelf-life study at 20 C with both non-inoculated sauce and sauces that were either inoculated with Zygosaccharomyces bailii or a cocktail of thermophilic fermentative organisms. Natamycin and Natamycin-propionic acid treatments had fewer log colony counts (CFU/g) of yeast and lactic acid bacteria than the negative control after 42 days of storage and performed as well or better than the positive control throughout the …

Examining The Intra-Organizational Differences Among Municipal Employees: An Empirical Investigation Of Public Safety Workers In The Municipal Workforce, Joseph J. Breen

Theses and Dissertations

Attracting, motivating, and retaining public service employees continues to challenge both state- and municipal-level managers. Beginning with Perry’s (1996) public service motivation (PSM) construct, academics and practitioners focused considerable efforts in the identification of measures and factors influencing levels of motivation with the overall intent of identifying the key components of increasing employee motivations, thereby increasing the possibility of retaining the capable employees. While this effort has focused on managerial distinctions, groupings between genders, racial backgrounds, and tenure lengths, one significant comparison has yet to be explored—the public safety worker. Identifying and examining the motivating factors of police and fire, …

A Pure Soul, Carlos Fuentes

Ontario Review

CARLOS FUENTES, the distinguished Mexican writer, has published a number of books of fiction, the most recent being Distant Relations, a novel, and Burnt Water, short stories. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, and Princeton.

Nutrition Interventions With Community Youth: Better Public Health Through Community Engagement And Neighbourhood Hubs, John L. Murnaghan

Social Justice and Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

Outpatient Physical Therapy Management Of A Female Athlete With A Left Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction And Left Medial Meniscectomy: A Case Report, Kyle Brown

Case Report Papers

Background and Purpose: The anterior cruciate ligament is a vital structure of the knee, especially for athletes involved in agility driven sports. Currently, the prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries is on the rise in young female athletes. Females in general are more susceptible to these injuries because of their anatomical structure, possibly hormone balances, and other factors. The purpose of this Case Report is to provide a comprehensive account of the physical therapy treatment provided to a young female athlete status post left anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Case Description: The patient is an eighteen year old female athlete who …

The Test-Retest Reliability And Minimal Detectable Change In The Modified Fresno Test In Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Erin Pike, Lisa Gerhardt

Research Report Papers

Background: The American Physical Therapy Association identified the need for training in evidence based practice (EBP) and set forth guidelines for doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curricula to educate practitioners who are efficient and critical users of best evidence. Since DPT programs are teaching EBP, educators need an assessment tool to evaluate the competence of students. The Modified Fresno Test (MFT) of EBP was validated for physical therapists and the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) has been found for first year DPT students.

Objective: The purpose is to determine the test-retest reliability and MDC of the MFT in …

[2014-12-12] Meeting Of The Finance, Investment And Property Committee, Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

[2014-12-12] Meeting Of The Board Of Visitors Of Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

Forging A New Identity: Report Of The Metropolitan University Steering Group, Metropolitan University Steering Group

Strategic Planning

This report represents the consensus of a working group of faculty, staff, students, and community members appointed by the President of USM. Its membership was not necessarily intended to be representative of particular departments or academic units, but rather of its faculty members’ demonstrated commitment to public, civically engaged education and community action. The report is but the first step in the overall strategic transformation of USM. As a consensus document, it does not necessarily reflect the individual opinions of every member on every issue; a larger, more involved unfolding and participation of the entire USM community is now required …

Innovative Workforce Plan: Recently Graduated Nurses As Super Users For Ehr Implementation In A Multi-Hospital Organization, Katherine L. Bullard

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

A regional health system’s decision to rapidly implement a new electronic health record (EHR) in order to meet Stage 2 meaningful use requirements led to a need for innovative cost-containment strategies. Tapping the local pool of unemployed newly graduated nurses as half the required super user workforce leveraged the technology skills of novice nurses registered nurses as trainers of experienced nurses in five hospitals. The novel workforce migrated from hospital to hospital, thereby reducing the number of experienced nurses reassigned to super user duties in each hospital. This strategy also reduced the amount of contract labor required to backfill nurse …

Racial Justice Study: An Examination Of Ticket Citations In The City Of Mankato, Minnesota, Meagan Hammers, C. J. Hays, Hannah Laniado

Public Sociology Publications and Projects

This study examines if there is racial disparity in policing in the city of Mankato, Minnesota by examining all traffic ticket citations given for a six-month period in 2014. The authors created a data set and examined statistical relationships between the observed race of those receiving tickets and the types of tickets received. This study discovered statistically significant findings of over policing of minorities; while minorities represent roughly ten percent the population in Mankato, they make up approximately 22% of the population cited. Further, minorities were about three times more likely than whites to receive a ticket for administrative offenses, …

Narrowing The Qsen Competency Gap In New Graduate Registered Nurses, Marty Mayhew

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

This intervention is an evidence based, change of practice, quality improvement project that evaluates achievement of the six Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies of new registered nurse graduates. No intervention with a similar focus was found in an extensive review of the literature. The participants included 16 new graduate registered nurse hires enrolled in a new graduate RN residency program at Tucson Medical Center located in southern Arizona. The Nursing Quality and Safety Self Inventory^© (NQSSI^©) was used to identify practice gaps perceived by the new RN graduates related to the six QSEN competencies. …

December 12, 2014, Council On University Planning And Budget

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, December 12, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Fellow Medallion - Vince Roig and Paul Luna; King O'Neal Scholars - Mary Bigelow, Dana Braden, Sufyan Dawoodjee, Ryan Feigel, Beatrice Froute De Domec, Sarah Griffis, Danielle Haberer, Dennis Kirichenko, Kristen Roles, and Daniel Vieira; Outstanding Graduate - John Wendy Tuy

Physical Therapy Management Of A Patient After A Subacromial Decompression With Acromioplasty And Bursectomy: A Case Report, Brianne Landholt

Case Report Papers

Background: Subacromial impingement results from repetitive trauma to structures underneath the subacromial arch leading to a decrease in the subacromial space, impingement of soft tissue, and ultimately a decrease in functional abilities. Conservative treatment includes physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteriod injections. If improvements are not observed, there is a surgical option of a subacromial decompression (SAD). Conclusive evidence supporting surgery over conservative measures does not exist1. Literature is lacking regarding SAD without rotator cuff (RTC) repair and performing SAD with both an acromioplasty and bursectomy. Therefore, the purpose of this case report was to investigate the functional outcomes …

Promoting Citizenship Education With Structured Controversy In Indonesian Higher Education, Judith Puncochar

Other Presentations

Indonesian democracy is rich in traditions, religions, cultures, and ethnic languages. To keep the nation unified with diversity, Indonesia must prepare its citizens with skills of perspective taking, constructive debate, and evidence-based reasoning to engage in a robust democracy. Historically, a rigorous study of the Liberal Arts held promise for creating a strong democracy and a well-educated citizenry. Currently, politicization of the term “Liberal Arts” attracts unjustifiable criticism and diverts attention away from a serious comprehensive study of literature, science, the arts, history, and mathematics. Narrowness in education of students toward technical and professional degrees appears not to align with …

Measuring Changes In Knowledge And Attitudes Of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Providers After Receiving An Educational Intervention About The Value Of Human Milk In The Preterm Infant, Frances E. Smith

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Executive Summary Measuring Changes in Knowledge and Attitudes of NICU Providers after Receiving an Educational Intervention about the Value of Human Milk in the Preterm Infant Problem Identification Human milk is proven to decrease morbidities and mortality in extremely low birth weight neonates. Health care providers must approach the mothers of these infants and explain the need for own mother's milk or consent for the use of donor milk in these infants. Providers may lack the knowledge about the importance of human milk in NICU infants, or may hold negative attitudes about human milk's contribution to the health of these …

Implementation Of Food Insecurity Screening In Clinical Setting, Florence Ngozi Soba

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

This project used the Stetler model of research utilization framework to apply evidence-based findings to clinical settings screening adults with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and low incomes for food insecurity. The project involved the review and critical appraisal of research studies and translation of research-based knowledge into a protocol for the Peach Tree Clinic with respect to the impact of food insecurity on diabetes outcomes in adults with T2DM and low incomes who were at risk of food insecurity. In addition, the proportion of screened at-risk patients who received nutritional counseling was calculated. The proportion of patients with T2DM …

This Week At Lvhn, Lehigh Valley Health Network

LVHN Weekly

No abstract provided.

Early Alert Referral Program, Roslana D. Gray

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Early recognition of academically at-risk nursing students by faculty plays an important role in increasing retention rates. The main objective of the early alert referral program is to systematically detect early students who are academically for failure and refer at-risk students to faculty or support services, to increase nursing retention rates. The Early Alert Referral Project is a quantitative design in terms of purpose and methodology. The program was held in a classroom in a rural community college in Alabama during the summer semester (May, June, July, August) 2014. All practical nursing students currently enrolled in summer 2014 cohort were …

Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act Of 2014, United States 113th Congress

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to provide for the lease of certain land located within Planet Ranch on the Bill Williams River in the State of Arizona to benefit the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, and to provide for the settlement of specific water rights claims in the Bill Williams River watershed in the State of Arizona.