Digital Commons Network^™

Designing Safer Sex Infographics: Framing Data With Emotional And Rational Appeals, Yi Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

This study compares the effects of two safer sex infographic message strategies on American college students: the traditional social cognitive intervention approach (SC) versus the SC plus emotional intervention approach (SCE). An experiment was conducted to examine how message framing (gain-framed versus loss-framed) and data representation (rational versus emotional) embedded in the infographics influence health message processing, perceived severity of not using a condom, and condom use intention. Across all conditions, sexually inactive participants reported a significantly higher intention to use a condom compared to the sexually active participants. Among sexually active participants, SCE approach led to significantly higher condom …

Cooperative, Cognitive And Coordinated Communications For Underwater Acoustic Networks, Yu Luo

Doctoral Dissertations

Underwater acoustic networks (UANs) have a wide range of applications. However, UANs face grand challenges on the narrow communication bandwidth. To tackle this issue, in this dissertation, I explore three critical techniques: cooperative communications (COP-COM), cognitive communications (COG-COM) and coordinated communications (COD-COM), to improve acoustic spectrum usage.

In the first research thread, I propose a new relay selection criterion, called cooperative best relay assessment (COBRA), for underwater COP-COM. COBRA takes into account not only the spectral efficiency but also the long propagation delays of acoustic signals. In addition to COBRA, I develop a new cooperative scheme, called mirror node assisted …

Real System Features And Implications In Underwater Acoustic Networks, Lina Pu

Doctoral Dissertations

As an emerging research area, underwater acoustic network (UAN) has attracted tremendous interests from both academia and industry in recent years. However, little work has been conducted to test algorithms and protocols in real sea experiments. Due to the complexity of acoustic environments and the uncertainties in acoustic systems, it is difficult for theoretical studies or simulations to evaluate UANs in the real world. Studying real system features of UANs has become crucial in the field.

In this dissertation, I study the real system features revealed in sea tests and analyze their impact on underwater media access control (MAC), time …

American Cosmologies: Race And Revolution In The Nineteenth Century, Gordon D. Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

“American Cosmologies” brings together the study of nineteenth-century print culture and the study of metaphor by examining how revolutionary political groups distributed, circulated, and serialized cosmological language in order to materialize political action. Challenging cultural histories that present revolutionary ideals as part of a genuinely universal discourse, this project demonstrates that writers and political actors throughout the nineteenth century deployed the language of cosmic movement – of celestial revolution as political revolution, for instance – as a means of legitimizing and materializing acts of political violence. In attributing political transformation to cosmic forces, writers and revolutionaries rendered in print their …

Mother Tongue Interference In English Language Pronunciation Of The Chinese Immigrant In The United States, Chaowei Hu

Master's Projects and Capstones

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. As an unofficial lingua franca, it serves a key role in cross-cultural communication. Chinese immigrants in the US will certainly encounter many difficulties in acquiring L2 proficiency. Some of these challenges are tied to 1) Chinese immigrants’ history in the US and the variety of Chinese dialects; 2) distinctions between Chinese and English phonological systems; 3) diversity among Chinese Americans; 3) mother tongue influence on English language learning; and 4) foreign language anxiety.

“It Is The Promiscuous Woman Who Is Giving Us The Most Trouble”: The Internal War On Prostitution In New Orleans During World War Ii, Allison Baffoni

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When the United States entered World War II, federal officials began planning a war on prostitution and decided to make New Orleans the poster city for reform. New Orleans held a reputation for being a destination for prostitution tin the U.S. A federally appointed group aptly named the Social Protection Division began a repression campaign in militarily dense areas throughout the United States. The goal was to protect soldiers by eliminating the threat from venereal disease carrying prostitutes. The Social Protection Division created a campaign with the New Orleans Health Department and the New Orleans Police Department to repression prostitution. …

Here Goes Nothing: Creating The Role Of Timothy Allgood In "Noises Off.", Justin G. Bupp

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Noises Off is the epitome of farce. Doors everywhere, mistaken identities, and unrequited love. The characters push themselves to the limit, both mentally and physically. They stop at nothing to put on their production and their stage manager, Timothy Allgood, becomes the babysitter of the group, which at times becomes comparable to herding cats.

This document describes the journey made from casting to final bows. It contains biographical research on the playwright, Michael Frayn, as well as a historical look at the genre of farce, techniques pioneered by Sanford Meisner and Konstantin Stanislavski, along with materials, including a scored script, …

Are Physically Active College Students More Successful Academically Than Their Inactive Peers?, Jared T. Meacham

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research project intended to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in college students. Using an anonymous online survey, data was collected over two semesters. Ten thousand currently-enrolled college students ages eighteen and older from all states and recognized territories of the United States participated. The survey gathered data concerning a student’s age, gender, race, body weight, height, geographic region of college attendance, cumulative GPA, and physical activity level. The FIT Index of Kasari was used to classify each student’s physical activity level. A quintile split by FIT score was conducted to determine if physically active …

Antiviral Peptide Nanocomplexes As Potential Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Infectious Diseases, Jinjin Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is recognized as a major burden in global public health, which can be further exacerbated by several cofactors such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Currently, there is no vaccine for HCV. The emergence of potent and highly specific direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has marked a new era in HCV therapy, however, the remaining issues like affordability, genotype dependency, and potential resistance still necessitate the development of additional therapeutic approaches to be used instead or in combination with DAA.

Recently, the antiviral peptide C5A (in our studies designated as p1) and its cationic derivative p41 have been identified …

Strengthening Public Health Through Web-Based Data Query Systems, Manik Ahuja

Doctoral Dissertations

Archival abstract submitted.

Hearing Officers' Perceptions Of Their Roles In Welfare Organizations, Karen R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Little is known about the officials who conduct administrative hearings for aggrieved welfare clients. Hearing officers are charged with ensuring due process for welfare clients, called appellants in the hearing process, who believe that mistakes have been made in their cases and who wish to challenge those decisions. Administrative hearings are one of the few vehicles that afford clients the opportunity to contest welfare policies and procedures. This study explored welfare hearing officers and their perceptions of their roles in conducting hearings.

The concepts of role theory, organizational climate and aspects of professional training were used to examine the role …

A Literacy-Level Curriculum For Adult Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners With Limited Formal Education, Kirsten L. Keihl

Master's Projects and Capstones

Many Spanish-speaking adult immigrants in the United States face an immediate need to learn English, but also suffer from a lack of formal education as many did not complete middle school or high school. These learners need a curriculum that is tailored specifically to their needs. This project provides a communicative curriculum for teaching English and Spanish literacy, English speaking and listening skills, and basic classroom skills utilizing native language instruction when helpful using learning strategies and authentic materials that are appropriate for adults. It also addresses sociocultural and sociopolitical concerns of this population and utilizes culturally relevant materials.

Increasing Self Care Compliance With Follow-Up Appointments, Elsa T. Owens

Master's Projects and Capstones

The congestive heart failure patient faces many challenges after discharge from the hospital. Learning how to manage diet, medications, and other lifestyle changes needed for symptom management can lead to multiple readmissions and rapid progression of condition. Many patients feel overwhelmed at time of discharge from the hospital, and many miss key components in discharge instructions and education. The main objective of the organizations Heart Failure program is to educate patients who have been admitted into the hospital with systolic or diastolic heart failure. Within our team we set out to educate our patients and their families on reducing incidents …

Improving Patient Medication Reconciliation Participation And Compliance Through Education, Maria Elena Herrera

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

The healthcare world is complex. At the center of this world are patients and their safety. Medication knowledge and medication reconciliation compliance are factors that influence patient’s safety and their overall health outcomes. This project explores the theme of patient safety by examining the relationship between patient education and health outcomes. The microsystem, located in the heart of San Francisco, is an outpatient clinic specializing in patients with renal impairment that each diverse and unique. A pre-implementation survey found that only 38% of patients were bringing their medications to appointments. A goal of improving compliance to 50% by December …

Improving Patient Satisfaction, Wait Times, And Access To Care In A College Health Setting; Expanding The Rn Role As Prescribing Agent With Standardized Procedures, Kimberly D. Perris

Master's Projects and Capstones

The CNL theme for this project is Nursing Leadership, Advocate for the Profession and is inspired by the Institute of Medicine’s call for all nurses to work to the maximum scope of their practice. The specific aim was to demonstrate RN confidence working independently, and proficiency using one RN protocol to provide hormonal contraception with an overall aim of improving patient satisfaction and access to care. This project took place in a rural university student health center where family planning and contraception services are the number one service provided.

The RN visit project has been multidisciplinary and collaborative in creating …

Enhancing Education Of Medication Side Effects To Improve Patient Outcomes, Kyle R. Woolley

Master's Projects and Capstones

Patient satisfaction scores regarding how effectively staff educates patients about possible side effects of new medications are not consistently above the national average at a large metropolitan hospital in California (MHC). The results of these patient satisfaction scores shed light on the need for evidence-based strategies to improve a patient’s perception of the medication education provided to them. The basis of the incentive to improve care is ultimately increased safety and better patient outcomes. From the Root Cause Analysis, it became apparent that a few common barriers need to be addressed, but the one most frequently reported by everyone that …

Beyond Access To Education: Using Collaborative Learning To Promote Agency In Unauthorized Latinos Entering Community College, Amanda C. Price

Master's Projects and Capstones

The US is widely recognized as a nation of immigrants; however, when an estimated 70,000 unaccompanied child migrants arrived from Central America in 2014, unauthorized immigration became a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Unauthorized immigrants, 71% of whom come from Mexico and Central America, make up an increasingly significant portion of the population. This is particularly true in California, where 28% of unauthorized immigrants reside. However, despite the overwhelming consensus that command of English is paramount to a successful life in the US, an alarming 51% of unauthorized immigrants speak English “not well” or “not at all”.

Unauthorized immigrants face unique challenges …

The Rhetoric Of Law And The Epistle To The Hebrews, Theodore A. Holt Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Epistle to the Hebrews demonstrates a complex of what scholars label technical legal terms. Enlisting a series of word studies, this thesis attempts to uncover where the author learned the terminology in order to understand more about the anonymous author and the theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This thesis examines terms in Heb 2:2-4; 6:13-18; 7:11-19; 8:13; 9:15-18; 10:9.

Preoperative Education: A Patient-Centered Care Approach, Gia L. Wendt

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

This project addresses the need for delivering high quality preoperative education to the Arabic speaking patient population served by Sharp Healthcare’s orthopedic service line. A goal set during the institution’s 2015 The Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care survey is to discharge major joint patients to home in two days or less. Data abstracted from Sharp Healthcare’s orthopedic registry revealed that only 30% of Arabic speaking patients are meeting this goal. The current process for educating Arabic speaking patients preoperatively during a one to one educational session with a third party interpreter takes three hours, costs $402.00 per patient, and education …

Decreasing Risk Of Delirium With Early Progressive Mobility, Donna J. Larson Mrs.

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

The goal to consistently mobilize the mechanically ventilated patient to decrease the risk or progression of delirium is the primary focus of my project. This project took place in two, 12-bed critical care units. One is a cardiovascular, medical, surgical intensive care unit and the other is a neurotrauma critical care unit. The methods for implementation included writing the management of pain, agitation, and delirium policy based upon the recommended bundle from the Society of Critical Care Medicine referred to as the ABCDE bundle. As part of this bundle, the progressive mobility policy was revised so that a physician …

Social Emotional Learning And Mindfulness: Learning To Be Human, Jena-Lee Rogers

Master's Projects and Capstones

I am a teacher. I always have been and always will be. As a little girl, I developed a passionate need to see fairness and justice in my world, which of course outside of my family of origin revolved around my life at school. If one of my friends could not understand something, even if I was not totally sure about it myself, I would endeavor to help them learn it in a way that made sense to them. A small act of friendship helped me learn and develop my own a belief in the oneness that connects all of …

Building Awareness Of The Mental Health Issues Of Asian American College Women, Julie S. Baek

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this project is to build awareness of the mental health issues of Asian American college women. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (2009) reports among all women between the ages of 15 to 24, Asian Americans have the second highest suicide rates across all racial or ethnic groups whereas only 27 percent of them seek a professional help. Very little is known about what makes this population of students take their own lives at higher rates than their ethnic counterparts because of a model minority myth and lack of studies and attention. The project aims to develop …

Reducing Preventable Emergency Department Visits By Improving Patient Care Access To Primary Care, Lizeth Rodriguez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Inadequate access to primary care creates a concern to receive comprehensive medical care. Improving access to a consistent source of care can help to obtain high quality of care, continuity of care, and reduce preventable emergency department (ED) visits. The aim of this project is to reduce preventable ED visits by improving patient care access to primary care. Comparing preventable ED visit rates between patients with access to primary care against those without access to primary care services, essentially focusing on those without access to primary care, which live in a medically undeserved community. The data collected was analyzed …

Staff Education: Nutrition Education In The Intellectually /Developmentally Disabled Community, Claire C. Bradley-Davalos Msn Rn

Master's Projects and Capstones

The objective of my project is to develop staff education regarding a nutrition initiative developed to address the 44% obesity rate among clients in our care. My target population is direct care staff working in the Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled (IDD) community, and high functioning clients who live independently in the community. The staff knowledge was tested pre- and post-education to demonstrate knowledge retained. Staff are required to get a score of 80 or better to pass. Test results are interpreted to see which content areas need further teaching or clarification. Initial results indicate that four areas of education need to be …

Reducing Clostridium Difficile, Norabel V. Zafra

Master's Projects and Capstones

This CNL project aims to reduce the number of laboratory identified Clostridium Difficile Infections (CDI) events by 20% by December 2015. This CNL projects focuses on reducing CDI in an 8 unit bed specifically designated for medically ill geriatric patients above 70 years old residing in the West Texas region. A majority of the geriatric patients living with multiple co-morbidities require maximum assistance with activities of daily living and medication management. The geriatric patients will be discharge to a skilled nurse facility, long-term acute care, rehabilitation, independent living, or home with home health. A variety of methods such as reinforcing …

Reduced A1c Levels Through Diabetes Self-Management Strategies In The Teen Population: A Systematic Review, Nicole O'Neil

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project utilized current evidence-based practices to improve the diabetes education in the endocrine clinic for the adolescent population ages 15-18. Based on a clinic audit, an average hA1C level of 8.1% was revealed. The goal was to decrease these levels from 8.1% to 7.9% within 90 days through the implementation of the revised diabetes brochure. Evidence suggests the following: DSME improves clinical outcomes and quality of life; an A1C level >7% is associated with increased risks of complications ; teaching aimed at lowering glycemic levels have decreased numerous complications; there is a need to ensure age appropriate, family-centered care, …

Reinforcing Teach-Back Method Regarding Pain Management For Non-Verbal Patients And Their Families, Renee Krystle Doll Lazaro

Master's Projects and Capstones

Pain has been known to have physiologic, psychologic and emotional consequences. Education in pain management has been part for standard care for nurses. The purpose of this study was to reinforce teach-back techniques with nurses when delivering pain management education with non-verbal patients in order to improve patient outcomes in the adult ICU. By using the teach-back method, the nurse will be able to hone a more collaborative approach in dealing with pain, encourage autonomy and include the patient/family in making informed decisions regarding treatment for pain. Reinforcement regarding teach-back was focused on teaching points, and rewording teach-back cues to …

Barriers Encountered By Nurses And Nursing Assistants That Prevent Purposeful Rounding, Mar Joseph B. Odias

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify barriers encountered by registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs) that prevent purposeful (hourly) rounding.

Background: The literature has shown that purposeful rounding improves patient outcomes and safety. However, few studies show the barriers encountered by nursing staff that hinder the purposeful rounding process.

Methods: A pre-post test design was implemented on a 25-bed oncology, urology medical surgical unit with a staff of 38 RNs, 9 NAs, and 4 Unit Secretaries (US). A pre-implementation needs assessment survey was completed by 55% (21/38) of RNs, 33% (3/9) of NAs, and 100% (4/4) …

Proactive Environmental Strategies: Managing A Corporate Culture Shift Toward Sustainability, Mark E. Calub

Master's Projects and Capstones

The roles and responsibilities of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) professionals have expanded over the last several decades. Initially focused solely on reducing a firm's ecological impact, many EHS professionals are now tasked with managing a firm's cultural shift towards sustainability. EHS professionals need to develop proactive environmental strategies that further interconnect the environmental, social, and economic performance goals of the firm. Using a concept analysis and integrative literature review approach, the research examines the evolving role of corporate environmental management and evaluates strategic management tools for environmental compliance, environmental performance, and corporate sustainability. The research reveals that the role …

The Tunisian Revolution: Empire And The Power Of The Multitude, Caroline A. Burns

Master's Theses

The self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi ignited the revolution that would oust Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in 2011. The momentum of the revolution in Tunisia spread ideas, tactics, and revolutionary chants across borders to various parts of the globe. The speed and intensity of the revolution dominated the attention of the unsuspecting global community. In order to understand the conditions under which this revolution transpired, I use Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's theory of Empire to show how the contemporary global system functions. Through the historical development of Tunisia and concurrent rise of Empire emerges "the multitude," the heterogeneous manifestation of …