Digital Commons Network^™

The Psychological Impacts Of Engaging In Creative Work, Jeanine Kunshek

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Although the literature investigating creativity is extensive, this research is designed to address deficits in knowledge regarding the first-hand accounts of individuals who engage in creative work and the motivations and gratifications they draw from those experiences. This study employs the use of in vivo analysis to articulate and explore the benefits and disadvantages of individuals who pursue careers in five creative industries identified by Taylor and Littleton (2012). Based on qualitative data gathered from focus groups and interviews, most frequent benefits include social connections, cognitive challenges, boosted esteem, communication, and personal and professional development. Disadvantages include time demands, lack …

Stigmatizing Attitudes Towards Men And Women Combat Veterans With Combat Related Ptsd, Heather L. Caldwell

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Veterans with PTSD experience stigma and discrimination. The extent to which women combat veterans with PTSD may experience stigma and discrimination has yet to be investigated. This is critical given the increasing number of women veterans exposed to combat and combat trauma. Level of familiarity may affect stigmatizing beliefs. Gender may also affect stigmatizing beliefs. To assess this, 126 undergraduate students (men, n = 69) were randomly assigned to view videos of a man or woman veteran describing combat experience and their PTSD symptoms. Participants completed questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms, level of familiarity with veterans, and stigmatizing attitudes toward the …

University Students' Involvement In A Health Promoting Lifestyle: Influencing Factors Of The Health Promotion Model, Madison Estrada

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Abstract: This is a correlational study utilizing Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model (HPM) for examining the key influential factors regarding involvement in a health promoting lifestyle (HPL) among undergraduate students at Pittsburg State University. Ninety-six (96) undergraduate students enrolled in general psychology courses at Pittsburg State University completed the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II; Walker, Sechrist, & Pender, 1987), the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS; Pender, Walker, & Sechrist, 1987), the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (SEE Scale; Resnick & Jenkins, 2000), and the Physical Activity Stages of Change Questionnaire (Marcus, Selby, Niaura, & Rossi, 1992). Spearman Correlation coefficients (one-tailed tests), were …

Burnout In Radiation Therapy: Examining The Six Leading Influences, Gina C. Passmore

All Theses And Dissertations

Recent studies are highlighting the dangers of burnout amongst healthcare workers, including radiation therapists. Since burnout is associated with an increase in medical errors (Sanchez-Reilly, 2013), it affects both the well-being of the patient and patient satisfaction scores, which are important to a hospital’s reputation. Burnout has a positive correlation with job dissatisfaction and increased employee turnover, making it both a financial and quality issue. Organizations acknowledge that burnout leads to unhappy employees, and unhappy employees are less likely to be engaged in their work, thereby not producing the best “products” (Sehlen, 2009). By examining which components seem to be …

Increasing Chlorhexidine (Chg) Daily Bathing Compliance, Jonathan Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) daily bathing in hospitalized patients in the intensive care setting is one of many interventions implemented by institutions to reduce and prevent central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). These hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) plague and complicate treatments for critically ill patients in the acute care setting. CLABSIs and CAUTIs increase patient morbidity and mortality as well as place a financial burden with increased costs and hospital lengths of stay. The decrease of CHG compliance in our ICU unit can be associated with an elevated CLABSI rates. The focus of this CNL …

Chna: The Role Of The Hospital In Addressing Specific Community Health Needs, Yesmina L. Zavala

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) added a requirement for nonprofit hospitals to keep their tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue System Code 501(c) 3. This code requires all nonprofit hospitals to complete Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reports every three years and must include input from community stakeholders and underserved individuals representing the low-income, minority and chronically ill population.

In addition to the CHNA, implementation strategies are required to be executed in the geographic areas served in order to meet the identified prioritized needs from the CHNA. Oftentimes, CHNAs are difficult to conceptualize and operationalize within the …

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Aryl Hydantoins And Ureas As Antischistosomal Agents, Chunkai Wang

Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease caused by infections with flukes of the genus Schistosoma, affecting as many as 440 million individuals worldwide, with 779 million living at risk of infection. A new drug for schistosomiasis is urgently needed as praziquantel (PZQ) is currently the drug of last resort and the development of resistance cannot be ignored, particularly in view of its large-scale use in many endemic countries. Furthermore, PZQ is active against adult but not juvenile schistosomes; this may be an important factor in the frequently observed treatment ‘failures’ in areas endemic for schistosomiasis.

The introduction of PZQ in …

The Functions Of The Cid And Lrg Operons In S. Aureus Programmed Cell Death, Xinyan Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus cid/lrg operons regulate the formation of S.aureus biofilm formation and programmed cell death based on previous in vivo work done in Dr. Bayles's lab. cid operon, which encodes CidA/CidB/CidC proteins, has been shown to be an effector in leading to the lysis and death of the S.aureus; While lrg operon, encoding LrgA and LrgB proteins, is an inhibitor of the lysis and death. Recent studies suggest that CidA behaves like holin proteins from bacterial phage, by increasing the murein hydrolysis activity under aerobic culturing conditions. LrgA, together with LrgB, appears to inhibit this function. …

Identification And Intervention For Action Planning Deficits In Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Swati M. Surkar

Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this investigation was to describe and quantify action-planning deficits during goal-directed movements in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP). Three specific topics were addressed: brain activation, kinematics, and the use of visual input. First, we assessed prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during complex goal-directed actions in children with HCP. The outcome suggested that children with HCP have higher PFC activation than age matched typically developing (TD) children during action planning, potentially due to the difficulty in allocating attentional resources for simultaneously processing the cognitive (i.e., attention, memory, information processing) and motor demands of the goal-directed task. Reduced …

Implementing An Electronic Medical Record: Creating A Request For Proposal, Renee L. Kelly

DNP and Student Works

The quality of inter-professional team documentation, when documenting on paper, has consistently failed to meet the recommended standards because of ineligible handwriting, which leads to wrong information recorded in patients' charts, and incomplete health histories. When developing a comprehensive electronic medical record system to serve an orthopedic office, this requires significant time, open and honest communication, dedication from each member of the team, and resources. In an orthopedic office setting, an inter-professional team was formed to develop and evaluate a request for proposal for an electronic health record system, compared to the current documentation process influences a decision for a …

Vitamin D, Calcium And Blood Pressure In The U.S., Sarah Bean

Master's Projects and Capstones

Vitamin D and calcium have received increased attention for their potential roles in improving cardiovascular health. The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), may influence blood pressure by increasing gastrointestinal calcium absorption. The objectives of this study were to first examine the association between blood pressure and blood serum 25(OH)D levels, and then explore the interaction between 25(OH)D, calcium intake, and blood pressure. Cross-sectional analysis featured 24,844 U.S. adults aged 20-80 years from three cycles of the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES 2001-2006). Linear regression models were used to determine the adjusted association of 25(OH)D categories with …

Filipino American Mothers’ Knowledge About Male Hpv Vaccination And Intent To Vaccinate Their Sons, Krista M. Navarra

Master's Projects and Capstones

Information about the attitude and intent of Filipino-American mothers on HPV vaccination for their adolescent son is unavailable and unidentified. In this systematic review, three unique studies within different cultural backgrounds and demographic locations were analyzed. Data were collected from the following populations: Puerto Ricans, Ugandans, Caribbean Americans and African Americans. All studies were cross-sectional and integrated questionnaires which distinguished parents’ knowledge and attitude toward HPV vaccinations along with additional information such as socio-economic status, educational attainment, occupation, etc. In the study performed in Puerto Rico, 200 parents of 9-17 years old were given a self-administered questionnaire, and the results …

Tp53-Inducible Glycolysis And Apoptosis Regulator (Tigar) Metabolically Reprograms Carcinoma And Stromal Cells In Breast Cancer., Ying-Hui Ko, Marina Domingo-Vidal, Megan Roche, Zhao Lin, Diana Whitaker-Menezes, Erin Seifert, Claudia Capparelli, Madalina Tuluc, Ruth C. Birbe, Patrick Tassone, Joseph M. Curry, Àurea Navarro-Sabaté, Anna Manzano, Ramon Bartrons, Jaime Caro, Ubaldo E. Martinez-Outshoorn

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

A subgroup of breast cancers has several metabolic compartments. The mechanisms by which metabolic compartmentalization develop in tumors are poorly characterized. TP53 inducible glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) is a bisphosphatase that reduces glycolysis and is highly expressed in carcinoma cells in the majority of human breast cancers. Hence we set out to determine the effects of TIGAR expression on breast carcinoma and fibroblast glycolytic phenotype and tumor growth. The overexpression of this bisphosphatase in carcinoma cells induces expression of enzymes and transporters involved in the catabolism of lactate and glutamine. Carcinoma cells overexpressing TIGAR have higher oxygen consumption rates …

Pancreatic Cancer Invasion Of The Lymphatic Vasculature And Contributions Of The Tumor Microenvironment: Roles For E-Selectin And Cxcr4, Maria M. Steele

Theses & Dissertations

As the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancers in the United States. Lymphatic vessel invasion and subsequent metastasis to the lymph nodes are early and significant events observed during pancreatic cancer progression and are used to determine patient prognosis and therapy selection. Although clinicians and researchers recognize the importance of lymph node involvement for patient prognosis and therapy selection, the biological mechanisms that govern lymphatic invasion and metastasis and the contributions of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment to these processes remain poorly understood. In this dissertation, we characterize the interactions …

The Impact Of Electronic Health Records On Healthcare Service Delivery, Patient Safety, And Quality, Kate Elizabeth Trout

Theses & Dissertations

The HITECH Act has provided over $30 billion of support through the Meaningful Use program to implement Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with aims to improve healthcare service delivery, efficiency, quality, and patient safety. New healthcare models, such as pay-for-performance and value-based purchasing, were envisioned to aligning quality with reimbursement mediated with the use of EHRs. It is unclear of how EHRs and Meaningful Use have impacted health service delivery, patient safety, and quality of care. Thus, making it difficult to determine if the specific set of objectives for Meaningful Use have had a positive impact on outcomes, which ultimately is …

Molding Minds For Peace: A Curriculum For Early Childhood Educators To Teach Peacebuilding Concepts And Skills, Marissa D. Gray

Master's Projects and Capstones

The United States is amidst a period of substantial growth in diversity. This diversification along with feelings of anti-immigrant sentiment has also led to an increase in tension and violence. Molding Minds for Peace: A Curriculum for Early Childhood Educators To Teach Peacebuilding Concepts is a project designed to teach early childhood students the skills that they need to peacefully navigate conflict and difference. After exploring literature about early childhood education/development, multicultural education, and peace education, this project provides early childhood educators with six complete lesson plans that are fully ready for implementation. These lessons have been developed in such …

Natural Burial: Being Green In Life, Now In Death Too, Brandon C. Shaik

Capstones

Nearly 80 million baby boomers are approaching the end of their lives. Being more environmentally conscious than previous generations, the environmentally minded individuals are increasingly choosing natural burial as the next progression of sustainability — reducing an individual impact even after death. A 2015 poll conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the Funeral and Memorial Information Council found that 64 percent of adults over the age of 40 were interested in natural burial, up from 21 percent in 2010. Individuals who have chosen natural burial indicate the environmental benefit as a primary reason for their decision. There are currently …

Why We Still Need To Worry About Bees, Meaghan Lee Callaghan

Capstones

American honey bees, and other native bee species, are still in decline, though the specter of colony collapse disorder may be fading behind us. Colony decline, the loss of bees overwinter experienced across the country at a quarter to third lost per hive (sometimes more), is now expected. Losses can include those from colony collapse disorder. The author discusses the different causes for colony decline and speaks to bee health scientists and local beekeepers. Read more at: http://www.meaghanleecallaghan.com/capstone/index.html

Riding The Mind Lightning, William A. Fortuna

Capstones

Neuromodulation is the practice of applying external stimulation, either electric or magnetic, to the human in order to affect positive change. TDCS or transcranial direct current stimulation is a neuromodulatory technique using a 9-volt battery. Because of the simplicity of the device, and it's relatively low potential for harm, the technique is popular with both researchers and at-home enthusiasts. To find out whether this technique works the way some people say it does, I built my own.

Nyc Waterfronts, Pollution And Access, Guglielmo Mattioli

Capstones

This capstone is about the waterfronts of New York and their relation with access and pollution.

The city has come a long way since the 80s in terms of cleaning up open waters, rivers, and creeks. Many new promenades have been open and development spurred along the city shores. Yet too many miles of waterfront are still not accessible to the one most in need.

Jamaica Bay, Newtown Creek, and Flushing Bay are some of the most representative examples of where there is little access to the water and pollution levels are still too high. This capstone, organized in two …

The Last Gay Man On Earth -- Can The Mainstreaming Of A Culture Be Responsible For Its Demise?, Muri Assunção

Capstones

Social acceptance towards the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer community (LGBTQ) has seen incredible progress in the last few decades. Less than 50 years ago, an act of rebellion against a homophobic police raid at Stonewall, a gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, kicked off the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBTQ rights. Today, the queer revolution has proved effective: same-sex unions in the U.S. are legally allowed, and gay parenting is socially accepted. But, at what cost? Are queer people conforming to a heteronormative way of life? Can such social advances be also responsible for the …

Quality Of Death People With Terminal Illnesses Are Turning To An Age-Old Method To End It All: Self-Starvation, Kazi E. Awal, Alyssa Pagano

Capstones

Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) is getting more attention in the medical community. Though physician assisted dying legislation passed in two more states in 2016--there are now 7 states where it is legal--the practice, where doctors prescribe a lethal dose of sedatives so that terminally ill patients can end their own lives, is inaccessible to many. But fasting to death is a way for patients suffering from terminal illnesses or other debilitating diseases to end their lives on their own terms that is legal everywhere. As extreme as it sounds, research shows the process can be made comfortable with …

Preying On The Desperate, Karen M. Savage

Capstones

In this story, I investigate the marketing and sale of concentrated hydrogen peroxide to individuals who are desperate to cure serious health maladies. The story follows an online marketer who was warned by the FDA more than ten years ago to stop claiming hydrogen peroxide ingestion could cure cancer and other ailments. But in spite of the warning and subsequent FDA investigation, the individual continues to claim high strength hydrogen peroxide helps with brain tumors and leukemia and he can now be tied to several different websites marketing various “brands” of high strength hydrogen peroxide. Another marketer distributes hydrogen peroxide …

Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center: A Residence For Children With Severe Disabilities, Tatiana D. Flowers

Capstones

The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center cares for some of the most medically complicated children in North East area of the United States. The facility, in Yonkers, New York, currently houses 137 residents, who all need 24-hour care and treatment. Many residents live with multiple physical and neurological (brain) disorders, which occurred either at birth or from a traumatic injury or accident. There is an admissions process at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, and only the most severe applicants are accepted.

In The Wake Of Broken Windows Policing How Aggressive Policing Contributed To East Harlem Residents Distrust Of Police, Stephanie Daniel, Nicole Lewis, Kalalea Kalalea

Capstones

In 2015, the East Harlem neighborhood – specifically the 25th Precinct – had the highest rate of criminal court summonses amongst residential areas. At 145 summonses for every 1,000 residents, it was more than four times the citywide average, according to an analysis of data obtained from the NYPD.

Since 2010, summonses have declined as the NYPD moves towards a more community-based approach to policing. But the Broken Windows theory has left a lasting and often negative effect on the East Harlem community.

This past fall, CUNY reporters investigated how summonses have affected the relationship between East Harlem residents and …

Instagram And The Human (Mis)Connection, Johanna Chisholm

Capstones

Instagram has made strides to try and improve their platform for these mentally unstable teens; most recently by installing a tool that allows users to report people they think might be “going through a difficult time.” This update, while a step in the right direction, seems to still be missing a very important element to actually helping these users: a human connection.

https://jochisholm.github.io/Instagram_Teens/

Nurse Shift Handoff Report At The Patient's Bedside: Improving Nurse-To-Nurse Communication, Francis R. Estrella

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of the CNL project is to develop a standardized approach to communication during nurse shift handoffs through utilization of bedside shift reporting (BSR). Shift handoffs are integral to nursing practice; therefore, this process must be accurate, effective, and consistent in order to ensure the delivery of safe and quality care. The project focuses on the CNL curriculum element of Quality Improvement and Safety, under the role of an Outcomes Manager. Prior to BSR implementation, shift handoffs in the sub-acute unit were being conducted at the nurse’s station or by the medication carts. Nurse shift handoffs were often rushed, …

Standardization Of Body Imaging Huddle In Radiology, Margaret M. Browne Mcmanus

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mag Browne McManus

Clinical Nurse Leader Abstract

University of San Francisco

Abstract

Communication amongst healthcare providers is critical to reducing errors, and in procedural areas, the huddle can be used to standardized communication amongst the team before the beginning of interventional procedures (Goldenhar, Brady, Sutcliffe, Muething, & Anderson, 2013). Prior to the implementation of the revised huddle, a staff survey indicated none of the staff were satisfied with the current process. The objectives of the standardization of the body imaging huddle in the department of radiology were to increase staff satisfaction by 15% and reduce the time from patient arrival …

Black Minds Matter: The Academic Identity Of First Year African American Stem Students, Christa Dawn Platt

Theses and Dissertations

A national push exists to increase the number of African American students who pursue STEM majors (Baber, 2014). While African American students have high aspirations to pursue STEM disciplines, an incongruence remains between their aspirations and their attainment of STEM degrees (Archer, Dewitt, Osbourne, 2015). This work seeks to critically underscore the structural issues that impede African American students in their journey as STEM majors. These impediments have been explored as factors that influence the identity of African American students. In the spirit of Critical Race Theory, the goal of this study is to give voice to first year African …

Mental Health Workout: Lifting Stigma, Jeremy Bambery

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mental illness affects one out of every five Americans between the ages 13-18, and it is estimated that two-thirds of these individuals will not seek treatment due to the stigma associated with having a mental illness or mental health issue (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Access to information and the ability to talk openly without fear will aid in creating a stigma free future. The goal of this project is to supply high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area with information regarding the stigma associated with mental health and mental illness via videos that will be used as …