Digital Commons Network^™

Quality Improvement Project On Patient Falls In A Medical-Telemetry Unit, Stacey Rivera

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper will summarize the quality improvement falls prevention project conducted by a group of University of San Francisco Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students. Falls in the acute care setting are a major issue in the current health care system and are a main topic of interest for CNL students to address in order to demonstrate their competency in risk reduction, health promotion, and evidence-based practice. A large, metropolitan hospital uses the Morse Fall Scale to assess patients for fall risk factors. On a medical-telemetry floor, fall incidence rates are increasing from the previous fiscal year. Due to the negative …

Development Of A Formalized Mentorship Program, Rozlyn Bauer

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this project is to help increase retention of newly licensed registered nurses (NLRN) at a large community medical center. The medical center loses approximately 20 NLRNs per year which is costly for the medical center. The loss of NLRN can be attributed to decreased job satisfaction, poor nursing competence and lateral violence between the nursing staff. Evidence shows that mentorship is a proven, evidence-based approach to solving these issues and more (Hodgson & Scanlan, 2013).

Not only can mentorship help increase retention, address lateral violence, increase job satisfaction and nursing competence but, it can also help enhance …

A New Dimension Of Scottishness? Iain Banks, The Algebraist (2004), Martin Procházka

Studies in Scottish Literature

Argues that Iain Banks's experimental science fiction, often disguised as the pop-culture genre of “space opera,” changes the frame of reference for Scottishness, linking it with a plurality of fictitious worlds, presenting the gradual erosion, subversion and deconstruction of the anthropomorphic perspective, to reveal the limitations of humanist ideologies.

Regaining Control: Jenni Fagan, The Panopticon (2012), Marie-Odile Pittin-Hedon

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses Fagan's groundbreaking novel about an Edinburgh teenager as "an important landmark of contemporary literature," "a performative act of resistance ... over the forces of oppression," and "an invitation to reconsider the ethics of our contemporary world."

Jackie Kay, Trumpet (1998), Marie Hologa

Studies in Scottish Literature

Argues that Kay's acclaimed novel about a celebrated black jazz trumpeter, who is transgender, presents "an alternative construction of masculinity to the stereotypical Scottish 'hard man' of tartan noir, " dealing with "questions of identity that go beyond Scottishness," and unmasking "the emptiness of normative categories like gender, sexuality, ‘race’ and ethnic origins in a postmodern ... society."

Tom Scott As Religious Poet: 'The Paschal Candill' In Context, Richie Mccaffery

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses the religious beliefs and writings of the Scottish poet Tom Scott (1918-1995), both as a continuing concern and during a period of explicitly Catholic belief in the 1950, examining in detail his Catholic poem 'The Paschal Candill' in relation to his much more widely-recognized political comments.

Best Practices For Test Driven Development, Timothy Tacker

All Student Theses and Dissertations

In his award-winning book, Test-driven Development By Example, Kent Beck wrote, "Clean code that works...is the goal of Test-driven Development (TDD)." TDD is a style of software development that first begins with the creation of tests and then makes use short, iterative development cycles until all test requirements are fulfilled. In order to provide the reader with sufficient background to understand the concepts discussed, this thesis begins by presenting a detailed description of this style of development. TDD is then contrasted with other popular styles, with a focus toward highlighting the many benefits this style offers over the others. This …

Have Video Gaming Revenues Led To An Increase In Municipal Services In Illinois?, Christopher Dudzinski

All Student Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Video Gaming Act, the largest gambling expansion in the state’s history. That expansion allowed locations within Illinois to have five Video Gaming Terminals (VGT) within their business, similar to the slot machines previously only seen at state casinos. These terminals arrived under much scrutiny, as scholars and citizens alike were concerned with the social negatives attached to gambling facilities. Previous research points out many of the societal connotations that comes along with Video Gaming such as negative externalities associated with bankruptcy and addiction, but has yet to analyze the impact on the …

Assessment Literacy In A Mathematics Classroom, Virginia M. Doran

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using assessment literacy in a math classroom. This was accomplished by analyzing the test results of students in two different high school Geometry B classes. Both classes were taught the same curriculum, with the same textbook and tests, and by the same teacher. However, assessment literacy techniques were only implemented in one of the two classes. Both classes completed a pre and post-test. The researcher compared the growth of both classes. Results of the study showed that incorporating assessment literacy techniques such as student friendly learning targets, reflection, self-assessment, …

Facing Obstacles As A Senior, Catherine Mccarthy

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Seniors are individuals who need the most assistance because they are a growing population in our society. It is estimated that by the year 2020, those 65 years and over will reach 55 million and those 85 years and over will number 7.3 million. Seniors need the most attention because daily items such as personal care, preparing a meal, going to the grocery store or housework become very challenging. This is when you need to acquire services that can help daily for these tasks. The Department of Aging plays a vital role when becoming a senior over the age of …

Defining The Role Of Neuropilin-2 In Macrophages: Implications In Tumor Associated Macrophages In Pancreatic Cancer, Sohini Roy

Theses & Dissertations

Macrophages are extremely heterogeneous and highly plastic hematopoietic cells that reside in all tissues and act as a bridge between the innate and adaptive arms of the immune responses. Besides, they undertake a wide array of housekeeping functions like, clearance of cellular debris that arise due to regular turnover in tissues, iron homeostasis, immune surveillance as well as tissue repair processes post inflammation. They are also causally associated with several clinical conditions, including cancer where the infiltration of macrophages contribute to disease progression, metastasis and therapy resistance, and thereby poor clinical outcome.

Neuropilins (NRPs) are non-tyrosine kinase cell surface glycoproteins …

Role Of Ezrin In Colorectal Cancer Cell Survival Regulation, Premila Leiphrakpam

Theses & Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in the United States, mainly due to metastasis to the distant organ sites. However, the molecular basis of CRC metastasis is poorly understood. Therefore, identification and characterization of novel potential anti-cancer therapeutic targets CRC is of urgent need. Utilizing a 2D-DIGE proteomics approach ezrin was identified as a protein that is differentially expressed between primary colon tumors xenografts, orthotopically implanted in athymic nude mice, and corresponding and liver metastatic deposits. Ezrin, a cytoskeletal protein belonging to the ezrin–radixin–moesin (ERM) family plays important roles in cell motility, invasion …

Public Health Perspectives On Sexual Health And Family Planning, Molly Mccarthy

Theses & Dissertations

Large bodies of evidence document the importance of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in the lives of individuals and among populations. Of particular interest are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), due to their potential for long-term health consequences, and unintended pregnancy because of its association with social and economic outcomes for women and families.

This dissertation addressed three distinct but related areas of reproductive health and family planning: counseling for condom use following an STD test, counseling for contraception following a pregnancy test in a clinical setting, and the effect of abortion on having and achieving long-term plans. These topics are …

Metabolic Reprogramming Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells In Response To Chronic Low Ph Stress, Jaime Abrego

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most lethal of all cancers with a 5-year survival rate of only 8.2%. This is because PDAC is diagnosed in its advanced stages and is characterized by radio and chemotherapy resistance. Aggressiveness of PDAC tumors is attributed to its high metabolic phenotype, which is characterized by increased glycolysis rate and lactate secretion, while oxidative metabolism is reduced. These metabolic features are required to fulfill the biosynthetic demands of proliferating PDAC cells. However, this increase in metabolic activity results in acidification of the extracellular space because the dense fibrotic stroma of PDAC tumors limits …

Exploring Perceptions And Experiences With Resources Among Rural Alzheimer's Dementia Family Caregivers In The Midwest, Rita M. Million

Theses & Dissertations

Exploring PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES WITH RESOURCES AMONG RURAL Alzheimer’s Dementia Family Caregivers in the Midwest

Rita M. Million

University of Nebraska, 2017

Supervisor: Karen Schumacher, Ph.D., RN

Background. Despite vast amounts of research on informal caregiving in the Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) population, research on the experience and perceptions of rural caregivers is limited. A better understanding of rural caregivers’ knowledge, use, and nonuse of resources is essential to offset the impact of caregiving. Purpose. This study explored Alzheimer’s dementia family caregivers’ experiences and perceptions with resources in rural Midwest communities. Design. A descriptive qualitative approach with one-time semi-structured interviews was …

Focus: A Graph Approach For Data-Mining And Domain-Specific Assembly Of Next Generation Sequencing Data, Julia Sommer

Theses & Dissertations

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a key technology leading to revolutionary breakthroughs in numerous biomedical research areas. These technologies produce millions to billions of short DNA reads that represent a small fraction of the original target DNA sequence. These short reads contain little information individually but are produced at a high coverage of the original sequence such that many reads overlap. Overlap relationships allow for the reads to be linearly ordered and merged by computational programs called assemblers into long stretches of contiguous sequence called contigs that can be used for research applications. Although the assembly of the …

Self-Efficacy For Symptom Management In Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients, Lynn White

Theses & Dissertations

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a treatment for hematologic cancers and other hematologic conditions that causes severe treatment-related symptoms. The first 30 days after HSCT, or the acute phase, is when symptoms are most intense. During this time, the ability of patients to manage their symptoms, in collaboration with their health care providers, is crucial to reduce the distress caused by the symptoms. Self-efficacy is the person’s confidence in their ability to perform a behavior, such as symptom management. This body of work describes the concept of self-efficacy for symptom management (SESM), presents an integrated literature review on self-efficacy …

Novel Therapeutic Strategies For Treatment Of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Matthew A. Ingersoll

Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains the most commonly diagnosed solid tumor and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in United States men. While androgen deprivation therapy is the current standard-of-care treatment for metastatic PCa, most patients eventually relapse and develop castration-resistant (CR) tumors, for which there is currently no effective treatment. Therefore, synthesis of novel therapeutic agents and identification of alternative target proteins are necessary to improve treatment. Herein, I investigate the efficacy of novel imidazopyridine and statin derivatives as alternative therapeutic compounds. These molecules not only inhibit androgen receptor signaling, but also block activation of the AKT axis, …

Academic Policies Committee Minutes Of The Academic Senate 2017-12-15, University Of Dayton. Academic Policies Committee

All Committee Minutes

Approved minutes of a meeting of the Academic Policies Committee of the Academic Senate of the University of Dayton.

The Murder Of Innocence, Milana Vinn

Capstones

New York statute of limitations gives victims of child sexual abuse until 23 to seek legal action against the perpetrator -- one of the shortest statutes of limitations in the country. The majority of survivors come forward years later, on average at the age of 42. They say they never get justice and their offenders live freely. Child advocates and survivors have not been successful trying to raise the New York's statute of limitations. Party because the Catholic Church spent $2.2 million in the past ten years lobbying to keep the deadline in place.

https://readymag.com/u12921503/nychildabuse/

When Stigma Kills: Why Abortion In India Is Lethal Even Though It’S Legal, Mallory Moench

Capstones

Tanvi and Meera both went to get abortions this year, but only one survived. Even though abortions before 20 weeks have been legal since 1971, as many as three women die every day from unsafe abortions, government data shows. Half of all pregnancies in India are unwanted, resulting in more than 15 million abortions a year. Many go unreported, taking place in the shadows because of stigma. Although a new generation in India is growing more open about sexuality, getting pregnant outside of marriage can still ruin a woman’s reputation, shame her family and damage her future prospects. Even if …

Tropes Trump Politics, Aaron Berkowitz

Capstones

This critical essay examines the use of tropes and themes in modern comic books and how they are used to protest President Donald Trump’s policies, actions and supporters. It begins with a detailed history of tropes used in comic books and how some of the first superhero comic book writers created these tropes in order to protest the social injustices of their times. It shifts to the first trope, the “compromised hero” where a hero is turned evil. It is used in “Secret Empire,” a book where Captain America turns evil and takes over the presidency. His rise to power …

The New Threat To Journalists: Robots, Annie Nova

Capstones

NEWSPAPERS, television studios and news websites across the world have swapped out human reporters for robots. In just a few weeks, I’ll be in a cap and gown at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism. I have dedicated the last 18 months of my life to learning how to report and write. Here is where people are transformed into the so-called East Coast elite members of the media. No small amount of money, energy and time went to this effort. Had I learned to do anything a robot couldn’t?

https://medium.com/@annie.nova/the-new-threat-to-journalists-robots-f0f8865e09af

Half A Mile To Hope, Ryan Kelley

Capstones

When you first see the football team from Frederick Douglass Academy in East Harlem, you can tell they have an edge. A certain swagger that says this team has something to prove. Their athleticism is scrappy, their personalities are animated, and their motivation is a dirt field, half a mile from the school.

That’s where they walk every day in the fall to practice. Instead of a football field, it’s a city park with a softball infield in each corner. The outfield grass in the middle is torn up from the team’s cleats. A cloud of dust is kicked up …

Is The Free Tibet Movement A Lost Cause?, Tsering D. Gurung

Capstones

China's growing economic influence, internecine rivalries, and over-reliance on the West have hurt the decades-old Tibetan independence movement.

tseringgurung.atavist.com/freetibetmovement

¿Se Habla Español?, Carlos A. Serrano, Gerardo Del Valle, Estefanía Hernández, Alma Sacasa, Lidia Hernández

Capstones

The murder of Deisy Garcia and her children in 2014 caused an uproar in the community and leaving many demanding for a change in the language problem between police officers and non-English residents. However, the City’s many attempts have left many unsatisfied with the results. Through research in New York City documents, precincts, court cases and riding along with the police in Staten Island we were able to showcase that although some police officers are using interpreting services to better help the community, others are choosing to not use them. With cases like Brenda Martinez, a transgender woman who is …

In Brownsville, A Struggle For Revitalization Without Displacement, Katherine Warren

Capstones

As many parts of Brooklyn buzz with a startling rate of economic resurgence, Brownsville seems like a neighborhood left behind.

Struggling with poverty, poor health statistics, unemployment and high crime rates, and with the highest concentration of public housing in the city, it has not seen the same commercial and real estate revival as Williamsburg, Bushwick, Crown Heights and other areas of Brooklyn.

“In Brownsville, which has had challenges battling negative perceptions of this community, most of the residents are lower income and investors in the past have deemed this community as not being as good as an investment as …

Without A Caveat: How An Ethiopian Immigrant Deconstructs Race In America, Priscilla Alabi

Capstones

The story is about how an Ethiopian immigrant, Mariya Abdulkaf is dealing with the effects of the racism she experienced while growing up in Texas. However, she is one of many women of color who continue to educate and awaken the communities to which they belong. In a social climate where, according to a study done by the Pew Research Center, 60 percent of Americans believe race relations have worsened a year into the Trump Administration; and groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and others assert that women of color are “bearing the brunt of a mass of …

The Other Side Of The Gate, Tabia Robinson

Capstones

Rikers Island and the New York City Department of Correction has been in the news lately because of assault and deaths linked to the establishment. Officers feel left out because their stories are never told. The Other Side of the Gate tells the stories of those officers.

https://othersideofthegate.wordpress.com/

Inside The Grassroots Money Machine, Elizabeth Tung

Capstones

In the year since Donald Trump’s election, grassroots canvassing groups have generated millions of dollars for nonprofits like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. These groups’ growing profile correlates with a post-election spike in liberal giving, and the rise of face-to-face fundraising in the US. But despite their progressive affiliations, several groups have come under fire for abusive labor practices and a lack of financial transparency. This piece looks at two of the biggest players in the canvassing industry, the Fund for the Public Interest and Grassroots Campaigns. Both groups are headed by the same person - a man named Doug …