Digital Commons Network^™

Disseminating The Sepsis Bundle: Evaluating An Evidence-Based Education Module, Elyse Diana Isopo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to increasing incidence and noncompliance with sepsis at a local hospital, an educational deficit was identified on the sepsis bundle in the medical intensive care unit. The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a sepsis bundle education program for all frontline staff in the MICU at a local University Hospital. The goal was for the educational tool to be validated by a multidisciplinary team to increase awareness, education, and ultimately, compliance with the severe sepsis and septic shock guidelines. The diffusion of innovation theory was utilized to support the process of change by encouraging the use …

Health Promoting Behaviors Of Young Adults With Chronic Lyme Disease, Patricia D. Bolivar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lyme disease is the most prevalent arthropod-borne (tick) disease in North America. The disease is more prevalent in some Eastern and Central states than in Western states. The general problem is that, in southern California especially in Los Angeles County, both patients and practitioners fail to recognize the disease, resulting in misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Consequently, the patient may develop the long-term, chronic Lyme disease (CLD). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of CLD on the health-promoting behaviors of ethnically diverse young adults from similar educational and socioeconomic backgrounds based on their lived experiences. The …

Louise De Marillac: Come Winds Or High Waters, Élisabeth Charpy D.C.

Vincentian Digital Books

Originally published by the Compagnie des Filles de la Charité in 1988 as Contre Vents et Marées: Louise de Marillac, this title has been newly translated, redesigned as an e-book, illustrated, and republished by the V.S.I., with the permission of the Daughters of Charity. Numerous quotes within the text have also been updated and reannotated to meet the English language standard provided by recent translations of Louise and Vincent’s letters and words. Sr. Charpy presents this biography of Louise de Marillac as woman, wife, mother, foundress, and indispensable collaborator with Vincent de Paul in founding the Vincentian tradition. In …

Perceptions Of Healthcare Workers Toward Influenza Vaccination, Amos Adedokun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though influenza vaccinations were provided free to all healthcare workers in the United States, healthcare workers were not 100% compliant. The non-compliance with influenza vaccinations may expose their patients, their families, and the public at large to a high-risk source of influenza infection. This study's research questions included how registered nurses perceived influenza and influenza vaccination; registered nurses' self-reported incidents with influenza vaccination; and factors that contributed to registered nurses' non-compliance with influenza vaccination. Guided by the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the factors that …

Hardiness, Adult Attachment Style, And Burnout In Nurses, Kristy A. Negri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current nursing shortage is a pressing crisis that is expected to worsen over time. A key reason nurses leave nursing is burnout. The purpose of this study was to investigate personality hardiness and adult attachment style in relation to the development of burnout in licensed professional nurses. Hardiness theory and attachment theory indicated that each provided protection against burnout, but no research has been conducted to examine both factors in relation to burnout in nurses. Research Question 1 asked if there was a relationship between attachment style and total hardiness score; Research Question 2 asked if there was a …

Influence Of Self-Assessment Scripts On Self-Regulated Learning And Students' Performance In A Multimedia Environment, Guillermina Viruet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Multimedia learning may be more effective than text-only methods. Researchers have not examined the effects of metacognitive strategies on self-regulated learning (SR) within multimedia learning environments (MLE). The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine potential differences in learning and SR skills between students who use a script as a self-assessment tool and students who do not, while creating a conceptual map. The cognitive-affective theory of learning with media was used to frame the study. The sample included 87 secondary school students from a public school in Puerto Rico, enrolled in 11th and 12th grade English courses. Control and …

Waste Management Minimization Strategies In Hospitals, Andrea L. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the delivery of healthcare services, hospital employees use enormous amounts of water, energy, and nonbiodegradable carcinogenic plastics. In the U.S., hospital staff generate an average of over 7,000 tons of waste per day at an average cost of $0.28 per pound for the disposal of regulated medical trash, which if efficiently managed or reduced, could result in substantial cost savings. Using the organizational learning and the transaction cost economics theories as the conceptual frameworks, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders used to minimize their waste management operational costs. Data were collected using …

Development Of A Scholarly Educational Intervention To Improve Inpatient Diabetes Care, Sharon.Hasfal Hasfal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Advanced practice providers (APPs), consisting of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, face many challenges in the provision of evidence-based practice in their management of hospitalized adult patients with diabetes. Some of the barriers faced by APPs at a Northeast acute care facility are poor communication between disciplines, lack of confidence in initiating insulin, limited understanding of the management of insulin and the insulin pump, and insufficient treatment of the hospitalized patient with diabetes that aligns with current clinical guidelines for the management of inpatient hyperglycemia. This quality improvement project focused on the development of an evidence-based theory supported educational intervention …

Unmolested, Michael Lowenthal

True Story

No abstract provided.

Lethe, Leanna James Blackwell

True Story

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators, Mary Paige Thrash

Honors Theses

Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are validated drug targets in the endocannabinoid signaling system associated with a number of human pathologies, and the development of novel and selective small molecule CB ligands is warranted. A lead molecule HL-010, a member of the 4H-thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole-5-carboxamide class of compounds, was previously identified through CB homology modeling and virtual screening protocols as a potential high affinity ligand for cannabinoid receptors. Validation of the in silico data was realized with the evaluation of both CB1 and CB2 receptor binding and functional activity assessment: HL-010 was found to be a potent (~10 nM) and selective CB2 receptor agonist …

Cardiolipin Profiling In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Meghan Houston Mcneely

Honors Theses

Six human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, LM, BoM, T47D, MCF7, and MCF7-BoM) were treated with three differentially targeted phospholipase inhibitors (bromoenol lactone, tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate, and halopemide) as well as various dietary oils (canola oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and soybean oil). Cell viability assays were performed to examine the effects of each inhibitor and oil in varying concentrations on the proliferation of each breast cancer cell line. The goal was to detect changes in cardiolipin concentration within each cell line after exposure to a series of various phospholipase inhibitors and oils. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was …

Neurotoxicity Of Asimina Triloba, Myriam Sanders

Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be brought on by genetic and environmental factors including exposure to compounds and extracts found in plants. Many substances extracted from plants have been shown to induce cell death in neurons. This experiment tests different plant compounds to determine if they induce death in neurons in cell culture. In particular, we focused on extracts and compound from the Asimina Triloba plant- a plant that had anecdotally been connected with Parkinson's Disease-like effects. Cultured neurons were treated with increasing concentrations of the compounds and extracts. Twenty-four hours after treatment, viability was assessed. Results show that while …

Effects Of Emotion And Construal Level On Obesity Stigma, Peyton D. Curtis

Honors Theses

We conducted the present study to determine how emotion and construal level contribute to obesity bias. Specifically, we examined if different emotions, such as disgust, sadness, and happiness, played a role in several different judgments of an obese versus thin individual: 1) general impressions, 2) supporting a friend, and 3) endorsing personal versus biological/environmental causes for weight. We also investigated whether a self me construal or collective we construal influenced these judgments. We additionally considered whether emotion and these construal levels would interact to influence such judgments. The current work found that emotion and construal level did not interact to …

The Construction And Characterization Of Vaccines Expressing The Pre-Membrane And Glycoprotein E Antigens Of The West Nile Virus, Ryan Johnson

Honors Theses

The West Nile Virus (WNV) is a positive polarity, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae. In this family, there are several globally relevant human pathogens including dengue fever virus (DENV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), yellow fever virus (YFV), the newly emerging Zika virus, and the West Nile Virus (WNV). WNV, like other Flaviviruses, is spread by an arthropod vector, and can cause West Nile fever and West Nile encephalitis and meningitis, and is now considered to be endemic in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. No vaccine is currently available to prevent WNV infection, …

Characterization Of Kndy Neuronal Activity In Gilts: Distribution And Effect Of A Progestin, Ashley Nicollette Lindo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Puberty is a process that incorporates a large array of both external factors and internal signals. The endocrinology of puberty has been studied in a number of mammalian species and typically depends upon an increase in hypothalamic secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Neural inputs regulating GnRH secretion during the pubertal process are not completely understood. In the past decade, attention has focused on the role for a particular set of neurons located in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus. They have been named KNDy neurons because they coexpress kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin and have been shown …

Laser And 3-Dimensional Printers: Characterizing Emissions And Occupational Exposures, Alyson R. Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Toxicology and epidemiology studies have observed an association between ultrafine particles (UFPs) and respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health effects. While there is a paucity of data in the literature on the potential toxicity and health effects from indoor UFP exposure, more exposure assessment studies and research evaluating the efficacy of controls is merited. An increased demand for efficiency, productivity, and manufacturing has led to conception of laser and 3- dimmensional (3-D) printers in various indoor workplaces. The indoor environment is one of the most important determinants of personal exposure. Introducing laser and 3-D printers to indoor workplaces, introduces a …

Analysis Of Membrane Transporter Systems Expressed During Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation In The Model Legume Medicago Truncatula, Christina Laureen Wyman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Case Study: Persistence And Retention Of Students In An Alternative High School, Lametrica Andrews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are at greater risk for dropping out of high school than other students, and are likely to experience fewer employment options and more societal marginalization. Alternative schools have been viewed as a last chance and best option for educating many students with EBD who have not actually been diagnosed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore persistence and retention in the alternative school setting for students who may or may not have been diagnosed with EBD. Students in this study will be referred to as EBD. Although they have not been …

Als-Associated Mutation Sod1g93a Leads To Abnormal Mitochondrial Dynamics In Osteocytes, Huan Wang, Jianxun Yi, Xuejun Li, Yajuan Xiao, Kamal Dhakal, Jingsong Zhou

Faculty and Staff Publications

While the death of motor neuron is a pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), defects in other cell types or organs may also actively contribute to ALS disease progression. ALS patients experience progressive skeletal muscle wasting that may not only exacerbate neuronal degeneration, but likely has a significant impact on bone function. In our previous published study, we have discovered severe bone loss in an ALS mouse model with overexpression of ALS-associated mutation SOD1G93A (G93A). Here we further provide a mechanistic understanding of the bone loss in ALS animal and cellular models. Combining mitochondrial fluorescent indicators and confocal live …

Improving The Lifestyle Of Andrews Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church Members, Myung Do Park

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Andrews Korean Seventh-day Adventist church in Berrien Springs, Michigan has holistic lifestyle problems that are on the rise. Church members are experiencing health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and insomnia. In observing dietary patterns, it was noticed that some of our members do not bother to ascertain the content of the food being eaten. Other members have express the desire to learn about a healthy lifestyle. Purposeful attention to this need of the church is necessary. As a church community comprised of mostly pastors, university students and their families it is time to advocate …

Personalizing Precommitment, Lee Anne Fennell

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

This Essay examines the potential for law to facilitate tailored precommitments to help people address self-control problems. This flavor of personalized law is unique in that it is voluntarily chosen and self-administered. There are practical and normative limits on the degree to which people can bind themselves in ways that they cannot later escape, but law can offer mechanisms that would help people design and implement flexible precommitments. Research suggests two potential lines for innovation. First, partitioning access to resources may constrain consumption in contexts from dieting to saving, even when the partitions can be unilaterally broken. Second, the chunkiness …

A Regulatory Classification Of Digital Assets: Toward An Operational Howey Test For Cryptocurrencies, Icos, And Other Digital Assets, M. Todd Henderson, Max Raskin

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

Digital assets are hot right now. Whether cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, or initial coin offerings and tokens, this new asset class has captured the imagination of American investors. While it remains to be seen if this phenomenon has staying power, there is no doubt that these assets and their promoters have attracted the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission. But neither Congress nor the SEC has formally elucidated which digital assets are securities and which are not.

This Article seeks to provide clarity in determining which digital assets are securities. It proposes two tests that operationalize the Supreme Court’s test …

Twenty Years Of Spayvac® Research: Potential Implications For Regulating Feral Horse And Burro Populations In The United States, Ursula S. Bechert, Mark A. Fraker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

There are currently >75,000 feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (E. asinus ) on U.S. public lands, yet the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is set at just under 27,000. Wildlife managers, conservation biologists, and livestock ranchers are concerned about the impacts that these free-ranging horses have on shared rangelands. Immunocontraceptive vaccines may have the greatest potential to regulate horse population numbers once AML is reached; however, the vaccine must have multi-year efficacy to be both technically feasible and cost-effective. Immunocontraception based on porcine zona pellucida (PZP)-specific antigens is highly tissue-specific, targeting the ova, and blocking sperm binding through antibody …

In The News, Jason Matthews, Joe Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Livestock Depredation By Bengal Tigers At Fringe Areas Of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam, India: Implications For Large Carnivore Conservation, Jimmy Borah, Pranab Jyoti Bora, Amit Sharma, Soumen Dey, Anupam Sarmah, Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Nadisha Sidhu

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) have cohabited with humans in India for centuries. However, with increasing human populations, human-tiger conflicts (HTC) have increased. Impacts of such conflicts are loss of human life, livestock depredations and retaliatory killings of tigers. Considering that Bengal tiger populations are in decline throughout their range, accurate information regarding the magnitude of the impacts of HTC is needed for tiger conservation. We analysed livestock depredation data collected over three years (April 2008 through March 2011) from villages near the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve (KTR) to determine impacts of HTC. During the study period, we documented 518 …

Cooperative Extension Agents As Key Informants In Assessing Wildlife Damage Trends In Georgia, Rhianna R. Hohbein, Michael T. Mengak

Human–Wildlife Interactions

To manage emerging human-wildlife conflicts, wildlife managers will require more information regarding trends in wildlife damage and public perceptions of control measures. In 2017, we administered an online survey to Georgia Agriculture and Natural Resource County Cooperative Extension Agents (ANR Agents) to assess the types of inquiries or complaints about nuisance wildlife they had received during the previous year. We asked questions about the common species creating problems, the nature of the damage reported, and perceptions of client preferences regarding different types of nuisance wildlife control. We compared the results of our 2017 survey to a similar survey conducted in …

Wildlife As Pets: Reshaping Public Perceptions Through Targeted Communication, Rosanna M. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Engaging People In Nature Stewardship Through Master Naturalist Programs, Mark Larese-Casanova, Michelle Prysby

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Master Naturalist programs across the country have reconnected Americans with nature for >20 years. Research suggests that reconnecting humans with nature benefits personal health and wellness, educates stakeholders about the importance of conservation, and enhances individual participation in stewardship efforts. Nationally, the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs coordinates and supports Master Naturalist programs through facilitating collaboration and sharing of resources, as well as organizing an annual conference. We explore the Virginia Master Naturalist and Utah Master Naturalist programs as 2 examples of different, but highly effective, statewide programs to highlight the diversity of Master Naturalist programs. The …

Managing Human-Habituated Bears To Enhance Survival, Habitat Effectiveness, And Public Viewing, Kerry A. Gunther, Katharine R. Wilmot, Steven L. Cain, Travis C. Wyman, Eric G. Reinertson, Amanda M. Bramblett

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The negative impacts on bears (Ursus spp.) from human activities associated with roads and developments are well documented. These impacts include displacement of bears from high-quality foods and habitats, diminished habitat effectiveness, and reduced survival rates. Additionally, increased public visitations to national parks accompanied with benign encounters with bears along park roads have caused more bears to habituate to the presence of people. In some contexts, habituation can predispose bears to being exposed to and rewarded by anthropogenic foods, which can also lower survival rates. The managers and staff of Yellowstone National Park located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, …