Digital Commons Network^™

Feasibility And Pilot Testing Of A Mindfulness Intervention For Frail Older Adults And Individuals With Dementia, Christine R. Kovach, Crystal-Rae Waltons, Lisa Sattell, Kimberly Rosenau, Sandeep Gopalakrishnan

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Mindfulness interventions have been beneficial for healthy adults and individuals experiencing a stressful medical or mental health diagnosis. The purposes of the current study were to: (a) determine feasibility of mindfulness for older adults in long-term residential settings, and (b) examine differences in outcomes between a mindfulness and cognitive activity. The current study is the first mindfulness study to include individuals in moderate and severe stages of dementia, and included 36 individuals with a range of cognitive abilities. A crossover design was used, and the intervention was feasible for continued practice by individuals with cognitive impairment. Statistically significant short-term changes …

Resilience In Caregivers Of Partners With Young Onset Dementia: A Concept Analysis, Karie R. Kobiske, Abir K. Bekhet

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction: Over 200,000 Americans diagnosed with young onset dementia (YOD), dementia diagnosed prior to age 65, are cared for by family members. This can be costly to caregivers’physical and psychological health. Some adapt well to the caregiver role and are said to be resilient. Aim/Question: This paper builds on current understanding of the concept of resilience and applies this to caregivers of partners diagnosed with YOD. Method: Concept analysis. Results: Resilient caregivers exhibit attributes including determination, flexibility, positive thinking, self-efficacy, resourcefulness, social support and spirituality. Discussion: YOD affects caregiver’s health. Much research has been done on interventions for dementia caregivers. …

Recertification And Reentry To Practice For Nurse Anesthetists: Determining Core Competencies And Evaluating Performance Via High-Fidelity Simulation Technology, Matthew E. Heyes, Lauren Schnitzen, Deana G. Starr, Charles Vecchiano, Virginia C. Muckler, Lisa Thiemann, J. Frank Titch

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetistsaddressed a barrier to return to practice of uncertified practitioners by replacing required direct patient care experiences with high-fidelity simulation.

Objectives

The aims of this study were to: (a) validate a set of clinical activities for their relevance to reentry and determine if they could be replicated using simulation, (b) evaluate the content validity of an existing simulation scenario containing the proposed clinical activities and determine its substitutability for a clinical practicum, and (c) evaluate the validity of two methods to assess simulation performance.

Methods

A modified Delphi method …

Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Older Adults In Costa Rica As Measured By The Short-Form-36 Health Survey, Esmeralda Valdivieso-Mora, Mirjana Ivanisevic, Leslie A. Shaw, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal, Zachary D. Green, Monica Salazar-Villanea, Jose Moncada-Jimenez, David K. Johnson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To test the validity of a common measure of health-related quality of life (Short-Form-36 [SF-36]) in cognitively healthy older adults living in rural and urban Costa Rica. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to SF-36 data collected in 250 older adults from San Jose and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Results: The best fitting model for the SF-36 was an eight first-order factor structure. A high correlation between the Mental Component Summary and Physical Component Summary scores was found. Region differences indicated that rural dwellers perceive a poorer health-related quality of life compared with the urban group. Discussion: Costa Rican older …

Factor Structure And Psychometric Properties Of Cognitive-Behavioral Scales In Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia, Abir K. Bekhet, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background/Purpose

Caregiving can be costly to dementia caregivers' well-being. Assessing the factor structure and psychometric properties of Cognitive-Behavioral Scales in dementia caregivers is an essential step in addressing the gap in the current state of research. Specifically, it is essential to determine first whether the factorial structure of the three measures used in this study namely, the Positive Thinking Skills Scale, the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist, and the Zarit Burden Interview are good representation of the data by studying the good model fit. Next, evaluating the reliability of each factor of the three measures used are essential to …

Teaching Students To Teach Patients: A Theory-Guided Approach, Lori Candela, Linda B. Piacentine, Kathleen L. Bobay, Marianne E. Weiss

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Nurses in every setting provide patient teaching on a routine basis, often several times a day. Patient teaching skills are essential competencies to be developed during pre-licensure nursing education. While students learn what to teach for specific conditions, they often lack competence in how to teach in ways that individualize and optimize patient learning. The ultimate goal of patient teaching is to arm patients with the knowledge and skills, and the desire and confidence in their ability to reach their targeted health outcomes. We describe the creation of a theoretical framework to guide development of patient teaching skills. The framework, …

Sexual Risk Behaviors Of African American Adolescent Females: The Role Of Cognitive And Religious Factors, Safiya George Dalmida, Natasha Aduloju-Ajijola, Dora L. Clayton-Jones, Tami Thomas, Ricardo J. Erazo Toscano, Rashunda Lewis, Terri Fleming, Shirley Taylor, Macie Lunyong

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction: African American (AA) high school-age girls are more likely to have had sex before age 13 years and have higher rates of all sexually transmitted infections. Cognition and religion/spirituality are associated with adolescent sexuality, therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify cognitive and religious substrates of AA girls’ risky sexual behaviors. Method: A descriptive study was conducted with 65 AA girls aged 15 to 20 years using computerized questionnaires and cognitive function tasks. Results: Average age was 17.8 ± 1.9 years and average sexual initiation age was 15.5 ± 2.6 years. Overall, 57.6% reported a history of …

Visits For Depression To Physician Assistants And Nurse Practitioners In The Us, Abiola O. Keller, Roderick S. Hooker, Elizabeth R. Jacobs

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Registered Nurses' Experiences Of Passing The Nclex-Rn After More Than One Attempt, Tammy L. Kasprovich, Leona Vandevusse

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

In the past decade, little research has been conducted regarding individuals' stories about not initially being successful on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. An unsuccessful licensure examination attempt may affect the individual personally and profoundly in ways that could influence their future success.

Method:

Individual in-depth interviews were conducted once with 15 RNs who were initially unsuccessful on the licensure examination and subsequently passed. Data analyses were conducted using both manual and electronic coding through thematic identification. Rigor was ensured by meeting quality criteria for qualitative research.

Results:

Four themes were identified: (a) Pressures all Around, …

Mechanical Behavior Of Posterior All‐Ceramic Hybrid‐Abutment‐ Crowns Versus Hybrid‐Abutments With Separate Crowns—A Laboratory Study, Ahmed Sabet

Dentistry

Objective: The purpose of this laboratory study was to evaluate the fatigue resist‐ ance, fracture resistance and mode of failure of posterior hybrid‐abutment‐crown vs. hybrid‐abutment with separate crown, both bonded to short titanium bases. Materials and Methods: Thirty‐two titanium implants were embedded perpendicu‐ larly in auto‐polymerizing resin. Implant‐supported restorations simulating a maxil‐ lary first premolar were designed and milled using a CAD/CAM system and divided into 2 groups according to material (n = 16): zirconia (Z) and lithium disilicate (L). Each group was subdivided into two subgroups according to design (n = 8): hybrid‐abut‐ ment‐crown (ZS, LS) and hybrid‐abutment with …

Turbulence, Entrainment And Low-Order Description Of A Transitional Variable-Density Jet, Bianca Viggiano, Tamara S. Dib, N. Ali, L. G. Mastin, Raúl Bayoán Cal, S. A. Solovitz

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geophysical flows occur over a large range of scales, with Reynolds numbers and Richardson numbers varying over several orders of magnitude. For this study, jets of different densities were ejected vertically into a large ambient region, considering conditions relevant to some geophysical phenomena. Using particle image velocimetry, the velocity fields were measured for three different gases exhausting into air – specifically helium, air and argon. Measurements focused on both the jet core and the entrained ambient. Experiments considered relatively low Reynolds numbers from approximately 1500 to 10 000 with Richardson numbers near 0.001 in magnitude. These included a variety of …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of A Substance Abuse Treatment Program For Athletes, Megan K. Lavoy

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The focus of this study was to examine the experiences of two past participants of an athlete­-specific drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Researchers have discussed the vulnerability of an athlete population and prevalence of substance use among athletes ( e.g., Turrisi, Mastroleo, Mallett, Larimer, & Kilmer, 2007; Martens, Watson, Royland, & Beck, 2005). Some rehabilitation programs and specific approaches to treating substance abuse in athletes have started to emerge and are beginning to be discussed in the literature (Donahue et al., 2014). However, there remains a gap in the research of studies examining the experiences of these athletes who have …

Six-Month Post-Release Outcomes For Inmates With Traumatic Brain Injury In Supported Community Programming, Elizabeth O. Ahlers

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health issue. The incidence of TBI is much higher in the incarcerated population than in the general population, making this a uniquely vulnerable population. Methods: This study looks at data from the Jail Based Behavioral Health Services (JBBS) to examine recidivism rates among inmates participating in supportive programming. It also uses data from a state brain injury program to examine the impact of case management on community engagement in the justice-involved population with a history of brain injury. Results: Statewide data for a population of inmates who elect to participate …

Protestantization Of The Roma From Southeastern Serbia, Dragan Todorović

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The Protestantization of the Roma refers to the recent process of mass involvement of Serbian Roma in small religious communities of Protestant provenance.

The research was conducted using the deep interview method on the basis of a structured questionnaire with baptized believers of Roma nationality belonging to the Christian Baptist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Adventist Church, and Evangelical Pentecostal Church in the territory of Southeastern Serbia. The sample included both Roma and non-Roma high clergy of the abovementioned religious communities, as well as religious leaders of major religions of the region (Serbian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community).

This paper describes …

Modeling The Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Storm Surge Inundation In Flood-Prone Urban Areas Of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Luca Castrucci, Navid Tahvildari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Hampton Roads is a populated area in the United States Mid-Atlantic region that is highly affected by sea level rise (SLR). The transportation infrastructure in the region is increasingly disrupted by storm surge and even minor flooding events. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of SLR impacts on storm surge flooding in the region. We develop a hydrodynamic model to study the vulnerability of several critical flood-prone neighborhoods to storm surge flooding under several SLR projections. The hydrodynamic model is validated for tide prediction, and its performance in storm surge simulation is validated with the water …

Hierarchical Multiplicity Control Methods For Linear Models, Dimuthu Dilshan Fernando

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

HypoThesis testing is a commonly used statistical inference technique on which a statement of the population is investigated through the evidence from a representative sample of the population. With simultaneous testing of more than one null hypotheses need for an appropriate multiple comparison method is essential. With motivation from the study of Bogomolov et al. (2017) we have modified a multiple comparison tree structure to build the required comparisons and focus on controlling the FWER (Family Wise Error Rate) using the Bonferroni procedure. The proposed method has advantages such as controlling the global error rates separately at each level, families …

Auditory Selective Attention Performance In Older And Younger Bilingual Adults, Ninive Corina Gomez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent research has suggested that bilinguals may have enhanced cognitive abilities resulting from the constant management and maintenance of their two language systems. This cognitive advantage has been evidenced in studies showing that bilinguals outperform monolinguals on tasks of visual selective attention. However, very little is known regarding how bilingualism influences selective attention in the perception of auditory information. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of bilingualism on auditory selective attention. A total of 61 participants were recruited to participate and divided into four participant groups: 15 younger monolinguals (between the ages of 18-25), 15 …

Interference Analysis And Mitigation Of Telemetry (Tm) And 4g Long-Term Evolution (Lte) Systems In Adjacent Spectrum Bands, Juan Francisco Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Currently, the telecommunications, radio systems, and many other wireless services in the United States are using the spectrum from the 6 kHz to the 300 GHz frequencies. Although it may seem enough for said systems, as more users and devices are being introduced into the market, the spectrum is limiting the faster introduction of these devices and/or systems. The radio frequency spectrum is home to many transmissions, from amateur radio to cellphone applications, which all share similar frequency bands. By sharing, the number of applications can be increased in a single band, but their performance may be affected. Herein, experiments …

Combustion Joining Of Regolith Tiles For The Construction Of Launch And Landing Pads On The Moon And Mars, Robert Edwin Ferguson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Combustion-based methods are attractive for space manufacturing because the use of chemical energy stored in reactants dramatically decreases the required external energy input. Recently, a sintering technique has been developed for converting lunar/Martian regolith into ceramic tiles, but it is unclear how to build a reliable launch/landing pad from these tiles with small amounts of energy and materials. Here the feasibility of joining regolith tiles using self-propagating high-temperature reactions between two metals powders is explored. Combustion of a 1:1 molar aluminum/nickel mixture placed in a gap between two tiles, made of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant, was studied in an argon …

Geant4 Study Of Protons - Body Interactions, Omar Hernandez Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Proton beam therapy for cancer treatment uses high-energy protons to destroy cancer cells, a problem that needs immediate attention is the determination of where in the body the protons are hitting, in real time, i.e. during the irradiation. One possibility is to pay attention to the gamma rays produced during the irradiation, and use the information they carry to infer the body part that produced the gamma ray.

This Thesis presents the results of an investigation of the interaction of protons with different body parts. Focusing on gamma ray-producing interactions, the goal is to determine the type of interaction that …

Predictive Modeling On The Piezoelectric Properties Of 3d Printed Functional Nanocomposites Using The Data Analytics Approach, Md Didarul Islam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This paper presents research done on prediction modeling using a data analytics approach to determine various factors affecting the piezoelectric properties of the 3D printed pressure sensors. Previously, the material extrusion 3D printing technique was used to fabricate pressure sensors composed of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT), barium titanate (BT), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) using simple fabrication and low-cost methods. This sensor produced a voltage output of 725 mV (0.13 pC/N) which is enough for pressure sensing applications. However, a holistic study to determine impacts of all factors was not carried out in the previous model. In this study, the design …

Tunable Surface Interactions In Adsorbing Polymer Solutions, Sorour Hosseini

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A simple formalism is suggested, to calculate the most likely configuration of a finite polymer, between two surfaces on which the monomers can adsorb. Grafted polymers typically enhance the stability of colloidal dispersions, via the long ranged steric repulsion due to the overlap of their polymer brushes, which can be thicker that the typical range of the DLVO interactions. However, if the polymers are adsorbing on the colloidal surfaces, there is the possibility of bridge formation between particles and therefore long-range attractions are induced (a procedure commonly used for the flocculation of colloidal suspensions). The two effects are competing and …

Deep Down, Jessica Granger

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

N/A

A Novel Method For Fabricating Material Extrusion 3d Printed Polycarbonate Parts Reinforced With Continuous Carbon Fiber And Improvement Of Strength By Oven And Microwave Heat Treatment, Md Naim Jahangir

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study of continuous carbon fiber-based material extrusion FDM printed materials can eliminate the problem of lower strength of additive manufactured part. Additive manufacturing, the process of fabricating complex shaped specimen with a layer-by-layer manufacturing technique, is being utilized in industrial application rapidly. Though the biomedical application may not be literally dependent on strength property, the factor is not deniable for the structural uses of 3D printed polymers. Insufficient neck growth and adhesion between layers are the driving factors of lower strength. The presence of porosity in the 3D printed parts is a major drawback and studies showed that the …

Changes In Fundamental Frequency Of Voice In A Group Of Transwomen Following Voice Modification Therapy, Emily Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The term transgender refers to an individual that identifies with a gender that is different to the one given at birth. Individuals that are transgender experience conflict between the gender the individual identifies with and the sex they are born with. Individuals that are transgender may elect to go through a transition process so that their outward appearance is congruent with their gender identity. Part of the transition process may include voice modification therapy. Transgender individuals may seek voice modification therapy so that the outward appearance matches the voice. However, there is limited information regarding the efficacy of traditional voice …

Exposure Of Kidney Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris) Plants To Coated And Uncoated Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials Under Different Soil Conditions: Effects On Plant Growth And Seed Quality, Illya Aidee Medina Velo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Soil exposure to engineered nanomaterials (NMs) occurs through the intentional use of nano-agrochemicals, incidental contamination from industrial-waste release, irrigation with wastewater and gray water, or amendment with NM-loaded sludge. Although there are several reports about the effects of NMs in terrestrial plants, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effects of NMs in crop plants and their edible portions.

Among the large list of produced NMs, it is estimated that 34,000 tons of ZnO NMs are produced yearly. Due to their growing applications in cosmetics and personal care products, there is a high possibility that the ZnO NMs …

On Racial Barriers, Kayla Rachel Mehl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My Thesis examines: the nature of racial barriers, by what means racial barriers manifest in society, and the ways in which we can use racial barriers to evolve toward a more just society. I argue that within particular contexts a look of the Other will construct a racial barrier between racialized bodies. More specifically, when one perceives a threat from a look of the Other, one will undertake a particular-what social psychologists call-self-representation, in attempt to exhibit a particular type of persona they feel is called for in that context. Furthermore, I argue in my paper that racial barriers emerge …

Indios To Vecinos: Identity And Classification In Paso Del Norte, Eric Murillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Identity for Native Americans in the US-Mexico borderlands is still a challenge in many ways. Native Americans in the US-Mexico borderlands often struggle to be seen as such, and many are subjected to a fragmented identity. This research explores how Spanish colonial classification continues to affect Native Americans from the borderlands.

A Survey Of Youtube Video Resources For Helping Beginner Clarinetists Cross The Register Break, Flora Newberry

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The internet is currently a much-used source of information for instruction and pedagogical information among students and teachers. The importance of the internet, specifically video instruction, in the dissemination of pedagogical information, combined with its largely unevaluated body of information, calls for serious study and consideration. It is necessary for the teaching community to understand the impact these resources have on teaching and learning, and how internet video resources can benefit teachers and students. This survey compares current video resources on YouTube for helping beginner clarinet players cross the clarinet register break, to the traditional print resources that make up …

Mapping Complex Fold-Thrust Systems In An Inverted Rift Basin: Indio Mountains, West Texas, Samantha Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study reports on new geologic mapping in the southern Indio Mountains of west Texas, where minimal research has been done since development of modern fold-thrust belt concepts. This study integrated an analysis of structure and the stratigraphy of the region. A stratigraphic column of the middle Cretaceous upper Yucca Formation was measured to 1) compare the lithology to that of the section previously measured in the hanging wall of the Squaw Peak thrust in the footwall of the Indio normal fault, 2) create informal members in the formation to aid mapping; and 3) identify previously unmapped structures in the …