Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Discharge Medication Education On A Sepsis Unit: A Quality Improvement Project, Kayla Melton, Maria Noguez, Fabiola Lopez, Jillian Eisenberg, Deanna Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

Ineffective discharge education plays a role in increased readmission rates, adverse drug events, and worsened patient outcomes post-hospitalization. When combined, the resulting financial burden on America’s healthcare system is exorbitant, as is the physical and mental toll on unsuspecting patients. To close the current gaps in discharge teaching, this project is incorporating the teach-back method and utilizing updated medication handouts.

Starting on the sepsis unit of a large, local medical center – the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) interns employed assessment tools to identify areas for improvement. The data revealed rushed, incomprehensive discharge medication education and reflected in low HCAHPS scores …

A Survey Of Single-Use Plastic Foodware Ordinances Of The San Francisco Bay Region, Christopher Slafter

Master's Projects and Capstones

Municipal jurisdictions in the San Francisco Bay Region (SFBR) are passing comprehensive single-use plastic (SUP) foodware ordinances in response to growing public pressure, and a California mandate to achieve zero waste. SUP foodware items have become an issue of concern because they are readily available in the restaurant industry, and are regularly among the top-ten pollutants collected during beach cleanups. SUP foodware items pose a danger to marine wildlife and contribute to rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Policy makers in the SFBR are creating local ordinances that regulate the distribution and use of a variety of SUP foodware …

Beyond The Elevators: How The New York City Subway System Can Better Serve Blind, Deaf And Cognitively Disabled People, Ethan B. Stark-Miller

Capstones

Many blind and visually impaired, deaf and cognitively disabled New Yorkers face challenges when using the subway. A large portion of the system is still missing key accessibility features that would make the subway usable for these groups. And while this problem is on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) radar – the MTA has launched a pilot program to address it – the agency still has no clear plan or timeline for quickly expanding these features to the entire system. Link to full project: https://medium.com/@tough_coquelicot_muskrat_287/beyond-the-elevators-132c31e3ef48

They Dance To Bring Attention To A War. But Who’S Watching?, Fruhlein Chrys Econar

Capstones

Potri Ranka Manis Queano has been at the helm of Kinding Sindaw, the heritage dance troupe she founded, for the last 27 years. When a group of ISIS-affiliated local terrorists attacked Marawi City, the home of the Maranao people, it infused a sense of urgency into her group’s work.

http://www.fruhlein.com/kindingsindaw

Undocumented Survivors Of Domestic Violence Struggle To Get Resources In New York City, Florence Mafomemeh

Capstones

Many undocumented survivors of domestic violence in New York City struggle to gain access to resources they need to survive due to their undocumented status. City officials tell them that help is available at the Family Justice Centers located in all five boroughs. But some undocumented survivors say they don’t get all the help they need. These victims and survivors bring with them the scars of abuse from their exes, to seek help from the city.

Link to full project:

https://florence-mafomemeh.weebly.com/capstone.html

What If The Key To Climate Change Is Hiding Under The Sea?, Shira Feder

Capstones

“We know more about outer space than we do the ocean,” says Vicki Ferrini, a research scientist at Columbia University with over 20 ocean expeditions under her belt. And as the woman leading Seabed 2030, the charge to map the world’s oceans—which are 85% unexplored—she knows how vital this is to combat climate change and exactly how she’s going to do it. Read it here: https://medium.com/@shira.feder/what-if-the-key-to-climate-change-is-hiding-under-the-sea-4503565c33a2

Locked Out: Thanks To State Policies, Minorities Are Being Left Behind By The Cannabis Industry, Nikitha Sattiraju, Evelina Nedlund

Capstones

Locked Out: Thanks to State Policies, Minorities Are Being Left Behind by the Cannabis Industry

Social justice provisions in states with legal cannabis usually include a percentage of business licenses for minorities and expungements for those formerly incarcerated for cannabis possession so they can participate in the industry. But that isn’t enough for minority communities to successfully start cannabis businesses. Expensive start-up and operation costs, competition from corporate cannabis, lack of banking services for the industry, and fear stemming from decades of over-policing for cannabis use continue to be major roadblocks.

Cannabis legislation across the country is failing to address …

Maternidad, Denise Cervantes

Capstones

It was a hot summer day in 1985 when my mother, Ada Reyes, left El Salvador and crossed the border into the United States. Behind her, she left her one-year-old son and a war-stricken country. I sat down with her and she told me the story of how she built a life in the United States and raised my brother and me alone as a single mother.

Link: https://denisecervantes.com/capstone

Discipline Or Destiny: A School-To-Prison Pipeline Story, Trayonna Hendricks, Kourtney Webb

Capstones

The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon by which students, mainly students of color, are pushed out of schools and into juvenile detention centers and through the criminal justice system. This documentary series explains and displays what "the school-to-prison pipeline looks like through a personal story.

https://readymag.com/u1985351703/1646028/

From Muhammed To The Jobup: Engaging Malemployed Immigrants Through Journalism, Tiziana Rinaldi

Capstones

I focused my graduate work on the local community of malemployed immigrants. They are foreign-educated newcomers — medical doctors, pharmacists, teachers, lawyers and engineers, to name a few of their professions — who lack the resources to find skill- appropriate work in the U.S. They end up either unemployed or working at "jobs for which they’re overqualified or overeducated or both,” I wrote for NJSpotlight in 20171.

Using the social journalism method2 of engaging members of a chosen group to fill important if not crucial information gaps, I developed The JobUp, a series of free, offline educational events, as my …

Promesa, Puerto Rico’S Recipe For Disaster, Cristina M. Corujo Oruña

Capstones

PROMESA was signed with the purpose of helping the island’s economy recover from its crippling indebtedness. But three years later, the law has caused financial and social instability. Although, PROMESA grants Puerto Rico the right to file for bankruptcy, the effects of the law are worsening the island’s situation. Austerity measures, high costs, migration and a deeper economic recession are drowning the island.

Link to Capstone: https://medium.com/@cristina.oruna/promesa-puerto-ricos-recipe-for-disaster-1eadde7b6719

Rise, Fall And Renaissance Of Graffiti, Georgina S. Hallowell

Capstones

In a losing battle against street artists, “Make your mark in society, not on society” was the statement written in bold letters on Mayor Ed Koch’s 1982 anti-graffiti campaign. Graffiti writers decided why not? We’ll do both.

New York has witnessed the rise, fall, and renaissance of graffiti culture. There was a time when a “mark” on your property was considered vandalism. Today, those marks are used to drive profit, attract tourists, keep neighborhoods alive and are more than welcome through the doors of museums and galleries around the world. From scribbled tags to murals, graffiti writers have completely changed …

Woodhouse, Bianca M. Rosembert, Mankaprr Conteh, Netsanet Negussie

Capstones

The film WOODHOUSE, in production, profiles Julian Woodhouse, a gay, black, burgeoning fashion designer in New York, before, during and after the chance of a lifetime. In addition to designing, Woodhouse serves in the Army Reserve. His military career is the only aspect of his life that his religious, conservative black parents support. Julian has survived without the approval of his parents, who he says sent him to conversion therapy when he came out. After revealing a dark family secret in the context of this new opportunity in fashion, we’ll see Julian attempt to meaningfully reconnect with his parents for …

Super, Brown And Queer, Carolyn Adams

Capstones

In response to policy seeking to turn back time for marginalized communities, characters and creators - standing at their intersections - are springing into action to change lives in their worlds and ours. Carolyn Adams explores the circumstances surrounding contemporary mainstream representation of women of color and queer superheroes on the big screen and bookshelves alike.

link to capstone: https://www.carolyn-adams.com/writing-updates/capstone

The Never-Ending Lap, Ennica D. Jacob, Alexis Reese

Capstones

This personal film documents the journey of a Haitian-American woman dealing with sexual trauma in a culture that doesn’t speak candidly on the topic. How can women of the African- American diaspora break the cycle of sexual trauma and what are coping mechanisms to navigate their life choices with awareness?

The Never-Ending Lap will follow Ennica’s own healing process, delving delve into the cycles of sexual trauma. The film will explore past experiences through journal entries, therapy sessions and her love for track and field as she is on the road to search for coping mechanisms and healing.

Link: https://ennicajacob.myportfolio.com/videos

Not Manly Enough: Femmephobia’S Stinging Impact On The Transmasculine Community, Tat Bellamy - Walker

Capstones

My capstone project is about femmephobia in the transmasculine community. In interviews with at least six trans men and non-binary people, they explained the struggles they faced accessing health care and the discrimination they faced within their families for having a femme gender presentation. In the story, I speak to Rhea Hoskin, one of the leading researchers on femmephobia in Canada who details why this issue is harmful to the transmasculine community. Additionally, the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality talks about how femmephobia can rear its head and contribute to suicidality and depression in the transmasculine community. …

Wanda And Me: The Continuous Rise Of Puerto Rico's Greatest Pyramid Schemer, Natalia Rodriguez Medina

Capstones

Wanda Rolón is Puerto Rico's most prolific pastor. Her megachurch seats more than 4,000 people. She has ties to the government. She owns several radio and TV stations, and has reached millions. Follow the reporter as she visits Rolón's church, and discovers Wanda's modus operandi, and a bit of herself in this longform narrative.

https://medium.com/@nataliarodrguezmedina/wanda-and-me-the-continuous-rise-of-puerto-ricos-greatest-pyramid-schemer-f2d4ab9e8b5c

Black Graduates Confront Another Crisis Amid Protests And Pandemic, Jazmin Goodwin

Capstones

Black graduates confront another crisis amid protests and pandemic: Their optimistic expectations are now dashed and the result will be more inequality in America.

Much has been written about how among America’s workers, youth will suffer the greatest economic setbacks during the pandemic. Just like millennials who entered the labor force after the 2008 financial crisis, Generation Z will likely experience permanent declines in wealth, which will have ripple effects on their health and wellbeing. But those setbacks aren’t evenly distributed. Among young workers, Black youth will likely bear the largest burden.

Link to capstone project: http://www.blackgrads2020.com/

W()Men, Natalia M. Keogan

Capstones

W()MEN is a short documentary that examines the horror movie genre and the way that it focuses on women’s bodies. It integrates talking head interviews, clips from over 50 horror films, and narration in order to critically examine how women’s bodies have been portrayed as monstrous within the genre.

nataliakeogan.com/thesis-film

The Best Management Practices For Addressing Human-Caused Riparian And Wetland Degradation, Aldo Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Riparian and wetland ecosystems accomplish a variety of significant ecological purposes, especially in the State of California where a majority of these ecosystems have been removed, degraded, or altered due to human interferences. A large portion of this interference comes from a strong agricultural presence throughout the state. In order to combat further ecological loss, private and public entities have begun strong restorative and managerial efforts. This project reviews the effects of agriculture in riparian and wetland areas, and what are the best management practices focusing on the Santa Clara River Watershed and the Elkhorn Slough found in Monterey Bay. …

2019-12-13 Minutes Of The Executive Committee Of The Academic Senate, University Of Dayton. Academic Senate. Executive Committee

ECAS Minutes

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

Reducing Vascular Access Complications Through Precise Cannulation Plan Implementation, Rosemarie Quicho

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Aneurysm, which is the dilatation of the arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and pseudo-aneurysm, which is caused by leaking of blood outside the arteriovenous graft (AVG), pose a threat to the vascular access (VA) and the patient (Mudoni et al., 2015). Uneven vein penetration by dialysis needles and subsequent skin scarring lead to the development of inflammatory changes in the VA area. Scab formation masks the signs of ongoing inflammation. Damage to and tearing of the scab can then lead to lethal exsanguination from the VA (Handlos, Marecová, Smatanová, Dvořáček, & Dobiáš, 2018). Dialysis staff members are trained to use the …

Standardization Of Postoperative Care Guidelines For Pediatric Cleft Palate Patients, Amanda Dailor, Macy Therese G. Andrada, Julie C. Barragan, Samantha T. Gerber, Mercedes S. Greenberg, Tatyana Grib

Master's Projects and Capstones

At a large, community-based pediatric hospital in Southern California, a quality improvement project commenced with a goal to improve patient outcomes by decreasing length of stay and pain levels, while increasing toleration of feeds. Implementing a standardized guideline would ensure safe practice across the continuum and allow providers to use a systematic tool for postoperative care, including nursing care interventions and medications. The Root-Cause-Analysis tool was used to assess the microsystem and determine the contributing factors to the identified problem. A SWOT analysis was then performed, followed by a plan to collect data from all pediatric cleft palate procedures performed …

An Approach To Increase Education In The Flu Vaccination Clinic Process, Koki Guangxi Inlow, Lucy Dale, Devante Lindsey, Nancy Tran Manalo, Elena Teresa Cleary

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Health Ministries Program, located in Orange County, is supported by a large faith-based community hospital and provides community resources such as flu vaccinations that are overseen by the Faith Community Nurse (FCN). In collaboration with the program, University of San Francisco (USF) nursing students researched and developed an implementation of a multi-purpose educational flyer to increase education and better streamline the process at flu vaccination clinics throughout Orange County faith-based organizations. Research shows that many individuals still do not get vaccinated due to misconceptions, misinformation, and lack of knowledge on the importance of flu vaccinations. The cost of flu-related …

The Distribution Of Ultra-Diffuse And Ultra-Compact Galaxies In The Frontier Fields, Steven Janssens, Roberto Abraham, Jean Brodie, Duncan Forbes, Aaron Romanowsky

Faculty Publications

Large low-surface-brightness galaxies have recently been found to be abundant in nearby galaxy clusters. In this paper, we investigate these ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the six Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy clusters: A2744, MACS J0416.1−2403, MACS J0717.5+3745, MACS J1149.5+2223, AS1063, and A370. These are the most massive (1–3 × 1015 M ⊙) and distant (0.308 < z < 0.545) systems in which this class of galaxy has yet been discovered. We estimate that the clusters host of the order of ~200–1400 UDGs inside the virial radius (R 200), consistent with the UDG abundance–halo-mass relation found in the local universe, and suggest that UDGs may be formed in clusters. Within each cluster, however, we find that UDGs are not evenly distributed. Instead their projected spatial distributions are lopsided, and they are deficient in the regions of highest mass density as traced by gravitational lensing. While the deficiency of UDGs in central regions is not surprising, the lopsidedness is puzzling. The UDGs, and their lopsided spatial distributions, may be associated with known substructures late in their infall into the clusters, meaning that we find evidence both for formation of UDGs in clusters and for UDGs falling into clusters. We also investigate the ultra-compact dwarfs (UCDs) residing in the clusters, and find that the spatial distributions of UDGs and UCDs appear anticorrelated. Around 15% of UDGs exhibit either compact nuclei or nearby point sources. Taken together, these observations provide additional evidence for a picture in which at least some UDGs are destroyed in dense cluster environments and leave behind a residue of UCDs.

Strategic Success: The Ansoff Matrix Vs. The Balanced Scorecard, Christian Cleberg

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Academic and professional research has proven that strategic planning and management frameworks have tremendous impact on an organization’s success. However, these studies do not opine on the usability and fit of strategic frameworks within an organization. This paper examines the composition of two popular frameworks, the Ansoff matrix and the balanced scorecard, and illustrates the various ways that these frameworks have found success in the corporate world. It also compares and contrasts the frameworks’ differing structures and offers recommendations for how these frameworks may be applied to companies with diverse goals and missions.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy And Its Relevance In The Adult English As A Second Language Classroom, Helena Henkin

Master's Projects and Capstones

There is an increasing demand for adult English as a Second Language teachers who are qualified to meet the needs of culturally and ethnically diverse students. Cultural dissonance between the students’ cultures and instructional practices and curriculum leads to high drop-out rates and poor instructional outcomes. This Field Project proposes that Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is an important tool to improve the learning outcomes of culturally and ethnically diverse adult English as a Second Language students. This Field Project discusses the theoretical components of Culturally Responsive Teaching. The notion of Culturally Responsive Teaching is premised on the idea that using students’ …

Improving Identification Of Ssi In Snf, Jennifer Teng Yuan Yu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Educational deficit in basic wound assessment can lead to failure to recognize early signs of infection or wound deterioration. Despite many challenges towards wound care, there are potential opportunities to reduce patient injury and clinical outcomes through continuing education. The purpose of this paper is to review literature on current wound care knowledge in nurses and assess existing wound care knowledge in nurses at a skilled nursing facility. A 10-question pre-test wound assessment quiz based on the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) selected by the Wound Care Coordinator (WCC)/Wound Care Specialist (WCS) was given to 22 nurses: 5 Registered Nurses …

Welcoming Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing English Language Learners: A Guidebook For English Educators, Sarah Chang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Research in the Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) English Language (EL) Education has shown that there is a significant lack of published research and resources within the past ten years.

The purpose of this project is to fill the gap between what is available and what is needed to give EL educators in public universities in the United States a resource and a guide to help them when working with DHH English Language Learners (ELL). Useful information, suggestions, and practices are provided within this guidebook and separated into three different chapters. The goal is to help DHH ELLs feel …

California Stream Condition Index (Csci) Score Analysis Of Streams Sampled From 1998 To 2017 In The San Francisco Bay Region, Jenna Rais

Master's Projects and Capstones

Human impacts to California’s streams have altered the state’s riparian and hydrological landscape. This is a critical issue with regard to natural resources, including ecosystem services such as water availability and water quality. Regulations have a limited amount of impact on the improvement of this landscape and can also become complicated by politics. Scientific advances have developed ways to quantify and describe the quality of streams, this includes the development of the California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) which is based on benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) population numbers and functions. This index allows scientists to not only score the quality of a …