Digital Commons Network^™

Hips That Harm: When Medical Devices Fail Women, Sophie N. Putka

Capstones

Medical devices that save the lives of thousands of Americans each year advance at a rapid pace - but some of them consistently leave women behind. When it comes to joint replacements and even heart devices, women have worse health outcomes. Behind this preventable problem is a system that overlooks women from start to finish. Female bodies are different from male bodies, but women are often underrepresented in medical trials for device approval. Women’s participation in clinical testing for devices has increased, but there’s rarely a detailed analysis of performance by sex, and even less information on women by race …

50 Years On, Holes Remain In The Clean Water Act, Benjamin H. Abrams

Capstones

When it was first passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act was seen as a triumph of environmental legislation. However, 50 years on from its passing, the CWA has run into issues of enforcement and lack of modernization.
https://medium.com/@benhabrams/50-years-on-holes-remain-in-the-clean-water-act-127255c5f093

Healthcare Policy Analysis: Next Of Kin Contact Information On Driver's Licensse And Its Use In Emergency Notification, Suzanne Sheaffer

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Abstract

In Pennsylvania, there has been a rise in unclaimed decedents within Third-Class and Fifth-Class county coroner offices. Decreasing the number of unclaimed decedents in Third-Class and Fifth-Class Pennsylvania coroners offices is the goal for this healthcare policy analysis project. Using the Bardach’s eight step policy analysis problem solving technique, the data and the project outcomes will be presented to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Data collection began with a questionnaire sent to all 67 counties to determine who had access to the Pennsylvania driver’s license database entitled Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET). Fourteen of 67 counties have partial access and …

Retention Outcomes Of A Nursing Engagement Platform: A Program Evaluation, Kimberly Denning

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Nursing leaders continue to face challenges with retaining an adequate nursing workforce. This project assesses the value and feasibility of a nursing engagement platform that was conducted for its effectiveness on retaining nurses in the Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The platform consists of educational release time, monetary incentives, and tuition reimbursement. This project aims to analyze the organization's current nursing engagement platform for effectiveness in increasing nursing retention, nursing satisfaction, and patient satisfaction while reducing nursing turnover. A retrospective data analysis was used to compare nursing retention from the previous year and data analysis was conducted on …

Unprecedented Immigration: The Ramifications On Japan’S Party Politics, Keiko Hirano-Lee

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although the immigration discourse is a taboo subject in Japan, the aging demographics and the need for workers has brought the topic into discussion. Part of the OECD community, Japan remains the eldest liberal country who up till recently avoided immigration to maintain its unique image. This thesis builds on Japanese and immigration scholarship to examine how new pro-immigration policies of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party may affect their electoral standing. By looking at official statements, newspaper polls, and the wording of policies, it will help examine new spaces of contestation that have yet to be studied. As a forward …

Multistrain Hiv-1 Elimination: A Crispr-Cas9 And Theranostics-Based Approach, Jonathan Herskovitz

Theses & Dissertations

A critical barrier to achieving a functional cure for infection by human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) rests in the presence of latent proviral DNA integrated in the nuclei of host CD4+ T cells and mononuclear phagocytes. Accordingly, HIV-1-infected patients must adhere to lifelong regimens of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent viral rebound, CD4+ T cell decline, and progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Gene editing using clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 technology stands as one means to inactivate integrated proviral DNA. We devised a mosaic gRNA CRISPR-Cas9 system- TatDE- that targets viral transcriptional regulator genes tat / …

Antiparasitic Peptide From The Ocean: Discovery, Synthesis And Structure-Activity Relationship Study, Kh Tanvir Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millions of people die every year because of infectious diseases, and malaria is among the top five of the deadliest infectious disease. In 2018, malaria took more than four hundred thousand lives, and more than half of them are children under five years of age. Most malaria-affected parts of the world are also the home of the most underprivileged people. Seemingly, antimalarial drug discovery never achieved the attraction that it requires. Like malaria, another infectious disease that is not extensively explored by drug discovery campaigns is American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease. More than a hundred years have passed since discovering …

Investigating Teachers’ Perspectives Of Gifted Students With Specific Learning Disabilities In Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Aladsani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perspectives of gifted students with SLD in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, this study aimed at examining the relationships between teachers’ perspectives and background factors, including years of teaching experience and gender, that might affect the teachers’ perspectives. In addition, it investigated the teachers’ perspectives about the existence, identification, and education of gifted students with SLD in different regions in Saudi Arabia. This study used statistical analysis of quantitative data collected from an online survey that was adopted and modified specifically for this study. The study participants included 936 teachers with various backgrounds …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Inherent Barriers To The Potential Implementation Of Ultrasound In The Prehospital Setting Between The Saudi Red Crescent Authority And The National Guard Hospital, Maher Alsulami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study was designed to illuminate both the obstacles and the opportunities inherent in the current medical emergency systems within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in relation to the possible inclusion of ultrasound machines to assist both Saudi Red Crescent Authority professionals and emergency physicians in the hospital. The research explored the issue of implementing the ultrasound from the perspective of multiple institutions: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority and the National Guard Hospital. The research explored multiple healthcare professionals within both organizations including paramedics, EMTs, emergency doctors, and Saudi Red Crescent station administrators.

The purpose of this qualitative method …

Retrospective Cohort Study Of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain In An Outpatient Pain Specialist Clinic, Gauri Desai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a back pain that lasts for three or more than three months in the lumbar region of the spinal cord. A nerve injury or damage in the spinal cord region (neuropathic pain) requires multimodal treatment approach for pain reduction. With various treatment options utilized in the pain management of these patients, identifying demographical and clinical characteristics of patients with chronic LBP utilizing interventional procedures and pharmacologic treatments is imperative.

Objective: (i) To describe the demographics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, drug use status) and clinical characteristics (procedures, medications) …

Melatonin-Tamoxifen Drug Conjugates As Breast Cancer Drugs: Pharmacological Evaluation In Phenotypically Diverse Breast Cancer Models And Pharmacokinetic Assessment In Liver Microsome And Female Mouse Models, Mahmud Hasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tamoxifen is a first-generation selective estrogen receptor modulator, which reduces the risk of both invasive and non-invasive breast cancer (BC) as well as tumor recurrence in several clinical trials. However, chronic use of tamoxifen can increase uterine cancer risk and induce tamoxifen resistance. In past studies, melatonin alone reversed tamoxifen resistance induced by light exposure at night in rodents. This study demonstrates that melatonin or melatonin-based ligands (e.g., melatonin-tamoxifen drug conjugates) may be novel BC therapies that are efficacious and free of side effects. To investigate this further, five melatonin-tamoxifen drug conjugates with different linker sizes were synthesized and screened …

Accurate Quantitation Of Hexavalent Chromium For Reference Standard Certification And Quality Control Testing Using Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, James E. Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to perform accurate, repeatable, and defensible elemental and molecular speciated analysis is immensely significant for measurements that support human health, environmental science, and industry. This is especially true since trivalent chromium [Cr(III)] is necessary for proper nutrition, while hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is extremely toxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic. The main challenges associated with speciated analysis are related to reactive species that are continuously transformed or converted to other species during sample processing. Accurate determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species require a method that is capable of monitoring and correcting for interconversion, bias, and instrumental error. Traditional quantitative methods, such …

The Haven: A Clinical Ethnography Of A Farm-Based Therapeutic Community, Monica Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic communities are communal spaces where individuals live for an extended period in hopes of recovering from personal crises, or while coping with severe mental illness. They provide a humanistic alternative to inpatient hospitalization. Although they are seldom studied, even less is known about farm-based therapeutic communities in the United States, where communal work is viewed as central to recovery. This dissertation examines the experience of living and working at the Haven. Originally conceived as a farm-based community where suffering individuals could experience reprieve from the demands of the “working world,” and heal by living in community, recent changes in …

Atom Transfer Radical Processes: From Catalyst Design To Polymer Synthesis, Characterization, And Application, Michael Novak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the toxicity of heavy metals and their prevalence in the environment there exists a need to develop highly active transition metal catalysts ultimately reducing the amount needed for chemical transformations. Additionally, there is interest in the scientific community for creating new materials that can remove these pollutants from industrial wastewater prior to its release into the environment. The work presented here focuses on the reduction and removal of heavy metals from industrial hazardous waste by designing novel highly active catalysts and developing polymeric adsorbents.

Highly active catalyst complexes consisting of novel hybrid ligands, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl-bis-[2-(pyridylmethyl)amine] (M1-T2), and bis[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2-(pyridylmethyl)amine (M2-T1), …

Fluoride Removal With Augmented Bentonite In Drinking Water And Community Perceptions In Arusha, Tanzania, Kara Okular

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High fluoride concentrations in drinking water affect millions of people around the world. The World Health Organization recommended a fluoride concentration in drinking water of ≤ 1.5 mg/L; fluoride above this concentration can cause long-term dental and skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride imparts no taste to water; therefore, people do not realize that they are ingesting high fluoridated water. Researchers sought to develop a material to remove fluoride from drinking water through sorption. Aluminum was used to form a double ionic layer on the bentonite clay surface. Once mixed in contaminated water, a coagulant, ferric sulfate, was used to separate the bentonite …

Examining The Intersectionality Of Religious Faith, Spirituality, And Healthcare Communication, Felix Okeke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is my own contribution in responding to the concern raised by certain communication scholars. Their concern was that little research and few publications have been done in the communication field by communication scholars that trace the relationship among religious faith, spirituality, and healthcare communication. While Parrott (2004) describes this apparent neglect as “collective amnesia,” others label it “religion blindness.” Thus, in trying to trace this relationship, this project uses Christian, biblical, and bioethics backgrounds to establish the value, sacredness, and dignity of human life, since these concepts make healthcare and healthcare communication necessary in the first place. These …

Trust In The Nurse And Perceived Quality Nursing Care By Adult Oncology Patients With Implantable Vascular Access Port Devices: A Mixed Methods Study, Lois Rajcan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of nurse behaviors that promote trust and quality nursing care as perceived by oncology patients with totally implantable vascular access devices (TIVAD).

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was used to answer the study questions. This design was comprised of two phases: 1) a quantitative online survey of oncology patients with TIVADs followed by; 2) qualitative interviews using purposively selected patients from the survey sample.

Results: Trust in the nurse and perceived quality of nursing care by patients with TIVADs were determined to be of average levels. Two qualitative …

Control Of Corrosion On Ss316l Using Surface Initiated Polymers, Alexander Rupprecht

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pitting corrosion is arguably one of the most destructive and dangerous forms of corrosion, resulting in damage to structures, the environment, and public health. In addition, damage caused to structures such as bridges, pipelines, and boats, corrosion also has a profound effect on the biomedical community. Implanted metallic devices (i.e., vascular stents and artificial joints) are prone to pitting corrosion caused by aggressive ions present in extracellular fluid. To provide a corrosion-resistant surface on SS316L, films of poly(styrene), poly(methyl acrylate), and poly(methyl methacrylate) were formed using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The resulting hydrophobic polymer films had a fractional …

The Lived Experiences Of Males Within A Committed Relationship Who Are The Primary Caregivers For A Partner Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia, Aniela Scanlon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MALES WITHIN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP WHO ARE THE PRIMARY CAREGIVERS FOR A PARTNER DIAGNOSED WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA

By

Aniela Kathryn Scanlon

August 2020

Dissertation supervised by Dr. David Delmonico

Spouses who are caregivers for their partner with dementia experience significant changes within the relationship and in their daily lives. There is a focus in the extant literature on female caregivers and types of dementia that are more mainstream, like Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about the lived experiences of male primary caregivers for a spouse or partner diagnosed with dementia such as frontotemporal dementia. …

Child Protection Services: An Evaluation Of The Current System And Recommendations For Preventing Instances Of Abuse, Sarah Varian

Graduate Teacher Education

Millions of children are reported to Child Protective Services every year, and the services those children receive differ greatly between each state depending on the laws and regulations set in place and what community programs may or may not exist to support them. Research about what factors influence child abuse occurrences and which services best meet the needs of at-risk families is vital to determine the best ways to provide support for families reported for cases of abuse or neglect (Palmer, Maiter, & Manji, 2006; Solomon & Asber, 2012). A review of literature on this topic concluded that currently, Child …

Bilirubin Nanoparticles Reduce Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis, Improve Fat Utilization, And Increase Plasma Β-Hydroxybutyrate, Terry D. Hinds Jr., Justin F. Creeden, Darren M. Gordon, Donald F. Stec, Matthew C. Donald, David E. Stec

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

The inverse relationship of plasma bilirubin levels with liver fat accumulation has prompted the possibility of bilirubin as a therapeutic for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we used diet-induced obese mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease treated with pegylated bilirubin (bilirubin nanoparticles) or vehicle control to determine the impact on hepatic lipid accumulation. The bilirubin nanoparticles significantly reduced hepatic fat, triglyceride accumulation, de novo lipogenesis, and serum levels of liver dysfunction marker aspartate transaminase and ApoB100 containing very-low-density lipoprotein. The bilirubin nanoparticles improved liver function and activated the hepatic β-oxidation pathway by increasing PPARα and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1. …

The Importance Of Social Skills Instruction For Students With A High Number Of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Alexis Olerud

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this action research study was to discover the importance of using small group instruction in the area of social skills with students who have multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Classroom teachers filled out a questionnaire about students to the best of their knowledge that relates to ACEs. The classroom teacher then used an IBRST (individualized behavior rating scale)to determine the student’s ability to follow CHAMPS (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, and Success) expectations in the classroom. I compared IBRST scores of students with little to no ACE exposure to those of students with high ACE exposure. …

Stock Market Correlations To Economic Indicators, Anthony K. Quandt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For this project, I researched how representative the S&P 500 (a common index of choice to represent the market) is of the economic well-being of the US. I found that stock market data can be used an as indicator of the economic well-being of the U.S.. The results do not indicate that the stock market leads to recovery, but it does suggest that it is correlated with recovery. In my analysis, I compared the S&P 500 performance to four different economic indicators: Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), The Consumer Price Index (CPI), Average Weekly Private Wages, and Unemployment Rate. A …

Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Subcallosal Cingulate Gyrus In The Treatment Of Treatment Resistant Depression, Megan Caravas, Melanie Sov

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: a systematic review to determine the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG) for the treatment of treatment resistant depression (TRD). Methods: PubMed database was utilized in a search for clinical randomized control trials that were completed after the year 2000, using the terms deep brain stimulation, treatment resistant depression, and subcallosal cingulate gyrus. Results: Three clinical trials were chosen based on specific inclusion criteria as noted in the PRISMA flow chart (Chart 1). The results of the three articles showed various discrepancies. Two of the three studies demonstrated some statistical significance in reduction …

Induction Of Hypothermia In Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury, Frank Hadden, Courtney Lennix

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Common Abbreviations:

TBI = Traumatic Brain Injury

Glasgow Outcome Scale = GOS

Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended = GOSE

Objective: To determine whether hypothermia induction improves long-term morbidity and mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Methods: A search was conducted using PubMed database and the search terms “induced hypothermia” and “traumatic brain injury”. Studies were excluded if the publication dates were over 10 years old, children were the population being studied, and the researchers were looking at other independent variables.

Results: The results from all three randomized control trials showed that the induction of hypothermia did not show effectiveness …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Mcmurry’S Test In The Diagnosis Of Meniscal Tears, Jessica Smyth, Hartwell Rainey

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Mdma-Assisted Psychotherapy In The Treatment Of Chronic Ptsd, Alexis Coleman, Nicole Blixt

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in treating patients with chronic refractory PTSD using a systematic review.

Methods: Literature search was performed on PubMed and PsychINFO using search terms “PTSD” and “MDMA” to identify randomized control trials within the past 10 years.

Results: Two out of the three studies found statistically significant data in the treatment of refractory PTSD. Mithoefer, M. et al and Ot’alora, M. et. al found a statistically significant decrease in CAPS-IV total scores, decrease in depression symptoms, decreased in dissociative symptoms, and increase in sleep quality.

Conclusion: The use of …

Transcatheter Vs. Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement In Patients At Intermediate Surgical Risk, Nichole M. Bonzano, David M. Milligram

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Abstract

• Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at intermediate surgical risk.
• Design: Systematic literature review.
• Methods Literature searches were done in PubMed and Scopus search engines using key terms: TAVR, trans-catheter aortic valve replacement, SAVR, surgical aortic valve replacement, severe aortic stenosis, and intermediate risk. Filters included primary research only. Inclusion criteria were articles which studied an intermediate risk patient population (STS-PROM 3-15%), primary research, and compared outcomes of TAVR and SAVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis requiring replacement. …

Short Term Effects Of Electronic Cigarettes On Pulmonary Function In Healthy Adult Smokers When Compared To Conventional Cigarette Use, Kayleen Lynch, Rachel Bastianelli

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) first appeared on the U.S. market in 20071 , but to date, little is known about their safety. Concern about long term adverse effects on overall health continues to increase as we explore the potential of e-cigarettes to aid in smoking cessation practices. E-cigarettes have gained popularity and support through this idea that by using them to help patients quit smoking, the benefits of ultimately abstaining from tobacco use will outweigh the harms associated with e-cigarette use¹ . While the idea of reducing tobacco usage by any means possible remains the goal for most providers, …

Galcanezumab As A Treatment For The Prevention Of Migraines, Jacob Brown, Chelsea Weedon

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of subcutaneous galcanezumab as a preventative treatment for chronic migraines via a systematic review. Methods: JAMA and PubMed databases were searched using the terms galcanezumab and migraines in order to survey resulting patient clinical trials. Results: The 3 studies reviewed here all showed a statistically significant decrease in migraine headache days (MHDs) per month when using galcanezumab. Stauffer, et al. showed a mean decrease in MHDs of 4.7 and 4.6 for the 120mg and 240 mg doses of galcanezumab vs. 2.8 for placebo⁹ . Rosen, et al. showed a mean monthly 100% response rate …