Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation Of The 2017 Aha Guidelines By Primary Care Providers In Managing Elevated Blood Pressure A Modifiable Risk Factor Of Stroke, Chelsi Archie, Chelsea Bullock, Nekesha Johnson, Elizabeth Lishman

MSN Research Projects

Elevated blood pressure is a condition in which systolic blood pressure is 120-129 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mmHg, according to the CDC (2020), which points out that elevated blood pressure often leads to hypertension. In 2017, The American Heart Association (AHA) released guidelines to aid providers in the early detection and management of hypertension. These guidelines integrate nonpharmacological and pharmacological therapies. The nonpharmacological therapies include following a heart-healthy diet, weight loss, sodium restriction, limitation of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and increased physical activity (AHA, 2018). Hypertension, “the silent killer” is one of the major causes …

2021 School Performance Report: Innovation In Learning, Grand Valley State University

Charter School Portfolio Performance Reports

No abstract provided.

How Do Special Education Teachers View The Phenomenon Of Black Male Overrepresentation In Special Education?, Lelon B. Jeffers

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As the student population in many U.S. public schools grows increasingly more diverse, the need to assess the educational practices utilized in public schools grows as well. It is imperative for educators to make a concerted effort to ensure the rights and needs of minority students are being addressed in public schools. It is the duty of educators and policy makers to protect those students who are most marginalized by society. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of Black male overrepresentation in special education, and to ascertain the views and perspectives of special education teachers …

Perceptions Of Local Board Of Health Effectiveness In Georgia, Amber Erickson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of the local board of health chairpersons in Georgia on their engagement in six governance functions and examining the challenges faced and facilitators perceived by local boards of health in performing the governance functions properly. Methods: For this descriptive mixed method study design, a survey was administered to all local board of health chairpersons and key informant interviews were conducted with a small selection of board of health chairpersons. Descriptive statistics were produced for recoded survey data variables and themes from qualitative data collected through the surveys and interviews …

Career Motivations And Aspirations Of Dietetic Students: Applying The Social Cognitive Career Theory, Whitney Linsenmeyer, Rabia Rahman

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the career motivations and aspirations of dietetic students using the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). The objectives were to identify and quantify 1) the factors that motivate current students to choose dietetics as a career, 2) the future career aspirations of dietetic students, and 3) the way in which dietetic students make career decisions. Methods: This descriptive study utilized the validated Career Aspirations and Motivations of Dietetics Students (CAMDS) survey. Program directors of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)-accredited programs shared the CAMDS survey with their students …

Self-Confidence And Perceptions Of Athletic Training Students Following Simulated Experiences: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Hannah L. Stedge, Valerie Herzog

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Athletic training clinical education provides students with a variety of real-life patient encounters under the supervision of a credentialed athletic trainer. However, clinical education experiences may not allow for all students to practice more invasive or less common skills such as rectal thermometry. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) determine the effect of a series of low to high-fidelity simulated rectal thermometry experiences on athletic training students’ self-confidence scores; and 2) through a phenomenological qualitative approach, explore athletic training students’ perceptions following the simulated rectal thermometry experiences. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental, mixed methods, one-group …

Students’ Response To The Covid-19 Remote Learning Transition, Sandra Dunbar-Smalley, Roy Lukman, Joe Hawkins

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: The global pandemic has created a need for several higher education institutions to transition to emergency remote learning. Students and faculty have experienced a significant disruption to their daily academic routines. It is critical to understand the perceptions of students in relationship to their learning experiences and ability to effectively manage the new and changing learning environment and expectations. This study sought to understand the students’ response to the transition to remote learning, as a necessary strategy for managing learning during the pandemic. Methods: A 15-item electronic survey was provided to approximately 1600 students at a private faith-based university …

Feeding Difficulties In Children: A Guide For Allied Health Professionals An Evaluation Report, Carmel M. Blayden, Kate Holland, Sonia Hughes, Jennifer Nicol

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: An evaluation of Feeding Difficulties in Children: A Guide for Allied Health Professionals (2016) was undertaken to determine how the publication has been utilised amongst allied health professionals across NSW. This evaluation aimed to identify the usefulness of the Guide in supporting the assessment and management of children with feeding difficulties. Results will inform future education and support strategies. Method: The evaluation targeted allied health professionals employed by NSW Health. An online questionnaire formed the primary method of data collection. Four semi-structured focus groups also occurred to provide complementary qualitative information. Results: Clinicians from a range of professions and …

Myelination: A Plastic Religion, Cody A. Thomas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Plastic products are convenient, abundant and our use of them has become routine. This acceptance of

plastics’ presence has become a dogma that most humans adhere to. The continual consumption of

these single-use plastics in our daily lives has unknowingly shaped our environmental consciousness,

behaviors, and justification for them. This belief in plastics function has been strategically developed by

companies that rely on our behaviors to distribute their products. Humans have become the faithful

consumers of these goods and this belief. The brain and its ability to remain plastic and develop

decision-making skills are known as Myelination. New experiences enhance …

The First Amendment And Algorithms, Stuart M. Benjamin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Life Without Parole Sentencing In North Carolina, Brandon L. Garrett, Travis M. Seale-Carlisle, Karima Modjadidi, Kristen M. Renberg

Faculty Scholarship

What explains the puzzle of life without parole (LWOP) sentencing in the United States? In the past two decades, LWOP sentences have reached record highs, with over 50,000 prisoners serving LWOP. Yet during this same period, homicide rates have steadily declined. The U.S. Supreme Court has limited the use of juvenile LWOP in Eighth Amendment rulings. Further, death sentences have steeply declined, reaching record lows. Although research has examined drivers of incarceration patterns for certain sentences, there has been little research on LWOP imposition. To shed light on what might explain the sudden rise of LWOP, we examine characteristics of …

The City’S Second Amendment, Dave Fagundes, Darrell A. H. Miller

Faculty Scholarship

Cities are increasingly common sites of contestation over the scope and meaning of the Second Amendment. Some municipalities have announced their opposition to firearm restrictions by declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries. Others have sought to curtail gun violence by passing restrictive local regulations. Still others have responded to police violence by moving to demilitarize, disarm, or even disband their police forces. The burgeoning post-Heller legal literature, though, has largely overlooked the relationship between cities, collective arms bearing, and the Second Amendment. In sum, to what extent do cities themselves have a right to keep and bear arms? This Article tackles …

Pointing Guns, Joseph Blocher, Samuel W. Buell, Jacob D. Charles, Darrell A. H. Miller

Faculty Scholarship

The American gun debate is increasingly populated with scenes of people pointing and otherwise displaying guns. What is the legal regime governing gun displays, and how well can it address the distinct social and legal problems they pose? In this Essay, we argue that the current structure of criminal law does not supply clear rules of conduct sufficient to avoid the negative effects of gun displays, and that the rhetorical and expressive effects of Second Amendment debates threaten to make the situation worse. We also suggest how the legal rules might be improved, and how battles over norms—as much as …

The Cost Of Guilty Breach: Willful Breach In M&A Contracts, Theresa Arnold, Amanda Dixon, Madison Whalen Sherrill, Hadar Tanne, Mitu Gulati

Faculty Scholarship

The traditional framework of United States private law that every first-year student learns is that contracts and torts are different realms—contracts is the realm of strict liability and torts of fault. Contracts, we learn from the writings of Justice Holmes and Judge Posner, are best viewed as options; they give parties the option to perform or pay damages. The question we ask is whether, in the real world, that is indeed how contracting parties view things. Using a dataset made up of one thousand mergers and acquisitions (M&A) contracts and thirty in-depth interviews with M&A lawyers, we find that there …

Beyond Profit, Emilie Aguirre

Faculty Scholarship

Etsy was a crown jewel of socially responsible businesses. It prioritized female entrepreneurship, its employees, and environmental stewardship. It was widely admired as a company pursuing social goals alongside profit goals. But after scaling up through an IPO, Etsy fell apart both socially and financially. Similar stories proliferate in the world of socially conscious business. What happened? Standard accounts point to greedy investors, capitalism, and short-termism as the culprits.

But this Paper identifies a more fundamental problem: business law is not designed to facilitate scale-ups for companies that articulate objectives beyond profit. It lacks a durable commitment mechanism for these …

John Marshall Harlan And Constitutional Adjudication: An Anniversary Rehearing, H. Jefferson Powell

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Punishing With Impunity: The Legacy Of Risk Classification Assessment In Immigration Detention, Robert Koulish, Kate Evans

Faculty Scholarship

In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security adopted a risk classification assessment ("RCA") tool to run on migrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). The risk tool helped determine who was detained and who was released from ICE custody. It was intended to curb detention rates by limiting detention based on risk of flight and danger and to ensure that the conditions of civil immigration detention were distinct from those in criminal detention. This Article presents data from several RCA datasets received pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.

The story of the RCA is one of …

On The Scent: A History Of “The King Of The Foxes” Autograph Manuscript, Jennifer L. Behrens

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Equality Metrics, Veronica Root Martinez, Gina-Gail S. Fletcher

Faculty Scholarship

This time is different. This time the death of another Black man at the hands of white police officers prompted calls for change not only within police departments, but across all aspects of American life. Those calls for change resulted in significant displays of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and interest in how to eliminate systemic racism and promote racial diversity and justice within one’s daily life and workplace. For the most part, corporations were quick to publicly align themselves with the movement. When carefully examined, however, many of the statements issued by corporations in support of the …

A Qualitative Study Of College Athletes’ Experiences Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carra Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic took a toll on collegiate athletics, as all in-person sport activity was shut down temporarily, and competition schedules were heavily altered. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of how Division I collegiate athletes experienced the pause in college sports that resulted from the COVID-19 crisis, during the first seven to nine months of the pandemic (depending on the time of interview). Between October and December 2020, eleven participants (six females, five males) engaged in individual, semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their …

Evaluation Of A Telenutrition Weight Loss Intervention Among Middle-Aged And Older Men In Appalachia, Afnan Majed Alamoudi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Obesity rates among middle-aged and older men in WV are among the highest in the nation. Understanding baseline and intervention factors contributing to losing clinically significant weight are essential to developing effective interventions in target groups. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with losing ≥ 5% of baseline weight among participants of a 12-week pilot randomized controlled telenutrition trial for middle-aged and older men in WV. The study analyzed data from 56 participants who completed the trial. Participants were classified as losing ≥ 5 % or < 5 % of baseline body weight. Diet quality was assessed using 4-day diet records and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015. Baseline factors and behavioral strategies (i.e., self-monitoring, self-efficacy, and social support) were assessed via survey. Inverse prediction analysis demonstrated that participants who lost ≥ 3.5% of baseline weight at 6 weeks were at least 75% likely to lose ≥ 5% weight at 12 weeks. Predictive models were developed using stepwise logistic regression to assess multiple predictors of losing ≥ 5% of baseline weight at 12 weeks and ≥ 3.5% of baseline at 6 weeks. Weight loss at 6 weeks was a strong predictor of weight loss at 12 weeks, in addition to previous weight loss attempts and weekly self-weight-monitoring (p

Syphilis Screening Among Primary Care Providers, Sarah Christian, Nikki Franklin, Seth Stuart, Casey Tramel, Sereka Walker

MSN Research Projects

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause lesions on various mucosal areas of the body on an infected individual. If the disease is left untreated, syphilis can progress and affect an individual’s cardiovascular, neurological, and immune systems. The STI rates are on the rise across the United States, especially in the state of Mississippi. Because of the increase in syphilis rates in Mississippi, the researchers developed this study. The purpose of this study is to determine if primary care providers (PCPs) are knowledgeable and screening according to the guidelines of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and …

A Survey Of Primary Care Providers’ Strategies To Affect Influenza Vaccination Rates, Jennifer Moffett, Tracy Mitchell, Vera Simmons

MSN Research Projects

Influenza is a vaccine preventable disease that affects millions of Americans and causes thousands of deaths and billions in healthcare costs. Annual influenza vaccination is regarded by researchers and healthcare governing bodies as the most effective way to prevent contracting the flu. A large body of research exists supporting primary care providers as influential in regard to patients’ healthcare decision making. However, if strategies are consistently being implemented to affect influenza vaccination rates remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify strategies being implemented to affect influenza vaccination rates by asking two questions: 1. Do primary care providers …

Knowledge Of The 2017 American Heart Association Hypertension Guidelines, Kelsey Creel, Kristan Kelly, Linda Turner

MSN Research Projects

The primary purpose of this project was to determine the knowledge of nurse practitioners in Mississippi regarding the 2017 American Heart Association Hypertension Guidelines. Following approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the researchers utilized a descriptive, quantitative survey design to evaluate the knowledge of Mississippi nurse practitioners of the 2017 American Heart Association Hypertension Guidelines in regards to diagnosis and management of hypertension. Utilizing social media, the researchers targeted specific Facebook sites for nurse practitioners who practice in the state of Mississippi. Data was gathered through SurveyMonkey using a questionnaire. The data gathered from the completed questionnaires were then …

Critical Media Literacy And Black Female Identity Construction: A Conceptual Framework For Empowerment, Equity, And Social Justice In Education, Petra A. Robinson, Ayana Allen-Handy, Kala Burrell-Craft

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the issues of knowledge production, which interrogate and disrupt dominant narratives that subjugate Black females related to their identity. We contextualize our discussion through the lens of critical consciousness and critical media literacy by exploring the role of popular media in identity development/imposition for Black females. We outline issues of Black female identity politics by framing them through the description of critical media literacy as a 21st century literacy, with Black Feminist Theory as our theoretical lens. Similar discussions have remained centered in the field of Media Studies and there has been inadequate attention to these issues …

Online Accelerated Learning Experiences And Self-Regulated Learning Skills Amoung Undergraduate Students, Cherng-Jyh Yen, Emrah Emre Ozkeskin, Moussa Tankari, Chih-Hsiung Tu, Hoda Harati, Laura E. Sujo-Montes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Many institutions have adopted an online accelerated learning model in which intensive online instructions are offered during the course of a normal semester to help students complete classes. Current research has focused on comparing different instructional lengths. Mixed findings have been reported. Accelerated instructions are not necessarily superior or inferior to traditional 16-week instructions. Research should focus on what is crucial and how to prepare students to succeed in accelerated online courses. This study examines whether self-regulated learning (SRL) skills may serve as predictors of positive accelerated learning experiences. It concludes that five SRL skills can predict success in online …

The International Student Experience At U.S. Community Colleges At The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Melissa Whatley, Heidi Fischer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at U.S. community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed methods research approach, we analyze survey and interview data provided by community college international educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and …

A Pilot Study Of Meditation As A Stress Reliever For Dental Hygiene Students During Times Of Heightened Stress, Sarah Henderson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Purpose: Dental hygiene students face an exorbitant amount of stress during their educational pursuits. This has only been compounded by the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may benefit from the practice of meditation in managing their stress levels during these trying times. This study analyzes the effectiveness of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students as they navigate their education during the pandemic and the effects it may have on perception of stress, academic achievement, and physical health.

Methods: Students participated in a four-week meditation study, consisting of a 30-minute guided meditation completed once weekly. Prior …

A Comparison Of Neuropathy Quality Of Life Tools: Norfolk Qol-Dn, Pn-Qol-97, And Neuroqol-28, Jennifer Joy Brown, Sheri R. Colberg, Shana Pribesh, Kimberly G. Baskette, Aaron I. Vinik

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Aims To explore the effectiveness of the Norfolk QOL-DN (QOL-DN), PN-QOL-97, and NeuroQOL-28 as tools for early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in overweight, obese, and inactive (OOI), prediabetes (PD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) individuals.

Methods Thirty-four adults were divided by A1C [(10 OOI, 13 PD, and 11 T2D] and the sural nerves were tested bilaterally via NC-Stat DPN Check, conducting a sural nerve conduction study (NCS). Participants were individually timed, filling out questionnaires (QOL-DN, NeuroQOL-28, and PN-QOL-97) at a self-selected pace. Data were analyzed and compared to NCS findings to determine the best instrument for early neuropathy detection, …

Investigating The Protective Effects Of Intestinal Gaba[Subscript A] Receptor Activation On An Animal Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Hannah M. Kohl

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, produced by neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and by some species of intestinal bacteria. GABAA receptors are found not only in the CNS, but also in T cells and within the intestines. Past studies have indicated that GABA can have an anti-inflammatory effect and production of GABA by gut bacteria decreases in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We examined whether administration of a positive allosteric GABAA receptor modulator, farnesol, ameliorates the progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of MS and whether those effects correlated with a decrease …