Digital Commons Network^™

A Quality Improvement Project To Enhance Self-Management Support For Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Tanya M. Guerrero

Cohort IX

Type 2 diabetes mellitus poses a significant global healthcare threat due to multiple and often life-threatening complications. More than 10.5% of the population in the United States has type 2 diabetes mellitus, with the rate in El Paso, Texas, markedly higher at 15.3%. A 10-day reflective practice showed that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus often experience uncontrolled hemoglobin A1c levels and high serum blood glucose levels. A review of the literature, in addition to information from the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demonstrated that the use of self-management support …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Health Literacy Assessment On Incarcerated Individuals With A Diagnosis Of Type 2 Diabetes, Josi Rotunno

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Low health literacy levels limit healthcare outcomes in a variety of diagnoses. Having a low health literacy level can significantly impact an individual’s ability to manage their condition. Among these individuals are incarcerated individuals, who are especially vulnerable to low health literacy levels. Due to regulations of the correctional facility, along with the vulnerability of the population, it is often difficult to get approval for studies and to make changes within this setting[TMD1] . The stigma of incarceration, along with the difficulty in navigating the correctional setting regulations, often create barriers to making changes that could improve the health …

A Randomized Open-Label Study Of Two Methods Of Proton Pump Inhibitors Discontinuation, Emily Hendricks, Aman Ajmeri, Monider M. Singh, Milliejoan Mongalo, Lynne J. Goebel

Internal Medicine

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Unfortunately, they are often inappropriately prescribed and long-term use has potential adverse effects. A single best method for discontinuation of PPIs does not currently exist. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in successfully discontinuing PPI use at 12 months between patients discontinuing abruptly or tapering first.

Methodology: We conducted a randomized trial with 38 patients diagnosed with GERD. We collected six weekly and then monthly surveys of symptoms based on the Dyspepsia Symptom Severity Index. Chart review at 12 …

Air Quality-Related Health And Environmental Trade-Off Of Electrification: Evidence From Vietnam, Doan Thu Thuy Nguyen

Richard A. Harrison Symposium

Abundant evidence has shown that expanding access to electricity dramat- ically widens access to education, healthcare, and equality. However, the liter- ature on the direct impacts of electrification on air quality and health is still in its infancy. While electricity access can lead to higher outdoor air pollution due to increased reliance on fossil fuel combustion, its usage lowers indoor air pollution as households switch from burning solid fuels to using electricity and become distanced from the source of pollution. Contributing to the nascent lit- erature, this article represents the first quantitative examination of this trade- off between the overall …

Isu Today- May 6, 2021, Indiana State University, Communications And Marketing

University Announcements - ISU Today

No abstract provided.

Group Living Environment Responses To Pandemic: A Case Study Of Advocates, And The Covid-19 Crises, Nicole K. Atchue

School of Professional Studies

The literature will take a deeper look in the personal lives of developmentally disabled members and their staff who experienced COVID-19 pandemic in a group living environments. The holistic approach of understanding will navigate the history of care and the level care needed as well as external factors that played a larger role in explanation for the support provided.

Exploring Mental Health & Covid-19: How A Pandemic Could Become America's Next Mental Health Crisis, Ashley D. Shofner

Honors Theses

A pandemic can be described as an epidemic disease that has spread over a large geographical area and has become prevalent in numerous sectors of the globe. In 2020, just over 100 years since our last major pandemic, the 1918 Influenza outbreak, the global community is facing yet another threat: COVID-19. While an individual’s physical health has consistently been of concern, research has failed to adequately consider the other dimensions of health. Among these additional dimensions of health is mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

Pandemics and emerging infectious diseases have become modern influencers of mental health patterns. By analyzing the …

Willingness-To-Pay For Halal And Branded Poultry In Northern Mozambique, Alison Creasey

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

While price typically drives consumers’ food purchasing decisions in low-income countries, religious attributes associated with food production and corporate branding could influence buying patterns. In Mozambique more than 46% of people were living below the poverty line of ($0.31 USD) per day in 2018. That being said, in the Nampula Province (the location of this study), which is the second poorest province in the country, over 25% of the population is Muslim and may be willing-to-pay (WTP) a premium for Halal meat products to uphold Islamic beliefs. Like many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, poultry is the fastest growing source of …

Examining The Strategies In Response To Crises In Major League Baseball, Jimmy Palmerino

School of Professional Studies

This paper analyzes the crisis response strategies of Major League Baseball (MLB) during the following events: the steroids scandal, the Houston Astros cheating scandal, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The hypothesis tested is as follows: MLB’s crisis response strategies are ineffective, as they are directly related to the league’s poor image in the public eye. Research includes a review of academic literature explaining crisis communication theories, as well as the relationship between crisis communication and public relations (PR). The paper concludes with recommendations for how the league can improve its crisis communication and crisis response strategies in the future to …

Internal Communications In The Time Of A Global Pandemic, Thais Gandica, Manvi Talwar, Sange Wangmu Thungon, Edgar Knyvet Diengdoh Pyrtuh, Emmanuel Kumah

School of Professional Studies

The business and organizational worlds have been in constant transformation for years. Still, 2020 changed drastically the way they function from their very inside. The COVID-19 pandemic hit all industries, and with that, all models of communication had to be reshaped so they could efficiently connect with their internal players in charge of crafting and delivering messages that would work towards a healthy and productive environment. Internal Communications played a critical role in the employee relations, brand image, and overall success of organizations, especially during the crisis. Through primary and secondary research conducted to three different organizations’ sizes, this research …

Marketing Agroforestry Products: Lessons From Producers

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This publication shares producer experiences with marketing agroforestry products, including how producers entered — or created — the markets for their products. These individual stories highlight a diversity of experiences, from family-run farms to intermediaries assisting with market access. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal, state, and local programs can provide capital or technical assistance to farmers at different phases of market development. The case studies in this publication highlight programs and resources available through USDA.

While marketing tree crops and non-timber forest products can be a challenge for producers, there is room for growth and opportunities …

Leveraging Genomic Associations In Precision Digital Care For Weight Loss: Cohort Study, Ranjan Sinha, Dashyanng Kachru, Roshni R. Ricchetti, Simitha Singh-Rambiritch, Karthik M. Muthukumar, Vidhya Singaravel, Carmel Irudayanathan, Chandana Reddy-Sinha, Imran Junaid, Garima Sharma, Patricia A. Francis-Lyon

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of addressing an epidemic of obesity and associated inflammatory illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated that interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and lifestyle interventions such as food and exercise may vary metabolic outcomes, contributing to obesity. However, there is a paucity of research relating outcomes from digital therapeutics to the inclusion of genetic data in care interventions.

Objective: This study aims to describe and model the weight loss of participants enrolled in a precision digital weight loss program informed by the machine learning analysis of their data, including genomic data. It was hypothesized …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Food Insecurity And Solutions In Worcester, Massachusetts, David Sullivan

School of Professional Studies

Worcester, Massachusetts is a postindustrial city with high levels of potential that faces the persistent obstacle of food insecurity for its low-income and ethnic minority communities. This research thesis examines food insecurity in general and explores data and trends in Worcester, then combines this with conceptual frameworks which explain how socioeconomic factors play into food security. It also explains the systemic inequalities present as a result of food insecurity and critiques academic assumptions surrounding food insecurity. One of these assumptions is that food deserts on their own can explain food insecurity in Worcester and elsewhere, though it has been found …

Influence Of Encapsulation Of Supplemental Amino Acids On Their Utilization In Broilers, Ethan A. Collins

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was developed to assess whether microencapsulation of amino acids (AA) improves their absorption to increase broiler growth performance and reduce nitrogen excretion compared to standard feed-grade AA. Five hundred and sixty Ross 708 male broilers were randomly distributed to 70 battery cages and reared for 21 days. Reported data is grouped into periods: 0-7 days, 0-14 days, and 0-21 days. A total of 5 treatment diets were fed: an industry-based control and 4 diets with decreased levels of methionine, lysine, and threonine in either encapsulated or free forms, with or without a botanical feed additive. Encapsulated AA increased …

Pernet Family Health Service, Inc.: Organizational Restructuring & Change Management Best Practices, Carly Massino

School of Professional Studies

Research exhibits that between 70-75% of change initiatives fail and a major contributor to this trend is employee resistance. Although change can bring exciting growth and innovation, it can cause employees heightened stress and worsened physical and mental health outcomes. These effects are often amplified when organizations enact multiple change initiatives at once. These worsened outcomes are often a result of feelings of distress, anxiety, powerlessness, and apprehension and unknowns such as how one’s position will be affected, how operations will change, or how one fits into the change. This topic is incredibly relevant for Pernet Family Health Service, Inc., …

Effects Of A Low Crude Protein Diet With And Without Spirulina Platensis Inclusion On The Concentrations And Proportions Of Circulating Immune Cells In Broilers, Heather Glenn

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immune system health is an important aspect of broiler production, especially with the reduction of the use of antibiotics. Nutritional aspects, like crude protein percentage, and natural alternatives to antibiotics are being investigated to see the effect they have on immunity. Spirulina is an alternative proteinaceous ingredient that producers are looking into, not only due to its high nutritional value, but also its immune boosting properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a low crude protein diet (LCP) and a Spirulina-supplemented low crude protein (LCP-SP) diet on broiler blood cell measurements, including, concentrations and proportions …

Evaluation Of Weight Gain, Feed Intake, Feed Conversion And Oocyst Shedding Of Eimeria Maxima And Eimeria Acervulina In Broiler Chickens, Lauren Laverty

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the day and the time of sample collection of an

experimental challenge with Eimeria maxima (EM) and Eimeria acervulina (EA) in broiler chickens. One day old male Cobb-Vantress broiler chickens were randomly allocated to one of three groups with ten replicates (n=8 chickens/replicate). Chickens were placed in battery cages with a controlled age-appropriate environment: Group 1) Negative control (no challenge or treatment); 2) Challenge control (Eimeria challenge only); 3) Challenge + Salinomycin. Challenged chickens were orally gavaged with the mixed culture of EM/EA (10,000 sporulated EM containing 4% wild-type EA) …

Museum Exploration Club, Celeste Kenworthy, Aurora Kenworthy

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Afterschool club that virtually visits museums in order to help students gain an appreciation for museums and learn about concepts related to art, history, and science.

Tree-Mendous Fun With Nature Club, Ashley Mcrae

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Tree-Mendous Fun with Nature was a kids club run for kids ages 6-10. We enjoyed this club and the curriculum we created so here we offer our lesson plans so others can duplicate our club. Each lesson revolves around a different topic of nature. By the end of the club, students will be able to understand nature on a much more intimate level.

Determinants Of Female Bargaining Power In Northern Mozambican Households, Sara Marilyn Gardner

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Melinda Gates stated, “If you search for poverty, you will find women who don’t have power. If you explore prosperity, you will find women who do have power and use it.” Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, women are expected to perform disproportional amounts of labor but are often ignored in household decision-making regarding social and economic matters. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) states that women in Mozambique are highly disadvantaged, relative to men, due to low levels of education, maternal health risks, restricted economic prospects, and cultural norms. This study aims to better understand the causes of female empowerment in Northern …

Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (Hapi) In Critical Care: A Quality Improvement Project, Bonnie M. Fagan, Susan Butz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

In a large mid-western hospital, Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI) rates are elevated in critical care units. Education sessions, a visual reminder, and skin rounds may increase use and documentation of 5-layer silicone dressings to prevent pressure injuries. The Plan-do-study-act (PDSA) method for quality improvement and Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring were utilized as the theoretical framework for the project. The purpose of the project was to reduce the incidence of HAPI in Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) II. Project objectives included education on HAPI prevention and documentation, skin rounds, and the addition of a visual documentation cue on …

Resting Energy Expenditure Equations Have Lower Validity For Overweight And Obese Versus Healthy Weight Adolescents, Paige Posson, Paul R. Hibbing, Robin Shook

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2021

Objective: The pediatric obesity epidemic has created an urgent need for improved treatment and prevention plans. Clinicians often rely on metabolic equations to predict resting energy expenditure (REE), as other direct measures of REE are often impractical for use in a clinical setting. However, few equations have been validated for use in overweight and obese adolescents. The purpose of this research was to assess whether REE equations have comparable validity for overweight and obese versus healthy weight adolescents.

Methods: Ten equations were used to predict REE for 109 adolescents (n = 77 males; 36.7% overweight or obese). Nine equations were …

The 2020 Kansas City Regional Report Card On Physical Activity For Children And Youth: A Regional Physical Activity Profile, Elizabeth Wilson, Jordan A. Carlson, Emily Meissen-Sebelius, Matt Kleinmann, Shelly Summar, Russ Pate, Harold Kohl Iii, Robin Shook

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2021

Background: The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and youth 6-17 years old engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. Research has demonstrated that CM patients who engage in less than the recommended amount of activity face increased risk of obesity. In addition, The Physical Activity Alliance has made calls for communities to develop physical activity plans specific to their regions and emphasized the need for surveillance and reporting of physical activity to enhance efforts to increase rates of physical activity. Given this background, this report card characterizes current physical activity in children …

A Family Obesity Intervention Combining Motivation Interviewing And Resource Mobilization, Helena Laroche, Amy M J O'Shea, Jessica Angino, Bery Engebretsen, Sarai Rice, Marvin Dejear, Kathy Janz, Linda Snetselaar

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2021

Background: Parents and children influence each other’s behaviors. Obesity prevention is challenging especially among families with few resources.

Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial of a family obesity intervention combining motivation interviewing and connection of families to organizations to obtain needed resources (resource mobilization). Participants are low-income families where one parent has a BMI ≥ 30 and a child aged 6-12 years. The trial compares health coaching using motivational interviewing and enhanced resource mobilization vs written education and basic resource mobilization. Primary outcomes include: Adult BMI; Adult and Child moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (accelerometers); Family Nutrition …

Association Between Added Sugars From Infant Formulas And Rapid Weight Gain In The U.S. Infants And Toddlers, Kai Ling Kong, Brenda Burgess, Katherine Morris, Tyler Re, Holly Hull, Debra Sullivan, Rocco Paluch

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2021

Background: Formulas often contain high amounts of added sugars, though little research has studied their connection to obesity.

Objectives: This study assessed contributions of added sugars from formulas during complementary feeding on total added sugar intakes, and association between these sugars and upward weight-for-age percentile [WFA %ile] crossing (participants crossing a higher threshold percentile had an upward crossing).

Methods: Data from three 24-h dietary recalls for infants (n = 97, 9 – 12 mo) and toddlers (n = 44, 13 – 15 mo) were obtained in this cross-sectional analysis. Foods and beverages with added sugars were divided into 17 categories. …

Pediatric Bariatric Patients’ Perception Of Health Status During Covid-19 Pandemic, Bingjie Li, Brooke Sweeney, Denise Skinner, Bryce Miller, Amy Papa

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2021

Objective: To determine how pediatric patients in the process of preparing for bariatric surgery in the Weight Management Clinics at Children’s Mercy Hospital believe their weight, sleep, food, and exercise quantities impact their health during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their overall opinions on the severity of COVID-19.

Methods: Participants (N=52, 67% female) received three surveys over the course of six months (Baseline, 3 months, 6 months). They were asked to evaluate how strongly they believed the above factors would affect the severity of their illness if they were to contract COVID-19. They rated on a 5-point Likart scale, …

Sarcopenia In Children With End-Stage Liver Disease On The Transplant Waiting List, Jessica P. Woolfson, Manuela Perez, Govind B. Chavhan, Fatema T. Johara, Eberhard Lurz, Binita M. Kamath, Vicky L. Ng

Paediatrics Publications

Sarcopenia predicts morbidity and mortality in adults with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and is determined by total psoas muscle area (tPMA) measurement from computed tomography (CT) imaging. Recently developed pediatric age- and sex-specific tPMA growth curves provide the opportunity to ascertain prevalence and impact of sarcopenia in children awaiting liver transplantation (LT). This retrospective single-center study evaluated sarcopenia in children between 1 and 16 years with ESLD and a clinically indicated abdominal CT less than 3 months before first isolated LT. Sarcopenia was defined as tPMA z score less than −2 measured at the intervertebral L4-5 level. Patient demographic, biochemical, …

Environmental Geotechnics: Challenges And Opportunities In The Post-Covid-19 World, Arvin Farid

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic not only has created a health crisis across the world but is also expected to impact negatively the global economy and societies at a scale that is maybe larger than that of the 2008 financial crisis. Simultaneously, it has inevitably exerted many negative consequences on the geoenvironment on which human beings depend. The current paper articulates the role of environmental geotechnics in elucidating and mitigating the effects of the current pandemic. It is the belief of all authors that the Covid-19 pandemic presents not only significant challenges but also opportunities for …

Nebline, May 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Building Health Equity in Lincoln: Extension Launches Health Equity Coalition

Recipe of the Month

Intensive Gardening Techniques

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Naturally Occurring Elements in Groundwater--Part 3 of a Series — Fluoride

Cash Rent Survey

Preparing for the Inevitable: Japanese Beetles

Challenge Accepted! Children Thrive Outside

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Rusty & Heidi Hanley

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers and Volunteers

Clover College: June 15–18, 2021

EXTENSION CALENDAR

4-H’ers Qualify for State Speech & PSA Contest

4-H Horse Stampede Results

Choosing Life Stories: Body As Teacher, .O Love, S. M. Curry, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Biological science and the larger society interact with each other. Biologists tell stories--stories such as fertilization, body development, and evolution--using the narrative structures given to them by the larger society. These stories have to be consistent with the scientific data; but what data are collected is also a social judgement. The stories that biologists have told have often emphasized competition and have often marginalized cooperative efforts. New research has shown that these competitive stories offer a very incomplete version of what is happening in our bodies, and that mutual cooperation is a major part of how the body develops and …