Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Periodontal Disease On The Health-Related Quality Of Life Of The Chronic Kidney Disease Patient, Marlene M. Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractChronic kidney disease (CKD) and Periodontal disease (PD) have been identified as public health issues by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. The impact of PD on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the CKD patient is an area where there has been little research. Previous research has not established a connection between PD and CKD although both diseases share common inflammatory markers. The focus of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was the possible impact of PD on the HRQoL of the CKD patient and the extent to which a less than optimal …

Importance Of Childhood Maltreatment On Borderline Personality In Adults: Meta-Analysis, Lisa Nicole Trentacosti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for later psychopathology specifically Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). CM has been found to negatively affect social, emotional, and psychological development as well as the ability to foster and sustain interpersonal relationships throughout all stages of life. There are evidence-based interventions for different kinds of CM including Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Alternatives for Families - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), relaxation training, and social skills training. The current study is a meta-analysis of published research into CM as it contributes to BPD in adults and is designed to examine the effect size of childhood …

Responses Of Myxobacteria To Plant-Related Chemosignals Suggests Their Roles In The Rhizobiome, Barbara Iyare Adaikpoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the rhizosphere, plants curate and maintain distinct rhizobiome, some of which serve as secondary defense mechanisms against pathogenic microorganisms. Additionally, in response to biotic stress, plants generate phytohormones which regulate signaling pathways to activate systemic resistance. These phytohormones contribute to the chemical space within the rhizosphere in addition to other low-molecular-weight metabolites used for cell-to-cell communication within species and across kingdoms. However, little is known about the influences of stress-related phytohormones on beneficial bacteria even though biocontrol strategies abundantly explore plant-beneficial microorganisms to manage pathogens in agricultural systems. Myxobacteria are competent predators of plant pathogens and have demonstrated responses …

Measuring The Value Of Internal Corporate Events From Attendees’ Perspective: Multidimensional Scale Development, Inna Soifer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose – Business events is a trillion-dollar sector of the meetings and events industry that supports millions of jobs. Despite the social and economic impact of the meetings, expositions, events, and conventions, only a few studies have examined perceived value in the business events context. This study addresses this research gap by developing a multi-item, multidimensional scale assessing attendee perception of corporate event value.Design/methodology/approach – This study utilized a mixed-method approach and followed widely accepted psychometric scale development procedures. The scale was developed using a multistep process: item generation, expert review, development sample 1 of 506 respondents via Qualtrics Online …

A Latent Class Analysis Predictive Modeling Approach To Profile Division I Collegiate Athletes For Nutrition And Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (Red-S) Concern, Morgan Delventhal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Screening collegiate athletes for nutrition-related concerns and low energy syndromes such as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) provides insight for nutrition care and can lead to necessary referrals in the sports medicine team. Screening may be a part of an athletic department’s protocol, but there is a lack of consensus on a validated tool for this population. The goal of this cross-sectional research was to use a Latent Class Analysis (LCA) predictive modeling approach to determine classes of collegiate athletes who present with nutrition and RED-S concern. LCA is a person-centered approach, intending to uncover subgroups of a population …

We Make The Path By Walking Together: A Case Study Of How Community Engagement At The University Of Mississippi Impacts Students And Community Partner Organizations, Laura Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The community engagement field has grappled with critical questions around its failure to effectuate institutional change that will permit colleges and universities to create a more just society. At the same time, the University of Mississippi has struggled to reconcile its own institutional legacy of forced integration alongside an ambitious public mission in a state recognized for persistent poverty and inequality.

Just Southern Food: Food Justice For The Mississippi Delta, Christian Tabor Owen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to promote food justice for the Mississippi Delta by investigating facts about the intersections of extreme poverty, food insecurity, and chronic illness in the Mississippi Delta. By exploring relevant literature and highlighting current initiatives, this work looks at the semantics of food justice and related terms, discusses challenges unique to the Mississippi Delta, and broadly characterizes public health models with the greatest potential for food justice advancement in this region. Pivotal to interpreting food justice not only for the Mississippi Delta or the Global South, but for any community, is a clear understanding …

The Effect Of Egf On Vegf Expression On Submandibular Salivary Gland Of Albino Rats Receiving Doxorubicin, Mohamed Shamel, Mohamed Mansy, Rabab Mubarak

Dentistry

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has two prominent biological effects of inducing mitogenesis and migration of vascular endothelial cells and to produce permeability on the microvasculature. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), known by its mitogenic activity on different types of cells, could induce the proliferation and differentiation of the epithelial cells and stimulate its regeneration. Doxorubicin (DXR) is a widely used anticancer drug and is one of most commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs, however it may cause some serious complications such as toxicity in various tissues in the body. Aims: The present study aims to investigate the effect of EGF on …

Will My Disclosure Harm The Relationship? Factors That Impact Mother-Daughter Cancer Communication In Taiwan, Wan-Lin Chang

Communication Faculty Publications

Since 1982, cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (2020), in 2019 more than a quarter (28.6%) of deaths were caused by cancer, an increase of about 5% from 1999. Family communication can help encourage social and physical support, especially for those who face traumatic, life-changing events, such as receiving a cancer diagnosis. However, people may avoid self-disclosing information about their diseases, treatments, and emotions with their families for different reasons. Between May and July 2014, fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore what factors influence breast cancer mothers’ …

Effects Of The Air Quality In Equine Stable Environments On The Respiratory Health And Allergy Response Of Human Personnel: A Review, Maeve Hannah Perrin

Honors Theses and Capstones

Many studies have evaluated the impact of poor stable air quality on equine respiratory health and respiratory illness in horses. Many factors contribute to poor air quality conditions in the equine stable environment, including ventilation rates, humidity levels, presence of noxious gases, rate of fungal spore production, and level of airborne organic and inorganic dust particles. While the implications of poor air quality for equine health are well-documented, far less is known about how air quality impacts human stable personnel. This literature review seeks to evaluate the implications of poor equine stable air quality on the respiratory health and allergic …

"Who's The Man?" Examining The Relationships Between Black Masculinity, Perceived Social Support, And Sexual Behavior In Black Male College Students, James Thomas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Sexual health disparities in college-aged Black men remains a critical public health issue. Black men are likely to have an earlier sexual debut, acquire sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV at higher rates, and enter fatherhood at earlier ages than their White counterparts. Previous research has identified masculinity and perceived social support as predictors of sexual risk behavior for men in the U.S. However, when exploring masculinity’s influence on sexual behavior, studies that are culturally sensitive to Black men’s experiences and perspectives on manhood are few. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Black masculinity, …

The Lived Experience Of Quality Of Life Of Older Adults In Rural Ghana, Benjamin Arthur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The quality of life (QOL) of older adults in rural Ghana is of growing concern, locally and throughout the country. In Ghana, it is the tradition for family members to take care of older adults without any government support, but research has shown that changing economic and social structures make this tradition less optimal, so older adults suffer physically and emotionally. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of QOL for older adults in rural Ghana. The ecological systems theory was used to explore the integral role of family support and QOL in the microsystem, …

Lived Experiences Of Diabetic Patients And Access To Care Information In Nigeria, Ngozi Scholar Nwaokoro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStudies have shown that chronic diabetes can be managed throughout a lifetime, despite the numerous health, social and economic consequences of the disease. Nevertheless, researchers have yet to establish the efficacy of access to diabetic information on care and family needs in relation to living with diabetes in a developing country like Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences, including both barriers and needs regarding access to information and care, of diabetic patients in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria. The study used the Social-Ecological Model as a framework for analysis. Adopting the phenomenological research method, …

Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Adolescent Use Of Mobile Technology For Diabetes Care In Kenya, Francis Kanyugi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mobile technology use provides an opportunity for the self-management of health among adolescents, serving as a lifestyle intervention tool to promote well-being and attenuate chronic conditions. However, little is known about how parents and teachers perceive how adolescents with chronic illness use mobile technology. This basic qualitative study aimed to explore teachers’ and parents’ perceptions regarding the use of mobile technology by adolescents who have diabetes in Kenya. This study’s conceptual framework was the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with six teachers and eight parents from two counties in Kenya. The …

Visibility And Indivisibility In Resource Arrangements, Lee Anne Fennell

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

Projects like highways, bridges, pipelines, and wildlife corridors exhibit indivisibilities — we need the whole thing to have anything of value. Many environmental and social goals have a similar all-or-nothing character: staying above or below a certain critical threshold can make all the difference. This essay focuses on the role of visibility in addressing resource dilemmas that have this structure. I examine how two kinds of visibility can help avoid catastrophic consequences and advance desirable ones. The first involves recognizing when an indivisibility is present — that is, appreciating the vulnerability of resources to thresholds and cliff effects before it …

The Art And Science Of Drug Titration, Aisling R. Caffrey, P. Borrelli

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

A “one-size-fits-all” approach has been the standard for drug dosing, in particular for agents with a wide therapeutic index. The scientific principles of drug titration, most commonly used for medications with a narrow therapeutic index, are to give the patient adequate and effective treatment, at the lowest dose possible, with the aim of minimizing unnecessary medication use and side effects. The art of drug titration involves the interplay of scientific drug titration principles with the clinical expertise of the healthcare provider, and an individualized, patient-centered partnership between the provider and the patient to review the delicate balance of perceived benefits …

The Probiotic Effect Of Clostridium Cochlearium Is Associated With Significant Change In Short-Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism And Gut Microbiota, Qing Ai

Wayne State University Dissertations

The prevalence of obesity is rising steadily across the world, which increases the risk of many metabolic diseases and life-threatening illnesses. A specific strain, Clostridium cochlearium (C. cochlearium), reported as a butyrate producer, could have potential probiotic effects against obesity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of C. cochlearium on a high-fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model. The 16S rRNA sequencing of mice gut microbiome was performed at the end of the experimental period to identify the changes in gut microbial composition, investigate possible functional genes, and elucidate potential mechanisms. Thirty-six C57BL/6 6-8 …

The Ideal And The Actual In Procedural Due Process, Norman W. Spaulding

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

The law proceduralists write about and teach is nothing like what most ordinary Americans experience when they step into court. Indeed, the evidence shows that most Americans who have legal problems do not ever get to court, nor do they receive a meaningful alternative hearing. In this way both judicial and academic discourse on procedure, even among those who see glaring problems of access to justice, is idealized, abstract, and ossified—unconnected to the actual. This Essay describes the ideal/actual divide in procedure—the cognitive, doctrinal and ideological effects of lingering on the ideal side of it, and the forms of subordination …

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Tavns): Long-Term Effect On Neurodevelopment And Sensory Performance, Turki Khaild Aljuhani

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Infants who do not succeed at early feeding are likely discharged from the nursery with a gastrostomy tube (G-tube), putting them at risk for worse neurodevelopmental and sensory outcomes than infants who achieve full oral feeds. This study aims to investigate the impact of Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) on infants' early motor development and long-term neurodevelopmental sensory performance at 18 months. Besides the observed feeding improvement using taVNS paired with bottle-feeding, we explore if pre-treatment total STEP scores' is able to predict response to taVNS intervention. The pre-treatment total STEP scores did not contribute to the prediction …

Women’S Political Leadership And Adult Health: Evidence From Rural And Urban China, Hongwei Xu, Nancy Luke, Susan E. Short

Publications and Research

This study examined the role of women’s political leadership at the community level in China, a context that has experienced recent political and socioeconomic change and has a distinctive rural-urban divide. Drawing on longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (N = 40,918~52,406 person-year observations), we found that female community directors outnumbered male directors in urban China but were much less common in rural areas. Female community directors had higher levels of human capital regardless of rural or urban location. Residents living in female-directed communities reported better mental health, but not physical health or life satisfaction, compared to those …

Modulation Of Fat Taste By Diet And Hormones, Ashley Calder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The prevalence of obesity worldwide continues to rise despite efforts to reverse the trend. While many factors contribute to the onset and maintenance of obesity, caloric intake and dietary composition have been shown be primary contributors. The oral cavity is one of the first systems to encounter food and determine its hedonic value. As the gateway to ingestion, the taste system plays a unique role in the initial decisions surrounding the control of food intake. Nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and fat all have dedicated systems to allow their recognition at this outermost site of the enteric nervous system. Recent …

Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Distinct Responses Of Differentiated And Poorly-Differentiated Intestinal Epithelial Cells To Lipid Peroxides, Nisreen Faizo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Lipid peroxides (LOOHs) abound in processed food and have been implicated in the pathology of diverse diseases including gut, cardiovascular, and cancer diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms by which LOOHs contribute to disease have not been fully characterized. Caco-2 cells have been widely used to model human intestinal epithelium in metabolic studies. As differentiated (Diff) and poorly-differentiated (PDiff) Caco-2 cells represent good models of human enterocytes and intestinal tumor cells, respectively, we investigated the cellular response of Diff and PDiff Caco-2 cells to the most common dietary LOOH, 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE), in terms of differential gene expression, gene ontology and …

Bioarchaeological And Mortuary Patterns At Holtun, Guatemala: Integrating A Comparative Osteobiographic Approach, Horvey Palacios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Bioarchaeological analysis can help identify patterns of mortuary ritual and social experience of ancient Maya peoples. However, there is limited bioarchaeological and mortuary evidence for the relationship between the development of social complexity and social experience. Particularly, how is social organization reflected in patterns of burial practice and skeletal markers of stress. This thesis uses osteobiographies to contextualize the mortuary and biological profiles of 20 individuals interred at the Maya site of Holtun, Guatemala to examine bioarchaeological variation during the Preclassic (800 B.C. – 250 A.D.) and Late Classic (550 A.D. – 900 A.D.) periods. This work highlights the integration …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Depression Among Older Adults: The Role Of Working Memory And Sleep, David Brush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Introduction: The development and regulation of depressive symptoms and the ability to regulate their development is a complex process. Both working memory and sleep disturbance relates to depressive symptom endorsement, though the mechanisms relating these variables have not been examined longitudinally. The current manuscript contains a series of three interrelated studies that aim to elucidate the relationship between potential emotion regulation resources longitudinally within the context of the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation of Emotion Regulation (SOC-ER) model. Study one examined the temporal relationship between working memory and depression, study two examined working memory and depression following loss of spouse, and …

Validity, Reliability, And Measurement Error Of A Sit-To-Stand Power Test In Older Adults: A Pre-Registered Study, Anoop T. Balachandran

Publications and Research

Objectives: Lower body power declines with age and is associated with decreased physical function in older adults. However, the majority of the tools available to measure power are expensive and require considerable space and expertise to operate. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity, reliability, and measurement error of a sit-to-stand power test (STSp) to assess lower body power. Methods: 51 community-dwelling adults, 65 years or older, completed a power test using a pneumatic leg press (LP), the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) that includes a test of balance, usual walking speed, and chair stand tests; Timed …

Beyond The Adhd Diagnosis: Does The Insurance Rate, Mental Health Status In Parents, And Food Availability In The United States Impact Or Predict The Prevalence Of Diagnosis Of Adhd In Children?, Kaitie Kudlac

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

More than 6 million children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD in 2016 and many studies such as those performed through the National Survey of Children’s Health have seen those numbers climbing through 2017.¹ Prevalence of ADHD itself has increased by 42% over the past 8 years.² This study analyzed, through the use of public data available through County Health Ranking and data through the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health if the insurance status, mental health standing of parents, and food availability in the United States could impact or predict the diagnostic prevalence …

Access To Care, Food Quality Index, And Employment As Predictors Of Poor Mental Health Days In Ohio, Louisiana, California, And New York, Eugene Matthew P. Almazan

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Analyze how the availability of mental health providers has changed in Ohio from 2016 to 2020 with relation to changes in mental health outcomes reported. Compare to other regions of the United States (Louisiana, California, New York) in terms of access to healthcare, unemployment status, and food quality index. Lastly, to identify which socioeconomic and health factors are most predictive of poor mental health days.

Methods: Participant data from Ohio (OH), Louisiana (LA), California (CA), and New York (NY) was acquired from countyhealthrankings.org annual survey results that were published from 2016 through 2020. SPSS was utilized for statistical analysis …

Sociodemographic Differences In Breastfeeding Rates For Children Born Between 2010-2015, Megha Patel

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Breastfeeding is a natural component of life and has proven to provide benefits to both the mother and the child. The mother’s mental health as well as physical health including losing pregnancy weight are influenced by breastfeeding. The child receives immune system strengthening leaving them less susceptible to certain diseases in the short term and later in life. There are a variety of factors that have the potential to influence breastfeeding rates. In this study, seven of these factors were examined including sex of the baby, race of the baby, maternal education, poverty income ratio, marital status of the mother, …

Barriers And Facilitators Regarding Awareness, Selection, And Implementation Of School-Based Interventions Addressing Physical Activity And Healthy Eating Behaviors: Perspectives Of South Carolina Public School Administrators And Personnel, Logan Jessica Camp-Spivey

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This dissertation explores the perceptions and experiences of South Carolina (SC) public school administrators and personnel regarding barriers and facilitators to school-based interventions, with a focus on physical activity (PA) and healthy eating behaviors, to address childhood obesity. An integrative review was completed to identify challenges and supports to school-based weight management interventions.1-35 Findings from the integrative review provided the framework for the dissertation study, which used a concurrent multi-methodological design to investigate the barriers and facilitators regarding awareness, selection, and implementation of school-based interventions addressing PA and healthy eating behaviors in the SC education system and to examine …

Knowledge, Perception, And Implementation Of Oral Care In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer Before, During, And After Radiation Therapy, Abigail Smith

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of oral health education among head and neck cancer patients throughout various treatment periods and how this education influences their oral health practices, determine satisfaction with education and support based on initial symptoms as well as identify modifications to approaches to oral care education and further define a model for interprofessional practices to establish a role for speech-language pathologists in oral health education. A Qualtrics survey was distributed to gather information on oral care habits, determine habits, education, and satisfaction throughout radiation, completion of daily oral care, importance of oral …