Digital Commons Network^™

Social Participation Approach In Brain Injury Survivors, Lexie Graham, Cassandra Nelson

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This program will consist of educating brain injury survivors and their peers on social participation following a brain injury. With the cognitive and physical deficits that come with brain injuries, a decrease in socialization occurs due to those barriers faced. With the lack of resources aimed towards brain injuries and social participation this program is essential to ensuring everyone has access to an education platform. Providing brain injury survivors and their peers with evidence-based information and tips for socializing is vital to helping families, friends, significant others, and peers keep strong relationships and increase their quality of life.

An Ot Web-Based Stress Management Program For Acute Care Therapists, Jessica N. Alanis, Cassandra Nelson Otd

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Hospital burnout has become one of the many problems among many healthcare professions. Occupational therapists and physical therapists encounter many situations that are out of their control and struggle with how to handle their emotions in a fast-paced setting. The purpose of this capstone was to educate acute care therapists on developing good stress management habits using various grounding, sensory, and mindfulness techniques to help them get through the work day. By helping acute care therapists develop good stress management habits, therapists can experience improvement in the way they carry out their duties, improve their productivity, and improve the way …

Increasing Leisure Activity Participation And The Quality Of Life Of People With Dementia And Their Caregivers, Karla Vela, Rebecca King, Keegan Mckay

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The problems associated with the progression of dementia, such as increased stress, and a decrease in engagement in leisure activities and social participation have a negative impact on the patients’ and caregivers’ quality of life. In addition, there is limited research on the long-term impact of occupational therapy leisure activity programs on patients with dementia and their caregivers’ quality of life. A leisure activity program was created for people with dementia and their caregivers to improve their leisure activity engagement and quality of life. Overall, the participant’s and caregivers benefitted from this program and had positive opinions based on the …

A Program To Support Kangaroo Care Of Preterm Infants In The Nicu For The Caregivers, Katherine Blake Carby Cooksey, Mary Jan Greer, Debbie Johnson

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This presentation is about an educational program developed to help educate the caregivers about kangaroo care while their baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This program is to emphasis in the occupations of social interaction and family involvement with kangaroo care. Caregivers/parents are able to learn about the what kangaroo care is, the different type methods of kangaroo care, the benefits of kangaroo care, the importance of kangaroo care while being in the NICU. This program development for the caregivers is able to help with their journaling experience while in the NICU and adjusting kangaroo care into …

Time Reversal Delivery Of Long Duration Noise To A Targeted Location: Achieving Higher Amplitude While Maintaining A Desired Spectral Shape And Maximizing The Spatial Extent, Rylee Scott Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Time Reversal (TR) is a signal processing technique that can be used to focus acoustic waves to a specific location in space, with most applications aiming to create an impulsive focus. This study instead aims to focus long-duration noise signals using TR. This thesis seeks to generate higher amplitude noise at a desired location over an existing method of broadcasting equalized noise. Additionally, this thesis explores various characteristics associated with focusing long duration noise using TR. The dependence of the focal amplitude on the duration of the focused signal is explored as well as the implications of using multiple sources …

Mental Health And Police Response Criminal Justice Training Curriculum, Richard Watkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This course is designed to introduce criminal justice students to responding to calls involving residents with mental illness. It will instruct students to recognize indicators of mental illness as required by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board learning objectives. Indicators of said mental illness will be instructed based on the DSM-5 manual to acclimate students in this area. Students will be exposed to current levels of response as well as services offered by current Minnesota Police Officers. Dealing with residents in mental health crisis and the use of force will also be addressed. Students will also learn about …

Henry Washington V. Robert Gilmore

2024 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Jerome Washington V. John E. Wetzel

2024 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Critical Review Of Loneliness Rates Among Undergraduates, Emily Schmitz

Psychology Student Publications

This study assesses loneliness rates among undergraduates from fall 2008 to spring 2019 through a secondary analysis of the National College Health Assessment II (NCHA II). The NCHA II, a comprehensive and nationally representative survey, covers a wide range of mental and physical health issues among U.S. college students. The survey consisted of questions which had students self-identify if they have felt very lonely within the last 2 weeks, 30 days, and 12 months. The study revealed that 54.90% to 67.40% of undergraduate students reported feeling very lonely during these survey periods. The results showed that most undergraduates experienced loneliness, …

Assessing Spatial Patterns And Drivers Of Tree Species Richness And Functional Group Diversity In The Eastern United States Forest, Samiksha Banjara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of tree diversity in the forests of eastern 31 states of US, primiarily focusing on tree species richness (TSR) and the functional group diversity (FD), and how their patterns are shaped by climatic variables, soil properties, and topographic factors. Assessing both SR and FD is necessary as it provides a better understanding of the biodiversity and the ecosystem functionality. In the presented study, species richness is defined as “the number of different species present in a particular ecological community or region,” while functional diversity is defined as “the variety of traits possessed …

How Do Female Arab International Students Negotiate Their Identities In The Esl Classroom In The Mid-Southern United States?, Sinaria Elmardi Hassan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation explores how women of Islamic faith, as international students, negotiate their identities within the ESL classrooms in the mid-southern United States. Students in such categories face singular challenges at each juncture of gender, religion, and cultural background, especially in an educational system that does not always recognize or accommodate particular needs and experiences. The qualitative research design involved in-depth interviews with female Muslim students from various countries. This study aimed to determine how these students balanced their cultural and religious lives amidst the demands of the American academic environment, particularly in ESL settings where language acquisition was a …

Development Of New Controller And Associated Cybersecurity Issues With Battery Energy Storage Integrated With Microgrid, Syeda Afra Saiara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Battery energy storage system (BESS) plays a crucial role in integrating renewable sources in microgrids. However, robust BESS controllers are needed to carry out this function properly. Existing controllers suffer from overshoots and slow convergence issues. This thesis proposes a novel Sigma Delta Modulation (SDM) controller for BESS in solar photovoltaic (PV) connected microgrids to address the limitations of existing controllers. The performance of SDM has been compared with that of the Proportional Integral (PI) and Fuzzy Logic based controllers. Also, the thesis addresses the cybersecurity issues in solar PV based microgrids. The Ensemble Learning technique and an Improved Ensemble …

Lindenwood Digest, December 18, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Performing Masculinities: The Assumption Of Men’S Roles By Women Left Behind By Male Migrant Labourers In Southern Tanzania, Nives Kinunda, Angelus Mnenuka, Samwel Mhajida

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This article examines the empowerment of female farmers in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania due to male labour migration during the British colonial rule. The study sought to highlight the history of gender-based division of labour, the dynamics of labour division during the colonial period, the trend of females’ adoption of males’ activities, and women’s empowerment resulting from their assumption of males’ responsibilities. Data were collected through oral interviews, documentary reviews, group-focused discussions, and archival sources. The data were analysed and interpreted using a gender framework theory, which includes, among other things, gender roles and gender relations. Findings show that …

Memories Of Resistance To Slavery In South-Eastern Tanzania, Nancy Rushohora

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper examines the historical representation and memory of slavery in Tanzania, arguing that the current curriculum predominantly employs a Marxist lens that emphasizes the economic dimensions of slavery while overlooking the complexity of resistance. The study’s objective is to present a more comprehensive understanding of Tanzanian slavery, focusing on forms of resistance at Mgao, a 12th–18th century Swahili site. Methodologically, this study draws on ethnographic accounts, documentary sources, and archaeological findings to uncover diverse acts of defiance, including seeking refuge, negotiating relocation, and engaging in violent confrontations. The results reveal that resistance was a widespread, multi-dimensional phenomenon in Tanzanian …

Community, State And Professionalism: Negotiating The Experience Of Community Health Workers In The Provision Of Maternal And Child Health Services In Tanzania, Chakupewa Joseph Mpambije

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Research on community health workers (CHWs) has been on the increase in the past decades in Tanzania, focusing on the provision of maternal and child health (MCH) services. While performing their tasks, CHWs work within three constructs: the community, the state, and their professionalism. However, as CHWs work within these constructs, there exists scanty literature which discourses their experiences within the realm of the community, the state and their professionalism. This review aimed to articulate how these constructs facilitate or inhibit CHWs’ performance in improving MCH services. It employed a scoping review method in which peer-reviewed articles and grey literature …

Does Market Accessibility Improve Household Food Security? Evidence From Small-Holder Maize Producers In Southern Tanzania, Monica Sebastian Kauky

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study investigated the impact of market accessibility on household food security among smallholder maize producers in Southern Tanzania, utilizing data from a sample of 407 households primarily engaged in maize farming. Tobit and probit models assessed the relationship between food security and market access. Contrary to expectations, the findings revealed no significant association between market access and food security. Instead, the results underscored the importance of resource availability, indicating that larger farm sizes and higher household wealth indices significantly reduce the risk of food insecurity. These findings suggest that rather than focusing exclusively on enhancing market access, policymakers should …

Patterns Of Grief And Bereavement Following A Covid Death, Karuna Thomas

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The large number of deaths due to COVID-19 has resulted in a similarly high number of people experiencing grief. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand patterns of grief and bereavement following a COVID death. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who had lost someone close to them to COVID (N = 32). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns. Participants described specific features of COVID as well as the interdependence within the community that shaped their unique experiences of grieving a COVID death. These unique experiences, in turn, led to disruptions in coping and …

Recollective Features In The Natural Language Used To Justify Memory Decisions, Xinran Zhang, Ian G. Dobbins

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The natural language people use to justify memory decisions predicts recognition accuracy, in part, because it conveys recollection. This study compared a traditional bag-of-words (BOW) classifier to one using BERT embeddings, and newly tests whether classifier recognition scores also predict the later recall of individual recognition probes. During both training and testing, the BERT classifier outperformed the BOW classifier. Nonetheless, a BOW approach was important for explaining the BERT classifier, accounting for a sizeable portion of its variance and confirming that the BERT classifier was also recollection sensitive. The BERT classifier’s recognition scores predicted future recall and mediated the tendency …

Aging, Fast And Slow: Gene Expression Signatures Of Physiological Age Vs. Future Lifespan In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Matthew Mosley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

An outstanding question in the field of aging biology is the origin of variability in lifespans among members of the same species. Traditional wisdom dictates that differences in one individual’s genes or environment, “nature” and “nurture,” could predispose that individual to a long or short life. However, these explanations are radically incomplete. Even in a model system as homogenous as C. elegans, using an isogenic population in a lab-controlled environment, we observe a distribution in lifespans comparable to that seen in outbred human populations. The first part of this dissertation focuses on characterizing this non-genetic, non-environmental variability in the aging …

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Justice-Involved Individuals And Executive Function Consequences On Transition And Reintegration Into The Community, Alaina L. Randerson

Student Capstone Papers

The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world (Carson, 2022), with an increasing number of justice-involved individuals (JII) potentially affected by mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Despite the high prevalence of mTBIs in the general population, limited research exists on the prevalence and impact of mTBIs in JII. Preliminary evidence suggests that the prevalence of mTBIs in incarcerated individuals is 50 times higher than in the general public (Siegler et al., 2017). This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of JII with mTBI, focusing on the origin of mTBIs, executive dysfunction, and the occupational barriers …

Minutes From December 18 2024, University Senate

University Senate Minutes

Minutes from December 18 2024 University Senate Meeting

Aspiration Of Left Atrial Masses Using The Large-Bore Manual Aspiration System: The Aspirate La Procedure, Shaurya Srivastava, Hussam Al Hennawi, Ahmad Abulshamat, Appa Bandi, Mohammed Qintar

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Transcatheter mass extraction of left-sided cardiac masses has gained popularity in recent years, with scarce data on effectiveness, safety, and types of devices used. Mostly, left-sided aspirations use mechanical and continuous-flow–mediated devices (the AngioVac [AngioDynamics] and Penumbra systems [Penumbra]). To our knowledge, the use of manual aspiration devices has not been reported yet. Here, we report the first case series on the use of the AlphaVac (AngioDynamics) (a large-bore manual aspiration device) system for left-sided intracardiac masses.

Review Of Culturally Responsive Computing: An Introduction Into Computer Science, Security, And Technology, Irina Armianu

Open Educational Resources - Reviews

No abstract provided.

Review Of College Success Concise, Erica N. Giles

Open Educational Resources - Reviews

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase Ii Interim Demolition Plan Construction Drawings And Floodplain Encroachment Analysis (Dated November 27, 2024), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Is Increased In Sputum From Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis, Timothy M. Wilson, Matthew Bolt, Andrew Stahly, Joyce S. Lee, Tami J. Bang, Peter B. Sachs, Kevin D. Deane, Stephen M. Humphries, Joshua J. Solomon, M. Kristen Demoruelle

Division of Rheumatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) develops in 5-10% of patients with RA and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality, particularly in those with a fibrotic phenotype. Yet, biomarkers to reliably identify RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis are inadequate. Herein, we used sputum to identify lung-based biomarkers that distinguish RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis and may better inform underlying pathogenesis in RA-ILD.

METHODS: We included 37 RA patients with pulmonary fibrosis (RA-PF) and 30 RA patients without ILD (RA-no-ILD). Induced sputum and serum were tested for TGF-β levels by immunoassay. DNA was extracted to determine presence of the MUC5B …

Factors Affecting Sport-Related Concussion Non-Disclosure In Women's Rugby-A Multi-Country Qualitative Analysis, Lisa Ryan, Ed Daly, Katherine Hunzinger

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Background and Objectives: Collision-sport athletes, such as rugby players, are at risk of sport-related concussion (SRC). Women are known to be at higher risk of SRC and may experience more severe and chronic symptomology than men. Knowledge of the factors that affect a player’s disclosure of their concussive symptoms could help to inform strategies to improve compliance with reporting and management of head injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that may impact women rugby players’ disclosure of a concussion. Methods: Twenty-eight adult (≥18 years of age) elite and semi-elite women rugby players from the UK …

Exploring The Relationship Between Hand Grip Strength And Handwriting Proficiency, Chloe Fields, Rebecca King

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Handwriting remains essential for a child's academic performance despite the rise of technology in classrooms, but overuse of digital tools can hinder the development of essential hand muscles and fine motor skills. This capstone project explores the relationship between handwriting proficiency, hand grip strength, and the impact of excessive technology use on young students.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries In Justice-Involved Individuals And Executive Function Consequences On Transition And Reentry Into The Community ​, Alaina L. Randerson, Michael Sutcliffe, Cassandra Nelson, Ariana Gonzalez

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world (Carson, 2022), with an increasing number of justice-involved individuals (JII) potentially affected by mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Despite the high prevalence of mTBIs in the general population, limited research exists on the prevalence and impact of mTBIs in JII. Preliminary evidence suggests that the prevalence of mTBIs in incarcerated individuals is 50 times higher than in the general public (Siegler et al., 2017). This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of JII with mTBI, focusing on the origin of mTBIs, executive dysfunction, and the occupational barriers …