Digital Commons Network^™

Improving The Self-Efficacy And Self-Management Of Adult Patients With Type Ii Diabetes (T2dm) Through A Telehealth Program At An Outpatient Clinic, Uchechukwu N. Iwuorie

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

This eight-week quality improvement project implemented a cellphone-based reminder text intervention to improve self-efficacy and self-management practices among adults diagnosed with T2DM at an outpatient clinic in Tomball, Texas.

Background

The clinic serves underserved populations in Tomball. Over 20% of diabetic patients have a Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) above 9%. There is no program for T2DM self-management due to resources and staffing.

Methodology

Informed participants completed a recruitment packet and a self-efficacy survey before and after the intervention. Thirteen patients received two text messages biweekly from the clinic, on self-care reminders, recommended by the American Diabetes Association, along with an …

Reproductive Rights And Medico-Legal Education Post-Dobbs: A Fireside Chat, Michael S. Sinha, Anna Krotinger, Maya A. Phan, Louise P. King

All Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was a pivotal moment that reshaped the landscape of abortion policy and delivery of abortion care in the United States. To create a space for critical reflection on the implications of Dobbs for the teaching and learning of abortion care in both medical and legal education, the authors engage in a dialogue highlighting the varied perspectives of professionals and professionals-in-training in both the medical and legal professions. As new attacks on reproductive autonomy continue at both state and federal levels, we foreshadow a tumultuous landscape for abortion policy …

Physician Decision Making Under Uncertainty In A Post-Dobbs America, Molly J. Walker Wilson, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

Following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and a series of restrictive state laws post-Dobbs, physicians in many states now face difficult choices between evidence-based practice and criminal penalties. Previously, when deciding whether to provide abortion care, concern for the health of the patient was paramount. Now, fear of criminal penalties drives decision-making for physicians practicing in many areas of the country, including our home state: Missouri. For certain life-threatening complications, termination of pregnancy is warranted, but since Dobbs, physicians have been delaying these potentially lifesaving procedures for fear of criminal repercussions. Behavioral research on …

An Assessment Of The Hotel Customers’ Robotic Service Quality Perceptions: Scale Development And Validation, Ahmet Hacikara

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

"Hotel customers' interactions with service robots are becoming increasingly common, raising questions about how these interactions impact their experience. To address this gap in knowledge, this dissertation develops and validates a novel robotic service quality (ROBOQUAL) scale. Drawing on social exchange theory, the study examines the reciprocal relationship between hotel customers and artificially intelligent service robots, exploring how robotic service quality influences customers' perceptions of experience quality, satisfaction, and word-of-mouth intentions. The research employs focus-group studies, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and partial least squares equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to develop and validate the ROBOQUAL scale."

An Examination Of Frontline Service Workers' Empathy In A Cobot Team, Emily Anne Broker

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Service robots are an emerging technological advancement increasingly utilized in the hospitality industry. In return, service workers are required to use them during their interactions with customers. This study sought to examine how the service robot-worker team affects cognitive and affective empathy present in a service encounter. Using the empathy attribute part of the SERVQUAL model, this study aimed to examine and differentiate the server's empathy impact in the presence of a service robot. This study utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews to collect data from service workers employed in two restaurants characterized by distinct service environments. The interviews were qualitatively analyzed …

Identifying Antecedents And Consequences Of Mental Imagery: The Use Of Sor Theory In The Context Of Immersive Digital Exhibitions, Yeonjae Kim

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

With innovative technologies, various types of immersive digital experiences (IDEs) have gained significant attention in the past few years. Despite their popularity, little research has been conducted on the factors that examine visitors’ experiences and behavioral intentions. This study applies experience economy within the framework of the SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response) theory, indicating the dimensions of IDE function as stimulus (S), mental imagery and attitude as the organism (O), and behavioral intentions as the response (R). This study aims to identify the antecedents and consequences of mental imagery to explain and understand the mechanism behind visitors’ evaluations for future decisions.

A total …

Unveiling Financial Performance As A Mediator In Vacation Rentals' Valuation: Evidence From The Central Florida Market, Marcos Medeiros

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation innovatively extends the hedonic value model by crafting a comprehensive and novel econometric framework to analyze the mediating role of financial performance in the valuation of vacation rental properties. The study not only conducts an empirical analysis of the fundamental hedonic determinants of vacation rentals’ performance and value but also examines the influence of vacation rental performance on their valuation by leveraging the capitalization rate theory, a prevalent metric for evaluating commercial real estate value, to ascertain its applicability in forecasting the worth of vacation rentals. The core contribution of this study is the discovery of how short-term …

Signals Of Positive Selection In Genomes Of Palearctic Myotis-Bats Coexisting With A Fungal Pathogen, Vg Twort, Vn Laine, Ka Field, F Whiting-Fawcett, F Ito, M Reiman, T Bartonicka, M Fritze, Va Ilyukha, Vv Belkin, Ea Khizhkin, D Fukui, Deeann Reeder, Tl Jiang, T M. Lilley

Faculty Journal Articles

Disease can act as a driving force in shaping genetic makeup across populations, even species, if the impacts influence a particularly sensitive part of their life cycles. White-nose disease is caused by a fungal pathogen infecting bats during hibernation. The mycosis has caused massive population declines of susceptible species in North America, particularly in the genus Myotis. However, Myotis bats appear to tolerate infection in Eurasia, where the fungal pathogen has co-evolved with its bat hosts for an extended period of time. Therefore, with susceptible and tolerant populations, the fungal disease provides a unique opportunity to tease apart factors …

Fluid Dynamics And Leukocyte Transit In The Lymphatic System, Huabing Li, Jingjing Zhang, Timothy Padera, James W. Baish, Lance Munn

Faculty Journal Articles

The lymphatic system plays a vital role in maintaining fluid balance in living tissue and serves as a pathway for the transport of antigen, immune cells, and metastatic cancer cells. In this study, we investigate how the movement of cells through a contracting lymphatic vessel differs from steady flow, using a lattice Boltzmann-based computational model. Our model consists of cells carried by flow in a 2D vessel with regularly spaced, bi-leaflet valves that ensure net downstream flow as the vessel walls contract autonomously in response to calcium and nitric oxide levels regulated by stretch and shear stress levels. The orientation …

Fold-Related Faults Track Progressive Fold Development From Layer-Parallel Shortening To Subsequent Orthogonal Extension Within An Appalachian Buckle Fold System: Bear Valley Mine, Shamokin, Pa Usa, Arlo B. Weil, Mary Beth Gray, Kylie G. Cush, Mattathias D. Needle, Juliet G. Crider

Faculty Journal Articles

Outstanding three-dimensional exposures of adjacent folds in an abandoned coal mine within the Appalachian Valley-and-Ridge tectonic province permit a detailed analysis of macroscopic strain accommodation by minor faulting in the lead up to and during buckle folding. A kinematic analysis of more than 900 outcrop-scale faults coupled with clearly established relative age relationships allows delineation of distinctive fault sets and their roles in accommodating strain within a quartz-dominated sandstone and an overlying silty shale. Conjugate contractional faults are interpreted as evidence of layer-parallel shortening (LPS) prior to and during fold initiation, based on geometric relationships to primary bedding. A clearly …

Oaks Have A Lot Of Gall: The Intimate Interactions Of Oaks And Gall Wasps, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

This is a story about the interactions of oaks and herbivorous gall-inducing wasps. To set the stage, let’s first explore the diversity of oaks and oak gall wasps.

Contextualizing Tiktok Controversies: Critical Discourse Analysis Of Platform Privacy Debates, Bshaer Kameil Aharazi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study focuses on online news coverage of TikTok's privacy policies to uncover accusations related to security threats between October 2020 and May 2023. Using critical discourse analysis, the research compares TikTok's discourse with other platforms like Facebook and YouTube, highlighting the role of governments, tech companies, and users in shaping this discourse. Furthermore, it demonstrates how cultural and political factors influence privacy discussions, particularly regarding the controversies, discussions, and accusations between the United States and China. AI tool ChatGPT analyzes the discourse by focusing on the news texts' most prominent topics and keywords. The goal is to identify key …

Home, Sweet Home: Gender The Civil War And Reunion Through Popular Music, Nathanial E. Bock

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

“Home, Sweet Home” is widely considered the most popular tune of the American Civil War, but its enduring popularity before, during, and after the war has never been fully explored. This thesis combines classic and modern histories of the music of the Civil War with some of the latest work in gender studies and the post-war era to explore the continued popularity of this song throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It begins by examining the life of the song’s unusual author, John Howard Payne, and why Americans were predisposed to find both Payne and his song so compelling. It …

Defining The Roles Of Blari Orthologs In Mycobacterium Abscessus, Lauren E. Bonefont

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The increasing incidence of Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) infections is a global concern as the treatment failure rate is more than 50%. Mab is an opportunistic pathogen, thriving in harsh conditions in the environment and in hosts. To respond to these conditions, Mab employs many signal transduction mechanisms. This work characterizes two non-redundant systems using a novel mechanism in Mab: BlaRI-type protease-mediated two-component systems. In the Staphylococcus aureus prototype, BlaR binds β-lactams with a C-terminal extracellular sensing domain, activating BlaR through acylation and autoproteolysis. Activated BlaR then cleaves DNA-bound dimerized BlaI, disrupting repression by BlaI and enabling transcription …

Application Of A Zinc-Borate Based Nanoparticle To Impede The Spread Of Huanglongbing, Carlos J. Flores

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Huanglongbing is a citrus disease devastating the worldwide citrus industry. It is caused by the pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), and spread through the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). ACP vectors HLB as a host for CLas and spreads the bacteria through the saliva when feeding on citrus leaves. There is no cure for the disease, making preventative measures a top priority for the citrus industry. Previously used methods such as individual protective covers and insecticides have proven effective but costly to slow the spread of the disease. In this thesis, we report on the interactions of a novel zinc-borate spray-on …

Development Of A Novel Mitochondria Biosensor, Randall K. James

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Developing new label-free paradigms for functional assays in biomedical research has the potential to catalyze efforts in drug discovery and improve the understanding of complex disorders. Mitochondria are an essential organelle in nearly every eukaryotic organism that perform vital functions such as ATP production, redox signaling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and regulation of programmed cell death. These activities are regulated by electrophysiological processes that occur in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) and outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) in response to metabolic demands, making them an important physiological marker for bioenergetic studies. Mitochondria dysfunction is an early pathological biomarker of complex …

Chinese Masculinities During The Maoist Era: Representations Of Model Men, Daniel L. Izadirad Mr.

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis analyzes male characters from Maoist era movies, novels, and posters to argue that the Importance of Wen masculinity, a man’s intellectual and artistic talents, was downplayed, and even feminized while the importance of Wu masculinity, a man’s martial and athletic talents, was increased and encouraged as these forms of media came under increasingly stringent regulation from the Chinese Communist Party. This thesis examines sources from 1949-1976 dividing them into three periods: the Early People’s Republic (1949-1965), the Early Cultural Revolution (1966-1969), and the Late Cultural Revolution (1970-1976). Each chapter studies revolutionary protagonists and counterrevolutionary antagonists and explores how …

Flora And The Cloud Maker: Exploring Burnout Through Animation, Tiffany Marin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Flora and The Cloud Maker is a two-dimensional (2D) animated short film inspired by my personal experiences as a graduate student learning to balance work-life demands. Pursuing higher education has generated many unanticipated challenges. One of these challenges includes experiencing the state of psychological exhaustion, or “burnout”. Flora and The Cloud Maker’s purpose is to show that burnout is common, and recovery is possible. Many graduate students struggle with work-life balance, burnout, and anxiety in their daily lives. Through strong use of color theory and charming visuals, Flora and The Cloud Maker demonstrates that though the road to higher education …

After A Tragedy: A Mobile Therapeutic Themed Experience, Sarah M. Massarelli

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this thesis is to design a mobile therapeutic-themed experience that will help start the healing process for victims, direct and indirect, after a mass shooting incident. This design will attempt to address the stigma around seeking traditional mental health care and try to create opportunities for victims, direct and indirect, to support another even though they may not want to seek help from a therapist. Not every victim will react to the mass shooting incident in the same way, and not every person processes their feelings and emotions in the same way. The experience is designed to …

Using Tensile And Compressive Stress Superposition During Incremental Forming To Manipulate Martensitic Transformation In Ss304, Elizabeth M. Mamros, Fabian Maaß, A. Erman Tekkaya, Brad L. Kinsey, Jinjin Ha

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a flexible manufacturing process that has applications in industries ranging from biomedical to automotive. In addition to rapid prototyping, which requires easy adaptations in geometry or material for design changes, control of the final part properties is desired. One strategy that can be implemented is stress superposition, which is the application of additional stresses during an existing manufacturing process. Tensile and compressive stresses applied during SPIF showed significant effects on the resulting microstructure in stainless steel 304 truncated square pyramids. Specifically, the amount of martensitic transformation was increased through stress superposed incremental forming. Finite …

Utilizing Mixed Methods To Examine Black Graduate Students’ Experiences With Multicultural Supervision In School Psychology, Larraine Graham

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Multicultural supervision is essential in preparing psychologists-in-training to provide ethical, multiculturally competent practices to diverse populations. In the field of school psychology, Black graduate students remain underrepresented despite increasing diversity in schools. While there are many resources for establishing best practices in multicultural supervision in related fields, there is a lack of literature in school psychology, especially that examines Black graduate students’ experiences. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to attend to the gap in the literature and better understand Black graduate students’ experiences with the supervisory relationship, satisfaction with supervision, and multicultural competency skill development. The current …

Building Children's Connection To Nature In The Schools: A Piloted Nature-Based Intervention, Alexis Bird

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Nature-based interventions (NBI) have demonstrated positive effects on a range of student outcomes, including enhanced prosocial behaviors, decreased levels of stress, and improved mood and concentration. Further, school-aged children’s participation in NBIs supports students’ reconnection with the natural world. Although schools represent an ideal setting to engage students from diverse backgrounds in NBI activities, existing research is limited in understanding the effects and feasibility of integrating NBIs within school settings. This study aimed to explore the effects of NBI activities administered within a school program on students’ sense of connectedness with nature and their overall wellbeing. Additionally, participants were interviewed …

Factors Influencing Anticipated Migration Patterns Across Metropolitan Cities In The United States Between 2018 And 2022, Vinayaka Gude, Ricardo Melendez, Md Monirul Islam

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people’s lives in various cities across the United States. This study explored the factors influencing anticipated migration patterns as indicated by the house search on the Redfin platform in 132 United States cities before, during, and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. The research addresses a crucial gap in the existing literature on recent trends in migration patterns, factors influencing this, and the potential impact of the pandemic. We employed a multivariate regression model to study overall migration and additional models to examine yearly data, identifying key factors that drive people to relocate. We identified that regions …

Northern Pink Shrimp (Pandalus Borealis), Kaydin L. Pinto

Narragansett Bay Species Accounts

Life history characteristics of the Northern Pink Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA.

Striped Killifish (Fundulus Majalis), Blanka Prikasky, Tiffany Daponte

Narragansett Bay Species Accounts

Life history characteristics of Striped Killifish (Fundulus majalis) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA.

Atlantic Razor Clam (Ensis Leei), Meshlin Alam

Narragansett Bay Species Accounts

Life history characteristics of Atlantic Razor Clam (Ensis Leei) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA.

A Legal Whirlwind: An Exploration And Evaluation Of Legal Claims Relating To The South Fork Wind Farm And Revolution Wind Project, Sarah Mikolay, Ava Cafasso, Aryanna Clasby, Elizabeth Erwin, Maigen Leach

ENV 334 Environmental Justice

With the Biden Administration’s national goal of net-zero emission by 2050 and Rhode Island’s state goal of carbon-neutrality by 2035, progressive steps towards renewable energy goal are critical. As the state adopt more renewable energy practices, public and private organizations voice concern over offshore wind farm projects and their adherence to local, state, and national laws. Through extensive research it has been determined that many of these claims are misguided. However, this skepticism emphasizes key issues regarding the transparency of the permitting process. Steps towards streaming and uniting the legal processes of wind farm construction, such as the COLLABORATE Act, …

The Importance Of Coastal Wetland Restoration In Old Lyme, Ct: The White Sands Beach Salt Marsh Restoration Project, Hanna Lloyd

ENV 334 Environmental Justice

In New England, coastal wetlands are rapidly drying up from widespread droughts, eroding from sea level rise, or being overrun by invasive species. Old Lyme, Connecticut relies heavily on the environmental and economic benefits of wetlands. In the last decade however, many coastal homes in Old Lyme, like the summer cottages of White Sands Beach, have been threatened by a lack of resilient wetlands surrounding them, and the coastal biodiversity of the town has decreased. The White Sands Beach Salt Marsh Restoration Project restored over an acre of coastal wetland at White Sands Beach through integrated marsh management strategies.

The Pursuit Of Peace: Adlai Stevenson’S Impact On The Cuban Missile Crisis, Alexandra M. Buonanno

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This paper explores the idea that Adlai Stevenson was a more significant member of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council and voice for peace than given credit for. It includes the betrayal of Stevenson by JFK during the Bay of Pigs fiasco and how many members of the Kennedy administration felt Stevenson was too naive and weak to be an ambassador to the United Nations during the Cold War. This papers seeks to prove that without Adlai Stevenson the Cuban Missile Crisis would have ended horrifically rather than peacefully.

Northern Star Coral (Astrangia Poculata), Brianna Macdonald

Narragansett Bay Species Accounts

Life history characteristics of Northern Star Coral (Astrangia poculata) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA.