Digital Commons Network^™

Transforming Care: Elevating Oral Hygiene Compliance To Combat Nosocomial Aspiration Pneumonia In Adult Oncology Patients, Karina Larrea

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective Aspiration pneumonia is a preventable, yet common complication in oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy, steered by suboptimal compliance with oral hygiene protocols and elevated susceptibility due to mucosal barrier injuries. Despite its major impact on healthcare costs and morbidity, compliance with evidence-based practices remains inadequate. Aim This project aimed to decrease nosocomial aspiration pneumonia rates from 1.5% to 1.3% by enhancing oral hygiene compliance from 41% to 70% over a 12-week period. Methods Proposed interventions included implementing paired oral hygiene order sets into electronic medical records, once-per-shift cues, staggered patient education sessions, and staff education on standardized protocols. Pre-intervention data …

Healing Words: The Power Of Patient-Centered Communication In Bedside Reports, Sin Yee Lai

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective In the healthcare setting, using language that is not patient-centered can result in lower patient satisfaction, increased miscommunication, and heightened anxiety for patients. Hospital A currently lacks education on the use of patient-centered language within the peripartum mesosystem, despite being required to conduct bedside reports. Hospital A is an urban tertiary hospital in San Francisco, whose peripartum mesosystem is divided into two levels with a total of 35 beds. Aim The project aimed to increase patient satisfaction by implementing patient-centered language during bedside reports for peripartum nurses from 70% to 80% during labor and delivery (L&D) to postpartum (PP) …

Implementation Of A Food Security Program To Reduce Hypertension At A Primary Care Clinic, Maribel Ballesteros

Master's Projects and Capstones

The food security program aims to reduce hypertension and food insecurity by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Although food insecurity is a growing public health issue, the food security program experienced significantly low enrollment compared to projected values. The quality improvement project was conducted in an adult medicine department in a primary care clinic in San Francisco serving the Latinx community. To address the issue of low program enrollment, a comprehensive educational food security program flyer was developed containing program information, including frequently asked questions. The flyer aimed to increase program enrollments by increasing program education. Fifty flyers …

Redefining Bedside Communication: Patient-Centered Language In Peripartum Care, Brasheed Ganjeh

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective The lack of patient-centered language can lead to miscommunication between nurses and patients, decreased patient satisfaction, and increased patient anxiety. Hospital A has been given a regional mandate to conduct nursing reports at the bedside, but the peripartum microsystem lacks educational resources on the use of patient-centered language during transfers from labor and delivery (L&D) to postpartum (PP). Aim The QI project aims to increase patient satisfaction from 70% to 80% through nurse utilization of patient-centered language during bedside reports when transferring patients from L&D to PP between October 28 to November 15. Methods A patient-centered language guide was …

Optimizing Peripartum Bedside Reports Through Patient-Centered Communication, Harpreet Kaur

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Background Effective patient-centered communication (PCC) during bedside shift reports (BSR) is crucial in peripartum care, where patients face physical recovery and emotional adjustment. However, communication gaps during transitions from labor and delivery (L&D) to postpartum (PP) units can lead to patient dissatisfaction and misinterpretation of care instructions. Hospital A, an urban tertiary care medical center in San Francisco, operates a peripartum mesosystem across two floors with 35 dedicated beds. Aim The project aims to increase patient satisfaction by implementing patient-centered language in bedside reports for peripartum units from 70% to 80% for a three-week period. Methods Stakeholder engagement, a …

Travel English For Japanese Third Age Learners: A Communicative Model, Yoshiko Okamura

Master's Projects and Capstones

The goal of this curriculum project is to effectively develop the English communicative skills of a small group of Japanese third age English language learners. The term, third age learners (TALs), represents learners who are generally in their mid-60s through early 80s, retired, healthy, active, and motivated to learn something new. When it comes to English language learning strategies, one size does not fit all. An effective curriculum must be built on the theories and approaches that fit the specific needs of the target learners. The first three chapters of this project report describe the theories, approaches, and methods applied …

Utilizing Pupper, A Social Robot Dog, To Increase Happiness And Improve Mood In Pediatric Patients Of A Cardiac Step-Down Unit, Angela Feng Wu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective The usage of social robots in pediatrics is an emerging field of study. Preliminary research shows that they are effective at improving the psychosocial well-being of pediatric patients. This quality improvement project focuses on Pupper, a newly developed quadruped social robot dog, and its ability in improving mood and happiness in pediatric patients of a cardiac step-down unit. Aim The aim of this project is to increase average mood scores of pediatric cardiac patients aged 3-25 years by 50% from their baseline of 3.75 to 5.63 on a six-point scale within a one-month time frame. Methods Before intervention and …

Delays In Care Due To Inaccessibility Of Essential Medical Items In Surgical Unit, Puleiaava Basil Thomsen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Objective/Background

This project aims to establish efficient access to medical supplies in operating rooms, essential for timely patient care and preventing adverse outcomes, using evidence-based guidelines. Poorly stocked or disorganized pediatric anesthesia carts lead to safety risks, workflow disruptions, and unclear restocking responsibilities. Despite efforts to improve cart management at Hospital C, challenges persist, including inconsistent inventory practices, outdated systems, and a lack of baseline data for evaluation. Resolving these issues is critical to aligning the unit's practices with hospital-wide goals for efficiency and patient safety.

Aim

This quality improvement project aims to train 80% of anesthesia technicians in …

Implementing Donna Wright’S Competency Model For Enhancing Nursing Professional Development In Pediatric Perioperative Units, Justin C. Chu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background Hundreds of thousands of deaths occur in hospitals annually due to preventable adverse events. As literature shows nurse competency is positively associated with improved patient outcomes, it is the mission of any healthcare organization to continually improve staff competency. Bay Area Children’s Hospital X is looking to adopt the Donna Wright Competency Model (DWCM) to change the way they approach this process, transitioning from traditional methods of manager-selected competencies to a collaborative, shared governance approach. Objectives Utilizing the DWCM, the project goal is to enhance competencies among 90 nurses in pediatric perioperative units. The ultimate goal is to create …

Food Security And Its Impact On Hypertension In Urban Communities, Lauren M. Nobriga

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Quality Improvement Team proposed an intervention to increase enrollment in the Food Security Program, a six-month initiative that provides vouchers redeemable for fruits and vegetables. Long-term impacts of this Program include an improved food economy and enhanced patient disease management autonomy. This project aimed to increase the percentage of eligible adult medicine clinic patients enrolled in the Food Security Program by 25%, or 11 patients per month, based on the mean enrollment for the first four months of the Program (May to August) of nine patients. The intervention was based on bi-monthly performance reports, making the goal include enrolling …

Climate- And Land-Use Change Impacts On Ecosystem Services Provided By Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alina Mullins

Master's Projects and Capstones

Prairie pothole wetlands are a type of depressional, isolated wetland that can be found in the glaciated landscape of the mid-central United States and portions of southern Canada, also referred to as the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). The region is consistently recognized for its historic production and support of migratory waterfowl populations among other types of mammals and invertebrates largely due to the variability in pothole wetlands water levels and vegetative structure. Isolated from other waterbodies and lacking surface water connections, the hydrology of prairie pothole wetlands is influenced by the region’s continental climate. Historically, the region receives much of …

Food Security And Its Impact On Hypertension In Urban Communities, Lauren M. Nobriga

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Quality Improvement Team proposed an intervention to increase enrollment in the Food Security Program, a six-month initiative that provides vouchers redeemable for fruits and vegetables. Long-term impacts of this Program include an improved food economy and enhanced patient disease management autonomy. This project aimed to increase the percentage of eligible adult medicine clinic patients enrolled in the Food Security Program by 25%, or 11 patients per month, based on the mean enrollment for the first four months of the Program (May to August) of nine patients. The intervention was based on bi-monthly performance reports, making the goal include enrolling …

Five Key Lessons For Five Core Groups Shaping Place-Based Policy, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

Mapping Invasive Aquatic Plants Using Deep Learning Classification And Segmentation Models, Ruchitha Yadav Prakash

Theses and Dissertations

High-resolution imagery from Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with multispec tral(MSI) and RGB sensors can be used for mapping invasive aquatic species. This research employs classification models like CNN, AlexNet, VGG16, ResNet, and DenseNet, alongside segmentation models such as FCN, U-Net, SegNet, DeepLabV3+, and Mask R-CNN, to analyze and visualize four invasive aquatic species including Cuban Bulrush (Oxycaryum cubense), Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Juncus (Juncus effusus), and Cattail (Typha latifolia). Among the tested models, ResNet (97.44% for RGB)andDenseNet(96.20%forMSI)exhibitedthehighest classification accuracies. For segmentation tasks, FCN (75.5% for RGB) and SegNet (79.6% for MSI) excelled. The study also examines the computational complexity …

A Mixed Method Descriptive Case Study Of Cio Roles And Organizational Positioning In Information Technology Strategic Planning At Community Colleges In A Southern State, Adell Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The role of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) or a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) within higher education is essential, though not well defined or understood. At all levels of the institution a CIO/CTO impacts the information technology (IT) systems required for the security and the ability of the college or university to operate and to support student success. Institutions of higher education are dependent on the IT department for college-issued computers, for software services, for library functioning, and for driving innovation to keep the college competitive for enrollment and student success. Although the CIO role is essential to a …

A Comprehensive Performance Evaluation Of Proprietary And Open-Source Language Models In Closed And Open-Domain Tasks, Abhilash Kanduri

Theses and Dissertations

As the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) continues to evolve, evaluating the performance of both proprietary and open-source language models has become increasingly critical. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of proprietary models like GPT-3.5 Turbo, GPT-4, and GPT-4 Turbo, alongside open-source models such as FLAN-T5, GPT-Neo, and GPT-2. By leveraging traditional metrics like ROUGE and BLEU, as well as custom metrics including ReGrAde, Contextual Precision, and Faithfulness, the study evaluates these models across closed-domain tasks (e.g., factual question-answering) and open-domain tasks (e.g., creative writing and brainstorming). The proprietary models excelled in structured, fact-based tasks, while the open-source models …

Understanding The Correlation Between Socioeconomic Status And Student Achievement Amongst High School Students In Rural Mississippi, Aiesha L. Brooks-Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and student achievement among high school students in rural Mississippi. By using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative data from the Mississippi Department of Education’s Accountability Report Card with qualitative data from student surveys and teacher interviews, this paper explores how SES factors such as parental income and education affect academic outcomes in rural settings. The study highlights the significant disparities between low-SES and high-SES students in terms of standardized test scores, graduation rates, and access to educational resources. The findings suggest that addressing these disparities will require targeted interventions at …

Biothermodynamics Of Metal And Dna Coordination To The Pneumococcal Transcription Factors Adcr, Scza, And Copr, Alexander James Cutright

Theses and Dissertations

ransition metals are micronutrients that play critical roles in all forms of life, acting as stabilizing ions, catalytic centers, and as signaling ions. Due to their importance, classes of biomolecules have been designed with the sole purpose of regulating their intracellular concentrations. One group of which are transcription factors, which regulate intracellular metal concentration by activating or repressing transcription, dependent on metal availability. The activation of transcription factors by metal availability can be attested to conformational changes that are governed by both dynamics and thermodynamics. Due to the influential nature of transcription factors, their activity and activation mode have become …

The Impact Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Trainings And Study/Work Abroad Experiences On The Ability Of Staff And Faculty To Build Systems Of Support For International Students, Alina Fasirovna Nigmatullina

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of effective communication with the international students and their comfortable adaptation play an important role in developing the U.S. higher educational system in the field of competition of educational services. The international student population benefits from higher education just as much as higher education benefits from them. If universities are willing to recruit and retain more international students, they must be sensitive to the perceptions, needs, and concerns of prospective and enrolled international students. In order to sustain this, staff and faculty have to be exposed to certain trainings and experiences that will allow them to gain basic …

Identifying Fecal Contamination Sources In The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Amanda M. Free

Theses and Dissertations

The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR) has a history of elevated fecal coliform counts. However, the source of the contamination is not well understood. According to past sanitary surveys, there has been a history of malfunctioning residential septic systems and inadequate wastewater treatment in the upper watershed. Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) and birds are also abundant in the estuary and could be potential contributors to elevated fecal coliform levels. To better understand the temporal and spatial variation of fecal coliforms in the GNDNERR and inform oyster reef management, eight sites within the GNDNERR watershed were sampled monthly for …

Perceptions Of University Staff Member Organizational Belonging In Higher Education: A Quantitative Analysis, Amanda Mcknight Baine

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine organizational belonging among staff members working in higher education. While staff members are vital to the operations, maintenance and overall organizational function of higher education institutions, this group represents a seldom studied population. Given their essential role and the impact of the pandemic on work life perspectives, it is important to recognize the experiences of staff members and seek to understand current perceptions of organizational belonging with implications from retention to work quality. To measure organizational belonging, a modified survey developed by Blau et al. (2023) was used, looking at 4 scale …

Multi-Temporal Uav Remote Sensing Combined With Machine Learning For Estimating Cotton Yield, Amrit Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate crop yield estimation early in season can help in identifying specific areas within a field that may require different management practices, thus enhancing overall efficiency and productivity. However, early estimation has been a challenging task mainly due to integrated complex association between genetic × environment × management factors. Over the decades, machine learning techniques, especially artificial neural network, has been widely adopted in conjunction with uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for high-throughput plant phenotyping and crop yield estimation. This study introduces the plus neural network (pNN) to incorporate temporal dynamics across different crop growth stages. Cotton field data from 2020-2023 …

Synergistic Adsorption Of Pb (Ii) From Aqueous Solution Using Calcined Biochar-Bentonite Clay Hybrid, Azeezat Faderera Abdul-Raheem

Theses and Dissertations

The biochar-bentonite clay hybrid was prepared by coprecipitation with the goal of producing a material that can remove Pb (II) from aqueous solutions effectively. Incorporating bentonite clay onto the Douglas fir biochar (DFB-BTC) surface significantly improved the adsorption capacity by introducing more active sites, strengthening the structural properties, and promoting strong adsorbate interactions. The point of zero charge of the adsorbent was slightly higher than that of the pristine DFBC. All sorption experiments were performed at pH 5, and the system obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The highest Langmuir adsorption capacities observed at 298, 308, and 318 K were 48, …

Analysis Of Positive Solutions For Classes Of Nonlinear Boundary Value Problems, Bandar Alreshidi

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we study the existence and uniqueness of positive solutions for classes of nonlinear boundary value problems. In the first study, we the ��-superlinear case, we prove the existence of a large positive solution when a parameter is small and if, in addition, the reaction term satisfies a concavity-like condition at the origin, the existence of two positive solutions for a certain range of the parameter. In the ��-sublinear case, we establish the existence of a large positive solution when a parameter is large. We also investigate the number of positive solutions for the general ��-Laplacian with nonlinear …

A Correlation Study Between Soil Selenium Levels And Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. Regions: An Archival Data Analysis (2012-2018), Baoshan Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the correlation between soil selenium levels and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence across U.S. regions between 2012 to 2018. Selenium, an essential trace element, plays an important role in antioxidant defense and metabolism. While appropriate selenium intake may protect against diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing oxidative stress, excessive intake can have adverse effects. This research analyzed the most recent data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), for over 3,000 counties in the U.S. A correlation analysis model was used to determine the relationship between soil selenium …

Assembly And Analysis Of A Mobile Reactor System For The Continuous Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Benjamin Eston Gibens

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy changes have shifted research and development to pursue technology that promotes a circular economy and net zero emissions by 2050. Current research is actively developing “drop-in” sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that reduce emissions and are compatible with modern-day jet engines, mimicking conventional jet fuel's physical and chemical properties. While ensuring sustainable engine performance and operability using drop-in SAF is critical, several challenges remain in the economic outlook of SAF production. Biogas reforming and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) can be used in series to convert landfill gas to SAF; however, novel design approaches must be considered to alleviate capital and …

Engineering Functionalized Nanomaterials For Targeting And Ablating Biofilms On Surfaces, Dhanush Lakmal Yapa Amarasekara

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms on both the surface and interior of medical devices pose major challenges, including hindering device performance and serving as infection sources. These biofilms form a protective layer around bacteria, shielding them from the body’s immune system and antibiotics. This makes infections difficult to treat, as the bacteria within the biofilm are resistant to both antibiotics and immune defenses. Additionally, biofilms can induce inflammation and irritation in nearby tissues, leading to further health complications. Antibiotic resistance raises concerns about the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. MDR infections are difficult to treat, leading to prolonged hospital stays and the need …

Effects Of A Snap-Ed Social Marketing Campaign On Behavior Change, Andrew Beall Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This research studied the use of a social marketing campaign to address chronic diseases in the U.S., such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases by assessing audience self-reported actions and evaluating message framing effects on participant intentions to change nutrition behavior and daily physical activity. Approach: Evaluate a social marketing campaign for effects on SNAP-Ed eligible clients and research message framing effects on audience’s intention to change health behaviors. Discussion: The HappyHealthy social marketing campaign launched in 2018 by Mississippi State University Extension. Outcome evaluation data (collected 2023) reported multiple correlations between core messages recalled and increased …

Understanding Stream Litter Loading Through Watershed Characteristics, Elinor Reed Mallon

Theses and Dissertations

Litter, whether river-based, marine, or terrestrial, is an ever-increasing environmental and economic issue. However, litter in freshwater environments is studied less than in marine environments. To better understand factors impacting stream-transported floating litter, seven watershed characteristics were assessed across a network of thirty litter collection devices. The research objective for this study was to quantify litter loading and assess watershed characteristics relative to litter loading. Of the various watershed characteristics in this study, land cover classification had the greatest impact on the amount of litter collected from the Litter Gitters followed by median household income. Results from this study can …

Algal Community Investigations: Present Day To Year-2100 For Mississippi Lakes And The Western Mississippi Sound, Emma Madison Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Algae play a key role in the aquatic environment as primary producers; however, they can form harmful algal blooms that are detrimental to the aquatic environment, people, and even the economy. It is generally believed that climate change will influence future algal blooms. The first study estimated algae community in three freshwater locations in Mississippi, Desoto Lake, White’s Creek Lake, and Columbus Lake, and one saline location, Western Mississippi Sound, using modern and new tools of the autonomous surface vessel, FlowCam, and EcoTaxa. From those results and leading into the second study was the application of four climate scenarios on …