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Columbus State University Honors College: Senior Theses, Fall 2022/Spring 2023/Summer 2023, Les Anderson, Olympia Badwin, Ian Becerra, Lucy Clarke, Maya Davis, Kaylee Day, Dradley Defore, Rajvi Desai, Hannah Dickerson, Molly Foster, Andrew Holmes, Haley Johnson, Sana Khan, Nicole Kincaid, Kayleen Linge, Keenan Pasqua, Marc Pierre, Richard Rogers, Timothy Sabau, Kaitlyn Shepherd, Havahna Wilkes, Destinee Williams

Senior Theses from the Honors College

This is a collection of senior theses written by honors students at Columbus State University during the Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023 semesters.

Titles:

- "Mise En Scene: Healing Through a Cinematic Lense" , by Les Anderson

- "SCS22: Determining Molecular Function and Its Role in Heat Shock Protection in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae" , by Olympia Badwin

- "The Design and Activity of Novel Antimicrobial Hairpin Peptides" , Ian Becerra

- " Food Justice and Public Health: A Systematic Literature Review of Food Insecurity Prevalence among Black and Indigenous Populations Before and During COVID-19", by Maya Davis

- "The …

Price Response Of The High Fructose Corn Syrup Industry In The United States: A Bertrand Model Application, Pablo A. Garcia-Fuentes, P. Lynn Kennedy, Gustavo F.C. Ferreira

Faculty Publications

This paper uses a Bertrand duopoly model application and derives a high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) price reaction function that shows the response of the price of HFCS to changes in the price of sugar. It conducts cointegration analysis and assesses the performance of the HFCS price reaction model by estimating a Dynamic Ordinary Least-Squares model. It finds that the prices of HFCS-55, sugar, and corn are cointegrated over the period 1981:1 to 2017:12. The estimated long-run relationship shows that a one percent increase in the price of sugar increases the price of HFCS-55 by 0.19 percent. Additionally, the price …

Respecting The Identity And Dignity Of All Indigenous Americans, Bill Piatt

Faculty Articles

The United States government attempted to eliminate Native Americans through outright physical extermination and later by the eradication of Indian identity through a boarding school system and other "paper genocide" mechanisms. One of those mechanisms is the recognition of some Natives but not the majority, including those who ancestors were enslaved. The assistance provided to recognized tribes by the government is inadequate to compensate for the historical and continuing suffering these people endure. And yet the problem is compounded for those unrecognized Natives whose ancestors were enslaved and whose tribal identity was erased. They are subjected to a double-barreled discrimination. …

Droughtscape, Winter 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Winter 2022

A Critical Analysis Of American Foreign Policy In The Syrian Civil War, Sydney Heath

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the development of American policy in the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011 and has caused the world’s largest refugee crisis, among other humanitarian issues. Through analyzing popular debates about U.S. foreign policy in Syria, this project attempts to determine how the United States should have responded to President Bashar al-Assad’s aggression towards his people in order to most effectively alleviate suffering. The analysis finds that the United States under President Obama missed a crucial opportunity to weaken Assad and prevent the suffering of millions of Syrians. This paper also explores the present day implications of …

The Faces Of War: Reintroducing Women's Narratives In War, Robin Makena Peterson

CMC Senior Theses

Women take part in every war, but their accomplishments are mostly unacknowledged in the thousands of war stories told in the aftermath which tend to valorize men’s contributions as political leaders and soldiers. This erasure of women’s experience’s and agency in war holds true for war in Afghanistan, as well. This thesis identifies the gendered narratives told in books, movies, television shows, and the media but then offers, in contrast, narratives of Afghan and American women’s action during the forty years of war in Afghanistan. By sharing and contextualizing women’s stories, this paper strikes a blow against women’s erasure from …

Investigating Public Support For Biosecurity Measures To Mitigate Pathogen Transmission Through The Herpetological Trade, Elizabeth F. Pienaar, Diane J. Episcopio-Sturgeon, Zachary T. Steele

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The expanding global trade in herpetofauna has contributed to new infectious disease dynamics and pathways that allow for the rapid spread of pathogens geographically. Improved biosecurity is needed to mitigate adverse biodiversity, economic and human health impacts associated with pathogen transmission through the herpetological trade. However, general lack of knowledge of the pathogen transmission risks associated with the global trade in herpetofauna and public opposition to biosecurity measures are critical obstacles to successfully preventing pathogen transmission. In 2019 we administered a survey to 2,007 members of the public in the United States of America to ascertain their support for interventions …

Armageddon Revisited: The 1973 Gubernatorial Election In Virginia, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

Threatening a lawsuit, Howell prepared a memorandum to NBC citing evidence of voters changing their votes to Godwin, because as one put it, "A national network can't be wrong."⁷⁸ Howell's memorandum also mentioned an indirect tie of McGee to Godwin. Godwin constantly demanded that Howell disclose how he would replace the revenue under his tax plan.⁴³ Throughout the campaign, Godwin stressed inconsistencies between positions Howell took on various issues in 1973 and what he had said in the past. Godwin also cited Howell's endorsement of his candidacy for governor in 1965 and his comment in April that Godwin …

Voces De Mujeres: Migration, Family, & Identity Through The Voices Of Mexican Women, Erika Rendon-Ramos

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

Women have been an imperative part of migration history for centuries. However, it was not until recently that scholars began studying them individually. Before then, women were either not considered at all or were only considered as association migrants alongside their male companions. This diminishes their experience and their agency at each step of the migration journey. It leaves their stories untold while also establishing a swayed narrative that primarily encompasses males. Oral history is an integral part of “Voces de mujeres” because it allows the reader to hear directly from women. Through oral history I explore the reasons that …

Deep Graph Convolutional Network For Us Birth Data Harmonization, Lishan Yu, Hamisu M Salihu, Deepa Dongarwar, Luyao Chen, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this paper, we developed a feasible and efficient deep-learning-based framework to combine the United States (US) natality data for the last five decades, with changing variables and factors, into a consistent database. We constructed a graph based on the property and elements of databases, including variables, and conducted a graph convolutional network (GCN) to learn the embeddings of variables on the constructed graph, where the learned embeddings implied the similarity of variables. Specifically, we devised a loss function with a slack margin and a banlist mechanism (for a random walk) to learn the desired structure (two nodes sharing more …

Let’S Get R.E.A.L.: Developing A Shared Definition Of Structural Racism Is The First Step Towards Health Equity, Deann Butler

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Recent events bought to the forefront the need to address structural racism in the US, specifically within the institution of healthcare. Organizations such as the American Public Health Association (APHA, 2021), American Medical Association (AMA) (O’Reilly, 2020), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Walensky, 2021) recognize racism as a fundamental driver of persistent health disparities in minority populations. Additionally, healthcare accreditation organizations such as National Council on Quality Assurance (NCQA, 2022) launched initiatives that strategically work to achieve health equity. More so, organizations across healthcare are creating roles such as Chief Health Equity Officer or Chief Diversity Officer to …

Signs Inscribed On A Gate: The Impact Of Van Buren V. United States On Civil Claims Under The Computer Fraud And Abuse Act, Scott T. Lashway, Matthew M.K. Stein

Western New England Law Review

This Article addresses the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2021 decision in Van Buren v. United States on what constitutes“ authorization” to access a computer under the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)—a law that imposes both criminal and private civil liability for violations—and concludes that, so far, the Van Buren decision has not rendered the CFAA toothless. The Introduction briefly explains the history of the CFAA, a summary of why it was enacted, how organizations have relied upon it as an important tool to protect themselves from computer hackers and increased cybersecurity risks, and a Circuit …

Prenatal And Pediatric Oral Health Education Among Dental Hygiene Programs In The United States, Denise M. Claiborne, Shillpa Naavaal

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: Health care and dental providers must be prepared to address the oral health needs of mothers and children in order to reduce the burden of dental disease in these populations. The purpose of this study was to describe the curriculum and clinical experiences related to prenatal and pediatric oral health in the university and community college dental hygiene programs in the United States (US).

Methods: Dental hygiene program directors (PDs) from across the US were invited to participate in a cross-sectional electronic survey regarding the prenatal and pediatric oral health curriculum at their institution. In addition to program characteristics, …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Wildlife Strike Rates In The United States, Dan Parsons, Michael Malouf, Wayne Martin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted air traffic, industry bodies warned of the potential increase in wildlife strike risk. Prior to the pandemic, wildlife strikes were already a concern to the industry. We sought to evaluate industry warnings using interrupted time series analysis of wildlife strike trends in the United States. Using pre-pandemic wildlife strike trends, we compared a forecast of the expected monthly strike rates through the COVID-19 impact period (March 2020 to December 2020) to the actual wildlife strike rates for the same period. Our results showed an increase in wildlife strike rates in 5 out of the …

The Role Of Inclusion In Climate Vulnerability Assessment And Equitable Adaptation Goals In Small American Municipalities, Elena Lioubimtseva

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Equity and inclusion considerations are important prerequisites of effective climate adaptation planning, especially at a local scale. This study examines how climate adaptation plans of small American cities and counties consider equity in their climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning goals and how consideration of equity in existing adaptation plans relates to the inclusion of diverse categories of stakeholders. Data analysis is based on the content of 23 local climate adaptation plans of small urban and rural municipalities across the United States with populations of less than 300 thousand people. Correlations between conceptualization of vulnerability dimensions, inclusion of 9 categories …

Cost Of Care For Asylum Seekers And Refugees Entering The United States: The Case Of Volunteer Medical Providers In El Paso, Texas, Rigoberto I Delgado, Manuel De La Rosa, Marlon A Picado, Lisa Ayoub-Rodriguez, Celia E Gonzalez, Leopold Gemoets

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Between October 2018, and February 2020, the United States saw an unprecedented increase in the number of asylum seekers and refugees arriving unexpectedly at international crossings along the US-Mexico Border. Many of these migrants needed proper medical attention, and consequently created significant pressure on local health systems. In El Paso, Texas, volunteer clinicians, collaborating closely with religious organizations and non-governmental organizations, provided outpatient medical care for the new arrivals; the county hospital provided in-patient care at local tax payers' expense. The objective of this study was to estimate costs of healthcare services offered by these volunteers in order to …

Racial/Ethnic Variations In Alcohol And Cigarette Use By Pregnancy Status Among 20- To 44-Year-Old Women, Nhanes 2001–2018, Jacqueline M Hirth, Catherine Valadez, Sandra Gonzalez, Alicia Kowalchuk, Judith A Gutierrez, Roger Zoorob

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: This study examines alcohol consumption and smoking behaviors by pregnancy status and race/ethnicity in order to inform improved interventions designed to assist women of all races to avoid alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy for their health and to prevent potential fetal exposure.

METHODS: This retrospective secondary data analysis utilized nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data between 2001 and 2018. Smoking and alcohol use were evaluated by race/ethnicity and pregnancy risk. Sexual behavior, reproductive health, and prescription drug use determined pregnancy risk, categorized as low pregnancy risk, at risk of becoming pregnant, and pregnant. Binary and …

Doctoral Physical Therapy Students' Increased Confidence Following Exploration Of Active Video Gaming Systems In A Problem-Based Learning Curriculum In The United States: A Pre-And Post-Intervention Study, Michelle E. Wormley, Wendy Romney, Diana Veneri, Andrea Oberlander

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose: Active video gaming (AVG) is used in physical therapy (PT) to treat individuals with a variety of diagnoses across the lifespan. The literature supports improvements in balance, cardiovascular endurance, and motor control; however, evidence is lacking regarding the implementation of AVG in PT education. This study investigated doctoral physical therapy (DPT) students' confidence following active exploration of AVG systems as a PT intervention in the United States.

Methods: This pretest-posttest study included 60 DPT students in 2017 (Cohort 1) and 55 students in 2018 (Cohort 2) enrolled in a problem-based learning curriculum. AVG systems were embedded into patient cases …

How To "Start Small And Just Keep Moving Forward": Mixed Methods Results From A Stepped-Wedge Trial To Support Evidence-Based Processes In Local Health Departments, Rebekah R Jacob, Renee G Parks, Peg Allen, Stephanie Mazzucca, Yan Yan, Sarah Kang, Debra Dekker, Ross C Brownson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Local health departments (LHDs) in the United States are charged with preventing disease and promoting health in their respective communities. Understanding and addressing what supports LHD's need to foster a climate and culture supportive of evidence-based decision making (EBDM) processes can enhance delivery of effective practices and services.

METHODS: We employed a stepped-wedge trial design to test staggered delivery of implementation supports in 12 LHDs (Missouri, USA) to expand capacity for EBDM processes. The intervention was an in-person training in EBDM and continued support by the research team over 24 months (March 2018-February 2020). We used a mixed-methods approach …

How Do Low-Income Single-Mothers Get By When Unemployment Strikes: Patterns Of Multiple Program Participation After Transition From Employment To Unemployment, Chi-Fang Wu, Yu-Ling Chang, Soohyun Yoon, Salma Musaad

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Little is known about longitudinal patterns of welfare program participation among single mothers after they transition from employment to unemployment. To better understand how utilization patterns of these welfare programs may change during the 12 months after a job loss, we used the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the patterns of participation in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and unemployment insurance among 342 single mothers who transitioned from employment to unemployment during the Great Recession. Using sequence analysis and cluster analysis, this paper identified four distinct patterns of program participation: …

Associations Between Vascular Diseases And Alzheimer's Disease Or Related Dementias In A Large Cohort Of Men And Women With Colorectal Cancer, Xianglin L Du, Lulu Song, Paul E Schulz, Hua Xu, Wenyaw Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Long term risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) associated with vascular diseases in people with colorectal cancer is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the risk of ADRD in association with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke, hypertension, and diabetes in a cohort of patients with colorectal cancer.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study consisted of 210,809 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age≥65 years in 1991-2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database with follow-up from 1991-2016, who were free of any ADRD at the baseline (< 30 days after the date of cancer diagnosis).

RESULTS: The crude 26-year cumulative incidence of total ADRD in …

Characterizing Cancer And Covid-19 Outcomes Using Electronic Health Records, Youngran Kim, Liang Zhu, Huili Zhu, Xiaojin Li, Yan Huang, Chunhui Gu, Heather Bush, Caroline Chung, Guo-Qiang Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Patients with cancer often have compromised immune system which can lead to worse COVID-19 outcomes. The purpose of this study is to assess the association between COVID-19 outcomes and existing cancer-specific characteristics.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 18 or older with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between June 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, were identified (n = 314 004) from the Optum® de-identified COVID-19 Electronic Health Record (EHR) derived from more than 700 hospitals and 7000 clinics in the United States. To allow sufficient observational time, patients with less than one year of medical history in the EHR dataset before their …

Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias In Association With Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Hypertension, And Diabetes In A Large Cohort Of Women With Breast Cancer And With Up To 26 Years Of Follow-Up, Xianglin L Du, Lulu Song, Paul E Schulz, Hua Xu, Wenyaw Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: No study on the long-term incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) has been reported in women with breast cancer by vascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the risk of ADRD in association with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke, hypertension, and diabetes in women with breast cancer.

METHODS: Study identified 246,686 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≥65 years in 1991-2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Women were free of ADRD at the time of cancer diagnosis and followed from 1991 to 2016.

RESULTS: Cumulative incidence of AD over 26 years of follow-up varied …

Determinants Of Social Distancing Adherence, Philip Gerretsen, Julia Kim, Eric E Brown, Lena C Quilty, Samantha Wells, Fernando Caravaggio, Jianmeng Song, Marcos Sanches, Branka Agic, Bruce G Pollock, Ariel Graff-Guerrero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Governments and public health authorities across many jurisdictions implemented social (physical) distancing measures to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Adherence to these measures is variable and likely influenced by various factors. This study aimed to 1) identify the individual sociodemographic, COVID-19 and social distancing related, and psychological determinants of social distancing adherence, and 2) explore regional differences in social distancing adherence in the United States (U.S.) and English-speaking Canada based on each region's discrepant response to social distancing restrictions.

Methods: A web-based repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted in 4,942 English-speaking participants from the four …

Predictors Of E-Cigarette Initiation And Use Among Middle School Youth In A Low-Income Predominantly Hispanic Community, M Yvonne Gaddy, Denise Vasquez, Louis D Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: E-cigarette use among middle and high school youth increased from 2. 5 million in 2014 to 9.2 million in 2019, becoming the most common tobacco product used among youth. Hispanic youth, the largest ethnic minority in the United States, have higher rates of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, than non-Hispanics. Identifying factors that put youth at risk for future e-cigarette use is vital to focusing prevention efforts. Informed by social cognitive theory, this study identifies predictors of e-cigarette uptake among e-cigarette naïve youth in a predominantly low-income Hispanic community.

Methods: 1,249 students (6-8th grades) from two middle schools in El …

Racial Disparities In Treatments And Mortality Among A Large Population-Based Cohort Of Older Men And Women With Colorectal Cancer, Xianglin L Du, Lulu Song

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: There were racial disparities in treatment and mortality among patients with colorectal cancer, but few studies incorporated information on hypertension and diabetes and their treatment status.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study identified 101,250 patients from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database in the United States who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age ≥65 years between 2007 and 2015 with follow-up to December 2016.

RESULTS: There were substantial racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in patients with colorectal cancer, in receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and in receiving antihypertensive and antidiabetic treatment. …

Using Implementation Mapping For The Adoption And Implementation Of Target:Bp In Community Health Centers, Melissa A Valerio-Shewmaker, Natalia I Heredia, Catherine Pulicken, Patenne D Mathews, Roshanda Chenier, Tracy L Swoboda, Ella R Garza, Fernanda Velasco-Huerta, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of multilevel evidence-based interventions for blood pressure management, poor hypertension control is common among community health center patient populations across the state of Texas and the United States.

METHODS: We used Implementation Mapping (IM) to identify barriers and facilitators influencing the adoption and implementation of the

RESULTS: As part of the needs and capacity assessment, we collected data through interviews with CHC staff, examining gaps in needs and services (e.g., what do clinics need to implement

DISCUSSION: This paper provides an example of using Implementation Mapping to develop strategies to increase the adoption and implementation of …

Effects Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder For U.S. Women Veterans, Bobbi N. L. Mount, Phd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived postdeployment experiences of U.S. women veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their perception of the impact their diagnosis had on their immediate families. The theoretical framework was Heider’s causal attribution theory. The first two research questions directly addressed the purpose of the study, and the third research question addressed each participant’s experience with accessing mental healthcare services. NVivo was used to transcribe, code, and analyze data derived from semistructured interviews with six U.S. women veterans who were diagnosed with PTSD by a licensed mental health professional postdeployment. …

Motivations Of Youth Engaged In International Drug Smuggling Through The Perceptions Of Law Enforcement In San Diego County, Gabrielle Suzanne Smyth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of illegal narcotics in the United States is an epidemic that requires significant and measurable results. Not only are illegal drugs crossing from Mexico into the United States a threat to public safety, but the involvement of juveniles is also becoming increasingly dangerous. Since early 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) San Diego Field Division has seen a disturbing trend of Mexican cartels increasingly recruiting juveniles from high schools in southern San Diego County to smuggle drugs through the ports of entry. The theoretical framework utilized in this study was social learning theory. The logical connection between social …

Association Of Body Mass Index In Midlife With Morbidity Burden In Older Adulthood And Longevity, Sadiya S. Khan, Amy E. Krefman, Lihui Zhao, Lei Liu, Anna Chorniy, Martha L. Daviglus, Cuiping Schiman, Kiang Liu, Tina Shih, Daniel Garside, Thanh-Huyen T. Vu, Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, Norrina B. Allen

Open Access Publications

Importance: Abundant evidence links obesity with adverse health consequences. However, controversies persist regarding whether overweight status compared with normal body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) is associated with longer survival and whether this occurs at the expense of greater long-term morbidity and health care expenditures.

Objective: To examine the association of BMI in midlife with morbidity burden, longevity, and health care expenditures in adults 65 years and older.

Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective cohort study at the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry, with baseline in-person examination between November 1967 …