Digital Commons Network^™

Nature-Based Occupational Therapy As An Innovative Approach In Facilitating Children’S Development, Surekchha Siwakoti

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of a Nature-Based Therapy Program and evaluate the effectiveness of NBT interventions in improving children’s overall well-being. Quantitative data were collected using SSQ, SDQ, and the Post-Intervention Parent Questionnaire to assess the efficacy of the NBT program. The data sets were analyzed using SPSS and Paired Sample t-test, non-parametric Wilcoxon Test, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was conducted. The findings from the SSQ and SDQ indicated that NBT interventions were not significant in improving children’s overall mental, emotional, and social well-being. However, the data collected through post-intervention parent survey questions indicated high …

Home Based Primary Care Program Evaluation Of Loneliness, Depression, And Multimorbid Conditions Of Older Midwest Veterans, Renee R. Sullivan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Objectives: This program evaluation of Veteran Administration’s (VA) Home-Based Primary Care Program (HBPC) measured the differences in loneliness, diagnoses of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and multimorbid conditions in rural and urban older adult veterans compared with older adult community-dwelling veterans. The correlations of loneliness using the 11- Item Revised University of California Los Angeles (R-UCLA) Loneliness Scale will describe the relationship of loneliness to mental health diagnoses, multimorbid conditions, demographic data, caregiver presences and the number in-person and phone contacts with the HBPC providers of a Midwestern Veterans Administration …

Enabling On-Device Learning Through Hybrid Edge Computing Frameworks, Md Sharif Ahmed

Electrical Engineering Theses

In recent advancement of technology implementing Machine Learning (ML) algorithms with edge devices has gained remarkable popularity. Enabling Machine Learning (ML) in the edge opened new hybrid branch where edge hardware meets with Machine Learning (ML). Day by day devices are becoming more powerful and capable of doing a lot of computation. These powerful computational capabilities created the way of implementing Machine Learning (ML) on small edge devices. There are diverse ways we can implement machine learning models to the edge. For any embedded prototype, implementation of Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) is making the IoT (Internet of Things) devices intelligent …

2024 Spring Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on May 4.

Commencement Speakers:
9a.m.: Ross Cochran
noon: Tim Baird
3p.m.: J.D. Yingling

Diet-Omics In The Study Of Urban And Rural Crohn Disease Evolution (Source) Cohort, Tzipi Braun, Ta-Chiang Liu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Crohn disease (CD) burden has increased with globalization/urbanization, and the rapid rise is attributed to environmental changes rather than genetic drift. The Study Of Urban and Rural CD Evolution (SOURCE, n = 380) has considered diet-omics domains simultaneously to detect complex interactions and identify potential beneficial and pathogenic factors linked with rural-urban transition and CD. We characterize exposures, diet, ileal transcriptomics, metabolomics, and microbiome in newly diagnosed CD patients and controls in rural and urban China and Israel. We show that time spent by rural residents in urban environments is linked with changes in gut microbial composition and metabolomics, which …

Healthier Together: A Holistic Office Protocol Addressing The Chronic Nature Of Children And Adolescents With Adhd, Kimberly Olmos

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent, chronic condition with symptoms that include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD affects six million children in the United States (Tran et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a holistic office protocol that addressed the chronicity and future health outcomes of children and adolescents, ages 2-17 years with ADHD through stimulant or non-stimulant medication prescriptions, behavioral therapy referrals, and education surrounding diet, and exercise. A comprehensive, systematic literature search yielded 16 articles to determine best practice when treating children and adolescents with ADHD in primary or …

Recidivism In South Dakota, Allison L. Young

Honors Thesis

The South Dakota Criminal Justice System suffers from a high recidivism rate across the state. There are few resocialization methods used within state facilities, and the existing ones have not adequately addressed what is causing the high rate. People who are either incarcerated or were formerly incarcerated have a myriad of systematic barriers that prevent them from finding a stable footing before and after release. This literature analysis aims to compare existing resocialization methods among various countries and states to South Dakota’s techniques to identify which would be most successful for the state. Using a grounded-theory structure for the analysis …

Scholarship Celebrates Life Of Um Physics Professor, Jonathan Scott

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Wendy Garrison is honoring her late husband, Richard Raspet, by establishing a scholarship that enables students to obtain a transformative higher education at the University of Mississippi.

Translational Pathways For Ultra Long-Acting Medicines For Chronic Disease: From Hiv To Substance Use Disorders, Suyash Sanjay Deodhar

Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are among the top global public health challenges, with a significant overlap in the number of cases and higher mortality risks compared to the general population. Treatment and recreational opioid use lead to addictive disorders. Both conditions require repeated dosing of therapy where adherence to a strict lifelong regimen remains a major challenge. Notably, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and struggling with opioid use disorders (OUD) show suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). Also, the risk of transmitting HIV and other blood-borne infections through the sharing of needles and other injection …

The Physiological Significance Of Nitric Oxide Synthase In Staphylococci, Ryan M. Singh

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococci, particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis, are common causes of implant-associated infections that may result in notable morbidity and mortality. One of the ways the innate immune system attempts to combat these invading pathogens is via the respiratory burst, in which free radical species such as nitric oxide (NO^•), toxic to bacterial respiration, are released in large quantities. Despite the toxicity of NO^•, some bacteria, including staphylococci, encode an endogenous bacterial nitric oxide synthase (bNOS), whose physiological role has been unclear until now. In this dissertation, we demonstrate that S. epidermidis is able to overcome the toxicity …

Impact Of Nutritional Status And Placental Malaria Infection On Pregnancy Outcome In A Population Of Nigerian Maternal-Infant Dyads, Shirley F. Delair

Theses & Dissertations

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and accounts for one-quarter of the newborn mortality on the continent. Most newborn deaths are from prematurity (33%), infections (33%), and intrapartum complications (31%). Using an adapted analytical framework for the study of child survival in developing countries, this dissertation aimed to look at the pregnancy outcome of a population of Nigerian women and their offspring by looking at proximate determinants of health from nutritional status and environmental conditions. In Chapter 1, we characterized the micronutrients of the mother-infant dyads, looking specifically at concentrations of vitamin D and its metabolites. In Chapter …

Elucidating The Luteal Microenvironment: The Role Of Fibroblasts In Luteal Regression, Corrine F. Monaco

Theses & Dissertations

The corpus luteum is a transient endocrine gland that produces progesterone, a steroid hormone needed for pregnancy. It is a heterogenous gland containing many different cell types: small and large steroidogenic cells, endothelial cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts. At the end of a non-fecund reproductive cycle, the corpus luteum undergoes cyclic regression, a process which is divided into two processes: 1) functional regression, in which progesterone production rapidly declines and 2) structural regression, in which the tissue undergoes rapid remodeling into a fibrotic scar called a corpus albicans. Although fibroblasts are well-known for their role in tissue remodeling, very little …

Individual Differences In Age And Testosterone Are Uniquely Associated With Neural Oscillatory Activity Serving Verbal Working Memory In Children And Adolescents, Abraham D. Killanin

Theses & Dissertations

During the sensitive period of adolescence, the human brain undergoes dynamic changes in structure and function resulting in vast executive function gains. Verbal working memory (VWM) is one executive function that serves as a foundation to language acquisition, reading, and learning. Many have examined the development of VWM in youth, but few have probed age-related changes in the underlying neural oscillatory dynamics, and none have examined testosterone-related changes. We recorded magnetoencephalography during a modified Sternberg VWM task in 82 youth participants aged 6 – 14 years old and collected salivary testosterone samples. Significant oscillatory responses were identified and imaged using …

Evaluating Neanderthal Depopulation With Direct Neanderthal And Châtelperronian Radiocarbon Data, Thomas K. Lyman

Honors Thesis

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) inhabited Eurasia approximately 350,000 years ago before experiencing population decline and disappearing from the archaeological record around 40,000 years ago (Yaworsky et al. 1). Radiocarbon dating has played a major role in establishing the timing of the last Neanderthals by both dating their skeletal remains and animal bones associated with their material culture. Widely discussed in the context of the last Neanderthals are the Châtelperronian stratigraphic layers as they possibly contain the last of Neanderthal material culture in regions of France and Spain. Whether the Châtelperronian should be attributed to Neanderthals or Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs) …

User Perception Of Gender Studies In Video Games, Quinn T. Gienapp

Honors Thesis

Alongside the increase in video game popularity, a subclass of games was formed that offer very unconventional gaming experiences. These games offer different stories that differ greatly from games made on multi-million-dollar budgets. Many of these types of games exist on the fringes of the industry and portray LGBTQ+ themes through their writing or gameplay. One of these games uses the medium of video games to process their trauma by relaying their own story. The game “He Fucked the Girl Out of Me” is an autobiographical video game that highlights the story of the Author and their experiences with …

The Role Of Inflammatory Cells In The Sex Dimorphism Of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Erin M. Schreck

Poster Presentations

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a disease associated with high blood pressure specifically in the lung circulation. Symptoms include dyspnea and cyanosis, and the mean survival post-diagnosis is 2.8 years without treatment. PAH can be characterized by accumulating vascular damage which results in lesion formation causing a decrease in the diameter of vessels, obstruction of flow, and ultimately increased pressure on the right heart leading to failure. These lesions define an arteriopathy that is a hallmark of PAH which is, in part, dependent on infiltration of inflammatory cells into the vascular wall. PAH presents uniquely in males and females with …

An Actuarial Prediction Of Adhd Using Neuropsychological Data, Kimberlyn Williams

Poster Presentations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric diagnosis in children and a frequent psychiatric diagnosis in adults. ADHD is a clinical diagnosis based on self-reported symptoms which makes accurate diagnosis challenging. Actuarial prediction has been demonstrated to be more accurate than clinical judgment. The current study explored an actuarial approach to predicting ADHD based on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. This project utilized test data from Meyers Neuropsychological Battery (MNB) to develop a logistic regression model to accurately predict diagnosed ADHD cases (n=65) from normal functioning cases (n=79) with a history of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). Binary …

The Role Of Inflammatory Cells In The Sex Dimorphism Of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Erin M. Schreck

Honors Theses

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a disease associated with high blood pressure specifically in the lung circulation. Symptoms include dyspnea and cyanosis, and the mean survival post-diagnosis is 2.8 years without treatment. PAH can be characterized by accumulating vascular damage which results in lesion formation causing a decrease in the diameter of vessels, obstruction of flow, and ultimately increased pressure on the right heart leading to failure. These lesions define an arteriopathy that is a hallmark of PAH which is, in part, dependent on infiltration of inflammatory cells into the vascular wall. PAH presents uniquely in males and females with …

Effects Of Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Oligomers On Blood–Brain Barrier Using A 3d Microfluidic Vasculature-On-A-Chip Model, Samuel C. Uzoechi, Boyce E. Collins, Cody J. Badeaux, Yan Li, Sang S. Kwak, Doo Y. Kim, Daniel T. Laskowitz, Jin-Moo Lee, Yeoheung Yun

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Development Of Long-Acting Antiviral And Antimicrobial Prodrug Nanoformulations, Srijanee Das

Theses & Dissertations

Over the past decade, the global burden of infectious diseases has increased substantively, underscoring the need for more effective treatment strategies. However, the discovery and development of new drugs with desirable safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy is a time consuming and costly process with great uncertainty around success rate. As an alternative to new drug development, prodrugs and novel drug delivery systems have increasingly been explored. Both serve to overcome the drug development challenges. Such drug formulations that permit extended dosing intervals of potent native drugs serve multiple purposes by promoting patient adherence to in improving treatment outcomes. This is especially …

A Tale Of Two Proteins: An Investigation Of Recruitment Of Eukaryotic Proteins Fli1 And Lrrf1 To The Chlamydial Inclusion Membrane, Natalie Sturd

Theses & Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis is the pathogen responsible for the majority of infectious blindness and sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. As an obligate intracellular pathogen, it establishes a niche within a pathogen-specific vacuole, termed the chlamydial inclusion. C. trachomatis modifies the inclusion membrane by type III secretion and insertion of effectors known as inclusion membrane proteins, or Incs. These Inc proteins are critical for chlamydial pathogenesis via their interactions with host proteins and their capacity to stabilize the inclusion membrane. Previous studies from our lab demonstrated the localization of two eukaryotic proteins, Flightless 1 (FLI1) and its binding partner leucine-rich repeat interacting …

Sensory Dysfunction And The Role Of Nrf2 In The Production Of Pain In Chronic Hindlimb Ischemia, Oliver Kitzerow

Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a progressive and debilitating atherothrombotic disorder that is estimated to impact >200 million people worldwide. Higher physical activity levels are associated with better overall survival rates, slower decline of functional capability, and improved quality of life. However, intermittent claudication, pain produced by physical activity, severely limits functional capacity in PAD patients. Despite known sensory dysfunction and documented neuropathy in diseased patients, the neural mechanisms that produce pain in PAD are yet to be identified. Importantly, few animal models of hindlimb ischemia (HLI) successfully recapitulate chronic human PAD. We developed a chronic animal model of HLI …

Cis-Regulatory Mechanisms Through Stages Of Erythroid Regenration, Yichao Zhou

Theses & Dissertations

Produced by steady state erythropoiesis, erythrocytes serve as vital regulators of metabolism and life by delivering oxygen to all the cells and tissues. Under acute anemia, steady state erythropoiesis is not sufficient to produce enough erythrocytes, leading to distinct mechanisms needed to regenerate large numbers of mature erythrocytes rapidly. Erythroid regeneration occurs in four stages: activation, expansion and differentiation, resolution, and post-resolution, according to the dynamics of erythrocyte numbers and progenitor activity. Erythroid regeneration throughout this timeline requires some critical extracellular cues, but the intrinsic molecular mechanisms needed to accelerate and decelerate the activity of erythroid progenitors in anemia and …

Homeobox A10: Regulator Of Pancreatic Cancer Progression And Survival, Sophia G. Kisling

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the lowest incidence rates among all major cancers, yet it is disproportionally responsible for 8% of all cancer deaths. This high death rate is primarily attributed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and a lack of clinically relevant molecular targets. However, the underlying biology responsible for these poor outcomes remains obscure. To facilitate improved management of PDAC, an in-depth understanding of the molecular player(s) involved in PDAC aggressiveness is needed. Therefore, we analyzed the transcriptomic profiles of PDAC patients with long- and short-term survival and performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), identifying a novel …

Correspondence Between Sensitivity Tests And Functional Analyses To Assess Emerging Challenging Behavior, Isaac J. Melanson

Theses & Dissertations

Behavior analysts typically assess and treat challenging behavior after it occurs regularly and at high severity. Although effective, this reactive approach is quite costly and resource intensive. A growing body of literature supports an alternative preventive approach, the first step of which involves conducting sensitivity tests to screen the emergence of lower-severity challenging behavior and functional skills (e.g., Fahmie et al., 2020). Research on sensitivity tests has shown that information on the function of emerging challenging behavior can be acquired in a relatively short period of time. Despite the potential value of sensitivity tests, their validity has not yet been …

Novel Spirocyclic Dimer (Spid3) Displays Potent Preclinical Effects In Hematological Malignancies, Alexandria Eiken

Theses & Dissertations

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by the accumulation of mature CD5⁺ B-cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and secondary lymphoid tissues (e.g., spleen and lymph nodes).Despite the efficacy of front-line therapies, CLL is still an incurable disease, highlighting the need for development of novel therapeutics and further study of resistance mechanisms. Within the lymph node CLL tumor microenvironment (TME), there is an upregulation of gene signatures associated with B-cell receptor (BCR) and downstream nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling compared to CLL cells found within the blood or bone marrow niches. Additionally, BCR signaling …

Compensatory Changes In The Visual System As A Result Of Neurodegeneration, Liz Bierlein

Theses & Dissertations

The brain has the remarkable ability to compensate for damage and maintain physiological set points. In the visual system where even after significant damage has been done, the brain fills in visual gaps because of this compensation. This thesis attempts to understand several components of visual changes after damage in disorders such as glaucoma. This was accomplished by using several models of vision loss in mice including the DBA/2J (D2) and silicone oil (SO) models of glaucoma, the RD10 model of retinitis pigmentosa, and a retina-specific knockout of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)— the Chx10-cre; BDNF^fl/fl mouse. Through these models …

Mucin 5ac Modulates Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Heterogeneity Through Epigenetic Regulation, Rachel J. Kehrberg

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a stroma component that comprises up to 90% of the tumor. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a significant component of the stroma and contribute to cancer pathobiology through the secretion of extracellular matrix, growth factors, metabolites, and cytokines. CAFs are a highly heterogeneous population derived from various precursors, including adipose-derived and bone marrow- derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs, BM-MSCs) and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). In this dissertation, we examine how mucin 5ac (Muc5ac) mediates the maturation of AD-MSCs, BM-MSCs, and PSCs into CAFs and the heterogeneity between CAFs derived from these various precursors. Muc5ac promotes the …

Targeting Lifr/C-Myc/Ddx21 Axis To Overcome Docetaxel Resistance In Prostate Cancer, Sushanta Halder

Theses & Dissertations

Resistance to chemotherapy poses a significant challenge in the treatment of advanced-stage prostate cancer (PCa), specifically with chemotherapy drugs like docetaxel (Doce), which is often employed after the failure of hormone therapy. However, 50-90% of PCa patients develop resistance to docetaxel within three years of post-chemo treatment, compounded by serious adverse side effects necessitating dose reductions. Various strategies are being investigated to address this issue, including identifying new therapeutic targets or mechanisms, developing novel combination therapies, and optimizing dosing regimens. In particular, our research is focused on uncovering the underlying mechanisms of resistance to docetaxel, such as the activation of …

Effect Of Feeding Activity On The Colonization Of The Pathogen Vibrio Alginolyticus In The Anemone Exaiptasia Diaphana, Aidan Jacobs Walker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coral reefs house 1/3 of all marine life but are threatened by bleaching events in which they lose photosynthetic algae key to their survival. Complicating the issue of coral diseases are marine pathogens, which both trigger bleaching and destroy corals weakened by bleaching. For unbleached corals, it has been shown that exposure of the gut during feeding may present an entryway for pathogens. However, while the relationship between eating and disease is understood in unbleached corals, it is essential to understand if this relationship changes after bleaching. The anemone Exaiptasia diaphana is used for studying coral diseases due to its …