Digital Commons Network^™

Brown Fat In Humans: The Significance Of Thermogenic Active Tissue, Brett T. Swanson

Student Publications

Brown adipose tissue is a metabolically active form of fat in the body that performs a crucial function in non-shivering thermogenesis. It can be compared to the prevalent white adipose tissue which is generally understood to be energy storage in the body, with brown tissue performing an opposing role. The tissue itself contains unique gene and protein markers such as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) which allows for the thermogenic process inside the cell, burning lipids to do so. These gene and protein markers have proven to be crucial in the detection of brown adipose tissue, which had previously been thought …

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy And Wound Healing, Karen E. Lucero Ortega

Student Publications

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been around since the 1860s and is now a well-established form of treatment. HBOT has been proven to be a safe therapeutic option and has been successful in treating non-healing wounds, traumatic wounds, and radiation-induced wounds. There has also been success in treating other conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, and decompression sickness with HBOT. The way HBOT works is by exposing the body to 100% pure oxygen in a closed chamber, which exceeds normal atmospheric pressure by two to three times. With HBOT, large amounts of oxygen enters the body, which …

Evaluation Of An After-School Program For African-American And Hispanic Male Youth: Please Call Me Mister, Herman Walston Edd, Angela Meshack Drph, Ashlie Smoot-Baker

Journal of Family Strengths

The novel coronavirus significantly impacted the lives of people worldwide. In the United States, the lives of children and youth were disrupted with school closures and lack of access to afterschool programs they previously attended. African American and Hispanic boys attending an after-school program in Franklin County, Kentucky, called Please Call Me Mister, were among the young people affected. A study was conducted to assess the impact of the afterschool program. The boys were surveyed at the start of the program in November 2017 and again in November 2020 to assess their injury risk, substance use, future orientation, resilience, and …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On At-Risk Populations Experiencing Stress And Family Violence: The Importance Of An Action Model., Ivor L. Livingston, Litonya S. Livingston-Doles

Journal of Family Strengths

Abstract

The paper was entitled: “The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on At-Risk Populations Experiencing stress and Family Violence: The Importance of An Action Model.”

As the title of the paper indicates, the paper had an ambitious task of showing how vulnerable populations, such as African Americans, because of racism, discrimination and subsequent inequities in their life experiences (such as inadequate health care, poor working conditions, a host of underlying health conditions, and potentially greater amounts of stress) are likely to become sicker with COVID-19 (higher morbidity and mortality) and, subsequently, more likely to experience higher than normal rates of …

Library Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue 1, Sacred Heart University Library

Library Newsletters

Word from the Stacks ... Digital Commons: What Has it Done for Sacred Heart University? -- A Very Special “Thank You” to our Student Library Assistants! by Sharaya Smith -- New Resources and Library Guides -- Library Staff Recommends -- This Semester.

Effects Of Covid-19 On Food Insecurity Within New Hampshire And The Unh Community, Sarah Elizabeth Waleryszak

Inquiry Journal Spring 2022

No abstract provided.

4h Small Animal Brochure Capstone Project, Chiara Green

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The 4H Small Animal Orientation Brochure strives to answer the questions a prospective 4H member might have about completing a small animal project from where to begin to the final presentation of showing your project at the County Fair. This way they can make an informed decision about joining 4H to complete a small animal project. This brochure was reviewed by 4H leaders in Gooding County.

Juvenile Solitary Confinement And The Eighth Amendment, Taylor R. Graves

Honors Thesis

This literature review examines the practice of juvenile solitary confinement, applies the United States Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment jurisprudence, argues that the practice should be declared unconstitutional as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, and calls for a categorical ban. The Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment states, “nor [shall] cruel and unusual punishments [be] inflicted.” U.S. Const. amend. VIII. Juvenile solitary confinement is cruel and unusual, in violation of the Eighth Amendment, because juveniles are different. The United States Supreme Court has long recognized that juveniles should not be held to the same standards of …

Act Score And Sub Score As Predictors Of Pass/Fail On The Credentialing For Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Jeanna Marie Haggard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The profession of nutrition and dietetics is currently experiencing a significant change in the educational process with the conversion to a competency based graduate program for the process of licensure and ability to practice in the profession. In addition, the overall pass rate has declined nationwide, thus creating the need for accurate academic predictors for passing. For many health science programs, standardized exams continue to be an effective predictor of passing licensure exams. With many of the institutions of higher education dropping the requirement for test scores as part of the admission process, this is a consideration for many programs …

The Effects Of Physical Fitness Policies On Law Enforcement Officers' Physical Fitness Levels, Tina M. Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Most law enforcement agencies have minimum physical standards for new hires; however, few agencies have physical fitness standards for members once they are hired. Many law enforcement officers experience a decrease in physical fitness levels as their years of law enforcement service increase. The decrease in physical fitness levels causes a reduction in the ability to perform job duties and increases health consequences. This study explored the relationship of physical fitness levels of sworn law enforcement members from agencies with and without enforced physical fitness standards. Anonymous surveys were completed by 1240 sworn law enforcement officers from eight state law …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Food And Housing Insecurities At A Historically Black College, Melissa Massey Lockard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study was to determine the prevalence of food and housing insecurities at one historically Black college and explore whether these insecurities influence students’ academic performance or their mental health quality. The study also explored possible predictors of students at risk of experiencing these basic needs challenges. A convenience sample of 175 participant surveys was collected in the fall 2021 semester at the small, private, liberal arts college in urban South Carolina. The instruments used in the survey included the USDA’s 6-item Household Food Security Survey Module, the Housing Insecurity and Homelessness Module, the …

Perceived Leadership Style By Child Protective Services Workers And The Impact On Burnout, Danyelle Lakeya Reese

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Few studies have analyzed worker burnout and organizational leadership styles for child protective service (CPS) workers. Many studies have focused on child welfare workers as a whole. Child welfare encompasses many different program areas. CPS is a subset of child welfare agencies. Child protective services workers have a high-stress job that exposes them, workers, to secondary trauma and burnout at a higher rate than other comparable positions. Child protective services is a program that is mandated to receive reports of child maltreatment, investigate the allegations, and provide services to the clients. Due to the job’s complexity, workers may rely on …

Sabbath-Keeping And Mental Health: The Influence Of Weekly Sabbath-Keeping On Stress, Anxiety And Well-Being, Kathryn Mcnichol

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the current study is to explore the effectiveness of a psychoeducational Sabbath intervention. Using a multiple baseline design, subsets of participants were assigned the psychoeducational intervention at varying times and completed a series of mental health questionnaires before, during, and after the intervention to assess its benefits. After receiving the psychoeducational intervention, participants began a weekly Sabbath-keeping practice. This study added to the limited existing literature on Sabbath-keeping and health, specifically mental health, by assessing the impact on anxiety, stress, and well-being. Results of this study indicated a potential connection between the practice of Sabbath-keeping and positive …

Evangelical Mental Health During A Pandemic: A Three-Way Interaction Analysis, Michael Sean Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

COVID-19 quickly became a global pandemic and a biological disaster. Mental health deteriorated due to fear, stress, isolation, and loneliness. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, and disturbed sleep have been associated with COVID-19. There is limited research on mental health and well-being among evangelical Christians. A primary concern is that church congregants and leaders are tired and struggle with mental health issues. Thus, care for the congregation and community is limited. The rate of distress and depression among the religious is on the rise. The purpose of this quantitative research is to evaluate the interaction of perceived stress and emotional …

Reconstructing Rural Discourse, Bailey Tulloch

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Where the Crawdads Sing. By Delia Owens.

Comparative Kinematic Gait Analysis In Adults With Multiple Disabilities, Lauren Rumbalski

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The purpose of this research is to identify abnormal gait parameters or patterns amongst young adults with multiple disabilities enrolled in a work transition program sponsored by a public-school system. Gait disorders are commonly seen in individuals with neurologic disorders, with significant research in children with autism. Gait disorders have been linked with fall and injury risk, with significant research in elderly populations. Gait analysis technology can be used to identify gait characteristics in populations that are abnormal or contribute to gait disorders. In an observational design, students from the transitional program promoted by Westerville City Schools, housed on Otterbein …

Longitudinal Analysis Of The Impact Of Oral Contraceptive Use On The Gut Microbiome, Xinwei Hua, Yueming Cao, David M Morgan, Kaia Miller, Samantha M Chin, Danielle Bellavance, Hamed Khalili

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction. Evidence has linked exogenous and endogenous sex hormones with the human microbiome.Hypothesis/Gap statement. The longitudinal effects of oral contraceptives (OC) on the human gut microbiome have not previously been studied.Aim. We sought to examine the longitudinal impact of OC use on the taxonomic composition and metabolic functions of the gut microbiota and endogenous sex steroid hormones after initiation of OC use.Methodology. We recruited ten healthy women who provided blood and stool samples prior to OC use, 1 month and 6 months after starting OC. We measured serum levels of sex hormones, including estradiol, progesterone, sex hormone-binding …

Oral Healthcare Education, Equity And Policy Implementation In Rural Honduran Communities, Alexander J.R. Dyke

Honors Projects

Rural Honduras encompasses many individuals with limited access to a dental professional. Many public health studies demonstrate that dental shortage areas have more dental cavities, missing teeth, and more complex restorations that need periodic treatment. Dental hygiene is undermined at home with limited access to oral health advocates, and dental education becomes more essential. Here, we report an educational consensus and perspectives of rural Honduras through a questionnaire distributed at 13 mobile dental clinics in remote villages. To assess the effectiveness of education, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed two important indices in assessing trends: Community Periodontal Index of …

Exploration Of The Healthcare Conditions In The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Awatef Ayesh

Honors Projects

The occupation of Palestine by Israel has had a significant impact on the Palestinian citizens' health care services. The disparities were seen in maternal, infant, and child mortality rates, life expectancy, and measures of mental wellbeing. The health disparities are due to many factors involving economic conditions, food insecurity, environmental exposures, psychological trauma and stress, and access to health services most of which are directly or indirectly linked to the Israeli military occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). This project explores the health indicators and examine the social determinants of health in the oPt that may be responsible for …

Medical Accreditation For Foreign-Educated Refugees: An Undue Burden, Katherine Jolley, Alex Hansen

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Historically, the United States has maintained a policy of robust assistance to refugees that enter the country. Refugee relief includes short-term health coverage and employment services. Unfortunately, many international medical graduates who come as refugees face excessive barriers to join the healthcare industry when they arrive. In light of emergency adjustments to the accreditation processes during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article proposes that the accreditation process for foreign-educated healthcare workers poses an undue burden on refugees.

Inclusion Of Incentive And Punitive Measures In Multilateral Environmental Agreement: A Suggestion On How The United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change Can Be Utilized To Influence The Reduction Of Gas Flaring In The Oil And Gas Exploration Fields Of Nigeria, Temiloluwa Elijah Olanrewaju

Dissertations & Theses

Gas flaring is categorized as one of the important contributors to greenhouse gases, which increases the risk of global warming and climate change. The overdependence of the modern economy and most industrial technologies on fossil fuels has created a situation in countries where fossil fuels are exploited. The governments rely majorly on the revenue from exporting oil. The IOCs that are engaged in the mining of oil and gas have been able to influence policy and law enforcement on gas flaring to such an extent that the National laws are not enforced, or the stipulated fines are abysmally low that …

Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs In Coral Reefs: A Global Analysis, Megan E. Keene

Student Publications

Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots that provide humans with extractive ecosystem services like fisheries and non-extractive services like tourism. Though no studies have examined these trade-offs among these services at a global scale, there are now large, open datasets that make this possible. Using these datasets, we asked whether spatial protection and the level of protection (World Database on Protected Areas) impacted coral reef tourism value (Atlas of Ocean Wealth). We also examined whether proximity to regions of high fishing effort, defined as the top 25th percentile of the average annual effort from Global Fishing Watch, impacted tourism values. Since …

Brown Adipose Tissue (Bat) Activation And Its Potential Utilization As A Treatment Option For Obesity And Diabetes, Darcie B. Schneider

Student Publications

Within the human body, there are two types of adipose tissue: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT is beneficial for insulation whereas BAT has thermogenic capacity. BAT activation increases energy consumption via heat generation. Increased energy expenditure is associated with improved glucose and lipid metabolism. Therefore, BAT activation research has primarily been aimed at its potential use in the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. In this literature review, BAT's thermogenic mechanisms, techniques of activation, potential therapeutic targets, and future research topics are explored.

Extreme Exposure To Cold: A Method To Enhance Physical Wellness And Recovery, Mallory E. Duggan

Student Publications

This paper reviews the current literature on Cryotherapy and its ability to enhance physical wellness and recovery. The paper details the proposed mechanisms of Cryotherapy as well as its various clinical applications regarding the treatment of numerous diseases and physical exercise recovery. The paper also details the possible limitations/detrimental effects of Cryotherapy usage.

Implementing Sskin Bundle For Pressure Ulcer Prevention In Long-Term Care Facility, Funmilayo Oni

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Pressure ulcers are a major challenge in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Adult patients in LTC setting are at risk for developing pressure ulcers due to chronic medical conditions and comorbidities. Preventing the onset of these wounds is more cost-effective than treating pressure ulcers.

AIM/Objectives: The primary objective was to decrease the number of pressure ulcers by 50% within a three-month period. Secondary objectives were to achieve 100% compliance with completion of mandatory staff education, score on the posttest questionnaire, and compliance with mandatory staff documentation as instructed by the SSKIN protocol.

Methods: This DNP Project used a pretest and …

Structured Type 2 Diabetes Education To Improve Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose, Self-Care Management, And Diabetes Knowledge In A Multicultural Family Practice Clinic, Deedee Foster Fnp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The family practice providers at the family medicine residency clinic (FMRC) have neither sufficient time nor continuity of care to provide diabetes education to effectively reduce A1c levels. The FMRC has 500 multicultural type 2 diabetes patients with an A1c >7% that has increased by 23.2% in the previous five months. Multiple studies have demonstrated that structured diabetes education can significantly decrease blood glucose readings, improve self-care management, and diabetes knowledge to attain optimal glycemic control.

Objectives: To implement an evidence-based practice (EBP) project in the FMRC to improve participants blood glucose readings, self-care management, and diabetes knowledge.

Methods: …

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle Compliance: A Quality Improvement Project, Keesha L. Holmes Msn, Fnp, Ne-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: In many hospitals, patients requiring mechanical ventilation are managed in an intensive care unit (ICU) or a unit that requires a higher level of care compared to a medical-surgical unit. Patients on mechanical ventilation are susceptible to acquiring ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) if precautionary measures are not taken.

Aims/Objectives: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess if after an identified group of critical care registered nurses (RN) participated in an education session on ventilator-associated pneumonia and ventilator-care bundle (VCB) interventions, would their knowledge be enhanced, would the RNs implement the knowledge learned into their practice, and if …

Donor Age And Body Weight Determine The Effects Of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation On Growth Performance, And Fecal Microbiota Development In Recipient Pigs, Xiaofan Wang, Tsungcheng Tsai, Xiaoyuan Wei, Feilong Deng, Ying Li, Charles V. Maxwell, Hua Yang, Yingping Xiao, Jiangchao Zhao

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The application of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve swine growth performance has been sporadically studied. Most of these studies used a single microbiota source and thus the effect of donor characteristics on recipient pigs’ fecal microbiota development and growth performance is largely unknown.

Results

In this study, we collected feces from six donors with heavy (H) or light (L) body weight and different ages (d 42, nursery; d 96, growing; and d 170, finisher) to evaluate their effects on the growth performance and fecal microbiota development of recipient pigs. Generally, recipients that received two doses of FMT from …

Ileal Microbial Composition In Genetically Distinct Chicken Lines Reared Under Normal Or High Ambient Temperatures, Nima K. Emami, Lori L. Schreier, Elizabeth Greene, Travis Tabler, Sara K. Orlowski, Nicholas B. Anthony, Monika Proszkowiec‑Weglarz, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Heat stress (HS) has negative effects on poultry productivity, health and welfare resulting in economic losses. Broiler chickens are particularly susceptible to HS due to their high metabolic rate and rapid growth. The com‑ mensal intestinal bacterial populations have an important physiological role in the host and could ameliorate the negative effect of HS on the host. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare changes in the ileal (IL) microbiota in four different broiler lines during HS.

Results: Day‑old broiler chicks from Giant Jungle Fowl (JF), Athens Canadian Random Bred (ACRB), 1995 Random Bred (L1995), and Modern …

Avian Neuropeptide Y: Beyond Feed Intake Regulation, Elizabeth S. Greene, Nedra Abdelli, Jalila S. Dridi, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most abundant and ubiquitously expressed neuropeptides in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, and its regulatory effects on feed intake and appetite- have been extensively studied in a wide variety of animals, including mammalian and non-mammalian species. Indeed, NPY has been shown to be involved in the regulation of feed intake and energy homeostasis by exerting stimulatory effects on appetite and feeding behavior in several species including chickens, rabbits, rats and mouse. More recent studies have shown that this neuropeptide and its receptors are expressed in various peripheral tissues, including the thyroid, …