Digital Commons Network^™

A Systematic Review Of Academic Writing Services In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Augustine N. Gitonga, Peter M. Gatiti, Prisila Everisty Mlingi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries are the key research and scholarly communication centres of any university. The information literacy skills offered to library users enable scientific communication. As new roles for librarians emerge to meet changing user needs and match fluid technological trends, academic libraries must combine their rich resources with cutting-edge skills to further impact the scientific world. There is a need for a sound, evidence-based appreciation of the factors that influence or hinder the establishment of academic writing centres and academic writing services in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMIC). This article aims to synthesise qualitative and mixed methods research on academic writing …

Illuminating The Path To Healing: Unveiling The Potential Of Mdma-Assisted Therapy For Ptsd, Hannah Howard

BUHealth

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) presents a significant challenge in mental health treatment, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. While conventional therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have shown some efficacy, a considerable portion of patients remains resistant to treatment. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy leading to the Food and Drug Administration's designation of Breakthrough Therapy status and the submission of a New Drug Application. Despite promising results, challenges such as stigma, regulatory barriers, and therapist training remain. However, the need for innovative treatments for PTSD necessitates further exploration of …

Cracking Open The Can Of Risks: The Dangers Of Energy Drinks, Matt Goldbach

BUHealth

With its intended purpose of providing temporary boosts in performance, energy drinks are often consumed more than what might be considered safe. This is common among children, adolescents, and college students, particularly in social settings. Since their ingredients, such as taurine, caffeine, and sugar, have addictive properties, it is important to understand how these substances affect the body, especially in the long term. Some organs are affected more than others, with research showing a link between excessive consumption and potentially fatal cardiovascular, renal, and neurological problems. Although the adverse effects tend to be reversible, most are life-threatening and not worth …

Architectural Hippies Or Healthcare Visionaries?, Javraj Singh

BUHealth

Human beings increasingly lack interaction with nature in modern civilizations due to urbanization and lifestyle preferences. Research has shown that biophilic elements, like greenery, natural light, etc., create healing environments that alleviate stress, enhance emotional well-being, and promote recovery. This forms the basis of the Biophilic hypothesis, which states that being around nature is imperative for the well-being of humans. This article explores the transformative potential of biophilic design in healthcare settings, explaining its profound impact on patient outcomes and well-being. Several bodies of research prove that introducing biophilic elements in hospitals has led to shorter postoperative stays, reduced administration …

Heads Up: Concussion Safety, Celine Kwan

BUHealth

Concussions are one of the most common sports injuries, especially with contact sports such as football and soccer. They are defined as a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function. Common symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, light or noise sensitivity, mood changes, imbalance, sleep disturbances, and memory issues. Health professionals can conduct neurologic and cognitive tests to properly diagnose an athlete. Although the concussion itself cannot be treated, there are ways to manage the symptoms and speed up recovery. Physical and cognitive rest remain the mainstay of treatment, but progressive aerobic training programs are gaining popularity. In addition, medications …

How To Persist While On The List, Erin Hockaday

BUHealth

Kidney transplant recipients have the longest wait time and highest depression rates out of all solid organ transplants. Various strategies to help manage depression and anxiety in this patient population have been studied including mindfulness interventions, social support systems, and treatment with antidepressants. Studies have shown that mindfulness interventions lowered depression and anxiety scores in patients from baseline to six months. A strong support system in patients has also been shown to improve patients’ likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant. In addition, treatment with antidepressants improves patients’ overall outcomes without impacting their likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant.

The Gender Lens On Adhd: A Critical Assessment Of Diagnostic Patterns And Pitfalls, Taylor Funkhouser

BUHealth

Within the realm of neurodevelopmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent. However, research uncovers a major discrepancy between the diagnostic rates of men vs women, which points to the potential underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis in females compared to their male counterparts. This phenomenon raises concerns towards the impact this has on women, such has their mental and physical health. It begs the question, why does this discrepancy occur? To understand the answer to this question, it is important to look at the standard process and procedures involved with diagnosing a person with ADHD and compare …

Disruptions In Your Light-Dark Cycle May Be Leaving You In The Dark, Ava Barjenbruch

BUHealth

Shift work, made up of a rotation through morning, daytime, evening, and overnight shifts, becomes dangerous not only for the individual, but also for those under care of these occupations. Many essential and often life-saving jobs require 24-hour staffing. However, the rotating shifts needed to provide 24-hour coverage are shown to have negative effects on the employee’s cognitive function. Due to the irregularities in the sleep-wake cycle of a shift worker, the cyclical functions that occur during sleep like memory consolidation, motor cortex synchronization, and neuronal remodeling, are also impaired. These functions play key roles in maintaining the domains of …

Evaluation Of A Smoking Cessation Program In Primary Care, Yolanda Duncan-Watt

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: The adult tobacco smoking rate exceeds 12.5%. The problem is the insufficient attention given to smoking cessation education in low socioeconomic status(SES) communities. There is a lack of access to and awareness of smoking cessation programs for low-income populations.

Methods: This quality improvement (QI) study will use a descriptive, observational approach. A retrospective medical record review will be conducted to determine the rate of individuals who got the smoking cessation intervention and the rate of those who successfully quit one month after the intervention. Data was collected throughout the spring of 2024, during primary care visits and phone …

Implementation Of Skin-To-Skin Immediately Post C-Section: A Pilot Study, Miah Vernor

Dissertations

Skin-to-skin contact during the golden hour is a practice that has numerous health benefits following the delivery of a newborn. These benefits include a healthy transition to extrauterine state, initiation of breastfeeding, thermoregulation, and more. However, the mode of delivery affects how often this practice is done. Parents who deliver vaginally are routinely offered the opportunity to perform skin-to-skin immediately after delivery whereas birth parents who deliver by cesarean section are not always offered this same benefit due to various reasons. A quality improvement project was conducted on an 18-bed labor and delivery unit at a Midwest hospital. This project …

Implementation Of Skin-To-Skin Contact Immediately Post Cesarean Birth: A Quality Improvement Project, Sophia Cooke

Dissertations

Problem: Skin-to-skin contact implemented within the first hour of a newborn’s life improves health outcomes for both mother and infant. One of these health outcomes includes exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of this quality improve project was to implement an infant securement device within the operating room after cesarean section births to decrease the time to initiate skin-to-skin contact and increase exclusive breastmilk feeding rates at discharge.

Methods: This study utilized a descriptive, observational design and was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. A pre-test, post-test design was utilized to compared retrospective and prospective data. The retrospective data was collected to assess …

Implementation Of The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening Tool For Postpartum Depression In A Midwest Primary Care Clinic, Makenzie Garrison

Dissertations

Problem: Postpartum depression is a prevalent health concern in postpartum women. Screening practices to identify postpartum depression are inconsistent. The purpose of this quality initiative is to determine if the implementation of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening Tool (EPDS) to screen for postpartum depression in the primary care setting increases the detection of postpartum depression in postpartum women from delivery to one year postpartum.

Methods: This quality improvement project utilizes a descriptive, observational design. A retrospective medical record review was utilized as well as a 12-week data collection period. Retrospective medical record reviews were conducted to assess the rate of …

Implementation Of Quantitative Blood Loss Following Cesarean Section Birth, Layna Victoria Schultz

Dissertations

Problems: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a significant problem due to potential harm and is a main contributor to maternal morbidity (ACOG, 2019). According to ACOG, of maternal deaths in the United States, 11% are caused by PPH and 54-93% of the deaths related to PPH could be prevented (ACOG, 2019). When institutions adopt quantitative blood loss (QBL) protocols for improved accuracy in blood measurement, PPH can be identified sooner, allowing for earlier intervention. Inaccurate estimation of obstetric blood loss by health care providers is a primary cause of delayed staff response to PPH (ACOG, 2019).

Methods: This quality improvement (QI) …

The History Of Diapers And Their Environmental Impact, Cansu Tokat, Nicholas C. Rickman, Cynthia F. Bearer

Faculty Scholarship

Impact: This article examines diaper practices around the world throughout history. This article reviews the innovation of the modern diaper and the environmental effects of disposable diapers.

Symptom Burden, Identity Balance, And Emotional Distress In Cancer Survivors, Lynne Bentley

Dissertations

Emotional distress suffuses the experience of cancer survivors and is associated with adverse outcomes. Emotional distress is a response to a circumstance, which threatens the stability of identity. Of the antecedents to emotional distress in cancer patients, symptom burden accounts for the greatest amount of variance. Qualitative studies in populations of cancer survivors have shown that identity affects the experience of emotional distress related to symptom burden. The purpose of this dissertation research was to measure the relationships among symptom burden, identity balance, and emotional distress by testing whether identity balance mediates the relationship between symptom burden and emotional distress …

“If I Knew What Was Going On With Me, Then I Probably Wouldn’T Feel So Sad Or Scared”: A Cbpr Study Addressing Health Disparities For Black Pregnant Women, Heather Howard, Erica Cadavid, Herlie Bertrand, Kerry-Ann Dixon, Dawn Hawthorne, Sarvika Bommakanti,, Angel Montfort

Journal of Family Strengths

Maternal mortality rates for women identifying as Black are significantly higher than rates for women identifying as Hispanic or White women. The purpose of this community-based participatory research (CBPR) study was to enhance racial equity for Black women who are pregnant. We recruited 20 Black mothers in three Florida counties as co-researchers. These mothers had delivered a live infant within the 12 months prior to the study. Two major themes emerged: environment and health literacy. Theme one entailed three subthemes: lack of options, racial disparities, and feeling dismissed. One subtheme emerged from the second theme: asking for help and communicating …

Experimentally Verified Effective Doping Model For Lactate And Troponin Ofet Biosensors Using Machine Learning Algorithm, Sameh O. Abdellatif, Hana Masalam, Salma Ahmed

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Experimental Validation Of An Analytical Transient Model For Saturated Boosting Gain In Dc–Dc Converters With Variable Duty Cycle, Goliana Samir, Simon Ezzat, Wagdy Anis, Sameh O. Abdellatif

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Low-Power Dc-Dc Converters For Smart And Environmentally-Friendly Electric Vehicles: Design, Simulation, And Fabrication On A Glass Substrate, Michelle Makar, Sameh O. Abdellatif

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Social Ecologies Of Students' Motivational Resilience: The Complex Relationship Between Family, Teacher, And Peer Support, And Students' Academic Coping And Reengagement, Kristen Elizabeth Raine

Dissertations and Theses

Drawing upon self-determination theory (SDT) based models of motivational resilience, the following dissertation contains three studies that expand upon the current literature by investigating how processes of motivational resilience, or children's general capacity to handle the everyday academic stressors they encounter at school, are connected to the complex social ecologies created by the intersecting contexts of school and home. Study 1 examined whether family motivational support predicted increases in student reengagement through its effect on subsequent levels of students' self-system processes of relatedness, competence, and autonomy in a sample of 590 early adolescents from an urban middle school in the …

Research Review: "A Novel Mind-Body Podcast Program For Military And Veteran Caregivers", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research review discusses how mind-body interventions can alleviate stress and enhance health for caregivers, but they are not widely accessible in many communities. To overcome this limitation, a study converted an 8-week mind-body program into a 28-day daily podcast series featuring education on stress response, relaxation techniques, and self-compassion exercises. The program was tested with 55 military caregivers, all cisgender women averaging 42.3 years old, and evaluations at the start, halfway through, and at the end of the program revealed notable reductions in stress, depression, and physical issues, along with improved social role performance, indicating that a daily mind-body …

Usa V. Robert Haggerty

2024 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

The Effectiveness Of Technology And Smart-Home Based Teaching Modules For Direct Care Workers, Emily Demers, Andrea Mesbergen, Elise Kuiper, Jenna Prohaska, Lauren Czajka

Masters Projects

Little research has investigated the benefits of implementing technological devices in at-home environments for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Assistive technology has the capability to increase resident’s self-determination, communication, and overall independence in completing everyday tasks. This study explored the effects of training/education on the ongoing use of technology within the living space of those with IDD. The methodology for this study included a 2-part series of modules to teach direct care workers how to use and support their residents in using Amazon Alexa Show devices, Amazon Alexa Dot Devices, smart lights, and smart doorbells. The series included …

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Unreclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Package #10: Ur-44, Ur-45, Ur-46, Ur-47, And Ur-48, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Unreclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Package #11: Ur-49 And Ur-50, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Residential Metals Abatement Program Construction Completion Report (Non- Residential Parcels – Indoor Dust) Kennedy Elementary, Christopher Berg, Thomas J. Beckman

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

America Is Unprepared To Meet The Needs Of Its Growing Older Adult Population, Sierra Kaplan

Population Health Research Brief Series

In 2030, nearly 73 million Americans will be aged 65 years or older. As Americans continue to have fewer children than in the past, the number of older adults will outnumber children. Thus, fewer young adults will be around to support and care for the older adult population. Coupled with COVID-19 pandemic-driven disruptions to the healthcare industry, America’s health and aging care system is unprepared to support its large and growing older adult population. Over time, we will see increased health care scarcity and inequality in the distribution of elder care services, especially with continued healthcare worker shortages and drastic …

The Planning Strategy For Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In The Road Transportation Network Synchronized With The Distribution Network, Muthukannan S

Theses and Dissertations

Electric vehicles (EVs) are recognized as a potentially effective solution to the environmental crisis and fuel deficit that modern metropolises are currently experiencing. Meanwhile, the expansion of EVs and their haphazard charging would negatively affect the road transportation network (RTN) as well as the electric distribution network (EDN). The proper infrastructure for the electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) will enhance the effective utilization of energy of both the networks.

This research work proposes a two-phase planning strategy for deploying Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), considering both static and dynamic factors. The strategy uses a hybrid PSO-DS algorithm which is a …

Systems And Methods For Cultivating Algae, Daniel H. Yeh, Ivy Lea Cormier Drexler, Melanie Pickett, David Fulcher

USF Patents

In one embodiment, an algae cultivation system includes a basin that contains a liquid and a photobioreactor at least partially immersed in the liquid of the basin, the photobioreactor comprising a closed container including multiple panels that together define an interior space in which algae can be cultivated, at least one of the panels being transparent, the photobioreactor further comprising an inflatable float associated with the container that can be filled with a gas to change one or both of the position and orientation of the container within the liquid.

System And Method For Perishable Product Monitoring Along A Supply Chain, Ismail Uysal, Frederick Louis Wu

USF Patents

A system and method for assessing a supply chain for a perishable product. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a quality code for a perishable product which encodes a cut-to-cool time, transportation quality and accumulated shelf-life loss into a compact, modular, and simple to read format. The system and method also provide feedback to address any differences between the quality code and one or more observed qualities of the perishable product at a destination.