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Establishing An Objective, Quantifiable Method For Detecting Erosive Tooth Wear, Camille Kita

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study aims to monitor and evaluate erosive tooth wear (ETW) by measurement of enamel surface thickness and texture in a clinical setting. The objective approach is fundamentally different from the standard subjective visual assessment that professionals in the dental field using the Basic Erosive Wear Evaluation (BEWE) method.

Twenty-nine hyposalivation and three control subjects were used in this longitudinal study, for a total of 597 samples (only 577 teeth were eligible for surface texture analysis) evaluated in a longitudinal study including both baseline and 12 month follow up surfaces. Each participant’s buccal surface of the tooth was first analyzed …

Christian Innovation Communities: A Wicked Problem Framework For Church Innovation, Leslie Stewart

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

ABSTRACT

Leslie A. Stewart

Mar 11, 2024

Christian Innovation Communities: A Wicked Problem Framework for Church Innovation

This dissertation uniquely proposes a “Wicked Problem” approach to Church Innovation. It introduces the term Christian Innovation Communities to the Church Innovation discussion advocating for a local and regional innovation ecosystem. The framework for Christian Innovation Communities uses a cross-discipline approach combining adaptive leadership principles, a collaborative systems design approach, asset-based community development principles, pastoral discernment, and missional theology. These are synthesized into a visual, action-driven, practical guide. It shows adaptive leaders how to lead a leadership team through an innovation process. A …

Differential Diagnosis Of A 12-Year-Old Presenting With A Nodular-Sessile Lesion On The Hard Palate: Review Of Literature And Report Of A Case., Meredith Clark, Robin Onikul, Amy Burleson, Brenda S. Bohaty, Jenna Sparks, Neena Patel, A Naidu

Posters

Soft-tissue lesions in children present with a wide range of etiologies, including those related to normal development, underlying systemic illness and/or those associated with benign or malignant tumors1 . In children and adolescents, the most common soft tissue lesions include, aphthae, fibromas, papillomas, pyogenic granulomas and traumatic lesions all of which may present on the hard palate.2 This case report details a 12-year-old female presenting to Children’s Mercy Dental Clinic with a chief complaint of a flesh-colored nodular sessile lesion visualized on the anterior hard palate, directly posterior to teeth #8 and #9. The patient’s medical history is non-contributory, and …

Library News May 2024, Research Medical Library

Library News 2024

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Division-I Student-Athletes’ Socialization Out Of Sports: The Role Of Exit Circumstances And Interpersonal Support On Wellness, Hannah J. Gertz

All Theses

Student-athletes who compete at the Division-I level typically receive much public exposure and attention during their athletic careers, often leading them to form a high athletic identity. As such, they often need help transitioning away from the athletic competitor role following their retirement. This process, known as socialization out of sport (SOS), is characterized by a loss of purpose and identity for student-athletes and can harm their overall well-being and quality of life. Establishing the empirical associations between SOS's proposed characteristics/features (e.g., the impetus of SOS, educational status, athletic identity, and sense of closure) and former student-athletes’ subsequent life experiences …

The Female Werewolf: The Wolf, The Woman, And The Dunce Outcast, Melina Wallace

All Theses

This creative thesis blends literary theory, popular culture, and personal anecdote to create an analysis of feminist and disability rage through recent narratives of female werewolves. The form consists of paragraphs cycling among these three categories in a way that aims to be disruptive and without rhythm to create the sensation of transformation. These stylistic choices work together with the contents of the thesis to push thought forward regarding the absence of women’s presence within the depiction of the werewolves, which has traditionally been a male-focused image. The thesis aims to analyze not only the absence of women from the …

Beyond “Muscular Blueprints”: Sarah Ruhl And Access Intimacy In Dramatic Writing, Taylor Steck

All Theses

Sarah Ruhl, as a contemporary American playwright, has established her career with a signature style of poetic playfulness. By blending poetry with playwriting, engaging with both poetic and theatrical constraints, Ruhl’s stage directions emerge as open-ended opportunities for staging. This essay approaches Ruhl through a disability studies reading to consider the ways in which her dramatic style invites new questions on playwriting and accessibility in theatre. This attention to accessibility is informed by disability studies writer and activist, Mia Mingus, and her notion of “access intimacy.” As Mingus’ access intimacy articulates access in terms of building community, this essay uses …

From Instagram To Top Ranks: Unveiling The Influence Of Social Media Engagement On Business School Prestige, Hofran Kinkela Ngoma

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Social media usage by universities has become widespread, serving as a dynamic platform for engaging with a diverse audience that includes prospective students, alumni, and the broader community. This research paper delves into the multifaceted role of social media in universities, serving as a tool for communication, audience engagement, brand promotion, and academic support. The study aims to explore the correlation between universities' social media usage and their ranking performances. Utilizing Instagram and the U.S. News website as data collection platforms, the investigation gathers insights into social media usage and change in business school ranking over a ten-year span. By …

The Importance Of Branding Elements: How Uta Communicates With Students And Employees As A Brand, Suyeon Kwon

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Nexus: The Influence Of Acculturation And Stress On Infant Outcomes Among Hispanic And Black/African American Adolescents, Mia I. Moreno

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Numerous studies on acculturation and acculturative stress exist; however, findings are inconsistent and overlook an exploration of differences between Hispanic and Black/African American (B/AA) adolescents’ acculturation, stress, and birth outcomes. Despite societal and cultural challenges for both minorities, Hispanic women typically have positive birth outcomes comparable to White women, but B/AA women show an increased risk for negative birth outcomes. Further, minority and adolescent childbearing women frequently receive fewer prenatal care (PNC) visits than recommended which may impact birth outcomes. Therefore, my study sought to compare Hispanic and B/AA women’s birth outcomes assessing acculturation and stress and examine the relationship …

Vicarious Trauma In Special Education Teachers, Ashley Bascome, Lauren Malter

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Special education attrition is a major concern that continues to grow and has led to a shortage of special education teachers. There are increasing numbers of students diagnosed with disabilities and learning differences who require special education services (Anderson, 2020) The outcomes for these students are less promising than those of their general education peers. This group of students is at a higher risk of experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are stressful and traumatic experiences faced during one’s childhood. Special education teachers are, therefore, at an increased likelihood of being exposed to trauma in their day-to-day experiences as educators. …

An Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search For The Multi-Vehicle Profitable Tour Problem With Flexible Compartments And Mandatory Customers, Vincent F. Yu, Nabila Yuraisyah Salsabila, Aldy Gunawan, Anggun Nurfitriani Handoko

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The home-refill delivery system is a business model that addresses the concerns of plastic waste and its impact on the environment. It allows customers to pick up their household goods at their doorsteps and refill them into their own containers. However, the difficulty in accessing customers’ locations and product consolidations are undeniable challenges. To overcome these issues, we introduce a new variant of the Profitable Tour Problem, named the multi-vehicle profitable tour problem with flexible compartments and mandatory customers (MVPTPFC-MC). The objective is to maximize the difference between the total collected profit and the traveling cost. We model the proposed …

Independent Visions Of Marginal America: Reimagining A Nation Through Outsiders, Searching, And Non-Arrival, Z Evan Long

Film and Media Studies (MA) Theses

This thesis explores critical responses to American-ness, American identity, and most significantly American myth, in independent films about America in cultural terms, and their attempts to deconstruct the myths of nation and culture. The independent films about America analyzed in this thesis range from the 1960s to the 1990s, made by filmmakers across movements and cultures, but they all contain in some measure three key concepts: the “outsider,” the “search,” and a narrative “non-arrival.” Easy Rider (1969) will be explored as the prototype for this paradigm, contrasted with films that reinterpret the road-movie structure away from existential angst and toward …

The Stories That Matter From The People Who Care: Interviewing The Mentors Of The Women’S Business Leadership Center, Megan Nicole Gray

Honors Theses

Women across the nation face barriers that include a pay gap, under representation, caregiving expectations, threats of sexual violence, and more. Barriers related to the workplace are significant due to their impact on a woman’s autonomy, particularly in Arkansas. The Women’s Business Leadership Center on the Arkansas State University campus provided an excellent opportunity to investigate the life experiences of women in Arkansas who recognize barriers to women and confront them. Eleven mentors of the WBLC at ASU were interviewed to document such life experiences. Regarding mentorship, participants shared that they built support systems, received their own benefits, commonly had …

Power Shift, The South China Sea Dispute, And The Role Of International Law, Youngmin Seo

Michigan Journal of International Law

The arena of the law of the sea has become a battlefield for Sino-American legal warfare, commonly referred to as “lawfare,” and it is in the tumultuous waters of the South China Sea where this fierce contest of great powers rages. The divergent perspectives on international law, particularly regarding maritime law, between China and the United States stem from the countries’ distinct historical experiences, memories, and outlooks. This inherent disparity in epistemology shapes their comprehension of the fundamental tenets of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”), specifically the conflicting notions of mare clausum and mare …

Remote Work Tax “Fights”: Modifications To The “Convenience Of The Employer” Rule, Benjamin Brown

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurite Outgrowth Following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Repair: A Review, Adrienne Vaughan

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) can cause partial sensorimotor deficiency or total dysfunction, rendering patients unable to perform necessary tasks and dramatically decreasing their quality of life. tSCI is a very prevalent issue. In the United States alone, there are approximately 54 new cases of SCI per one million people each year, or 18,000 new cases annually. tSCI creates a lesion gap filled with axon-inhibiting fibrotic scar tissue. Comprehensive functional recovery following traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) requires axonal regeneration across wound site lesions. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurite outgrowth is often evaluated in PNI therapeutic research since it can …

Global Burden Of 288 Causes Of Death And Life Expectancy Decomposition In 204 Countries And Territories And 811 Subnational Locations, 1990–2021: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2021, Gbd 2021 Causes Of Death Collaborators, Veincent Christian F. Pepito

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Background

Methods

Global Incidence, Prevalence, Years Lived With Disability (Ylds), Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (Dalys), And Healthy Life Expectancy (Hale) For 371 Diseases And Injuries In 204 Countries And Territories And 811 Subnational Locations, 1990–2021: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2021, Gbd 2021 Diseases And Injuries Collaborators, Veincent Christian F. Pepito

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Background

Detailed, comprehensive, and timely reporting on population health by underlying causes of disability and premature death is crucial to understanding and responding to complex patterns of disease and injury burden over time and across age groups, sexes, and locations. The availability of disease burden estimates can promote evidence-based interventions that enable public health researchers, policy makers, and other professionals to implement strategies that can mitigate diseases. It can also facilitate more rigorous monitoring of progress towards national and international health targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. For three decades, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors …

Aspirations Incubator: 2017–2023 Final Evaluation Report, Sarah Goan, Elora Way, Emma Schwartz, Becky Wurwarg

Publications

The Rural Futures Fund launched the Aspirations Incubator in 2017 as a six-year pilot initiative aimed at supporting youth development in rural Maine by increasing resiliency, fostering connections to communities, and expanding students’ awareness of opportunities beyond their everyday environments. The program partnered with select rural youth organizations to build capacity for mentoring-based programs serving students from seventh grade through high school graduation. Guided by the Trekkers Youth Programming Principles, the initiative focused on long-term mentorship, meaningful relationship-building, and community engagement. A comprehensive multi-year evaluation conducted by the Data Innovation Project at the University of Southern Maine examined the implementation …

Development Of An Online Teaching Platform To Improve Access To Postgraduate Pathology Training In Sub-Saharan Africa, Richard Byers, Anita Byers, Chibamba Mumba, Angela Mutuku, Jennifer Singer-Rupp, Michael Wilson, Kenneth Fleming, Shahin Sayed

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Resource barriers to the provision of accessible training in cancer diagnosis in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) limit the potential of African health systems. Long-term provision via teaching visits from senior pathologists and trainee foreign placements is unsustainable due to the prohibitive costs of travel and subsistence. Emerging eLearning methods would allow pathologists to be trained by experts in a cheaper, more efficient, and more scalable way.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop an online teaching platform, starting with hematopathology, for trainee pathologists in sub-Saharan Africa, initially in Nairobi, Kenya, and Lusaka, Zambia.

Methods: Course materials …

Climate Change And Human Health: A Synthesis Of Scientific Research And State Obligations Under International Law, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report synthesizes the latest scientific research on the human health effects of climate change and discusses the legal implications of this research, specifically with regards to State obligations under international law. In doing so, the report seeks to provide insights on issues to be analyzed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its upcoming advisory opinion on the legal obligations of States with respect to climate change. It also seeks to enhance the capacity of judges, advocates, and governments to understand these issues in the context of current and future proceedings involving international law obligations related to climate …

Harnessing Oyster Shells For Sustainable Coastal Restoration, Resilience And Ecosystem Enhancement, Falyn Mcquarrie

Capstone Projects

Climate change and coastal erosion are two major threats facing coastal wetlands and marshes, especially in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Climate change has been causing sea level rise and increased storm surge during natural disasters like hurricanes and tropical storms, exacerbating erosion. Improper management techniques are also a challenge that shorelines are facing, hard structures like seawalls can be expensive to maintain and can lead to further erosion. Living shorelines is an adaptive management approach that can be beneficial to climate change and erosion mitigation and can foster nursery environments that invite new species and juvenile fish to the area …

A Comparative Effectiveness Study Of Bipolar And Linked Quadripolar Techniques For Eliciting Transcranial Motor Evoked Potentials During Spine Surgery, Joseph Haddad

Health Science Doctoral Thesis

Problem: Linked quadripolar stimulation (LQP) is a technique used within the field of intraoperative neurophysiology to elicit a transcranial motor evoked potential (TcMEP). However, the technique has not been experimentally validated as being superior in eliciting TcMEPs or reducing patient movement during surgery. LQP also incurs higher supply costs, increased set up times, and increases the risk of needle stick injury and infection; because the technique requires the use of more needle electrodes than more traditional approaches.

Purpose: TcMEPs are a practice regularly employed by surgical neurophysiologists and vital in the assessment of corticospinal tract, nerve root, and nerve function …

The Application Of Particle-Correlated Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Soils To Mock Casework Scenarios, Sam Gong

Master's Theses

Soil is a continuous material, reaching across geological bodies, and is distinctly variable and differentiable based on aspects such as geographic location, seasonal factors, and human interference. In combination with its highly transferable nature, the complexity of soil makes it valuable material for forensic trace evidence and object-to-scene association. The development of forensic soil analysis is currently focused on mineralogy. Raman spectroscopy is a chemical technique that has previously been studied for mineralogy uses. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy has been researched for use in other fields of forensic science as well. As such, it is possible to use Raman spectroscopy for …

The Mathematics Of Financial Portfolio Optimization Incorporating Environmental, Social, And Governance Score Information, Ian Driskill

Master's Theses

We numerically investigate the effects that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores have on portfolio optimization with Modern Portfolio Theory assumptions and how ESG scores correlate with the market returns of a rated company's stock. Additionally, we review and analyze a research paper published in the Journal of Financial Economics regarding ESG investing titled “Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier” by Pedersen, Fitzgibbons, and Lukasz. Our overall goal is provide insight for socially responsible inclined investors, to help them understand what ESG scores tell us and how those scores may effect their overall investment returns."

Assessing Impact Of Image-Based Immunization Education On Pediatric Vaccine Uptake Within Families Of Low English Literacy, Ahmed Ali, Mariam Bassalious, Sharfaa Chowdhury, Coral Hufnagel, Salwa Bajjey, Amaal Haimout, Nelia Afonso, Raouf Seifeldin

Posters

• Vaccinations have been hailed as the most effective public health strategy in mitigating infectious diseases. Since the advent of vaccines at the end of the 18th century, the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases have markedly decreased.
• Vaccine hesitancy has been increasing within the last decade due to various reasons including misinformation and a lack of understanding. 2 This is especially true amongst patients with limited literacy skills as traditional vaccine education material is not optimal for their understanding.
• Several studies across various healthcare disciplines have shown that the use of picture-based health education for patients with limited literacy …

Public Perception Of Robotic Assisted Total Hip Replacement Surgery, Marvee Espiritu, James E. Feng, Phillip Vartanyan, Drew Moore, Robert Moore, Mark Karadsheh

Posters

• Robotic or technology assisted THA has received significant attention recently due to its precision in acetabular cup placement within the Lewinnek safe zone.1
• Few studies have assessed the public’s perception of robotic-assisted THA.3,4 Insight into patients’ perception of robotic-assisted THA may yield valuable information that may impact further integration of the technology within hospitals and surgeon training.

Morbidity Of Tendon Harvest Site For Acl Autograft; A Systematic Review, Jessi Fore, Betina Hinckel, Elijah Auch

Posters

Primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are highly common and lead to a significant number of primary ACL reconstruction surgeries in the U.S.1. When choosing a graft, surgeons can pick between auto- and allografts2. An autograft can include a bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft, a hamstrings tendon (HT) graft, or a quadriceps tendon (QT) graft2. Currently, there is a wide range of research on graft types, but no paper compares all threes graft types directly. This review will compare literature to determine the morbidity associated with each graft type and determine which autograft is best for primary reconstruction.

Assessing Patient Preferences For Technology-Assisted Versus Traditional Total Knee Arthroplasty Using A Validated Online Survey Marketplace: Before And After Patient Education, Tanner J. Hafen, James E. Feng, Phillip Vartanyan, Drew Moore, Robert Runner

Posters

• Computer (CA) and robotic (RA) assisted TKA has becoming increasingly prevalent in orthopaedic surgery1,2.
• There is limited insight into the public perception of CA and RA3.