Digital Commons Network^™

Applying Engagement Journalism Methods To Reach Young People In The South Bronx, Christine M. Zeiger Mrs., Judith Marks

Capstones

During the fall of 2024, engagement journalism students Christine Zeiger and Judith Marks met with more than 60 teens in the South Bronx. They also distributed digital questionnaires, which garnered 26 responses from teens and adults between the ages of 14 and 22. These questionnaires were distributed after in-person sessions we organized to gather feedback on topics we wanted to learn about more deeply.

The project’s initial goal was to understand how South Bronx teens and young adults were engaging with the November elections and use their feedback to inform election coverage for the Mott Haven Herald and Hunts Point …

What's It Like To Vote Without Privacy?, Cullen Fagan

Capstones

My capstone is an audio and data project focusing on voting rights for people with disabilities in the United States — specifically how accessibility in voting has changed over time and how it rights have been violated in the recent past. The audio component is a podcast episode I co-produced with another student. It tells the story of how Kathy Collins and Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, two disability and voting rights activists, have voted over the years, leading up to the 2024 election. The data component is a table detailing the history of disability voting rights cases in the United …

Stress Management Education Module For Nursing Students, Valentina Loreto-Ashley

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background. Stress refers to a state of mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Research indicates that stress negatively affects university students.

Problem. Researchers have found that 30% of undergraduate nursing students have symptoms of burnout resulting from an overaccumulation of stressors and 97.8% were at moderate risk for developing burnout.

Approach. An educational module consisting of a 15-minute YouTube videos was designed, developed, and implemented to increase awareness about stress, reduce feelings of anxiety, and identify integration potential of such a module in nursing education to promote student well-being. Participants completed an online survey before …

Advanced Models For Linking Process In Data Washing Machine, Bushra Sajid

Theses and Dissertations

Entity Resolution (ER) is a critical process in data integration and quality improvement that identifies and links multiple records referring to the same real-world entity. As data volumes and heterogeneity increase, traditional ER methods face new challenges, prompting research into more advanced techniques. The Proof-of-Concept Data Washing Machine (DWM), developed under the NSF DART Data Life Cycle and Curation research theme, aims to automatically detect and correct data quality errors through unsupervised entity resolution. Recent research focuses on enhancing DWM's effectiveness by replacing rule-based methods with machine learning and deep learning approaches, particularly in the linking process. Deep learning models, …

An Outspoken Woman In A Man's World: A Commentary On Seneca's Medea, Julia Eckholdt

History & Classics Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Using Genomics And Transcriptomics As A Tool To Understand Unique Phenotypes Of Hemipteran Insects That Are Relevant To Agriculture And Public Health, Hunter Kelly Walt

Theses and Dissertations

In the past couple of decades, advances in genomic sequencing technology have caused an unprecedented increase in biological data. Because of the quantity and size of these datasets, the need for biologists with computational expertise also increased, and using these large genomic datasets has revolutionized the way we can answer biological questions. In this dissertation, I apply genomic and transcriptomic data to answer questions about insects of the order Hemiptera that are relevant to agriculture and public health. My dissertation mainly focuses on stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), many of which are agricultural pests, and bed bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), which are …

How Do Religious Women Cope With Marital Conflict And Hardship? Article 2, Elizabeth M. Lyman, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Chelom E. Leavitt, Tamara M. Chamberlain, Christina N. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Frequent and unresolved conflict is a significant relationship risk factor for divorce, but it has also been shown that religion strengthens marriages, specifically in ways that give direction and motivation for couples in resolving marital conflict or other marital hardships. Thus, a study of how successful religious couples resolve conflict is pertinent in helping us better understand how to strengthen marriages and families. Our qualitative study of 113 highly religious women of diverse faiths and races found that women’s perceived relationship or connection with God reportedly impacted conflict resolution and coping with marital hardship. Results suggest greater reconciliation and unity …

Cardiac Effects And Comorbidities Of Neurological Diseases, Bi̇lgi̇n Öztürk

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Neurological disorders encompass a complex and heterogeneous spectrum of diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system, each presenting unique challenges that extend well beyond primary neurological symptoms. These disorders profoundly impact cardiovascular health, prompting an intensified exploration into the intricate interconnections between the neurological and cardiovascular systems. This review synthesizes current insights and research on cardiovascular comorbidities associated with major neurological conditions, including stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s disease.The cardiovascular sequelae of these neurological disorders are multifactorial. For instance, strokes not only predispose individuals to arrhythmia and heart failure but also exacerbate pre-existing …

Hematological Diseases And Heart, Ferda Can

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The heart, main part of the circulatory system, is one of the organs that frequently affected in hematological diseases. Cardiac problems may develop during the course and treatment of benign and malign hematological diseases. Determining cardiac approaches in hematological diseases with knowledge and experience about the development of cardiac involvements with pathophysiological conditions has an important role in the diagnosis and treatment process of patients. In this section, information about hematological diseases and the heart is included, and key points that will help in the diagnosis and treatment process are mentioned.

Transcriptomic Landscape Of Mammalian Ventral Pallidum At Single-Cell Resolution, Lite Yang, Lisa Z Fang, Michelle R Lynch, Chang S Xu, Hannah J Hahm, Yufen Zhang, Monique R Heitmeier, Vincent D Costa, Vijay K Samineni, Meaghan C Creed

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The ventral pallidum (VP) is critical for motivated behaviors. While contemporary work has begun to elucidate the functional diversity of VP neurons, the molecular heterogeneity underlying this functional diversity remains incompletely understood. We used single-nucleus RNA sequencing and in situ hybridization to define the transcriptional taxonomy of VP cell types in mice, macaques, and baboons. We found transcriptional conservation between all three species, within the broader neurochemical cell types. Unique dopaminoceptive and cholinergic subclusters were identified and conserved across both primate species but had no homolog in mice. This harmonized consensus VP cellular atlas will pave the way for understanding …

The Implementation Of Artificial Intelligence In University Classrooms: Perspective And Applications, Erika Grodzki, Gary Carlin, Stefanie Powers, Hung Chum Kao

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

This study examined the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in university classrooms, focusing on its benefits, challenges, and the diverse perspectives of academic faculty. While AI was widely embraced in disciplines like animation and design for enhancing creativity and efficiency, traditional fields remained cautious due to concerns about academic integrity and its impact on critical thinking. By analyzing literature and case studies, the presentation highlighted AI’s transformative potential in higher education, fostering dialogue on its strategic adoption to balance innovation with ethical and pedagogical considerations.

Lignin Cationization For The Removal Of Phosphates And Nitrates From Effluents Of Wastewater Treatment Plants, Fannyuy V. Kewir

LSU Master's Theses

The removal of phosphates and nitrates from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents is important for preventing pollution of receiving waters. In this study, we chemically modified alkaline lignin (aLN) with quaternary ammonium groups to obtain biodegradable cationic lignin (cLN). We characterized the cLN and tested its efficacy for removing phosphates and nitrates in a lab setting and on field-collected WWTP samples. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies were performed in aqueous media, and the effects of several variables (contact time, pH, initial concentration, and adsorbent dose) were investigated. The Langmuir isotherm described phosphate and nitrate adsorption well, with R2 values of …

Policing And Media: Past, Present, And Future, Mark Deratzou

Theses

This paper examines the historical relationship between policing and media, with a focus on how media has influenced policing within the United States. It begins by examining portrayals of policing in print and broadcast media, as well as major historical events, before discussing how media influences public perceptions of police. The paper then transitions to an examination of social media, focusing on how these platforms shape perceptions of police and how they are used by the public in relation to policing. The paper then concludes with a discussion of policing and media-related policies and reforms, as well as considerations for …

Assessing Ecosystem Health Of A Completed Mitigation Bank Projects In California: Case Study Analysis, Alexandra I. Novoa

Master's Projects and Capstones

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, providing essential ecological functions. These functions include water purification, flood protection, shoreline stabilization, and more. Due to increasing urbanization and development, preserving wetlands is critical. Mitigation Banks combat the loss of wetland acreage from unavoidable development. Mitigation banks were developed to offset the adverse effects of development on wetlands. However, more research is needed on the effectiveness of these mitigation banks in restoring ecologically significant wetland acreage.

Key metrics, including soil health, hydrology, and microbial functionality, were analyzed from literature and restoration project reviews to identify opportunities for improving mitigation …

Perceived Barriers Within The Pre-Physician Assistant Population, Ananda Ablack, Angellena Arquette-Overman

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Serum Microrna Expression In The Diagnosis And Management Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Athletes, Jessica Fuller, Darcy Muns

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Does The Use Of Platelet Rich Plasma (Prp) Improve The Likelihood Of Embryo Implantation And Advancement To Pregnancy In Those Struggling With Recurrent Failure By Ivf?, Andrea Winter, Sophia Levine

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

The Efficacy And Safety Of Nirsevimab In The Prevention Of Rsv Related Infections In Healthy Infants, Gabrielle Mayo, Suyin Ballard

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of preventing Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) related respiratory illnesses and hospitalization with the use of Nirsevimab, as compared to placebo among infants among healthy early and late preterm infants less than one year of age. Design: Systematic Literature Review

Methods: Searches were done using Pubmed and the search term Nirsevimab in Fall 2023. Records were excluded from analysis if full text was not available, studies other than randomized control trials or if included infants that were not healthy or born before 29 weeks gestation. Results: Of the 3 studies, 2 studies demonstrated reduction …

Post Chondral Defect Reconstruction And Knee Functionality: How Do Aci And Mosaicplasty Compare?, Kate Stutz, Megan Howard

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Chondral defects significantly contribute to the overwhelming number of patients suffering from degenerative joint disease (DJD) daily. In efforts to prevent this pathology, chondral reconstruction procedures have emerged to prevent early development of this condition. Two current methods utilized include osteochondral autograft transplantation (OATs) and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). In isolation, the effectiveness of each technique has been evaluated, however there has yet to be a definitive comparison of equivalency between the two. Through utilizing PubMed, we conducted a literature search in order to gather studies conducted directly comparing these two interventions, which we narrowed down to four studies by …

A New Treatment For Knee Osteoarthritis: Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Injections, Anne Bernot, Elizabeth Colantonio

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess the effectiveness of microfragmented adipose tissue injections at lowering knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome scores (KOOS) 6 months post treatment in patients aged 18-75 with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis compared to platelet rich plasma injections. Design: systematic literature review. Methods: A search of PubMed and Google Scholar was performed using the terms “Lipogems”, “adipose tissue injection”, “Micro Fragmented adipose tissue injections”, “Micro Fragmented adipose tissue and PRP”, and “MFAT vs. PRP knee”. The search was limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the past ten years. Results: Three randomized control trials (RCTs) met inclusion …

A Kinetic Model For Compound Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants In Tyrosyl-Trna Synthetase Gene Yars2-Associated Neonatal Phenotype, Thomas W Christian, Sunita Maharjan, Sitao Yin, Yuka Yamaki, Isao Masuda, Fenglin Li, Colleen Muraresku, Sheila Clever, Rebecca Ganetzky, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Human genetic disorders are often caused by mutations of compound heterozygosity, where each allele of the mutant gene harbors a different genetic lesion. However, studies of such mutations are hampered due to the lack of an appropriate model. Here we describe a kinetic model of compound heterozygous variants in an obligate enzyme dimer that contains one mutation in one monomer and the other mutation in the second monomer. This enzyme is encoded by human YARS2 for mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (mt-TyrRS), which aminoacylates tyrosine to mt-tRNA^Tyr. YARS2 is a member of the genes for mt-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, where pathogenic mutations …

Improving Compliance In Missed Visits Documentation, Ma Rosalie Felix

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Within the South Bay Hospice Agency, documentation compliance for missed visits was 68% in the first quarter of 2024, when the national standard should be 100% according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Context: Inadequate nurse documentation and communication between health professionals can lead to medical errors, poor team communication and suboptimal patient outcomes (Tasew et al., 2019). Therefore, the importance of documentation compliance is imperative. Hospice staff perform scheduled visits for terminally ill patients 1-2 times a week; however, a missed visit can occur when a patient declines it for a variety of reasons.

Interventions: The …

Interventions In Treating Ptsd As A Result Of Birth Trauma, Christine Marie Samatra-Montalvo

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper explores the prevalence, causes, and consequences of PTSD resulting from childbirth, highlighting the need for effective intervention strategies. A systematic review of 25 studies encompassing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), pharmacotherapy, and support groups was conducted to evaluate their effectiveness. Findings indicate that CBT and EMDR are the most promising treatments, with pharmacotherapy and support groups also providing substantial benefits. However, access to these interventions remains a challenge for certain populations. This paper underscores the importance of tailored, trauma-informed care and suggests that comprehensive maternal mental health programs can significantly improve outcomes for mothers …

Implementation Of A Daily Engagement System Board (Desb) To Improve Hospital Staff Communication, Catherine Villanueva

Master's Projects and Capstones

Implementation of a Quality Improvement (QI) project to help improve staff communication between shifts at an Inpatient Acute Psychiatric Unit was determined to be of immense need. This unit is part of a large acute medical hospital. Currently, the end of shift report consists of a verbal report along with a robust printed end of shift report consisting of shift related information. This printed end of shift report can have as many as seven to nine pages thus causing information overload and decreases prioritized patient information. Furthermore, missed information or too much information can be provided in the verbal shift …

A Supervised Machine Learning Statistical Design Of Experiment Approach To Modeling The Barriers To Effective Snakebite Treatment In Ghana, Eric Nyarko, Edmund F. Agyemang, Ebenezer Kwesi Ameho, Louis Agyekum, José María Gutiérrez, Eduardo Alberto Fernandez

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Snakebite envenoming is a serious condition that affects 2.5 million people and causes 81,000–138,000 deaths every year, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The World Health Organization has set a goal to halve the deaths and disabilities related to snakebite envenoming by 2030. However, significant challenges in achieving this goal include a lack of robust research evidence related to snakebite incidence and treatment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to combine established methodologies with the latest tools in Artificial Intelligence to assess the barriers to effective snakebite treatment in Ghana.

Method

We used a MaxDiff statistical experiment design …

Design And Synthesis Of Bimetallic Catalyst And Multifunctional Peptide Catalysis For Organic Synthesis And Synthesis Of Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (Protacs) For Sphk1 And Sphk2, Mariur Rodriguez Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of this dissertation (chapters 1-4) we discuss the development of bimetallic and monometallic palladium complexes scaffolded on 2-phosphinoimidazole ligands and their application to cross-coupling reactions. Specifically, we discovered a bimetallic Pd(II) dimer that performs a tandem arylation/annulation reaction to produce naphthalene products from aryl iodides and ketones (Chapter 2). We then show that bimetallic Pd(II) and Pd (I) complexes have different activity in different transformations and that the starting oxidation state of our catalysts is important for reactivity (Chapter 3). For example, we demonstrate that our Pd(I) dimer is much more active in Buchwald- Hartwig amination …

Adolescent Suicide Prevention Techniques, Kaitlyn R. O’Malley

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to understand prevention techniques for adolescent suicide. Suicide is defined as death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds (WHO). From 2021 to 2022, the number of suiciderelated deaths increased by 2.6%. 48,123 people died from suicide in 2021 alone. (CDC) From 2011-2021, 13% of high school girls tried to commit suicide, and 30% of them considered trying (Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report: 2011–2021). Suicide is very preventable in society, which is why, with how many people try …

Msw Portfolio, Melissa Sue Wells

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio showcases examples of the work I have completed throughout my master's program.

Persons Or Human-Mimicking Robots? Implications Of Ai For Moral Status, Kate Burckle, Catherine Peters

Honors Thesis

Rapid progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in which AI technologies can now perform human tasks, e.g. hold advanced conversations, cook, clean, and navigate harsh terrain, blurs the line between humans and robots. The emergence of advanced AI technologies suggests that AI programs may develop consciousness in the near future, prompting important questions: if AIs attain abilities to perform the same tasks and exercise capacities traditionally limited to humans, do they deserve similar moral status? If so, what treatment would we owe to them? Through examination of competing accounts of personhood and moral status, this paper seeks to …

2024-12-13, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.