Non-Cognitive Factors Influencing The Development Of Clinical Judgment In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Kathryn Robinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

A nurse’s ability to form sound clinical judgments is directly related to safe patient outcomes. Pre-licensure nursing programs are focused on developing students’ clinical judgment ability; however, an academic-practice gap continues to exist. The Implicit Theory of Intelligence and Achievement Goal Theory provide insight into how mindset beliefs and goal orientation impact the teaching and learning environment. The performance goal orientation, ineffective learning strategies, and avoidance of challenging tasks associated with a fixed mindset may negatively impact the development of clinical judgment. This exploratory study sought to determine if there is a relationship between the non-cognitive factors, mindset beliefs and …

Stress, Resilience, And Coping: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Black Male Osteopathic Medical Students’ Experiences In Medical School, Eboni Anderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This quantitative study investigated stress, coping, and resilience among Black male osteopathic medical students (BMOMS), focusing on the unique challenges that affect their academic success, mental and physical health, and professional development. This study was contextualized within the shifting demographics of U.S. osteopathic medical schools and the underrepresentation of Black males. Utilizing Moos’ Integrative Model of Stress and Coping, survey data from BMOMS (n = 85) were analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple linear regressions. Research questions addressed BMOMS’ specific stressors, the relationship between resilience and coping, and the influence of demographic variables. Out of 101 initial survey …

Predicting Changes In Accommodation Throughout Pediatric Intensive Outpatient Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Rachel S. Inabata

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Family systems play an integral role in the development and maintenance of mental health disorders. In the context of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), accommodation is a common interpersonal phenomenon in which families may unwittingly reinforce symptoms and avoidance behavior of the patient. Treatments for severe pediatric OCD such as intensive outpatient programs (IOP) often involve family to reduce accommodation. Little research has investigated baseline symptoms as predictors of change in accommodation in IOP contexts serving patients with high-acuity OCD. The current study examined the role of baseline OCD, anxiety, depression, and functional impairment in changes in accommodation throughout OCD treatment …

Modulation Of The Pacific Meridional Mode On The Dipole Pattern Of The Conus Summertime Precipitation, Grace Affram, Wei Zhang, Vittal Hari, Si Gao, Cody Ratterman, Langfeng Zhu, Robert R. Gillies

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Historically, the precipitation trend over the past few decades in the Contiguous United States (CONUS) exhibits a "Dry-West Wet-East" pattern; this is manifested by recent droughts/floods in the western/eastern US. However, it remains elusive what atmospheric phenomenon has potentially driven such a remarkable, and impactful precipitation pattern. Here we found that a coupled climate mode—the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM) exerted strong impacts on the precipitation pattern over the CONUS during the summer season. We discovered a significant association between the PMM index and precipitation across the majority of the CONUS; this was manifested as a zonal dipole pattern—negative correlations in …

Neutron Star Insights Move From Theoretical To Data-Driven, Beth Potier

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Digital Records Management: The History Of Your City, Rachel Rowe

Certified Public Manager® Applied Research

As technology rapidly advances, city governments face the challenge of preserving the past and preparing for the future. This article explores digital records management, outlining the background of historical records and their significance in understanding a city’s history. Crucial digitization steps include gathering the right team, following records retention policies, identifying documents, and efficiently managing data. The challenges of preservation efforts, technical and training concerns, workflow management, and compliance with open records laws are addressed. The City of Kilgore’s digitization process reveals how managing records is key to forming a city’s identity and linking the community to its history. This …

Illegal Dumping: Prevention, Abatement, And Compliance Strategies For Cities, Ingrid Self

Certified Public Manager® Applied Research

Illegal dumping, with its many monikers and negative impacts, is a prevailing issue challenging Texas local government. Whether driven by malicious intent or stemming from ignorance of policies and laws, illegal dumping creates health and safety risks for Texans, degrades wildlife areas, impedes economic development and becomes an expensive burden on city budgets. The growing amount of e-waste and the proliferation of improper tire disposal exacerbate the issue, compelling Texas cities to find ways to quickly abate junk piles and deter future dumping crimes.

Across Texas, programs to combat illegal dumping are gaining momentum. These initiatives establish methods for immediate …

The Duality Of Public Procurement: How Can Cities Engage In Ethical And Legal Procurement Procedures?, Michael Andrew Flores

Certified Public Manager® Applied Research

Despite its crucial role, public procurement often suffers from neglect and disregard until a city or public officer commits the misuse or misappropriation of public funds. As stewards of taxpayers’ dollars, public officers are tasked with traversing the often forked paths of ethicality and legality. These paths manifest in every instance and aspect of life, from acts of impulsiveness to the careful consideration of outcomes. Ultimately, a path must be taken, which will carry a consequence subject to criticism and proportionate to its outcome. Yet, despite this notion, unethical and illegal practices are invariably committed. There are few greater opportunities …

Implementation Of A Patient Decision Aid For Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Improves Patient Procedural Knowledge But Does Not Impact Perceived Involvement With The Shared Decision-Making Process, Nicholas Sommers, Jason C. Rubenstein, Abdur Rahman Ahmad, James Oujiri, Ridhima Kapoor, Graham Adsit, Marcie Berger

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a method for a patient and physician to cooperatively consider a diagnostic or therapeutic option, ultimately empowering the patient to make an informed decision. Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is a procedure that would benefit from SDM given the risk of serious adverse events, the high rate of arrhythmia recurrence, and alternative treatment options. Implementing a patient decision aid (PDA) may help facilitate AF ablation SDM by succinctly conveying important information to patients.

Methods: Patients scheduled for initial AF catheter ablation were randomized to a virtual SDM visit utilizing a PDA, which covered procedural risks and …

Effect Of Resistance Training On Physical Function During Chemotherapy In Colon Cancer, Justin C. Brown, Shengping Yang, Stephanie L.E. Compton, Kristin L. Campbell, Elizabeth M. Cespedes Feliciano, Sara Quinney, Barbara Sternfeld, Bette J. Caan, Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt, Kathryn H. Schmitz

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: The decline of physical function during chemotherapy predicts poor quality of life and premature death. It is unknown if resistance training prevents physical function decline during chemotherapy in colon cancer survivors. Methods: This multicenter trial randomly assigned 181 colon cancer survivors receiving postoperative chemotherapy to home-based resistance training or usual care control. Physical function outcomes included the short physical performance battery, isometric handgrip strength, and the physical function subscale of the Medical Outcomes Short-Form 36-item questionnaire. Mixed models for repeated measures quantified estimated treatment differences. Results: At baseline, participants had a mean (SD) age of 55.2 (12.8) years; 67 …

Assessing Medical Adherence In A Volunteer Community Health Clinic, Jessica Clark, Matthew Anderson, Janelle L. B. Macintosh, Corinna Trujillo Tanner, Kristen Erekson

Student Works

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to identify the rates of and reasons for nonadherence in medical follow-up care among patients who utilize the Volunteer Care Clinic (VCC).

Background: The VCC is a free outpatient care center for acute medical conditions. The VCC serves uninsured, low socioeconomic residents of Utah County, and many of the patients who come to the clinic primarily speak Spanish. The director of the VCC expressed concern that patients who were assigned medical follow-up care to complete after their visit were not completing these assignments. Nonadherence is associated with increased costs, more hospitalizations, and worse …

Navigating Credibility And Approachability In Conflict Zones: Insights From Fieldwork In Nigerian Communities Facing Eco-Violence, Ezenwa E. Olumba

The Qualitative Report

This article contributes to the literature by proposing an expanded “framework for credibility and approachability,” extending the framework’s applicability in conflict-affected societies. The credibility and approachability framework aids researchers in comprehending and evaluating their fieldwork experiences, enabling them to articulate their experiences clearly and insightfully. Drawing on the reflexive experiences of a diaspora-based researcher who used this framework to prepare for fieldwork in Nigeria, the article illustrates the framework’s components plus the added “bearability” component. The experiences were borne out of a study with 54 participants across focus groups in communities affected by eco-violence in the Nigerian Middle Belt. The …

Self-Directed Learning In A Qualitative Research Methods Course For Doctoral Students, Amy L. Damrow, Krittika Grau, Brandon Pettry, Karen Plaster, Adepeju Prince

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes (1) the reasoning behind a self-directed learning assignment in an advanced qualitative research methods course, and (2) doctoral students’ experiences with that assignment. Drawing on instructor and student perspectives, a professor and four doctoral students collaborated to reflect and report on the process and product of one assignment within a course. The doctoral students approached the assignment in unique ways: delving into one specific research methodology, comparing multiple research designs, and exploring current uses of qualitative research at a research conference. The piece contributes to the body of literature about students’ and instructors’ experiences in graduate qualitative …

Soft Matter Physics Of The Ground Beneath Our Feet, Anne Voigtländer, Morgane Houssais, Karol A. Bacik, Ian C. Bourg, Justin C. Burton, Karen E. Daniels, Sujit S. Datta, Emanuela Del Gado, Nakul S. Deshpande, Olivier Devauchelle, Behrooz Ferdowsi, Rachel Glade, Lucas Goehring, Ian J. Hewitt, Douglas Jerolmack, Ruben Juanes, Arshad Kudrolli, Ching Yao Lai, Wei Li, Claire Masteller, Kavinda Nissanka, Allan M. Rubin, Howard A. Stone, Jenny Suckale, Nathalie M. Vriend, John S. Wettlaufer, Judy Q. Yang

Physics

The soft part of the Earth's surface - the ground beneath our feet - constitutes the basis for life and natural resources, yet a general physical understanding of the ground is still lacking. In this critical time of climate change, cross-pollination of scientific approaches is urgently needed to better understand the behavior of our planet's surface. The major topics in current research in this area cross different disciplines, spanning geosciences, and various aspects of engineering, material sciences, physics, chemistry, and biology. Among these, soft matter physics has emerged as a fundamental nexus connecting and underpinning many research questions. This perspective …

Dietary Acculturation Is Associated With Altered Gut Microbiome, Circulating Metabolites, And Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Us Hispanics And Latinos: Results From Hchs/Sol, Yanbo Zhang, Marta M Jankowska, Krista M Perreira, Josiemer Mattei, Carmen R Isasi, Maria M Llabre, Bharat Thyagarajan, Martha L Daviglus, Linda Van Horn, David Goldsztajn Farelo, Luis E Maldonado, Steven R Levine, Bing Yu, Eric Boerwinkle, Rob Knight, Robert D Burk, Robert C Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Dietary acculturation, or adoption of dominant culture diet by migrant groups, influences human health. We aimed to examine dietary acculturation and its relationships with cardiovascular disease (CVD), gut microbiota, and blood metabolites among US Hispanic and Latino adults.

Methods: In the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos), US exposure was defined by years in the United States (50 states and Washington, DC) and US nativity. A dietary acculturation pattern was derived from 14 172 participants with two 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline (2008-2011) using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, with food groups as predictors of US …

Epigenome-Wide Association Study Of Lung Cancer Among Never Smokers In Two Prospective Cohorts In Shanghai, China, Batel Blechter, Andres Cardenas, Xuting Wang, Bu-Tian Ji, Wei Hu, Qiuyin Cai, H Dean Hosgood, Gong Yang, Jianxin Shi, Jirong Long, Yu-Tang Gao, Douglas A Bell, Wei Zheng, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of lung cancer among individuals who never smoked remains elusive, despite 15% of lung cancer cases in men and 53% in women worldwide being unrelated to smoking. Epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm) changes, have emerged as potential drivers. Yet, few prospective epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), primarily focusing on peripheral blood DNAm with limited representation of never smokers, have been conducted.

METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study of 80 never-smoking incident lung cancer cases and 83 never-smoking controls within the Shanghai Women's Health Study and Shanghai Men's Health Study. DNAm was measured in prediagnostic oral rinse …

The Influence Of Eyewitnesses And Police Tip Line Reports: An Exploratory Case Study Of A 2005 Homicide, Abigail Rose Torres

Dissertations and Theses

Public tip lines provide the public to provide information [sic] to the police when there is an ongoing investigation. These public tip lines could increase investigations where the public is being made aware of the investigation, increasing the amount of information being brought forward. Research focuses on how tips reporting is similar to eyewitnesses in that individuals recall information. The literature illustrates how the media can influence the tips. The study is an exploratory content analysis looking at potential themes or patterns that emerged from analyzing the tips and patterns of the tip line and media files related to an …

Investigation Of Solvation Structures And Dynamics Of Li-Ion Battery Electrolytes And Amides In Water: An Infrared Spectroscopy, Electrochemical And Computational Study, Ernest O. Nachaki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The investigation of solvation structures and dynamics in lithium-ion battery electrolytes and amides in water has significant implications for both fundamental science and practical applications. Understanding the solvation dynamics of lithium electrolytes can lead to the development of safer and more efficient LIBs. The study of hydrogen bond dynamics of N-alkyl substituted amides has important implications for the development of thermos-responsive polymers used in biomedical applications. By understanding how N-alkyl substitutions affect the hydration structure and dynamics of amides, this research can inform the design of polymers with tailored properties for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other medical applications. This …

Asymptotic Formula For Scattering Problems Related To Thin Metasurfaces, Zachary Jermain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this work is to develop an asymptotic formula for the behavior of a scattered electromagnetic field in the presence of a thin metamaterial known as a metasurface. By using a carefully chosen Green’s function and the single and double layer potentials we analyze the perturbed scattering problem in the presence of the metamaterial and a background scattering problem. By using Lippman-Schwinger type representation formulas for the two fields we develop the asymptotic formula for the perturbed field. From here we prove the asymptotic formula holds up to a specific error term based on the size of the …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Psi-4-Sf In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paige Weir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The factor structure of the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-4-SF) was evaluated among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the original PSI-4-SF model would yield an unsatisfactory fit, and (2) a three-factor alternative model would improve fit compared to the original and other models. A sample of 205 parent-child dyads was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the lavaan package in R Studio. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics, normality checks, and assessments of skewness and kurtosis. Results supported the first hypothesis, showing poor fit indices for the original PSI-4-SF model. …

Effects Of Perceived Supervisor And Peer Support On Training Transfer For Frontline Registered Nurses, Carly Penn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of perceived supervisor support as well as perceived peer support on training transfer behavior outcomes for frontline nursing staff in post-COVID 19 technology-mediated training environments.

This study was guided by the following primary research question: what effect does training delivery, perceived supervisor support, and perceived peer support have on training transfer behavior? The secondary question to further examination of these variables is: How do these factors interact to enhance or inhibit transfer in the context of nurse training?

This study sampled U.S. based registered nurses trained in COVID-19 related protocols. …

Topics In Photonic Quantum Technology: Polarization Entanglement Dynamics In Optical Fibers And Low-Light Imaging., Pratik J. Barge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent advances in quantum photonics promise transformative impacts on computing, communication, sensing, and imaging. This thesis explores two areas in photonic quantum technology: polarization entanglement dynamics in optical fibers and low-light imaging. Optical fibers are the most suitable medium for photonic qubits and long-distance entanglement distribution is a critical requirement to realize quantum technologies. We study the decay of polarization-entanglement of the Bell state photons propagating through imperfect optical fibers with spatially fluctuating refractive index. Furthermore, to extend the distribution distance, we propose the use of dynamical decoupling in the optical fiber using half waveplates and show that significant improvement …

Examining Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, And Major Depression’S Symptom Comorbidity In Children And Adolescents: A Longintudinal Test Of The Multiple Pathway Model, Paige Picou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent in and impairing for children and adolescents and are highly comorbid. Many theories have been proposed to explain this co- occurrence, with recent models postulating multiple pathways in which specific anxiety disorders and depression may co-occur both concurrently and over time. Unfortunately, little research has evaluated these pathways longitudinally across development in a community sample. The current study tested the multiple pathway model in a sample of 9 to 12-year-old youth (Mage = 9.48, SD= 0.51) at baseline and at two-year follow-up using a subsample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development …

Mental Practice: Practical Application In Violin And Viola Private Lessons, Natasha Sieczkowska

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to better understand how violin and viola private instructors teach Mental Practice in their studios, investigating different approaches on how to apply and teach auditory, motor, and visual imagery, score study, and auditory modeling, as well as its benefits. This research was divided into two different stages. In the first stage, the researcher conducted interviews (n = 19) and collected questionnaire responses (n = 14) from 33 upper-string instructors teaching at the pre-college and collegiate levels in the US. This research stage was based on the grounded theory approach since there was not much research …

Quiet No More: An Analysis Of Women's Protest Music, Jillian Vogel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the multifaceted role of music in women’s protests, emphasizing how it serves as a unifying and rallying tool in the fight against inequality. By delving into the interdisciplinary realms of music theory, sound studies, and women’s and gender studies, this work highlights how women’s protest composers utilize musical texts and content to turn their music into a tool to inspire change. This dissertation investigates the musical structures and harmonic innovations in suffrage movement music, examining how suffragettes with varying musical knowledge engaged with music to further their cause. The suffragette music analyses combine text analysis, harmonic analysis, …

Riesz Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods, Xiongming Dai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are simulations that explore complex statistical distributions, while bypassing the cumbersome requirement of a specific analytical expression for the target. This stochastic exploration of an uncertain parameter space comes at the expense of a large number of ``burn-in'' samples, and the computational complexity leads to the curse of dimensionality. Although at the exploration level, some methods have been proposed to accelerate the convergence of the algorithm, such as tempering, Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, Rao-redwellization, and scalable methods for better performance, they cannot avoid the stochastic nature of this exploration. We develop algorithms for the energy …

Advances In Stereoselective Glycosylation: Electron-Withdrawing Groups, Benzyne-Mediated Stereoinversion, And Visible-Light Photochemistry For 1,2-Cis O-Glycosylation, Erik Giovanni Alvarez Valenzuela

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The symbiotic relationship between humans and their microbiota is essential for health, with imbalances in the complex microbiota ecosystem linked to a variety of disorders ranging from neurodegenerative to gastrointestinal diseases. Bacteria within the human microbiota, comprising over 1000 known species, are densely and diversely coated with oligosaccharides crucial for functions like cell recognition, communication, signaling, adhesion, proliferation, and pathogenic inhibition. However, studying the structure-activity relationships of these sugars which are also secreted by bacteria is challenging due to difficulties in obtaining homogenous samples from natural sources.

Chemical synthesis offers a solution by enabling the production of well-defined oligosaccharides in …

Potential Association Between Arsenic And Vitamin D, Mythri Chittilla, Chantal Uzoma, Desiree Brewer, Mohammed S. Razzaque

School of Medicine Publications

Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone that regulates calcium and phosphate homeostasis. The roles of vitamin D can be divided into skeletal and nonskeletal. Its skeletal roles include promoting calcium absorption in the intestines, maintaining adequate levels of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream, and supporting bone mineralization, thus preventing conditions such as rickets and osteoporosis. Nonskeletal roles encompass a range of functions, including immune system modulation, cardiovascular health, and cell growth regulation. Sufficient concentrations of vitamin D in the bloodstream are 20–100 ng/ml in men, women, and children, but individuals with more pigmented skin, live in environments with less …

Extracellular Vesicles, Circadian Rhythms, And Cancer: A Comprehensive Review With Emphasis On Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Baharan Fekry, Lierni Ugartemendia, Nestor F Esnaola, Laura Goetzl

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This review comprehensively explores the complex interplay between extracellular vesicles (ECVs)/exosomes and circadian rhythms, with a focus on the role of this interaction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Exosomes are nanovesicles derived from cells that facilitate intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, and RNA/DNA species. ECVs are implicated in a range of diseases, where they play crucial roles in signaling between cells and their surrounding environment. In the setting of cancer, ECVs are known to influence cancer initiation and progression. The scope of this review extends to all cancer types, synthesizing existing knowledge on the various roles …

Biophysics Of Protein-Lipid Interactions, Paula A Bender, Vasanthi Jayaraman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The biological phenomenon of protein-lipid interactions in cell membranes underlies the diversity of peripheral membrane protein function and physical properties of the membrane. To summarize novel findings in the field, this research highlight focuses on recent publications in Biophysical Journal.