Digital Commons Network^™

Does Treatment At A Level I Trauma Center Reduce Disparities In Patient Outcomes For Open Tibia Fractures?, Nicholas Zingas, Lily R. Mundy, Md, Ronnie L. Shammas, Md, Tracy Truong, Ms, Sarah B. Peskoe, Phd, Scott T. Hollenbeck, Md, Mark J. Gage, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims: Do Level I trauma centers improve outcomes in patients shown to be at high risk of experiencing adverse outcomes due to differences in race and insurance status?

Inpatient Management Of Delirium, Nicolas Gordon, Md, Chantel Venkataraman, Md, Vinay Rao, Md, Benjamin Claxton, Md Mph, Lauren Lally, Md, Danielle Fitzpatrick, Md, Shuji Mitsuhashi, Md, Michelle Perkons, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

This project will improve inpatient delirium treatment, with the aim of reducing use of nonviolent restraints by 10% on a single inpatient unit over a 3-month period.

Improving Resident Continuity Clinic Efficiency, Victor S. Wang, Md, Karina Burda, Md, Megan Super, Md, Tzu-Ying Chuang, Md, Phd, Michelle Braslavsky, Do, Anna Volski, Md, Jessica Yi, Md, Ericka Wong, Md, Melissa Heiry, Md, Dhanashri Miskin, Md, Nina Martinez, Md, Anh-Thu Vu, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: By May2022, the Neurology Resident Continuity Clinic will improve the times to start staffing patients by 20%.

Evaluation Of Specialty Pharmacy Productivity Metrics To Create An Updated Standardized Productivity Tool, David Kim, Adam Saulles, Ryan Bradley

Providence Pharmacy PGY1 Program at Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent Medical Centers 2022

No abstract provided.

Structure Of Number Theoretic Graphs, Lee Trent

Mathematical Sciences Technical Reports (MSTR)

The tools of graph theory can be used to investigate the structure
imposed on the integers by various relations. Here we investigate two
kinds of graphs. The first, a square product graph, takes for its vertices
the integers 1 through n, and draws edges between numbers whose product
is a square. The second, a square product graph, has the same vertex set,
and draws edges between numbers whose sum is a square.
We investigate the structure of these graphs. For square product
graphs, we provide a rather complete characterization of their structure as
a union of disjoint complete graphs. For …

Amphiphilic Cyclic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Tryptophan And Arginine As Anticancer Agents And Drug Delivery System, Khalid Zoghebi

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Amphiphilic cyclic cell-penetrating peptides composed of an increasing number of alternative tryptophan (W) and arginine (R) were synthesized and evaluated as a molecular transporter and for their ability to deliver doxorubicin (Dox) and large molecular weight molecules, such as siRNA and proteins. We prepared a cyclic peptide containing alternative tryptophan (W) and arginine (R) residues and a lysine containing a free side chain amino group. Cyclic peptide [(WR)8WK βA] was conjugated through the free side chain amino group of β-alanine with Dox via a glutarate linker to afford [(WR)8WK]bA-Dox conjugate. The conjugate inhibited the cell viability of ovarian adenocarcinoma (SK-OV-3) …

Race, Gender, And Socioeconomic Status Predicting Reading Achievement For Arkansas Delta Students In Grades 6-8, Cedric E. Hawkins

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the predictive effects of race, gender, and SES on reading achievement for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in the Arkansas Delta. A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze the data. Predictor variables for each hypothesis were race, gender, and SES. The criterion variable was reading achievement for Grades 6, 7, and 8. The sample included 450 individual students from three participating schools located in the Arkansas Delta. The results were analyzed by examining the combination of predictor variables. Also, each predictor variable was examined individually to ascertain how much the predictor …

A Longitudinal Study Of High School Success, College Readiness, And College Success Among High School Students, Coniell Bursac

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to use the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 data set, a nationally representative and longitudinal study of high school students, to determine if the combination of Goals and Expectations, Outcomes and Measures, Pathways and Supports, and Resources and Structures strands of the Organizer Model significantly predict high school success, college readiness, and college success among high school students in the United States. Second, this study was to determine if high school success and college readiness significantly mediate the effects of mentioned strands on college success while controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and geo regional characteristics. …

Repeated Targets Of Natural Selection During Ecological Transitions Of Fish Across Salinity Boundaries, Jonathan P. Velotta, Stephen D. Mccormick, Andrew Whitehead, Catherine S. Durso, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Ecological transitions across salinity boundaries have led to some of the most important diversification events in the animal kingdom, especially among fishes. Adaptations accompanying such transitions include changes in morphology, diet, whole-organism performance, and osmoregulatory function, which may be particularly prominent since divergent salinity regimes make opposing demands on systems that maintain ion and water balance. Research in the last decade has focused on the genetic targets underlying such adaptations, most notably by comparing populations of species that are distributed across salinity boundaries. Here, we synthesize research on the targets of natural selection using whole-genome approaches, with a particular emphasis …

Halodash: The Deep And Shallow History Of Aquatic Life's Passages Between Marine And Freshwater Habitats, Eric T. Schultz, Lisa Park Boush

EEB Articles

This series of papers highlights research into how biological exchanges between salty and freshwater habitats have transformed the biosphere. Life in the ocean and in freshwaters have long been intertwined; multiple major branches of the tree of life originated in the oceans and then adapted to and diversified in freshwaters. Similar exchanges continue to this day, including some species that continually migrate between marine and fresh waters. The series addresses key themes of transitions, transformations, and current threats with a series of questions: When did major colonizations of fresh waters happen? What physiographic changes facilitated transitions? What organismal characteristics facilitate …

Associations Of Dynamic Driving Pressure And Mechanical Power With Postoperative Pulmonary Complications-Posthoc Analysis Of Two Randomised Clinical Trials In Open Abdominal Surgery., Michiel T. U. Schuijt, Liselotte Hol, Sunny G. Nijbroek, Sanchit Ahuja, David Van Meenen, Guido Mazzinari, Sabrine Hemmes, Thomas Bluth, Lorenzo Ball, Marcelo Gama-De Abreu, Paolo Pelosi, Marcus J. Schultz, Ary Serpa Neto

Anesthesiology Articles

Background: While an association of the intraoperative driving pressure with postoperative pulmonary complications has been described before, it is uncertain whether the intraoperative mechanical power is associated with postoperative pulmonary complications.

Methods: Posthoc analysis of two international, multicentre randomised clinical trials (ISRCTN70332574 and NCT02148692) conducted between 2011-2013 and 2014-2018, in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery comparing the effect of two different positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels on postoperative pulmonary complications. Time-weighted average dynamic driving pressure and mechanical power were calculated for individual patients. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for confounders was used to assess the independent associations of driving …

Response: In And Out Of The Game, As Usual, Steven E. Jones

English Faculty Publications

In this response article, I revisit the idea of paratext in video games. I start, however, with the example of a book by Tolstoy, and the textual studies work of McKenzie and McGann, in order to make the point that paratextuality has never been limited to Genette’s rigid definition, even in the case of print texts. Video games foreground what has always been the case: the dynamic, volatile, multidirectional nature of paratexts, which can take you into but also out of the enclosure of the main text (or “game itself”) in unexpected ways. Illustrations include Animal Crossing: New Horizons and …

Mapping And Making Meaning From Undergraduate Student Engagement In High-Impact Educational Practices, Bridget G. Trogden, Cazembe Kennedy, Nathan K. Biyani

Publications

Institutions of higher education often have multiple entry points for first-time and transfer college students to engage in high-impact educational practices (HIPs), well documented to advance student learning outcomes. Some students may seek out repeated opportunities while others engage very little or not at all in activities such as student-faculty research, study abroad, internships, first-year cohort programs, service-learning, and the like. When institutions maintain decentralized data and records on students’ participation, obtaining a true understanding of the "who, what, when, and where" of HIPs can be difficult. In this paper, we present an institutional strategy for longitudinal collection of data …

The Shape Of Things: A Theatrical Examination Of The Progression Of Emotional Manipulation, Kylee Lorio

Honors Projects

In Neil LaBute's work, The Shape of Things, graduate art student Evelyn Thompson meets security guard and future muse, Adam Sorenson, in an art museum during his late-night shift. Their meeting poses the question of just how far humans are willing to go for love. In less than two hours, LaBute’s insight regarding manipulation between intimate partners calls the integrity of our own interpersonal relationships into question. This project encapsulates the materials of Bridgewater College student Kylee Lorio while directing this production during the Covid-19 pandemic.

How Flow Regime Affects Predator-Prey Relationships Of Stream Darter And Shiner Species, Anna E. Richardson

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Analysis of the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors of environments and ecosystems is a highly valued area of research. This study focuses on the interactions between the biotic component of predation and foraging of certain stream fish species and the abiotic component of the flow regime that those species reside in. Gut content analysis followed by statistical calculations in the form of t-tests and chi -quared tests were performed on two fish species who both inhabited a stream with a groundwater flashy flow regime as well as a stream with a runoff flashy flow regime. The research showed that …

Evaluation Of Selected Nuproxa Feed Additives For Protection Against Lameness And Improving The Wellbeing Of Broilers In A Lameness Challenge Model, Jaren Hernandez

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

A common concern in commercial industries profiting from broiler chickens is their inability to yield a completely healthy flock. Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis poses a threat to these companies by impairing the birds' proximal and distal tibial and femoral heads. In 2000, roughly 17.3% of broiler chickens were affected by Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis which caused a substantial economic loss in the industry (McNammee et al., 2000). BCO cannot be tied to a particular bacterial species; this experiment focuses on evaluating the efficacy of certain commercial feed additives while determining the bacterial species causing BCO in this set of the …

The Woman Behind The Glass: Representation Of Prehistoric Women And Gender In Museum Exhibits, Megan Rose Rodriguez

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This thesis investigates and analyzes the ways in which Texas museums represent women and gender in prehistoric human exhibits and how this relates to the manner in which modern women view their own past. This study aims to assess human evolution exhibits and their depictions of gender in prehistoric populations, especially images and portrayals of social groups and gender roles. This was done through in-person assessment of the ways in which humans were depicted in exhibits by means of photographing the exhibits and observing the physical appearance and activity of the humans depicted. The study found that Texas museums present …

An Analysis Of Suicide Coercion, Melissa Yvonne Horton

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This paper aims to define and understand the linguistic mechanisms behind incidents of suicide coercion. This is accomplished through case studies where there are sufficient records of the incidents that can give insight into the language the perpetrators used. Using well-established research on coercion in a general sense, this paper adjusts those ideas to specifically describe suicide coercion. To do this, quotes from each incident are broken down using speech-act theory to study the effect of the words on the listener, the perlocutionary acts of the perpetrator. This approach shows promising applications including legislating effective laws that target suicide coercion.

An Explainable Artificial Intelligence Approach To Convolutional Neural Network Optimization And Understanding, Nicholas Laudermilk

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) show promise for the technology’s use in widespread biomedical applications. As these models grow more complex, understanding how they work becomes increasingly more difficult. To use these systems in the healthcare setting, it is imperative to reduce model ambiguity and increase user trust in their decision-making. Explainable AI (XAI) techniques were used to optimize the development of a super-resolution convolutional neural network (SRCNN). Image augmentation was performed on the training data, and k-fold cross-validation was used to obtain more reliable metrics. Activation maps were used to show the output of each convolutional layer, and the …

Circadian Rhythm And Exercises: How Time Of Day Effects Physiological Variables Responsible For Exercise Performance, Chidozie C. Nwankwo

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

In contemporary physiology, the circadian rhythm influences more than the neurotransmitters melatonin and cortisol. Monitored from hypothalamic pacemakers and suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), metabolic and physiological structures are under a biomolecular schedule. Likewise, peripheral tissues are coordinated through the hormonal, autonomic, and behavior stimuli that direct the metabolic processes that occur in the skeletomuscular system. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the time of day could significantly affect the metabolic response to an anaerobic capacity test. Subjects had weight, height, and body fat percentage (BF%) recorded before the Wingate Anaerobic Test. Resting blood lactic levels were documented …

A Study Of Vortex And Vorticity In A Laminar Flow, Aayush Bhattarai

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Vortices are ubiquitous in nature. From kitchen sinks to galaxies, they can be found everywhere. Usually, the swirling motion of fluids comes to mind when one thinks of vortices. Being significantly important in various fields such as engineering, physics, chemistry, and aerospace, it has been extensively studied for centuries. Still, we do not have an unambiguous and universally accepted definition of a vortex. Often vorticity is used to describe the vortex, which is accurate for rigid body rotation; however, this explanation is simply not true for the fluid flow in the boundary layer. For fluid rotation, pure shear deformation needs …

Testing For Transfer Of Learning In Educational Palliative Care Vr Simulation, Alexis Lueckenhoff

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Because palliative care scenarios are difficult to simulate, a VR simulation including four unique end-of-life scenarios is developed to provide more experience to nursing students before graduating and completing tasks in the field. Such applications have a wide range of possible inputs, making them difficult to test. However, testing is essential to ensure that a product meets its original requirements in addition to achieving its intended purpose of transfer of learning. Thus, a testing strategy is proposed to assess validity and fidelity of the simulation using both objective and subjective means. The performance of both nursing students and experts will …

Doctor-Patient Real Time Chat Application, Sri Subhash Pathuri

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

During the pandemic, the majority of the working population spent most of their time doing sedentary desk jobs. As a result, they may have developed inadequate spine posture, which can cause profound implications such as back pain if not corrected at an early stage. Implementation of machine learning and computer vision has allowed us to capture and analyze video input from the user’s cellphone to remind them whenever they are not in the correct position. To further support users, a chat feature has been implemented through which the users can quickly get in touch with orthopedic experts for evaluation and …

The Impact Of Anxiety On Birth Perception Among Postpartum Hispanic Adolescents, Analee Issa Gonzalez

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Anxiety is a common mental health disorder in the postpartum population that may severely impact birth perception. Using a secondary analysis, this descriptive study explored the contribution of anxiety and two confounding variables, unplanned pregnancy and parity, on the Hispanic adolescents’ birth perception. Results from 183 adolescents, 13 -19 years of age, revealed that parity and a self-rating of feeling anxious correlated with a negative birth perception. Unplanned pregnancy had no significant correlation on birth perception in this population. We suggest that certain risk factors may place adolescents at risk for experiencing a negative birth perception. Results of this study …

Simulated Blood Glucose Meter Design For Educational Simulation In Healthcare, Mayur Bhakta

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

A commonly performed point-of-care test is the measurement of a patient’s blood glucose, a process currently practiced in healthcare simulation with minimal realism at UTA’s Smart Hospital. Training of healthcare professionals involves essential skill development and proficiency, which cannot be done effectively with low-fidelity props. A device was developed with consideration of the types of scenarios run at the facility and coded to be prototyped with Arduino. The device’s circuit setup and function were simulated using Tinkercad to assess the desired output values in the three glucose ranges: hypoglycemic, normal, and hyperglycemic. Successful generation of random glucose readings in these …

Marrying Strangers: Arranged Marriages And Picture Brides In The Us, 1875-1943 And 1990-Present, Michelle Kh Nguyen

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This paper examines the historical phenomenon of picture or mail-order marriages during two periods; the first period is the era of Asian exclusion at the turn of the twentieth century and the second period is the rise of online dating at the turn of the twenty-first century. This research project examines oral testimonies, government reports, and products of popular culture to suggest that women have used their own agency to make these marriages beneficial as often as the marriages have been exploitative. In the era of Chinese exclusion, marriages help to sustain Asian communities especially in light of serious racial …

How Wag31 Affects The Growth Of The Mycobacterial Cell Wall, Parthvi Patel

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, kills over a million people worldwide each year. To understand how mycobacterial cells grow, we are studying growth in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis. The mycobacterial cell wall has asymmetrical polar growth. The insertion of new peptidoglycan near the cell poles accounts for the growth of the cell wall. The wag31 gene in Mycobacterium smegmatis cells was mutated, and different mutations were used to evaluate the function of Wag31. The strains were stained with HADA staining the peptidoglycan and Syto-24 staining the DNA of the bacteria. The bacteria were then observed under the …

Academic Stress And Extracurriculars: An Examination Of In-Group Identification, Participation Motivation, And Stress In College, Rebecca Roten

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Academic stress is a common feature of college life, but excessive stress can have negative effects on academic outcomes, health, and general well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between academic stress and factors of extracurricular participation, including in-group identification, participation time, and participation motivation. It was hypothesized that higher in-group identification and internal motivation would relate to lower academic stress. A sample of undergraduate college students (n = 296) completed a survey consisting of an academic stress scale and a series of question about their extracurricular participation. Academic stress was not associated with any of …

Mental Health In Historically Black Communities: The Role Of Local Non-Profits, Cindy N. Ledat

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This study examined the role that local non-profit organizations play in bridging the gap to mental healthcare services in historically Black communities. With a focus on the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, semi-structured interviews were gathered from participants working for local non-profit organizations, specifically those that connect the community to mental health services. Utilizing a phenomenological approach to qualitative analysis, the key themes that emerged were those of combatting shame, building trust, and engaging with community stakeholders. Additionally, there were themes of helplessness in the face of systemic barriers as well as empathy towards a participant’s cultural community. Though …

Learning-Based Minimum Time-Energy Path Planning Through Integral Reinforcement Learning For A Multivehicle Nonlinear System Subject To Unknown Disturbances And Collision Avoidance, Evanns Gabriel Morales

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The path planning problem is crucial in the field of autonomous navigation. By applying integral reinforcement learning, it is possible not just to create a system that iteratively improves upon itself in pursuit of a target destination for a vehicle but also achieves optimality with respect to desired parameters such as minimal time and energy expenditures. The challenge of solving the reinforcement learning problem with a nonlinear system is addressed with two neural networks - one for the actor portion of the reinforcement learning problem and one for the critic portion. This project explores the minimum-time energy path planning problem …