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From The Goodness Of Our Hearts: A Scoping Review Of Qualitative Literature On Altruism As A Reward Mechanism For Nursing, Jacqueline Christianson, Madaline Mccarthy, Bonnie Sommers-Olson, Emily Horner, Norah L. Johnson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

Altruism, the desire to help others, is a common motivation for choosing a career in nursing. Improved understanding of the role of altruism as a reward or motivation for currently-practicing nurses may inform future interventions to improve effort-reward balance among practicing nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to collect, examine, and present literature on how altruism has been described as a reward mechanism or motivation for engaging in professional nursing.

Methods

This scoping review of literature used the Arksey & O’Malley method, PRISMA-ScR reporting checklist, and Rayyan review management platform. PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL were …

Relationship Between Turnover, And Resilience Among Critical Care Nurses In Oman. An Implication For Nursing Practice., Mohammed Qutishat

Health Professions Education

Background: Critical care nurses face numerous challenges, including increased anxiety, depression, and traumatic incidents. Workplace stress can lead to Burnout and turnover, with a significant percentage of global hospital nurses planning to leave within a year. Resilience and positive attitudes towards mental health are crucial for nurses, as they serve as societal leaders. In Oman, many nurses plan to leave their current jobs within a year, highlighting the need for healthcare organizations to create measures to avoid stressors and foster worker well-being.

Aim: To examine the relationship between turnover and resilience among critical care nurses in Oman.

Method: This study …

Beyond Weight Loss: Effects Of Trx Suspension Training Combined With Caloric Restriction On Thyroid Function And Mental Well-Being In Obese Hypothyroid Women, Siavash Naddafha, Christopher Taber

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background

The rate of metabolism decreases in hypothyroid patients; hypothyroidism is associated with body mass increases; due to this and other factors, depression, anxiety, and stress increase, which, alongside the disease state and psychological problems, causes the quality of life to suffer.

Objectives

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of caloric restriction along with TRX exercise on body mass, thyroid hormones, and psychological measures in obese and overweight women with hypothyroidism.

Methods

34 women aged 18–50 with hypothyroidism and a body mass index above 25 participated in this study. They were divided into three groups: a …

Assessment Of Serum Level Of Il-38 In Patients With Non-Segmental Vitiligo And Its Relation To Disease Severity, Zahraa Jafar Ahmed Altaitoon, Al-Shahat Farag Ahmed Sharaf, Hamdy Fouad A. Marzo, Mohammed Samir Sultan

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Vitiligo is a common autoimmune disorder (AID) characterized by extensive loss of melanocytes, causing depigmented skin patches. Interleukin-38 (IL- 38), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, has been linked to several autoimmune conditions, but its involvement in vitiligo hasn’t been confirmed. Aim: To measure serum IL-38 levels in patients with non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) and explores how these levels relate to disease severity and activity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study that included 40 patients with non-segmental vitiligo and 40 healthy individuals matched for age, sex, and BMI. Assessment of disease severity and activity was conducted by using the Vitiligo Area Scoring …

Effect Of Adenotonsillectomy On Nocturnal Enuresis In Children With Obstructive Sleeping Apnea, Ramla Dahir Hersi, Hossam El-Sayed Elsisi, Ahmed Abdoo Elzehzahy

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is the involuntary passage of urine during sleep and is a common condition in the pediatric population. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, has increasingly been identified as a significant contributing factor to NE. Previous studies indicate that children with OSA have a higher prevalence of bedwetting than their healthy counterparts.

Objective: To assess the impact of adenotonsillectomy (AT) on NE in children diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.

Methods: This prospective study enrolled 20 pediatric patients presenting with both NE and OSA secondary to severe adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Tonsillar …

Assessment Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In Pediatric Patients With End Stage Renal Diseases, Nasteho Adan Awil, Ahmed Mahmoud Elrefaey, Abdel-Hady El-Gilany Abdel-Elfattah, Heba Mohamed El-Taher

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurs when the glomerular filtration rate falls below 15 mL/min, requiring renal replacement therapy. Despite improved survival, affected children experience significant physical, emotional, and social challenges. Consequently, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is markedly reduced compared with healthy peers.

Aim: This study aimed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and to identify factors associate with the quality of life in pediatric patients with   end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Methods:  All 60 eligible children who were enrolled in the Nephrology Unit at Mansoura University Children's Hospital …

Ageing With Hiv: Epidemiological Transition, Biological Mechanisms, And The Impact Of Evolving Antiretroviral Therapy, Jude Eteneneng Enoh, Roland Tiagha Akah

Mansoura Medical Journal

The scale up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to the evolution of HIV infection into a chronic condition, leading to a rapid growth in the number of older adults with HIV. This trend involves several biological, medical, and psychological challenges that go beyond conventional HIV treatment. The current mini-review provides a summary of recent data (2014 – 2026) regarding the changing epidemiology of HIV, biological aspects of ageing, and comorbidities and health systems associated with ageing.

Ageing is driven by persistent immune activation, inflammation, immune senescence, and microbial translocation, all of which accelerate biological ageing. These biological factors lead …

A Dataset-Centric Analysis Of Evaluation Protocols In Face Morph Attack Detection, Sheerko R. Hmasalah, Abdulbasit K. Al-Talabani, Aras T. Asaad

Polytechnic Journal

Face morph attack detection (MAD) is often evaluated using datasets collected from diverse sources, created for different purposes, and acquired under varying conditions. This heterogeneity raises questions about how evaluation protocols and dataset characteristics influence reported performance. This work adopts a dataset-centric perspective to analyze the effects of evaluation protocol and dataset composition, including visual quality and morph-to-genuine imbalance, on MAD performance. Experiments are conducted on eight datasets and four morphing techniques using a fixed pipeline evaluated across six backbones, including Vision Transformer (ViT) and five CNN architectures, and ten evaluation scenarios covering homogeneous and heterogeneous cross-morph generalization. Performance is …

Autotheme: A Multi-Agent Framework For Inductive Thematic Analysis With Llms, Abdullah Wahbeh, Omar El-Gayar, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Tareq Nasralah, Ahmed Elnoshokaty

Research & Publications

Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method used to identify and interpret patterns in textual data. However, it can be time-consuming and challenging to replicate. While recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) and generative AI have enhanced thematic analysis, existing methods often rely on prompt-based interactions and require significant human intervention. This paper introduces an agentic AI framework comprising autonomous, goal-directed agents powered by LLMs to perform inductive thematic analysis with minimal human input. We evaluate the framework using a dataset from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) mobile app and compare the results with those from Latent Dirichlet Allocation …

Project Management For Blockchain: Strategic Guidance And Lessons From Practice., Cherie Noteboom, Aravindh Sekar, Deb Tech

Research & Publications

Blockchain technology (BCT) offers powerful solutions to long-standing enterprise challenges such as inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and low stakeholder trust. By enabling secure transaction tracking and real-time data sharing, BCT can improve operational accuracy, streamline workflows, and build confidence across organizational ecosystems. However, the implementation of BCT significantly transforms conventional project management strategies and practices. We propose practical recommendations for each stage of the process group of the project life cycle- Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing to meet the demands of decentralization, interoperability, and continuous ecosystem coordination inherent in the implementation of BCT projects. Grounded in practitioner …

The Datafied Child: A Systematic Literature Review And Research Agenda On Sharenting, Privacy, And Social Media., Kyle Bittle, Cherie Noteboom

Research & Publications

Sharenting, the parental practice of sharing children's personal information online, raises critical privacy, ethical, and regulatory concerns. This systematic literature review and research agenda examines how sharenting is studied, analyzing theoretical frameworks through an information systems (IS) lens. Findings identify five key themes—privacy management, identity presentation, consumer vulnerability, social influence, and parenting ethics—shaped by broader technological, social, and regulatory forces. To structure these insights, this study introduces a three-domain framework to categorize how digital infrastructures, cultural norms, and policy gaps influence sharenting behaviors. The review highlights limited IS engagement in sharenting research and underscores the need for greater focus on …

Constructing Information Systems: Technology Frames And Career Interest Among Middle School Students, Cherie Noteboom, Sai Mounika Chintalapudi

Research & Publications

The Information Systems (IS) discipline faces ongoing challenges in attracting students to the field despite its growing societal importance. Previous studies have examined how factors such as gender gaps and STEM identities shape career aspirations; however, there is limited understanding of how early interpretations of the IS discipline shape career interest. This research adapts the TFR (Technology Frames of Reference) theory to examine how middle school students develop understandings of IS. Using qualitative survey data through a deductive approach to identify the Nature of IS, the Purpose of IS, and IS-in-Use, misalignment, and career interest. Misalignment reflects limited knowledge of …

Fragmented Conceptions Of Agency In Ai-Enabled Systems: A Bibliometric Analysis Of Is Research., Cherie Noteboom, Vahini Atluri, Stephen Surles

Research & Publications

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems become increasingly embedded in organizational decision-making and work practices, Information Systems (IS) research has devoted growing attention to questions of agency: who or what acts, decides, and bears responsibility in AI-enabled contexts. However, existing scholarship examines agency across multiple parallel research streams, raising questions about how coherently the construct is theorized as AI technologies evolve. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 741 AI- and agency-related articles published between 1977 and 2025 in the AIS Senior Scholars' Basket of Journals to examine how IS research conceptualizes agency and how these conceptualizations have evolved over time. …

Drivers And Barriers To Artificial Intelligence Adoption In Agriculture: A Socio-Technical Analysis Of Midwestern United States Farmers., Abeer F. Alkhwaldi, Cherie Noteboom, Amir A. Abdulmuhsin

Research & Publications

The agricultural industry is at a critical juncture, experiencing global pressures in the form of climate volatility, a shortage of labor, and an increase in production costs. Although artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential for revolution due to its predictive analytics and self-controlled machinery, it has not achieved widespread and even distribution for use, especially among small-to-medium-sized farms in the Midwestern United States. This study formulates and empirically examines a comprehensive socio-technical model to determine the drivers and barriers to the adoption of AI in this agricultural region. Based on a synthesized framework of the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and …

Reducing Stigmatism In Suboxone Users, Jessica S. Lovelace

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose: To assess the impact of an evidence-based educational intervention to decrease provider stigma of patients on buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in a primarily rural primary care setting.

Methods: This quality improvement project used a pre- and post-intervention design to assess knowledge, attitudes, stigma, and confidence to care for patients with opioid use disorder of four providers from four rural health care facilities. The providers completed a survey before and after a 60-minute educational intervention that covered topics such as medication for opioid use disorder, patient-centered communication, and evidence-based prescribing practices for OUD. Providers were also assessed 8 weeks …

Closing The Gaps: Improving Opioid Overdose Prevention In African American Communities Through Education And Community Engagement, Tara Clinding

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

African Americans continue to experience high rates of opioid mortality, emphasizing the need for culturally relevant community education and overdose prevention strategies. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate community-based opioid overdose prevention education designed for individuals with substance use disorder, family and friends, and community members. Guided by Betty Neuman’s Model, the education focuses on recognizing opioid overdoses, administering naloxone when indicated, and identifying community treatment and recovery resources. A pre- and post-test design was used to evaluate changes in participants' knowledge and confidence following a structured educational session. …

Every Time The Beat Drops, What Does Your Heart Sing About You? Exploring Black Men’S Cardiac Health, Bianca S. Washington

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The disparities Black men continue to face in rural areas in relation to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, and cardiovascular mortality in comparison with other racial groups in the United States continue to be disproportionate. The disparities are influenced by limited access to healthcare, socioeconomic barriers, and structural racism within the health care system. Addressing these issues requires culturally tailored, evidence-based practice interventions that would help restore trust and hopefully engage patients to follow up with primary care providers and to take prescribed medication as directed for cardiovascular disease management. The purpose of this project was to examine …

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections In Patients Diagnosed With A Hematologic Malignancy, Rebecca D. Jennings

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Knowledge of nurse-sensitive indicators such as CLABSI and how they impact patient outcomes is an essential aspect of healthcare today. Hospital-acquired infections increase mortality, increase length of stay in the hospital, and increase financial burden to the patient and facility. The aim of this quality project was to provide targeted education on the impact of central line-associated bloodstream infections. Using a pre- and post-survey design, a convenience sample of staff nurses working in the hematology/oncology units of a large academic hospital participated in an education intervention focused on central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention. Knowledge scores were unaffected by the intervention. …

Implementing A Peer Support Team To Address Workplace Violence: Enhancing Healthcare Worker Well-Being And Retention, Christina Liverman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Workplace violence is a persistent challenge in healthcare and is associated with decreased psychological well-being, increased emotional distress, burnout, and staff turnover among nurses. Healthcare organizations are increasingly seeking evidence-based interventions to support employees following workplace violence incidents. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate a peer support program for medical-surgical staff following workplace violence incidents and to examine its effect on perceived psychological well-being.

A nonrandomized pre-test/post-test quality improvement design was implemented on a 38-bed medical-surgical unit in a rural community hospital. Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants were invited to …

How Educational Leaders At A Type C International School In China Understand Educational Leadership, Peter Pagett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined how educational leaders at a Type C international school in China understand educational leadership. The extensive knowledge on educational leaders identifies many important facets of this phenomenon, such as the importance of leaders focussing on mission and vision and building relationships. Current understanding also highlights the role of personal identity in influencing a leaders’ work and understandings. However, literature on educational leadership in the context of international schools is scant. Given the challenges specific to international education such as culture shock, transience and isolation there is a need to conduct more research into these types of schools. …

Perceived Barriers To Physical Activity And Campus Recreation Facility Usage In College Students Referred Or Not Referred To An Exercise Is Medicine® On Campus Program, Benjamin M. Colbert

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 36-50% of college students are inactive and report numerous barriers to being physically active. Physical activity (PA) barriers are any obstacle an individual believes affects their PA participation. Individuals who perceive more barriers are less likely to participate in PA and as such, interventions that target barriers may increase PA participation. Exercise is Medicine^® on Campus (EIM-OC) is one intervention that may improve PA levels on college campuses by reducing barriers. The purpose of this study was to document PA and campus recreation facility barriers in university students and examine the influence of an individualized EIM-OC intervention …

Informing Policies: Examining Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing The Prevalence Of Gender-Based Violence, Patricia M. Ebubechukwu

Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing policy attention and legal reforms, Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a persistent public health and human rights concern in Nigeria. This study examines the socio-cultural influences on the prevalence of gender-based violence among ever-married women in Nigeria using data from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Drawing on a nationally representative sample of 19,863 women aged 15 to 49, the research investigates how geopolitical zone, internalized gender norms, religious affiliation, educational attainment, and household wealth shape women’s experiences of physical, sexual, and emotional IPV. Guided by social norms theory and the ecological model of violence, the …

Elite Cues Vs. Economic Vulnerabilities: What Explains Isolationist Foreign Policy Attitudes Among Americans?, Sabyasachi Karmaker

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines whether contemporary isolationist foreign policy attitudes among Americans are better explained by elite political cues or by economic vulnerabilities. Using data from the 2024 American National Election Study (ANES), the study also examines which mechanism holds more explanatory power in shaping isolationist views. The findings show that both elite cues and economic vulnerabilities are associated with isolationist attitudes, but elite cues have greater explanatory power. These results suggest that contemporary American isolationism is more strongly associated with political identity and elite messaging than with economic hardship alone.

Building Resilience And Academic Belonging Through An Educational Intervention For Latine Families, Britney Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

Latine students continue to experience disparities in college persistence and completion despite the growing rate of enrollment in higher education. Previous research has focused on the importance of family involvement, culturally responsive programming, and the sense of belonging for Latine students. However, continued research is needed to better understand how family-centered programs support both Latine youths’ sense of belonging and their perceived preparedness for college. This study focuses on how participation in the Juntos Para Una Mejor Educación program relates to Latine youths’ sense of belonging and perceived preparedness for college, as well as how family expectations shape these outcomes. …

Thinking Machines: Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence, And Technological Anxiety In The American Cold War, Erin Mae Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Following the Second World War, cybernetics emerged as a cross-disciplinary study in philosophy, neurophysiology, electrical engineering, and mathematics. Cyberneticists proposed the formal study of the man-machine analogy; that is, to equate biological structures to a complex mechanical system. Drawing from this analogy, cyberneticists used programmable digital computers to emulate the functions of the human brain. The study of artificial intelligence emerged within this cybernetic discourse in the early 1950s; yet, by the mid-1960s, the two disciplines suffered a methodological fracture. Drawing from a tradition generated by this fracture, historians have traditionally examined cybernetics and artificial intelligence in isolation from one …

Framing Belonging And Exclusion: A Dialogic Narrative Analysis Of English- And Spanish-Language Immigration Coverage During The Trump 2024 Presidential Election, Evangeline T. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

I investigated how English- and Spanish-language news outlets narratively constructed Latinx immigrants during the Trump 2024 presidential campaign, a period marked by heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric and political volatility. While past scholarships examined immigration framing through tone, sentiment, or frequency analysis, limited attention has been given to the deeper narrative structures that shape public meaning-making. This study addresses this gap by applying Dialogic Narrative Analysis (DNA) and Critical Thematic Analysis (CTA) to a bilingual dataset of 120 newspaper articles from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, El Diario, and La Opinión published between November 2024 and February 2025.

Findings reveal …

Secret-Keeping Experiences Of Young Adults, Jace C. Griffith

Theses and Dissertations

In 2020, researchers Frijns et al. called for a new wave of secret-keeping research which prioritized the person-centric experience of youth keeping secrets. This study added to that collection by comparing two kinds of secret-keeping which are not compared in existing research: secrets which are related to abuse, and secrets which are not. Researchers in the field of child welfare study only abuse-related secret-keeping, almost always qualitatively. Alternatively, researchers of non-abuse secret-keeping or general secret-keeping collect almost entirely quantitative data, absent of the personal experience of secret-keeping.

Through an online survey, 205 undergraduate students were asked to reflect on an …

From Deference To Dialogue: How International Gtas From High Power Distance Cultures Adapt To U.S. Classroom Dynamics, Deborah Akua Afi Appiah

Theses and Dissertations

International graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from high power distance cultures play a significant role in undergraduate education at U.S. universities, yet they face challenges that go well beyond language proficiency. Coming from educational backgrounds where teacher authority is unquestioned and hierarchical, these GTAs must navigate American classrooms that operate on fundamentally different assumptions, where authority is earned rather than assumed, informality is the norm, and students expect to question, negotiate, and be personally known by their instructors. The present study examined how eighteen (18) international GTAs from seven (7) high power distance countries perceived and adapted to these differences while …

The Effects Of Personality Traits On Relationship Satisfaction Among Romantic Partners In Ghana, Emmanuel Owusu

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the associations of personality traits, as conceptualized by the five- factor model, on relationship satisfaction among individuals in romantic relationships in Ghana. The research explored how individuals’ self-reported traits and their perceptions of their partners’ personality traits are associated with relationship satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected through an online questionnaire administered via Qualtrics. Participants consisted of adults residing in Ghana, most of whom were involved in romantic relationships. After data screening procedures, 149 usable responses were included in the analysis.

Self-reported personality traits were measured using the Big Five Inventory – …

Built Different: Place, Identity, And The Holistic Well-Being Of Female Student Athletes, Jaye Mack

Theses and Dissertations

This research furthers the conversation surrounding holistic female student-athlete wellness, recognizing that their experiences can be inequitable – influenced by the intersectionality of race, gender, and athletic identity (Armstrong et al., 2018; Druckman et al., 2018; Neeley et al., 2021). This research accredits the physical environments where athletes train, recover, and connect as an underexplored factor in holistic well-being.

The Indivisible Self Model of Wellness (IS-WEL) was used to (1) explore the influence of physical design features on female student athletes' holistic well-being and (2) understand how their identity shapes how they experience and attach meaning to their team environments. …