Digital Commons Network^™

Nursing Burnout: Decreasing Burnout And Increasing Job Satisfaction, Andrew Miller

University Honors College

The field of nursing is facing a crisis of suffering from a major shortage due to the rising incidences of burnout among nurses. Nurses are important to the world of healthcare, and patients cannot receive the care that they need without nurses. Burnout has been an issue within nursing for a long time now, and it is getting worse with a decrease in new graduates going into nursing and current nurses leaving after years of working in the field. After a deeper dive into the issue, there are a lot of factors that contribute to burnout, and it seems to …

Cannabis: Its Benefits And Risks, Becca Bischoff

University Honors College

Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that comes from the cannabis plant that has been used medicinally and recreationally for decades. With cannabis becoming legalized in more and more states, it is important to know its e*ects, whether they are good or bad. However, there are most benefits to using cannabis as its properties can help treat various diseases and conditions. Using cannabis can not only be beneficial to the individual who is using it but also to the state that legalized it. Various questions arise from cannabis use, including, how does it help manage pain or other conditions? What makes …

The Flutie Effect At Indiana State, Blake Simpson

University Honors College

Indiana State University has recently had a surge of success in their men's basketball program, bringing attention to the school that it has never seen in the era of social media. This success has led to a massive increase in undergraduate applications to the school, a result from the spotlight being on the team all last season and new people wanting to experience it. This is called the Flutie effect and dates back to 1984 when Doug Flutie was a football player at Boston College. We will look at the origins of the first Flutie effect and how much it …

The Marketplace Of Ideas Quenched: Examination Of Christological Conflicts, And Their Outcomes, In The Early Christian Church, Brent Monnett

University Honors College

The first four centuries of church history were largely dominated by a diverse mix of philosophical arguments, theological debates, and seemingly intractable conflicts over the nature of Christ and his person. The paper presented here will endeavor to examine these through multiple lenses of understanding, historical, political, geographical, and theological. Perhaps the most defining conflicts of this period of upheaval were the gnostic controversy of the 2nd century, followed by the Arian controversy of the 4th century A.D (Pagels, 1974, & Haas, 1993). The theological kerfuffle's over Christ and his humanity considered against his deity were every bit as sociopolitical …

True Crime Obsession: Analyzing The Effects Of True Crime Media From The Past To The Present, Brianna Nirtaut

University Honors College

True crime media has affected the way people perceive the true crime genre from the 1500s until the present day. This thesis will first introduce the popularity of true crime media and describe the important role that true crime plays in today’s society. Historical examples of true crime depictions will be outlined in the first section to display how the true crime obsession has been prevalent for centuries and how the examples compare to present day depictions. Once the history of true crime media is understood, the ethical boundaries that should be kept by podcast hosts and documentary directors is …

Pcos: Comparing Inositol Supplementation To Metformin Treatment, Caitlin Liechti-Hawkins

University Honors College

The purpose of this literature review is to compare the viability of inositol versus metformin for the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The research outlines the criteria for diagnosis and the many symptoms associated with the condition. The aim is to discover if inositol should be recommended for PCOS symptoms as a replacement for metformin. It was found that safety and popularity of the two options were important factors for physicians and patients to consider before choosing a treatment. Within these scopes, adverse effects, costs, regulation, and belief of treatment were compared. Findings indicated that inositol supplementation may possibly …

Financial Literacy: Should It Be Included In High School Curriculum?, Callie Devore

University Honors College

In this paper, there will be a discussion as to why financial literacy classes should be included in high school curriculum. There is a significant issue between lacking financial knowledge and being able to perform financially smart. Throughout this paper, there will be examples of the basic knowledge that adults struggle to understand and how this results in several consequences. These consequences are in several categories such as debt, poor credit scores, a financial generation gap, and the loss of opportunities. There is also a discrepancy with financial illiteracy and different identities such as race, socioeconomic class, and even age. …

Architects Of Influence: Pioneers Who Shaped Today's Architecture, Carlynn Olinger

University Honors College

Architecture is a world that many people take advantage of and don’t understand the complexity behind it. There are many people in history who made a path for the way the world functions today, some of these people are architects. There are five men specifically: Antoni Gaudi, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Meis Van Der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Louis Kahn, who pioneered the way for technology, education, aesthetics, and functionality of architecture. By researching we can learn who they were, what they did, and how they did it. Each one of these architects had different struggles, goals, backgrounds, and ideas. …

The Effects Of High And Low Corporate Income Tax: Comparing And Contrasting, Catherine Petit

University Honors College

As the first federal tax was created in 1861 leading to the corporate tax rate being put in place, it is important to understand where the corporate income tax comes from and how it is used within corporations is a common matter that Americans may have now analyzed closely. From how the government spends the additional revenue after the corporate income tax is paid to how large corporations prepare for the upcoming financial period. This is a topic that is used in one's everyday life. This paper will analyze what the government does with the extra revenue when the corporate …

From Classroom To Cell: A Call To Action For Educational Reform, Draylen Akers

University Honors College

The “school-to-prison pipeline” (SPP) refers to the policies, practices, and attitudes that push the United States’ most vulnerable schoolchildren out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system. This correlation shows a disturbing trend of incarceration CLASSROOM TO CELL: CALL FOR REFORM AKERS 3 instead of education (ACLU, 2008). The link between school and incarceration is present in most physical and social institutions, creating a widespread and intersectional injustice. To create more targeted and holistic reform, this paper will concentrate on the education institution and crucial social structures like socioeconomic status (SES), family stability, and community support. Additionally, reviewing …

Uncovering The Dark Side Of Technology: Exploring The Connection Of Conflict Minerals, Child Labor, And The Global Supply Chain In The Electronics Industry, Dylan Maupin

University Honors College

A topic that has recently come to light over the past few years is the conflicts with the electronics supply chain. With the increasing amount of technology, people are wanting more and more electronic devices that satisfy all their needs and make their lives easier. With this increase in demand for these devices, minerals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are being sourced at a rapid rate. This leads to conflicts within the supply chain as the minerals are being sourced from countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo where minerals are being mined by children and women …

Problems And Possibilities: Public Online Learning And How Universal Design For Learning Mitigates Its Unique Challenges, Emma Mclaughlin

University Honors College

While online learning has been around for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic thrust it upon nearly every student enrolled in the public education system in America. For some students, this style of self-regulated learning is perfect for personalizing the curriculum to better pace, instruct, and implement content based on their individual needs. However, as the pandemic showed both students and teachers, children who are not cognitively developed enough to handle independent learning severely struggle to learn without the presence of a physical instructor. Despite these struggles from thousands of teachers and students, online learning is here to stay as administrators and …

Keratin-Based Film: Waste To Bioplastic, Emma Bond

University Honors College

The solution to plastic lies in alternative materials, like bioplastics. One such possibility is keratin-based films. They are made from sources that are already deemed to be waste and that all regions of the world are abundant in. Manufacturing values a one-size-fits-all solution and keratin being plentiful worldwide fulfills that set standard. The films’ properties, which are important to the basic needs of a package, vary with different additives and the type of keratin used. α-keratin and β-keratin have different strengths and are found in nature in different sources. The resource focused on was chicken feathers, which produce more β-keratin …

Introduction To Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy In A Geochemical Setting, Evan Mack

University Honors College

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful analytical tool that is heavily employed in organic chemistry, but lacks use in geochemistry. The technique is most useful for characterization and structural analysis of analytes, but also sees use in kinetics analysis, speciation, and detection. This work aims to answer these questions regarding NMR spectroscopy’s use in geochemical settings: Which nuclei are studied? For what purposes is each nucleus studied? What affects the scope of the technique and has caused it to not be widely used? How often is NMR spectroscopy used? What trends are there in the technique’s use? The …

The Female Athlete Triad: Understanding The Why And How, Haley Chaney

University Honors College

The Female Athlete Triad consists of 3 disorders that do not necessarily have to happen in a specific order. The 3 disorders that form the Female Athlete Triad are amenorrhea, eating disorder (which coincides with low energy levels), and/or bone mineral density (osteoporosis). An athlete will most likely experience these disorders in a “slippery slope” metaphor, if you will, which we will dive deeper into later in this paper.

Investigating Outcomes Of Emerging Treatments For Cerebral Palsy, Hannah Halt

University Honors College

Cerebral palsy presents a complex neurological challenge affecting movement and posture, with significant implications for individuals' quality of life. This essay provides a thorough examination of cerebral palsy, covering its prevalence, types, and associated health conditions. It explores current treatment modalities, including constraint-induced therapy, gaitfocused physical therapy, and cell-based therapies, highlighting their effectiveness and cost considerations. Ethical dilemmas in stem cell research for cerebral palsy are being discussed, alongside ongoing clinical trials and their potential impact. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this essay sheds light on the evolving landscape of cerebral palsy treatment, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention …

The Diet As Medicine: The Power Of Lifestyle Habits To Control Autoimmune Diseases, Jacob Huber

University Honors College

Autoimmune diseases are a family of conditions that result from a malfunction in the immune system. The immune system mistakenly targets healthy tissue in the body, causing severe inflammation and pain in the part that it targets. While research of the diseases has come a long way, there are still a lot of questions unanswered about their origins and treatments. There are no known cures for any of the over 80 identified diseases, and treatment involves reducing the conditions activity to as low as possible. Still, autoimmune patients often live with constant levels of discomfort and impaired quality of life. …

Exploring The Experiences Of African American Middle School Stem Teachers, Stephen J. Minter

All Dissertations

As society is continuously in a space of changing politics and social structure, the educational landscape continues to be plagued by several inconvenient truths for African American educators. One truth is the lack of representation of African American teachers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas. In a 2016 USDE report titled The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator, the report indicated that in the 2011-2012 school year, White educators made up 82% of the teachers in the nation.

Teachers often bring their life experiences, cultures and ideologies into their classrooms and campuses painting them with their assumptions …

Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference, 21 - 23 May 2024

Indigenous Science Network

The First Nations University of Canada, File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, and University of Regina partnered to host the 2024 Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference, held on Treaty 4 territory, the homelands of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda peoples, and the Michif/Métis nation. The overarching theme of the conference was evidence-based approaches to Indigenous Knowledge and Science. Conference sessions included authentic and inclusive approaches to discovery and teaching; engaging youth in STEM; Indigenous engagement with water, land, and the environment; and relationships, partnerships, and sharing knowledges in a good way.

May 2024 Ppc Update, Michelle Turvey-Welch, Jennifer Zuccaro

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Understanding Inpatient Diagnostic Imaging Use In Children’S Hospitals To Prioritize Stewardship Efforts, Megan Collins, Matt Hall, John R. Stephens, Jessica Markham

Posters

Background: Healthcare waste, including overuse of treatments or testing such as unnecessary diagnostic imaging, has estimated annual costs of over $760 billion in the United States. The most prevalent and costly imaging studies among hospitalized children are not known. Objective: To describe diagnostic imaging studies among hospitalized children with the highest prevalence, cost, rates of repetition, and hospital variation to help inform de-implementation efforts. Design/Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of children <18 years of age hospitalized from 1/1/2021 to 12/31/2022 across 45 hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System. We identified all radiologic imaging for inpatient and observation encounters using billing codes. We grouped images by modality and body location, and excluded images classified as other/unspecified body location. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to measure variation across hospitals in imaging use after adjusting for age and severity. Higher numbers indicate a higher degree of variation. Results: We identified 1,523,343 encounters; 59.1% had diagnostic imaging (Table 1). The most prevalent diagnostic imaging studies were chest x-ray (XR), abdominal XR, and echocardiogram. The images most frequently repeated were chest XR, echocardiogram, and abdominal XR. The costliest individual diagnostic imaging studies were echocardiogram, chest XR, and head/brain MRI (Table 2). Although chest XR was among the least expensive imaging modalities per unit cost, given the high prevalence of use and repeat use it was one of the costliest tests overall. Head US, interventional XR, and abdominal US had the highest variability of use between hospitals (Table 2, Figure). Conclusion(s): Chest XR and echocardiograms were among the most prevalent, costly, and frequently repeated imaging studies. Abdominal XR, abdominal ultrasound, bone/joint XR, head/brain CT, and head/brain MRI were high in both prevalence and cost among hospitalized children. Five of the 10 most commonly used imaging techniques and four of the 10 most commonly repeated imaging techniques expose children to ionizing radiation. These results could help identify areas that should be targeted to reduce radiation exposure, improve care, and decrease costs for hospitalized children.

The Association Of Season Of Surgery And Patient Reported Outcomes Following Total Hip Arthroplasty, Catherine M. Call, Andrew Lachance, Zachary Radford, Henry Stoddard, Callahan Sturgeon, George Babikian, Adam Rana, Brian J. Mcgrory

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Introduction

• Understanding the impact of situational variables on surgical recovery can improve outcomes in total hip arthroplasty (THA).

• Literature examining hospital outcomes by season remains inconclusive, with limited focus on patient experience.

• The aim of this study was to investigate if there were differences in hospital and patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMS) after THA depending on the season in an area with 4 distinct seasons.

Machine Learning Approaches For Neurological Risk Stratification Within 6 Hours Of Cardiac Arrest, Richard R. Riker, Qingchu Jin, Hunter Williams, Teresa May, David Seder, Raimond L. Winslow

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background:

• Prognostication of neurological outcome should be delayed at least 72 hours after cardiac arrest. Early stratification of risk severity provides important information enabling improved medical decision making, research enrollment, and precision medicine approaches.

• We propose that electroencephalography (EEG)-derived indices are valid biomarkers of severity of neurological injury very early after cardiac arrest.

• This study was designed to assess the relative impact of early clinical data and processed EEG indices in the first 6 hours after recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest.

A Human Centered Approach: Solving Unmet Care Needs At Mainehealth, Carla Muniz

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

INTRODUCTION: MaineHealth Innovation builds connections to drive diversity of thought, educates to produce creative problem-solvers and funds to accelerate ideas. By leveraging the ideas, insights and expertise of all care team members to develop novel solutions to our unmet care needs, we are working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.

Assessing Team Performance In A Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Training Program- Comparing Validity Evidence To Select The Best Tool, Sierra Soghikian Ba, Micheline Chipman Msn, Rn, Jeffrey Holmes Md, Aaron Calhoun Md, Phd, Leah Mallory

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Research Question: Which of the multiple published teamwork assessment tools best fits the specific needs of our program, and has adequate validity and reliability to assess team performance?

The Impact Of Birth Volume On Neonatal Resuscitation Practices In Neonates Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia, Allison Zanno, Matthew Ryzewski, Leah M. Seften, Anya K. Cutler, Whittney Barkhuff, Deirdre O Reilly, Jay Kerecman, Alexa Craig, Misty Melendi

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background

• Neonatal resuscitation is a high acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) event

• Clinicians in hospitals with low birth volumes lack regular opportunities to maintain Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) skills due to low birth volumes

• Data used for this analysis was provided through the Northeast Regional Hypothermia Consortium of neonates who received therapeutic hypothermia at four northern New England tertiary care centers

• We investigated differences in resuscitative practices in hospitals with varied birth volumes.

Risk And Resilience Factors For Primary School Dropout In Côte D'Ivoire, B. Wortsman, H. Brice, A. Capani, M.-C. Ball, Benjamin Zinszer, F. Tanoh, H. Akpé, A. Ogan, S. Wolf, K. Jasińska

Psychology Faculty Works

We examined child-, family-, and school-level risk and resilience factors associated with school dropout using longitudinal data of fifth-grade students in rural Côte d'Ivoire (N = 1195, M_age = 10.75, SD_age = 1.42). Children who dropped out of school were older, involved in more child labour, had poorer literacy skills, owned fewer books, and attended schools with poorer learning environments. Cumulative risk (CR) indices revealed that child-level CR was most strongly associated with dropout (b = 0.86, OR = 0.42) compared to family- and school-level CR; further, children with low child-level CR were more likely to …

The Blindness Of Whiteness: A Theological Reckoning With The White Church And Slavery In Central Kentucky, Alisa May Johnson

Theology Projects & Theses

In 1850 few families in Kentucky owned slaves and none owned more than 300 enslaved people. Even so, the state was determined to maintain the practice because its economy was largely dependent on slave trading.

White Kentuckians regardless of faith had inherited thousands of years of proslavery thought. This thought can be traced from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, with his teaching about natural rulers and natural slaves, up through the seventeenth century when supremacy came to mean “white people.” Bible verses were studied in detail to prove that Scripture supported American Black chattel slavery. All sides of the Christian faith …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2024, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2 New Faculty and New Club on Campus
Page 3 2024 URSCAD Awards
Page 4 Day of Scholars 2024
Page 5 SDSU's First Representation at the Association for Anatomy's 2024
Annual Conference
Page 6-7 2024 Honor's College Convocation
Page 8 Other Student Activities
Page 9 Faculty Awards
Page 10-11 Other News
Page 12 2024 Drone Day and American Association of Geographers Convention - Hawaii
Page 13 55th Annual Geography Convention
Page 14 2024 Stethoscope Ceremony
Page 15 Open PRAIRIE Data

Keeping The Light On: Academic Librarians And Burnout, Jason D. Phillips, Laura Pitts, Jessica Riedmueller, Joanna Warren

The Southeastern Librarian

There is substantial research about sources of burnout among academic librarians; however, very little addresses the impact of the local environment. Responding to regional and institutional shifts while still trying to uphold the values of librarianship such as providing confidential and free access to information can quickly lead to mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, classic symptoms of burnout. A panel discussion was presented at the Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) / Southeast Library Association (SELA) Joint Conference, on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Academic librarians from different Southern states discussed their local environments, their libraries’ responses to recent events, and their strategies …