Digital Commons Network^™

One Year Later: Development Of The Ageist Experiences Questionnaire, Ava K. Bjelka, Francesca L. Davenport, Angelina M. Wargo

Academic Festival

Ageism refers to the combined stereotypes, prejudice, and discriminatory behaviors based on someone’s presumed age. Oftentimes we see older adults being viewed with mixed (ambivalent) perceptions, such that they are viewed as being warm, but not very capable. Thus, there are multiple forms of ageism. Hostile ageism refers to overtly negative ageism, whereas benevolent ageism refers to the seemingly kind form of ageism that still reinforces negative stereotypes (e.g., giving your seat to someone, assuming they are fragile or weak). Most current research on ageism has referred to attitudes directed towards older adults and aging. This work has found that …

Poverty's Role In Shaping The Childhood Obesity Epidemic, Leah Demko, Megan Gaffney, Abby Hudson, Katherin Mazzarelli, Sabrina Palen

Academic Festival

Childhood obesity is a major healthcare concern, as millions of children are classified as overweight and obese. Socioeconomic status (SES) influences the prevalence of childhood obesity, especially individuals from low SES. A child's living environment, attending low income schools, parental education, and low family income all impact a child's risk of becoming obese. The National Survey of Children's Health 2021 data was used to observe the relationship between Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and identification of being overweight by a doctor. Family poverty level is significantly associated with obesity among children aged 5-12. This hypothesis was tested used cross-tabulation with chi-square …

How Poverty Affects Depression In Adults 25-65, Jillian Spindel, Stephanie Capito, Claudia Uva

Academic Festival

In this research we explore socioeconomic status and how it is related to depression rates. This is an important topic to study because economic status determines an individual's standing in life. Furthermore, as the transfer from childhood to adulthood occurs, finding a stable job that will support the individual becomes extremely important and without it moving into adulthood becomes much more difficult. This is an issue that impacts millions of Americans as 37.2 million people live in poverty (Bureau, U.C, 2021). The number of people living in poverty increased 11.4 percent from 2015 to 2020. Adults living in poverty are …

Community Composition Of Meiofauna In Bridgeport, Ct, Katie O'Riordan

Academic Festival

Meiofauna are small invertebrates (0.04-1mm) that live between sand grains in aquatic environments (Coull and Giere 1988; Fig. 1). They can indicate ecosystem health since they are short-lived and their community composition can rapidly change with environmental and anthropogenic factors (Kennedy and Jacoby 1999; Balsamo et al. 2012). This project aims to establish whether visual identification at high taxonomic levels (i.e., phylum, class, family) could adequately analyze community changes along a degraded marshland (Seaside Park, Bridgeport, CT) or if genetic analysis is required to accurately identify meiofauna at the levels of family, genus, or species. Samples were collected tri-annually in …

A Guide To Being Mentally, Academically And Financially Prepared For Study Abroad, Rachel Flaherty

Academic Festival

A culmination of my two-year Welch Scholar Project that details what I did each year and what I learned.

The Relationship Between Self-Care And Stress In Nursing Students, Jacqueline Rattigan

Academic Festival

The Relationship Between Self-care and Stress in Nursing Students

Eight in ten college students experience frequent periods of stress. “Recent research concerning healthcare-related fields and stress has indicated that nursing students experience higher stress levels compared to other majors and that these levels are on the rise.” (Zheng YX, 2022). This could be from nursing students having a more intense course load, dealing with heavy content, clinical hours in conjunction with school hours, and the stress of dealing with human lives(Ribeiro, 2020). Many aspects lead to high stress in nursing students. Self-care is one way to decrease stress in nursing …

What Are The Effects Of Psychological Trauma On Nurses With Psychological Trauma, As Well As Their Care To Patients?, Abigail Marsh

Academic Festival

Nursing encompasses the promotion of health and prevention of illness, the care of the healthy, the physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of any age, in all health care and community settings. It is among one of the most sought-after professions, as well as a profession that will always be necessary. “Internationally, nurses are recognized as an integral part of healthcare with a number of reports highlighting the value of nursing and the importance of nurses being able to practice to their full potential” (Bragadóttir, H., Burmeister, E. A., et. al, 2020).

Historically, nurses have worked closely with doctors, …

Creating An Exercise Prescription Plan For A College Athlete, Jonathan Elliott

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Copycats: An Eeg Study Of Imitative Behavior In Infants, Isabella Leva

Academic Festival

The neural mirroring system activates during action observation and execution. This overlap in activation may support various social cognitive functions (e.g., imitation)—however, associations between infants’ neural mirroring activity and imitation remain relatively unclear. The present study examines whether 6-month-old infants’ mu rhythm desynchronization (MRD; indicator of neural mirroring system activity) is associated with their imitation. We hypothesized that infants with stronger MRD during action observation would imitate more actions than infants with weaker MRD.

Social Identity Salience & Threat: Validating The Sitc Inventory, Christina Poirier, Katherine Dempsey

Academic Festival

Social identity threat refers to the fear that stigmatized groups often face about being mistreated, invalidated, or devalued for their social identification. All individuals have multiple intersecting social identities that influence how people are treated and perform. Complex discriminatory experiences of advantage and disadvantage often arise and persist. Past social identity threat measures have examined identity as singular rather than multifaceted, which fails to recognize intersectionality. We introduce the Social Identity Threat Concerns (SITC) Inventory–a novel tool for measuring social identity threat concerns that allows for an exploration of threats related to both singular social identities and their complex intersections. …

The Effectiveness Of Educational Interventions In The Prevention Of Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections, Isabel Kittell

Academic Festival

Central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) pose a significant threat to patient safety and healthcare quality. This paper presents a thorough review of the effectiveness of educational interventions in mitigating CLABSIs. The primary objective is to assess the impact of various educational strategies on reducing CLABSI rates in adult intensive care units. This review aims to analyze the efficacy of educational interventions in preventing CLABSIs, encompassing diverse educational methods, both in combination and alone. A systematic search of relevant databases was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies focusing on educational interventions aimed at preventing CLABSIs. Studies were included if they assessed the …

Effects Of Sleep On Academic Performance In College Students, Skyla Contarino

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Corporations That Implement Corporate Social Responsibility In Their Mission And Strategic Plan Will Benefit Both The Corporation And Society, William Pearce

Academic Festival

With the prevalence of global issues, the opportunity for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to make a meaningful impact has never been greater. Additionally, with the changing demands of markets, the potential benefit to corporations from engaging in CSR has considerably increased. The power and resources of corporations have developed to a level that facilitates significant contribution to issues that pervade society and the environment. This paper will explore how quality CSR practices not only improve the world but also significantly benefit the corporation itself. It will also closely examine how corporations can best structure their governance to promote success, and …

Effectiveness Of Earlier Removal Of Urinary Catheters In Prevention Of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections In Women With C-Sections, Sofia Mancinone

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Microbreaks In The Workplace, Olivia Mcgrath

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Air Pressure Mattresses Vs Static Air Mattresses In The Prevention Of Pressure Ulcers, Emily Hobbs

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

How Older Men And Women Varied In Coping During Covid-19 Pandemic, Mateo Villarreal

Academic Festival

Due to the novelty experience posed by COVID-19, understanding how older adults coped is important and more so, if their coping strategies varied by sex. Research studies show that older adults differ in terms of comorbidity, with women mostly affected. Since COVID-19 poses unique challenges such as social distancing and quarantine, the present study seeks to understand COVID-19 coping related strategies among older adults, and variations in coping by sex. The present study recruited 68 older adults (39 females and 29 males), aged 55-69 (m=65.7 years) from the East Coast region of the United States to participate in interviews on …

Assessment Of Athlete Performance In Relation To Recovery And Stress, Brigid Mcmahon, Brittany Hang, Bethany Hazerjian, Victoria Lopinto

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Foam Border Dressings To Prevent Pressure Injuries, Julia Gaiero

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Perceived Risk Of Harms Of Alcohol And Cannabis Among Female College Students, Megan Dunne, Katherine Fitzpatrick, Christina Poirier

Academic Festival

Perceived Risk of Harms of Alcohol and Cannabis among Female College Students

The Influence Of Region Of Residence On Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer, Jessica Catterson, Mollie Mcmanus, Erin Tumbrello

Academic Festival

Breast cancer is a common disease among women in the United States, and there are observable disparities in outcomes after a diagnosis. Factors such as region of residence are known to impact access to resources which may cause a variation in health outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis. If disparities in breast cancer diagnosis can be identified, resources can be provided to lessen the gap, giving each woman an equal chance of receiving preventative care, a timely diagnosis, and quality treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify if an association exists between region of residence and diagnosis of …

Unveiling The Silent Struggle: Postpartum Depression In Black Women, Alexa Scaglione

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Definition & Facilitation Of The Ncaa 20-Hour-Rule, Julia Helm, Evan Aponte

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Social Justice In Healthcare: Access And Equity To Healthcare, Francesca Catrone, Elizabeth Encke, Samantha Louros, Kayla Campisi

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Object Detection And Avoidance Using Rplidar A2m8 And Jetson Nano, Julia Piascik, Mateo Cappuccio, Logan Ward

Academic Festival

This project aims to design a sensing system that will have the ability to detect objects that could interfere with a drone that is in the process of landing. The implementation of this system includes the use of RPLiDar A2 M8, Jetson Nano, and an Arduino. The system outputs a green light once the program determines it is safe to land and a red light when an object is detected. Notifying the drone of any obstacles is necessary for various reasons, such as military usage. Since this project was built with a two-dimensional sensor, there were issues when adding the …

Effects Of Four-Week Vertical Jump Training Program To Increase Lower Body Power In Women Collegiate Rowers, Andrew Dekovics

Academic Festival

Rowing is a sport that requires the use of the entirety of the body for each stroke, with a large portion of the movement coming from the lower body. Because each stroke occurs rapidly, lower body power is essential to achieve high performance. This exercise program was written up with the intention of increasing the lower body power of the Sacred Heart University women’s rowing team. Vertical jumps are a common activity to assess lower body power, so an increase in vertical jump height would mean an increase in lower body power. Through the use ofplyometrics and other lower body …

Effects Of Cardiac Rehabilitation On Patients With Congestive Heart Failure Following A Myocardial Infarction, Stasia Dussault

Academic Festival

•Three phases of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs: in hospital, early outpatient, and maintenance. •Maintenance includes a supervised recovery program, focused on physical activity, health education, mental health and risk factor awareness. •CR has been known to lower the risk of death from future heart problems by 1/3. •Depression and lack of motivation are common amongst people with cardiovascular disease. •CR improves mood and perception of life in addition to cardiovascular health.

The Relationship Between Fitness Gains And Frequency Of Training, Erin Alegre, Andrew Mcinnis, Olivia Di Natale

Academic Festival

Methods-

Data and information were collected from one, female participant. The participant is 19 years of age, and a sophomore in college. Data was collected for an hour twice a week in the Strength and Conditioning lab. The participant followed an exercise plan, co-instructed by three clinical students, and supervised by Professor Hudak. This exercise plan was broken down into two (hour-long) sessions, that focused on either upper body or lower body strength. The main movements of the workouts included the bench press, trap bar deadlift, and the back squat. Some examples of accessory movements included: stationary lunges, pall off …

The Impact Of Velocity Based Training On Lower Body Muscular Power In Division 1 Men's Lacrosse Players, Aidan Glennon

Academic Festival

The purpose of this study was to compare the results of a maximal jump assessment across a ten-week period of lower extremity power-focused resistance training. The aim of the study was to evaluate an undulating velocity-based training (VBT) program for the barbell back squat compound movement and how it would affect maximal counter-movement jump (CMJ) height. VBT equipment was used to track variables such as mean velocity, mean power, and peak power for the barbell back squat movement for one set per week of the program. The main findings inferred that the results of the VBT program had a positive …

The Effectiveness Of The Braden Scale In The Prevention Of Pressure Ulcers, Noelle Fallon

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.