Digital Commons Network^™

Walk, Don't Run For Employee Wellness, Francesca Citro, Danielle Cassidy, Maura Bednarcik

Academic Festival

There are a multitude of factors that have an impact on individuals’ physical activity. Specifically, implementing walking initiatives has proven to be beneficial when it comes to workplace wellness and can contribute to the increased physical activity level among employees in the workplace. The implementation of wearables and walking treadmills are one of many ways to initiate the increase of physical activity among employees.

Machine Learning Model For Os Detection, Victor Ginart Belmonte, Ravjeet Chahal

Academic Festival

This poster shows the development of a deep learning model for OS detection. We begin by explaining the objectives and applications of the model. Then we show the methods used to create it, along with its results. Finally, we discuss the results, problems and future improvements.

How Mini Grants Impact Student Learning, Jenna D'Angelo, Karen Hansen

Academic Festival

As recipients of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship, we have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to provide our clinical classrooms and school, both located at the Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School, with materials and/ or resources that foster growth in STEM education. Before our acceptance into the Noyce Program, neither of us were aware of what a mini grant was, how to apply for one, nor how it can be beneficial to the school's community. This learning was possible through our application and acceptance of mini grants that we developed and presented during the end of the Fall 2023 …

How Income Affects Depression In Adults Aged 25-65, Stephanie Capito, Jillian F. Spindel, Claudia Uva

Academic Festival

In this paper, 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 by 11.4 percent from 2015 to 2020. Adults living in poverty …

The Effect Of Stigma Against Mental Illness On The Disparities Of The Psychiatric Healthcare System, Avery Vandyke

Academic Festival

Mental illness affects a significant portion of the population, yet stigma surrounding it persists, leading to disparities in psychiatric healthcare. This paper discusses the impact of stigma on mental health treatment, drawing insights from scholarly literature, clinical experiences, and societal observations. It addresses the stereotypes and misconceptions that contribute to the reluctance of individuals to seek treatment and examines the influence of media representations and cultural attitudes surrounding psychiatric healthcare. Moreover, the paper explores the implications of stigma on the quality of care provided by healthcare professionals, particularly focusing on the attitudes of nurses in psychiatric settings. Drawing from firsthand …

Can Markerless Motion Capture Software Consistently And Reliably Auto Detect Important Pitch Event Markers For Baseball Players?, Jenna Engels, Sarah Mandelkow, Jacqueline Lage

Academic Festival

Markerless motion capture systems offer promising data for analyzing athletic performance with high precision; however, the camera systems utilized as part of the Pioneer Performance Center have not been tested with higher speed motions. Theia 3D software, mainly used for gait analyses previously, was utilized to examine the effectiveness of the SONY RX 0II camera system and consistency of identifying key event markers during fast moving motions, such as pitching.

A specialized pipeline was developed to auto detect the frames corresponding to 4 different important event markers: maximum hip flexion, foot touchdown, late cocking, and ball release. The automated data …

Relationship Between Kinematics And Velocity Using 3d Markerless Motion Capture In High School Baseball Pitchers, Kylie Mcnamara, Lindsay Houlihan, Jenna Springer

Academic Festival

Baseball pitching relies on biomechanics and kinetics, where the pitcher's body works to produce power and pitch accuracy. Analyzing movement sequences, from wind-up to ball release, highlights the significance of joint angles and force in relation to the velocity and location of the pitch. Mastering these principles not only improves the pitcher's overall performance, but also helps prevent injuries. The effect of knee flexion at ball release and stride length on velocity were tested and analyzed in high school baseball pitchers. Our research is comparable to other studies when looking at values of knee flexion angle and stride length as …

Neuroprotection Through Positioning Neonates In The Critical Care Setting, Kaleigh Schofield

Academic Festival

On the neonatal intensive care unit at Greenwich, new positioners, known as the dandelions, allow for nurses to reposition patients in an easier manner. Most nurses had expressed that they were used to using rolled blankets or towels as a way to position in the past; therefore, the nurses expressed some confusion on the importance of these new positioners and how they can provide better support for neurological development. It is important to educate the unit nurses on the importance of positioning with the dandelion in order to support the infants neurologically as well as physically.

Evidence-Based (Ebp) Quality Improvement (Qi) Falls Presentation, Isabella Guarente

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

The Deep-Sea And The Complex Ethical Conundrum Of Mining The Seafloor, Aaron Martino

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Role Of Deregulated Mir-654 And Mir-4454 In Melanoma Pathogenesis And Progress, Julianna Doucette, Jaclyn Doucette, Farah Mahmood

Academic Festival

Investigation of the role of deregulated miR-654 and miR-4454 in melanoma pathogenesis and progress.

Farah Mahmood, Jaclyn Doucette, Julianna Doucette, Sankhiros Babapoor, PhD.

The incidence of melanoma has continually increased mortality rates over the past decade in the United States. In 2013, it was estimated that 76,690 individuals (both male and female) were diagnosed with new cases of cutaneous melanoma, and out of those cases, 9,480 resulted in death. MicroRNA(miRNA)s are endogenous, 22 nucleotide non-coding small RNAs, which can regulate gene expression in animals and plants by complementary base-pairing to the mRNAs of target genes- which specifies mRNA cleavage or …

Prevalence Of False Step Starting Preference In Track & Field Middle Distance Runners, Kayla Perez

Academic Festival

Middle distance track & field runners start from a non-parallel, staggered foot stance utilizing either a forward- or false-step technique. Previous studies have investigated these starting techniques with most investigations determining that the false step is both preferred and faster, however, it is currently unknown which technique is commonly performed within the 800-meter race.

Purpose: Determine starting type prevalence rates (forward, false step) in high school (HS), collegiate (C), and senior (S) runners competing in the 800-meter race distance. Additionally, to classify variants of false step within this same population.

Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study evaluated publicly available YouTube videos …

The Prevention Of Pressure Injuries In Pediatric Patients Through The Implementation Of A Uniform Turning Schedule., Ailie Daley

Academic Festival

This project involves the implementation of a uniform turning schedule, in the form of a clock denoting which position (right lying, left lying, supine) a patient should be in at certain times, with the goal to decrease the incidence of pressure injuries on a pediatric medical-surgical unit.

Breaking The Stigma And Raising Awareness: The Grisly Effects Developmental Trauma Has On Early Adulthood And How To Put A Stop To This Monstrosity, Grace Fleishman

Academic Festival

I lived a great childhood, and I mean really great. I had a seemingly stable home life and the world was full of colors and endless possibilities. Then suddenly, on my twentieth birthday, I found myself locked in a psych ward not wanting to be alive. Imagine growing up in a world full of colors. Everything is bright and happy and you live in a house full of love, safety, and security. Then, once you hit early adulthood, the world goes gray.

Sometimes, you cannot always describe why you feel a certain way or why things are the way that …

The Effects Of Social Media On The Women Of Generation Z, Maren Hubler

Academic Festival

This paper provides a thorough examination of the multifaceted influence of social media on the lives of young women from Generation Z. It begins by contextualizing social media as a pervasive force in contemporary society, defining its various functions and highlighting generational differences in usage. Through a balanced exploration of both positive and negative effects, the paper elucidates the complex relationship between social media and the development of young women.

Positive aspects include increased connectivity, heightened awareness of social issues, and greater access to information. However, the paper also delves into negative consequences such as the pressure to maintain a …

The Effects Of Semantic Priming On Cultural Vs. Non-Cultural Words In Individuals With Semantic Dementia, Lila Armstrong, Morgan Craig, Erica Santangeli, Kathleen Vergnolle

Academic Festival

Semantic dementia (SD) is a frontal lobe dementia variant characterized by poor semantic memory and impairments in lexical access (Paplikar et al., 2022, Roelofs, 2023). It has been hypothesized that cultural words may be easier to retrieve from memory than non-cultural words because they include personal significance. This project proposes a semantic priming study to evaluate the speed and accuracy of lexical access between cultural and non-cultural words in individuals with SD. Participants will be presented with a word-picture pair and then a target picture. The target picture will be 1) culturally significant or 2) culturally neutral. The word-picture pair …

Breast Cancer Prevalence In Obese Women In The United States, Macie Phillips, Kaitlyn Purdy, Alexandra Piehler

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Frequent Repositioning In The Prevention Of Pressure Ulcers, Madison Angelico

Academic Festival

Pressure ulcers are a common complication of immobility, most frequently occurring in hospitalized patients who are restricted to bed. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2023), more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers each year. Pressure ulcers develop as a result of sustained pressure on the body; this causes a restriction in blood flow and deprivation of oxygen to the tissue. Pressure ulcers may be partial or full-thickness wounds and are categorized into four stages depending on their severity. Pressure ulcers have non-blanchable skin and may appear reddened or discolored. Pressure ulcers …

Impact Of A 30-45° Head Of Bed Elevation On Incidence Of Vap​, Victoria Thurley

Academic Festival

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a serious lung infection that can occur in patients who require mechanical ventilation. It can lead to increased hospital stays, costs, and mortality rates. Maintaining a 30-45° head-of-bed (HOB) elevation is a recommended practice to help prevent VAP in adult patients. This poster utilizes a systematic review and a randomized control trial to explore the research question: how does elevating the bed to 30-45° compared to the standard of care of an elevation less than 30° reduce the incidence of VAP in adult hospitalized patients?

Comedy's Power To Transcend Controversy In Some Like It Hot, Jessica Balogh

Academic Festival

The film made in 1959, "Some Like It Hot," focused on two jazz musicians Joe and Jerry who after a confrontation with the mob, escape by masquerading as women in an all-female band. The film as a whole, with an emphasis on men masquerading as women, was deemed controversial but through the power of farce, comedy outweighed its more negative perception making it the iconic movie that it is still today.

Floral Renaissance For Moschino, Jenna Wolfe

Academic Festival

Given the task of developing a unique line with clear inspiration and realistic expectations of markets, "Floral Renaissance" for Moschino was born. Inspired by oil paintings of the Renaissance Era and the fluidity of ballet attire, the line was intended not only to be a work of art but to frame its possessor as one. Moschino, a brand known for its experimental taste in fashion, would present this line in the Autumn/Winter season of 2025 for Women's apparel and debut specifically on the runway. Outlined within the presentation are sales channels, pricing, design, history, and more. With Professor Loranger's guidance, …

Best Practices For The Treatment Of Agitated Adults In An Emergency Room Setting, Sarah Steffens

Academic Festival

The main purpose of this project is to remind nurses of the best practices for the de-escalation of agitated adults, beginning with verbal communication and ending with seclusion if necessary. Verbal de-escalation is a very useful tool that is being underused when it can really benefit the patients. Simply talking to the patient can make such a difference and can keep that verbal discontentment as only verbal and not physical. It is also addressed in this project the possible implementation of a Security Alert Response Team, which includes a physician, nurse, and security officer who are trained specifically in behavioral …

The Many Flavor Of Shu Saacs, Stephanie Campbell, Anthony Marsallo

Academic Festival

Sacred Heart University's student affiliate Chapter of the American Chemical Society is actively involved in connecting Sacred Heart with chemistry and promoting science to the community. Throughout the year our club has been involved in many activities like, making slime or pH indicators, participating in panels, playing chemistry Jeopardy, and decorating the science wing bulletin board. In honor of National Chemistry Week and National Mole Day, we held a Mole Bowl in collaboration with nearby colleges. We host exciting and educational science-related events on campus, such as giving out liquid nitrogen ice cream and guest speakers to engage students.

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, …