Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Arthritis And Depression In Adults 55 To 85 Years Old, Marissa N. Heinz, Emily J. Marshall

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Use Of Chlorhexidine Antiseptic Solution To Decrease Incidence Of Cauti’S., Erin Brann

Academic Festival

The purpose of this study is to assess the use of Chlorhexidine Antiseptic Solution to decrease the incidence of CAUTIs within hospitalized patients in comparison to routine cleaning techniques. Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections account for 30% of all hospital acquired infections which can lead to up to $450 million in additional costs in the US yearly CAUTIs may also lead to increased hospital stay lengths, discomfort, and rates of mortality (AHRQ, 2015). Therefore, this quality improvement research compares both a quantitative study and a meta-analysis of the the use of Chlorhexidine.

Evidence-Based Interventions To Prevent Surgical Site Infections, Rebecca Scali, Cara Mcdonald, Caroline Onderko, Olivia Mcnicholas, Samantha Mai

Academic Festival

Our project was originally put together in our Evidence-Based Practice nursing course in the Fall 2023 semester. We each did extensive research on our interventions for the prevention of surgical site infections. We each wrote quality improvement papers for our individual interventions and then came together to make a cohesive project on the prevention of surgical site infections.

Calling-In Vs. Calling-Out: Style Preferences For Confronting Prejudice, Michele Chu, Nick Granja, Casey Russell

Academic Festival

Confronting prejudice—directly challenging biased comments and behaviors—is an effective strategy for reducing prejudiced attitudes and instances of stereotyping. However, it remains unclear how people feel about different confrontation styles and which tactics are most comfortable and preferred. In this study, we compared two confrontation styles: “calling-out,” which aims to shame and/or correct the offender, and “calling-in,” which aims to understand and educate the offender. We recruited 400 SHU students (75.5% White, 82.3% women). Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six scenarios (covering ableism, sexism, ethnic bias, ageism, racism/classism, or homophobia), imagining a friend making a biased comment that …

Comparison Of Arm Biomechanics To Injury Predictions In High School Pitchers, Ashley Arrubla, Teegan L. Poss, Caitlin E. Mahoney

Academic Festival

The kinematic sequence for an overhead baseball pitch begins with the pelvis, trunk, arm, forearm, and ends with the hand, reducing stress on musculoskeletal structures and injury risk when executed properly.1 Shoulder injuries often result from micro-traumatic stress during throwing, exacerbated by factors like fatigue, weakness, mechanics, and instability.2,3 Marker-less 3D motion capture was utilized to analyze arm biomechanics, and arm slot, along with passive shoulder rotation. Comparing data collected before the athlete's season, we identified specific parameters indicating susceptibility to elbow injuries based on risk factors found in the reported literature.

Exercise Program Design For Engineering Professor​, Tori Chorzepa, Grace Sadd

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Cardiac Rehabilitation On Lvad Patients, Abigail French

Academic Festival

LVADs are used to pump blood into the lower chambers of the heart and are placed in patients with heart failure (EF < 35%) who may not be eligible for a heart transplant. The patient’s blood pressure pre- and post-exercise were recorded, as well as during exercise after 10-15 minutes. An adaptational decrease in systolic blood pressure was the result of 24/36 sessions. There was more variation with pre-exercise heart rate, but post-exercise resting heart rate decreases with chronic aerobic exercise. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are designed to increase functional capacity and quality of life in those who suffer from various heart conditions over the course of 36 sessions (roughly within three months). Cardiac rehab programs implement cardio, weight training, and stretching, along with education on healthy living and heart health.

Program Development For 59-Year-Old Female With Knee Osteoarthritis Targeting Balance, Increased Lean Body Mass And Strength, Caitlin Knapp

Academic Festival

Our client came to us with the goal of increasing her fitness activity level. Her long-term goal was to reduce body fat while increasing her lean body mass. She is a healthy 59-year-old who isn't very active but takes daily walks on her lunch and does free weight exercises for about 20 minutes every morning. She is interested in incorporating greater resistance exercises while still partaking in her walks. With our clients goals we have created an exercise program designed to her specific needs.

The Effect Of Dance Styles On Heart Rate, Katie Zimmer, Danielle Ahern

Academic Festival

Dance is a highly aerobic form of exercise that can play a large role in heart health. Typically, the greater the tempo of a dance style, the more it will impact heart rate.1 Hip-hop and jazz are very fast and upbeat, likely to increase heart rate the most. Contemporary can be either fast or slow depending on the choreographer. Ballet can also be fast or slow, but is extremely demanding on the body, indicating that heart rate could be greatly increased. The purpose of this experiment was to determine which styles of dance increase heart rate the most in experienced …

Effects Of Seed Source And Sediment Composition On Seagrass Germination And Seedling Performance, Mason Tsaglos

Academic Festival

The global decline of seagrass meadows urgently requires finding consistently effective restoration methods. Recently, there has been increased interest in seed-based methods of seagrass restoration. However, these methods have had mixed success, with highly variable outcomes. Relatively little is known about how sediment characteristics, including soil conditioning by seagrasses, may affect seed germination and seedling success in a restoration context. To examine the effects of seed source and sediment characteristics, we conducted a laboratory experiment using eelgrass seeds collected from different source meadows and sediment collected from vegetated and unvegetated areas at restored meadows, as well as commercial sand. We …

Exploring The Interplay Among Lignin Content: A Comparative Analysis Of Age, Restoration Condition And Shoot Size In Spartina Alterniflora, Aviana Finocchiaro

Academic Festival

This study explored the role of salt marshes in supporting marine ecosystems, focusing on Spartina alterniflora and its lignin content, a key plant structural element. This research investigated how lignin correlates with age, restoration condition, and size of S. alterniflora. We hypothesized that younger, smaller plants from remnant areas would exhibit lower lignin content. Samples from remnant, recolonizing, and planted locations were collected at Stratford Point, Connecticut, and the acetyl bromide method was used to measure lignin in protein free-cell walls from each sample. A Two-factor ANOVA revealed significant differences between locations, but not between age groups or their …

Examining Factors That Impact Parasite Load In Long Island Sound Horseshoe Crabs, Alyssa Mancini, Kyra Lerner

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Gender Pay Equity In Professional Sports, Karsyn Berger

Academic Festival

The use of statistics to analyze various data sets describing the monetary compensation gap across men’s and women’s professional sports. Comparing pay within both individual and team sports, evaluating the pay gap between men and women in each. Determining whether there is a correlation between league revenue and player salaries.

Get Out Of The River! Rainfall And River Rise In Three Watersheds Of The Dingle Peninsula, Charlotte Ribaudo, Emma Scheibl

Academic Festival

Land-use and Land-cover (LULC), coupled with climatic conditions are important components of ecosystems that affect water quality in the streams and rivers of a watershed. The conjoined Feohanagh, Milltown, and Owenmore River basins of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland are similar in size but vary significantly in LULC. Previous work had shown substantial differences in the microbial communities of the three main rivers in the watersheds. Our current work focuses on understanding how differences in micro-climate affects the water-level and other physical parameters of the rivers and informs investigations of the differences observed in the microbial communities between the rivers. …

Between A Rock And A Sandy Place: Habitat Preferences And Aggregation Behaviors Of Asian Shore Crabs (Hemigrapsus Sanguineus), Emily Simonin

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Self-Affirmation On Emotional Memory, Kelsey Jacobsen, Macayla Sousa, Olivia Ansaldi, Isabelle Doherty

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Genetically Modified Organisms On Health, Kaitlyn Greenhill

Academic Festival

Genetically Modifies Organisms have been used for decades to enhance and alter commercially produced crops. They are traditionally used to display herbicide, pesticide resistance, enhanced vitamin and nutrient content, and disease resistance. Genetic modifications could be the solution to global food scarcity by increasing crop yield and nutrient content of these crops. Many genetically modified crops are currently in experimental stages of use in pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Most genetically modified organisms demonstrate only positive effects, such as crops with enhanced nutrient content, but herbicide resistant crops can potentially have unintended effects and pesticide resistant crops show toxicity that is mostly …

Reappraisal Vs. Rumination: Emotion Regulation Shapes Reactions To Prejudice Confrontation, Sophia Rogers

Academic Festival

When called out for prejudiced behavior, people exhibit varied emotional and behavioral reactions. Emotions like guilt or empathy can drive adaptive behavioral responses like self-correction, while anger or resentment can provoke maladaptive responses, such as hostility and dismissiveness. This research explored how naturally occurring emotion regulation strategies, like cognitive reappraisal and rumination, influence these emotional and behavioral reactions. We asked 250 U.S. adults to recall a time when they had acted offensively and were consequently confronted for it. We then recorded their emotion regulation strategies and resultant responses. Our findings revealed that reappraisal led to self-correction by intensifying guilt and …

The Future Potential Of Brain-Computer Interfaces In Medicine: Current Applications, Limitations, And Improvements, Kara Mcguire

Academic Festival

Brain-computer interfaces connect the brain to an outside computer system. A communication pathway is formed where thoughts are met with tangible feedback. There are three major types of BCI that are grouped by the brain activity being used: active BCI, Reactive BCI, and Passive BCI. BCIs can be invasive, partially invasive, or noninvasive. There are four main components to a BCI system: signal acquisition, feature extraction, feature translation, and device output. Currently, the majority of BCI application and research is focused on the biomedical field, but BCI technology shows economic promise in other industries. In experimental settings, BCI technology has …

Haywire Ii: Redefining American Elections, William Kurnik, Abby Conrad, Liam Conway, Ava Hufford, Ciara Mooney

Academic Festival

This represents a longterm study regarding the 2020 presidential contest, the time during which President Trump was out of office, and his attempt to regain the presidency in 2024. The time period of the study is supplemented with an informative body of data, graphs, and photographic images.

Investigating The Relationshp Between Self-Affirmation, Defensiveness, And Narcissistic Traits, Sandra Lezcano, Sierra Marie Sailer

Academic Festival

The current study was designed to test the effect of selfaffirmation on defensive responses to a hypothetical threat among people high in narcissistic personality traits.

Self-affirmation refers to thinking about and expressing one’s core values in life and has been shown to produce myriad benefits, including reduced stress, increased self-esteem, and decreased defensiveness in response to threats (for a review, see Cohen & Sherman, 2014).

Previous research has found that grandiose narcissism is related to negative emotional responses to achievement threats whereas vulnerable narcissism is related to more negative emotional responses to interpersonal threats (Besser & Priel, 2010).

Hypothesis 1: …

Interpolation And Quadrature, Abigail Poleway

Academic Festival

In this poster, we will first examine polynomial interpolation. Interpolation allows us to construct a polynomial through a given set of data points. Interpolation is also used to develop the Newton-Cotes formulas, which are methods for numerical integration, or quadrature, that can approximate more complicated definite integrals. But, there is a way to arrive at even more precise approximations, and we will discover this through a discussion of Gaussian Quadrature.

Neurotoxicity Of 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl Ether (Bde-47) During Embryonic Zebrafish Development, Samantha Faeth, Julia Mullane

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

From Elderly To Boomer: Understanding The Impact Of Ageist Labels, Ava K. Bjelka, Samantha A. Cavalea, Francesca L. Davenport, Lauren G. Giesse, Gabrielle H. Lasiw, Sophia G. Rogers, Chelsea G. Signore, Nicole J. Sperling, Sadie Stevens, Angelina M. Wargo

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Low-Tech Visual Scene Displays On Communication Outcomes In Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julia Linhares, Jessica Bevacqua

Academic Festival

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that diagnosed in 1 out of 36 children and is characterized by restrictive, repetitive behaviors and social-communication deficits. Approximately 25-30% of children with ASD do not develop spoken language and require the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems. This study utilized a single-subject, experimental design to assess the efficacy of low-tech visual scene displays on communication outcomes in minimally speaking toddlers diagnosed with ASD. Five baseline sessions were followed by 10 treatment sessions. All three of our participants demonstrated significant gains in using new vocabulary terms and in participating in conversational …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Aggregate Behaviors In Asian Shore Crabs (Hemigrapsus Sanguineus), James Moore, Paul Jacobson

Academic Festival

Asian shore crabs (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) are invasive along rocky, Northeast coastlines in the United States. Although these crabs often form aggregations between or under rocks to evade predators like birds and fish, they also exhibit cannibalistic behavior during periods of resource scarcity. Our project is part of a comprehensive study on Asian shore crab behavior and physiology when sharing intertidal refuges. We analyzed interactions between Asian shore crabs of varying sizes. During experimental trials, two crabs of different sizes were observed in an experimental arena for 10 minutes. We tracked their movements and proximity using Kinovea and quantified …

Comparison Of Aquatic Invertebrates Communities Abundance On Connecticut’S Native Coontail (Ceratophyllum Demersum) & Invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum Spicatum), Gianna Lobasso

Academic Festival

Aquatic ecosystems worldwide face significant challenges due to the introduction and spread of invasive plant species, which often outcompete native vegetation and disrupt ecological balance. Understanding the dynamics between native and invasive aquatic plants is crucial for effective ecosystem management and conservation efforts. Likewise, the impact of invasive plants can contribute to changes in aquatic invertebrate communities. After basic methods are applied, an analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) compared invertebrate community abundance on native and invasive plants. Samples of native coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) and invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) were collected from Pickett’s Pond in Derby, Connecticut. …

Do Pronouns Matter? The Impact Of Pronouns And Gender Identity In The Workplace, Lauren G. Giesse, Sophia G. Rogers, Chelsea G. Signore, Nicole J. Sperling, Sadie Stevens

Academic Festival

Our research team is interested in exploring how the disclosure of pronouns in job applications affects perceptions of skill and competitiveness for a job position. In other words, if people disclose their pronouns are they viewed as being more deserving for the job? Further, do these attitudes depend on their gender identity? Our study will have participants read a fictional job description and application and rate how qualified the fictional applicant is. We will manipulate the applicant's gender identity (e.g., woman, man, transgender woman, transgender man, non- binary) and whether this applicant includes their pronouns (e.g., she/her, he/him, they/them) or …

What Was The Worst Part Of Your Day? Refining A Coding System To Examine Daily Experiences Of Minority Stress, Gabrielle H. Lasiw, Chelsea G. Signore, Nicole J. Sperling, Sadie Stevens

Academic Festival

Minority stressors are unique experiences that are specific to marginalized groups, such as sexual minorities (e.g., LGB people). Past research has supported the connection between minority stress and negative physical and mental health; however, little is known about how minority stress is experienced in everyday life. For instance, most research studies include questionnaires that limit examples of minority stress. Similarly, little is known about which stressors are most frequent, and who they affect most (i.e., age, gender, sexual orientation). To address this gap, we are analyzing open-ended responses from a daily diary study in which 112 sexual minorities self-reported stressful …

Fins And Feminism: Assessing Gender Equality In Discovery’S 'Shark Week', Kaitlyn Hartmann

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.