Digital Commons Network^™

The Struggle For Identity: How Female Writers Find Their Voice, Allison Joanne Call

Masters Theses

The purpose of this project is to examine the value and purpose of the female voice in literature. In the first part of this project, my artist’s statement clarifies my intent as a writer and an academic. This statement describes certain specific works that have influenced my writing style and content, and my literary aspirations. The second part of the project is the critical paper, which analyzes the importance of the feminine voice and identity in literature throughout different time periods and through different lenses. Within this paper, I examine how male writers have dominated the writing world and explore …

Save Our Love, Jaime Constance Belk

Masters Theses

Andy Crouch wrote in his inspirational book, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling that “culture is inescapable” and if we are dissatisfied with it, we must “make new culture” (140). These words have inspired my creativity and influenced my writing in so many ways. Romance literature is constantly growing in popularity, but the genre is not evolving. In a world of monotonous storylines and happily-ever-afters, I seek to shift the romance genre with my project, Save Our Love. This is a romance manuscript that tells the powerful stories of Joseph and Denver, two disparate college students who build a bond …

Bias As A Worldview Engine, The Terminus A Quo Of The Problem Of Evil, Eric Spencer Mccrickard

Masters Theses

Evidential evil is an encompassing title for moral evil, natural disasters, disease, famine, divorce, suffering, or other calamities in life that yield dissatisfaction or discernable discomfort. This area of evidential evil is the focus of this paper generally, including the argument posed by William Rowe from evidential evil and contemporary treatments offered by Bruce Russell. The argumentation is God’s nonexistence from the platform, or derivative of no greater good observed or known, of the justification or allowance of evil. It is not a refutation of the premises, per se, but instead, the biases associated with them are de facto statements …

From Acolyte To Apocalypse: Defiance Vs. Conformity In Things Fall Apart, Zoë Kales, Ethan Marunde

Student Research

No community, or person, is perfect. In fact, that is why the search for paradise is ubiquitous in both literature and real life. So, when the British colonize and destabilize the inevitably flawed village of Umuofia in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, two camps form: those who defy the changes, and those who embrace them. To Okonkwo, the rise in “acolytes”—or followers—of the new religion brought by the colonizers is on par with apocalypse. In this presentation, we first detail the novel’s context, including a history of colonization in Nigeria and the life of Chinua Achebe. Next, we examine Okonkwo’s …

May 2022 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Chilling Parental Rights, Meghan M. Boone

Fordham Law Review

Despite this clear lack of consensus as to what constitutes ideal parenting, state actors have increasingly intervened in families when they feel that a particular parenting choice is wrong. These interventions increasingly occur through the use of criminal law and punishment.5 This criminalization extends beyond prosecutions for what would traditionally be considered abuse or neglect to a wide range of parenting choices that do not rise to this level. Although many scholars have critiqued this criminalization of parenting, the focus of these critiques has centered on the harm to the families that are actually criminalized and on how a disproportionate …

Parenting While Black, R. A. Lenhardt

Fordham Law Review

Changes in law and policy—not to mention developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on families—raise important questions about how to define parental rights and how to best support parents and children during these challenging times. The Symposium also presented important questions about issues of race, gender, sexuality, and class in our modern context. Even more salient in this space are issues of race. Here, as in other contexts, Black families, like my grandmother’s and so many others, are the “canaries in the mine.” Their experiences provide us with important insight into the signs of danger facing …

Parentage Agreements Are Not Contracts, Gregg Strauss

Fordham Law Review

Parentage agreements are proliferating. In a fertility clinic, an egg donor, sperm donor, and gestational surrogate may agree to waive their parental rights, and the intended parents may agree to share parenthood. In a maternity ward, a birth mother may agree to acknowledge a partner as a parent. In an adoption agency, birth and adoptive parents may agree to an open adoption with ongoing visitation. In a home, a parent may agree to share parentage with a cohabitant, enabling the cohabitant to become a legal parent later after raising the child and developing parental bonds. Good reasons underlie this drift …

The Federal Rules Of Pro Se Procedure, Andrew Hammond

Fordham Law Review

In recent years, more than a quarter of all federal civil cases were filed by people without legal representation. Yet, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure refer to pro se litigants only once, and the U.S. Supreme Court has not considered in over a decade the question of what process is due to unrepresented civil litigants. Many judicial opinions in these cases go unpublished, and many are never appealed. Instead, the task of developing rules for pro se parties has taken place inside our federal district courts, whose piecemeal and largely unnoticed local rulemaking governs thousands of such litigants each …

Criminal Justice Expertise, Benjamin Levin

Fordham Law Review

For decades, commentators have adopted a story of mass incarceration’s rise as caused by “punitive populism.” Growing prison populations, expanding criminal codes, and raced and classed disparities in enforcement result from “pathological politics”: voters and politicians act in a vicious feedback loop, driving more criminal law and punishment. The criminal system’s problems are political. But how should society solve these political problems? Scholars often identify two kinds of approaches: (1) the technocratic, which seeks to wrest power from irrational and punitive voters, replacing electoral politics with agencies and commissions, and (2) the democratic, which treats criminal policy as insufficiently responsive …

Catching Up To A New Normal: The Effects Of Shifting Industry Standards On Contract Interpretation, Karen Chen

Fordham Law Review

During the COVID-19 pandemic, industries around the world were forced to adapt to a new way of life dictated by rising public health concerns. The pandemic’s rapid spread left parties struggling to determine whether contractual performance would be excused or reinterpreted. Issues of prevailing industry standards arose and brought into question the point at which parties and courts should define these standards. While some parties argued that industry standards at the time of contract formation are determinative of performance, others claimed that their agreement referenced industry standards that had changed and that, therefore, their performance obligations had changed as well. …

Studying Alive : An Application For The Wellness Of College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Natasia Fernandez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Mental health awareness has become an increasingly important topic over the past couple of years due the Covid-19 pandemic. Many individuals find it difficult to discuss their mental health. An individual’s mental health is a significant factor in maintaining their overall wellness. College students, specifically, face various hurdles and challenges that can affect their mental health. They have several responsibilities weighing on their shoulders which can lead to stress, depression and/or anxiety. College students may find it difficult to express these topics and seek healthy ways to cope. During the Covid-19 pandemic, additional challenges have been added onto college students …

Muslim Young Adult Graphic Novels : Destabilizing Perceptions, Sidra Habal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper seeks to analyze common trends in the Muslim Young Adult graphic novels Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy and the Ms. Marvel comics by G. Willow Wilson. The main characters, Huda and Kamala, respectively, struggle to define their own identities beyond being Muslim as well as figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and how they wish to represent themselves. The common themes found within these novels include this question of identity as well as exploring family bonds, navigating romantic interests, and building strong groups of friends. These characters are trying to find a …

An Investigation Towards The Synthesis Of A Novel Conformationally Restricted Ethylenediamine Scaffold, Fanny Mai

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study reports the synthesis of a novel conformationally restricted ethylenediamine scaffold that can be explored for drug discovery. There was significant progress in synthesizing the target scaffolds, but future studies are needed to finish this synthesis. This potential ethylenediamine compound may offer new scaffolds for exploration in drug design and orexin receptor antagonists with improved selectivity for OX1R and OX2R.

Screen Time, Sleep, And Anxiety, Michael Edward Turner

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Prior literature has found evidence for a connection between screen time and a variety of negative health outcomes. These negative health outcomes include symptoms of both generalized and social anxiety, as well as sleep issues involving poorer sleep quality and less sleep overall. There is also evidence that screen time has dramatically increased as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The present research project investigated the relationship between smartphone screen time and anxiety, both generalized and social, as well as sleep duration and sleep quality. This research project breaks down screen time into four separate domains, social media, video …

Affordable Autonomous Vehicles For Deployment After Disastrous Events, Shannon Abolmaali

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In disastrous events such as hurricanes and tornadoes, it has been observed that people get stranded and helpless without a feasible way to escape during those emergency situations. This became very evident during hurricanes, such as Katrina and Ida affecting millions of people seeking immediate rescue efforts. With the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, we envision an autonomous vehicle, AV, which is able to find the most optimal and safest way to help those who are stranded to get them to a safe location. Electric vehicles, EV, and Autonomous Vehicles, AV, is becoming the future; minimizing the carbon …

Improving Post-Stroke Discharge For Individuals With Limited English Proficiency, Evan Kolesnick, Ms, Rebecca Hsu, Md3, Michelle Braslavsky, Do, T. Y. Chuang, James Lee, Md, Lucy Cobb, Md, Mina Na, Do, Nabeel Herial, Md, Mph, Anh-Thu Vu, Md, Ms3

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: Reduce readmissions among stroke patients who self-identify as preferring to receive care in a language other than English by 25% in one year

Closing The Gap In Hepatitis B And Liver Cancer Knowledge And Awareness In High-Risk Us Communities, Thomas Chen, Beatrice Zovich, Mph, Suzanne Block, Rn, Bsn, Kate Moraras, Mph, Chari Cohen, Drph, Mph

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Long-Term Goal:

To eliminate hepatitis B and liver cancer screening and care barriers and improve health outcomes, especially in high-risk US communities

Project Aims:

• Assess current knowledge of Hepatitis B and its association with liver cancer within high-risk US communities.
• Uncover any myths and misperceptions about Hepatitis B and / or liver cancer that may be targetable for future educational campaigns.
• Identify any ethnicity-specific myths and misperceptions about Hepatitis B and/or liver cancer.

Racial Disparities In The Prescription Of Opioids For Chronic Noncancer Pain, Olivia Delorenzo, Brooke Worster, Erin Kelly

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims:

• Elucidate correlations of racial disparities in the prescription of opioids for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) before and after the release of the current CDC Guideline.
• Investigate correlations of racial disparities in the co-prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines in CNCP patients before and after the release of the current CDC Guideline.

Accessible And Culturally Sensitive Services To Reduce Mental Health Disparities In Postpartum Women: A Qi Project, Veronica Chavez, Mph(C), Hephsibah Loeb, Md, Karuna Poddar, Md, Elizabeth Liveright, Md, Julia Switzer, Md, Francesca Mancuso, M4, Kristina Cowper, Do

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aim: Develop a culturally sensitive list of mental health services and resources easily accessible to women in the Jefferson community who are at risk of or have PPD.

Addressing Healthcare Disparities In Patients Undergoing Cervical Spine Surgery: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Victor Wang, Md, Glenn Arturo Gonzalez Ozuna, Md, Adam Leibold, Md, Dwight Mitchell Self, Md, Nicole Spare, Md, Gentian Toshkezi, Md, Richard Schmidt, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project Aim:

Improve hospital length of stay and readmission rates for patients of non-White racial/ethnic backgrounds following Cervical Spine surgeries

Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention Protocol At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital: Utilizing A Mandatory Yale Swallow Protocol, Ryan Lamm, Kimberly R. Bush, Christine Schleider, Kathleen Shindle, Darlene Rosendale, Scott Cowan, John Renzi

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

AIM: Implement a hospital-wide mandatory dysphagia screen protocol with a minimum of 75% compliance on each unit by April 2022 to reduce AP rates at our institution by 50% (5/1000) by January 2023.

Optimizing Ed Staff Utilization Of Phone And Video Interpreter Services, Zachary Bopp, Anh Nguyen, Alexander Kleinmann, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: Evaluate the effectiveness of a modified training module on the use of LIS in a hospital setting in improving ED staff care for LEP patients.

Quality Improvement: Assessment Of Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding The Confusion Assessment Method Delirium Screening Tool, Emma Delouw, Md, Katelyn Koons, Kristine Swartz, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIMs:

• Evaluate the need for reeducation efforts on CAM
• Increase CAM use, comfort and knowledge

Utility Of Inpatient Fracture Liaison Service On Post-Hospitalization Follow-Up, Jessica Watari, Do, Shirin Jaggi, Do, Eric Shiffrin, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: We implemented an inpatient fracture liaison service to identify patients admitted for fragility fractures with the goal of improving outpatient follow-up.

Smoking Cessation In The Inpatient Setting, Tara Rakiewicz, Md, Jaya Janadhyala, Md, Yair Lev, Md, Rachael Grosso, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: To increase assessment of patient’s smoking status and increase rates of tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy prescription at discharge by 10% over the course of six months in patients admitted for coronary artery disease

Survey Of Confidence And Knowledge To Manage Patellofemoral Pain In Readers Versus Nonreaders Of The Physical Therapy Clinical Practice Guideline, Richard W. Willy, Lisa T. Hoglund, Neal R. Glaviano, Lori A. Bolgla, David M. Bazett-Jones

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Objectives: To compare beliefs of physical therapists (PTs) who read the clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the management of individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) to those who have not read the CPG.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Online survey.

Participants: 494 currently licensed/registered PTs or physiotherapists.

Main Outcome Measures: Respondents answered Likert-based or open-ended questions regarding the diagnosis, prognosis, risk factors, and management of individuals with PFP, as well as confidence for managing individuals with PFP, especially the ability to identify beneficial and non-beneficial interventions. We dichotomized responses into participants who read (READERS) and did not read (NonREADERS) the CPG.

Results: …

Forage News [2022-05], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Institutional Betrayals As Sex Discrimination, Emily Suski

Faculty Publications

Title IX jurisprudence has a theoretical and doctrinal inadequacy. Title IX’s purpose is to protect public school students from sex discrimination in all its forms. Yet, courts have only recognized three relatively narrow forms of sex discrimination under it. Title IX jurisprudence, therefore, cannot effectively recognize as sex discrimination the independent injuries, called institutional betrayals, that schools impose on students because they have suffered sexual harassment. Institutional betrayals occur when schools betray students’ trust in or dependency on them by failing to help students in the face of their sexual harassment. These injuries cause harms that can be more severe …

Association Of Phosphate-Containing Versus Phosphate-Free Solutions On Ventilator Days In Patients Requiring Continuous Kidney Replacement Therapy, Melissa L. Thompson Bastin, Arnold J. Stromberg, Sethabhisha N. Nerusu, Lucas J. Liu, Kirby P. Mayer, Kathleen D. Liu, Sean M. Bagshaw, Ron Wald, Peter E. Morris, Javier A. Neyra

Statistics Faculty Publications

Background and objectives Hypophosphatemia is commonly observed in patients receiving continuous KRT. Patients who develop hypophosphatemia may be at risk of respiratory and neuromuscular dysfunction and therefore subject to prolongation of ventilator support. We evaluated the association of phosphate-containing versus phosphate-free continuous KRT solutions with ventilator dependence in critically ill patients receiving continuous KRT.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements Our study was a single-center, retrospective, pre-post cohort study of adult patients receiving continuous KRT and mechanical ventilation during their intensive care unit stay. Zeroinflated negative binomial regression with and without propensity score matching was used to model our primary outcome: …