Digital Commons Network^™

Letter From The Editor, Valeria Garay

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Late Autumn Sunrise, Jack Kreger

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Solidarity - Solitary - Solace

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Tipping Over, Bankul Banerjee

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

A New Day, Betsy Cello

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Lace Of That Day, Karen Bartlett

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

The Mandarin's Dilemma, Karian Markos

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Floating Fallen Leaves, Tania Blanco

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Nature Reclaims Bridge, Courtney Chomycia

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Chiaroscuro Model Of David, Angelo Mendez

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Passage, Shawn Gollnick

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Coffee Break, Davaajargal Tsogtgerel

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Snowy Owl, Michael Koppenhoefer

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Slivers Of Light, Emily Wroniak

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Motion In The City, Chicago, Jigna Maniar

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Under Film Lights, Courtney Chomycia

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Half-Fledged, Jayson Yabes

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

The Kenya Uk Breast Cancer Awareness Week: Curriculum Codesign And Codelivery With Direct And Lived Experience Of Breast Cancer Diagnosis And Management, Bahaty Riogi, Carlo Ross, Miriam Mutebi, Rajiv V. Dave

General Surgery, East Africa

Global health education holds a paradox: the provision of global health degrees focusing on challenges in low-income and middle-income countries has increased in high-income countries, while those in these low-income and middle-income countries lack access to contribute their expertise, creating an ‘information problem’. Breast cancer is a pressing global health priority, which requires curriculum design, implementation, ownership and leadership by those with direct and lived experience of breast cancer.

The Kenya-UK Breast Cancer Awareness Week was conceptualised following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Kenyan and UK governments launching the Kenya UK Health Alliance. This alliance aims …

Effects Of Dietary Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation On Doxorubicin-Induced Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Global Cysteine Sulfenylation Of Rat Cardiac Tissue, Rachel Flowers

Master's Theses

Creatine monohydrate is prolifically used as an ergogenic aid but is less commonly used for its antioxidant properties. The use of creatine, as an antioxidant, has been studied in multiple disease domains as an intervention to improve skeletal muscle quality for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by impacting calcium ion sensitivity in myocytes, Huntington’s disease by facilitating regulation of succinate dehydrogenase in the citric acid cycle and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by positively impacting muscular atrophy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) impact both physiological and pathophysiological roles in aerobic life such that an imbalance to the redox environment of the cell can cause intracellular …

Musical Narrative And Cultural Context In The Animated Miniseries Over The Garden Wall, Chloe Resler

Master's Theses

Over the Garden Wall, a television miniseries that aired in 2014 on Cartoon Network, is a distinctly American fantasy in the young adult genre. It is comprised of ten episodes, each set in a different historical period. The music of the series was written and performed by The Blasting Company and drew from a variety of historical influences, including Sacred Harp singing, ragtime, early jazz, Stephen Foster, Balkan folk music, and classic cartoons. The music serves several purposes throughout the miniseries: it helps set each episode in its respective historical period, aids in character development, and moves the narrative forward. …

The Effects Of Contraction On Skeletal Muscle Expression Of Interleukin-6, Drew Huber

Master's Theses

Interleukin-6 (IL6) is a pleiotropic cytokine secreted by a wide array of cells in response to different stimuli. The immune and inflammatory functions of IL6 have been widely studied, and it is well documented that IL6 plays a critical role in immune function and the inflammatory response to pathogens and damage to the organism. Interleukin-6 has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide array of diseases and high circulating levels of IL6 are used as a clinical marker for many. However, recent work has found IL6 to function as a myokine in response to exercise involving muscular contractions. …

Composing Mortality: The Voice Of Death In The Music Of Frédéric Chopin, Jessica Castleberry

Master's Theses

The constant presence of mortality in Frédéric Chopin’s life, writings, and music resulted in his obsessive fascination with death, informed both by his individual experiences and cultural milieu. Through topical analysis of the programmatic, texted, and operatic repertoire of the nineteenth century, a body of musical gestures used to depict the varying aspects of mortality can be codified into a single style––the macabre style. This codification allows for a historically informed hearing of the instrumental repertoire of composers such as Chopin. Analyzing Chopin’s works that directly evoke the foundational genres of the style, the funeral march and lament, provides a …

Aural Rehabilitation Of Older Adults With Or At Risk For Cognitive Decline: Development Of Recommendations And Supplemental Resources Based On Evidence From The Literature., Tavia Marie Hoenecke

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

The purpose of this research project was to determine if there might be a need to supplement hearing healthcare service delivery for older adults with or at risk of cognitive decline. Through database searches, evidence was collected from the literature to determine recommended resources within the professional field of audiology and surrounding healthcare professions. Based on the literature, appropriate resources for retention of medical information in this population were recommended. Resources were then created based on the literature recommendations for hearing aid fittings and follow-ups when working with older adult patients with or at risk of cognitive decline. The resources …

Measuring Spatial Hearing Abilities In Listeners With Simulated Unilateral Hearing Loss, Elizabeth Dawn Benson

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Spatial hearing is the ability to use auditory cues to determine the location, direction, and distance of sound in space. Listeners with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) typically have difficulty understanding speech in the presence of competing sound; this is likely due to the lack of access to spatial cues. The assessment of spatial hearing abilities in individuals with UHL is of growing clinical interest, particularly for everyday listening environments. Current approaches used to measure spatial hearing abilities include Spatial Release from Masking (SRM), Binaural Intelligibility Level Difference (BILD), and Listening in Spatialized Noise-Sentences (LiSN-S) test. Spatial Release from Masking is …

Word Recognition Testing In Children: Modernization Of Word Intelligibility By Picture Identification (Wipi) Testing Materials, Ali Katherine Mills

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Hearing loss impacts many individuals, both children and adults, around the globe; thus, hearing evaluations have become a routine and annual examination for individuals of all ages. Due to differences between children and adults, components of the routine hearing evaluation have been adapted to fit the needs of both populations. When testing children, age-appropriate materials are utilized and variables such as an individual's level of focus, cooperation, and willingness to participate are considered. One component of all routine hearing evaluations is speech testing, which provides clinicians with information regarding an individual’s speech recognition abilities. A speech recognition test commonly used …

Sleep Hygiene As A Nonpharmacologic Intervention For Insomnia, Robbie Jill Fendley

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Insomnia is a sleep-wake disorder that affects approximately 5-30% of people in the United States. Those with insomnia experience difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and early awakening that contribute to impaired daytime functioning. Traditionally, management of insomnia has included use of pharmacologic treatments, some with detrimental side effects. Nonpharmacologic treatments to manage insomnia are typically safe, cost-effective, and have greater long-term efficacy. Nonpharmacologic treatment for insomnia, including sleep hygiene education, is easily employed by primary care providers and should be a first-line intervention. The Stetler (2001) research utilization model was selected as the guiding framework for development and implementation …

An Approach To Tinnitus Through Mindfulness, Trista Ann Hauser-Smith

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Tinnitus is the perception of sound when there is no external source. It is also known as “ringing in the ears.” Those who experience the effects of bothersome tinnitus may suffer from a multitude of symptoms that may include depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, sleep disturbances, anger, etc. Bothersome tinnitus has further been compared to chronic pain (both are phantom symptoms and occur from reorganization of the central nervous system). With a multitude of symptoms, management of tinnitus may be difficult. For this reason, a whole-health approach using a multidisciplinary team may be warranted. An audiologist may be able to help …

Recreational Noise Exposures At Motorsport Events, Mariela Chavira

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a type of hearing loss that after repeated exposure to high levels of sound for extended periods of time can result in damage to the fragile structures of the inner ear. Hearing changes caused by NIHL could be temporary or permanent. Hazardous noise levels in the workplace environment have been known to cause NIHL over time. Therefore, governing agencies have noise standards that have been enacted to decrease the risk of developing NIHL in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Federal Railroad Administration are examples …

Language Barriers In The Field Of Audiology: Spanish-Speaking Patient & English-Speaking Audiologist, Jamiles Trejo

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Language barriers in the healthcare system have been a continuously growing dilemma in the United States, affecting communication between a provider and patient, which leads to problems in healthcare delivery. Policies and regulations currently in place have attempted to decrease language barriers but several healthcare providers are not aware of the responsibility, have not prioritized the issue, or have not been held accountable through the enforcement of the laws. The goal of this paper was to provide best practices for audiologic testing that minimize language and cultural barriers and maximize the benefit the patient receives from the hearing evaluation. The …

Screening For Minimal Hearing Loss In Children, Mackenzie Koven Quinn

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

The purpose of this study was (a) to compare the hearing screening outcomes obtained with the Colorado school-based hearing screening (which mandates screening at 20 dB HL at 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz in both ears and conducted with supra-aural headphones) with screening outcomes obtained with the experimental Wireless-Automated Hearing-Test System (WAHTS) technology with high-attenuation headphones and (b) to determine the feasibility of utilizing the WAHTS to screen for hearing loss at additional test frequencies (500 and 6000 Hz) and at a lower intensity (15 dB HL) in order to explore the feasibility of screening for minimal hearing losses in children …