Digital Commons Network^™

Post Cesarean Surgical Site Infection Reduction Through Vaginal Preparation, Jennifer M. Jaime

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: The increasing rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) after cesarean delivery have a negative impact on patient morbidity, mortality, postoperative fevers, trauma, and hospital costs.

Context: Interventions are a necessity for this population however, there is lack of preventative practice utilized in the labor and delivery unit to reduce the rates of post cesarean SSIs.

Interventions: The preventative evidenced based practice of vaginal preparation with 10% povidone-iodine was implemented on women in the operating room before their cesarean procedure. Educational materials such as informative presentations, videos, and posters were created to educate nursing staff on the implementation of …

Reducing Maternal Falls On A Postpartum Unit Through Staff Education, Kathleen Benjamin

Master's Projects and Capstones

There have been 23 documented falls on the maternity unit at Hospital A over the past three years. This fall rate is above the national average, making the reduction of falls on the postpartum unit a priority to maintain the hospital’s Magnet status and improve patient safety. Data analysis related to contributing factors of falls and staff education on best ambulation practices has the potential to decrease the number of maternal falls on the targeted microsystem population of the postpartum unit. This quality improvement project conducted a fall audit on each documented fall case, performed an environmental survey of the …

Evidence Based Repositioning Strategies To Improve Pressure Injury Rates, Ivan E. Dorsey

Master's Projects and Capstones

Pressure injuries (PI) affect approximately 1-3 million people in the United States annually, and amount to 3-11 billion dollars in yearly healthcare costs (Mondragon et al., 2021; Padula & Delarmente, 2019). In veterans who seek care, especially the elderly (>65 y/o), pressure injuries are particularly devastating because they increase hospital costs and lengthen stays (Stroupe et al., 2011). In light of these statistics, the aim of this project was to decrease PI rates in veteran patients through the implementation of evidence-based practice. This project was conducted on a medical/surgical telemetry unit with 18 beds at a Northern California hospital …

Reducing Hospital Readmission Rate In Chf Patients Through Early Individualized Patient Discharge Education, Anthony Ensah

Master's Projects and Capstones

The term congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that occurs in a person when the heart stops doing its normal activity of pumping blood to the rest of the body for the body. Heart failure normally occurs when the heart can no longer pump (systolic) or fills (diastolic) pressure adequately to the body. Because heart failure is one of the leading causes of death in the United States this project was conducted on one of the Northern California San Francisco Bay- Area hospitals to assess patients understanding and knowledge on the presenting signs and symptoms of heart failure …

Coyote Management In San Francisco, Matthew Greer

Master's Projects and Capstones

As cities in North America grow, coyotes have become progressively more important species in urban ecosystems. Moreover, as coyotes increasingly use these urban spaces, human-coyote conflicts have become more common, creating a need for new management strategies. This paper will explore how the city of San Francisco could create a new coyote management plan for its highly visible coyote population. San Francisco has had a persistent coyote population since the early 2000s (Todd, 2018). Currently, the coyote population is close to 100 individuals and is still growing (J. Young, Presidio Trust, pers. comm.). To explore this topic a literature review …

Discharge Nurse Role Implementation: Improving Discharge Timeliness And Patient Outcomes, Diamond Faith Chu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: The Discharge Nurse (DN) Role Implementation project aims to reduce the delay in the discharge process and patient length-of-stay. With the current microsystem discharge process, there are observed barriers to timely discharge related to various discharge tasks and interdisciplinary communication methods.

Context: This project was implemented in a metropolitan hospital within Northern California, on a unit that serves medical-surgical, oncology, and geriatric patients. There are 35 registered nurses (RN’s), eight certified nursing assistants, one charge manager, one assistant charge manager, one clinical nurse leader, and four clinical nurse specialists (oncology).

Interventions: The intended aim of this project is to …

Improving Medical-Surgical Nurses’ Confidence In Initiating The Code Blue Process, Moung Sui A. Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

Lack of confidence in responding to codes can decrease patient outcomes, for any delay in care reduces the chances of revival. As codes occur less frequently in medical-surgical units, nurses who work in this specialty are not as equipped to respond to codes like their ICU or ER colleagues. To address this concern, a code blue readiness training was implemented in six different medical-surgical units of an East Bay hospital. Pre and post surveys were utilized for data comparison on nurses’ confidence in responding to various steps of a code. The results revealed an overall increase in confidence. For this …

Establishing Quiet Hours In Long-Term Care: A Quality Improvement Project, Heather Battaglia

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Sleep disturbances in long-term care residents are associated with falls, behavioral problems, and increased mortality rates, yet long-term care facilities are traditionally noisy environments at night. Designated quiet hours have been shown to improve patient sleep as well as decrease stress levels in nurses.

Context: In a skilled nursing facility that provides care for military veterans with complex medical and psychosocial needs, signage exists that indicates to be quiet between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., but no defined guidelines were available for staff to observe.

Interventions: Standards for quiet hours were established and posted throughout the microsystem. Lecture-style teaching …

The Feasibility Of Industrial Wastewater Reuse Onsite In The Tri-City Area, Shayla Bergeron

Master's Projects and Capstones

Industries typically discharge wastewater to a centralized wastewater treatment plant, but given ongoing water scarcity from repeated droughts, onsite wastewater reuse within the industrial facility’s plant is an attractive alternative. However, information on economic and technical feasibility on wastewater reuse onsite is limited. A literature review showed that membrane bioreactors are a promising wastewater reuse treatment technology due to their reduced footprint and high quality produced effluent. A watershed assessment of the Tri-City area was conducted to evaluate future water supply. A case study was then performed on industrial dischargers in the Tri-City area applying this technology. Finally, the costs …

Joint Management Of Upland & Aquatic Habitat For The California Red-Legged Frog & California Tiger Salamander, Kyle E. Verblaauw

Master's Projects and Capstones

As federally and state protected amphibians, the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) are recipients of ample management focus. Both species face a variety of threats, including habitat loss and alteration, introduction of non-native species, spread of disease, and effects of climate change. While management plans for the California tiger salamander and California red-legged frog exist, they frequently do not consider both species in tandem and often contain multiple shortcomings. This document aims to address the shortfalls of current management by providing practical recommendations for jointly managing the upland and …

Motivating Poetry In The Adult Esl Classroom, Lenore Marin Myers

Master's Projects and Capstones

Current research into motivation in second language acquisition, including Dörnyei (2005, 2009, 2015), offers compelling evidence that adult language learners who develop and habitually strengthen a vision of their future, linguistically capable selves using concrete, sensory imagery are more likely to sustain the necessary motivation to achieve their personal language-learning goals. My thesis proposes that poetry writing can be an effective medium for language learners to build facility in developing concrete, sensory imagery (tactile, visual, kinesthetic, olfactory, and auditory), including creating a motivating vision of their future, linguistically capable selves. Because poetry can directly support and build learner motivation, it …

Local Impacts Of Biden’S Infrastructure Bill, Hannah Donahue

Digital Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire.

Arts And Science Integration On The Kaleidoscope School Nature Trail And Greenhouse, Sara Boersma

Education

The Kaleidoscope KSAS Nature Trail and Greenhouse provide a gateway to pathways of understanding the immediate natural space surrounding our school. In addition, students are provided arts and science education informed by a critical place-based pedagogy. This emphasizes the activist, restoring possibilities of art making and affirming the need for students to become involved in learning outside the physical school building (Graham, 2003). The possibilities ofunderstandings and stewardship are encouraged through arts and science integration and experiences on the nature trail and greenhouse. Through these experiences, students can gain a sense of awareness and understanding oftheir natural environment and this …

Parental Perceptions Of Family Management Styles In Families With A Child With Asthma, Annette Hines

Dissertations

Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children in the United States, and families who have a child with asthma face daily challenges to maintaining a normal family life. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed that studied four risk factors and four protective factors derived from the literature that impact these families, in order to better understand how nurses can meet the health care needs of the children with asthma and their families. Knafl's (1990, 1996) family management styles framework was applied as the theoretical framework of the study, and the concept of normalization was measured using the Family …

This Long-Running Study Proves That Nice People Finish First, Matt Windsor

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Fouad Elected To Prestigious National Dentistry Advisory Council, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting The Outcome Of The National Council Licensure Examination Among Nontraditional Learners From Associate Degree Nursing Programs, Angela C. Gaud

Dissertations

The composition of student population in higher education is a reflection of a globalized society and current socioeconomic conditions. Characteristics of nontraditional adult learners have a significant impact in the achievement of their academic goals. A more diverse composition of students enrolled in nursing programs poses an important challenge to NCLEX-RN pass/fail outcomes. Studies that explore or predict the factors associated with NCLEX-RN performance amongst nontraditional adult learners after graduation are limited.

This study analyzed how the demographic, social, and psychological factors observed in the characteristic profile of the nontraditional adult learner are related to NCLEX-RN performance for graduates of …

Farnesol Secretion As A Possible Driving Force For Maintaining Candida Albicans As A Diploid, Kenneth Nickerson, Cory Boone, Kory Parker

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a pathogenic dimorphic fungus which is invariably found as a diploid in patients. C. albicans secretes the sesquiterpene farnesol both as a quorum sensing molecule which blocks the yeast to hypha conversion and as a virulence factor for pathogenicity. 20-25 μM farnesol kills other competing yeasts and fungi, often by triggering apoptosis, and yet wild type diploid C. albicans tolerates 300-500 μM farnesol. The recent availability of 10 haploid strains of C. albicans (5 mating type aand 5 mating type α) allowed us to compare their production of and sensitivity to farnesol. On average, the heterozygous diploid …

Perceived Exercise Habits Of Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease Living In The Community, Jordana Lockwich, Kate Schwartzkopf-Phifer, Camille L. Skubik-Peplaski, Richard D. Andreatta, Patrick H. Kitzman

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

Context

Exercise has been shown to improve gait in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Stepping practice at higher intensity levels has been suggested as a beneficial treatment option to improve gait in the neurological population. Unfortunately, this mode is poorly understood and underutilized within the PD population. Information on what individuals with PD are doing for exercise would be beneficial to help tailor exercise programs to improve gait and provide exercise options in the community for intensity-based exercise.

Objective

To investigate the current exercise habits of individuals living with PD in the community aimed at improving walking and to understand …

A Protocol For Rapid And Parallel Isolation Of Myocytes And Non-Myocytes From Multiple Mouse Hearts., Gabriella E Farrugia, Michael A Mclellan, Kate L Weeks, Aya Matsumoto, Charles D Cohen, Crisdion Krstevski, Taylah L Gaynor, Adam C Parslow, Julie R Mcmullen, Alexander R Pinto

Faculty Research 2021

This protocol features parallel isolation of myocytes and non-myocytes from murine hearts. It was designed with considerations for (1) time required to extract cardiac cells, (2) cell viability, and (3) protocol scalability. Here, a peristaltic pump and 3D-printed elements are combined to perfuse the heart with enzymes to dissociate cells. Myocytes and non-myocytes extracted using this protocol are separated by centrifugation and/or fluorescence-activated cell sorting for use in downstream applications including single-cell omics or other bio-molecular analyses. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to McLellan et al. (2020).

Ms 069 Guide To The Harold S. Skjonsby, Dds Papers (1967-1987), Harold S. Skjonsby, Dds

Manuscript Finding Aids

The Harold S. Skjonsby, DDS, papers (MS069) contains reports, committee notes, curriculum and modules for teaching, grant information, faculty workshop programs, and student handbooks that document Harold S. Skjonsby’s time as faculty the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. See more at MS 069.

Physics-Informed Machine Learning To Predict Extreme Weather Events, Rthvik Raviprakash, Jonathan Buchanan, Mahdi Bu Ali

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Extreme weather events refer to unexpected, severe, or unseasonal weather events, which are dynamically related to specific large-scale atmospheric patterns. These extreme weather events have a significant impact on human society and also natural ecosystems. For example, natural disasters due to extreme weather events caused more than $90 billion global direct losses in 2015. These extreme weather events are challenging to predict due to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere and are highly correlated with the occurrence of atmospheric blocking. A key aspect for preparedness and response to extreme climate events is accurate medium-range forecasting of atmospheric blocking events.

Unlike …

Active Membrane Energy Exchanger For Air Cooling And Dehumidification, Songhao Wu, Andrew Fix, David M. Warsinger, James E. Braun

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment consume 35% of total building energy use in the US, among which a large share is used for cooling and dehumidification. The majority of air dehumidification systems take the conventional approach of moisture condensation removal. It requires air to be cooled below its dew point temperature and is an energy-intensive process, especially for areas with hot and humid climates. Vapor selective membrane systems are promising alternatives for air dehumidification as they do not require cooling energy for latent (humidity) heat removal. It allows water vapor transport through the membrane while blocking air. Previous …

An Analysis Of Two Photometric Redshift Methods And Their Uses For Finding Void Galaxies, Rochelle J. Steele

Theses and Dissertations

An extensive survey of extragalactic objects with accurate distances is difficult to perform. Distance at that scale is commonly found with redshift and most easily identified with spectroscopic observations, which are time intensive. This is especially a concern when surveying for the elusive, possibly non-existent dwarf galaxies in the centers of voids, whose light would be so faint that a spectroscopic survey to find them would be unreasonably time consuming. Photometric methods to calculate redshift could provide a much quicker way to find distance, but the photometric methods used thus far are characterized by large errors that make them unusable …

2021-12-17_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Care) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, …

Tai Verdes Does “A-O-K” At Unh Scope Concert, Aubrey Benoit

Digital Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire.

Conceptual Design Of Two Tiltrotor Aircraft For Urban Air Mobility, Michael T. Radotich

Engineering

There has been an abundance of new and novel aircraft designs created for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in recent years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contributes to the research and development of this industry in part by applying its aircraft design tools to create conceptual designs of UAM reference vehicles. The vehicles are intended to quantify the tradeoffs and performance capabilities necessary for VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft in the UAM design space. The reference vehicles represent a variety of configurations that seek to encompass many of the design characteristics suitable for UAM. This thesis focuses on …

Landslides In The Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska: Inventory Map And Tanana 440 Landslide Assessment, Jaimy A. Schwarber

Engineering

Landslides are geologic hazards that threaten human life, property, and infrastructure. Effective threat mitigation requires knowledge of where past landslides occurred. Until now, no published landslide inventory maps existed for any part of Alaska. Here we present an overview of our landslide mapping within parts of the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB), Alaska and a thorough investigation and assessment of the Tanana 440 (T440) landslide. We mapped 1,679 landslides, and field-verified 51 landslides within the FNSB. These landslides vary in age, movement type, and material. Most are prehistoric, but we did observe some historic and active landslides. Observed slope failures …

20211217_Hslic Door Window Decorating Contest, Tamara Wheeler

HSLIC Blog Post

No abstract provided.

Trans Sex Workers - A Community In Resilience, Alejandra Pedraza Buenahora

Capstones

By exploring the ways the trans sex worker community supports itself and all the tactics community leaders are using to support community members, this engagement journalism projects details the way journalist can service the trans community and aid in their information acquisition needs. By using an array of journalistic skills this capstone explores what journalist can and should do to build trust with trans community members to better report on the experiences of individual community members. Here you will find detailed lessons learned from interviews, informal chats, reporting and gatherings with trans community leaders in the city of New York.