Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Development Of Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies Using Kudzu Starch As A Partial Fat Replacement Ingredient, Saabirah Carr

Honors College Theses

The prevalence of kudzu has risen in the United States since its introduction in 1876. Though its invasiveness may play a negative role in our ecosystems, its roots have been used nutritionally in China for over 2,000 years because of their high starch content. In the United States, the use of kudzu starch as food products is limited. This study compared the moisture content and spread of reduced-fat gluten-free cookies prepared with kudzu starch-thickened aqueous mixture to similar gluten-free cookies prepared with rice flour and gluten-containing all-purpose wheat flour sugar cookies with kudzu starch, to gluten-containing sugar cookies (control). Moisture …

Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy And Applied Behavior Analysis Forming An Interdisciplinary Bridge For Positive Patient Outcomes, Rachel Ann Vaughn

Honors College Theses

Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, and Applied Behavior Analysis work within the pediatric population and are used to help children reach milestones throughout their development. This survey is meant to assess the amount of interdisciplinary collaboration that is occurring within these disciplines. The research team believes that this interdisciplinary collaboration could be beneficial to the pediatric population, but understands that this survey is a baseline and needs further research. Through a survey, there were 29 total participants, 22 PT/OT and 7 ABA therapists. The survey showed evidence of ABA techniques being used within PT and OT sessions for betterment of the …

In The Midst Of A Pandemic: Exploring Nursing Students' Attitudes And Beliefs Toward Their Training And Education, Harper C. Lewis

Honors College Theses

During Spring of 2020, didactic and clinical courses for nursing students at Georgia Southern University transformed to virtual platforms due to COVID-19. Student nurses learn their profession with experiences in both classroom and clinical settings. Clinical setting helps students strengthen psychomotor skills learned during simulated laboratory work. While all health profession students expressed stress as a major factor for well-being, student nurses seemed to experience more stress. Stress threatens nursing students’ sense of control over present and future performance. Competently performing skills required of newly graduated nurses greatly determines new graduates’ ability to secure employment as a registered nurse in …

Molecular Analysis Of Mchm Toxicity In Zebrafish, Cassandra Pelton

Honors College Theses

In early 2014 Freedom Industries, located in Charleston, WV, leaked approximately 10,000 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk River. This river serviced approximately 300,000 people as a source of municipal water. Its effects on the people and surrounding wildlife is largely unknown.

Chemicals in surface runoff have the potential to induce aquatic animal trait changes, such as altered movement and feeding, that can ultimately alter predator-prey dynamics in aquatic systems. However, chemicals with high potential to enter aquatic systems, like 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) used to clean coal, were tested using only short-term, single-species studies prior to use. Data from …

Obesity Bias: Bachelor Of Science Nursing Student Perceptions, Ashlyn Nicole Beasley

Honors College Theses

The National Institutes of Health identifies that one in three adults is obese. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and above. Patients with obesity may deny themselves healthcare due to the mistreatment and mistrust they may develop within the healthcare system. If the prejudice against obese patients is addressed, it could prevent future issues for patients and healthcare providers. Not only can bias against obese patients lead to injury, but it can also lead worsening conditions. When a patient perceives the stigma of a weight bias from a caregiver, it can cause them to withdraw …

Perceptions Of Covid-19 In College Students: Effect On Emotional Well-Being, Mikayla N. Murphy

Honors College Theses

This study explores the connection between emotional well-being of college students and the COVID-19 pandemic. Many physical distancing practices have negatively affected emotional well-being, such as increased time alone and screen time. A purposive sample of convenience was utilized to collect information on the emotional well-being of a selected group of students at two time points: January through March 2020 and January/February 2021. Students from the Honors College were selected as the study population. The survey questions were administered electronically through Qualtrics software, Version: February 2021. Of the 101 survey responses obtained between January 27 and February 22, 2021, 89 …

The Relationship Between Optimism And Perceived Health In Generation-Z An Explanatory Investigation, Natalie D. Woodward

Honors College Theses

Research has found possible links between optimism, happiness, and perceived health in past generations (Peterson & Bazio, 1991). Little research has been found examining these variables within Generation Z. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between optimism, happiness, and perceived health in Generation Z. A secondary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between optimism, happiness and perceived health between genders and races. A third purpose of this study is to predict happiness by examining optimism, perceived health, and sleep within Generation Z. 2287 Generation Z participants took the Life Orientation Test, the …

Heart Health: Lifestyle Factors That Influence Cardiovascular Well-Being, Holly K. Sawyer

Honors College Theses

Each year, one in every four deaths in the United States is a result of heart disease. As the leading cause of death among women and men from various ethnicities, heart disease may be overlooked when making everyday life decisions. As a group of genetic and behavioral conditions, heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. This may be due to the typical Western diet and daily life choices such as drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco. Heart diseases including atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease kill ten times more women than breast cancer (Lewis, et al., 2017). White men have …

Exploring The Impact Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Children’S Literacy Skills In Speech-Language Interventions, Samantha Wingate

Honors College Theses

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic approach that uses therapy dogs to improve the clinical goals of individuals who need rehabilitative support. While AAT research within the health professions is developing, there is support showing that this type of milieu therapy has potential benefits when working with children with literacy concerns. Within the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), AAT can be used by speech-language pathologists to establish goal-directed therapy sessions to improve children’s literacy skills. This paper will highlight current literature that explores the use of AAT within literacy interventions, the use of evidence-based measures, and the feasibility …

Substitution Of Kudzu Starch For Cornstarch Results In Dairy-Based Vanilla Pudding With Similar Texture And Consumer Acceptability, Carissa D. Ingram

Honors College Theses

Kudzu, also known as kuzu, is a rapidly growing, vine invasive in the Southeastern United States following introduction for soil erosion control in the late 19th century. Native to Southeastern Asia, its roots are rich in starch which has been used in traditional Eastern cuisine as a sauce thickener. Use of kudzu starch in Western cuisine is limited. This study compared the consistency, percent sag, and consumer acceptability of whole milk vanilla pudding prepared with kudzu starch to vanilla pudding prepared with cornstarch, a more commonly used thickening agent in the United States (control). The consistency (Bostwick Consistometer; 50°C) and …

Examining The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha-6 In Cancer Metastasis., Chase T. Clark

Honors College Theses

Metastasis- the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to the surrounding tissues- is responsible for 90% of cancer deaths. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6) is a specific transmembrane cell surface protein that functions in cell surface adhesion and signaling. ITGA6 is upregulated in many types of cancers and promotes the migration and invasion of cancer cells to surrounding tissues. It is my objective to determine the mechanism through which ITGA6 facilitates the migration of cancer cells through the extracellular matrix (ECM). These experiments helped to establish the role of ITGA6 in tumor development and provide focus for possible chemotherapeutic treatment. …

Different Effects Of Static And Vibrating Foam Rollers On Plantar Flexor’S Flexibility And Torque Production Capacity, Tanner Cormier

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine if there were different effects on the range of motion and muscle contraction force in the plantar flexors of the ankle when implementing vibrating foam roller treatment in comparison to static. The study included 15 female swimmers within the age range of 18 to 28 years old without neuromusculoskelatal pathology within the last six months. Each testing session consisted of four conditions, conditions A and B were static rollers and conditions C and D were vibrating rollers. To ensure reliability the order of the conditions was randomly selected and resting flexibility and …

Does Religious Belief Affect Attitudes Towards Mental Illness?, Robert B. Conway

Honors College Theses

There has been an increase in recent years in the effort to raise awareness of mental health issues, particularly suicide. However, awareness does not equate to understanding and there has been little in the way of public education. One of the biggest obstacles faced by those suffering from a mental illness is the public stigma associated with it. Given the high percentage of the population in the South who identify as being religious, this study looked at the relationship between religiosity and public stigma towards mental illness. Two hundred forty-two university students drawn from undergraduate biology and nursing classes completed …

Effects Of Static Stretching On Proprioception And Muscle Power Production, Eva Alyss Blais

Honors College Theses

With widespread use of pre-exercise stretching methods in many sports, recent studies have questioned how effective these implications are (Kay, Blazevich 2012, Cramer, J. T., et al.2005, Curry, B. S., Chengkalath, D., Crouch, G. J., Romance, M., & Manns, P. J. 2009). It has been found that certain types of stretching before performance negatively impact muscle power production. However, the reasoning behind why stretching is doing harm to athletes’ performances is still unanswered. The purpose of this study is to explore how stretching affects proprioception, and how this in turn affects muscle power production. Using the Biodex 2 dynamometer, passive …

Pneumonia Radiograph Diagnosis Utilizing Deep Learning Network, Wesley O'Quinn

Honors College Theses

Pneumonia is a life-threatening respiratory disease caused by bacterial infection. The goal of this study is to develop an algorithm using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to detect visual signals for pneumonia in medical images and make a diagnosis. Although Pneumonia is prevalent, detection and diagnosis are challenging. The deep learning network AlexNet was utilized through transfer learning. A dataset consisting of 11,318 images was used for training, and a preliminary diagnosis accuracy of 72% was achieved.

The Relationship Between Sleep Duration And Optimism Levels In Generation Z Students, Anna Hassett

Honors College Theses

Generation Z is getting less sleep than ever and in conjunction, the quality of Generation Z’s sleep is decreasing. Inadequate sleep can increase the risk of depression, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cognitive decline. Optimism is a subjective measure of worldview. In the field of positive psychology, optimism is believed to improve overall psychological and physical health. The main purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between sleep duration and reported levels of optimism in Generation Z students, aged 17 to 24. The hypothesis for this study is that optimism and duration of sleep will have a significantly …

The Presence Of Spirituality And Its Effect On Attitudes Towards Death, Isabel F. Cortez

Honors College Theses

ABSTRACT

Rationale Implementing spirituality practices in healthcare is not heavily emphasized yet has the potential to increase positive patient outcomes.

Hypothesis If an individual identifies with having a strong sense of spirituality, then they will have decreased negative reactions towards dying.

Methods Data was collected via distribution and processing of surveys on the Statesboro campus of Georgia Southern University. The survey included a series of questions regarding general demographics, strength of spirituality, feelings associated with death, and coping ability. The information collected was processed through SPSS in order to evaluate correlations present.

Results It was found that individuals who indicated …