Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Potential Role Of Oxidative Stress In Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure Vascular Reactivity, Abigail J. Gindlesberger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disease of pregnant women that is known to cause detrimental physiological complications to both the mother and fetus. The hypertension hypothesized to result from endothelial dysfunction may be improved therapeutically by increasing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor ligand concentration and it’s Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGF and VEGFR2). Together, this receptor pathway may help overall vasodilation of key blood vessels linking the mother and fetal placental unit, allowing for increased clinical pathologies of both. Previous studies have also linked increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in preeclamptic pregnancies to the damaged endothelial tissues of the …

Forget-Me-Not, Daniel Barber-Cironi, Shawn Nicholson, Jake Kruse, Nicole Dent

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of Forget-Me-Not is to provide another level of care and comfort to those suffering from mild dementia, as well as provide further assistance for a friend, family member, or caretaker who may look after them. Research shows that timely reminders and persistent information can greatly improve the quality of life for those afflicted with mild dementia (Mokhtari et al.). Forget-Me-Not’s persistent display and wearable smart-bracelet offer a customizable and well connected system to provide these reminders. For the caretaker, a mobile application is provided in order to maintain the display and notify them of emergencies or critical events …

The Effects Of Methamphetamine Exposure On Cardiovascular Development In Combination With Hypoxia In Danio Rerio, Sarah Donaldson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of methamphetamine combined with hypoxia on the development and function of the cardiovascular system in Danio rerio embryos. It was hypothesized that the combined effect of the drug and decreased oxygen concentration would result in decreased cardiac parameters due to underdevelopment of the ventricle and vessels resulting from cardiomyopathy and lack of blood flow to tissues. It was found that methamphetamine exposure correlated to an increase in stroke volume, caudal artery and vein diameters and RBC velocities alone, while having a multiplicative effect of increasing arterial RBC velocity when combined …

Exploring Student Understanding Of The Connections Between Music And Literacy, Heather Owens, Scott Palasik

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

It has been found that music training improves attention and recall of memory, two skills that are linked to literacy. Music is also strongly correlated with phonological and phonemic awareness. More research is needed to pinpoint therapy methods that integrate music and are Evidence- Based Practices. The purpose of this project was to discover the extent to which aspiring speech language pathologists are aware that musical experiences aid learning and literacy by conducting a survey of undergraduate speech-language pathology and audiology students at The University of Akron. For the methods of this survey, twenty-eight participants completed a survey that was …

Comparison Of Physiological Adaptations In Highly Trained Aerobic Endurance Athletes And Highly Trained Resistance Athletes, Sarah Falbo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To compare the physiological differences between highly trained resistance and aerobic athletes (who perform five or more hours per week of resistance or aerobic exercise).

Methods: Participants had resting heart rate, blood pressure and lactate taken before entering the BOD POD to get body fat percentage. Then a five minute warm up on a cycle ergometer before doing the VO2 max treadmill test following the Bruce Protocol. At the completion of the VO2 max treadmill test, participants had heart rate recorded from the heart rate monitor, blood pressure and lactate were taken immediately after the max test. The …

Effects Of Egg And Egg Replacers On Consumer Acceptability Of Chocolate Cake, Stormey R. Trayter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Egg allergies are very common, and affect 1% to 2% of all children (Savage, 2007). For this reason, egg replacers that can be easily used by home cooks are an important area of research. In this experiment, a simple egg replacer of flour, oil, baking soda, and water was added to a standard cake mix, with variables consisting of a control product and a product made with no eggs using the egg replacer. The null hypothesis was rejected; removing eggs and adding the egg replacer has an effect on the ability for consumers to discriminate between samples in a triangle …

Hypertension Prevalence In College Seniors, Eric Beaujon, Jared Mooney

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore factors that may predispose college seniors to pre-hypertensive or hypertensive blood pressures. This study was done by taking students' blood pressures and administering a self reported survey to all participants asking about predisposing factors. Results indicated that none of the students tested exhibited hypertensive blood pressures, but five of them had pre-hypertensive blood pressures. Factors that seemed to correlate with the pre-hypertensive students included commute time, having changed majors during their college career, alcohol consumption, hours worked per week and post graduation plans (or lack thereof).

Effects Of Abstraction And Assumptions On Modeling Motoneuron Pool Output, John Michael Allen

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling has long been used in neuroscience as a supplement to more traditional experimental techniques, as it provides some advantages in terms of the level and detail of control available over the system being studied. At the same time, modeling has significant disadvantages by virtue of adding additional uncertainty to results and forcing the definition of potentially unclear physiological mechanisms. Nevertheless, modeling can provide useful insights when carefully defined and constrained. In this thesis, a model of the a-MN pool innervating the cat medial gastrocnemius was constructed. This model was then used to address two major questions, one regarding …

The Relationship Between Substance Use And Academic Performance In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Alexa Roberts, Calli Baumberger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Drug and alcohol use is a negative way to cope with stress in undergraduate nursing students, which may affect academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between substance use and academic performance in baccalaureate nursing students. This study was guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman and used a non-experimental, correlational design. The sample included pre-nursing, accelerated, and second-, third-, and fourth-year nursing students at a public mid-Western university. The sample size was 146 subjects. Alcohol use was measured with the AUDIT questionnaire, drug use was measured by the …

Effects Of Education And Exposure On Associative Stigma Of Psychiatric Nursing In Junior Level Nursing Students, Geoffrey George, Hayley Groubert, Gabrielle Glandorf

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Stigma towards mental illness affects not only persons with mental illness but the psychiatric nursing professionals who care for them. Education and exposure may affect this associative stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an eight­-week undergraduate mental health nursing rotation on associative stigma towards psychiatric/mental health nursing in students. The study was guided by attribution theory and used a non­experimental design and convenience sampling of undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the mental health nursing course. Associative stigma was measured utilizing the Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Placement Survey for First Day of Placement, (Hayman­White & Happell, …

Nosocomial Infection In The Intensive Care Unit: Case Control Comparison Of Trauma Vs Surgical Vs Medical Patients, Catherine A. Fisher

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Clostridium difficille (C. difficile) is an infection-causing bacteria prevalent in hospital intensive care units (ICU). C. difficile infection (CDI) causes severe diarrhea and intestinal issues, while being highly contagious through resistant spores. Critically ill ICU patients are particularly vulnerable due to their weakened state and often high dosages of antibiotics. We investigated the differences between trauma, medical, and surgery patients that contracted C. difficile and developed an infection (CDI) in the ICU through retrospective chart analyses. Trauma patients had statistically significantly higher mean number of days on respiratory ventilation, days with a foley catheter, days in the ICU until …

A Quantitative Study On The Association Between Stress Tolerance And Exercise Habits Among Students Enrolled In A College Of Health Professions Program, Megan Brophy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to gain further knowledge on the effects of stress on students studying health professions by discovering common causes of stress, coping mechanisms utilized for stress of students, and how regular exercise relates to stress tolerance. METHODS: This study was a quantitative, cross-sectional design through a survey distributed via email to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a Midwestern university’s College of Health Professions. Embedded in the email was an anonymous link to a survey, which was constructed through the Qualtrics survey platform. The survey included questions relating to stress about major life events …

A Guide To Functional Communication Training And Autism, Elizabeth M. Connolly

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder have complex communication needs, and many use challenging behaviors to express themselves. This study focused on the effectiveness of the three-step Functional Communication Training process to decrease self-injurious behaviors, when used with a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. After conducting an extensive review of existing studies, the current project focused on areas of weakness in the literature. One case study subject participated in therapy that utilized Functional Communication Training. The participant was taught to functionally communicate via a speech generating device and picture symbols, while the numbers of self-injurious behaviors were recorded. At …

Exploring Autism And The Caregiver Burden Relationship, Mary C. Drockton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to collect qualitative data on the different stresses and burdens associated with being a caregiver for an autistic individual, and discover strategies of stress relief for caregivers. A total of four autism support group meetings hosted by the Autism Society of Greater Akron were attended and observed, with documentation of the discussion between the moderator of the meeting and the caregivers in attendance. Through observation of these meetings, common themes of stress in caregivers were revealed. These include: difficulty with the diagnosis process and finding medical treatment; seeking additional information on available medical treatments; …

Wellness Wednesday: Community Nutrition Education, Autumn M. Laurito

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Wellness Wednesday is a interdisciplinary health education program for residents of the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) funded by the Area Health Education Center. The program aims to provide knowledge and resources to support healthy lifestyles within an underserved population. An original nutrition education curriculum has been developed as part of this program. Group activities, cooking demonstrations, and education materials have been integrated into the curriculum. The topics for discussion were determined by the residents; therefor presentations were catered to specific concerns of the population. The materials have been presented at three different AMHA buildings each month for six total …

Biomarkers Of Sepsis: A Retrospective Approach, Jose M. Roberts

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Background: Biomarkers are taking the spotlight in becoming the norm for early diagnoses. Sepsis is an inflammatory disease that increases metabolic rate in children. The first biomarker is hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is a frequent electrolyte imbalance in clinical practice, often observed in children with inflammatory disease and infection. Presence of hyponatremia is associated with electrical signaling imbalances, inflammation and renal dysfunction. The clinical value of hyponatremia in pediatric patients is unknown. The C-reactive protein is a second biomarker. Its presence signifies that necrotic cells and inflammation are present.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of biomarkers in children seen in the Emergency …

A Comparison Of Changes In Women's Cardiovascular Fitness And Body Composition After Performance In Zumba, Tabata, And Cycling, Kristi N. Kester

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Aerobic group exercise is important to prevent against cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases. Regular exercise can help to reduce the risk of these diseases and premature death. Group exercise classes have shown to be effective in reducing weight, blood pressure, and body composition Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these aerobic group exercise classes to one another. PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the potential health benefits that may occur for women who participate in regular group exercise classes at the Kohl Family YMCA. METHODS: A surrey and body measurements were taken of females enrolled an eight-week aerobic …

Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Work Experience In Baccalaureate Junior And Senior Level Nursing Students, Mallory Wilson, Taylor Byers

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Background: New nursing graduates entering the healthcare fields have demonstrated competency with clinical skills during their education. However, limited experience with skill performance can leave them prone to clinical errors. Higher self-efficacy levels increase competency as individuals create higher goals and are more easily able to perform tasks. Therefore, work experience during nursing school may increase nursing students’ self-efficacy as they become comfortable performing clinical skills.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between employment in health care facilities and self-efficacy of clinical skills in undergraduate nursing students.

Methods: A non-experimental correlational study using convenience sampling, …

A Literature Review On Accent Modification, Alyssa Pennington 6978027

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Accents reflect the unique social aspects and backgrounds of the speaker. Unfortunately, some accents result in communication problems that affect speech intelligibility. This is especially true for those who speak English as a second language (ESL). As a result, non-native English speakers may avoid social interactions with those who find them difficult to understand. For those who elect to modify their accents, clinicians may offer accent reduction therapy services to help ESL speakers improve their ability to communicate with others across the home, school, work, and community setting.

Therapy designed to change accents is within the scope of practice for …

Molecular Characterization Of The Opioid Receptors: Design, Development, And Preclinical Evaluation Of Salvinorin A-Based Molecular Probes., Adam Keasling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of salvinorin chemistry represents a novel and emerging field of opioid research. The novelty is derived from the lead pharmacophore: salvinorin A — a neoclerodane diterpenoid natural product isolated from Salvia divinorum. Salvinorin A represents a pharmacologically unique compound in that it is the first known non-nitrogenous KOR subtype-selective agonist, exhibits a comparatively safe physiological profile with no reports of toxicological effects in clinical trials, and, most importantly, has a steadily growing body of literature indicating potentially useful clinical applications (e.g. antinociceptive, anti-addictive, antipruritic, neuroprotective, etc.). This has encouraged the development of analogues as essential molecular probes to …

Development Of Phenotypic Drug Discovery Models For Tropical Parasitic Diseases, Surendra Kumar Jain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Malaria and visceral leishmaniasis are major killer parasitic diseases. These diseases though occur primarily in tropical countries; economic burden and overall health impacts of malaria and leishmaniasis are global. The emergence of drug-resistant and more-virulent strains of the pathogens has further amplified the problems. New drug discovery approaches primarily rely on in vitro and in vivo models of the disease. The pathogens causing leishmaniasis and malaria are intracellular. Leishmania parasite grows as amastigotes in macrophages cells, and malaria parasite grows within the hepatocytes or erythrocytes. The intracellular forms of the pathogens are responsible for the pathophysiology of the diseases. New …

Phytochemical Investigation Of Psychoactive Medicinal Plants For The Treatment Of Neurological Disorders, Vedanjali Gogineni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders include disorders such as migraine, tension-type headaches, Parkinson’s disease (PD), epilepsy, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Globally, PD is the second most comneurodegenerative disorder following AD. In developed countries, PD affects 1% of all population over 60 years of age. The prevalence of PD is increasing over the years and is expected to double by 2030. It is proposed that combination of dopaminergic drugs with monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors, anticholinergics, catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, and other non-dopaminergic drugs can better alleviate levodopa-induced motor complications along with better control of motor symptoms. MAO-B inhibitors play a significant role in …

Camouflage Orthodontic Treatment For Adultpatient With Skeletal Class Iii Malocclusion And Bilateral Posterior Cross-Bite, Rouh-Hwai Wang, Hsin-Lan Shen

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

This 23-year-old female presents with skeletal Class III malocclusion, complicated by prominent chin projection, bilateral posterior lingual cross-bite, missing of bilateral maxillary first molars, and severely lingualtilted lower second molars. The treatment modality was conventional edgewise appliance with bilateral lower first premolar extraction. A favorable result of ideal overbite and overjet and correction of bilateral posterior cross-bite were achieved. The patient was satisfied the improvement of function and esthetics after treatment.

Maxillofacial Distraction Osteogenesis, Hong-Po Chang, Tsau-Mau Chou, Yu-Chuan Tseng, Jen-Hao Chen, Han-Jen Hsu, Pao-Hsin Liu

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

Distraction osteogenesis in the maxillofacial skeleton is an increasingly popular alternative to many conventional orthognathic surgical procedures. This review summarizes recent data regarding the biological and biomechanical basis of distraction osteogenesis, its advantages and disadvantages, and special considerations in maxillofacial distraction. Intraoral mandibular distraction osteogenesis, maxillary and midfacial distraction, and alveolar distraction osteogenesis are discussed. This review also discusses sutural expansion/maxillary protraction osteogenesis and orthodontically induced periodontal osteogenesis, which are similar to physeal osteogenesis. In the near future, improved understanding of biomolecular mechanisms that mediate distraction osteogenesis may guide the development of targeted strategies that use molecular mediators, growth factors, …

Solving The Complications Of Treating A Unilateral Submerged And Ankylosed Maxillary Permanent First Molar – A Case Report, Han-Wen Yang, Hsin-Yi Lo, Kwong-Wa Li, Liang-Ru Chen

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

The study reported an adult orthodontic case with a unilateral ankylosed upper permanent first molar. A number of complications occurred, including occlusal plane canting, dental midline deviation and asymmetric molar relationship. The case demonstrated the mechanics used to solve all the complications we met. The case also showed the phenomenon that after extraction of the ankylosed tooth, the bone remodeling mechanism of the bone in situ seemed abnormal and resulted in difficulty of protracting the tooth into the extracted site. All the above reasons, therefore, resulted in prolonged treatment time. In addition, the case also demonstrated the method we used …

Using The Forsus Appliance To Correct Class Ii Mandibular Asymmetry In A Growing Patient: A Case Report, Yun-Fang Chen, Yu-Fang Liao

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

The case report described the orthodontic treatment of a 13-year-old male patient diagnosed as Angle Class II Division 1 subdivision left malocclusion with deep bite and spacing. The chief complaint was protrusive upper front teeth prone to injury. Non-extraction treatment with Forsus appliance and Class II elastics was used to correct the Class II relationship on the left side, and to improve the deviated mandibular dental midline, protrusive front teeth and lips, and lip incompetence. Although there were residual mandibular dental deviation of 0.5 mm and lip incompetence, the patient and his parents were satisfied with the treatment results revealing …

A Systematic Review: The Prenatal And Postnatal Events Associated With Infant Mortality Rate (Imr), Ariel L. Thomas, Sarah A. Awwad, Briana E. Clark

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is an indication of overall population health, maternal and child health, accessibility and quality of primary health care, and the availability of community resources. The current IMR in the United States is high despite advances made in the medical field. The purpose of our systematic review is to describe and critically appraise research about prenatal events, postnatal events, and increased infant mortality rate and to give nursing practice recommendations to help decrease the rate. We used CINAHL, Medline and PubMed to find 20 research articles. Overall, the research stated that going to prenatal visits had a …

Effect Of Interventions On Infant Mortality Rates: A Systematic Review, Sophia H. Simone, Emily K. Swaim

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality is the time period beginning with the infant’s first breath and continuing until the first year of life. In 2006, 6.71 infants died in The United States of America (USA) for every 1,000 live births, compared with 6.86 in 2005 and 6.89 in 2000. Although the USA IMR has fallen steadily in recent decades, the nation still ranks 27th among industrialized countries. Further, IMR disproportionately affects racial and ethnic groups in the USA. Despite research about prevalence, predictors, interventions, and major efforts …

Effects Of Environmental Stressors And Design On Patient Outcomes In Icu Patients, Lauren Lea Mcnary, Jenea Ruttino, Kylie Thanasiu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Over four million patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) every year. The ICU, along with many health care settings, is generally regarded as a stress inducing environment, which may contribute to negative patient outcomes. Yet, there has been little progress in developing environments that are optimal to patient healing and using evidence-based design for ICUs. Aspects of environment studied that can be manipulated to increase positive patient outcomes are aroma, light, noise, private rooms, windows, and layout of the room. The purpose of this systematic review is to answer the PICO question, in hospitalized critically ill adults, …

The Success Of An Aided Language Stimulation Training Video For Communication Partners Working With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Hannah Peterson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Aided language stimulation (ALS) is an effective intervention method for nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) learning to use an augmentative-alternative communication system to communicate with others. Communication partners can use ALS to stimulate the use of the augmentative alternative communication (AAC) system. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research study that will be completed in the future to determine the success of an ALS training video. The intended participants of the study include 30 special education teachers who work with children with ASD who use Proloquo2go formatted AAC systems. The participants of the study will …