Cut It Out: Reducing Cesarean Section Rates in Low - Risk First - Time Mothers

College of Professional Studies

Cesarean section rates have increased 7-fold from 1965 (4.5%) and are now the nation’s most common operating – room procedure. One in five deliveries is by C – section according to the World Health Organization. A Healthy People 2030 goal, is to reduce this number to 23.6% or less, in low risk, first - time mothers. On my local unit, C - sections hit an all time high and a change is needed to better maternal child outcomes. This projects examines causes for the increase and strategies aimed at reducing the rate, using evidence based practice interventions. The proposed interventions will be targeted at the patient, nursing, and policy level.

Deciphering the Crosstalk within Human Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Our project investigates the cross-talk between cells contained within the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque using single-cell technologies. We mapped the transcriptome of the plaque using 10x transcriptomics and validated our findings with immunohistochemistry and in vitro assays. We found a predominance of memory T cells suggesting T cells were recruited by antigen engagement with their cognate peptide presented by myeloid cells. Using in vitro assays, we also found activation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic pathways in smooth muscle cells after exposure to T cell cytokines. Our analysis suggests that T cells communicate with myeloid and smooth muscle cells within the plaque

Decolonizing Mentorship Programs

Other

In the past, efforts to create mentorship programs have been unsuccessful due to the tendency to place the needs of mentors before individuals who are being mentored. The purpose of this project was to lessen the paternalism in mentorship programs by providing space to discuss objectives and barriers for students who may then participate as mentees. Six open ended questions were designed in an effort to include student’s ideas on how to engage with student partners and provide a safe learning environment. Following the focus group, the information will be analyzed and delivered to mentors in the form of a powerpoint. This analysis will also be available to students for review and critique.

Deconstructing Intersectional Language: A TQPOC Analyzation on the White Supremacy Perpetuated Through Literacy

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

In efforts to concretely display aspects of what bell hooks deems as a ‘White Supremacist Captialist Imperial Patriarchy’ this research aims to hold accountable the ‘normative’ and ‘professional’ requirements of discourse within any pedagogical space. To create a innovatively personal perspective on the ways with which we receive and are received by peers and mentors alike; challenging the perpetuation of the manifold affects within White Supremacy while instilling, hopefully, bravery with TQPOC to refute limitations set on their being.

Deconstructing political morale: The development of the political demoralization scale (PDS)

College of Professional Studies

Minimal research combines the dimensions of political morale to develop a scale that broadly measures political demoralization. Political demoralization can be described as experienced discontentment and distress within the current political system, wherein some people may feel powerless to enact change. (Clark & Kissane, 2002). The current study is the development of a scale of political demoralization, which tests its relationship between political hopelessness, political efficacy and social desirability. Analyses of the PDS demonstrate the scale's reliability and validity.

Decreasing Non-Ventilator Hospital Acquired Pneumonia

College of Professional Studies

Evidence shows that patients who receive oral care two to four times daily, have their chances of acquiring non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) decreased by thirty-seven percent. To make this a successful program at our hospital, it would be prudent to create a policy for oral care, train nursing staff and patients of proper oral care and be sure to document in the electronic medical records that oral care has been done. Pneumonia is the number one hospital acquired infection. This information points to a greater need for nurses to perform oral care with patients.

Decreasing patient readmission rates.

College of Professional Studies

Patient readmissions within 30 days of discharge not only cost hospitals around 15,000 dollars per incident but also indicate increased mortality rates and worse patient outcomes. Readmissions occur for multiple reasons such as, lack of clear discharge instruction, delayed primary care follow-up, medication issues, or worsening symptoms. Hospitals must take a multidisciplinary approach to addressing this issue. Interventions can be implemented to improve readmission rates, like discharge calls within 48 hours, creation of hospital policy to guide the call, and primary care follow-up within 10 days. With better transition from hospital to primary care, patient readmissions will decrease.

Defending the Environment: From Grassroots to a Business

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

A common practice through the waves of environmental movements is for grassroots organizations to eventually form a non-profit that continues to support the environment. This was clearly observed at the Environmental Protection Information Center in Arcata, California. The study of this nonprofit and others like it have painted a clearer picture about how environmental nonprofits organize and mobilize. EPIC follows the patterns of other organizations, being a 45 year old environmental nonprofit, it has seen a lot of changes from its original grassroots mobilization. The focus is now on how to best fulfill its mission statement and maintain a complex membership based business.

Define American

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the self-perceived identities of immigrant and first-generation community members in Humboldt County, particularly related to feelings of inclusion and exclusion. The research will help to identify the resources that are available and important to immigrant and first-generation members, to identify areas in which resources are lacking, and to provide an intimate understanding of their experiences related to their identities in this community. Through surveys and interviews we hope to bridge public discourse between the American identity and the immigrant and first-generation identity.

Del Norte County: A Look at Educational Achievement

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Rural communities like Del Norte County face additional challenges in obtaining a quality education compared with urban areas. According to the Rural Families Data Center, this achievement gap is due to excessive absence and truancy, low socioeconomic status, poverty, and high school dropout rates. Archival data from the last ten years was obtained from the CDE DataQuest website and analyzed to inform a report created by the California Center for Rural Policy for dissemination throughout the community. Generally test scores were lower for Del Norte and low-income students. These results show that more attention must be paid to education systems in rural communities to improve outcomes.