The University of Texas at Tyler
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Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): A Texas Veteran-Friendly Community
No full textThe Hibbs Institute\u27s November 2024 brief, Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): A Texas Veteran-Friendly Community, outlines Tyler\u27s application for designation as a Texas Veteran-Friendly Community through the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG). The brief highlights Tyler\u27s strong economic environment, community support, employment opportunities, healthcare services, educational and career prospects, quality of life, and future plans that collectively honor and support veterans. Notable recognitions include Tyler\u27s designation as a Purple Heart City (2014), multiple Military Friendly Schools® awards, and being ranked No. 8 in the 10 Best Cities for Veterans by Livability.com (2016). The economic impact of veterans in the region is significant, with contributions estimated between 628.6 million. The brief also emphasizes the availability of world-class healthcare facilities, such as the Tyler Centennial VA Clinic, and various community organizations like CampV that provide resources to veterans. The results of the designation application are expected on January 2, 2025, with a comprehensive report to follow in spring 2025
Medication Adherence: A Reimbursable Theory-Guided Evidence-Based Educational Intervention for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease
No full textBackground: Parkinson’s disease is a challenging, progressive neurodegenerative process projected to affect more than 1.2 million patients by 2030, with an economic burden that will surpass $79 billion annually in the United States. Pharmacological interventions are the hallmark of treatment for symptom management for this lifelong disease. Multiple medications and a variety of dosing times have an increasingly negative effect on medication adherence. Purpose: This article will discuss medication adherence challenges, describe a theory-guided evidence-based intervention to improve medication adherence, and explore the economic implications in an outpatient clinic setting. Methods: A pilot chart review of 40 cases over 30 days found 60% of patients indicated medication nonadherence. An evidence-based practice quality improvement project was implemented using pre- and post-measurements of physical, social, and adherence metrics separated by medication adherence teaching. The metrics used include the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire 39, part of the International Movement Disorder Society’s Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, and the Morisky, Green, Levine Scale. Results: Results were encouraging; medication adherence increased by 26%, while quality of life improved by 18%. Medication adherence improvement efforts follow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed guidelines to stabilize health care reimbursement and pharmaceutical economics. Implications for Practice: Consistent implementation of medication adherence teaching into the current office visit structure identifies patients at risk and improves provider–patient relationships using evidence-based adherence interventions. Any health care system can improve patient outcomes and facilitate revenue growth using medication adherence teaching coupled with the appropriate diagnostic and visit coding
Wales in WW1: Soldiers, Home, and Memory
No full textMuch of the history of Wales during the First World War discusses the fighting Welsh soldiers endured during the war years. There is also some fairly sparse information that discusses events on the home front. Historiography of the United Kingdom and World War I is dominated by England and the English battle and home front experience, with some attention paid to Scotland and Ireland. Yet, Wales has received little academic attention despite the Welsh having fought and helped on the home front in relative equality with their English counterparts. In examining Welsh soldiers battle experience against the Central Powers forces and the way women and children kept Wales going during the war years, this thesis argues that not only did the Welsh serve comparably to their English counterparts, but that the reason their role in the war has been largely forgotten in the subsequent decades was due to the predominance of the English narrative that sought to overwrite the nuanced war experience of the UK with a singularly English characterization. The memory of the Welsh war experience was, until the twenty-first century, subsumed into the dominant English account of the war, something which reflects the myriad of ways English colonization of Wales continued to be reflected even in the twentieth century. This suggests that much of their history is not widely known to a portion of the world when compared to the English narrative that is shown in various research and documentaries. While there is some of the Welsh history that is written and researched, it is not commonly known or understood in academic or in popular history
Integration of Renewable Energy Networks into Smart Grid Infrastructure: A MATLAB/Simulink-Based Simulation Approach
No full textThe rising demand for sustainable and resilient energy systems has accelerated the transformation from traditional power grids toward smart grids integrated with renewable energy networks. This thesis explores the integration of solar energy sources into smart grids to replace conventional fossil-fuel-based generation. A simulation model is developed using MATLAB/Simulink to evaluate the operational performance, stability, and adaptability of the proposed smart grid architecture. Key challenges, including intermittency, synchronization, and bidirectional power flows, are identified, and corresponding solutions, such as energy storage systems, are proposed to address these issues. Simulation results demonstrate enhanced grid stability, reduced carbon footprint, and improved power quality, underscoring the viability of renewable-integrated smart grids as the foundation for future power systems. This document compiles the full analysis and results for integrating inverter‑based resources into the IEEE 9‑bus system. We compare three scenarios—synchronous baseline, hybrid (PV at buses 2 & 3), and all-renewable with a grid-forming BESS at bus 1, using AC power flow, OPF, THD, time-varying loads, and dynamic stability metrics. Key findings: the hybrid case offers the best overall trade‑off; All‑renewable case is fastest dynamically due to grid‑forming control; and line loadings remain within ratings under the studied conditions
Gender Differences in Psychological Strengths Among Rural Adolescents
No full textPurpose: Rural adolescents often lack access to mental health care along with increased rates of depression and suicide completion. While psychological strengths have been associated with positive outcomes globally, little is known regarding the prevalence of these indicators (hope, self‐efficacy, resilience, optimism, and gratitude) among adolescents living in rural Texas. The purpose of this study was to describe how rural adolescents report their psychological strengths and examine the data for potential gender differences.
Design and Methods: A secondary analysis of cross‐sectional data was performed on the RStudio platform using tests of central tendency and inferential statistics. Results: There were 425 valid responses. Rural adolescents possessed indicators of psychological strengths at varying levels, with 16.9% reporting high resilience and 9.2% reporting high optimism. Males reported significantly greater levels of hope, self‐ efficacy, resilience, and gratitude with gender effect sizes ranging from 2% to 5%.
Practice Implications: Within school and community settings, nurses and adults who interact with rural adolescents should consider incorporating tailored strategies that promote growth of psychological strengths, with particular consideration for targeted screening and interventions for at‐risk groups
TARGETING BROMODOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 4 IN ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM
No full textBromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4) belongs to the bromodomain and external domain family of proteins. It is crucial for the transcriptional regulation of various immune responses and cell survival processes. This study elucidated the role of (BRD4) in the inflammatory pathway associated with cardiovascular disease, particularly in the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). BRD4 expression was increased in primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (HuAoSMCs) upon treatment with pro-inflammatory stimuli, demonstrating its involvement in the inflammatory responses of primary HuAoSMCs. Knockdown of BRD4 led to a significant decrease in the levels of MCP-1, a chemokine linked to AAA development, indicating a direct regulatory connection. Two BET inhibitors, JQ1 and ARV-825, inhibited the induction of MCP-1 by TNF-α at both transcriptional and translational levels while ARV-825 was more effective. Furthermore, immunofluorescent assays revealed that ARV-825 reduced NF-κB activation more potently than that of JQ1. In vivo Ang II treated ApoE-/- mice models showed induced AAA formation, however, treatment with ARV-825 led to a marked decrease in both the incidence of AAA and vessel size compared to vehicle control, suggesting its viability as a future therapeutic option. The findings from this study suggest that targeting BRD4 might serve as a promising therapeutic option in the treatment or prevention of AAAs
EARLY DETECTION OF NITROGEN STRESS IN COTTON PLANTS WITH A VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND SENSOR
No full textThis work presents a leaf-mounted flexible sensor developed to detect methanol volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from cotton leaves under nitrogen (N) stress. Plants emit methanol in response to numerous stresses, including N deficiency. These plant VOCs play crucial functions as signaling molecules in the defense mechanisms and stress responses of plants. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is commonly employed for the accurate detection of VOCs; however, this technique does not facilitate real-time monitoring, necessitates intricate sample preparation procedures, and incurs high costs. Our low-cost, flexible sensor comprises a 4mm x 19mm methanol sensor. The methanol sensor is fabricated from a mixture of metal oxide and nanoparticles composite. The sensor is incorporated inside a three-dimensional printed enclosure measuring 33.8mm x 35mm x 8.5mm for the in-situ collection and measurement of VOCs emitted by cotton leaves. The cotton plants were cultivated in six pots under two nitrogen conditions: absence of nitrogen and elevated nitrogen (250 ppm nitrate per kilogram of soil), with three plants allocated to each treatment. When plants are under stress, the stomatal closes to reduce water loss through transpiration. Again, nutrient stress, especially nitrogen deficiency, reduces chlorophyll production hence stomatal conductance, chlorophyll index, soil nitrate was correlated with methanol concentration. Our findings reveal elevated levels of methanol from plants without nitrogen treatment compared to those treated with 250 ppm nitrate. The p-values from statistical analysis further validates the results which showed a significant difference in methanol concentration among the two treatment groups. These results corroborate the existing literature, which indicates that nitrogen-stressed plants emit higher concentrations of VOCs than non-stressed plants. Moreover, methanol was found to be a potential VOC marker for early detection of N stress
DOCK2 CONTRIBUTES TO OBESITY-ASSOCIATED LUNG INJURY THROUGH REGULATING MACROPHAGE OXIDATIVE STRESS
No full textObesity is defined as the excessive fat accumulation that imposes many health concerns. DOCK2 promotes a proinflammatory phenotype of lung fibroblasts (LFs) to elicit lung injury in a chronic HFHF diet-induced obesity. Unlike wild-type (WT) mice, DOCK2 knockout mice showed reduced macrophage infiltration and reduced inflammation in the lungs after feeding a HFHF diet. A knowledge gap remains about the role of DOCK2 in mediating macrophage oxidative stress in obesity related lung injury. Since DOCK2 has been reported to mediate macrophage function in infection, based on the knowledge gap and DOCK2 function, a hypothesis was formed that DOCK2 mediates obesity related lung injury through regulating macrophage oxidative stress. We found that DOCK2 knockout reduced palmitic acid (PA)-induced oxidative stress in BMDMs. The induction of iNOS, MCP-1, and IL-6 by PA in WT BMDMs was blunted by DOCK2 knockout. Knockdown of DOCK2 using siRNA in WT BMDMs also attenuated the expression of these proteins. Further mechanistic study showed that DOCK2 knockout attenuated the activation of NF-κB and Rac1, which likely account for the inhibition of PA-induced oxidative stress in BMDMs. In vivo study showed that DOCK2 knockout reduced the expression of oxidative stress markers in the lungs of mice fed with a chronic HFHF diet. Together, our study demonstrated a critical role of DOCK2 in mediating macrophage-derived oxidative stress that potentially induces lung injury associated with obesity
DNP Final Report: INSTITUTING EDUCATIONAL GUIDELINES ON SURGICAL SMOKE EVACUATION SYSTEMS IN THE CARDIOTHORACIC OPERATING ROOM: AN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
No full textElectrocautery devices are essential for precise dissection and hemostasis during surgery; however, these devices generate surgical smoke that contains particulate matter harmful to surgical personnel. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to implement an evidence-based educational program to enhance awareness among surgeons and surgical personnel regarding the dangerous effects of surgical smoke and to apply safety measures for protection. Goals included increasing understanding of surgical smoke safety and safeguarding against smoke inhalation using a smoke evacuation system (SES). A pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaire design was used to evaluate the surgical team\u27s knowledge level, including the surgeons, before, after, and one month following education on surgical smoke safety. Surgical personnel’s awareness and understanding of smoke safety, as well as their comfort level with SES usage, increased immediately after the educational program and remained improved one month later. An 85.6% overall increase in knowledge regarding smoke safety was observed post-education, with an 80.9% retention level one month after education
DIABETES DEVICE KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE AMONG SCHOOL NURSES: A MIXED METHODS STUDY
Full text linkProblem: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in childhood. While manageable, these children may spend half of their day in the school setting and often need assistance from a school nurse to manage their care.
Theory: Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1977) served as the theoretical framework for this study.
Research Questions: The research questions explored knowledge, confidence, and additional predictors of confidence related to diabetes devices.
Design/Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. The Diabetes Device Confidence Scale (DDCS) was used to measure device confidence, while Subscale 10 of the KAT-1 instrument was utilized to assess knowledge about diabetes devices. Hierarchical regression was used to determine what effect, if any, the predictor variables had on the dependent variable of confidence. Open-ended interviews were conducted with nine school nurses across Texas, and responses were coded and analyzed to determine how or if the responses supported the quantitative analysis.
Analysis: Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression modeling. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The qualitative data were integrated to further explain the quantitative data.
Results: Knowledge and number of children cared for within the last five years wearing diabetes devices was significantly correlated with confidence. This was supported by the qualitative data, in which school nurses named experience and education as contributors to confidence.
Conclusion: To build confidence in utilizing diabetes devices, school nurses need hands-on experience and ongoing education