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Baby-Friendly Initiative: Elimination of Newborn Bath and Hypothermia
No full textBathing has been a tradition integrated into the nursing care of an infant soon after birth to foster and promote cleanliness. However, previous studies have found a link between a decrease body temperature and evidence of hypothermia in infants who were bathed within the first few hours after birth. The purpose of this study focused on the effects of a delayed newborn bath on the condition of an infant; in particular, the project investigated if the presence of the baby bath within the first 12 hours of life significantly lowered the newborns’ body temperatures enough to cause the symptoms of hypothermia. Betty Neuman’s Systems Theory examines the interaction between a patient as a system and their surrounding stressors. Newborn baths can be a stressor by interrupting the evidence-based practice of maximizing skin-to-skin contact and affecting the newborns’ vital signs, a part of their system. The project was completed with the obstetrical services of a large teaching hospital in Michigan. The hospital recently implemented a policy change eliminating baby baths in nursing care within the first 12 hours of life. Randomly selected charts of infants born one month before and after the change were retrospectively reviewed. The sampled population included 200 newborns admitted to the mother-baby care units at the hospital and born at a gestational age greater than or equal to 34 weeks, 100 newborns before and 100 after the policy change. The results and conclusion of the study are not yet known. Limitations of this project include that the study was completed at one hospital and was limited in sample size. The results and conclusions of the study can add to the nursing knowledge-base and provide a foundation of evidence-based practice for the care of newborns within the first 12 hours of life, opposed to the practicing tradition of newborn baths
Analysis of Various Metalloprotein Stoichiometry’s with Simultaneous PIXE and NRA
No full textApproximately one-third of all proteins contain metal cofactors or bind to various metals. Determining the absolute number of metals contained in these proteins has proven to be difficult. We hope to accurately characterize a protein’s stoichiometry with two common ion beam analysis methods along with a standard preparation technique. A combination of Particle Induced X-ray Emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) is being developed to determine the areal density of a thin protein target along with the target’s concentration of heavy elements. The results of this analytical method yield a stoichiometric ratio, along with the absolute numbers of the metal ions contained in a certain metalloprotein. Current work focuses refining the present method of protein preparation to yield the most consistent results while reducing uncertainty in the metallic ratios and absolute values
Capacitance and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Characterization of Electrodeposited Nickel Alloy Thin Films
No full textWith the global energy demand growing, there is greater need for production of energy. One of the ways of producing this energy is creation of hydrogen gas to store energy; however, this technique is not yet economically favorable compared to many other energy sources. One reason for this is the current use of platinum in hydrogen production. As a result, we are exploring other less costly metals for use as hydrogen producing catalysts. With the technique of electrodeposition, different nickel alloy thin films were created to characterize their structure, composition, and hydrogen production capabilities. Characterization was completed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure roughness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to measure composition, and cyclic voltammetry to measure electrochemical capacitance. Linear sweep voltammetry was used to perform the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), a reaction that produces hydrogen gas as a product. The use of these characterization techniques and HER measurements could help further understanding of the production of hydrogen and help fuel cells become more economically favorable using these earth-abundant metals
Differential PIXE Analysis of Multi-layer Auto Paint
No full textDifferential Particle Induced X-ray Emission (DPIXE) has been successful as a technique to analyze carefully-prepared multi-layer auto paint samples in a nondestructive manner. However, the analysis of weathered samples ripped from a car in a salvage yard is more difficult. Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) involves particle beams produced by a particle accelerator to analyze the concentration of elements present in one or more layers. As the beam penetrates into the sample, characteristic x rays of various energies are emitted which correspond to different elements in the sample. DPIXE involves varying the beam energy so the beam penetrates to different depths within the sample, emitting x rays from only the layers through which the beam has passed. Quantitative analysis begins with taking measurements of the thickness of each layer. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) allows us to view a cross-section of paint and measure the thickness of each layer. A careful combination of the SEM data and DPIXE data is required to obtain accurate concentrations of elements in a sophisticated peak fitting program (GeoPIXE) with calculations of energy loss as the beam penetrates to different depths and reabsorption of x rays as they travel out of the sample towards the detector. We plan to continue to refine the technique and recreate the success of the carefully prepared sample with our weathered samples
It’s Only a Matter of Time: How the Timing of Parental Marriage Affects a Child’s Care Outside of the Home
No full textStudies have shown that when parents are married, their children benefit; however, less is known about the timing of marriage and its effects. Marriage is a decision parents make together thus it would appear there would be a spiral effect on their children. An important aspect in a child’s life is time spent outside of the home. And if parental decisions affect their child, it would be expected that their decision to marry would be a factor on whether or not their child is placed in care outside of the household. This path has not been explored in economics thus driving the research question at hand looking at how the timing of marriage relative to the birth of the child affects the emphasis parents place on their child’s care outside of the home. The research question is answered with the implementation of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey. “Fragile families” are those who grow up outside of the traditional home. And according to the survey, they are at higher risk of failure on several levels, including education. The study at hand will challenge this statement. Regression analysis is employed to uncover the consequences that stem from the timing of marriage. The timing of marriage does have an effect on whether or not the parents place their children in care outside of the home
Hope College Abstracts: 14th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance
Get PDFThe 14th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance was held on April 10, 2015 in the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College and featured student-faculty collaborative research projects. This program is a record reflective of those projects between the 2014-2015 academic year
Thermally Reversible Gels for Fabricating Self-Oscillating Structures
No full textResponsive hydrogels are a type of soft material made up of lightly cross-linked polymers that are highly hydrophilic and have the ability to respond to external stimuli. Thermally reversible hydrogels respond to a change in temperature and have the ability to exhibit either lower or upper critical solution temperatures where phase separation occurs. Self-oscillating hydrogels combine an oscillating chemical reaction with responsive hydrogels. In these gels chemical oscillations produced by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction lead to mechanical swelldeswell oscillations. These materials have the potential to be used as soft actuators, microfluidic pumps, or as a form of chemical energy harvesting. A primary objective for our project is to improve on existing self-oscillating gel systems by synthesizing a new self-oscillating hydrogel material that has the ability to be easily patterned. The patterning property that is being explored can then be used to create a large array of synchronized oscillating gel patches, which in turn can be used to produce large cooperative and complex motion. Thermal reversibility makes printing gels more controllable because the polymer solutions exhibit phase separation leading to gelation under certain conditions. Following procedures in the literature, a copolymer composed of acrylic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide was synthesized and successfully displayed gelation above 35°C. Similarly, a copolymer that displayed a gelation below 25°C was also synthesized by a reaction of poly(allylamine) and potassium cyanate. The next step will be to chemically crosslink the gel to make it permanent and incorporate the metal catalyst for the BZ reaction
Intellectual Humility and Forgiveness of Religious Conflict
No full textIntellectual humility (IH) involves an accurate view of one\u27s intellectual strengths and weaknesses as well as the ability to negotiate different ideas in an interpersonally respectful manner. The current study examined how IH and perceptions of IH affect responses to a religious conflict. Participants (N = 200) were undergraduate students who filled out online questionnaires about their experience of a religious conflict. Participants rated (a) their own IH toward the offender\u27s religious beliefs and values, (b) their perception of the offender\u27s IH toward the participants\u27 religious beliefs and values, and (c) their own general humility. Next, they reported their forgiveness of the offender following a religious conflict. Both victim IH and perceived IH of the offender were positively associated with forgiveness, even when controlling for general humility. We conclude by discussing limitations and areas for future research