Student Research Conference

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Hand-Over-Hand: A Caregiver Task-Oriented Approach to Stroke Rehabilitation: A Case Report
Background and Purpose Stroke is currently the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and is a major source of disability in persons over the age of 60.1 A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is the sudden interruption of blood flow to a portion of the brain.2,3 This interruption is highly dangerous causing brain cell death, thereby destroying or impairing the body function. The effects of a stroke can be devastating; if a stroke victim survives, some of the most common deficits noted in the literature includes loss of somatosensation and paresis which is defined by weakness, spasticity, a decreased ability to fractionate movement, and an often subtle, higher-order planning deficit.4 In this case report we explore the potential use of caregiver assisted Hand-Over-Hand (HOH) task-specific training with a 63 year-old male stroke survivor who has had minimal return of his left upper extremity (UE) function. Patient Description The focus of this case report involved F.Z., a 63 year-old Caucasian male who was referred to an outpatient orthopedic Physical Therapy (PT) clinic by his physician after suffering from a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) cerebrovascular accident (CVA)13 months prior. The patient had a 13-month history of left neglect and disuse that resulted in minimal function of his left limb, which was further complicated by cognitive changes and short-term memory loss noted early in the rehabilitation process Outcome and Discussion HOH task-specific training, based on the Manual Ability Measure (MAM-20),Fuegl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment (FMUEA), and Dynamometer Strength Testing, showed an improvement in grip strength, finger dexterity, range of motion and decrease in movement abnormalities associated with post-stroke UE paresis.
Home for Residents with Hearing Loss: A Study in Residential Acoustics
American society is noisy, and hearing loss is widespread across age groups affecting estimated 15% of Americans between ages 20-69 (NIDCD 2010), typically caused by exposure to loud noises. The problem with hearing loss is communication: persons with hearing loss communicate at a reduced capacity, making normal conversation and social interaction difficult. They may isolate themselves socially,avoiding communication, to avoid being seen as having a disability. People may self-stigmatize,develop social anxiety, and not seek help. Of those reporting hearing loss, only one-fifth of people needing some sort of hearing aid would use help if they had access to it (NIDCD 2010). Interior design can support people with hearing loss by designing spaces that naturally support habits of users experiencing it. This residential design project develops a space for residents of all ages with partial hearing loss, designing solutions that address visibility and acoustical reverberation as a way to help reduce psychological anxieties of the resident. The design addresses the need for the resident to connect the sounds they hear with the source by maintaining high visibility throughout the interior,thereby reducing anxieties and allowing for clearer communication within the space. Sound wave reverberation is addressed through materials as well as architectural elements such as angles and coffered ceilings. Acoustics and psychology are applied to create a haven for the resident, where they feel safe,without hearing loss dominating their lives. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorder (NIDCD). 2010. Quick statistics. Accessed July 2, 2014 from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/Pages/quick.aspx.
Imagining the Artist: Images of Virginia Woolf in Postmodern Narratives
In Orlando, Virginia Woolf writes,“a biography is considered complete if it merely accounts for six or seven selves, whereas a person may have many thousand”1. This statement prefigures the hundreds of selves that Woolf herself has acquired in postmodern media culture. However, in dominant adaptations of Woolf, we find that several major narratives emerge,especially the image of the Romantic artist. This paper examines the trajectory of Woolf-as-artist, beginning with the plurality present in Woolf’s own stream-of-consciousness and comparing the difference between two popular textual adaptations of Woolf and their later Hollywood adaptations. Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Michael Cunningham’s novel The Hours both represent Woolf as the romanticized artist in order to critique the narrowness of this image. However, this critique is ignored in the two Hollywood film adaptations of these texts, where stars Elizabeth Taylor and Nicole Kidman are evaluated by how well, in Albee’s words, they are able to cast off “the beautiful-young-woman image”2 and become ugly for the sake of art.Drawing on the work of Brenda Silver and Hermione Lee, this paper concludes that plurality disrupts classic Hollywood narrative form, which is why Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Hours must endorse the singular image of Woolf-as-artist. These film adaptations fundamentally shape the way Woolf’s image is represented to postmodern audiences. Woolf, Virginia. Orlando. New York: Mariner Books, 1973. p. 295. Print. Albee, Edward. Interview with William Flanagan. The Paris Review vol. 39 (1966). Online. http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4350/the-art-of-theater-no-4-edward-albee
The Impact of Interior Design on Functional and Psychological Needs of Nursing Staff
The purpose of this study is to explore the daily needs of Medical--surgical nurses, analyze current facility designs and determine new ways of designing that have the potential to reduce nurses’ stress levels and assist their productivity goals. Based upon these findings, the researcher will present a complete design solution for a Medical/Surgical unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia. An existing unit has been redesigned and reconfigured with particular attention to nursing stations, views of patient rooms and adjacencies. The goal of the design project is to redesign the unit in a way that could result in increased nurse retention rates, decreased levels of stress reported by nurses, fewer staff injuries, and improved quality of care provided by nurses.
Interventions to Address Mobility in the Patient with Oxygen desaturation: a Physical Therapy Acute Care Case Report
Background & Purpose:Mantle-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a rare aggressive cancer. Its physiology and treatment may lead to immunosuppression and increase the risk for infection in an individual. Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is such a condition, decreasing pulmonary function in the immunocompromised patient. Thus, the purpose of this case report is twofold. First, it discusses the Physical Therapist interventions performed on a patient with CAP and underlying Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Second, this report discusses current management of decreased respiratory function, seen mainly in patients with COPD. Case Description:The patient is a complex 77-year-old male admitted to acute care for community-acquired pneumonia and an underlying history of mantle-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His acute pulmonary state complicated by the cancer often led to fast and moderate hypoxemia during Physical Therapy treatment. His delicate respiratory status posed a challenge for an appropriate plan of care. Intervention: Following the initial evaluation, the plan was to address the patient’s endurance and balance to decrease his risk of falls post discharge. However, it became evident that optimizing his functional mobility was the higher priority as it greatly decreased with his decline in respiratory status. Discussion: The interventions performed did not render improvements in the patient’s functional mobility. Furthermore, it was particularly difficult to find intervention strategies for this patient to accommodate his decrease in respiratory function. Literature addressing the acute pulmonary patient is lacking, and is greatly dominated by interventions for the patient with COPD in the outpatient setting.
"It Was Amazing!": Study Abroad and Global Citizenship
This research investigated the extent to which study abroad (SA) participation was associated with a student’s self-identification as a member of the global community, and whether such a chosen identity was correlated with the various dimensions of global citizenship (global awareness, interpersonal affect, self-efficacy, self-identification, civic engagement, and social responsibility). Considering global citizenship identification has been linked to support of prosocial values, and identity development is a central role to adolescent development, institutions of higher education could be the key to encouraging this identity formation and thereby creating more engaged and responsible community leaders. Additionally, because study abroad provides a "lived experience of otherness" such experiences may be important opportunities to develop empathy and improve intercultural communication. Ninety-eight Marymount university students (SA = 51, Non-SA = 47) participated in this between-subjects design by completing a global citizenship survey. Results revealed that in addition to being significantly more likely to identify as members of the global community, SA students scored significantly higher in global awareness, civic engagement, and global lifestyle. Furthermore, the stronger participants self-identified as members of the global community, the stronger their associations to the other global citizenship dimensions were. Since the majority of SA participants were from short-term programs, these findings highlight the function of Marymount's Global Classroom Series as an experiential way to foster global awareness and understanding. In addition, this research has affirmed one of the many multi-faceted constructs of global citizenship outlined in the literature and highlighted how the length of SA programs is central to its function for and benefit to the student. This research relates to the field of psychology by incorporating themes regarding identity development and group biases.
Juxtapositions: Dutch and African American Parallels in the Work of Kehinde Wiley
A painting is worth a thousand words, and Kehinde Wiley’s portraiture extends a discussion far beyond simply subject matter. His seven-foot color bursting canvases present the everyday African American figure, posed after figures seen in 17thcentury Dutch portraits. Wiley understands his subjects as symbols worthy of admiration in the same way that Anthony van Dyke portrayed King Charles I in Three Positions. This paper explores the purpose of portraiture, and how it functions as a method to communication the pride, personality, and status of the individual to behold. Wiley is traditionally trained professional artist and is well versed in the work of master works throughout history. My interest in Dutch portraiture has influenced my own research in this paper, and I have made connections between the symbolisms and meanings within Wiley’s work which he shares with the Dutch. Culture is a major determinant of said symbolism and meaning, and portrait painting translates this into reception. Wiley’s work provides commentary on the common individual that is unique and rare, and pleads a second look into the nature of that individual’s existence. It also breaks stereotypes, and allows an uncommon reverence for the black figure—equal to the gallant Dutch general after which Wiley has modeled him. Through an overall analysis of gesture, facial expression, and body posture within Wiley’s portraiture I have drawn many parallels. My research has proven that influence of artists like Van Dyke on Wiley are clearly apparent, however the essence of Wiley’s paintings are irresistibly spirited and worthy of contemplation.

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