Becoming Sighted Allies: A Community Approach to Improving Accessibility to Social Participation for Adults with Blindness & Visual Impairment

Community outreach to sighted individuals, focused on the spectrum of vision loss and social etiquette surrounding blindness and visual impairment, is both impactful and necessary to improve social accessibility, perceptions and experiences of autonomy & self-determination, and positive social support for adults with blindness and visual impairment. Community outreach programs like this one can facilitate a bridging of the gap between sighted individuals and members of the B/VI community, between occupational therapists and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists, between clients and their support systems, and most importantly between negative social support and positive social support. These bridges, these connections, serve everybody in our communities and, as Brunes et al. described, allow for a more full-fledged life for everyone (2019).Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Wort

TWU Pro Bono Diabetes Clinic

The need and justification for a pro bono diabetes clinic in the Houston area.Texas Woman's Universit

Cultivating Mindfulness and Serenity through Gardening Therapy for Older Adults

This Capstone project focused on developing a gardening therapy program for community-dwelling older adults that incorporates and blends mindfulness and meditation practices with gardening activities. The purpose of this program was to examine its effect on social isolation, feelings of depression and anxiety, and loss of sense of belonging and purpose.Weekley Family YMC

Exploring the Effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Physical and Mental Health Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This capstone project sought to explore the effectiveness of ICT as an intervention method to increase communication to benefit older adults' mental and physical health. After eight weeks of interventions through either one-on-one, personalized meetings, weekly group meetings, and discussions, the results showed that participants had a decrease in loneliness. The impact of the iPad on physical and mental health showed an overall increase in physical health scores, however, there were no significant changes in mental health.Texas Woman’s Universit

Functional characterization of the Medicago truncatula nodule specific NPD1 gene

Leguminous crops can grow in nitrogen-depleted soil because of their ability to establish a symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing soli bacteria, rhizobia. This Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation (SNF) process provides legumes with reduced nitrogen in the bio-accessible ammonium form. Following chemical signaling between Medicago truncatula and its bacterial symbionts, the host plant develops a specialized new organ, the root nodule, which houses nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the Sinorhizobium species which convert molecular dinitrogen N2 into ammonium. A forward genetic screening of a tobacco retrotransposon (Tnt1) - insertion mutant collection identified the Nodule-specific Polycystin-1, Lipoxygenase, Alpha-Toxin (PLAT) Domain-encoding gene, MtNPD1, which is essential for Sinorhizobium sp. survival inside infected cells. MtNPD1 belongs to a cluster of five nodule-specific single PLAT domain-encoding genes (MtNPD1 to MtNPD5). Importantly, the symbiotic phenotype of Mtnpd1 is strain-dependent, developing different symbiotic phenotypes when various Sinorhizobium strains are used for inoculation. My study showed that the MtNPD1 PLAT domain form homo- and heteromers with itself and with the other members of the MtNPD family in the yeast system. MtNPD1 PLAT domain was also found to bind to phosphatidic acid (PA) and bind to several lipids when calcium concentrations drop in vitro. To facilitate the tracking of infections in single inoculations and in competition studies, a collection of twelve Sinorhizobium sp. strains constitutively expressing green-, mCherry, cyan-, and yellow-fluorescent proteins was developed. Labeling certain rhizobial strains with fluorescent markers was found to influence the symbiotic phenotype on wild type (WT) R108 roots. In Mtnpd1, S. meliloti Sm1021 fails to mature and undergo early senescence, while S. meliloti Rm41 and T073 differentiate and fix nitrogen. A competition assay between Rm41 and Sm1021 or T073 showed that Rm41 is more competitive than Sm1021 or T073 in WT R108 and Mtnpd1. The transcriptomic analysis of Mtnpd1 plants in response to Rm41 (efficient) and Sm1021 (inefficient) revealed 690 and 217 differentially expressed genes specific to either Rm41 or Sm1021, respectively, and 1,733 shared between both strains. Rm41 upregulates genes related to bacterial differentiation and host specificity, immunity suppression, and nitrogen fixation, while Sm1021 downregulates these genes

To Grow or Not to Grow: Does Growth Media Affect Native Plant Inhibition of Bacteria?

Although often traditionally used, the true antimicrobial effects of plants are not always certain. With the growing incidence of antibiotic resistance, it is imperative that new ways to treat things such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are found. This research aims to assess whether certain native plants historically used as therapies have antimicrobial properties against representative bacteria, Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Bacillus megaterium). Since herbal medicines are often teas, parts of selected plants were made into aqueous extracts and prepared in ultra-pure water at a 4:1 ratio of water to grams plant material. With discrepancies in previous literature for unknown reasons, we tested the effect of media composition on the inhibition or enhancement of certain plants on bacteria. Tryptic Soy Broth media was compared to Luria-Bertani (LB) media to also aid in the expansion to new bacteria. If there are differences, which components are responsible will be addressed

Virtual dissection table: A supplemental learning aid for head and neck anatomy in a physical therapy program

Although cadaver dissection and prosection are considered essential techniques for studying anatomy, their effectiveness is hindered by the use of flat, 2-D structures in didactic portions of anatomy courses. The limitations of this particular method can greatly hinder students' comprehension and grasp of anatomy, ultimately limiting the overall effectiveness and quality of the teaching and learning experience (TLE). In order to enhance the TLE and improve students' understanding of gross human anatomy, there are a variety of tools that can be utilized, including 3-D virtual anatomy applications and anatomical models. These resources provide a visual and interactive approach to learning, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex structures of the human body. The Anatomage, a virtual anatomy dissection table (VDT), is a highly sophisticated advancement that enables the dissection and prosection of the human body and its segments. The primary objective of this research project is to delve into integrating a VDT into a physical therapy anatomy course for a complex topic like head and neck, with the aim of enhancing the TLE and comprehension of anatomical concepts of said area. The methods encompass the inclusion of the VDT as an extra dissection table within the cadaver lab setting. Each group of scholars was given the responsibility to locate and study the assigned anatomical configurations and dissections on the VDT, specifically for their designated topic. Based on the results of our study, it can be inferred that there have been improvements in knowledge retention among students after the introduction of the VDT in the cadaver dissection segment of the course for head and neck. As a result of our research and analysis, we have come to the conclusion that the VDT is an exceptional tool that should be implemented in anatomy courses to help students understand intricate anatomical structures. The integration of the VDT is an essential and crucial step in the process of assimilating and applying human anatomy knowledge for students pursuing careers in the healthcare field

Celebrating the Journey: The Role of Legacy Activities and Occupational Therapy in End-of-Life Care

Occupational therapy (OT) has the potential to make a profound impact in end-of-life care by promoting participation in meaningful activities that support emotional and social well-being. Despite this, OT remains underutilized in hospice settings due to misconceptions about its relevance and scope. This capstone project, conducted at Hope Health Care, a hospice organization in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, aimed to address social isolation among patients through the development and implementation of a legacy activity program rooted in OT principles. Guided by the Model of Human Occupation, the program introduced one-page profiles that captured patients’ personal values, preferences, and needs to foster meaningful interaction and improve emotional well-being. The intervention received positive feedback from patients and staff and was integrated into volunteer training materials to ensure sustainability. Additionally, educational presentations increased awareness of OT’s role in hospice care. This project highlights the therapeutic value of legacy activities in supporting quality of life at the end of life and advocates for the broader inclusion of occupational therapy within hospice and palliative care teams.Hope Health Car

Coaching Education in Rock Climbing for People with Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) benefit physically and mentally from participating in sports. There are several barriers that impact their participation, including a lack of appropriate available programs and limited knowledge and training of staff. Coaches play an important role in creating a positive experience for people with IDD to participate in sports. After conducting a needs assessment for United Rocks, it was determined that the coaches would benefit from an annual lesson plan to provide structure for their weekly practices. Forty lessons were developed that focused on either endurance, technique, or rock climbing games. The climbers and coaches of United Rocks benefited from this resource to meet their team’s unique needs, which decreased barriers for people with IDD to participate in sports.United Rock

Florida public high school counselors' perception of safe spaces, suicide ideation and suicide attempts for LGB youth

The primary purpose was to utilize qualitative methods to identify, describe, and better understand the perceptions of school counselors in Duval County, Palm Beach County, and Pasco County, Florida regarding safe spaces relative to suicidal behavior for LGB high school students. The literature review served as a base for the interview questions, which were designed to gather detailed information from public high school counselors in Duval County, Palm Beach County, and Pasco County, Florida, regarding their experiences and perceptions of safe spaces in their respective high schools. This qualitative descriptive study utilized purposeful and snowball sampling with semi-structured interviews that utilized broad and general questions. To increase the credibility of this study’s findings, methods supported by Morse (2015) and Shenton (2004), such as data triangulation, peer debriefing, and a comprehensive review of the findings, were used. Data triangulation was completed by aligning data from interview transcripts, interview notes, a reflective journal, and peer debriefing. Peers in the field of health education/health promotion reviewed the data, verified information shared, and provided feedback to the researcher as part of peer debriefing. In this qualitative descriptive study, the researcher organized the audio data from the semi-structured interviews into usable format files that were transferred to NVivo for transcription and transcribed. The counselors described the themes of Counselor Perceptions, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Relationships and Communication, and Environment as safe spaces relative to suicidal behavior for LGB high school students in Duval County, Pasco County, and Palm Beach County, FL. The themes of Counselor Perceptions, Mental Health, and Sexual Identity were found at the individual level of the SESPM. The theme of Relationships and Communication was found at the interpersonal level of the SESPM. The theme of Environment was found at the community level of the SESPM