NURS 230: The Effectiveness of Space Devices

We decided to conduct research in an effort to answer our question, “Are spacer devices the most effective treatment option for patients with asthma?”. We recognized that there has been debate about whether or not the standard prescribed metered-dose inhalers effectively administer medication to a patient\u27s lungs due to the need for hand-breath coordination. Therefore, we wanted to discover if attaching spacer devices onto inhalers would deliver medication more thoroughly by eliminating this need as well as the overall effectiveness of this device when compared to other treatment options. We reviewed recent and relevant literature pertaining to this question to determine if spacer devices eliminated the need for hand-breath coordination and we researched other possible benefits of these devices as well as patients’ overall preferences. Additionally, we accounted for the proper way to handle a spacer device to ensure proper medication administration. Lastly, we researched the cost effectiveness of spacer devices in hospital settings by comparing hospital admission and readmission rates of asthma patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) and their chosen treatment plan. Our research concluded that the spacer device delivers medication in the most effective way when compared to other inhalation medication methods such as the standard metered dose inhaler, the dry powder inhaler, and the nebulizer machine. The spacer allows for the medication to slowly fill the spacer device which allows more time for complete inhalation. This enables the medication to be inhaled directly into the lungs, as opposed to sitting in the oral cavity and causing adverse reactions such as thrush

"Sometimes I'm Lesbian": Young Women's High School Coming Out Experiences in the Post-Gay Era

This study explores young women's experiences "coming out" in high school. I find that across race and class backgrounds, young women in high school are increasingly coming to articulate their sexuality as fluid rather than with more conventional stable identity categories such as "lesbian." Based on 79 ethnographic interviews with women who came to see themselves as non-heterosexual in high school, I find 46 (58%) identify themselves as fluid/pansexual/queer or without a label, 7 (9%) identify as bisexual, 15 (19%) identify as lesbian but also somewhat fluid, and 11 (14%) identify as strictly lesbian. I find the use of "fluid" (and related synonyms) as a label is more than a shift in language; women who come to see themselves as fluid have markedly different experiences coming out in high school than do women who identify as lesbian. Young women in high school who identify as fluid and those who identify as lesbian have a similar process in coming to recognize their romantic and sexual attractions, and yet those who identify as lesbian are far more likely to feel stigmatized from their peers because of their sexual orientation

Improving WIC Retention in Vermont: Beneficiary attitudes toward co-location in medical homes

Introduction: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a national program aimed at improving the nutrition and health of pregnant women and children. Those eligible for Vermont WIC include anyone pregnant or with children under 5 that has an income below 185% of federal poverty level or is enrolled in Vermont Medicaid. WIC has been shown to improve birth outcomes1, breast feeding rates2, infant growth and development, and consumption of important nutrients. Those enrolled in WIC report high levels of satisfaction Despite the benefits of WIC, retention rates of eligible families remain low. Studies have shown that mandatory bi-annual recertification appointments pose logistical problems. Rescheduling missed appointments and long waiting times at the WIC offices were also barriers. Other states have found that integration of WIC recertification appointments with the family’s primary care medical visits may improve retention. A limited scale co-localization of WIC and the medical home in Vermont showed some promise.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1213/thumbnail.jp

The Friend zone: An In/inite Place Where Nothing Good Happens: A Comprehensive Study of Friend zoning Across Varying Genders and Sexual Orientations

“Friend zone” is a popular culture term used to describe a friendship where one member in a friend dyad desires a romantic or sexual relationship and the other member does not. Sexual Script Theory (Simon & Gagnon, 2003) and Sexual Strategies Theory (Buss & Schmidt, 1993) suggest that individuals will typically view the friend zone as a Qield dominated by female-to-male interactions, given sexual scripts on women as gatekeepers and men as being more active in initiating relationships. It may be expected then that men and women and individuals who are not exclusively heterosexual may then follow different scripts for making and negotiating friend zone choices. There is very little data available concerning instances of the use of the term friend zone in same-sex friendship interactions. Individuals are typically expected to have relationships that conform to the heteronormative script, so most people are resistant to the thought of being attracted to others of the same sex (Lamb, 2004). Because of this, many “best friendships” between those of the same sex have been used as protection against claims of same-sex attraction/relationships (Lamb, 2004). Given the lack of research on same-sex friend zoning, as well as the restrictive nature of heteronormative scripts, the current study explores the practice of friend zoning within same-sex friendships.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters/1003/thumbnail.jp

Observations of loading-unloading process at Saturn distant magnetotail

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