• HOSPITAL ASSOCIATED DELIRIUM: PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT BY REGISTERED NURSES

  Goldsmith, Melissa; Pado, Audrey Erin (The University of Arizona., 2022-05)

  Purpose: To explore various hospital associated triggers of delirium in the acute care setting and develop best practice recommendations focusing on nonpharmacological interventions and environmental alterations informed by the evidence found. Background: Delirium is one of the most common organ dysfunctions in acute care patients yet is profoundly under-diagnosed and misdiagnosed, leading to poor outcomes including mortality. An effective way to reduce the incidence of delirium is to implement environmental prevention and management strategies to identify and treat acute, precipitating, modifiable risk factors. Approach to practice: The best practice recommendations are based on a literature review conducted through a search on CINAHL using the following search terms: "delirium," "hospital or acute setting," "causes or factors," "precipitating factors," and "prevention or treatment or management." There are ten articles included in this review that were published between 2013 and 2021. Outcomes: Fifteen evidence-informed best practice recommendations were developed. These recommendations aim to educate registered nurses (RNs) in acute care settings on delirium prevention and management by environmental alteration in order to decrease delirium incidence. A theoretical dissemination plan for the implementation of these recommendations was proposed. Conclusions: Recommendations made in this thesis can be used as a starting point for delirium prevention and management in acute care settings by RNs, but a wider base of high-level evidence, interventional research is required to further validate the significance of evidence-based recommendations involving environmental alteration to prevent and manage delirium.
• Sustainable Data Centers for Smart City Development

  Reed, Julie; Wiegand, Chloe; College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture; Bernal, Sandra (The University of Arizona., 2025-05)

  Data centers are an essential component for data driven societies. They are large contributors to energy and water consumption, leading to the importance of developing sustainably operating data centers. Due to the significance of sustainability, locations must meet criteria of sustainable data center site selection. Smart cities and developing smart city locations require a data center to progress with their smart city objectives of sustainable operation for the betterment of quality of life with social, economic, and environmental benefits. This study aims to analyze the progression of developing smart cities with the implementation of a sustainable data center by identifying site selection requirements for green data centers to determine its compatibility with the developing smart city location, and what benefits they produce as a result. Through a comprehensive case study, interview, and secondary analysis, qualitative data is analyzed to determine Tucson as an ideal sustainable data center location, and how a sustainable data center enhances its progress toward a smarter city through social, economic, and environmental determinants. The analysis of Tucson’s landscape contributes to the eligibility of a sustainable data center with renewable energy, water conservation, and other factors aligning with smart city objectives. Tucson would further its smart city development from implementing a sustainable data center due to the smart objectives of connecting communities with data-driven technologies to enhance the quality of life. Social, economic, and environmental elements, for example smarter healthcare, expansion into secondary markets, water conservation, renewable energy, stronger networks, and other aspects of growing smart cities are benefiting from the incorporation of a green data center, allowing Tucson to strengthen its community and smarter development. The data in this research suggests that developing smart cities should evaluate their compatibility with green centers to increase the expansion of sustainably operating data center locations; by understanding the importance of sustainable data centers roles in smart city development, cities further benefit communities while mitigating negative social, economic, and environmental impacts from unsustainable centers.
• Geologic Map of Arizona - 2000

  Richard, S.M.; Reynolds, S.J.; Spencer, J.E.; Pearthree, P.A. (Arizona Geological Survey (Tucson, AZ), 2025)
• Evaluating Commercial Cervical Immobilization Devices for Prehospital Use: Identifying the Most Comfortable Model for Adults

  Rice, Amber D.; Lara, Justin Vicklynn; Gaither, Joshua B.; Mosier, Jarrod (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Cervical Immobilization Devices (CIDs) are a routinely used intervention in the prehospital and in hospital care of patients with suspected cervical spinal injury. However, there is limited evidence regarding the comfort of CIDs, especially given the increasing number of commercially available immobilization devices on the market. This study aimed to address the current literature gap by evaluating comfort levels, pain and perceived movement restriction in various commercially available CIDs. Descriptive and statistical analysis were used to compare the results, and linear regression was performed to examine the effects of various covariates. A convenience sample of fifty subjects (18 Female, and 32 Male) were recruited. Mean age 35.9 years old (SD) 1.85 years. Results showed that the relative risk (RR) of a participant an abnormal positioning while wearing a collar was lowest with Collar C (SipQuik Cervical Collar, Soft Collar) (RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.09 - 0.70) (Table 2 & Figure 3). Although the remaining collars (A, D, and E) also had lower RR values, these were not statistically significant. The RR of experiencing pain or tenderness after three minutes collar application, was similar across all models (Table 2 & Figure 4). None of the results reached statistical significance, indicating that no collar was definitively superior in reducing discomfort. Results also showed that the more rigid collar types (A and B) showed the highest number of participants (n=14 and n=12) respectively reporting an inability to move their head in any direction. On the other side, Collar C had the highest number of participants stating that they could fully move their head in any direction. There were no statistically significant effects from the covariates, except for one instance, Collar D, where a positive correlation was found between weight and movement restriction (p < 0.05). While the current study gives valuable insights on the preferred model cervical collar when healthy adults are the sole participants, more research into subjective experiences while wearing cervical collars is still needed. The study findings show that the chosen collar type may be more dependent on specific aspects such as correct application and immobilization capabilities than on the participants physical attributes such as weight, height, and age. With the ongoing controversy, further research on collar comfort preference is still required. This study highlights variations in comfort and movement restriction among different commercially available cervical collars. While many studies have examined the biomechanical effectiveness of cervical collars, limited research has focused on their impact on patient comfort, a crucial factor influencing compliance and tolerance in both prehospital and in-hospital settings. This study contributes to the broader conversation about best practices in prehospital trauma care. If certain collars are found to cause significant discomfort without offering superior stabilization benefits, reconsideration of current immobilization protocols may be warranted. Ultimately, this research supports a more evidence-based approach to cervical spine immobilization, prioritizing both patient safety and experience in trauma management.
• Discursive Constructions Of Homosexuality In Kenya: A Corpus-Driven Discourse Analysis Of The German Press

  Jacobs, Joela; Kiptoo, Gideon; Oduro-Opuni, Obenewaa; McGregor, Janice (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  (Recent) legislations surrounding LGBTQ+ discourses in Kenya and beyond have invited visibility and coverage from both local and international media outlets. Building on studies that examine LGBTQ+ social justice and human rights, this study analyzes how German Newspapers in particular frame news surrounding homosexuality in Kenya. In this study, I use LexisNexis, a corpus data source to source newspapers that thematize Homosexualität in Kenia between 2014 to 2024 and then I apply Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Van Dijk, to interpret and analyze the results through a macrostructural perspective. The study quantitatively employs a corpus-based analysis, in which Sketch engine, a corpus linguistic tool is used to determine concordances, collocations, and keyword analysis. The study borrows from qualitative theories in which the concepts of Representation by Stuart Hall and the Frankfurt school theory by Theodore Adorno are applied. The results highlight the dominance and intersection of discourses such as the prevalence of homophobia, Western influence, the discursive positioning of Uganda and South Africa, and the reporting of a collective Africa. The study is relevant in unraveling the discursive strategies that inform and shape how the state of homosexuality in Kenya is reported about from a German newspaper perspective. It is necessary to examine German media perspectives of homosexuality in Kenya to gain a more nuanced and historical understanding of how these discursive patterns of German witnessing about Africa get made/remade in media contexts.

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