Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2020, Health Programs

Many times, individuals with the disease of addiction are stigmatized, criminalized, and/or restrained from accessing mental health and addiction services due to lack of financial resources or health insurance. The prescription drug crisis and opioid overdose crisis is an epidemic but has not had an epidemic-appropriate public health response (Davis, Green, & Beletsky, 2017). According to Davis et al (2017), the root causes of the opioid epidemic includes; overprescribing of opioid pain medications, economic stress, social isolation, and systemic pressures on the health care system to deal with individual's convoluted physical and mental health needs. Much has been written about the opioid epidemic with its resulting increased death rates, Fentanyl abuse, and prescription opioid overdoses, the need for naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). An extensive literature review was conducted over the past thirty-six months regarding the opioid epidemic, specifically with the focus on PDMPs and Ohio's PDMP-Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). Gaps have been identified pertaining to compliance with OARRS and PDMPs across the United States, as well as gaps in treatment, resources, and on-going addiction services. The focus of this qualitative research was to answer the following research questions: What is the relationship between prescribing providers of opioids and access to the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS)? Furthermore, why are there discrepancies among the providers and their use of the system? Understanding the reasons of why or why not providers access OARRS prior to prescribing opioids is important to be able to increase the use of the data available on OARRS which in turn could possibly impact the opioid crisis. This research included in-depth interviews with medical doctors (MDs), doctors-of-osteopathic medicine (DOs), and physician assistants (PAs), licensed by the State Medi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Meckstroth DHA (Committee Chair); Alyncia Bowen PhD (Committee Member); Tirizia York PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2014, Chemical Engineering

Millions of individuals are affected by nerve damage to either their central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and eyes) or their peripheral nervous system. Endogenous positive and negative biochemical cues are expressed during trauma, working in conjunction with one another, regenerating tissue and protecting the body from further damage. However, because of the inherent nature of the nervous system, these mechanisms are typically skewed toward deleterious results and functional recovery is limited or unlikely to occur. Additionally, topographical features and electrical signals aid in nervous system patterning, and they could therefore be beneficial in axonal regeneration as well. The goal of this dissertation project is to develop initial axon guidance models to serve as a platform for neural regenerative strategies. The major component of this research is the development of an immobilization scheme where guidance proteins, notably nerve growth factor (NGF) and semaphorin3A (Sema3A), are synthesized and immobilized to a chitosan biomaterial film in order to evaluate axon and growth cone responses. Characteristic axon outgrowth responses were seen for single protein cues, attraction toward immobilized NGF sources and inhibition and axon turning away from immobilized Sema3A sources. These responses were not seen when proteins were adsorbed to the chitosan substrate. These axonal results showed the validity of the immobilization platform, which was further examined by tethering NGF and Sema3A in the same region in order to fine-tune axon guidance. Axons were more sensitive to lower concentrations of Sema3A signals compared to NGF, when these proteins were co-immobilized, as noted by axon turning and breakdown of axonal cytoskeletal structure. Another axon guidance model was formed through topographical contact guidance of micropatterned channels on coumarin polyester films. These features were able to align processes of central nervous system neurons and glia p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Nic Leipzig Dr. (Advisor); Gang Cheng Dr. (Committee Member); William Landis Dr. (Committee Member); Bi-min Newby Dr. (Committee Member); Rebecca Willits Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering; Chemical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Mathematics

Coxeter groups arise in many parts of mathematics as groups generated by reflections. They provide an important source of examples in geometric group theory, where "virtual" properties of infinite groups, that is, properties of subgroups of finite index, are of strong interest. This dissertation focuses on virtual properties of infinite Coxeter groups. The following results are proved: (1) The intersection of a collection of parabolic subgroups of a Coxeter group is a parabolic subgroup; (2) The center of any finite index subgroup of an irreducible, infinite, non-affine Coxeter group is trivial; (3) Any finite index subgroup of an irreducible, infinite, non-affine Coxeter group cannot be expressed as a product of two nontrivial subgroups. Then, a unique decomposition theorem for subgroups of finite index in a Coxeter group without spherical or affine factors is proved based on (2) and (3). It is also proved that the orbit of each element other than the identity under the conjugation action in an irreducible, infinite, non-affine Coxeter group is an infinite set, which implies that an irreducible, infinite Coxeter group is affine if and only if it contains an abelian subgroup of finite index. Besides these, new proofs are given for the statement that the center of an irreducible, infinite Coxeter group is trivial, and a stronger version of this statement.

Committee: Michael Davis (Advisor) Subjects: Mathematics

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1985, Civil Engineering

Committee: T. Wu (Advisor) Subjects: