Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Asynchronous Delivery Format: Differential Effects On Performance And Engagement, Jessica Hamm, Leah Hayes, Makayla Reynolds, Raeanna Whitaker, Reganne Miller, Gregory Corso

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

In recent years, the number of online courses offered to students has increased. This increase brings the question of what format of online learning is the best for students. The purpose for this study was to investigate the effects of three asynchronous presentation formats on participant performance and engagement: slides with video-audio, slides with audio, and slides alone. We hypothesized significant differences among the formats in participant performance and engagement (best in video-audio format, worst in slides alone format). Participants (N=27) were randomly assigned to one of the three formats. Each format presented information about a fake island created by …

The Effects Of Nurse's Mental Health On Quality Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Study, Alexandria Kincaid, Mara Walker, Mila Osborne, Tiyanna Jones, Victoria Clevenger

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Morale among nurses is declining rapidly, this could be due to the rising mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, stress, worry and post-traumatic stress disorder. Not to mention the rate of suicide in female nurses is 11.97/ 100,000 compared to non-nurse females having a rate of 7.58/ 100,000. Also, male nurses have an incidence of suicide at a rate of 39.8/ 100,000 compared to non-nurse males at 28.2/ 100,000. A thorough literature review was conducted and a total of 40 studies were reviewed. Common themes that emerged were "A decrease in nursing staff retention related to low satisfaction, lack …

Who Are You? The Evolution Of Appalachian Identity, Kiersten Baum, Ashton Culp

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

No abstract provided.

Documenting Night Sky Brightness Using Sky Quality Meters, Ryan Sergent, Jennifer Birriel

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The use of artificial light at night contributes to light pollution across the globe. Prior to 2005, artificial sources of light at night were mainly high- and low-pressure sodium light sources, which are yellow rich. The increased use of LED lighting is changing spectral signature of the night sky is changing. LEDs emit a peak in blue light. Blue light is scattered much more effectively than yellow and red, increased use of LEDs will increase both glare and skyglow. Unihedron’s Sky Quality Meter (SQM) is an instrument used widely by astronomers to measure the luminance of the night sky. Data …

Use Of Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy To Study Hydroxyfulvenes, Ashley Stefani

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

This project was conducted to determine the conditions necessary in Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GCMS) for various hydroxyfulvenes. Several samples each having unique characteristics, such as high molar mass or specific functional groups, were used to determine the optimal conditions for each compound. Different GC parameters were varied including the inlet temperature, initial oven temperature and oven temperature ramp. Compounds were also studied at varying concentrations in order to determine the optimal conditions needed to produce reliable molecular ion data in the MS.

Emotion Recognition Using Brainwave Datasets, Bethlehem Seid, Heba Elgazzar

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The purpose of this research project is to analyze the brainwave data collected from MUSE EEG headband and use machine learning techniques to select a small number of features and accurately predict the emotional state of an individual. The brainwave dataset records the reading of the MUSE EEG headband. Supervised machine learning techniques are designed and implemented on a brainwave dataset to predict positive, negative, and neutral emotional state. The classification algorithms: K-Nearest neighbors (KNN), Random Forest, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are used in this research. Further, the dimensions of this dataset were also reduced without compromising the accuracy …

An Overview Of The Qualified Immunity Doctrine And Its Application In Kentucky Law, Ethan Garvin, Joe Dunman

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects law enforcement officers from lawsuits if the courts find their actions fit three criteria: the action must be discretionary rather than ministerial, the action must be in good faith, and the action must be within the scope of the employee’s authority. By conducting a survey of cases in both the Kentucky court system and the federal court system, this presentation analyzes how qualified immunity is applied. This presentation looks at the doctrine and what the courts look for in various tort claims involving police officers, such as negligence, assault, and false imprisonment. …

Testing Turmoil, Laura Von Mann, Christopher Beckham

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Test anxiety affects students throughout all grade levels, higher education, and even into adult life, at various levels of severity. With standardized testing becoming increasingly more present in the American school system, the condition known as test anxiety has also become a more prevalent topic amongst researchers and educators. This research aims to better understand test anxiety, its symptoms, causes, and possible treatments in order to ensure student success.

Cultivating Gratitude And Learning: Virtual Agriculture Education For Elementary School Students, Heather Smith, Joy Gritton

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

In a time when the majority of young children know more about a computer than agriculture, this project brings agriculture to them in a unique way. This presentation introduces a program that aims to connect elementary students with the vast agriculture industry in the digital age using appropriate technology. The project consists of teaching children in Eastern Kentucky and beyond about agriculture and land use through the virtual dissemination of relevant stories, facts, and activities. In this way children can learn how agriculture is vital to their everyday life. Featured topics include horticulture crops, agronomic crops, livestock, and the history …

Continuous Authentication Of Smartphone Users Using Machine Learning, Suhana Ambol, Sherif Rashad

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Current smartphone security techniques offer less reliability. As an instance, personal identification numbers can be easily guessed or hacked, fingerprint scan requires hardware to operate, and face recognition can be affected by light, other people in the background, or different poses by the users. In addition, they are beneficial for one-time security, therefore commonly used at the time of login to verify users. However, what if there’s a change of user while accessing the smartphone, and the phone is accessed by an intruder after login. To deal with this issue, continuous authentication is applied which regularly and unnoticeably will address …

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

Variations In Slow-Wave Eeg And Working Memory Deficits During Letter Number Sequencing Task Post-Concussion, Morgan Sotoloff

Neuroscience Presentations

Concussions are associated with various types of consequences, both short-term and long-term: ranging from acute symptomatology, resting protocols, return-to-play decisions, and the lingering effects that have been found to have significant impacts on cognitive processes and function in many individuals several months post-concussion. Previous research has demonstrated that certain dimensions of executive function are especially susceptible to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), specifically working memory and attention. Studies that have previously utilized electroencephalography (EEG), have found that increased very low frequency oscillations (VLFO) are associated with a disruption of goal-oriented activities, difficulties in cognition, hyperactivity, and inattention in concussed individuals …

Presence Of Electron Donor/Acceptor Radiographic Contrast Media In Unusual Photosynthesis Environment Of Fresh Plant Cells: Near-Infrared And X-Ray Characterization, Tetiana Soloviova, Subhendra Sarkar, Amina Shahbaz, Aldona Gjoni

Publications and Research

Photosynthesis is a chemical process through which light energy is used to convert inorganic material (water and carbon dioxide) into organic molecules. Anaerobic photosynthesis, also known as anoxygenic photosynthesis, is the process by which certain bacteria use light energy to create organic compounds but do not adequately involve oxygen. In this experiment we are trying to influence photosynthesis (light and dark reactions: PS-I and PS-II by electron rich gadolinium/iodine complexes like Eovist and Isovue. We also performed X-ray and NIR reflection spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure Gd difusivity and PS-I/II infrared response. The results for X-ray (45kvp and 5 Mas ) …

Brain Science = Biology + Engineering, Jennifer Welborn, Guangyu Xu, Morton Sternheim, Chris Emery

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

This interdisciplinary (physical and life sciences) seminar exposes participants to cutting edge research at UMASS, Amherst, on cell imaging using a chip which gathers a variety of data on the activities of single cells. Part of the seminar will be a presentation of current research in this area, followed by hands-on activities and a visit to the lab where this research is conducted. Application of this new technology to brain research will be discussed as well as the NGSS standards alignment and classroom applications at various levels and disciplines.

Superhero Robotics, Frank Sup, Brian Umberger, Nick Sawyer

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Managing Your Professional Identity: Leveraging Social Media And Emerging Metrics To Demonstrate Professional Impact, Megan R. Sapp Nelson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This session will assist graduate students to deliberately develop an online professional identity that will uniquely identify them as an academic as well as positively highlight their personal strengths.

Students will walk away with a plan to create a unique professional identifier and an understanding of how to measure the impact of online scholarly communication.

Topics included are:

ORCID ID

social media, such as LinkedIn & ResearchGate

Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics), such has Kudos, ImpactStory, & AltMetric

Data repositories, such as GitHub & FigShare

The Folklore Of Herbs, Lisa Karen Miller

DLPS Faculty Publications

Take a walk through the herb gardens of history and find out what our ancestors knew (and thought they knew) about herbs and their uses for medicine, beauty, and even love. The presentation compares ancient beliefs to current scientific evidence and reveals the places where they intersect.

Evaluating Colostrum Quality With Niacin Supplementation In The Diet Of Dairy Cattle, Allison Marie Pike

Student Research Projects

Dairy calves are born with a naive immune system, and must obtain passive immunity through ingestion of colostrum. Colostrum provides the newborn with antimicrobial proteins called immunoglobulins, such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), that protect the calf for the first few weeks of life. Calves that receive good quality colostrum (>50 g/L of IgG) are more likely to survive to adulthood. Niacin is a vasodilator that may increase blood flow to the mammary gland during production of colostrum in the mother. This experiment investigated the effect of niacin supplementation at a rate of 48 g/cow/day for 3 weeks before calving …

Environmental Assessment & Monitoring Regime For Atrazine In Drinking Water For Kentucky

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

To describe occurrence in the environment & sampling regime of atrazine in public water supplies in Kentucky.

Southern Lagoon And Village Of Gales Point, Belize, Ca: Water Uses, Water Quality, And Potential Health Impacts, Rasmi Nair, Ritchie Taylor

Impact Belize

An International Health Service Learning Program, Impact Belize 2010, was conducted by Western Kentucky University. Faculty and students worked closely with Gales Point villagers to gain an insight into the use of Southern Lagoon. The objective of the study was to assess fecal coliform levels in Southern lagoon, its primary and secondary contact use by villagers and its potential impact on health. Study methodology involved collection of water samples, both near shore and offshore, in the lagoon and incubating them using ColiQuant EZ method approved by EPA. A questionnaire was administered to villagers attending the WKU clinic to collect data …

Searching For Binding Partners For The Novel Phkg1 Variant, Phkγ 181, Kishore Polireddy

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

Phopshorylase kinase (PhK) is a hexadecameric holoenzyme made up of four different subunits in the arrangement (αβγδ)4 and has total molecular mass of 1.3MDa. Alpha and β are regulatory subunits, γ is catalytic, and δ is an intrinsic molecule of calmodulin. PhK is a serine threonine kinase with glycogenolytic regulatory functions. Our lab has recently discovered that the γ subunit can be alternatively processed to produce a truncated form of 181 residues (γ-181). This variant of γ contains a phosphorylation site for PK-C, and its activity is influenced by this phosphorylation. We are using a LexA based yeast two hybrid …

Perceived Purpose Of Midterm Evaluations And The Effect On Student Responses, Andrew Caudill

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Environmental Factors Influencing Obesity In The Workplace, Jagdish Khubchandani, Crystal Rowland

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

A research project that aims to conduct focus groups in an industrial setting which will provide information to design surveys on “employees perceptions of environmental factors that influence obesity at workplace”

Group Production Manipulations Influence Decision Criteria In Group Brainstorming, Bryan Thomas Hall, Brandy Johnson

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Motor Interference On Memory Tasks, Brandy Johnson

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Examinations Of Future Time Perspective, Self Determination Theory, And Self-Talk As Correlates Of Exercise Behavior, Thomas Desena

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Attentional Focus, Intensity, & Level Of Expertise, Diana Gieske, Melissa Abo, Dustin Strupp

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Whole Grain Intake And Health Correlates In An Aging Population, Alexis Howard

Senior Honors Projects

Research suggests that whole grain intake may decrease the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many types of cancer. The overall goal of this work is to increase the health status of an older adult population through comprehensive nutrition risk assessment and exposure to tailored nutrition education interventions. This project involved assisting in baseline and post-intervention assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and intake of whole grain foods within a convenience sample of fifty-eight older adults residing in low-income housing sites across Rhode Island. Anthropometry, including height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure was measured, along with …

Understanding And Using Advanced Statistics, Jeremy Foster, Emma Barkus, Christian Yavorsky

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The spread of sophisticated computer packages and the machinery on which to run them has meant that procedures which were previously only available to experienced researchers with access to expensive machines and research students can now be carried out in a few seconds by almost every undergraduate. Understanding and Using Advanced Statistics provides the basis for gaining an understanding of what these analytic procedures do, when they should be used, and what the results provided signify. This comprehensive textbook guides students and researchers through the transition from simple statistics to more complex procedures with accessible language and illustration.