Digital Commons Network^™

A Network Approach To Understanding Narcissistic Grandiosity Via The Narcissistic Admiration And Rivalry Questionnaire And The Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Duncan Jordan, E. Samuel Winer, Virgil Ziegler-Hill, David K. Marcus

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

The narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept (NARC) model of grandiose narcissism posits that striving for uniqueness, grandiose fantasies, and charmingness define narcissistic admiration, whereas striving for supremacy, devaluation, and aggressiveness define narcissistic rivalry. Given these complex interrelationships, we explored the structure of grandiose narcissism using the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) and Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) via network analysis in four separate samples which allowed us to assess the extent to which these networks replicated across these samples (total N = 3,868). Overall, grandiose cognitions from the NARQ emerged as a highly central node in each network, providing compound …

We Speak English Here: An Exploratory Study Of Language Barrier Effects In Agriculture, Camryn Clift

Honors College Theses

This thesis investigates the effects of the language barrier between English-speaking H-2A managers and their Spanish-speaking H-2A employees on Kentucky farms with special attention to the insights that can be gleaned from farm managers concerning the intersection of communication, language barriers, and the unique social and cultural environment created by the microcosm of the H-2A program. The project includes a literature review evaluating the currently documented effects of language barriers in various industries as they relate to the language barriers found within agriculture. IRB-approved interviews with farm managers provide original data to evaluate these potential effects, whether positive or negative. …

Structure Determination Of Pd2sin (N = 1 - 9) Clusters, Ryan Carlin

Honors College Theses

The geometry and relative stability of small Pd2Sin (n = 1 - 9) clusters are determined using the B3LYP hybrid density functional theory method. Candidate structures are identified by the utilization of unbiased global optimization procedures. From the lowest energy geometries, binding energy, fragmentation energy, second-order energy difference, and frontier orbital gap energy are calculated to determine cluster stability. Pd2Sin (n = 8 and 9) adapts new lowest energy geometric configurations that have previously not been considered. Pd2Si5 is determined to have a high relative stability of the clusters within this size range.

Using Crispr-Cas9 To Characterize The Role Of Gli-Similar 3 (Glis3) In Insulin Regulation, Pancreatic Development, And Type 2 Diabetes, Lilyanne Grieve

Honors College Theses

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise nationally and internationally, impacting millions of people worldwide. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance leading to chronic hyperinsulinemia and dysfunction of the insulin producing β cells of the pancreas. While environmental factors can influence the development of type 2 diabetes, research has shown genetics are also involved. Gli-similar 3 (Glis3), a Krüppel-like zinc finger transcription factor, has been identified as a novel regulator of insulin transcription. Evidence has shown that loss-of-function Glis3 mutations decrease insulin expression, implicating Glis3 in the development of type 2 diabetes. However, the distinct role Glis3 …

Investigating Media Influence On Canine Breed Popularity And Increasing Prevalence Of Genetic Linked Disorders, Callie Anderson

Honors College Theses

This study is focused on influence of social media on dog breed popularity, and if an increase in popularity leads to an increase in the prevalence of genetic-linked disorders observed in specified breeds in a clinical setting. This study was conducted by comparing an in-depth analysis of past research investigating the influence of popular culture on the trends of dog breed popularity as it relates to trends in media and fashion, with the results of a survey of clinical observations by veterinarians practicing in the area surrounding Murray, Kentucky. The results of the literary analysis revealed that humans are greatly …

The Disparities Of The Marginalized: Focusing Race And Queerness In Science And Medicine, Kearby Stiles

Honors College Theses

The United States is an immensely diverse country in which certain groups have been—and continue to be—marginalized in society because of their differences. Science and healthcare are areas in which marginalized peoples are negatively affected by a society that punishes difference and diversity. This is an immense problem because in biological and medical school education, in clinical research, and medical practices, little attention is given to marginalized populations. In this paper, I focus on the disadvantages faced by people of color, trans, and intersex people. I decided to focus on race because the history and current state of racism in …

Snore: An Intuitive Algorithm For Accurately Simulating N-Body Orbits, Connor L. Nance

Honors College Theses

We present SnOrE (Simple n-body Orbital Engine), a Python package which aims to simulate n-body orbital systems while simultaneously overcoming early educational barriers of computational astrodynamics for undergraduate physics students. SnOrE exploits rudimentary syntax and commonly-understood Python libraries to accurately simulate orbits of systems, given initial position and momentum conditions of each body in the system. As the n-body problem is as of yet unsolvable theoretically for n ≥ 3, having a numerical perspective on complicated orbits is of great importance to potentially understanding the processes of star and planet formation. Especially significant examples of this research …

Effect Of Precise Control Of Crosslink Density On The Thermal, Mechanical, And Conductive Properties Of Covalently Crosslinked Ionene Networks, Alexander Thome

Honors College Theses

Ionic liquids (ILs), besides being well known as environmentally friendly solvents, have attracted attention for a wide variety of other applications, including gas separation, 3D-printing and electrochemical actuators. However, for many such applications, incorporation of the IL moiety into a polymeric material eliminates the use of mechanically unstable free ILs while maintaining many of their electrochemical benefits. Such polymers can take two basic forms: poly(ionic liquid)s are ion-containing polymers in which the IL group is attached pendant to the polymeric backbone, while ionenes are ion-containing polymers in which the IL group is anchored directly into the backbone of the repeating …

Intelligence Of Bearded Dragons, Sydney Herndon

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study and explain the intelligence of bearded dragons. Bearded dragons (Pogona spp.) are a species of reptile that have been popular in recent years as pets. Until recently, not much was known about their intelligence levels due to lack of appropriate research and studies on the species. Scientists have been studying the physical and social characteristics of bearded dragons to determine if they possess a higher intelligence than previously thought. One adaptation that makes bearded dragons unique is how they respond to heat. Bearded dragons optimize their metabolic functions through a …

Suicide Risk And School Related Stressors In Veterinary Students, Deanna Nicole Arnold

Honors College Theses

Compared to the general population of the United States, veterinarians are at an increasingly higher risk for suicide. This is commonly associated with stressful work environments, long work hours, poor work-life balance, client demands and complaints, and large amounts of euthanasia procedures. While many studies have been performed to confirm the above statements, few to no studies have been done on students currently enrolled in veterinary school to assess their mental health. This study will survey graduate school students in this field and will evaluate their mental health state and risk factors towards suicide. Through comparing the results of this …

Black Maternal Mortality In The United States, Grace Phelps

Honors College Theses

Black maternal mortality is a looming issue in the United States as the rate of Black maternal deaths is 3-4 times higher than the average rate for White women. Research establishes that this is a multifaceted issue of care quality, preexisting health, biases and racism, and structural inequalities. This study aims to discuss the statistics, contributing factors, and possible solutions to the issue of Black maternal mortality. Specifically, this study aims to educate nursing students on the matter and test the implications an educational session has on knowledge about Black maternal mortality and how health care professionals can be part …

Inventing A Space To Speak: Ethos, Agency And United States' Woman Suffrage Cookbooks (1886-1916), Danielle Nielsen

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

During the last forty years of the United States’ fight for woman suffrage, a handful of suffragists wrote cookbooks sponsored by suffrage organisations. These cookbooks created a rhetorical space and ethos within and through the kitchen. Because their activism was grounded in expected feminine actions, this home-bound ethos allowed the primarily white, middle-class suffragists to simultaneously advocate for women's suffrage in public and maintain their adherence to the Cult of True Womanhood. The arguments put forth in the cookbooks illustrate an ethos that is influenced by both personal agency and the rhetor's gendered, physical location in the kitchen. From this …

A Dark Web Of Personality: Network Analyses Of Dark Personality Features And Pathological Personality Traits, Duncan Jordan, Peter K. Jonason, Virgil Zeigler-Hill, E. Samuel Winer, Stephen Fletcher, Dylan Underhill

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Network analysis offers an opportunity to gain a more nuanced view of the connections between the darker aspects of personality by examining the interrelationships between the components that make up these constructs. We examined the associations that five dark personality dispositions (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and spitefulness) had with pathological personality traits (i.e., antagonism, disinhibition, detachment, negative affectivity, and psychoticism) via network analysis. These dark personality networks were examined in four studies (N = 1,800), wherein the second study attempted to replicate the network from the first study, while the last two studies incorporated more specific and independent measures …

Differentiation Of The Can F 1 Allergen In Hypoallergenic Dog Saliva Compared To Shedding Dog Saliva, Rose Miller

Honors College Theses

Dog saliva contains a large variety of proteins, each with specific functions throughout the body. While some aid in digestion, others provide immune support for the body. In the case of human dog allergies, dog skin dander has been proven to cause allergic reactions to those who are sensitive to the allergens in the dogs. However, past studies have shown a difference in allergic reaction to specific breeds, breaking dog breeds into two main categories: hypoallergenic and non-hypoallergenic. Within these groups, there are different hypoallergenicity levels, but overall, the hypoallergenic dog group does not cause an allergic reaction, whereas non-hypoallergenic, …

Using Modeling To Investigate Factors Driving Avian Diversity In Urban Ecosystems, Clay Bliznick

Scholars Week

Anthropogenic influences have altered global landscapes considerably throughout the past two centuries, resulting in the decline of natural land cover types. Conversely, land cover types such as cropland and urban areas that are derived from human activities have experienced vast expansion. This landscape transition has serious implications for ecosystem services. To mitigate the loss of these services, it is necessary to maintain ecological integrity within these anthropogenically-influenced systems. Being able to support high biodiversity is an indicator of well-functioning ecosystems, thus quantifying biodiversity and assessing its contributing factors can be useful for developing management strategies in artificial environments. Our objective …

Entertainment Media Perceptions Of Minorities In Young Adult Adaptations, Kynnadie Bennett

Scholars Week

This is an exploration of stereotypical and racist portrayals of minorities, specifically African-American, Latinx, and Native American communities, in film and television in the past and how that has affected representation in film adaptations of young adult literature. Young adult literature is one of the highest-selling genres in literature, purchased by both young adults and actual adults. In recent years, young adult literature has been adapted into film and television series and while representation has improved since the early years of entertainment history, there are still problems in the industry: many of the stereotypes remain, some minorities lack representation, and …

Notations, Notations

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

NOTATIONS: THE UNDERGRADUATE LITERARY MAGAZINE OF MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY

SPRING 2021

It is our great pleasure to present the 2021 edition of Notations, a journal of undergraduate poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction produced by students in the Department of English and Philosophy at Murray State University. After a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to share this edition with you.

Editing Staff

Jenna Carnes, Creative Nonfiction Editor Torrey Diniz, Creative Nonfiction Editor

Pam Goodwin, Fiction Editor Gabby Sullivan, Fiction Editor

Makenna Crowley, Poetry Editor Kaylan Hall, Poetry Editor

Dr. Carrie Jerrell, Faculty Advisor

Table of Contents …

Physical Health And Delinquency, Katy Hancock

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

While physical health can impact a variety of outcomes, little research has looked at health and delinquency. Through a lens of GST, this study examines whether health moderates the relationships between strain and delinquency and drug use. Data from the 2011 NSDUH were analyzed; results indicated that, for certain strains, very good and excellent health predicted lower risks of committing some types of delinquency and poor/fair health predicted the higher risk. For youth in “no parent” homes in very good health and from some youth with chronic illness, however, the risk of delinquency increased. The overall results dictate the expansion …

Wound Care Nurses Becoming Quitline Providers And Teaching Patients About Smoking Cessation And Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Hannah Gilbert, Lakyn Rye

Scholars Week

Our evidence-based practice project focuses on wound care nurses becoming Quitline providers and teaching patients about smoking cessation and nicotine replacement therapy. To guide our research, we used Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory. Smoking is a modifiable risk factor that is a part of the patient’s environment. Our research we used supports that smoking can affect wound healing. We believe that wound care nurses should be trained in smoking cessation and nicotine replacement therapy prescribing to be an advocate to patients and their journey to wound healing.

Preventing Insulin Storage And Administration Errors, Makena Reddick

Scholars Week

■The research problem was discovered when nurses were observed storing and administering insulin improperly. The objectives of this project were to find the correct policies for these procedures, obtain research that backed these policies, and present this information to nurses to create a safer habit. In researching, it was found that reducing the physical distance between a person completing work and the materials required to do so increased compliance (Gibbs & McLernon, 2017). In a second study, the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care for patients with diabetes in the community is dependent upon (district) nurses having appropriate knowledge …

Mask Etiquette For Nurses During A Pandemic: N95 Respirators Vs. Surgical Masks, Haylee Shevlin, Carlin Jones

Scholars Week

Healthcare personnel are blatantly exposed to COVID-19 while at work. Incorrect PPE, inaccurate donning and doffing of PPE, and improper disinfection of masks for reuse is contributing to exposure of not only COVID-19, but other respiratory illnesses too. Throughout this presentation there is information as to when surgical masks and N95 respirators should be used as well as the correct procedure for donning and doffing of both masks. Proper disinfection for the reuse of both masks during a PPE shortage is also included.

Key words: N95 respirator, surgical mask, COVID-19, PPE

The Effects Of Victorian Circulating Libraries On The Conventions Of Society, Kaitlyn M. Clary

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

As an era that is oftentimes categorized as one of the most prudish in British history, it is commonplace to see the Victorian Period as a time that imposed strict moral codes onto people of all classes, genders, and ages. Although the 18th century proved to be quite lenient with the manner in which social behavior was controlled, the 19th century proved to be an era of tension between the social order and individual desire, particularly for the middle and upper classes. With the aid of the Industrial Revolution, many governments found it essential to utilize the newly innovated printing …

Wells Fargo: Administrative Evil And The Pressure To Conform, Juliana Lilly, David Durr, Allan Grogan, Janice Francis Super

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Corporate corruption has become a pervasive problem in our society as scandals erupt with disheartening regularity. These unethical business practices result not only in financial disaster but also in the disillusionment and loss of trust on the part of consumers and shareholders alike. Unethical behavior often originates with top management. However, these bad actors cannot act alone. They must have the complicit support of others within the organization. In this installment of Business Law & Ethics Corner, we examine the pressures and motives of people deep within the corporation; the ordinary people who, by just going about their everyday jobs, …

Gender Differences In Ncaa Non-Revenue Sports: An Examination Of Men’S And Women’S Soccer Coaching Salaries, David Eaton, Martin Milkman

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

This paper examines the determinants of head coaching salaries in men’s and women’s collegiate soccer. Both of these sports are considered non-revenue sports, and thus differences in sports revenues should not impact coaching salaries. We analyze salaries of head coaches in these sports to determine if i) coaches in women’s soccer earn systematically less than coaches of men’s soccer, and ii) whether there is a difference in salaries between male and female coaches of women’s soccer. We find that salaries for coaches of women’s soccer are lower than those for men’s soccer. We also find that there is no statistically …

A Survey Of Horse Use And Management In Horse Clubs In China: A Pilot Study, Zhen Li Ph.D., Msc, Shea Porr Phd

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Rapid development of the Chinese equine industry in the last two decades has resulted in an increased equine population without trained personnel to support industry growth. The purpose of this study was to understand the present profile of horse use in horse clubs in China from the perspective of horse welfare. The survey was distributed to specific personnel in selected Chinese horse clubs, and snowball sampling techniques were used to increase response rates. Of 20 respondents, the oldest club was established in 2002 and the newest in 2018. Fourteen clubs were membership-based, providing services for 40-1000 members and up to …

Pharmacokinetics Of A Single Feeding Of Pelleted Cannabidiol In Horses, Anna L. Draeger, Laura K. Hoffman, Patricia R. Godwin, Amanda J. Davis, Shea A. Porr

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Claims about cannabidiol (CBD) supplementation improving health and behavior are extensive, but research is lacking. Some studies have shown decreased anxiety behavior in rats, and increased activity in osteoarthritic dogs supplemented with CBD, but even less research exists on horses. This study monitored pharmacokinetics and short-term safety for 3 CBD dosages. Eighteen Quarter Horse geldings were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups: 50 mg (TXT1), 100 mg (TXT2), and 250 mg (TXT3). Dosage was derived from manufacturer recommendations and existing literature on other species. Horses were fed a single dose of CBD pellets. Blood was collected pre- and post-treatment at …

Basketball And Drugs: Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Estimation Of Discharged Drugs During Basketball Games In Kentucky, Alexander Montgomery, Catherine O'Rourke, Bikram Subedi

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

High school sports gather a significantly larger number of fans than college and professional sports in the U.S. Adolescent and adult students in high schools and colleges (aged 12–25) are among the most vulnerable population to substance use. Event planners, risk managers, and emergency medical service personnel can extrapolate the mass loads of drugs in wastewater in this study to evaluate the spectator behavior in relatively larger basketball gatherings. Thirty-three illicit and prescribed psychotic drug residues (out of target 36) and five new psychoactive substances (NPS, out of target 40) were quantified in wastewater, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography and tandem …

Investigation Of Job Satisfaction Dimensions Of Health Care Knowledge Workers: Factor Analysis - Multivariate Approach, Cemil Kuzey

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

The investigation of the job satisfaction dimensions is crucial before further analysis such as testing the research hypotheses. The widely used approach includes Exploratory Factor Analysis with principal components analysis, unweighted least squares, generalized least squares, maximum likelihood, principal axis factoring, alpha factoring, and image factoring. The study focuses on investigation of the underlying dimensions of the job satisfaction of the knowledge workers in healthcare using multiple methods. The target sample of the research is the health care personnel including nurses, administrators, and doctors as the knowledge workers. Toward this end, a theory-based classical approaches are utilized. Healthcare employee’s job …

The Benefits Of Dogs, Hunter Wade

Integrated Studies

The purpose of this paper is to identify the benefits of dogs. Whether you need a dog for the benefit of having a companion or for physiology benefits. A dog provides love, support, friendship, and assistance to any of our required necessities. A brief discussion about the history of dogs and their responsibilities to the owner will be discussed throughout the paper. A dog is a loyal companion and partner to their owner. They love to aide their benefactor and thrive for love and affection. The next topic section will demonstrate how service dogs can aide in the replacement of …

Increased Access (Knowledge) Of Health Promotion & Preventative Care Reduces Chronic Disease Within African American Communities, Brian Jones

Integrated Studies

Abstract

This research study seeks to investigate what relationships exist between preventative health and health promotion, and knowledge of or access to these resources by low income and more specifically African American populations. Through experimental research the study is looking to see if these variables increase or decrease the outcomes of Chronic issues and diseases and issues within these populations. The research will gather information from established reputable journals and scholarly articles, in conjunction with a survey given to a number of selected and voluntary participants. The selection of individuals will be reflective of the population at large. More specifically, …