Digital Commons Network^™

Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome In Canine Patients, Morgan Powell

Honors College Theses

Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (SARDS) is a perplexing and debilitating ocular condition that affects canine patients primarily in the form of the sudden onset of total vision loss. Veterinary literature will be reviewed to discuss the basic anatomy of the canine eye and retina, as well as to investigate various diagnostic techniques to evaluate ophthalmic function and hypotheses of the pathogenesis of SARDS. The complexity of this disease and the absence of research leads to veterinarians and clients grappling with unanswered questions. This research surveys veterinarians to gain a perspective of the rareness of the disease, the most frequent …

The Next Threat Landscape: Securing America’S Cyber-Physical Systems, Grayson Thomas

Honors College Theses

The goal of this research is to explore, identify, and enumerate the security threats that exist to industry current industrial controls systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). A scale lab similar to industry standard will be built and developed for research purposes. The Purdue Model for ICS and the Cyber Kill Chain will be referenced as frameworks for attack sequences, and the MITRE ATT&CK framework will be referenced for attack types. Attempts will be made to compromise the various pieces of our built SCADA system via configuration errors, software vulnerabilities, and deployment mistakes common with industrial …

An Evaluation Of Rural Access To Education, Caroline Ackerman, Kera B. Ackerman

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

In Kentucky, educators serve over 100,000 students who qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Given Kentucky's topography, and the designation of 86 of the Commonwealth's 120 counties as rural, it's essential to understand how the socioeconomic and geographic qualities of the state impact the students being served. Previous research has indicated that nearly a quarter of children in Kentucky live in poverty, with the highest rates existing in rural Eastern Kentucky counties. This statistic, compacted with the knowledge that high-need children in poverty are more likely than their peers to have a disability …

Lessons Learned: Considerations For Enhancing Principal Preparation Programs With Inclusive Special Education Practices, Ellen G. Casale, Stacy Leggett

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Western Kentucky University has a long-standing history in preparing principals. Recognizing the ever-growing importance of explicit training in supporting students with disabilities, we applied for and received a minigrant from the Kentucky Excellence in Educator Preparation to enhance our curriculum to address this need. In this article, we provide an overview of the context for this need and provide considerations for principal preparation programs considering enhancing their own curricula. Implications are provided.

Correlates Of Anti-Asexual Bias In The Bible Belt, Lauren Robinson

Honors College Theses

Many studies focus on LGBTQIA+ individuals in the United States, but there are fewer studies about asexuality, especially in the Bible Belt: a collection of states in the Southeast with populations having increased rates of conservatism, religiosity, and expectations of traditional gender and sexuality norms (Baunach et al, 2009). The purpose of the study was to examine anti-asexual bias and its relation to different variables in college-age students who attended college and/or lived in the Bible Belt. It was hypothesized political positioning, ethnic and racial background, religiosity/spirituality, adherence to social norms, traditional vs egalitarian gender roles, and pathologizing of asexual …

Type 2 Diabetes Health Beliefs Of College Students, Emily Spindler

Honors College Theses

College students of health-related majors are sometimes assumed to have greater health literacy. The belief can be attributed to the students taking classes discussing health problems, diseases, risk factors, medical management, nutrition, and exercise. How often the health classes discuss type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains undetermined; therefore, the amount of knowledge and beliefs health students have of T2D is unknown. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between students' majors, health beliefs about T2D, and engagement in behavioral risk factors at a mid-size regional public university. A quantitative, non-experimental, survey design was chosen, and responses were obtained …

Interwar Patriotism: From Military Bands To Marching Bands, 1920s And 1930s, Elise Eaton

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

High school bands have evolved greatly since the first band boom in the early 1920s. Beyond the performance responsibilities and commitments to football and sporting events, bands have their own cultural elements that only band members, band staffs, and families of band students truly understand. This thesis will demonstrate that high school band culture since the 1920s developed alongside the changing fortunes of the U.S. military. Accordingly, U.S. military history shaped the evolving culture of high school marching bands and other youth performing arts groups while these civilian youth groups in turn embedded and reinforced elements of U.S. militarism in …

The Academic Self-Esteem Of Higher Education’S Lgbtq+ Students, Tory Cline

Scholars Week

LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) students' academic self-esteem is underresearched, particularly among college students. Academic self-esteem refers to students' self-esteem regarding their ability to perform well in school. Past research shows that academic performance and academic self-esteem are strongly correlated with one another (Smith et al., 1998). Among high school students, it was found that LGBTQ+ victimization was correlated with worse academic performance and that the presence of a GSA (gay-straight alliance) was predictive of lower levels of victimization (Kosciw et al., 2013). With the vast majority of research on this matter being conducted on high school students, …

Benefits Of The Use Of Probiotics In Preventing Secondary Infections, Sarah Cutcher

Scholars Week

Through evidence based research, the use of supplemental probiotics has been shown to have a positive effect in preventing secondary infections in hospital patients. Although there are other techniques that have decreased the incidence of infections, such as reducing invasive procedures and aseptic techniques, these are external procedures designed to prevent infection. Probiotics are an effective method of internally preventing infection. By studying certain infections and the effect that probiotics have on their prevention, researchers can safely conclude which bacteria strain could help to prevent each infection. Some different types of issues that will be looked at are healthcare acquired …

Implementing Intermittent Fetal Monitoring In Low-Risk Laboring Moms, Kaitlynn Keel, Jessica Manion

Scholars Week

It has become common practice for laboring moms to remain attached to monitors throughout the duration of their labor, known as continuous electronic fetal monitoring (CEFM). Although this is the new normal in the world of labor and delivery, there has been speculation as to whether or not this is evidence-based. Specifically, moms in labor that are considered low-risk should not be bound to the bed for their entire labor for this continuous monitoring, in fact, research actually supports that CEFM leads to unnecessary interventions that negatively impact both mom and neonate.

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (Last): Provider Education, Alexis Johnson

Scholars Week

Abstract

Background: Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST) is a rare but serious complication due to accumulation of local anesthetics. If not treated quickly, LAST can cause detrimental complications such as seizures and cardiac arrest. Therefore, it is important that anesthesia providers are well versed in preventing, recognizing, and treating this adverse event.

Methods: A LAST flowchart written by The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) was printed and placed in each operating room in a small suburban hospital. Anesthesia staff were also educated on recognizing signs and symptoms, onset time, high risk patients, and prevention.

Results: Ten …

Reducing Perioperative Opioid Use Through Utilization Of Dexmedetomidine Prior To Induction: Provider Education, Axel Nilsson

Scholars Week

Reducing Perioperative Opioid Use Through Utilization of Dexmedetomidine

Prior to Induction: Provider Education

Abstract

AIM: The primary objective of this project was to decrease perioperative opioid use by providing education to key stakeholders on the efficacy of implementing dexmedetomidine prior to induction to attenuate the response to surgical stress.

KEYWORDS: anesthesia, dexmedetomidine, opioid-sparing analgesia, multimodal analgesia

METHODS: Strategies to promote a practice change included disseminating education to anesthesia providers through handouts and one-on-one education and evaluating the efficacy of the education through questionnaires.

RESULTS: Twelve anesthesia providers participated in the project. After receiving education, the mean score based on a …

"Non Fuyades": A Comparative Analysis Of The Translation Of Culturemes In Don Quixote, Eve Jacobson

Honors College Theses

A widely debated topic in the field of translation studies is how to accurately preserve the full connotations and denotations of culturemes, which are words or phrases that have no direct equivalent in other languages due to their intrinsic cultural context, when translating them into another language. My project compares Edith Grossman (2003) and Thomas Shelton’s (1612) translations of selected culturemes in the first part of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote (1605) to analyze how different approaches to translating culturemes affect the tone and style, which also provides additional insights into the themes of class and formality and how the …

2024-03-01, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Team Identification And Self-Construal On Attitudes Toward Player Resting, Skyler King, Ismail Karabas

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Purposely resting athletes during competitive games has become commonplace in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite this phenomenon, little research has investigated fan attitudes and behavioral intentions concerning the act of NBA teams purposely resting players. This study utilized Prolific Academic crowdsourcing service to recruit a national sample of NBA fans to participate in this research. Participants provided data concerning their attitudes toward the practice of player resting as well as their strength of team identification and self-construal level. Results indicate that those who are low on both team identification and an interdependent self-construal should be expected to respond negatively …

2024-01-26, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Animal Liberation Front: Threat To Kentucky, Zoe E. Hunt

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is a global terrorist organization that was founded in 1976. Since the creation of ALF, the group has spread rapidly as well as turned into a domestic terrorist organization in the United States. With this project, the group's potential threat to Kentucky was evaluated. ALF was evaluated using four structured analytic techniques and an intelligence collection plan. A better understanding of what ALF is was formed by the discussion of the group’s origins, ideology, and organization. In addition, the group's goals, objectives, and capabilities were discussed. Using the information gathered during the threat profile, the …

Homeownership And Mortgage Loans: How Important Is A Conventional Loan?, Zachary Owen, Cory Curl

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Communities across the United States face a housing crisis that stems in part from a scarcity of conventional home mortgage loans. In 2020, the Urban Institute reported that when applying for a mortgage, Black applicants were denied 27.1% of the time, yet White applicants were denied only 13.6% of the time. These denial rates are highly correlated with homeownership rates. Today, despite policy efforts, the difference in White and Black homeownership rates is higher than in the 1960s when the government enforced discriminatory housing policy.

Because lenders often cite credit score concerns and high debt-to-income ratios as rationales to deny …

Global Criminal Justice Practices And Public Safety, Rachel Hwang

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Popular political discourse in the U.S. assumes that more funding for law enforcement and prison facilities will make civilians safer, presumably by reducing crime and sense of disorder. However, studies have shown that the relationship between these factors may not be as straightforward. With the killing of George Floyd and increased media coverage of police brutality, existing literature focuses mainly on the relationship between police and crime in the U.S. The impact of incarceration (the result of procedural justice) on the community (for whom procedural justice exists) is less known, especially on a global scale. We argue that cycling people …

Enhancing The Safety Of Medication Administration: The Synergistic Role Of Closed Loop Electronic Medication Management And Iv Medication Administration, Kelly Goetz, Angela Schoenung, Lauren Daugherty, Kaitlyn Hornsby

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The high acuity of patients in the ICU results in numerous medications being administered, increasing the risk of medication errors. The purpose of this project is to investigate the impact of integrating consistent closed loop electronic medication management (CLEMM) to decrease medication errors in the ICU for bedside nurses who use electronic health records (EHRs). The project type is a comprehensive literature review, with studies that included a single prospective cohort study, case report, single non-randomized trial, quasi experimental study, single cross-sectional studies, and systematic reviews. The importance of this project is to address the break in the loop of …

Securing Edge Computing: A Hierarchical Iot Service Framework, Sajan Poudel, Nishar Miya, Rasib Khan

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Title: Securing Edge Computing: A Hierarchical IoT Service Framework

Authors: Nishar Miya, Sajan Poudel, Faculty Advisor: Rasib Khan, Ph.D.

Department: School of Computing and Analytics, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University

Abstract:

Edge computing, a paradigm shift in data processing, faces a critical challenge: ensuring security in a landscape marked by decentralization, distributed nodes, and a myriad of devices. These factors make traditional security measures inadequate, as they cannot effectively address the unique vulnerabilities of edge environments. Our research introduces a hierarchical framework that excels in securing IoT-based edge services against these inherent risks.

Our secure by design approach prioritizes …

Motivations Driving Video Research Podcasts: Impact On Value And Creation Of Research Video Presentations, My Doan, Anh Tran, Na Le

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to better understand the role and impact of video research podcasts in bridging the gap between academia and the general public, especially concerning the challenges of accessibility and comprehension of scholarly research.

Methods: A 10-question survey was administered to evaluate the effectiveness, utility, and acceptance of video recordings in research presentations. The survey also aimed to gather insights into the motivations, challenges, and benefits of using video podcasts for research dissemination. Results were then analyzed using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model.

Results: There were 102 respondents …

Using Network Analysis To Personalize Care For Binge Eating Disorder, Legacy S. Carter, Dr. Anna Marie Ortiz

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Legacy Carter, KCTCS; Dr. Anna Marie Ortiz, University of Louisville, Psychology and Brain Sciences Department

Title:Using network analysis to personalize care for Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder is the compulsive behavior to overeat food, usually within a brief time frame. Symptoms such as anxiety, fear of being fat and perfectionism could trigger a person to binge eat. Network analysis is a statistical approach in health psychology that uses graphical representations of relationships among variables, and could be useful in identifying the symptoms that cause Binge Eating Disorder. The information collected could come from surveys, interviews or clinical studies. Network …

Mountain (Grand) Mamas: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren During The Opioid Epidemic In Appalachian America And Their Portrayal In Media, Rosemary P. Kelley

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Deep within the hills of Appalachia grandparents are stepping into the familiar role of parenting as many have become the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. These grandparent-headed households (GHHs), a form of kinship care, have increased largely in response to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged the region; children are often left in the care of grandparents as parents experience substance use disorders and, in turn, incarceration. According to the US Census Bureau, over seven million grandparents live with their own grandchildren; over 32 percent of which serve as caregivers and are responsible for these children. The impact of kinship …

Attitudes Of South-Central Kentucky Residents Towards Coyotes And Their Management, Andrew T. Mcqueen, Stephen Sumithran Phd

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The existence of the coyote in the eastern U.S. is a recent development and the public’s perception of coyotes has been widely studied in urban areas. However, perceptions in rural areas, especially rural Appalachia, have been largely unstudied. It is necessary for wildlife managers to understand the public’s perceptions of coyotes and coyote management when creating management plans. We conducted a public survey in South-central Kentucky to determine perceptions toward coyotes and coyote management methods. The survey contained questions about demographics (age, gender, county of residence, landownership, etc.), perceptions (fears, opinions), knowledge (true/false questions), and preferred management practices (hunting, trapping, …

Regional Studies Of Greenhouse Gas And Their Mitigation Strategies, Anthony Osterman

Posters-at-the-Capitol

This study investigates greenhouse gas emissions in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the efforts taken to reduce them. An objective of this research was to find actions for reducing emissions that large industries have taken in the past. Efforts to reduce emissions were also examined to show the actions other states and areas can replicate. The results have shown some connections between the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and facilities. Power plants are the largest cause of emissions compared to other fields. Data has shown a rise in emissions in the 2000s …

Navigating Healthcare Administration: Challenges, Innovations, And Future Perspectives, Alena Monday

Integrated Studies

Navigating Healthcare Administration: Challenges, Innovations, and Future Perspectives Healthcare administration stands at the intersection of managing complex healthcare systems, ensuring quality patient care, and driving organizational excellence. This abstract provides a glimpse into the multifaceted landscape of healthcare administration, focusing on the challenges faced, innovative solutions implemented, and future perspectives shaping the field.

History And Future Of Solar Energy, Connor Phalin

Integrated Studies

My paper will be about how solar energy has developed over time and what it could look like down the road. It is an alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Right now, there is a shift that is pushing people away from coal and gas and going to renewable sources such as solar, wind, and other renewables instead. It started in the U.S. when the photovoltaic effect was discovered. Which further lead to higher technology which is used today. Since then, there are now tax credits towards solar which can help a buyer be able to purchase solar and …

The Effects Of Opioids And How They Affected The American Healthcare System, Harold Osborne

Integrated Studies

The opioid pandemic swept through the United States in the early 2000’s, causing many to fight a battle with addiction. A drug that has been dated back to the 1860s found a new life where it was thought to give patients better access to pain management. This would prove true, but the consequences that would come with this were far graver than the benefits. Between 1999 and 2010 the amount of opioid related deaths more than doubled from 2.9 deaths per 100,000 people to 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Since 1999 more than six hundred thousand people have lost their …

Patient Safety And Its Role In Healthcare, Jennifer Brown

Integrated Studies

Abstract

In the United States, medical errors are a major cause of death and a critical public health issue. Finding a reliable cause of mistakes and then offering a reliable, workable solution that reduces the likelihood of an ongoing issue are difficult tasks. Patient safety can be raised by acknowledging unfortunate events when they happen, acquiring knowledge about them, and striving to steer clear of them as well. Effectiveness in post-medical errors follow-up procedures is a pertinent and significant study topic for a number of reasons. In a hospital or maybe even a doctor's office, you may speak and engage …