Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher Candidates' Perspectives On Self-Care: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary S. Thomas, Penny B. Howell

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

How are teacher candidates conceptualizing self-care during the COVID 19 pandemic?

We initiated focused attention on educator self-care for teacher candidates after identifying this content as a missing yet necessary component of trauma-informed teaching (Authors, 2019). In the fall of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every element of candidates’ lives including our now remotely-delivered course, we reconsidered how that content needed to fit into the realities of learning to teach during a pandemic. Following these revisions, we explored the research question, how are candidates conceptualizing self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic? We describe findings and provide recommendations and resources for …

Comparative Analysis Of Rgb-Based Eye-Tracking For Large-Scale Human-Machine Applications, Brett Thaman, Trung Cao

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Gaze tracking has become an established technology that enables using an individual’s gaze as an input signal to support a variety of applications in the context of Human-Computer Interaction. Gaze tracking primarily relies on sensing devices such as infrared (IR) cameras. Nevertheless, in the recent years, several attempts have been realized at detecting gaze by acquiring and processing images acquired from standard RGB cameras. Nowadays, there are only a few publicly available open-source libraries and they have not been tested extensively. In this paper, we present the result of a comparative analysis that studied a commercial eye-tracking device using IR …

Assessing The Alignment Of Social Robots With Trustworthy Ai Design Guidelines: A Preliminary Research Study, Abdikadar Ali, Danielle Thaxton, Ankur Chattopadhyay

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The last couple of years have seen a strong movement supporting the need of having intelligent consumer products align with specific design guidelines for trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). This global movement has led to multiple institutional recommendations for ethically aligned trustworthy design of the AI driven technologies, like consumer robots and autonomous vehicles. There has been prior research towards finding security and privacy related vulnerabilities within various types of social robots. However, none of these previous works has studied the implications of these vulnerabilities in terms of the robot design aligning with trustworthy AI. In an attempt to address this …

Demographic Analysis Of African Americans Enrolled In A Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Program, Kennedy Palmer, Lovoria B. Williams, Hannah Bowman

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is preventable. While all racial and ethnic groups are susceptible to the condition, African Americans (AAs) are among the groups with the highest T2D prevalence (13.3%:9.4 %) among their white counterparts. Lifestyle interventions, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) effectively decrease incident diabetes by 58%. Moreover, evidence indicates that culturally adapted health interventions enhance subject participation and increase adherence to lifestyle programs. The purpose of this project is to examine the baseline demographics of AA participants of Fit & Faithful, a culturally adapted DPP. Fit & Faithful concentrates on the prominent religious aspect of AA …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Kentucky Air Pollutant Levels, Sarah Hartman, Ritchie Taylor, Jacqueline Basham

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first of the 21^st century. Nearly 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu killed nearly 50 million people worldwide, including an estimated 675,000 people in the US.₁₂ COVID-19 has proved a deadly disease as well, with nearly 28.1 million cases and 496,000 deaths in the US alone as of February 20^th, 2021.₄ Only a few studies have been conducted regarding air quality response before and after the start of the pandemic. The study found that the NO2 levels decreased and the PM levels also decreased from before to after the beginning …

An Investigation Of Influencer Body Enhancement And Brand Endorsement, Sarah Lefebvre, Kelly Cowart

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Purpose: As the cosmetic surgery industry grows and diversifies, societal beauty standards have shifted to include images of surgically enhanced bodies. With the increased use of influencer marketing, it is important for marketers to understand consumer perceptions of these modified appearances. This research uses the lens of perceived morality to investigate consumer perceptions of cosmetic surgery services and the effect of enhanced body appearance on consumer interest in an endorsed brand. Interpersonal similarity is tested as a boundary condition.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A mixed-methods approach was taken with a qualitative study and two online experiments. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling (N …

Media Consumption Effects On Climate Change Beliefs, Haley Penrod

Honors College Theses

Climate change is in everyday conversation and on the platform for many elections. This issue has grown bigger to where action needs to be taken in order to counteract its effects. One way to examine this subject is through the media. Media allows for an outlet of communication between those with vital information and the public audience. This usage of media can be influential in informing people, as well as changing causation beliefs towards either side. Through this project, the question of how media consumption affects people’s climate change causation beliefs is examined. Using data provided through the 2016 American …

Minimizing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk In Health Care Professionals With Education On Safe Patient Handling, Aubrey Graves

Honors College Theses

Introduction: Nursing is a high-risk occupation for musculoskeletal injuries due to the strenuous activity of patient handling. These tasks include, assisting a patient in bed, moving a patient from the bed to a wheelchair, and assisting with walking. These work-related tasks can create a large amount of stress on the body, especially the back if proper technique is not utilized and/or if excessive loads are applied. The purpose of this study is to examine if teaching proper body mechanics and the dangers of not performing the tasks properly is an effective way of reducing musculoskeletal injuries.

Methods: The NUR 202 …

“A Change Is Gonna Come”: Music And Its Role In The Civil Rights Movement, Nathanial Humphrey

Honors College Theses

This thesis paper will provide thorough research and analysis regarding the role of music during the Civil Rights Movement. It would be the goal of this paper to answer the questions of whether or not music had an impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and if so, then in what ways and how was this conveyed through the music.This paper aims to discuss different genres of music, including but not limited to; jazz, rock, pop, blues, etc. In order to answer these questions, this paper will be analyzing songs written by artists during the movement, looking for forms of rhetoric …

2021-12-03, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Camping, Weather, And Disasters: Extending The Construal Level Theory, Christopher Craig, Siyao Ma, Ismail Karabas, Song Feng

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Camping is an outdoor accommodation and type of recreation that is susceptible to weather and climate change. Camping—in addition to the relationships camping shares with weather— remains understudied despite the subsectors’ salient economic impact and high participation rate. The observable effects of non-meteorological/climatological (e.g., pandemic) is also a topic that has received limited attention. Accordingly, we introduce the Camping-Weather-Disaster (CWD) framework to examine the concurrent impact of weather and the COVID-19 disaster on post-disaster camping trip plans among leisure travelers in the 48 contiguous United States (n=2,442). Extending the Construal Level Theory, the CWD framework considers traveler construal (i.e., understanding) …

Litigation, Legislation, And Love: The Comparative Efficacy Of Litigation And Legislation For The Expansion Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Civil Rights, Mallory Harrington

Honors College Theses

This research examines the comparative efficacy of federal appellate court decisions and federal legislation with regards to the furtherance of civil rights on the basis of sexual orientation. The research examines efficacy based upon the number of measures which have been implemented as well as the content of each measure. The research examines federal appellate and Supreme Court decisions, as well as adopted pieces of federal legislation since 1950. It also examines the likely causes of the disparities in efficacy that are indicated in this analysis. The findings of this research indicate that litigation has been much more effective at …

Senior Nursing Students’ Confidence In Communicating And Providing Patient Teaching, Carmen Bandy

Honors College Theses

In the field of nursing, effective nurse-patient communication and teaching are among the most important indicators of patient satisfaction. Research shows that improved communication can result in more favorable patient outcomes and compliance with treatment. Additionally, improved communication with other members of the healthcare team can create a better work environment and result in increased patient outcomes, as well as decreased errors. The aim of this thesis is to assess the confidence of seniors in the Murray State University Nursing program in communicating with patients and other healthcare professionals and in providing thorough, accurate teaching to patients. Strategies to improve …

How Community Engagement And The Power Nine Impact Health, Lindsey Shelton, Lindsey V. Shelton

Honors College Theses

The Blue Zones are five different places around the world where people are proven to live healthier and longer lives. In these places, they all share 9 unique habits that are attributed to helping achieve these healthier lives called the Power Nine. In Calloway County, a barrier survey was conducted by five different Murray State departments to see what stopped the residents from achieving their healthiest lives. Community engagement was found to be an important aspect of the Power Nine and was analyzed to see how it can impact one's health.

The Effectiveness Of An Act App In Promoting Wellbeing And Psychological Flexibility, Brooke Short

Honors College Theses

While mental health apps could potentially increase access to mental health resources, only 3.05% of depression and anxiety apps on the Apple App store had published research support as of 2018 (Marshall et al., 2019). The present study aims to evaluate an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) mental health app. ACT aims to cultivate psychological flexibility, the ability to fully experience and accept one’s present context while engaging in behavior that aligns with one’s values (Hayes et al., 2006). Gloster et al. (2020) reviewed ACT metanalyses and found it to be efficacious for a range of conditions. Past research has …

Murder She Sang: How Contemporary Country Murder Ballads Alleviate Blame, Alyssa Hubbard

Honors College Theses

Murder ballads, or narrative songs centered on a murder and/or its aftermath, were historically used as a tool to emphasize a criminal’s guilt, cruelty, and inhumanity. Ballads centered on women in particular underlined the idea that women are naturally inclined to sin and easily corrupted, and because they were often written by men in an imitation of the woman’s voice, any regret or repentance within them is falsified or exaggerated, intended to warn other women away from committing similar transgressions.

In contrast, contemporary murder ballads, such as those sung by country music artists like Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and The …

Amplifying The "A" In Steam Education, Grace Floerke

Honors College Theses

This paper discusses the importance of teachers implementing STEAM education in the classroom. Previously, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (abbreviated as STEM) education was used as a tool to prepare students to excel in career fields that are projected to grow in the near future. However, recently the acronym was changed to STEAM to add “the arts” to the original acronym. It is imperative that the arts are seen as an equal to STEM, as they can complement and enhance the goals STEM is trying to reach. Since not all students possess the same interest, ways of learning, or abilities, …

Implementing Antiracism In Technical Services, Leslie Engelson, Brinna Michael, Caitlin Soma

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

It is a sad reality that racist bias is inherent in cataloging standards and collection development practices. Whether racism in cataloging and collection development practices is intentional or not, Technical Service librarians can be intentional about combatting it. This article presents three antiracist projects implemented to address racism in collection development and classification. Leslie Engelson discusses the results of an effort initiated by the music faculty to determine the representation of BIPOC in the music score collection at Waterfield Library. Brinna Michael demonstrates how racist language is represented in the Library of Congress Classification schedule and her efforts at Pitts …

Ransomware Education: Availability, Accessibility, And Ease Of Use, Judson Gager, Judson Gager

Honors College Theses

With cybersecurity constantly in the media outlets with breaches, cybercrime, and cyberwarfare, it has become a significant concern for all. One of the most recent breaches in the summer of 2021 was the Colonial Pipeline breach, which has proven the country's reliance on these industrial control systems and networking. The systems were taken for ransom by a new type of ransomware written in a different programming language. Although the Colonial Pipeline breach was quickly addressed, the impact of the gas shortage and the response time were alarming at triaging the breach. However, this attack showed the public how dangerous ransomware …

Using Modern Portfolio Theory To Create Efficient Portfolios From The S&P500, Dylan Rhoads

Honors College Theses

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) serves as a proxy for the U.S. equity market and is among the most widely cited financial instruments in the world. Its risk and return can be accepted as the market’s, leading it to be the benchmark for performance in many investment settings. Modern portfolio theory helps to quantify performance by explaining the relationship between risk and return. Every portfolio has its own return and risk level, with the optimal allocations falling on the “Efficient Frontier”, that is the line on a graph that connects the portfolios that have the maximum return …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On The Service Delivery Of Speech And Language Therapy: A Literature Review, Hanna Hill

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effects of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the service delivery of speech and language therapy services in schools, early intervention, and outpatient settings. This analysis examined various service delivery settings in the realm of speech-language therapy that were affected by COVID-19. Per guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), worldwide governing legislatures, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), many measures were put into place throughout the spread of COVID-19. Quarantine, the use of various protective tools, and social distancing interrupted face-to-face services that are essential to …

Best Practices For Preventing Delirium In Critically-Ill Patients, Madi Williams, Hailey Trexler Price, Natalie Hosman

Scholars Week

Abstract:

Utilizing and integrating best evidence-based research to improve nursing care is a core responsibility of a nurse. Implementing best nursing practices leads to better patient outcomes and patient experiences. Through research, specific interventions that can reduce the incidence of delirium in critically ill patients were uncovered. Through utilization of theoretical framework, and multiple evidence-based research articles, a protocol was formed to initiate in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, KY. This protocol consists of a multi-component intervention plan to hopefully decrease incidence of ICU delirium.

Culturally Sensitive Care For Hispanic Americans, Christopher Dodson, Courtney Hall

Scholars Week

The number of individuals that speak another language that is not English as their primary language is at an all time high in the United States, and this can make healthcare harder to access for this portion of the population. This research examines what barriers are present for those who do not speak English as their primary language, such as miscommunications, reduced trust in their provider related to being unable to speak directly with them, parts of their cultural practices and alternative medicines being ignored or misunderstood by healthcare providers, and not feeling secure enough to reveal sensitive information to …

Evidence-Based Im Administration, Sarah Simpson, Amanda Bailey

Scholars Week

Abstract

This evidence-based study of literature investigated best IM injection practice. The review was based on evidence from 3 main sources, all found on the CINAHL database. The three studies were reviewed and assessed, and best practice was found to be recommended. The first article found that several healthcare workers use different methods and techniques when administering IM injections, this leads to incorrect administration or injections not evidence based. The second article found that in order administer IM injections effectively, 5mm penetration into the muscle is needed. Therefore, skin bunching is not recommended for the reasoning that it creates a …

"Illumination The Sculpture Of James O. Clark" Catalogue, T. Michael Martin

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

It has been a challenging journey to mine and sift through the body of work of James O. Clark to select a representation of his studio practice and 50-year career. While curating "Illumination: the Sculpture of James O. Clark," I encountered more than the common curatorial concerns such as artwork availability, scale, aesthetic and conceptual themes, transportation and presentation issues. During my conversations with Clark, we found ourselves in an unprecedented pandemic – impacting travel, shipping, and studio visits.Throughout this process, Clark and I remained flexible to ensure a representation of his career could be exhibited without compromise. Selections for …

Yeezy Taught Me: What Can Academics Learn From The Music Industry?, Arthur J. Boston

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

In a talk given during London Open Research Week 2021, Arthur J. Boston, the Scholarly Communication Librarian at Murray State University, described parallels between the music industry and academic publishing, especially as it relates to open science and early career researchers. Below, you can find both the recorded video and the transcription in-line with the slide images.

Internet Killed The Radio Star?, Atanas Nikolov, Yana Andonova, Yang He

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Radio airplay is still a popular direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel for music products. In this paper, we investigate the effect of radio airplay on album sales, mediated by consumer social media engagement with music artists. Grounded in the cultural production model, as well as the literature on customer engagement and satiation, we propose several hypotheses. We analyze our unique dataset by structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that radio airtime has a bigger impact on album sales of lesser-known musicians than those of famous musicians. Social media engagement mediates the positive effect of radio airplay on album sales; this effect …

The Role Of Stem-Based Sustainability In Business And Management Curricula: Exploring Cognitive And Affective Outcomes In University Students, Christopher Craig, Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers, Susan Gilbertz, Rita Karam, Song Feng

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

To address deficiencies in STEM and sustainability in business management and intra-university curricula, we developed and implemented an interdisciplinary STEM-based sustainability curriculum at a university in the Western United States. Six classes participated in curricular efforts including in-person and online sections of a business management course, in-person and online sections of a general elective STEM course, and a matched control course for each (n = 214). We systematically designed, developed, and implemented curricular interventions—multi-week STEM-based business sustainability modules—using the case teaching method. A comprehensive evaluation with pre- and post-tests was conducted to assess student sustainability cognition and affect. Significant results …

Exploring The Use Of Student-Developed Outreach Videos To Provide Mental Health Wellness Education-A Pilot Project, Kristin Reid, Nancy Armstrong, Dana Todd

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

BACKGROUND: Mental health and wellness outreach has been an area of concern at colleges and universities in the United States and a variety of electronic methods have been used to successfully promote health and wellness. This pilot project was in response to a previous descriptive study examining mental health issues on campus. AIMS: The primary aim of this project was to determine if implementing a peer-led outreach program in the form of bi-weekly, short-form educational videos would increase knowledge of mental health and wellness in students developing the videos. The secondary aim was to provide students an alternate clinical assignment …

Construction Of An Apartment Building And Parking Garage, Kirsten Wilson, Kirsten R. Wilson

Honors College Theses

Construction projects are known far and wide to all people. Buildings we need for daily survival would not exist if it were not for the construction industry. Our homes, healthcare facilities, groceries, and other necessary amenities would be gone if it were not for the structures they are housed in. This project aims to simulate the lifespan of a construction job from the design phase to the preconstruction phase and stops at the final presentation before an agreement to start construction.

To create the simulation for the students, a fake RFP, or request for proposal, was created and given to …