Digital Commons Network^™

Maternal Health In Eastern Tanzania: Antenatal, Delivery And Postnatal Care, Christina Sego

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this study is to evaluate maternal health conditions in eastern Tanzania and identify areas and conditions for improvement of healthcare. Tanzania is ranked 27th highest country in maternal mortality in the world (The World Factbook: Tanzania, 2018). Maternal health is an ongoing challenge Tanzania is facing as a country. This experiment was designed to identity areas of service in the district hospital setting that could advance quality of care. This study was conducted in Sinza Palestina Hospital, a district hospital on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data was collected in the form of observation, interviews …

Perception: Exploring Cognition And Consciousness Through Visual Art, Summer Shepherd

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of consciousness has perplexed humankind for thousands of years. Countless scientists, philosophers, and artists have devoted their lifetimes to solving humanity’s questions about our relationship with the world we live within. The creative arts, such as music, theater, and visual art, can facilitate critical thinking and meaningful interpersonal communication. This paper explores the visual artwork of the author, Sunny Shepherd, through examination of historical and contemporary artistic influences on the work, as well as the psychological and philosophical concepts that fuel it. Months of research, planning, and creating went into the manifestation of the final exhibition, Metamorphosis , …

Debt Accumulation And Economic Growth In Emerging Market Economies: Is Debt Promoting Or Hindering Growth?, Kelly Stone

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently warned of the growing accumulation of debt in emerging market economies (EMEs) and the potential for debt crises, a clear warning for investors (Allen, 2018). While the IMF suggests investors may be better served elsewhere, EMEs hold an integral role in the international market as consumers, producers, and entrepreneurs. Despite regular research on advanced economies, middle income countries like EMEs are often ignored. As EMEs grapple with their inability to overcome the current increase in the value of the US Dollar, this study works to understand how debt impacts economic growth and other governance …

Exploring The Community Integration And Involvement Of Immigrant Children In The Us Through Jump Rope Camps, Murray Huber

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The world is currently facing an unprecedented refugee crisis, which calls for the creation of programs designed to assist in the adjustment of refugee/immigration popuations to their host communities (“Refugees,” 2016). In the past, sports programs have often been used to ease the transition of refugee/immigrant youth to life in a new place, aiming to provide health benefits, increase language acquisition, improve social skills and connections, assist with enculturalziation, and create a space for fun (Block & Gibbs, 2017, p. 91; Youri, 2018). The goal of this project was to create a summer jump rope camp and continued program to …

Metabolism During Pregnancy And Postpartum: How Does It Change And What Factors Influence It?, Kristin Yoho

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

PURPOSE: Pregnancy is a physically impactful process in a woman’s life. During this time, a woman will gain weight and research has shown that many women will retain some extra weight after delivery. Because of this, recovery in the postpartum period is pivotal to avoiding the implications of weight retention. The postpartum period is vastly understudied in both the research and medical communities and this gap between pregnancy and postpartum research needs to be bridged. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate metabolic changes from pregnancy to postpartum and to study how factors such as sleep and breastfeeding …

The Impact Of A Therapist's Language In Computer-Mediated Communication, Robert E. Twidwell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Background: Nearly 45 million adults in the United States live with a mental health disorder and only 43% of them seek treatment. One of the major barriers to seeking treatment is accessibility and can be addressed through telepsychology, or providing services with technology. With technological improvements in written communication, using computer-mediated communication (CMC; e.g. text messaging) has become more regularly used and examined in healthcare. To date, little research has focused on the use of practitioner language in telepsychology.

Method: Two samples (university sample and national sample) totaling 396 participants were asked to rate a therapist on attractiveness (i.e. likability …

Properties Of A Genetically Unique Mycobacteriophage, Amanda K. Staples

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bacteriophage MooMoo is a temperate phage that was isolated and propagated on Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smeg). It typically produces turbid plaques, however spontaneous clear plaque mutants can be readily isolated. Both turbid (MooMoo-T) and clear plaque (MooMoo-C) formers can establish stable lysogens, but the parental turbid plaque forming phage has a higher lysogenic frequency. The phage repressor protein typically plays the central role in regulating the lysis/lysogeny decision. Therefore, we expected that the mutation responsible for the clear plaque phenotype would be located in the repressor gene. Remarkably, whole genome sequencing detected a single base pair mutation in the minor …

Effects Of Evidence-Based Materials And Access To Local Resources On Physical Activity During Pregnancy, Kolbi Edens

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and effective for improving maternal and infant health; however, only 23% of pregnant women exercise in accordance with guidelines. PURPOSE: To determine if the distribution of evidence-based educational resources as well as access to community resources will increase PA levels as well as knowledge/beliefs about PA during pregnancy. METHODS: Participants (8-12 weeks) completed assessments concerning their activity levels, as well as knowledge/beliefs regarding PA, during pregnancy. Next, participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (IG) or control group (CG). The IG received educational information regarding PA during pregnancy, …

From Education To Incarceration: A Study Of School Process Affecting Disproportionate Minority Contact Within Hardin County’S Juvenile Justice System, Krystal Carver-Dickens

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study seeks to understand how school processes affect disproportionate minority contact within the Hardin County Juvenile Justice System. A study completed by Lovell and Drummond (2016) in conjunction with the Hardin County BRIDGES Council, is used as the foundation for the current research. The original research, along with several others, examined disproportionate minority contact (DMC) after the student had been referred from their respective schools to the juvenile court system. The current study investigates 858 juvenile court records, with permission of the Hardin County Juvenile Judges, and examines school information included in the court records related to the student …

Effects Of Ef-24 And Cisplatin On Cancer, Renal, And Auditory Cells, Denis Hodzic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug effective against several forms of cancer, but can also cause serious side-effects, including nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Curcumin, a natural plant compound, can increase cisplatin’s anti-cancer activity and counteract cisplatin’s deleterious effect on the auditory and renal systems. Unfortunately, curcumin exhibits poor bioavailability, which has promoted interest in the development of synthetic curcumin analogs (curcuminoids) that are soluble, target cancer, and do not cause side effects. This study investigated whether the curcuminoid (3E,5E)-3,5-bis[(2-fluorophenyl) methylene]-4-piperidinone (EF-24) increases the anti-cancer effects of cisplatin against a human ovarian cancer cell line (A2780) and its cisplatin-resistant counterpart (A2780cis), while preventing …

Assessment Of Academic Vocabulary In Early Adolescents Using A Novel Sampling Method, Amber Cline

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study examined a method of language sampling (the Dixit Method- Science, Math, Engineering, Arts, and Math) in early adolescents with typically developing language. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the DM-STEAM in eliciting lexically sophisticated spoken language samples in the early adolescent population. To examine lexical sophistication, traditional measures of analysis such as mean length of utterance (MLU) and average type token ratio (AVG TTR) were applied along with a measure of low frequency vocabulary. To compare performance on the DM-STEAM, school standardized assessments were obtained to measure student skill in academic content …

Quantification Of Tylosin Antibiotics In Cattle Waste, Appala Keerthi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Antibiotics are used as prophylactic agents to promote growth and for treating infections in animals. However, the irrational use of antibiotics in livestock management is a significant cause of the development of antibioticresistant genes in the environment. Each year 2 million people suffer from the infections caused by bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics and 23,000 of these people are estimated to die because of antibiotic resistance. New drugs are continually coming into the market but are at the risk of developing resistance. Thus, there is a need for the development of analytical methods which can be used to monitor …

Five Whys Root Cause System Effectiveness: A Two Factor Quantitative Review, Barbara A. Key

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Several tools exist for root cause analysis (RCA). Despite this however, many practitioners are not obtaining the quality improvement desired. Those turning to literature for guidance would find most of the information resides in case studies with anecdotal outcomes. Since 5 Whys analysis has been one of the more pervasive tools in use, this study sought to add to the root cause analysis body of knowledge by investigating tool support factors. While studied in conjunction with 5 Whys, the support variables lend themselves to other root cause analysis tools as well. The purpose of the study was to utilize a …

The Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Suicide-Attempts And Resilience, Life Satisfaction, And Subjective Happiness In Minority Groups, Anna Siewers

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Non-suicidal self-injury and suicide ideation are important issues and known predictors of suicide attempts for any demographic, but specifically for minority groups who are significantly understudied and underreported in comparison to their White and Heterosexual counterparts. It has been found that among adolescents and college students, minority students are disproportionately impacted and are at greater risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of both ethnic and sexual minority experience in NSSI and suicide attempts, as well as potential protective factors. A sample of 2,280 undergraduate students completed a survey assessing …

Addicted To Drug Control: The History Of American Drug Prohibition And Its Consequences For Modern Psychedelic Medicine, Seth Mcdowell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Psychedelics have been used medicinally and as vehicles for spiritual discovery for millennia. They achieved international notoriety in the decades following Albert Hofmann’s accidental discovery of LSD’s psychological effects, which spurred an explosion of psychedelic research. While much of the research showed psychedelics to have tremendous therapeutic potential, some studies declared them to be dangerous. By the end of the 1960s, LSD and other classic psychedelics had become cultural pariahs, linked to the counterculture, chromosome damage, and birth defects. For this reason, Congress outlawed psychedelics in the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Control and Prevention Act of 1970, which consolidated more than …

Observation And Self-Report Of Fun And Social Engagement Of Nursing Home Residents During Bingocize®, Lauren Rene Stevens

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Individuals in certified nursing facilities (CNF) often experience social isolation and have limited opportunities to exercise. Bingocize®, an evidence-based healthpromotion program, is a combination of exercise and Bingo and provides opportunities for CNF resident interaction. Limited tools are available to quantify social engagement displayed by nursing home residents. Research suggests that intergenerational programming can positively affect social engagement. The present pilot study focused on the implementation of the Fun and Social Engagement (FUSE) evaluation to measure social engagement displayed by nursing home residents during Bingocize® sessions. The FUSE combined observation and self-report measures to yield a total social engagement score. …

Symmetrically Significant: Essays, David Stephen Haydon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This collection of personal essays explores the use of symmetry as a metaphor of normality in contemporary American culture. These essays use formalistic exploration to enter into a conversation with the reader regarding the body, sexuality, gender, and mental illness. Each piece aims to dismantle and explode the metaphorical significations of symmetry through the use of interdisciplinary research combined with memoir.

Rapid Assessment Of Problem Solving For Kids (Raps-K), Hannah Perdew

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) is a clinical assessment of verbal problem solving skills created by Dr. Robert Marshall and colleagues (Marshall, 2003). The assessment, originally developed for adults, is based on the well-known twenty questions game. The clinician administering the assessment chooses a target picture and the participant asks yes or no questions to eliminate incorrect answers and, eventually, identify the target picture. Question asking efficiency, indicated by the number of choices eliminated, is considered to reflect levels of cognitive functioning, specifically problem solving. Recently, the RAPS has been utilized with typically developing children and children with …

Why Do You Want To Teach? Interpreting Stem Pre-Service Teachers' Motivations Through A Semantic Lens, Delaney Holt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This qualitative study sought to examine the relationship between the motivational profiles that pushed undergraduate STEM pre-service teachers (N = 181) to enter the teaching profession and the word choice used to articulate those motivations. Through the application of a semantically-analytical lens, this study aimed to uncover preliminary patterns that could predict STEM pre-service teachers’ overall commitment levels to the completion of the STEM education major and overall certification. Written responses to the question “Why did you want to become a teacher?” were gathered from a longitudinal survey administered from spring 2011 to fall 2016 as part of the Knowing …

Investigating The Change In The Out-Of-Pocket Cost Of Insulin Over Time, Jared Long

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Insulin is often cited as a classic near perfectly inelastic good; for those living with Type-1 diabetes, antihyperglycemic medicines are the only thing standing between them and possible death, and they must be willing to pay for the medication regardless of the price. When researchers at the University of Toronto released the patent for insulin in 1922, they asked for only $1 so that the medication would be available to as many people as possible; however, as insulin analogs and new biosimilar substitutes have been invented, the price of medications has increased substantially. While the rising cost of insulin has …

Similar Effects Of 24 Weeks Of Resistance Training Performed With Different Frequencies On Muscle Strength, Muscle Mass, And Muscle Quality In Older Women, Fábio Luiz Cheche Pina, João Pedro Nunes, Matheus Amarante Nascimento, Alex Silva Ribeiro, Jerry L. Mayhew, Edilson Serpeloni Cyrino

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(6): 623-635, 2019. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of 24 weeks of resistance training (RT) performed 2 vs. 3 times per week on muscle strength, muscle mass, and muscle quality in older women. Thirty-nine older women (≥ 60 years old) were randomly assigned to two groups according to RT frequency (G2x = two sessions per week, n=19; and G3x = three sessions per week, n=20) and were submitted to 24 weeks of whole-body RT, divided into two stages of 12 weeks. In the first stage, participants performed 1 set of …

Hubbard, Silas B., 1780-1859 (Sc 3365), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid, scan and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3365. Letter, 21 August 1818, of Silas Hubbard, Lexington, Kentucky, to his brother Ebenezer Hubbard, Concord, Massachusetts. He urges Ebenezer to forgo his intention to enter the weaving business in Massachusetts and join him in operating looms in Kentucky. He praises the state’s schools, churches and climate, and is confident of opportunities awaiting those “not born with the foolish notion that they must brood over the ashes of their ancestors.” He reports on possible locations for their enterprise that are near good mill streams, including a …

Callis, Caius Marcellus, 1804-1863 (Sc 3364), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid, scan and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3364. Letter, 8 July 1849, of C. M. Callis, Hopkinsville, Kentucky to his brother-in-law Thomas Garland, Charlottesville, Virginia. He refers to the affection of his young son for his late mother’s family, and expresses concern over the financial consequences of Virginia’s establishment of free schools. He also reports on the anticipated discussion of slavery at Kentucky’s upcoming constitutional convention and to Senator Henry Clay’s proposal for gradual emancipation, which is favored by a “respectable minority.” He expects the convention merely to prohibit the importation of slaves, …

Effect Of Fed State On Self-Selected Intensity And Affective Responses To Exercise Following Public Health Recommendations, Ryan Rhodewalt, Katelyn Largent, Blaque Saur, Todd Astorino Ph.D, Zachary Zenko, Matt Schubert

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 602-613, 2019. Nutritional status has numerous effects on exercise metabolism and psychological responses. The effect of fed state on changes in affective valence; however, are unknown. Thus, the present study examined how fed state influenced self-selected exercise intensity, affective responses during exercise, and exercise enjoyment when exercise was completed following physical activity guidelines for public health. In a repeated-measures crossover design, 25 recreationally active men and women (age and BMI = 22.0 ± 2.0 yr and 24.3 ± 3.3 kg/m²) performed a single 30 min session of treadmill exercise at a Rating …

Educational Brochures Influence Beliefs And Knowledge Regarding Exercise During Pregnancy: A Pilot Study, Madison L. Alvis, Cody E. Morris, Tiana L. Garrard, Abigail G. Hughes, Laura Hunt, Megan M. Koester, India C. Yocum, Rachel A. Tinius

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(3): 581-589, 2019. Women who are pregnant report receiving little or no advice about physical activity during pregnancy from their obstetric provider. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based educational brochure on both immediate and two-week retention of knowledge about exercise during pregnancy. Thirty-two women of childbearing age (age: 25.0 ± 4.0 years, body mass index: 29.5 ± 6.5 kg/m², 93.7% Caucasian, 83.4% had at least some college) completed a survey before exposure to an evidence-based educational brochure regarding exercise during pregnancy. Post surveys were taken immediately …

Effects Of Low-Volume Resistance Training On Muscle Strength And Functionality Of People With Parkinson’S Disease, Matheus Barbalho, Elren Passos Monteiro, Rochelle Rocha Costa, Rodolfo Raiol

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(3): 567-580, 2019. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects the elderly and results in a decrease of functional capacity, motor control, and muscle strength. Resistance training (RT) has been shown to be a non-drug alternative in both elderly and parkinsonian patients in increasing functional capacity and muscle strength. The present study aimed to verify the effects of low-volume RT in people with PD in relation to muscular strength, body composition, anthropometry and functional capacity. Fifteen elderly patients with idiopathic PD were divided into two groups: 7 …

Mccallum, Elizabeth Elliott (Cherry), 1890-1985 (Sc 3355), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3355. Typescripted account of Elizabeth (Cherry) McCallum’s experiences after she entered nursing school in 1913 in Kentucky. She subsequently served as a Red Cross nurse during World War I and as superintendent of nurses at Louisville Children’s Hospital. Includes her note about writing the piece, and her short article about rural life, published in the (Louisville) Courier-Journal.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

No Effect Of L-Arginine On Vascular Stiffness At Rest And During Reactive Hyperemia In Young Healthy Subjects, Andrew Wells, George Swanson, Thomas Fahey, Michael Smith

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 556-566, 2019. The efficacy of L-arginine in augmenting blood flow via nitric oxide (NO) production is controversial, with several studies in the literature providing equivocal findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of L-arginine supplementation on vascular stiffness at rest and during induced reactive hyperemia. Young healthy males (n = 15) were studied on two separate study days. On day one, a resting pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured from the carotid and radial sites at rest and immediately following an induced reactive hyperemia (RH). On day two, subjects …

The Effect Of Cold-Water Immersion On Running Mechanics, Lucas M. Dibenedetto, Kristyne Wiegand, Julia Freedman Silvernail

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(1): 547-555, 2019. Cryotherapy is a common treatment used by athletes for rehabilitating acute injuries of a joint or muscle in order to accelerate recovery time and promptly return to play. Therefore, the potential effects of cryotherapy on performance and injury risk should be considered. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of cold-water immersion on running mechanics. Fifteen healthy male and female participants (24.6 ± 5.74 years, 166.37 ± 7.67 cm, 71.72 ± 17.7 kg, 27.47 ± 7.55% body fat) were recruited for the study. Participants completed 10 running trials …