Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Current Practices In Brief Experimental Analysis, Alex P. Isbill

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Brief experimental analysis (BEA) has shown to be an effective method of rapidly testing the relative effects of two or more interventions in order to determine interventions that best supports a student’s learning. Little research has been found in regards to the consistency of methods across studies. A meta-analysis in 2008 by Burns and Wagner looked at BEAs that assessed oral reading fluency and provided recommendations for future practice. This study investigates the methods, procedures, and outcomes in BEA studies from 1994 to 2016. The findings of this study are compared to Burns and Wagner’s (2008) recommendations from their meta-analysis, …

The Past Is Open To The Future: Lithuanian Folk Pottery 1861 - Present, Anthony E. Stellaccio

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 2011, following several years of in-country research, I published a book on Lithuanian folk pottery. I enrolled in the Folk Studies master’s program at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in 2014, well after my research and book had been completed. In the present study, I use my newly acquired knowledge of folklore In my previous work to revisit Lithuanian folk pottery.

In my previous work, I had sought to create a picture of “authentic” Lithuanian folk pottery that was confined to the narrow temporal borders of 1861-1918. Here I deconstruct conventional ideas about authenticity, as well as culture and heritage, …

Modalities Of Injustice In The Subaltern Discourse, Theresa M. Mcclary-Jeffryes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Subaltern persons continue to be most negatively impacted by the hegemonic practices of institutions. Subaltern populations are the furthest removed from political agency, not only by the insecurities of their lived experiences, but also by academic and agency discourses that recreate the subaltern political citizen-subject in modes representing the “Other” through lenses of elite scholarship and high theory. The subaltern agent is not present in her own political making. The considerations of social justice require both the underpinnings of a global ethics of caring and a commitment to center the subaltern citizen subject’s account of herself as corresponding privileged record. …

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Characteristics As Predictors Of A Suicide Attempt, Kandice M. Perry

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines the impact features of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) have on predicting a suicide attempt in a sample of young adult self-injurers. Participants completed the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury, the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire and demographics questionnaires to assess lifetime self-injury frequency, number of different methods used, severity of methods, the desire to stop self-harming, functions, the experience of pain, and response latency. Results indicated that NSSI frequency, high severity methods, and endorsing more intrapersonal functions predicted the presence of a suicide attempt. Additionally, those who experienced pain while selfinjuring were found to be significantly more likely to report …

Birth Of A Powerhouse: How One University Reimagined, Restructured, And Revived Outreach, Slone H. Cansler

Dissertations

Today’s modern higher education landscape presents myriad challenges to higher education leaders and administrators. Among those challenges is how universities respond to demands for accountability, growth of alternative models of postsecondary education delivery, the need to serve and increasingly diverse society, and reduced state and federal appropriations. Research suggests that the biggest changes for American higher education are imminent and will necessitate new business models, new forms of collaboration and partnerships, and innovative about the enterprise of higher education. This study sought to gain understanding about the development process and structural framework that allows a university’s outreach unit to be …

Linking In-Situ Data With Remote Sensing To Analyze Tropical Glacier Stability And Retreat In The Cordillera Blanca, Peru, Chandler H. Santos

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Glaciers are a major source of freshwater around the world, but they are melting at an increased rate due to atmospheric warming resulting from anthropogenic climate change. In addition to temperature increases, light-absorbing particulates on glaciers also are contributing to glacial melt. This research examines how black carbon, released into the air through partial combustion of biofuels, is affecting the surface albedo of glaciers. I also delineate possible sources of black carbon in the Cordillera Blanca region of Peru. Ground data were collected each year from 2011 to 2013 during the local dry season. Effective black carbon (eBC) values were …

Ua61/1 Student Handbook, Wku School Of Nursing

WKU Administration Documents

Student handbook created by the WKU School of Nursing.

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Academic And Personal Impacts Of A Literacy Intervention Course: Stories From Stakeholders, Jeremy Ray Logsdon

Dissertations

This study aims to illuminate, via the qualitative method of portraiture, the academic and personal impacts of both faculty and student stakeholders of a literacy intervention course, offered as an alternative to the traditional developmental reading model, taught at a regional southeastern United States four-year public university. Students who enrolled in the course from the semesters of fall 2012 to fall 2015 were given the opportunity to complete a survey about their experiences with the literacy intervention course. Faculty stakeholders were interviewed for their perspective on course creation, implementation, and delivery, focusing on the six curricular core competencies of reading …

Ua51/1 Collections & Connections, Jennifer Wilson Editor

Collections & Connections

Collections & Connections is a bi-annual publication of the Western Kentucky University Libraries featuring the Libraries' events with a view of reaching out to the Libraries supporters in the community. This issue highlights SOKY Book Fest, Special Collections exhibits on Gemini Jazz Bands, David Garvin, Leap Year and Tiny Treasures.

Traces Volume 44, Number 2, Kentucky Library Research Collections

Traces, the Southern Central Kentucky, Barren County Genealogical Newsletter

Traces, the South Central Kentucky Genealogical Society's quarterly newsletter, was first published in 1973. The Society changed its name in 2016 to the Barren County Historical Society. The publication features compiled genealogies, articles on local history, single-family studies and unpublished source materials related to this area.

Action Items, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Overview of action items handled by the Graduate Council.

Ua35/8 The Topper, Veterans Upward Bound Program, Western Kentucky University

Veterans Upward Bound Publications

VUB Awards Banquet; Graduate list; The Director's Desk; Important Numbers & Dates

Trimethylated Lysine 4 At Histone 3 Shows The Same Circadian Rhythm At Promoters Of Diversely-Expressed Genes In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Robyn M. Wilson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Circadian clocks are biochemical mechanisms that allow eukaryotic and some prokaryotic organisms to coordinate their physiology with daily environmental changes. It enables organisms to increase their fitness by taking advantage of beneficial environmental conditions while also avoiding or restricting certain sensitive processes during harsh conditions. Similarly, post-translational histone modifications allow eukaryotic organisms to regulate gene expression in response to environmental or developmental factors. Some post-translational modifications of histones are associated with active transcription while others are associated with repressed transcription depending upon the location, type and degree of modification. Trimethylation of lysine 4 on the N-terminal tail of histone H3 …

Multiplexed Detection Of Double-Stranded Pathogenic Dna With Engineered Zinc Finger Proteins, Juhwa Kim

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The development of a new technology for the detection of doublestranded (ds) DNA enables multiple biomedical applications including identifying multiple pathogens simultaneously. We previously employed colorimetric SEquence-Enabled Reassembly with TEM-1 β-lacatamase (SEER-LAC) to detect specific bacterial DNA sequence. SEER-Lac consists of the two inactive β-lactamase fragments which of each attached to a zinc finger protein (ZFP) would reassemble into an active full-length enzyme upon ZFPs binding to its target DNA. Here, we engineered two pairs of ZFPs which of each recognizes shiga toxin in E. coli O157 and staphylococcal enterotoxin B in Staphylococus Aureus, respectively. Biotin was simply conjugated to …

The Role Of Diagenesis In Reservoir Development Of The Big Clifty (Jackson) Sandstone In South-Central Kentucky, Kort H. Butler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Big Clifty is a Chesterian-age Mississippian sandstone member of the Golconda Formation that extends from south-central Kentucky into adjacent Illinois and Indiana. Asphaltic deposits and conventional petroleum plays are distributed along the Pennyrile Fault System and Plateau in the southeastern portion of the Illinois basin. In south-central Kentucky anomalous oil-saturation geometries are observed in cored sections of the Big Clifty from wells in Warren and Butler counties along the margin of the Pennyrile Plateau. Petrographic study of the cores has revealed several diagenetic processes that have contributed to, or are directly responsible for, the anomalous oil saturation geometries and …

The Energy Expenditure Of Heavy Metal Drummers, Joshua T. Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the energy demand of heavy metal drummers during rehearsal in order to understand the physiological responses. This information may lead to a better understanding of energy expenditure and add to the compendium of physical activity.

The investigation consisted of eight apparently healthy 20 to 37-year-old males were recruited for this investigation. Information gathered during the drum test was average VO2, VO2peak, HR in beats per minute (bpm), metabolic equivalents (METs), and energy expenditure (EE) expressed in calories (kcals) per minute and per hour. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was used in addition …

Investigation Of Carbon Nanomaterials Embedded In A Cementitious Matrix, Clarissa A. Roe

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The objective of this thesis was to investigate whether the addition of carbon nanofibers had an effect on the splitting tensile strength of Hydro-Stone gypsum concrete. The carbon nanofibers used were single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), buckminsterfullerene (C60), and graphene oxide (GO). Evidence of the nanofibers interacting with gypsum crystals in a connective manner was identified in both 1 mm thick concrete discs and concrete columns possessing a height of 2 in and a diameter of 1 in. Before imaging, the columns were subjected to a splitting tensile strength test. The results illustrate that while there is a general decrease in …

Ua61/1 Faculty Handbook, Wku School Of Nursing

WKU Administration Documents

Faculty handbook created by and for the WKU School of Nursing faculty.

Ua68/8 History Alumni Newsletter, Wku History

WKU Administration Documents

WKU History Department alumni newsletter reporting activities of the department, faculty, staff and students.

Evaluating The Influences Of Karst Hydrogeology On Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms In Kentucky Lakes, Robert T. Schaefer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A problem exists in Nolin River Lake and Rough River Lake in Kentucky, due to the increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial-based harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) and the threats they pose to local communities. These lakes were developed as artificial reservoirs from embankment. Further complicating the issue, the lakes are located within a heavily karstified region and there exists no plan or method currently for monitoring or managing CyanoHABs in a karst region with regard to groundwater inputs to the lake systems or their tributaries. A mixture of techniques and analysis methods was used to determine the best way to monitor and …

Vertical Implementation Of Cloud For Education (V.I.C.E.), Travis S. Brummett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

There are several different implementations of open source cloud software that organizations can utilize when deploying their own private cloud. Some possible solutions are OpenNebula, Nimbus, and Eucalyptus. These are Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud implementations that ultimately gives users virtual machines to undefined job types. A typical IaaS cloud is composed of a front-end cloud controller node, a cluster controller node for controlling compute nodes, a virtual machine image repository node, and many persistent storage nodes and compute nodes. These architectures are built for ease of scalability and availability.

Interestingly, the potential of such architectures could have in the educational field …

Bowling Green, Kentucky - Public Utilities (Sc 3021), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text of various reports (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3021. Reports created by various agencies relating to the water, sewer and sanitary conditions of Bowling Green and Warren County, Kentucky. Includes a 1911 report on a proposed sewerage system, and on the public water supply with proposed improvements to the treatment thereof. Also includes various sanitary and water supply reports, 1909-1947, and two brief surveys of the public utilities of Smiths Grove, Kentucky.

Practice Matters: Red Flags In Adults With Mental Illnesses, Lynette S. Smith Phd, Aprn, Pmhnp, Fnp, Tonya Bragg-Underwood Dnp, Fnp-Bc, Cne, W. Spencer Cole Msn, Rn

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Faith Community Nurses have common beliefs, principles, ethics, and a level of trust with their population making them well-positioned to positively impact parishioners. FCNs provide support for people’s spiritual needs and nursing care. This makes FCNs a vital and approachable resource for parishioners when seeking advisement and assistance regarding their mental healthcare. In this article, we define red flags as suicidal idealization, mania, and psychosis, which if not promptly assessed and referred for treatment may result in serious harm or death. These red flags are predominately found in people with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. People with …

Can Faith Community Nurses Successfully Teach Parishioners About Advance Health Care Planning?, Joy D. Kimbrell, Cynthia Powers

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

The primary intent of Advance Health Care Planning (AHCP) and Advance Health Care Directives (AHCDs) is promotion of autonomy by encouraging individuals to participate in health care decision-making in the event of a terminal illness or injury. In spite of this intent, there is a general reluctance to discuss mortality and plan for the end-of-life events as evidenced by the low percentage of individuals who have completed AHCDs. This lack of planning has resulted in much unwanted, futile, and/or expensive health care, and has been declared an imperative public health concern.

To address the low percentage of completion, a faith …

The Tree Of Life Model Of Faith-Based Living: A Practice Model For Faith Community Nursing, Marcus M. Gaut

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

The advancement of nursing practice is supported by a plethora of theories, conceptual models, and theoretical frameworks. Additionally, the complexity of nursing and the profession’s ability to respond to diverse manifestations of patient or client response to illness manifests in a number of specialty areas of practice. Faith Community Nursing is a specialty area of nursing practice that appears to lack a specific conceptual model upon which to support the faith-based practice of Faith Community Nurses. The Tree of Life Model of Faith-Based Living, an adaptation of the Activities of Living Model, supports the faith-based practice of Faith Community Nurses …

Church-Based Health Education: Topics Of Interest, Cathy H. Abell

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Seventy-seven percent of American adults identify with a specific church affiliation (Pew Research Center, 2015). This offers support for the development of health ministry programs in church settings as a venue to offer a variety of health services in a convenient, comfortable location in the community. When thinking of implementing a health ministry program including health education and other services, it is important to spend time on planning and getting input from others. This article describes a descriptive correlational research study conducted to examine interest of church members in regards to the implementation of a health ministry program. Findings indicate …

Ua58/5 Graduate Studies & Research Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about Graduate Studies & Research.

Ua80/1 Meeting Minutes, W Club

University Organizations

Meeting minutes for the June 2016 meeting of the W Club Board of Directors.

An Examination Of The Efficacy Of Non-Traditional Admissions Criteria On Persistence To Graduation Among Radiography Students, Aaron W. Hughey, Joy Menser

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

The relationship between non-traditional (a.k.a. non- cognitive) admissions criteria and graduation rates of radiography students was investigated. The population for this study included all radiography program directors responsible for accredited programs in the United States and Puerto Rico (N = 618). All programs are required to maintain records on retention in accordance with the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) (n.d.). A total of 737 radiography programs are recognized by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) and of the 737 programs, 618 are programmatically accredited by the JRCERT. Of the 618 programs accredited, the institutions offer …