Antitrust And Consumer Protection, Leslie Sara Hyman, Matthew J. Mcgowan

SMU Annual Texas Survey

No abstract provided.

Oil, Gas, And Mineral Law, Richard F. Brown

SMU Annual Texas Survey

No abstract provided.

Professional Liability, Evan A. Kirkham, Cara D. Little, Hayden M. Baker

SMU Annual Texas Survey

No abstract provided.

What Works: Learning Outcomes Due To Design Variations In Community College Student Success Courses, Deryl K. Hatch-Tocaimaza, Crystal E. Garcia, Naomi Mardock-Uman, Sarah L. Rodriguez, Dallin George Young

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Background/Context: Based on well-established evidence that certain student success skills and college knowledge are closely associated with academic achievement, persistence, and completion, community colleges increasingly implement various types of first-year student success courses and programs. However, by looking only at the distal impact of program participation, the question of whether these programs actually influence those mediating skills of college success has scarcely been investigated in the higher education literature, let alone which program features may be determining factors. Purpose/Objective: This study examined the scope and design of community college student success courses to address which program features relate to learning …

Deep Patient Representation Of Clinical Notes Via Multi-Task Learning For Mortality Prediction, Yuqi Si, Kirk Roberts

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose a deep learning-based multi-task learning (MTL) architecture focusing on patient mortality predictions from clinical notes. The MTL framework enables the model to learn a patient representation that generalizes to a variety of clinical prediction tasks. Moreover, we demonstrate how MTL enables small but consistent gains on a single classification task (e.g., in-hospital mortality prediction) simply by incorporating related tasks (e.g., 30-day and 1-year mortality prediction) into the MTL framework. To accomplish this, we utilize a multi-level Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) associated with a MTL loss component. The model is evaluated with 3, 5, and 20 tasks and is …

Continuous Low-Intensity Ultrasound Attenuates Il-6 And Tnfα-Induced Catabolic Effects And Repairs Chondral Fissures In Bovine Osteochondral Explants, Neety Sahu, Hendrik J. Viljoen, Anuradha Subramanian

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Cartilage repair outcomes are compromised in a pro-inflammatory environment; therefore, the mitigation of pro-inflammatory responses is beneficial. Treatment with continuous low-intensity ultrasound (cLIUS) at the resonant frequency of 5 MHz is proposed for the repair of chondral fissures under pro-inflammatory conditions.

Methods: Bovine osteochondral explants, concentrically incised to create chondral fissures, were maintained under cLIUS (14 kPa (5 MHz, 2.5 Vpp), 20 min, 4 times/day) for a period of 28 days in the presence or absence of cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α. Outcome assessments included histological and immunohistochemical staining of the explants; and the expression of …

Exploring Predictors Of Sense Of Belonging In Trinidad And Tobago, Elizabeth Niehaus, Letitia Williams, Stephanie Zobac, Miles Young, Adam Fullerton

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Over the past two decades, Trinidad and Tobago has promoted explosive expansion of tertiary education. As with many growing postsecondary education systems, this increase in tertiary enrollment has led to the development of student support services (Haddad & Altbach, 2009). The field of student services is growing throughout the Caribbean (Reynolds, 2008), but there is currently little research on the role of student services in fostering students’ sense of belonging specific to the Caribbean cultural context. Using data from over 900 students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, we examined students’ sense of belonging in the context of T&T. …

Making Sense Of Place: A Case Study Of A Sensemaking In A Rural School-Community Partnership, Sarah J. Zuckerman

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Cross-sector, place-based, school-community partnerships seeking to improve educational and other outcomes at scale have experienced a resurgence in the United States. Rather than isolated eff orts, this new generation relies on scaling up models in networks, such as Strive Together. However, many of these models evolved in urban contexts, creating challenges for scaling up in rural areas with fewer organizations, limited resources, and lower population density. Using conceptions of sensemaking as precursor for collective action, this case study examines the strategies used by partnership leaders in a rural county to make sense of Strive and the local community. By iteratively …

High-Quality Genome-Scale Metabolic Modelling Of Pseudomonas Putida Highlights Its Broad Metabolic Capabilities, Juan Nogales, Joshua Mueller, Steinn Gudmundsson, Francisco J. Canalejo, Estrella Duque, Jonathan Monk, Adam M. Feist, Juan Luis Ramos, Wei Niu, Bernhard O. Palsson

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Genome-scale reconstructions of metabolism are computational species-specific knowledge bases able to compute systemic metabolic properties. We present a comprehensive and validated reconstruction of the biotechnologically relevant bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 that greatly expands computable predictions of its metabolic states. The reconstruction represents a significant reactome expansion over available reconstructed bacterial metabolic networks. Specifically, iJN1462 (i) incorporates several hundred additional genes and associated reactions resulting in new predictive capabilities, including new nutrients supporting growth; (ii) was validated by in vivo growth screens that included previously untested carbon (48) and nitrogen (41) sources; (iii) yielded gene essentiality predictions showing large accuracy …

Logics Of Accountability: Cross-National Patterns In School-Level Controls, Taeyeon Kim, John T. Yun

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This paper explores multiple logics of accountability by examining patterns of control of various school functions under different accountability systems. Research has shown that accountability is a global phenomenon, but how accountability is understood and enacted is locally contextualized, which implies the existence of multiple logics of accountability in practice. By linking theoretical arguments rooted in literature to empirical evidence observed in TALIS 2013, we aim to theorize logics of accountability and then demonstrate the existence of those logics across countries. We first developed a framework of logics of accountability: control-based, professional-based, test-based, and process-based accountability. We then empirically analyzed …

Alcohol Metabolism Potentiates Hiv-Induced Hepatotoxicity: Contribution To End-Stage Liver Disease, Murali Ganesan, Moses New-Aaron, Raghubendra Singh Dagur, Edward Makarov, Weimin Wang, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Srivatsan Kidambi, Larisa Y. Poluektova, Natalia A. Osna

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

In an era of improved survival due to modern antiretroviral therapy, liver disease has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in death in 15–17% of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Alcohol enhances HIV-mediated liver damage and promotes the progression to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, the mechanisms behind these events are uncertain. Here, we hypothesize that ethanol metabolism potentiates accumulation of HIV in hepatocytes, causing oxidative stress and intensive apoptotic cell death. Engulfment of HIV-containing apoptotic hepatocytes by non-parenchymal cells (NPCs) triggers their activation and liver injury progression. This study was performed on primary human hepatocytes and …

Monitored Indoor Environmental Quality Of A Mass Timber Office Building: A Case Study, Jason Stenson, Suzanne L. Ishaque, Aurélie Laguerre, Andrew Loia, Georgia Maccrone, Ignace Mugabo, Dale Northcutt, Mariapaola Riggio, Andre Barbosa, Elliott T. Gall, Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A broad range of building performance monitoring, sampling, and evaluation was conducted periodically after construction and spanning more than a year, for an occupied office building constructed using mass timber elements such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor and roof panels, as well as glue-laminated timber (GLT) beams and columns. This case study contributes research on monitoring indoor environmental quality in buildings, describing one of the few studies of an occupied mass timber building, and analyzing data in three areas that impact occupant experience: indoor air quality, bacterial community composition, and floor vibration. As a whole, the building was found to …

Accumulation Of Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate From Polyvinyl Chloride Flooring Into Settled House Dust And The Effect On The Bacterial Community, Samantha Velazquez, Chenyang Bi, Jeff Kline, Susie Nunez, Richard Corsi, Ying Xu, Suzanne L. Ishaque

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer used in consumer products and building materials, including polyvinyl chloride flooring material. DEHP adsorbs from material and leaches into soil, water, or dust and presents an exposure risk to building occupants by inhalation, ingestion, or absorption. A number of bacterial isolates are demonstrated to degrade DEHP in culture, but bacteria may be susceptible to it as well, thus this study examined the relation of DEHP to bacterial communities in dust. Polyvinyl chloride flooring was seeded with homogenized house dust and incubated for up to 14 days, and bacterial communities in dust were identified at …

The Necessity, Public Interest, And Proportionality In International Investment Law: A Comparative Analysis, Abdulkadir Gülçür

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

This article deals with relations of the three concepts of international investment law which can be enumerated as “necessity,” “public interest,” and “proportionality.” These three concepts have been reviewed in the light of the relevant investment tribunals’ decisions and judgments of other international judicial bodies. In democratic governments, legal acts and actions must be based on the “public interest.” However, the “public interest” does not constitute by itself a determinative factor for lawfulness. The proportionality principle has a significant role in the investment arbitrations concerning whether the “public interest” aim is met. Albeit those inferences, the “public interest” claim is …

A Comparison Of The Rey Complex Figure And The Wechsler Scales, Amanda M. Brantley

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine the correlation among the Wechsler Intelligence Scales and the Rey Complex Figure Test, a measure of visual memory, in a clinical sample. The purpose was to determine the point at which a difference between cognitive ability scores (at the overall ability level or at the index level) and visual memory scores would be statistically meaningful. Participants in this study were selected from clinical client folders with completed variables of interest. The mean age of the 64 participants was 21 years (SD = 12.6). Statistically significant correlations were found among three of the four …

A Survey On Horse Use And Management In Horse Clubs In China: A Pilot Study, Zhen Li, Zhen Li

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

During the past three decades, significant development of the Chinese equine industry has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of horses in the country. At the same time, many horse clubs face shortages of trained management personnel or specialists in equine science and technology. The objective of this survey was to document and evaluate horse management and use in Chinese horse clubs. A 29-question survey was developed using SurveyMonkey© and tested on a small pilot group before being revised and released to a general pool of participants. The questionnaire link was distributed through WeChat to specific personnel in …

Barriers To Change For Augmentative And Alternative Communication, Lauren E. Brown

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of counseling training on speech language pathologists’ (SLPs) perceived competency to address Attitude Barriers within the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment process as presented by Beukelman and Mirenda (2005). Counseling techniques, such as the use of the Readiness to Change© tool, are within the scope of practice for SLPs. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on how to apply these tools and techniques with individuals who use AAC .

A training seminar was conducted to educate participants in the use of the Readiness to Change© tool. Data was …

A People So Different From Themselves: British Attitudes Towards India And The Power Dynamics Of The East India Company, Eric Gray

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Gray, Eric, A People So Different from Themselves: British Attitudes Towards India and the Power Dynamics of the East India Company. Master of Arts (History), April, 2019, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky.

Today, many characteristics of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century British Raj are well ingrained in the public consciousness, particularly Victorian Era Britons’ general disdain for numerous aspects of the many cultures found on the Indian Subcontinent. Moreover, while many characteristics of the preceding East India Company’s rule in India were no less exploitative of Indian peoples, evidence shows a much different relationship between British and Indian cultures during the …

American Bolsheviki: The First Red Scare In The United States, 1917 To 1920, Jonathan Dunning

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks to reframe the timeline of the First Red Scare in United States History. Historians of this period have consistently viewed the First Red Scare as occurring from 1919 to 1920. However, by viewing the First Red Scare as beginning in 1919, historians missed the fear of communism that developed in the US government and the American press and society throughout 1917 and 1918, starting immediately after the Bolshevik Revolution. Moreover, in the past, historians have done little to detail the connections between the Allied Intervention in Russia from 1918 to 1920 and the First Red Scare, despite …

A Concurrent Validity Study Of The Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale And The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition—Teacher Form, Lindsey Hansen

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study utilizes correlational data to demonstrate the construct validity of the Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale (MAAS) by comparing it to Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3) Teacher Form, a thoroughly researched and validated measure of independent living and adaptive functioning. The purpose was designed to extend research conducted to achieve construct validity of the MAAS. Twenty-six high school students with low incidence handicapping conditions (M = 17 years old) were included in this study. The ABAS-3 Teacher Form was obtained from archives and the MAAS was administered directly to the participants by the author. Pearson correlations revealed strong …

Nucleophilic Phosphine Addition: Exploration Of Novel Alkyne Transformations, Brett Pierce

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Nucleophilic phosphine catalysis has demonstrated its value in synthetic chemistry by allowing for mild carbon-carbon bond formation. Many phosphine-catalyzed reactions with electron-deficient alkynes have been reported in recent years, leading to an array of valuable products. Stemming from this field of study, phosphines can also be utilized as mild chemoselective reductants for alkynes, resulting in the corresponding alkenes. Herein, a mild, stereoselective, phosphine-mediated partial reduction of alkynes to (E)- and (Z)-alkenes is described. Specifically, a general method for the partial reduction of ynoates to the corresponding (E)- and (Z)-enoate, …

The Impact Of Gender Normed Scoring Of The Brief Symptom Inventory On Trans* Individuals, Ashley Megan Bieze Wilson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the significance of the choice of gender normed scoring on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) (Derogatis, 1993) when assessing cisgender and trans* or gender non-conforming individuals. This study compared two groups, cisgender and trans* individuals, on male and female gender normed scoring for the BSI. Each participant’s responses on the BSI were scored using both male and female norms and the number of clinically significant elevations (T-score ≥ 63) was counted. Results indicated that regardless of gender identity or sex-assigned-at-birth (SAAB), a higher mean number of elevations was found when using male …

An Evaluation Of The Racer Academy Of Agriculture And Its Effectiveness, Caleb Brannon

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Through this thesis research study, an evaluation of the Racer Academy of Agriculture (RAA) is performed to get a better understanding of how well it is doing in several key areas. One of the focus areas for the RAA as well as most other dual credit programs includes allowing high school students to attain college credit through participation in a class that counts both towards high school and collegiate degree completion. Other key objectives for these programs include aiding in the recruitment of students to the participating university, preparing the students to succeed at a higher rate once becoming full-time …

The Impact Of Content Mastery On Sequential Standards, Michael Newman, Michael Newman

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Mastery of P-12 academic standards is based on a learning process that is sequential and that can be broken into key components for varying students. Key ideas need to be learned before others can be mastered and it is important to know which key ideas are needed before others can be presented. The common problem for students in mathematics is that the content scaffolds and for the teacher, it can be a difficult decision of when to proceed and when not to. Yet, high stakes testing mandates a fast pace of instruction which leaves many students chronically behind. The purpose …

Social Networking Sites And Physical Activity: The Role Of Framed Health Messages, Cassie Gonzalez

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes are the current leading causes of death in the United States, where most of these diseases are caused by a few specific risk behaviors including tobacco use, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity (Rutledge, Lane, Merlo, & Elmi, 2018). Healthcare professional are being encouraged to educate patients and the community about the risks associated with health behaviors and lifestyle choices. I explore aspect of these health messages in the context of gain- vs loss-framed messages presented through two social networking sites, Twitter and Instagram, on subsequent health behavior changes. Whereas existing literature have explored …

Internships And Post-Graduation Employment, Camilla Kaye Mears

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Internships help prepare college students to be work-ready upon graduation while affecting primary stakeholders in the internship experience to include not only the college student but also the higher education institution (HEI) and employer. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between college internship participation and post-graduation employment. If a relationship existed, then does that conclude that internships should be mandatory at HEIs? This study utilized a historical dataset of the May 2018 graduating class from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. SPSS software was used to analyze two categorical variables of …

Assessing A Mid-Sized University With He-Tpack, Randall Joyce

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation research project has the goal of looking at a mid-sized regional university and assessing the faculty in the college of education and human services to see how faculty members self-assess themselves with the higher education technological pedagogical and content knowledge (HE-TPACK) instrument while attempting to determine whether or not there is a difference between digital immigrant faculty and digital native faculty. The study also looks at the self-perception of what digital group faculty members think they belong in. The study examined (n=13) faculty members, including digital immigrants 9 and digital natives 4. According to the findings, there was …

Quality Enhancement Plans At Community Colleges: Caring Attitudes, Intentional Advising, And Open Communication, Anthony Strawn

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

In 2004 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges, (SACSCOC) started requiring a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) as part of the decennial reaffirmation process. Since 2004, over one billion dollars have been spent by the 794 accredited SACSCOC institutions completing their QEPs. Fifth-Year Impact Reports must be completed by the institution at the end of the QEP as part of the Fifth-Year Compliance Report. Once that report is accepted by SACSCOC, no additional reporting on the QEP is required. This study looked at six Track A, Level I institutions in five states that started a QEP …

The Concurrent Validity Of The Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale, Amber Pendergraft

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine the concurrent validity of the Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale (MAAS), a new measure of independent functioning and learning, by correlating it with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales—Third Edition (VABS-III). Thirty participants (M = 11.0 years; SD = 4.1 years) were administered the MAAS and VABS-III. Kendall-Tau tests yielded moderate-to-strong correlations across all aspects of the MAAS, indicating good concurrent validity. The implications and limitations are discussed.

The Perceived Relationship Of Student Engagement: An Analysis Of Underrepresented Student Achievement At A Predominantly White Land Grant Institution, Antomia Farrell

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of centuries, agriculture has carried a negative connotation for those who identify as an underrepresented minority. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), Office of Diversity (OOD) has worked strategically over the course of the last twenty years, in enhancing recruitment and retention mechanisms to increase the enrollment of underrepresented minority (URM) students and to change the face of agriculture within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the student engagement and academic achievement of underrepresented students who are juniors and seniors at the University of …