Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Efficiency Through Accounting: Examining Factors Influencing Uses Of The Internal Service Fund Among County Governments, Steve Modlin

The North American Accounting Studies

ABSTRACT. Previous studies involving internal service fund (ISF) use over the past thirty years point to a decline due to limited usefulness and the ability for local governments to reallocate costs to various departments. In order to determine if this trend is continuing, a thorough analysis was conducted of North Carolina County Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs). Initial findings indicate that there has been a slight increase in ISF use with the province still among larger governments, but the number of services utilized through an ISF continues to decline. Additional survey data suggest less experienced finance officers, a lower number …

The Introduction Of A Low-Fidelity Simulation With An Electronic Health Record To Increase Clinical Judgment In Pre-Licensure Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Students, Tammy Rogers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) lists clinical judgment (CJ) as a critical skill for nurses to promote patient safety (Barner et al., 2023). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase CJ through low-fidelity simulation and an authentic electronic health record (EHR) with the aim of improving patient safety. The clinical partners of the school of nursing provided the EHR making it an innovative, cost-effective approach to guide students in interpreting evidence to make safe clinical decisions (Barner et al., 2023). Forty-five Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students participated in the project, which …

An Inexpensive, 3d Printable, Arduino And Bluray-Based, Confocal Laser And Fluorescent Scanning Thermal Microscope, Justin Loose

Theses and Dissertations

The Fluorescence Scanning Thermal Microscope (FSTM v3.0), was designed to create an inexpensive, and easily manufactured, device for measuring the diffusivity of samples with microscopic locational precision. This was accomplished by using a Blu-ray device known as a PHR-803T, referred to in this work as a PHR. The optics in the PHR are nearly identical in function to conventional devices used in thermoreflectance microscopy, making the PHR extremely useful to integrate into the FSTM design. The focus of this thesis is the application of the FSTM as a confocal microscope using 3D printed components and various low-cost devices to operate …

Modeling The Influence Of Vibration On Flow Through Embedded Microchannels, Joseph S. Seamons

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of vocal fold (VF) vibration on perfused flow through VF vasculature is an area of research that has previously received limited attention. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to contribute towards an improved understanding of the effects vibration on perfusion through vasculature within the VFs. This was done using a series of computational simulations of geometric changes to, and perfusion through, microchannels embedded in VF models. A computational structural model based on synthetic VF models used in previous experimental studies was first developed. The model and its embedded microchannel were initially studied under static …

Bionik Inmotion Arm/Hand Robot Standardization, Ramiro Oquita

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Introduction

Less than one percent of individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) experience complete functional recovery by hospital discharge. In the majority of subjects with SCI or any significant neurological injury, functional impairments remain exceptionally devastating and are the leading causes of disability in the United States. Most subjects have impairments that span from paralysis, sensory and motor dysfunction. In the majority of cases, physical rehabilitation remains the hallmark intervention for the regain of function and improvement in the performance of activities of daily living (ADLs). However, rehabilitation can be limiting in that this method takes a considerable amount …

Flu Vaccine Hesitancy And Accessibility On The Onu Campus, Adia Welch

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

I collected data from students and faculty at Ohio Northern about their ability to receive their flu vaccine on campus. Along with that, collecting opinions on why people did not receive their vaccine and addressing those issues. My goal is to use this information to help improve the vaccine clinics on campus so that more students and faculty can receive their vaccine. This includes making the clinics more accessible or at a more convenient time. This could also include raffles for clinics to improve attendance and the overall vaccination status of the university

The Effectiveness Of Implementing Nurse-Driven Mobility Protocol To Reduce Los, Delirium And Ventilator Days, Sajani Abraham

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

The effectiveness of implementing a nurse-driven mobility protocol to reduce LOS, ventilator days, and delirium

PURPOSE

The purpose of this scholarly project was to implement the effectiveness of a nurse- led mobility program in enhancing patient ambulation rates, thereby reducing the length of stay, delirium, and ventilator days in an intermediate care unit.

BACKGROUND

The project was implemented in an 18 bed IMU in the academic center in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas.

METHODOLOGY

The project utilizes AHRQ nurse-driven mobility protocols to enhance patient mobility. The staff were educated on the use of the tool prior to implementation and …

Through The Lens Of Trauma: Analyzing Narrative Voice In 'The Handmaid's Tale'", Bianca Ramos

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Despite not being solely about trauma, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale's (1985) is written through the voice of a traumatized narrator. Offred's narration in this novel is unreliable, shifting between past and present and sharing multiple possibilities of events. This narrative voice accentuates the uncertainty and tension within this story. Offred's unreliable narration reveals her inner psychological state. Through readings of medical-humanity and cognitive literary theory, this thesis examines how trauma alters Offred’s narrative voice in The Handmaid’s Tale. I argue that Offred’s narration is a trauma response to her oppressive environment and is motivated by an attempt to reclaim …

Women And Gender In Mountaineering And Climbing, Natalie Gunn

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines how gender and ideas about gender affected early female mountaineers and rock climbers. The study focuses on female dress standards in the Victorian era, the relative equity of accomplishment between male and female mountaineers and climbers, the portrayal of female climbers in the media, and the misrepresentation of female motivations for climbing. By analyzing primary sources from female climbers and mountaineers, this paper uncovers how women challenged traditional gender roles and navigated the complexities of the male-dominated climbing community.

University Of Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Accessing Outdoor Recreation For Persons With Physical Disabilities (Pwpd), Molly Lindquist, Mary Smith, Emily Brent

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

To contribute to a website that would be a one-stop location for PWPD who wish to engage in sports and outdoor recreational activities.

Applying Occupation-Centered Coaching For Caregivers Of Children With Disabilities, Ali S. Gregory, Mary A. Smith Phd, Otr/L, Mary E. Godman Otd, Ms

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Statement of the problem: Caregivers of children with disabilities (CWD) experience stress, mental health conditions, sleep disruption, and fatigue leading to decreased occupational engagement and family community participation.

Purpose Statement: This project applied Occupation-Centered Coaching with a family-centered approach to promote caregiver empowerment, advocacy for mental health services, and family community participation.

Health Club: The Pursuit For A Diverse Healthcare Team, Michelle Ariana Morales, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Erik Perez

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Currently, the ethnic and racial demographics of occupational therapy students do not reflect the US’ diverse populations due to a general lack of awareness about occupational therapy (OT) amongst diverse high school students (HSS). Many factors serve as common barriers amongst diverse, minority communities, limiting students’ exposure to and knowledge about health professions, such as OT. To address these barriers, Health Club is a six-week, high school afterschool program designed to raise awareness about healthcare professions where ethnically and racially diverse populations are commonly underrepresented. Health Club uses lessons consisting of fundamental healthcare knowledge to provide HSS with opportunities to …

Pediatric Parosteal Osteosarcoma Of The Distal Radius Causing Extensive Erosive Mass Effect Of The Adjacent Ulna: A Case Report, Andrea Perloff, Sehoon Park, Robert Panganiban, John Devries

Department of Orthopaedics Faculty Research

Introduction: Parosteal osteosarcomas are low-grade bony malignancies that are treated primarily with surgical resection and reconstruction. This report discusses a unique case of a pediatric patient who presented with a parosteal osteosarcoma of the distal radius causing extensive erosive mass effect and growth disturbance of the adjacent ulna. Likely due to their slow-growing nonaggressive nature, parosteal osteosarcomas have not been previously described to abut adjacent bony structures through direct contact. The patient presented in a significantly delayed manner due to social circumstances, inadvertently revealing this novel behavior. This report reviews this rare case and describes the current understanding of this …

2023-12-06 Academic Department Organizational Changes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Forthcoming academic department organizational changes and its impact on the Faculty Senate as submitted on December 6, 2023.

2023-12-06 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from December 6, 2023.

Simultaneous Detection Of Methylation And Genetic Variations Of Bcr-Abl1 Gene By Nanopore Cas9-Targeted Sequencing, Shuilian Xie, Ying Yang, Junjie Zhang, Menglin Zhu, Wang Li, Mengting Li, Yijian Chen, Hailiang Li, Weidan Lun, Weelic Chong, Shaogui Wan

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach To Learn Invasive Species Ecology, Emma Grindle, Heather E. Bergan-Roller, Ashton Johnson, Grace Lunaburg, Jennifer A.H. Koop

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students in exploring the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on animal dispersal as a means of connecting students to multiple ecological concepts. Instructors are provided with a guided lecture on key ecological concepts including the impacts of invasive species, dispersal mechanisms, and species interactions with the environment. Furthermore, the interactive lecture introduces students to the snail study system and explains the experimental process, which involves low-cost, readily available materials (e.g., kiddie pools). Students …

Understanding Drivers Of Local Opposition To Renewable Energy Projects To Improve Adoption Of Clean Energy, Bryson Russell

Theses

The world faces a crisis; climate change is beginning to show more damaging effects on our planet. Without human intervention to stop these effects from worsening, they are predicted to escalate, such as mass extinctions and more frequent natural disasters. In order to curb climate change, the world must begin a transition to renewable and green energy sources as soon as it is feasible. One of the potential forces slowing the transition to renewables is the public's perception and opposition. For example, a spot for a photovoltaic solar farm may be the most economically optimal, but if the community does …

Effect Of Fabrication Pressure And Nmc Cathode Composition On Lpscl Electrolyte For Solid-State Battery Performance Improvement, Winervil James

Theses

Batteries are a key energy storage solution for a sustainable energy future. They provide carbon free power to portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and even electric vehicles. With further improvements to battery performance¸ the diversity of machines that can be electrified will increase. Solid state batteries (SSBs) have the potential to provide much greater energy density compared to conventional batteries. Greater energy density will help address the power to size ratio limitation of conventional batteries. Despite improvements in these major areas, SSBs still face some significant operational challenges. The study herein focuses on improving the performance of a …

Biological Nitrogen And Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater Under Low Dissolved Oxygen (Ldo) Conditions, Bashar Al-Daomi

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the complexities of the integration of different technologies for nutrient removal, investigating parameters like sludge residence time (SRT), carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, Anaerobic/Oxic (A/O), and Anaerobic/Oxic/Anoxic (A/O/A) systems, continuous and intermittent aeration regimes, and air OFF/air ON periods ratios for efficient nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

Two continuous aeration systems were implemented: The first aimed to carry out a simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SNdN) process for nitrogen and phosphorus removal under low dissolved oxygen (DO) and C/N ratio conditions. This system operated with 4.5-5-day total sludge age in a single-stage anaerobic/oxic (A/O)-SBR, performing stepwise DO reduction at varying DO …

Mapping The Theaters Of Brooklyn's Past (1825-1925): A Gis Project, Elena Shefsky

Publications and Research

Despite its rich performance culture, Brooklyn remains underrepresented in theater history, eclipsed in fame by the well-known theaters of Manhattan. One of the most populous areas in America, Brooklyn has been an artistic home to actors, playwrights, directors, and impresarios for centuries. That said, there is a dearth of accessible information and scholarship on Brooklyn theaters. My objective was to update an ongoing mapping project, The City Performs, to include information and images of theater buildings from Brooklyn. The project is an interactive, open-source digital map that uses ArcGIS software to georeference data about NYC theaters. I collected data …

20231206_Joseph V. Scaletti Papers Processed, Abbie Weiser

HSLIC Blog Post

No abstract provided.

A Critical Librarianship Approach For Teaching Patent Searching: Who Becomes An Inventor In America?, Dave Zwicky, Ilana Stonebraker

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The ways in which a technology is invented, owned, and approved are strongly influenced by the same oppressive and exclusionary structures that critical librarianship interrogates. Patents, limited-term grants of rights to inventions, are issued to inventors in exchange for detailed specifications of the invention. This paper examines current practices used by business librarians in teaching students how to find patents and how these practices could be critically informed given the nature of the United States patent system as it exists today. An output of this work is a suggested lesson plan with recommended resources.

Comparative Study Of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms: Deep Q-Networks, Deep Deterministic Policy Gradients And Proximal Policy Optimization, Haoyi Wang

Electrical and Systems Engineering Undergraduate Student Research

The advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in the field of Reinforcement Learning (RL), has led to significant breakthroughs in numerous domains, ranging from autonomous systems to complex game environments. Among this progress, the emergence and evolution of algorithms like Deep Q-Networks (DQN), Deep Deterministic Policy Gradients (DDPG), and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) have been pivotal. These algorithms, each with unique approaches and strengths, have become fundamental in tackling diverse RL challenges. This study aims to dissect and compare these three influential algorithms to provide a clearer understanding of their mechanics, efficiencies, and applicability. We delve into the theoretical underpinnings …

Robust Neural Network Representations Of Model Predictive Controllers, Jackson Cox

Electrical and Systems Engineering Undergraduate Student Research

The purpose of this research project is to replace an MPC controller in a closed loop system with a pre-trained neural network that is robust to all trajectories within a robot’s environment.

Inject Printing Perovskite Led On Paper Substrate, Tong Wu

Electrical and Systems Engineering Undergraduate Student Research

This poster describes the process and results of inject printing a four-layer perovskite LED on a paper substrate.

Tunnels As Temples Of 'New Green India': Dominant Narratives Of Himalayan Dam Building, Manshi Asher, Vivek Negi

National Law School Journal

The dramatic unfolding of the Joshimath crisis in Uttarakhand, India, has brought the world’s attention once again to the Himalaya. The contribution of a 520-megawatt hydropower dam to land subsidence is squarely in the spotlight. River valleys with bumper-to-bumper hydropower dam building, especially in the North Western Himalaya, in the past decade and a half or so, have witnessed frequent slope de-stabilisation, landslides and seepages. Unlike the visible dispossession of rural—often adivasi and dalit— populations in reservoir based dam affected areas, even establishing and ‘scientifically’ correlating cascading hazards with human impacts of the ‘invisible’ activity of run-of-the-river dams in the …

The American University: Attitudes About Safety And The Impact Of Gun Regulations On Campus, April Bixler

Online Theses and Dissertations

An ultimate goal of American universities is to provide a safe and secure environment for all who attend and operate there, but what safety looks and feels like to the individual can vary to a great degree. There are many factors that campus safety departments consider when designing their campus safety policies and regulations. One way universities in the U.S. have chosen to regulate campus safety is by allowing concealed carry (CC) on their campuses. No evidence was found in the state of Kentucky that explains if a CC policy is warranted or being pursued by faculty, staff and students …

First-Year Writing Ungraded Study At Eastern Kentucky University, Kaitlynn Elizabeth Moody

Online Theses and Dissertations

Ungrading helps defocus the need for a grade within a classroom by helping students focus more on the feedback they receive within their First-Year Writing program. Ungrading uses self-assessments, grade rubrics, contracts, minimal grading, and portfolios to help give students feedback without the need for a grade on an assignment. By having instructors use Ungrading students can better accept feedback and strengthen their writing without the fear of failing the course. The study conducted at Eastern Kentucky University, which uses a Google questionnaire and interviews of students and instructors, has highlighted how beneficial Ungrading is to students and instructors. Teachers …