Digital Commons Network^™

The Presence Of The Halo Effect In Individuals Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Neurotypical Individuals, Margo Mainord

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty perceiving subtle social cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, and physical boundaries. These difficulties are well-established in the literature and lead to the social communication challenges characteristic of the disorder. Although the detection of subtle social cues is critical to all human interaction, there are other processes at play as humans relate and interact on a day-to-day basis. One such principle that has been firmly established but seldom considered is a cognitive bias known as the Halo Effect (HE), which is the tendency to assign numerous traits to …

Identifying The Racial Implicit Biases Of Pre-Service Teachers And Analyzing Their Impact On Students, Lauren Lagan

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Implicit biases reflect the unconscious beliefs and viewpoints held against populations of people that influence our interactions with others. The adverse impact of educators’ implicit biases on students influences disciplinary actions, setting expectations, and perpetuates the opportunity gap. Due to the implicitness of these biases, people are often unaware they exist, but the impact is apparent in disproportionate disciplinary and graduation rates of diverse populations of students. Pre-service teachers are entering the profession with limited understanding of how implicit biases form, how they are present in schools, and the negative effects of implicit biases on the lives of students. The …

Implementing A Micro-Business Internship Program In Dangriga, Belize, Shaadee Shojai

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the Summer, I was able to work with Peacework in Belize through the University of Arkansas. While I was unable to physically go to Belize due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I feel that I was still able to learn about the culture, in both the casual and business workplace, as well as help the people of Dangriga. The goal of my project was to help consult with the Tourism Department of Dangriga to help develop their small business into businesses that were more appealing to tourists. Unfortunately, most people who own small businesses in Dangriga can’t support themselves with …

Emergent Spectra Of Young X-Ray Emitting Populations Across Environments, Alex Siebenmorgen

Physics Undergraduate Honors Theses

We construct reasonably accurate models of the X-Ray spectra of a multitude of sources in M51. We construct both average and individual models for the sources, which are split into 16 groups as the counts per source increases. Then, we create a plot to show how the model-predicted values of column density (nH) and photon index (gamma) change with luminosity. These models will be used to create an accurate X-Ray stellar energy distribution (SED) for M51, and to better understand how the SED changes with environmental factors like metallicity and star formation rate (SFR).

America At A Glance: Occupational Injuries Among Rural Workers, Andrew Myers, Arin Leopold, Catherine Ipsen, Bryce Ward, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

RTC:Rural researchers led by Andrew Myers review data from the 2019 American Community Survey to explore differences in occupations and workplace injuries across rural and urban areas.

Food Allergy Education In The Hospitality Industry, Hayley Stull

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food allergies affect thousands of people, because hospitality foodservice workers come into contact with the public, it is necessary that they need to be fully trained to ensure the safety of the public. This is especially important for those who possess food allergies. Previous research has shown major gaps in knowledge amongst these workers, which can lead to the potential to harm individuals with a food allergy. There is a lack in the consistency of training specifically concerning food allergies for food service workers across all states in the U.S. There are previous forms of educational tools concerning food allergies …

Camp: Children’S Acceptance Of Muffins With Different Proteins, Amber Knoernschild

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 2019, around 40% of school-aged children in Arkansas were classified as overweight (~17%) and obese (~23%), according to BMI data collected. Children with obesity have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Unhealthy eating habits, such as skipping breakfast, have been strongly associated with overeating, weight gain and obesity. Breakfast is a key component of a healthy diet and can positively impact children’s health and well-being. However, there has been a steady decline in breakfast consumption in US children over the past 40 years. Specifically, breakfast consumption declined among 8–10-yearold children by 9% and adolescents …

Feasibility Trial Of Fresh Produce Delivery To Families In Home Visiting Programs, Laura Plencner, Aliyah Hoffmann, Jean Raphael, Jeffrey D. Colvin

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2022

Background: Over 13 million children are food insecure, which is associated with poorer child physical and mental health. Home delivery of produce may improve food security of low-income families. This study assessed feasibility and acceptability of leveraging a home visiting program to directly provide food to families with young children.

Objective: We completed an 8-week prospective feasibility trial of direct food provision using produce from our hospital’s community garden and regional food bank using mixed methods evaluation.

Methods: Twenty-five low-income families participating in an infant home visiting program were enrolled. Produce was harvested from the garden, combined with free food …

Rate Of Depression Among Primary Caregivers Of Children With Tracheostomies, Madhavi Murali, Alexandra Arambula, Meghan Tracy, Ashley Sherman, Cameron J. Farsar, Jason R. Brown

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2022

Introduction: Caring for a child with a tracheostomy carries numerous financial, physical, and emotional challenges. Literature has shown that these caregivers experience burden that correlates with their child’s illness severity and their own mental health status. Caregivers of technology-dependent and chronically ill children have been found to have higher rates of depression, but similar findings have not been reported for pediatric tracheostomy caregivers. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess rates of depression among primary caregivers of children with tracheostomies.

Methods: A database of children (ages 0-18) with tracheostomies at a tertiary pediatric hospital was screened …

The Effectiveness Of A Webinar To Improve Icu Nurses’ Competency In Palliative Care, Justine Kirschner

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Patients with serious illness lack access to quality patient-centered care despite the growth in palliative care awareness and services. Palliative care is an interdisciplinary care system intended to optimize the quality of life of patients with serious, life-limiting illness and their families. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are facing critical illnesses and can benefit from palliative care integration into their care. This DNP quality improvement (QI) project, grounded in Benner’s Novice to Expert nursing theory, aimed to increase ICU nurse competency in palliative care from novice to competent through a continuing education webinar. The study analyzed nurses’ …

Nurse Practitioner-Led Heart Failure Education Program, Ruairi Fox

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive disease that has a global burden on the healthcare system and on patient’s lives. HF patients who experience a hospital admission are at a greater risk of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, impacting healthcare spending costs and patient quality of life. Self-care activities by patients, such as monitoring weight and making lifestyle changes, are the hallmark of outpatient care, and is shown throughout the literature to reduce readmissions and impact patient quality of life. Unfortunately, many patients are either unaware of proper self-care management techniques or find them hard to follow. …

Covid-19 Restrictions Decreased Dpt Students’ Health Outcomes, Asha Marchant, Natalie Quesnel, Anja Parikh

DPT Capstones

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented increased constraints on physical activity leading to the adoption of more sedentary lifestyles for populations worldwide, including graduate students. The detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle include increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular (CV) disease has conventionally been a pathology associated with older adults, but recent evidence has shown that younger individuals are developing CV issues. The COVID-19 restrictions created an additional barrier furthering graduate students’ sedentary lifestyles and possibly increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on The …

Towards The Determination Of Estrone And 17Β-Estradiol In Dairy Cattle Waste Using Solid Phase And Stir Bar Sorptive Extractions With Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry And Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Pallavi Ragi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Steroidal hormones are naturally produced as a part of many physiological processes and are excreted in the urine and feces of animals and humans. Farm animals in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are routinely implanted with synthetic and natural hormones to enhance growth and production, contributing significantly to environmental steroid hormone contamination. Every year around 49 tons of estrogens are generated by livestock waste in the United States alone. Due to rainfall and runoff, these steroid hormones reach the environment when animal waste is applied as manure. Studies show that estrogens and other steroidal hormones present in the surface waters …

Generation & Kinetic Studies Of Porphyrin Chromium-Oxo Intermediates, Iyanu Olumide Ojo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent emerging applications of chromium porphyrin complexes are generating increasing interest in oxidation chemistry and catalysis. Its recent application as metal-organic frames in spintronic devices supports the rich electronic system of chromium metal. Through the past decades, first-row transition metalloporphyrins have served as biomimetic oxidation catalysts and models of cytochrome P450 enzymes. However, the oxygen atom transfer mechanism of chromium porphyrin complexes, most especially in sulfide oxidation reactions, has been scarcely investigated.

In this study, high-valent chromium-oxo porphyrin species, namely Cr^IV-oxo and Cr^V-oxo species, with electron-donating tetramesitylporphyrin(TMP) ligand were successfully generated and characterized with UV-vis, ESI-MS, …

Associations Between Parental Efficacy, Parental Involvement And Infant Temperament, Jenna Mayes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A parent’s efficacy can be associated with several other characteristics within parenting such as parental involvement, as well as infant behavior (Johnson & Marsh, 1989; Leerkes & Burney, 2007). Parents who are more involved with their children tend to be higher in their efficacy (Leerkes & Burney, 2007). Child negative temperamental reactivity is negatively associated with parental efficacy (Coleman & Karraker, 2003). Associations might vary based on parent gender; with maternal efficacy being associated with temperament and paternal efficacy being associated with involvement (Leerkes & Burney, 2007). However, the extent to which these associations vary by parent gender across early …

Anxiety Patterns In Gifted Adolescents From Parents' Perspectives, Felicia Moreschi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explores the connection between giftedness and anxiety. Families of gifted adolescents were invited to participate in a survey to identify themes of anxiety within the school and home settings. The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, parent report (Spence, 1999) was used as the survey instrument. A total of 18 participants responded. Several themes were revealed based on the responses to questions on the survey. The themes that emerged have been identified as patterns of anxiety, including separation anxiety, physical injury fears, and social anxiety.

The Impact Of Internally Designed Mathematics Differentiation System On Gifted & Talented 5th & 6th Grade Students, Svetlana Kovalkova-Mckenna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mathematical talent development in middle school is significantly impacted by students’ access to academic learning opportunities that include collaborative learning with similar ability peers and match student’s interests and level of ability instead of age and grade-level. Access to and participation in domain-specific gifted programs for mathematically talented students has a significant impact on the level of their future talent development, their social-emotional wellbeing, and opportunities later in life. The purpose of this mixed-methods non-experimental action research study was to explore the impact an internally designed mathematics differentiation system (provided in a multiple days per week pull-out format by school’s …

Agriculture Education Teacher Perspectives On Stem In Secondary Classrooms -A Delphi Study, Nicholas Kyle Porter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent statistics tell us that the number of jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields are growing at a rapid rate, it is projected that STEM related careers will grow 17% between 2008 and 2018 (Langdon, n.d.). Within these areas lies agriculture. Given the shift of career opportunities, such as in the areas of research and development, a change has to be made in the way students are educated within agriculture. The ultimate goal of all educators is to better prepare students for their future careers and endeavors because these students are the future of our food …

The Impact Of Cultural Moderators On The Relationship Between Work-Life Balance And Outcome Variables, Joanna Chang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Presently, there is some evidence within the literature to support that cultural dimensions serve as moderators of the relationship between work-life balance and outcome variables (e.g., job satisfaction, life satisfaction, mental wellness). However, there are few studies examining individualism-collectivism and gender egalitarianism as moderators. Furthermore, there is no found extant research to date examining intra-country or utilizing organizational-level culture measures. The following study assessed individual perceptions of collectivism and gender egalitarianism using Project GLOBE’s organizational practices scales as moderators of the relationships between work-life balance and job satisfaction as well as life satisfaction. All constructions were measured in a sample …

Factors Influencing Tree Growth In A Bottomland Hardwood Along The Green River In Kentucky, Caleb Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In bottomland hardwood forests, large fluctuations in moisture availability can lead to stress from both flooded and drought conditions. These forests can have a complex species composition with different water use and drought strategies. The bottomlands in which these species co-occur can have a complex spatial distribution of alluvial sediments due to the meandering and migration of river or stream channels, which may impact the hydrology, nutrient dynamics, and productivity. At Western Kentucky University's Green River Preserve, approximately 9 ha of bottomland hardwood forest were planted in 2006. Although these hardwoods have received equal amounts of sunlight, rainfall, and wind, …

Nsu Health Professions Division 2021-2022 Course Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Classifying Hazardous Movements And Loads During Manual Materials Handling Using Accelerometers And Instrumented Insoles., Mitja Trkov, Duncan T Stevenson, Andrew S Merryweather

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Improper manual material handling (MMH) techniques are shown to lead to low back pain, the most common work-related musculoskeletal disorder. Due to the complex nature and variability of MMH and obtrusiveness and subjectiveness of existing hazard analysis methods, providing systematic, continuous, and automated risk assessment is challenging. We present a machine learning algorithm to detect and classify MMH tasks using minimally-intrusive instrumented insoles and chest-mounted accelerometers. Six participants performed standing, walking, lifting/lowering, carrying, side-to-side load transferring (i.e., 5.7 kg and 12.5 kg), and pushing/pulling. Lifting and carrying loads as well as hazardous behaviors (i.e., stooping, overextending and jerky lifting) were …

Developing A Curriculum Model For Differentiating Instruction For All Learners, Emma Riemenschneider

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what types of teaching strategies most engage gifted and talented (GT) students. This study poses the question, "How can classroom teachers engage gifted and talented students while not advancing past the abilities of non-gifted and talented students?" Two surveys were developed and administered to public school teachers and students. The teacher participants of this study were nine classroom teachers at a junior high school in the northwestern part of the state. The student participants of this study were 99 seventh and eighth graders at a junior high school in the northwest part …

Ce 680 Syllabus: Counseling Practicum, Dawnette Cigrand

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course provides an opportunity for the student counselor to begin to develop and refine their individual and group counseling skills within the functional milieu of a clinical or school setting. All Practicum activities are closely supervised by university and field-based supervisors. Prior to entry into the course, all students must provide to the instructor verification of having current professional liability insurance.

Health Responses To Covid-19 Among Migrant Agricultural Workers In Ontario: Challenges And Opportunities For Change For Ontario’S Public Health Units, Megan Botha

Social Justice and Community Engagement Major Research Papers

This research will examine and analyze the shortcomings, barriers, and successes of Ontario public health units’ responses to COVID-19 outbreaks within Migrant agricultural workers populations, with an aim to investigate how factors including but not limited to lack of communication from governments, structural barriers, and precarious work environments may have contributed to the absence of specified health unit roles for this population throughout the pandemic.

Uni Impact: Faculty/Staff Scholarly Publications And Featured Awards Newsletter, V1i2, 2022, Rod Library. Research & Sponsored Programs. Uni Foundation. University Of Northern Iowa.

UNI Impact: Faculty/Staff Scholarly Publications and Featured Awards Newsletter

Highlights the scholarship, research, and other scholarly work produced by University of Northern Iowa faculty, students, and staff.

This issue covers the period of January - March 2022.

Data And Algorithmic Modeling Approaches To Count Data, Andraya Hack

Honors College Theses

Various techniques are used to create predictions based on count data. This type of data takes the form of a non-negative integers such as the number of claims an insurance policy holder may make. These predictions can allow people to prepare for likely outcomes. Thus, it is important to know how accurate the predictions are. Traditional statistical approaches for predicting count data include Poisson regression as well as negative binomial regression. Both methods also have a zero-inflated version that can be used when the data has an overabundance of zeros. Another procedure is to use computer algorithms, also known as …

School Psychologists & Crisis Response: How Are We Doing?, Abigail Roush

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

School psychologists are well positioned to be involved in crisis response at their schools, but little is known about how prepared they are to respond or how accurately they would respond to various crisis events. This project examined school psychologists’ rated levels of preparedness and experience, and how well or accurately they responded to hypothetical crisis vignettes across small-, moderate-, and large-scale events. Results showed that self-rated preparedness and experience were not related to accuracy of response, as measured by a rubric. When using a rubric that included elements of the PREPaRE model to score how accurately participants responded to …

The Impact Of Social Isolation During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Personal Account Of Social Isolation, Patricia Espinal Ramos

Communication & Media Studies | Senior Theses

I am no stranger to social isolation and its effects on my mental, emotional and physical health. A variety of factors such as limited research, misconceptions associated with its impact mainly in older adults, and its interchangeability with loneliness, previously impeded people’s knowledge and understanding of the subject. This research paper is a hybrid of personal experiences as well as quantitative and qualitative data that analyzed how the restrictions shed light on the effects and misconceptions of social isolation, especially in the disabled community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Females and males survey participants (N- 68) were asked to report their …

The Impact Of Psychological Interventions Given To Icu Patients To Help With Pain Management, Kelly Liu

Nursing | Senior Theses

Pain management among the critically ill population is a significant issue in the intensive care setting. Whether the pain is acute or chronic, nurses tend to be the first-hand responders to help with pain management in the intensive care unit (ICU). With barriers ranging from patients’ inability to verbalize pain to nurses’ experience with obstacles to assessment such as sedation, confusion, or other concerns, pain management is a serious issue. Although pharmacological interventions such as opioids and analgesics help with pain control, in this thesis, we will focus on the impact of nonpharmacological and psychological nursing interventions and how it …