Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Vortex And Vorticity In A Laminar Flow, Aayush Bhattarai

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Vortices are ubiquitous in nature. From kitchen sinks to galaxies, they can be found everywhere. Usually, the swirling motion of fluids comes to mind when one thinks of vortices. Being significantly important in various fields such as engineering, physics, chemistry, and aerospace, it has been extensively studied for centuries. Still, we do not have an unambiguous and universally accepted definition of a vortex. Often vorticity is used to describe the vortex, which is accurate for rigid body rotation; however, this explanation is simply not true for the fluid flow in the boundary layer. For fluid rotation, pure shear deformation needs …

Testing For Transfer Of Learning In Educational Palliative Care Vr Simulation, Alexis Lueckenhoff

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Because palliative care scenarios are difficult to simulate, a VR simulation including four unique end-of-life scenarios is developed to provide more experience to nursing students before graduating and completing tasks in the field. Such applications have a wide range of possible inputs, making them difficult to test. However, testing is essential to ensure that a product meets its original requirements in addition to achieving its intended purpose of transfer of learning. Thus, a testing strategy is proposed to assess validity and fidelity of the simulation using both objective and subjective means. The performance of both nursing students and experts will …

Doctor-Patient Real Time Chat Application, Sri Subhash Pathuri

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

During the pandemic, the majority of the working population spent most of their time doing sedentary desk jobs. As a result, they may have developed inadequate spine posture, which can cause profound implications such as back pain if not corrected at an early stage. Implementation of machine learning and computer vision has allowed us to capture and analyze video input from the user’s cellphone to remind them whenever they are not in the correct position. To further support users, a chat feature has been implemented through which the users can quickly get in touch with orthopedic experts for evaluation and …

The Impact Of Anxiety On Birth Perception Among Postpartum Hispanic Adolescents, Analee Issa Gonzalez

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Anxiety is a common mental health disorder in the postpartum population that may severely impact birth perception. Using a secondary analysis, this descriptive study explored the contribution of anxiety and two confounding variables, unplanned pregnancy and parity, on the Hispanic adolescents’ birth perception. Results from 183 adolescents, 13 -19 years of age, revealed that parity and a self-rating of feeling anxious correlated with a negative birth perception. Unplanned pregnancy had no significant correlation on birth perception in this population. We suggest that certain risk factors may place adolescents at risk for experiencing a negative birth perception. Results of this study …

Simulated Blood Glucose Meter Design For Educational Simulation In Healthcare, Mayur Bhakta

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

A commonly performed point-of-care test is the measurement of a patient’s blood glucose, a process currently practiced in healthcare simulation with minimal realism at UTA’s Smart Hospital. Training of healthcare professionals involves essential skill development and proficiency, which cannot be done effectively with low-fidelity props. A device was developed with consideration of the types of scenarios run at the facility and coded to be prototyped with Arduino. The device’s circuit setup and function were simulated using Tinkercad to assess the desired output values in the three glucose ranges: hypoglycemic, normal, and hyperglycemic. Successful generation of random glucose readings in these …

Marrying Strangers: Arranged Marriages And Picture Brides In The Us, 1875-1943 And 1990-Present, Michelle Kh Nguyen

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This paper examines the historical phenomenon of picture or mail-order marriages during two periods; the first period is the era of Asian exclusion at the turn of the twentieth century and the second period is the rise of online dating at the turn of the twenty-first century. This research project examines oral testimonies, government reports, and products of popular culture to suggest that women have used their own agency to make these marriages beneficial as often as the marriages have been exploitative. In the era of Chinese exclusion, marriages help to sustain Asian communities especially in light of serious racial …

How Wag31 Affects The Growth Of The Mycobacterial Cell Wall, Parthvi Patel

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, kills over a million people worldwide each year. To understand how mycobacterial cells grow, we are studying growth in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis. The mycobacterial cell wall has asymmetrical polar growth. The insertion of new peptidoglycan near the cell poles accounts for the growth of the cell wall. The wag31 gene in Mycobacterium smegmatis cells was mutated, and different mutations were used to evaluate the function of Wag31. The strains were stained with HADA staining the peptidoglycan and Syto-24 staining the DNA of the bacteria. The bacteria were then observed under the …

Academic Stress And Extracurriculars: An Examination Of In-Group Identification, Participation Motivation, And Stress In College, Rebecca Roten

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Academic stress is a common feature of college life, but excessive stress can have negative effects on academic outcomes, health, and general well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between academic stress and factors of extracurricular participation, including in-group identification, participation time, and participation motivation. It was hypothesized that higher in-group identification and internal motivation would relate to lower academic stress. A sample of undergraduate college students (n = 296) completed a survey consisting of an academic stress scale and a series of question about their extracurricular participation. Academic stress was not associated with any of …

Mental Health In Historically Black Communities: The Role Of Local Non-Profits, Cindy N. Ledat

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This study examined the role that local non-profit organizations play in bridging the gap to mental healthcare services in historically Black communities. With a focus on the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, semi-structured interviews were gathered from participants working for local non-profit organizations, specifically those that connect the community to mental health services. Utilizing a phenomenological approach to qualitative analysis, the key themes that emerged were those of combatting shame, building trust, and engaging with community stakeholders. Additionally, there were themes of helplessness in the face of systemic barriers as well as empathy towards a participant’s cultural community. Though …

Learning-Based Minimum Time-Energy Path Planning Through Integral Reinforcement Learning For A Multivehicle Nonlinear System Subject To Unknown Disturbances And Collision Avoidance, Evanns Gabriel Morales

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The path planning problem is crucial in the field of autonomous navigation. By applying integral reinforcement learning, it is possible not just to create a system that iteratively improves upon itself in pursuit of a target destination for a vehicle but also achieves optimality with respect to desired parameters such as minimal time and energy expenditures. The challenge of solving the reinforcement learning problem with a nonlinear system is addressed with two neural networks - one for the actor portion of the reinforcement learning problem and one for the critic portion. This project explores the minimum-time energy path planning problem …

Optimal Tissue Clearing Of Whole Mount Mouse Organs, Toluwani Ijaseun

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Various tissue clearing methods have been made to optically clear tissue for high resolution imaging, but clearing whole organs is an arduous task due to limited penetration depth. To find a potential solution, 1 mm mouse organ slices were used to try four different variations of PEGASOS and BABB, organic solvent based clearing methods. Two of the variations were chosen to stain with antibodies and dyes, such as DLL4, to display vasculature. Axially swept-light sheet fluorescence microscopy was used to obtain 3D images of the kidneys. In addition, stained heart and lungs images were also acquired. Progress photos for clearing …

The Cultural Implications Of Media Portrayals Of Minorities In The U.S., Victoria Munoz

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Research suggests the media shapes the way children perceive the world. In addition, ethnic minorities are typically portrayed negatively in media. Disney Princess movies have become a widespread part of childhood experiences, as these movies often top box-office sales and generate copious merchandise sales.. Disney Princess movies have the ability to produce, circulate, and exchange information, especially to kids. Therefore, it is important to understand how minority and ethnic people are portrayed. Using content analysis, this study analyzes a sample of eight popular Disney Princess movies utilizing a codebook to assess the demographics, types of interactions, and personal/appearance characteristics of …

The Science Behind Stuttering: Reducing Stigma And Public Misconceptions, Christine Hekmat Abasi

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Persistent Developmental Stuttering (PDS) affects about 1% of the world's adult population across all cultures and social classes (Buchel & Sommer, 2004). Stigma, especially around stuttering, can be perpetrated in many ways. There has been and continues to be a strong connection between stuttering in mainstream media and negative characteristics such as lack of intelligence, nervousness, or lack of social skills. This study investigates the source of negative social stigma and possible methods to reduce negative stigma. Participants joined in an empirically-based survey meant to analyze thoughts and beliefs on stuttering and the origin of those beliefs. The results are …

Fabrication Of A Microfluidic System To Generate Micro-Carrier Beads For Cell Culture, Giles Fitzwilliams

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Current procedures used to make microfluidic systems can range up to thousands of dollars. The objective of this project was to create a cost-effective four-inlet microfluidic system that can produce uniform microcarrier beads ranging from 100 μm to 1000 μm in diameter. To create this device, research was done on sodium alginate and gelatin, bead components, properties, and their interactions with one another within a microfluidic system. The device was fabricated using a 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic design mold and encasing the mold in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). After cleaning the device with acetone, Harvard syringe pumps were …

The Problem Of Inefficient Machinery In Industries Affects Overall Production And Causes Substantial Errors, Katia Lopez

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The problem of inefficient machinery in industries affects overall production and can cause significant errors. The Human Assistance for Robot Arm (HAFRA) project consists of a Universal Robot, specifically the UR5, an Intel RealSense depth camera, and software programs. The robot receives a position from the computer vision program, which uses the camera to detect an AruCo tag, and then suctions the envelopes from a conveyor belt and places them into a bin. The project also includes human assistance, which allows remote picking by an operator. A human is able to view an image and use the mouse cursor to …

Social Media As A Tool For Education And Awareness Of Mental Health, Mikaela Neubauer

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

With the growing levels of awareness and discussion of mental health on social media, online social platforms provide a unique and powerful opportunity to reach people. Are social media campaigns effective avenues and tools for circulating educational mental health content and advertising mental health resources? This project uses content analysis to determine the efficacy of a social media campaign regarding mental health. The campaign was designed based off research on the target audience and other previously successful social media campaigns and run for the therapy platform Atlas Health Group Inc. This study found that women ages 21-32 are mostly likely …

Gender Bias And Creative Idea Evaluation, Carley Andrew

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Gender bias in evaluating creative ideas can partially be explained by role incongruity theory; a perceived mismatch of gender roles and stereotypes with an individual’s sex, leading to gendered outcomes. Idea evaluation is the process of cognitive appraisal, and it is a vital aspect of the creative process. Previous literature links higher perceived levels of creativity to males. The present study utilized a mixed-subjects design of both within (idea gender source) and between-subjects factors (control vs. stereotype threat groups). The sample consisted of 261 undergraduates. The study found that male-generated ideas had fewer pros and cons and no higher evaluations …

The Effects Of Water With Anti-Inflammatory Capabilities (Wac) On Circulating Inflammatory Biomarkers At Rest And Following Resistance Exercise, Brittany Martin

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Purpose: To determine the effects of waters with anti-inflammatory capabilities (WAC) influence circulating inflammatory biomarkers at rest and following resistance exercise. Methods: Participants completed a heavy lifting protocol and drank water with anti-inflammatory capabilities for a total of six weeks. Blood samples were taken at different at 9 different time intervals to assess concentrations of anti-inflammatory markers and to quantify inflammatory biomarkers. Those time intervals included pre-AHREP 1 and post-AHREP 1, 24-hr post-AHREP 1, 48-hr post-AHREP 1, 3-week check-up, pre-AHREP 2, post-AHREP 2, 24-hr post-AHREP 2, and 48-hr post-AHREP 2. Background: The biomarkers that were focused on were: IL-6 …

Transmission Risk Of Malaria Via Gas Flares In Africa, Elle Blake

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gas flaring occurs at oil drilling sites around the world. It is a method to get rid of the extra gas, as well as to release pressure in emergency situations. The pollutants that are contributed to the air through routine gas flaring can be extremely harmful. Chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and methane are burned into the air we breathe (Baker Hughes, 2019). Not only does this have a direct impact on our health, but also on greenhouse gas emissions. The effects on greenhouse gas emissions impact diseases such as Malaria by increasing the temperature of our planet. The purpose …

Effects Of Recess On Educational Outcomes In Elementary School Children, Katelyn Whitham

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Because physical activity is beneficial for physical and mental health, the declining opportunities to implement adequate recesses in schools are devastating for children. If educational outcomes are positively affected by increased recess time or quality, schools are more likely to receive funding for programs and resources that support this renovation to recesses, providing research in lacking topics. Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to find related, academic articles for cross examination of data collected on the effects that recess has on educational outcomes so that schools may use this as a resource to receive funding to increase …

Determining The Protocol And Testing Feasibility And Intensity Of The Burn2learn Interventions And Measures In College Students, Sarah Schwarz

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

High-intensity interval training(HIIT) is a time-efficient form of exercise that combines aerobic and resistance training methods. HIIT workouts have been found to improve executive functioning, therefore making it beneficial for school aged children. This study is an extension of the Burn2Learn protocols developed in Australia. The purpose of this study is to develop the protocol and testing feasibility and intensity of the Burn2Learn activities in college students, specifically comparing an exercise only (Gym) HIIT session and an exercise + cognitive activity (Brain) HIIT session. The participants of this study consisted of 15 undergrad students aged 20-22. Participants took mEMA cognitive …

Can Violent Political Rhetoric Influence Bias Homicide Rates? Analyzing The Trump Effect, Tyler Joseph Patrick Ford

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

The founding document of the United States declares that all men are created equal. However, history has shown that this is not the case. Citizens in this country have been discriminated against since its inception based on their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, and many other factors. The first Federal Legislation passed to prevent discrimination against citizens in the United States did not come until 1968, which “made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin” (United States, Department of Justice). It …

Impacts Of Post-Incarceration Programming For Women's Lives And Local Communities, Megan Greenslade

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Previous research on reentry programming has focused mostly on male inmates and less attention is given to female inmates. In Arkansas, where female reentry rates have recently increased, research is needed to add to the conversation surrounding effective programming for previously justice-involved women, its impact on their lives and behaviors, and how this can influence the likelihood of recidivism. This qualitative study also aims to discover whether reentry programming can have a positive impact on the local community. Residents and staff at a local Northwest Arkansas transitional housing facility for previously justice-involved women were interviewed to analyze the effects of …

Sustainable Megastructures: Examining The Synergy Between Smart Technologies And Eco-Friendly Lifestyles In High-Density Urban Environments, Reagan G. Potts

2023 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This undergraduate thesis delves into the concept of megastructures in architecture, which refers to futuristic proposals and experimental designs in urban development during the early 1960s. The study focuses on investigating the potential social and environmental problems that may arise as megastructures become more prevalent in urban design due to technological advancements. The research is significant as it has the potential to impact the architecture community positively. By presenting well-informed insights, designers can make better decisions and address social and environmental issues that may arise due to the implementation of megastructures. The methodology employed in this research involves a comprehensive …

Increasing Adherence Of Chg Bathing: An Evidence-Based Practice Quality Improvement Project, Melissa Benedetto

DNP Projects

Introduction

Patients admitted to hospitals are at risk for developing Healthcare-acquired Infections (HAIs). Evidence suggests that these infections, including Central Line Associated Infections (CLABSIs), increase the cost of patient care and have a negative impact on patient outcomes. Daily chlorhexidine (CHG) bathing has been identified to help decrease HAIs in the hospital for patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), those with Multi-drug Resistant Organisms (MDROs), and/or patients with a Central Venous Catheter (CVC).

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to implement an intervention to assess and improve CHG bathing adherence for hospitalized patients. Patients targeted include those at …

Their Pain Is Our Pain: The Intersectionality Of Identity Formation, Socioeconomic Status (Ses), And Transgenerational Trauma In Latine Youth, Fernanda Alcantara

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis will explore the intersectionality of identity formation, socioeconomic status (SES) and transgenerational trauma in Latine youth. There is extensive research in the Hispanic identity formation and the factors that influence it. However, there is little to no research that focuses on the role SES and transgenerational trauma from growing up in a Hispanic household with adversities specific to the immigrant experience and how they influence identity formation during the pre- adolescent and adolescent years. As well as how the Hispanic identity they form influences the adversities they face and SES they shift to or stay in. This research …

Trauma And Academic Impact: Stories From At-Risk Youth, Brenda Morton, Edd.

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Youth continue to leave school prior to earning a high school diploma, despite focused attention and resources on this population of students (Porche, et al., 2011), leaving unanswered questions as to what support this group of students need. Researchers identified attendance, disciplinary issues, and low grade point average, as prevalent in dropouts, but few have explored the story behind the statistics. This study sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the role of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the lives of students at risk for academic failure, by examining their lived experiences. To that end, …

Nursing Students’ Cultural Awareness And High-Fidelity Simulation Skills, Shorok Hamed M Alahmedi

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Cultural awareness is learning to be self-aware of other cultures and even an individual’s own culture. Nursing students learn about influences of values and beliefs, and the impacts of culture as they consider how to care for patients of other cultures. However, as students are learning cultural awareness for patient care they may struggle with some of their own cultural values and beliefs that may affect them in ways that they are not aware. This descriptive correlational study involved two research questions that examined undergraduate nursing students’ (n = 51) cultural awareness, and the association between undergraduate nursing students’ cultural …

Earnings Management In Response To Fair Treatment: The Roles Of Organizational Identity And Moral Identity, Kimberly M. Bates

Management Dissertations - Archive

Fraud continues to be an issue that organizations face globally, losing an estimated 5% of annual revenue for a total of $4.5 trillion globally. However, fraudulent behavior is difficult to study due to the unacceptable nature of it. I provide researchers with an adapted measure of earnings management that mitigates the socially undesirable act of earnings management which can suppress findings in self-reported studies. Additionally, based on the target similarity model, my dissertation considers accountants’ perception of fair treatment by the organization on willingness to engage in earnings management benefiting the organization. I survey 123 financial and managerial accountants to …

Intersections Between Social Work And Public Administration: A Case Study Of Urban Water Poverty, Katherine M. Lindsey

Social Work Theses - Archive

Despite infrastructure advances, water testing, and environmental policies, there are still areas in the United States that lack clean water. Some communities are negatively impacted by policies, location, socioeconomic status, water obtainment methods, and racial, ethnic, or cultural differences. Social workers desiring to intervene may not know where to begin. To identify potential interventions, this case study examines how the community of Green Tree Estates gained access to clean water through advocacy efforts and community organizing. This community, located within a large city in Texas, is a previously annexed, small mobile home community consisting of a Hispanic, Spanish speaking population …