Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Funding Achievement In Kentucky, Brett Blair, James Masterson

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

It is no surprise that the proper education of a population ranks high on the list of important accomplishments within a society. After all, a population’s education can affect its ability to perform at a high capacity. The education of Kentucky’s children is no different. Recent years have seen large disparities in the resources available to each school in Kentucky, which could have effects on the educational output of regions in the state. Though research has been conducted on concepts such as school funding, educational quality, and education reform, this research tends to be lacking in specificity and consistency. (DeYoung, …

Quantifying Ant Populations To Measure Biodiversity In Morehead, Ky, Alyssa Turner, Jude Hall, Tayla Lee, Charles Lydeard, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

To effectively conduct conservation efforts, we can use biodiversity to assess the condition of our environment. Biodiversity has been commonly defined as the variety and variability among living organisms within an area. When our ecosystems are at their best, they clean water, purify air, maintain soil, regulate climate, recycle nutrients, and provide food. Everything within an ecosystem is interdependent, so biodiversity is an important factor and indicator of environmental health. Indicators help us to measure and monitor pressures or threats in land and water use, habitat loss or invasive species, the state of species and ecosystems, the conservation response, and …

Economic Feasibility Of Rainwater Harvesting:A Case Study At Morehead State University, Riley Q. Williams, Vijay Subramaniam

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) was primarily considered as a source for freshwater supply or a conservation practice for over coming water shortages in drought prone areas. By retaining storm-water run-off for on site use, harvesting systems reduce the runoff volumes and pollutant masses entering waterways. Consequently, using roof-top RWH as a best management practice has been encouraged by many state and local governments. Some of the most interesting aspects of RWH are the methods of capture, storage, and the use of this natural resource at the place it occurs.

Combating Nursing Burnout: A Quality Improvement Project, Heather Randolph, Maddy Mcelfresh, Addie Short, Cailey Dahlquist, Jenna Bartley, Suzi White

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Nursing burnout costs the health care industry roughly 14 billion dollars a year. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased burnout rates. Many nurses feel overworked and underappreciated; this has caused a negative impact as it is influencing the rates of burnout among hospital staffing globally. Over half a million registered nurses have already left their profession nationwide due to stress and workload (Bruyneel, Smith, Tack, & Pirson, 2021). Burnout has diminished staff, depleted resources, and decreased quality of care.

Predicting Cryptocurrency Price Change Direction From Supply-Side Factors Via Machine Learning Methods, David Mayo, Heba Elgazzar

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Cryptocurrency prices are highly variable. Predicting changes in cryptocurrency price is a hugely important topic to investors and researchers, with much existing research on demand-side factors. The goal of this research project is to design and implement machine learning models to predict future cryptocurrency price change direction based primarily on supply-side factors. Different unsupervised machine learning techniques are used to build the predictive models. These techniques include K Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Naïve Bayesian Classifier, and Random Forest Classifier. A dataset of 10 daily supply-side metrics for three prominent cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and …

Genes Repressed After Dna Damage In Acinetobacter Baumannii Are Co-Regulated By Umudab And Ddrr, Mollee Flannigan, Xiaohong Li, Eric Rouchka, Deborah Cook, Janeele Hare

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

UmuDAb and DdrR coregulate error-prone polymerases in the multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, by repressing polymerase expression until after DNA damage. New evidence indicates that these proteins may also regulate other genes that are repressed following DNA damage. We performed an in silico analysis of RNA-Seq data from wild-type, ddrR, and umuDAb mutant strains to examine the expression levels of genes repressed after DNA damage. We used two different algorithms to analyze Cuffnorm- and HTSeq normalized gene counts. This analysis revealed nineteen (CuffDiff) or twenty-nine (DESeq2) genes repressed in wild-type cells that were derepressed after DNA damage in either …

Comfort Women: The Climax That Exposed Japanese Culture, Olivia Dale, James Masterson

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

When a nation attempts to erase the history of a marginalized group, the preservation of such narratives becomes critical. The genuine culture of a nation is exposed when that which officials attempted to hide is analyzed. The comfort women scheme conducted by the Imperial Japanese Government serves as an example of this phenomenon. The comfort women system was more than sex trafficking; it was the climax of a sexist society. Japan had a long history of organized prostitution before the Second World War, but during the conflict, the demeaning actions committed against women extended beyond the nation. The Japanese government …

Analytical Method Development For The Analysis Of E-Liquids, Calista Dean, Charlotte Gabbard, Emma Schmittzehe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Electronic cigarettes are one of the most commonly used methods of nicotine delivery, especially among the adolescent population. Due to the lack of regulation in manufacturer labeling of refillable nicotine solutions (e-liquids), the actual concentration of nicotine and other additives is variable as compared to the reported values. Misreporting of nicotine content is a contributor in the development of nicotine dependency and potentially tobacco product dependency. The objective of this research is to develop reliable analytical methods to study the variations in nicotine levels in e-liquids, and to identify and quantify other potentially harmful additives in e-liquids. In this research …

The Ethics Surrounding Do-It-Yourself Hormone Replacement Therapy, Ted Studt

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Healthcare is often a complicated issue to navigate, and sadly it gets no easier for those who are transgender. Gender-affirming healthcare can be incredibly tough to attain, both within and outside the United States. Research found that trans citizens in the US were less likely to be insured and more likely to experience barriers to access than cis citizens. In April and May 2021, laws were signed into effect in Arkansas and Tennessee targeting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and puberty blockers, specifically banning such medicines being given to individuals under 18. As a result, many transgender citizens turn to online …

Ethics Of Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide, Kathryn Halloran

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Ua3/10 President's Messages - Spring Semester, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

President's Message emails sent by Timothy Caboni to faculty & staff during spring semester, 2022.

• Budget
• Commencement
• Commons at Helm Library
• Compensation Analysis
• COVID-19
• COVID-19 – Masks
• End of Semester
• Enrollment / Recruitment
• Scholarship Celebration
• Semester Kickoff
• Student Retention

An Unfinished Melody: Mental Illness, Worship Music, And The Tension Of The Pentecostal “Now” And “Not Yet, Brianna Turbeville

Masters of Theological Studies

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is estimated that nearly 20% of adults within the United States suffer from some form of mental illness.1 With roughly one-fifth, if not more, of the entire U.S. population facing a daily internal battle of some sort, this is an issue that is certainly elemental to the overarching purpose of the Church as an agent of reconciliation of creation with Creator. A prevalent problem requires prevalent solutions. What is something even more pervasive in every culture than mental health? Music. Melodies and lyrics are native to virtually every individual on earth. …

Predictive Factors In Nurse Retention: The Association Of Authentic Leadership, Nurse Leader Caring Behaviors, And Burnout In Novice Nurse Retention, April M. Novotny

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The demand for healthcare services in the United States is expected to dramatically increase in the coming decades. To meet the growing demand, a healthy workforce of nurses is necessary. In response to the identified problem of novice nurse retention, the researcher examined the concepts of authentic leadership, leadership caring behaviors, and burnout to determine the impact of these factors on intent to stay within an organization for novice nurses with less than 1 year of experience at a large community hospital. The study findings demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between the factors of authentic leadership, leader caring behaviors, burnout, …

Evaluating The Validity Of Restrictions On Blood Donation Eligibility For Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In The United States, France, And Switzerland, Swathi Gorantla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the first time in a decade, the number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses is higher for heterosexual people compared to gay and bisexual men (Florêncio, 2022). Additionally, in the United States, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis due to the nationwide shortage of donated blood. During this crisis, charged with the new information on HIV diagnosis rates, many advocates for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community question why discriminatory policy surrounding gay and bisexual men donating still exist around the world. These policies are changing worldwide – several European countries have …

Worrying In Cato Manor: A Case Study Analysis On The Influence Of Context, Samantha Garbus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Social Causation theory states that social and economic circumstances cause people to be at a higher risk of mental illness (Lund 2011, p.1). South Africa has high inequality, with racial disparities prevalent in multiple indicators of socioeconomic status. Moreover, mental health in South Africa has often not been prioritized. This project aimed to assess how context impacts relevant aspects of mental health, such as worrying and the mind/body stress-response in Cato Manor. An additional theme of community beliefs on stress emerged from the interviews which is also presented.

For this project, I used a Mixed Methods-Case Study research design. I …

Double Consciousness And Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors In Young Black And White Adults, Priscillia Ihionkhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the previously understudied notion that Black individuals are buffered against being dissatisfied with their bodies and in turn developing unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors. Double consciousness, a racially/ethnically sensitive measure of body dissatisfaction, was tested as a mediator of the relation between ethnic identity and unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors in Black and White adults. It was anticipated that unhealthy weight control behaviors would be more common in Black women compared to White women and that double consciousness would mediate the association between ethnic identity and unhealthy weight control behaviors among Black women, but …

Epidemiology In Higher Education: Scarlet Fever At Gettysburg College, Addison E. Lomax

Student Publications

Throughout the early 20th century, the relationship between higher education and the spread of epidemic disease evolved in the United States. Two notable epidemics of scarlet fever in 1915 and 1920 serve as a lens through which the larger roles of disease and higher education can be analyzed. By assessing the roles both the administration and the students played at Gettysburg College, then Pennsylvania College, historians can understand the process of combating health crises in the future. Although the Pennsylvania College scarlet fever epidemics of 1915 and 1920 impacted campus to a smaller extent than the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the …

Integration Of Arts And Humanities In Medicine To Develop Well-Rounded Physicians: The Roles Of Health Sciences Librarians, Misa Mi, Lin Wu, Yingting Zhang, Wendy Wu

Library Scholarly Publications

Over the past ten years, there has been a growing interest in integrating arts and humanities in medicine to increase learners’ empathy and resilience, improve personal well-being, communication, and observational skills, enhance self- reflection, and promote professionalism. These desired skills and qualities are becoming increasingly important for the physicians of tomorrow. Parallel to curricular interventions of integrating arts and humanities to medical education, there has been an increasing research interest in investigating the impact of such interventions on medical students with respect to improving and sustaining students’ empathy as they progress in their medical education and develop their professional identity. …

Genes Involved In Cell Division In Acinetobacter Baumannii Are Coregulated By Umudab And Ddrr, Belinda Candra, Xiaohong Li, Eric Rouchka, Deborah Cook, Janelle Hare

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

In the presence of DNA damage, the multi-drug resistant bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii employs the proteins UmuDAb and DdrR to repress the expression of error-prone polymerases.

The Write Stuff - Spring 2022 (Vol. 19, No. 2), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2022

• New PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews
• Top tips for writing article titles
• Key points from NIH seminar: “Including diverse populations in NIH-funded clinical research”
• Unusual terms used in scientific writing and publishing: NISO

Flippin' Medicine: Reflection And Action In Medical Education, Alison Lawrence

Audre Lorde Prize

Historically, medicine has centered around a single model: that of the white, cisgender, heterosexual, abled, middle-class male body. While it is well known that patients of diverse identities often present differently, medical education continues to use this dominant, normative model as the standard for all patients while ignoring marginalized groups in their descriptions. "Flippin' Medicine" reflects on the prevalence of normative models in medicine, as well as the ways in which these models slip past the notice of providers with privileged identities. The author then describes the process behind creating a resource, titled Flipped Medicine: A Guide to Deconstructing the …

2022 Research Day Program, Lincoln Memorial University

Research Day

This program contains abstracts and presentation summaries from LMU's 2022 Annual Research Day conference.

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2022), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Upcoming Workshop
• News from the OPWPC
• Quick Reminder

The Effects Of Mosaic Law Observance On Human Health, Emily Uhlmeyer

Senior Honors Theses

For the people of ancient Israel, life was guided and regulated by adherence to the law of Moses. Dietary restrictions, purification rituals, circumcision, and Sabbath observance were each critical components of this code and were meticulously detailed in the Old Testament, specifically in the Torah. Still today, dietary laws are observed and select rituals practiced by many Jews and Seventh Day Adventists. Although health protection was never the primary purpose of the law, noticeable effects on human health have been connected to its observance. Evaluation of the effects of the Levitical law on human health can be achieved by a …

“Pandemias Políticas: The Effects Of Political And Social Instability On Infectious Disease Epidemiology In Latin America"”, Sarah H. Noonan

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to analyze the relationship between political and social unrest and conflict and infectious disease epidemiology in Latin America. An analysis of published literature regarding epidemiological, biomedical, political, and historical content was conducted to highlight potential connections between infectious disease epidemics and sociopolitical conflict in the region. Specific analyses of Smallpox, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, Chagas disease, Cholera, Dengue, and COVID-19 were conducted, in an effort to uncover potential causations and context of epidemics of these conditions. Results of this analysis depict a necessity for further research into public health and disease control mechanisms during times of conflict and …

The Role Of American Domestic Medicine In The Nineteenth Century: Implications For Modern Populations With Low Access To Health Care, Savannah Allen

Senior Theses

Domestic medicine can be defined as medical treatment provided within the home or community that is administered by a member of that home or community who is not a physician, surgeon, or nurse. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, domestic medicine flourished as housewives began to take on the role of medical practitioner. This was an attempt to alleviate the stress of low healthcare access that plagued lower-income and rural communities. Among lower- and middle-class communities in present day, we continue to see disparities in access to quality health care. I will argue that telemedicine has transformed during …

A Comparative Analysis Of Migrant Health Policies And Practices In The Us And Switzerland, Rebecca Mak

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Migrants compose a large proportion of the population in both the US and Switzerland. The social vulnerability of migrants has been well-established in literature, but few studies have attempted to compare healthcare policies and approaches that most effectively support migrant health using multiple measures.

To fill this gap in the literature, this study will comparatively analyze of the efficacy of US and Switzerland migrant health policies and services by assessing access to and quality of care for migrants in each country. Four main features of healthcare systems were analyzed: insurance policy, healthcare utilization, NCD outcomes, and patient perceptions of care. …

La Política Cultural Del Aborto: Las Percepciones Y El Manejo Del Aborto En Arica, Chile, Eva Strelitz-Block

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile has a long history of restricting access to legal abortion. Until 2017, when the government passed the law N° 21.030 decriminalizing abortion on three grounds, abortion was completely illegal. However, despite this movement towards decriminalization, legal abortion access is still very limited and highly restricted. In this criminalized, highly stigmatized environment, self-managed abortion has emerged as a way to transform the landscape of abortion. This qualitative, exploratory study seeks to explore perceptions of abortion and practices of abortion management both within and outside of the official healthcare system among women and people with the capacity to become pregnant and …

Shinetagantsi: Un Caso De La Alimentación Materna E Infantil Y Medicina Intercultural Durante Lactancia En La Comunidad Nativa De Palotoa Teparo, Layne Scopano

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Con un enfoque antropológico, esta investigación analiza las percepciones del cuidado desde los sistemas médicos occidentales y la medicina tradicional de las madres de la comunidad nativa de Palotoa Teparo en la Amazonía peruana en lo que respecta a la nutrición durante la lactancia. Los resultados de este estudio, obtenidos a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y observación directa e indirecta, permiten describir el estado nutricional de las madres de Palotoa Teparo durante la lactancia y su relación con la nutrición infantil, señalar las prácticas de salud, tanto occidental como tradicional, relevantes para el estado nutricional de las madres y los …

Healing In The Himalayas: Mustangi Medical Practitioners’ Perspectives On Integrative Approaches To Chronic Illness, Lucia Morey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this Independent Study Project is to capture a snapshot of the opinions and experiences of 13 health practitioners from 7 villages and towns in Mustang. Specifically, I asked independent healers (IH), amchis and health post workers about their practices and perspectives on chronic illness, integrative medicine and the intersection of the two. I found that there is a flow of information in one general direction, with practitioners along a continuum of most to least globally recognized. Understandably, the least well known (independent healers) are aware of Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) and conventional Western medicine (CWM). Subcategories of …