Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mind The Gap: Revealing The Association Between Depression, Marijuana Use, And Mental Health Care Utilization, Zachary (Zak) A. Kobs

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Depression is a widespread mental health condition affecting millions worldwide, with young adults being particularly vulnerable. The concurrent use of marijuana has become an increasingly relevant factor in treating depression, especially in this population. However, recent literature reviews have highlighted a significant gap in knowledge regarding treatment outcomes in adolescents who utilize both mental health treatments, including antidepressants (AD), and marijuana. This research seeks to better understand the relationship between mental health treatment utilization and marijuana together by exploring the association between depression, marijuana use, and mental health care utilization. Our findings suggest that depression and marijuana use tend to …

An Evaluation Of Distraction Correlations From Background Music On Working Memory Span, Ange-Dominique A. Akesse

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Past research has heavily studied the impact of background music on long-term memory (LTM), but the reason for these effects have not been heavily investigated. It is possible that errors in LTM come from encoding issues in working memory (WM), especially when participants are in the presence of background music. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between background music and working memory capacity. Additionally, this investigation aimed to seek clarity on the factors that could be responsible for such influences, whether it be a boosting or hinderance to working memory capacity (WMC). Because of this, …

Designing A Comprehensive Waste Management Plan For K-12 Public School Systems: Ridgefield High School Zero-Waste Initiative Case Study, Caitlin Saoirse Boyle

Student Theses 2015-Present

Waste management is fundamental to reducing the anthropogenic impact on the environment. It allows humans to recycle plastic, cardboard, aluminum, etc waste that would otherwise pile in a landfill, and compost food and napkin scraps. Ridgefield High School, a local Connecticut public school, initially diverted all of its cafeteria waste to landfills, with recycling bins only in teachers’ offices and select classrooms. Through the first waste audit conducted on their cafeteria trash, out of 258 lbs of waste collected, there is an 82.5% opportunity for diversion out of the waste stream including liquid, mixed recyclables, food, paper, 5-cent recyclables, and …

Predicting Our Own Demise: How Media Has Played Nostradamus To The Future Of Artificial Intelligence, Connor Denny-Lybbert

Honors Theses

In this paper, I argue that we should be hesitant and skeptical of the applications of AI technology in government due to the possibility of, and ongoing abuses of this technology by political actors. I do this by first analyzing various pieces of sci-fi media in three parts: how this media approaches crime and punishment, personhood, and human happiness. Then, I explain how these themes intersect with the above framework and how we can use the themes to guide future policy. This is followed by an analysis of what these pieces of media tell us regarding artificial intelligence and how …

Factors That Influence Black Youth Voter Turnout, Arianna T. Ramos

Honors Capstones

This paper examines the factors that influence black youth voter turnout. First, this paper discusses how it is related to and implemented into black studies. After a brief justification of the need, this paper examines specific factors that influence black youth voter turnout. These factors are then applied with factors that affect youth voter turnout. This paper ends with a survey for black students between the ages of 18-25 to study the factors that influence black youth voter turnout.

Cultural Humility When Caring For Lgbtqia+ Older Adults: A Resource Guide For Occupational Therapy Practitioners And Students, Michele Ramos, Deb Meyers, Mary Ann Smith

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The LGBTQIA+ older adult population has unique needs due to their experience as diverse individuals in a cisgender, heteronormative society. Experiences and effects of discrimination need to be considered when providing care. Occupational therapists have a role in addressing disparities of all marginalized groups, including LGBTQIA+ older adults. Practitioners may utilize cultural humility and trauma-informed practices when treating the LGBTQIA+ population. Existing resources to guide culturally humble occupational therapy care for LGBTQIA+ older adults are insufficient. The purpose of this project was to build on existing cultural humble resources and create a website on the focus of occupational therapy cultural …

Using Timeline Methodology To Facilitate Qualitative Interviews To Explore Sexuality Experiences Of Female Pakistani-Descent Immigrant Adolescents, Neelam Saleem Punjani Dr., Elisavet Papathanassoglou Dr., Kathleen Hegadoren, Zubia Mumtaz, Saima Hirani, Margot Jackson

The Qualitative Report

In qualitative research, there is a growing interest in understanding the use of timelines in combination with other qualitative methods. In this paper, we will address how the creation of timelines facilitated and informed the process of semi-structured interviews. We used an interpretive descriptive qualitative study to understand the perceptions and experiences of developing sexuality among female adolescents of Pakistani descent, and timelines were used as a part of the semi-structured interview process. Timelines were created in a participatory way in which girls were asked to recount significant events related to their sexuality. We found that the methodological combinations within …

I Want To Be A Teacher But The Profession Won’T Let Me: How A Criminal Record Alters A Black Man’S Teaching Aspirations, Terrence S. Mctier Jr., Cameron Beatty

The Qualitative Report

There is a shortage of Black men pursuing and or entering the pre-K-12 teaching profession. Some of the causes for the lack of Black men in the teaching profession stems from burnout, the school-to-prison pipeline, bad experiences as students, and a myriad of other reasons. We believe that Black men having a criminal record has not been fully explored or brought to the forefront as a major issue amongst the teaching profession and teacher preparation programs. To highlight this issue, we highlight and center the experience of one Black male who wanted to become an elementary reading teacher but was …

An Exploratory Qualitative Study Of Oncology Nurses’ Experience In Providing Care For Terminally Ill Patients In Salmaniya Medical Complex In Bahrain, Layla S. Turki, Leena Khonji, Magda Bayoumi

The Qualitative Report

Oncology nurses are essential in palliative care for cancer patients, especially at end-of-life stages. Caring for terminally ill cancer patients is stressful, accompanied by negative and positive feelings, but oncology nurses have an unavoidable responsibility. However, little is known about oncology nurses' experience in the Kingdom of Bahrain caring for terminally ill cancer patients in their final weeks or days. This study aimed to explore the experience of oncology staff nurses in providing care for terminally ill patients in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the research answered those questions: (a) What is the experience of oncology staff nurses in providing …

Learning From Goa Pindul: Community Empowerment Through Sustainable Tourism Villages In Indonesia, Yudan Hermawan, Sujarwo Sujarwo, Yoyon Suryono

The Qualitative Report

This study aims to reveal the success of community empowerment based on sustainable tourism in Goa Pindul, Indonesia. This study adopted the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to understand the village community empowerment process phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine (9) research participants from the Goa Pindul tourism village community. The findings of this study indicated that tourism-based community empowerment is started with awareness-raising through socialization and community service, followed by capacity building through various needs-based tourism management training and the formation of tourism awareness groups that are given to manage their potential and evaluate their development. This tourism-based community …

International Strategies For Addressing The Needs Of Children With Disabilities: Comparing Pediatric Therapy Services In Italy And The United States, Cassidy Hearn, Lillian Hsiao, Lavinia Fanelli, Regina Harbourne

Physical Therapy Projects

This paper introduces and compares the professions of Neuro and Psychomotor Therapist of Developmental Age and pediatric physical therapy. Although pediatric physical therapy practice is prevalent in the United States, Italy utilizes another profession which encompasses many features of physical therapy, but also incorporates neuropsychological factors, specifically for children.

Implementation Of A Nurse-Led Clinical Algorithm For Pressure Injury Prevention Associated With Non-Invasive Ventilation Medical Device Use, Capri Steinkuhler, Kaitlin Rogge

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Purpose and Aims

Medical device related pressure injuries (PI) account for as much as 61-81% of all hospital reported wound incidents (Gefen et al., 2020) and are frequently caused by respiratory devices such as non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Use of NIV in critically ill patients dramatically increased during the pandemic. PI are one of the leading causes of injury to hospitalized patients and lengthens hospital stays (National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel [NPIAP], 2019). The NPIAP recommends routine skin assessment under devices, proper mask fit, protective barrier, moisture reduction, and interdisciplinary collaboration to prevent PIs from NIV masks. This feasibility study’s purpose …

Perception Of Alumni Of The Department Of Agriculture At Stephen F. Austin State University, Sherifat Rufai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. …

Factors Affecting Remote Workers’ Job Satisfaction In Utah: An Exploratory Study, Amanda D. Ali, Lendel K. Narine, Paul A. Hill, Dominic C. Bria

Extension Research

With structural changes in work arrangements, employee retention becomes more important for organizational success. Guided by the Ability, Motivation, Opportunity (AMO) framework, this study investigated the factors affecting remote workers’ job satisfaction and personal wellbeing in Utah. From a sample of n = 143 remote workers, the study used a correlational design to identify the significant predictors of job satisfaction and personal wellbeing. It mapped the relationships between significant predictors of job satisfaction and personal wellbeing and explored the role of human resources (HR) policies and organizational culture in a remote work environment. Results showed intrinsic motivation, affective commitment, opportunity, …

An Economic Analysis Of The United Kingdom Given The Possible Effects Of Overthrowing The Northern Ireland Protocol, Joshua P. Brink

Honors Thesis

This research paper examines the current conflict between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiation. This negotiation was created following the UK’s decision to leave the EU in an event known as Brexit. The conflict has occurred because many Brexiteers in the UK want to override parts of the Protocol since it is a burden for the UK’s economy. The EU, however, has threatened to retaliate since this would be breaking the agreement between these two parties. Furthermore, this paper attempts to evaluate the conflict as a whole, examining all perspectives of …

Examining The Benefits Of Adding Mindfulness-Based Programs In The Curriculum Of Undergraduate And Graduate Social Work Programs: A Review Of Literature, Sarah M. Dickerson

Honors Thesis

Undergraduate and graduate students are often enveloped in an array of stress and anxiety, and it is no surprise that undergraduate and graduate social work students are faced with high amounts of stress due to vicarious trauma as a result of exposure to via coursework and experiential learning. It also comes as no surprise that social work professionals are exposed to numerous stressors causing the burnout rate for social workers to be high. Mindfulness techniques are used in various cultures and religions around the world with the purpose of synching mind and body. Using mindfulness techniques, individuals can be fully …

Assessing Gender Differences In Usd Students In The Consumption Of Pornography, Abbey Selleck

Honors Thesis

While pornography consumption has been studied many times in the past decade, little has been done on assessing the gender differences behind it. This study sought out to find those differences. A total of 306 University of South Dakota students participated in an online pornography survey. There was 231 females and 75 males. When asked about intentionally consuming pornography, there was 241 responses, 180 females and 61 males. Of those responses, 57 males (93%) and 142 females (79%) said they intentionally consume pornography. As hypothesized, a higher percentage of men said they consumed porn regularly (34%) than did women (4%). …

Forming A Global Citizen: Personal Development Through Study Abroad, Anna L. Reiter

Honors Thesis

This literature review examines key benefits of studying abroad, while investigating which elements most contribute to students’ overall success. Current literature suggests that benefits of studying abroad include, but are not limited to, second language acquisition (SLA), identity formation, and intercultural competence. The degree of which each is improved depends on a multitude of variables. SLA improvement is explored via consideration of students’ baseline proficiency level, degree of receptivity of the host country, and length of the study abroad program. Students’ identity formation is explained through the three bases of identity: person, role, and group/social. Finally, intercultural competence in study …

Physician Assistant Professional Issues: Optimal Team Practice In South Dakota, Michael J. Eggum

Honors Thesis

Optimal team practice (OTP) is a policy meant to modernize physician assistant (PA) practice laws, and one of the most controversial associated changes is removing the requirement for a PA to have a supervisory/collaborative agreement with a physician. In South Dakota (SD), there have been three OTP-related bills that failed to pass during their respective legislative sessions: House Bill 1163 from 2021, Senate Bill 134 from 2022, and Senate Bill 175 from 2023. This study was conducted as a survey consisting of 11 questions administered to SD PAs. The goal of this survey study was to determine PA understanding/disposition towards …

Vulnerability Of Juveniles To False Confessions, Amanda Ghibaudo

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In criminal proceedings, confessions have long been recognized as the gold standard of evidence. Understandably, many people question why someone would willingly confess to a crime that they did not commit. However, in the event of an interrogation, police often use psychologically coercive interrogation techniques that may make suspects, especially juveniles, more susceptible to false confessions. This paper intends to assess the vulnerability of juveniles to false confessions and the legal implications of such confessions. The reality is that false confessions ruin innocent lives. Synthesizing existing literature on relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases, juvenile interrogation procedures, and the dispositional vulnerabilities …

Midweed: A Comparison Between Marijuana Laws, Regulations, And Social Attitudes In Cannabis-Legal Vs. Cannabis-Illegal Midwest States, Abagail Lim

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This professional project is a series of three journalistic articles. Each article focuses on laws, regulations and social attitudes surrounding marijuana in the United States. These topics are explored primarily through the lenses of two Midwest states (Illinois & Nebraska), which have highly contrasting laws and regulations regarding marijuana. The state of Illinois legalized medical marijuana in January 2014 and recreational marijuana in January 2020, while in Nebraska, both medical and recreational use still remains illegal, though possession of up to one ounce has been decriminalized.

The purpose of choosing these two states is to show how stark a contrast …

Translating A Pediatric Weight Management Intervention Into Medically Underserved Areas, Caitlin Golden

Theses & Dissertations

Despite substantial prevention and treatment efforts, childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern. Disparities persist in obesity prevalence among children of lower socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic minority groups, and those residing in rural areas. The vast majority of efficacious pediatric weight management interventions (PWMIs) have been based in larger cities and urban areas delivered through inter-disciplinary teams in a hospital or medical center, and the degree to which these or other efficacious PWMIs have been translated to, and are feasible in, typical rural or micropolitan areas is unclear. This dissertation describes a dissemination strategy and a systematic approach …

Osmosis: Asymmetries In Telematic Performance, Matthias Ziegler

Journal of Network Music and Arts

For the 2022 edition of the NowNet Arts Conference on October 31st, the telematic research team of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) presented a project entitled OSMOSIS. OSMOSIS was a concert event, highlighting how telematically connected spaces always confront each other asymmetrically. Their telematic connection is part of a continuous space in which information is fragmented and selectively reassembled. Like the biochemical process of osmosis in which molecules diffuse across a cell membrane from one level of concentration to another, in telematic connections certain elements such as sound, physicality, movement, and empathy are diffused across spaces, each being …

Synthesis: Works Of Sarah Weaver And Collaborations (2020-2022), Sarah Weaver

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Synthesis Series is a set of contemplative contemporary network arts works for solo, chamber, and large ensemble performance. The works are my compositions and collaborations from the years 2020 to 2022. The concept of synthesis is conceived as an activation of synchrony. Synthesis Series follows my prior works in Synchrony Series and Source Series as sequences of compositions since 1998 proliferating into a networked system of artistic realization. In Synchrony Series I defined synchrony as the perceptual alignment of distributed time and space components. Synthesis builds on this to activate the alignment as a networked state of composite resultants, networked …

Distributed Networks Of Listening And Sounding: 20 Years Of Telematic Musicking, Doug Van Nort

Journal of Network Music and Arts

This paper traces a twenty-year arc of my performance and compositional practice in the medium of telematic music, focusing on a distinct approach to fostering interdependence and emergence through the integration of listening strategies, electroacoustic improvisation, pre-composed structures, blended real/virtual acoustics, networked mutual-influence, shared signal transformations, gesture-concepts and machine agencies. Communities of collaboration and exchange over this time period are discussed, which span both pre- and post-pandemic approaches to the medium that range from metaphors of immersion and dispersion to diffraction.

An Overview Of Immersive Virtual Reality Music Experiences In Online Platforms, Ben Loveridge

Journal of Network Music and Arts

As the field of Virtual Reality (VR) continues to mature, so too does the potential for creative and immersive musical experiences in the medium. However, of the thousands of applications now available across the major VR platforms, only a small number of titles focus on the ability to create or explore musical content. This article outlines the current state of music games, experiences, and creative applications across the current VR ecosystem. Firstly, it surveys the quantity of commercial titles currently available across the major VR platforms with a music-related focus. Secondly, the article classifies music applications into the following subcategories: …

Musical Time In Network Interaction: The Case Of Unfinished Line, Silvio Ferraz, William Teixeira

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Considering recent world events, art and music could not be unmoved by the dramatic turn of directions in both the way people relate and the place of technology in their lives. An ongoing project of both the authors in writing a new piece for cello and Disklavier operated by interactions in real-time gave place to a new kind of composition, mixing written music to improvisation and replacing real-time for something we are calling remote time. This paper presents such walking of resilience, first reviewing some relevant points of view about musical interaction in real-time and the importance of synchrony for …

The Entanglement: Volumetric Music Performances In A Virtual Metaverse Environment, Damian Dziwis, Henrik Von Coler

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Telematic music performances are an established performance practice in contemporary music. Performing music pieces with geographically distributed musicians is both a technological challenge and an artistic one. These challenges and the resulting possibilities can lead to innovative aesthetic realizations. This paper presents the implementation and realization of “The Entanglement,” a telematic concert performance in a metaverse environment. The system is realized using web-based frameworks to implement a platform-independent online multi-user environment with volumetric, three- dimensional, streaming of audio and video. This allows live performance of this improvisation piece based on an algorithmic quantum computer composition within a freely explorational virtual …

Adventures In [A]Synchrony: Tools And Strategies For The Network Arts-Curious Music Educator, Seth Adams

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Networked Music Performance (NMP) is ensemble music mediated by a network such as the internet. NMP can be usefully divided into asynchronous and synchronous formats. Prototypical examples of the asynchronous format familiar to music educators are Eric Whitacre’s virtual choirs that began in 2009. A decade later, the virtual ensemble format exploded in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the format does not allow participants to interact with one another, virtual ensembles nonetheless provide ample opportunities for both musical and nonmusical benefits. Synchronous NMP is, by comparison, little known and rarely practiced by music educators. However, both types of …

Editorial, Sarah Weaver

Journal of Network Music and Arts

No abstract provided.