Sketches of Autumn

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Jeff Spradling on April 13, 1992

A Soils Data System for Kentucky

This report discusses the development of a computerized soils data system which facilitates collection, centralized storage, and retrieval of soils data developed by engineers and scientists for projects in Kentucky. Without such a system, much soils data are essentially lost after each project is completed. This system will provide data that can conveniently be used for developing preliminary sources of information for site investigation, for preparing regional soil maps, for land use planning, and for studying new and existing empirical relationships involving soil properties and characteristics. Various types of data systems, the design of the system to include software and hardware, and the contributers and users of the system are discussed. The system is divided into collection, storage, and retrieval subsystems. The operation of each subsystem is discussed. A computerized system was selected as the most efficient. A file definition and coding system was developed and is included in the appendices of the report

Role Based Hedonic Games

In the hedonic coalition formation game model Roles Based Hedonic Games (RBHG), agents view teams as compositions of available roles. An agent\u27s utility for a partition is based upon which role she fulfills within the coalition and which additional roles are being fulfilled within the coalition. I consider optimization and stability problems for settings with variable power on the part of the central authority and on the part of the agents. I prove several of these problems to be NP-complete or coNP-complete. I introduce heuristic methods for approximating solutions for a variety of these hard problems. I validate heuristics on real-world data scraped from League of Legends games

Generation X and Facebook: An Examination of the Behavioral and Cognitive Engagements of Generation X on Facebook

Mobile internet technologies and social media have radically altered the media landscape, and traditional media outlets are experimenting with ways to more efficiently reach and connect with audiences. Social media offers media outlets an opportunity and space to strengthen relationships with audiences while delivering content across multiple modalities and platforms. This study, through an online survey, open-ended questions, and focus group sessions, offers an examination of the cognitive and behavioral engagements of Generation X on Facebook through a uses and gratifications perspective. Results indicate Generation X uses Facebook for information seeking and to strengthen and maintain current relationships but seems willing to interact with media outlets in the same space. This willingness to connect represents an opportunity for traditional media managers to reach this socially and economically vital age group and develop brand-loyal relationships

Phenolics in red wine pomace and their potential application in animal and human health

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 14, 2009)Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.Grape pomace by-products, from wine-making, have some beneficial antioxidant compounds left in them after vinification and could be a cheap source of these compounds for value added products. One of the most common antioxidant groups found in grapes are the phenols. These antioxidants have the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease, prevent some cancers, have chemoprotective roles, reduce signs of skin aging, aid in glucose transport, and prevent other diseases such as iron storage disease (ISD). In this research, five Missouri red wine pomace samples were evaluated; Chambourcin, Grenache, Michigan, Norton and Vincent varieties. They were analyzed for total phenolic content using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, total condensed tannin content using the Vanillin-HCl assay, procyanidin degree of polymerization using normal-phase HPLC, iron-binding potential using the iron-binding phenolic capacity assay, and antioxidant activity using the ABTS and ORAC assays. The results showed that the vinification method applied to the grape variety greatly affected the pomace properties and composition. Red wine pomace, produced from lightly pressed grapes, has higher phenolic and antioxidant activities. This type of pomace has the greatest potential for applications that will benefit animal and human health.Includes bibliographical reference

Employing Strategies to Increase EBP Competency in Frontline Nurses while Aligning Nursing Skills with Current Evidence: A Quality Improvement Project

Background: Clinical nurses are required to demonstrate expertise for diverse patient conditions while balancing efforts to improve both staff satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Nurse leaders must implement and measure the effectiveness of strategies to empower nurses to maintain clinical competence for themselves and their peers to ensure the highest quality of evidence-based care is delivered at the earliest patient touchpoints reliably and consistently. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to engage direct care nurses as skills “champions” to improve the clinical skills of nurses working in a resource pool in a large urban hospital. Methods/Approach: Clinical nurses were empowered to “champion” and lead a skills competency event. Attendance was required for the skills event by all nurses assigned to the resource pool of a large tertiary hospital located in the Southwestern United States. The skills event encompassed nine skills with 11 direct care nurse leads over a three-day period. Clinical nurse leads were chosen based on clinical experience, career ladder advancement, leadership potential, and career mapping. Nurses selected skills validation for the competency event based on a needs assessment using high-risk and low-frequency rationales. Clinical nurse leads were mentored through validating their assigned clinical skill being taught according to best-known practices using UpToDate and Lippincott Solutions: Lippincott Procedures. One-on-one meetings were held with the nursing professional development specialist leader and clinical nurse lead to design each skills competency checkoff. The nursing professional development specialist engaged nurse leads in searching peer-reviewed literature using the online institutional library resources, organizational policy and procedure, and organizational data trends to equip the clinical nurse leads with information to educate their peers. Objective and subjective data were collected by the nursing professional development specialist immediately following the direct care nurses’ skills checkoff to measure staff perception and compliance in the skills event. Additional data were obtained during leadership rounding by the nursing professional development specialist for two weeks following the skills event. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Forty-one resource pool nurses participated. Nurses rated the check off as “excellent” (79 %; n = 31); “extremely organized” (66.67%; n = 26); and answered “yes” to “appealed to my learning style” (100.0%; n = 39). All clinical nurses answered “yes” to “skills being applicable and effective for use in their practice” (100.0 %; n = 39). Further debriefing with nurse leads for the skills revealed themes of nurses feeling empowered, bold, and confident to share evidenced-based practices with others. Conclusion: Nurse leaders are charged with a role to inspire clinical nurses to seize evidence-based practice as imperative to lifelong learning for professional practice. Employing a strategy to teach evidence-based practice skills, develop relationships, and improve care delivery may accelerate skill and leadership development. Implications for practice: Nurse leaders have a direct impact in tying research findings to nurse clinical skills for improved clinical outcomes and job satisfaction. Developing nurses’ translational research skillset for use at the point of care delivery remains imperative to the delivery of evidence-based care in highly reliable ways

Development and coordination of a health care services program for foster children in a shelter care population

The purpose of this project is to support health promotion of children entering foster care, ensure that children receive all health care services needed, prevent the trauma of duplication of immunizations, and reduce disruption of health care as children move through the foster care system

Photoacoustic detection of circulating melanoma cells in the plasma layer of the blood [abstract]

Abstract only availableWhen a melanoma patient is diagnosed, aggressive treatment is advised in an effort to contain the disease. Although the initial malignant cells are destroyed, it is impossible to determine whether or not the cancer has metastasized until a secondary tumor forms. This can take months to discover, by which time the cancer could be advanced. Our research focuses on using photoacoustic signals to detect melanoma cells circulating in the blood, allowing for much earlier discovery and treatment of this type of cancer. Photoacoustic signals are produced when a laser illuminates a medium - blood, in this case - and the resultant pressure created by the light causes the medium to emit a sound wave. These waves are specific to the medium being illuminated, and melanoma cells can therefore be differentiated from surrounding blood cells based on the waveform it produces. Our current technique involves the in vitro separation of blood through centrifugation to isolate and test only the white blood cell layer since the contrast between these cells and melanoma cells is clear. Using this method, we have detected a single cancerous cell in the blood stream. However, the process could be made simpler if the plasma layer were used for detection instead of the white blood cell layer. This layer is easier to obtain after blood has been centrifuged, the optical difference between plasma cells and melanoma cells is more pronounced in this layer than in the white blood cell layer, and the possibility that any stray red blood cells could distort the results is eliminated. The primary focus has therefore been to determine whether or not melanoma cells are commonly found in the plasma layer of the blood. If such is the case, this research will be one step closer to revolutionizing the treatment of melanoma patients around the world.College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Optio