Sycamore Scholars at Indiana State University: Recent submissions
Now showing items 41-60 of 7286
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The Female Athlete Triad: Understanding the Why and HowThe Female Athlete Triad consists of 3 disorders that do not necessarily have to happen in a specific order. The 3 disorders that form the Female Athlete Triad are amenorrhea, eating disorder (which coincides with low energy levels), and/or bone mineral density (osteoporosis). An athlete will most likely experience these disorders in a “slippery slope” metaphor, if you will, which we will dive deeper into later in this paper.
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True Crime Obsession: Analyzing the Effects of True Crime Media from the Past to the PresentTrue crime media has affected the way people perceive the true crime genre from the 1500s until the present day. This thesis will first introduce the popularity of true crime media and describe the important role that true crime plays in today’s society. Historical examples of true crime depictions will be outlined in the first section to display how the true crime obsession has been prevalent for centuries and how the examples compare to present day depictions. Once the history of true crime media is understood, the ethical boundaries that should be kept by podcast hosts and documentary directors is discussed for the purpose of highlighting the positive and negative effects of true crime media. Next, the psychological effects of overconsuming true crime media will be discussed to uncover how a person can become so enthralled with serial killers that they admire them, and act like them. Additionally, true crime stories publicized by new media outlets such as podcasts and documentaries will be analyzed to discover the effect they have on the true crime genre. Lastly, the relationship between law enforcement and the media will be established to connect how true crime media influences the way criminal investigations are conducted.
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The Impact of Sports Wagering on Collegiate Sports ViewershipFan viewership was examined after the legalization of sports wagering. The methods of placing bets were analyzed as well as the in person and broadcasting viewership of NCAA competitions. Fan broadcast and in person viewership has increased since the legalization of sports wagering. The world of sports betting has adapted to new technology to better enhance the user's accessibility. Mobile apps have become the preferred method of sports bettors, due to the capabilities and ease of access the apps provide. Broadcasting networks have played a large role in increasing the appeal of sports betting, through advertisements and deals being offered. The changes that have been made since the legalization of sports wagering have increased the fan interaction levels of NCAA competitions. The projected trajectory of sports betting participants implies an escalation in fan interaction among the collegiate level.
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A Nursing Point of View: Investigating the Causes of Medical Errors and Strategies for PreventionBedside nursing is more of an art then what is seen or heard of from news articles or stories depicting a day in the life of a healthcare worker. “250,000 people die every year from medical errors, making it the third leading cause of death in the United States” (James, 2013). While there is no definitive answer or clear-cut solution to avoiding medical errors within nursing practice, indefinitely, there are possible ways to greatly reduce the effects and harm that accidental human errors have within the world of medicine. Through time, thousands of new policies and protocols have evolved from widely known sentinel events that have aided in kickstarting a chain of greater safety in the workplace and at the bedside within patient care. By directing the issues of medical errors in nursing away from the fault of the nursing staff, a safer healthcare system can be created by learning from deadly mistakes and implementing newer protocols and continuing education.
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Incarceration and its Impact on Family and CommunitiesIncarceration does not just affect the convicted person, it has far-reaching consequences for their families, communities, and society as a whole. This research paper provides a closer insight at the wide-ranging impacts of incarceration. Reviewing interviews, data analysis, and long-term studies provides a clear perspective of how damaging incarceration can be to the incarcerated, their families, friends, and community. The findings show that prison takes a significant toll on someone's mental health, both during their time inside and even after they are released. Yet prisons severely lack adequate mental health support, which is desperately needed. The research also reveals that incarceration creates major financial, social, and long-lasting problems for the families left behind. It causes emotional and money struggles, disrupts relationships, and especially harms the well-being of children. Children with an incarcerated parent face increased risks to their physical and mental health, higher chances of behavioral issues, and are more likely to get involved in crime and end up imprisoned themselves - continuing the vicious cycle. Looking at whole communities, the data shows that high imprisonment rates stifle business growth, job opportunities, and economic mobility in those neighborhoods. Once released, individuals who were incarcerated often cannot access quality income sources/work or housing and lack support systems, making them likely to reoffend and continue the cycle. While more research is still needed in some areas, the evidence clearly shows that incarceration deeply weakens families, communities, and society overall. This reality urgently calls for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, in and outside the criminal justice system, to come together and pursue reforms prioritizing rehabilitation, support services, and human dignity over punishment that perpetuates marginalization.
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Ancient Shakespeare: Examining Classical Influence Upon Shakespeare's PlaysThe enduring position of William Shakespeare as the greatest playwright in the English language stems in part from the classical world. This relationship with ancient Greek and Roman literature has sparked scholarly curiosity and conflict in the centuries after his death. The minimal details that are known about Shakespeare’s personal life and experiences make this topic a challenging one. This essay embarks on an exploration of Shakespeare’s engagement with classical themes, characters, and storytelling techniques, as well as the thematic resonances between ancient Greek plays and his own works. Through an examination of key characteristics and themes prevalent in ancient Greek and Roman drama, alongside an analysis of Shakespeare’s adaptations and transformations of these elements, this paper will cover the extent to which Shakespeare knew and used classical plays, myths, and stories to enhance his own work. By scrutinizing the influence of classical sources on Shakespeare’s dramatic imagination and evaluating the validity of claims regarding his classical education that have arisen from contemporary quotes about him, this research seeks to determine the links between Shakespeare and the classical world, ultimately determining the role classical influence played in the timeless appeal and enduring legacy of his works
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From Bits to Beds: Design and Implementation of a Hotel Booking System A Coding ProjectThis thesis presents a comprehensive hotel booking system designed and implemented to showcase the transition "From Bits to Beds". There are two main motivations behind this project: firstly, to provide users with a user-friendly and efficient platform for booking accommodations. Secondly, it serves as a great learning opportunity, providing hands-on practice with coding, collaboration with teammates, and exposure to real-world challenges. The system utilizes technologies such as JavaScript, Express.js, and HTML/CSS to offer features like browsing hotels, filtering options, user authentication, and booking management. The implementation of this project demonstrates a successful integration of backend and frontend components, ensuring reliability and scalability. This project provides awareness of the transformative potential of digital solutions in revolutionizing the hospitality industry by streamlining the booking process and enhancing customer service experiences. As we explore the design choices, technical considerations, and future directions of this project, readers can discover where creativity meets inspiration, opening up a digital world full of endless possibilities.
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AI: Is the Future Robots?The goal of this thesis is to analyze how Artificial Intelligence is actively changing. The newly developed technology that is known as Artificial Intelligence can potentially have implications that are not yet known. Artificial Intelligence impacts the business world in many ways. Things such as ChatGPT and Deepfakes are some of the biggest forms of Artificial Intelligence today. It is important to know how Artificial Intelligence is changing every day because no one knows the true implications of a technology like this. It is crucial for companies to understand how this technology can potentially be harmful to their employees. Artificial Intelligence is a form of deep learning which is compromised of Neural Networks. This thesis will focus on research that has been done to show how employees feel about Artificial Intelligence as well as how Artificial Intelligence is created.
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PCOS: Comparing Inositol Supplementation to Metformin TreatmentThe purpose of this literature review is to compare the viability of inositol versus metformin for the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The research outlines the criteria for diagnosis and the many symptoms associated with the condition. The aim is to discover if inositol should be recommended for PCOS symptoms as a replacement for metformin. It was found that safety and popularity of the two options were important factors for physicians and patients to consider before choosing a treatment. Within these scopes, adverse effects, costs, regulation, and belief of treatment were compared. Findings indicated that inositol supplementation may possibly be an alternative to the prescription medication, as there were many similarities within these scopes such as GI disturbances. However, differences between the two were apparent such as the policies governing the substances’ regulations and the belief between prescription medication versus dietary supplementation. Additionally, ethical considerations for clinical research included debates on the inclusion of minors and pregnant women for which there were no conclusive solutions.
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Long Term Effects on Health: Analyzing the Lasting Effects of COVID-19 on the Human BodyThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding the long-term effects it can leave on an individual’s health. This abstract provides an overview of the emerging evidence of the long-term effects of COVID-19. Research indicates that COVID-19 can lead to acute or chronic health effects, affecting multiple systems in the body. The symptoms that have been known to effect quality of life in patients that have been suffering from long-haul COVID. While the full spectrum and mechanisms of long-term effects are still under investigation, understanding and addressing the long-term health consequences of COVID-19 remain critical for patient care and public health planning.
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Introduction to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in a Geochemical SettingNuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful analytical tool that is heavily employed in organic chemistry, but lacks use in geochemistry. The technique is most useful for characterization and structural analysis of analytes, but also sees use in kinetics analysis, speciation, and detection. This work aims to answer these questions regarding NMR spectroscopy’s use in geochemical settings: Which nuclei are studied? For what purposes is each nucleus studied? What affects the scope of the technique and has caused it to not be widely used? How often is NMR spectroscopy used? What trends are there in the technique’s use? The first three questions were investigated with a literature review while the final two questions were investigated with database keyword searches. NMR spectroscopy was found to be used for a variety of analyses of both organic and inorganic earth materials, including but not limited to physical and chemical structure analysis, kinetic analysis of dissolution and other reactions, and characterization. Geochemical use of the technique remains low compared to other techniques due to difficulties with inorganic analytes’ sensitivity and decipherability, but recent advances in the past decade have encouraged growth in the use of NMR spectroscopy.
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Women in Weights: Contraindications of Cycle Syncing in OsteosarcopeniaThe purpose of this scientific research was to examine the holistic health practice of women’s cycle syncing utilizing an in-depth analysis scope of non-pharmacological practices to prevent osteosarcopenia. Osteosarcopenia is the duplicate diagnosis of osteoporosis, low bone mineral density, and sarcopenia, low muscle mass, co-existing together. Cycle syncing is a media-popularized women’ reproductive health practice promoting to balance and regulate hormonal cycles holistically. This practice causes concern for fitness professionals because each menstrual cycle phase is treated differently regarding exercise and nutrition intake, which directly impacts energy levels, hormonal peaks, and overall bodily function in women. The focus of this research examines the exercise component of cycle syncing, and the implications this holistic health program serves compared to use of a consistent resistance training program for the goal of reducing osteosarcopenia in women. Routine weightlifting is an accessible practice to improve bone mineral density and cross-sectional muscle mass in women at any age and from either general or special populations. Considerations for training programs of special populations included women experiencing amenorrhea, post-menopause, or those utilizing hormonal birth control. Peer-reviewed journals, evidence-based fitness practices, and physiological trends were all data considered in use of this research. Concluding findings indicated that consistent weightlifting provided a significantly better practice to prevent osteosarcopenia than cycle syncing did.
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Problems and Possibilities: Public Online Learning and How Universal Design for Learning Mitigates Its Unique ChallengesWhile online learning has been around for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic thrust it upon nearly every student enrolled in the public education system in America. For some students, this style of self-regulated learning is perfect for personalizing the curriculum to better pace, instruct, and implement content based on their individual needs. However, as the pandemic showed both students and teachers, children who are not cognitively developed enough to handle independent learning severely struggle to learn without the presence of a physical instructor. Despite these struggles from thousands of teachers and students, online learning is here to stay as administrators and school districts support and implement fully virtual schooling into their catalog of education options. If this is a format here to stay, then it is the responsibility of educators to develop and implement new frameworks of teaching that accommodate the unique problems online school presents. This literature review takes online back to its roots to examine past and present weaknesses in online schooling and examine direct feedback from teachers and students who have experienced online learning during and after COVID-19. From these issues, solutions present themself, mostly tied to the Universal Design for Learning framework and its ability to meet the needs of students while encouraging them to develop self-regulated learning strategies.
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Keratin-Based Film: Waste to BioplasticThe solution to plastic lies in alternative materials, like bioplastics. One such possibility is keratin-based films. They are made from sources that are already deemed to be waste and that all regions of the world are abundant in. Manufacturing values a one-size-fits-all solution and keratin being plentiful worldwide fulfills that set standard. The films’ properties, which are important to the basic needs of a package, vary with different additives and the type of keratin used. α-keratin and β-keratin have different strengths and are found in nature in different sources. The resource focused on was chicken feathers, which produce more β-keratin than α-keratin. With the combined resources of the top exporters of plastic and keratin that would otherwise be waste, film to replace petroleum-based plastic can be sourced, created, and used locally. As data involving the amount of keratin in each meter squared of the film was only found for α-keratin, it was focused on. The two types of α-keratin film have very different applications that could replace billions of meters squared of petroleum-based plastics in just a year by sourcing only chicken feathers from the top ten exporters of plastic. The keratin/glycerin/gelatin/curcumin film would be best used at high temperature food applications like microwaveable meals. The keratin/citric acid film would be able to replace stretch film or cling wrap for food.
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Sustainable Accounting: The Benefits and Challenges of its ImplementationThis thesis is centered around the idea that sustainability is a necessary component within the world. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are key components of analyzing sustainable practices. Although accountants have historically focused on financial reporting, they now have the added function of sustainable accounting as environmental implications are an area of concern for companies. A substantial component of this thesis centers around analyzing how ESG factors contribute to an organization’s financial performance. It also observes how comprehensive sustainability reports impact investor decisions and examines the challenges that auditors face when providing assurance for sustainability initiatives. Furthermore, it examines how governments encourage sustainability practices through incentive programs and highlights how emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI can improve the reporting of sustainability reports.
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Uncovering the Dark Side of Technology: Exploring the Connection of Conflict Minerals, Child Labor, and the Global Supply Chain in the Electronics IndustryA topic that has recently come to light over the past few years is the conflicts with the electronics supply chain. With the increasing amount of technology, people are wanting more and more electronic devices that satisfy all their needs and make their lives easier. With this increase in demand for these devices, minerals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are being sourced at a rapid rate. This leads to conflicts within the supply chain as the minerals are being sourced from countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo where minerals are being mined by children and women in very poor working conditions. This is where the term “conflict minerals” stemmed from. Laws and regulations have been put in place to try and reduce the amount of conflict minerals being sourced. A good example is the Dodd-Frank Act that was created in 2010, more specifically section 1502 which addresses the topic of conflict minerals. The goal of section 1502 is to increase the traceability among companies that are part of the stock exchange to ensure they are not sourcing their minerals from conflicted countries. Progress is being made; however, there are still thousands of companies that have no idea where the source of their raw material comes from
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From Classroom to Cell: A Call to Action for Educational ReformThe “school-to-prison pipeline” (SPP) refers to the policies, practices, and attitudes that push the United States’ most vulnerable schoolchildren out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system. This correlation shows a disturbing trend of incarceration instead of education (ACLU, 2008). The link between school and incarceration is present in most physical and social institutions, creating a widespread and intersectional injustice. To create more targeted and holistic reform, this paper will concentrate on the education institution and crucial social structures like socioeconomic status (SES), family stability, and community support. Additionally, reviewing legislation and governmental campaigns throughout the nation’s history can help to better explain why Black and Brown students are disproportionately impacted by the SPP. Raising awareness and educating the public about harmful actions and ideologies requires culturally sensitive research. High incarceration and reincarceration rates in the US reflect a complex cycle of recidivism and the extensive barriers to reentering society; thus, the need for early onset prevention to stop the cycle from beginning. The pervasive and harmful nature of the school-to-prison pipeline demands tangible policy solutions that address historical roots, systemic biases, and the intricate web of social and economic factors continuing the perpetuation of inequality and injustice. Varying definitions of misconduct, disciplinary procedures, and reporting practices makes collecting data even more difficult. However, creating national standards that assess and correct schools’ curricula, resource allocation, and procedural practices is one way to reduce the likelihood of a child’s entrance into the SPP. Lastly, teaching culturally competent circular, by culturally representative teachers is necessary to disentangle the SPP from the educational institution.
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The Art of Inclusion: The Psychosocial Impact of Media Representation on LGBTQ+ YouthThe 21st century saw a significant rise in LGBTQ+ representation, much of which is catered to queer children, adolescents, teenagers, and emerging adults. However, media’s ability to affect the psychological development, mental health, and quality of life for queer youth is still relatively unexplored. Through an analyzation of the current available literature, it was determined that LGBTQ+ representation's influence on queer youth is complex. Findings indicated that representative media allowed queer youth to find support and community by using current media as a tool to connect with others. It was determined that there was a lack of evidence to indicate that representative media made any significant improvements to the risk of queer youth developing psychological issues, although it was found to improve the resilience of queer youth. Similarly, current research found that suicide statistics among queer youth did not significantly decrease during the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation in media, indicating that it has little influence over suicide risk. However, it was found that representative media has the ability to influence the opinions and behaviors of non-queer individuals, reduce the level of prejudice that non-queer individuals hold towards queer individuals, and reduce the risk of bullying for queer youth.
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Social Struggles of Disabled Children: Impacts of Lack of Pragmatic Abilities on Children with Developmental DisordersIt is well known and researched that those with autism (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fragile X syndrome (FXS), and Down syndrome (DS) have impaired pragmatic abilities, especially when compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. There is not much research comparing the differences in pragmatic deficits between children with the above neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and the impacts these deficits have on their lives. This research aims to explore the pragmatic deficits children with ASD, ADHD, FXS, and DS may experience, how their pragmatic abilities compare to their TD peers, and the impact of those deficits on their daily lives. Scholarly journal articles and other peer reviewed literature material over the pragmatic abilities of children with ASD, ADHD, FXS, DS, and TD, the long-term effects of pragmatic deficits, and intervention approaches to reduce the pragmatic deficits have been reviewed and analyzed. The findings not only indicate there are differences in pragmatic abilities between children with different NDDs, but there are different strengths and weaknesses in specific areas for each NDD. Children with deficits in their pragmatic abilities are more likely to be outcast from their TD peers and experience other struggles in their personal and academic life due to their lack of pragmatic skills.