Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Risk Factors For Fatal Intimate Partner Violence And Domestic Violence Services Provided, Faith E. Alves

Honors Theses

The current study assessed the COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in risk factors for fatal intimate partner violence (IPV) among female victims. It additionally analyzed IPV services received before and during the pandemic. Data came from a system that most domestic violence (DV) agencies in Connecticut utilize to record their contacts with their clients, including an initial screening through a police-social service intervention. Results indicated that unemployment of the partner was significantly higher in the during-COVID group. Additionally, the delivery of criminal justice services was significantly higher in the pre-COVID group whereas delivery of law enforcement services was significantly higher in the …

The Musical Water Fountain, Amy Nielsen

Honors Theses

An affordable musical water fountain was designed over the course of one year. The target consumers for this fountain are middle to upper class homeowners. Based on the design parameters and research found on the topic, the fountain presents an aesthetically pleasing light and water show for residential neighborhoods. The design was sought to be competitive on the market with preexisting fountains. Since it must play music and perform a water and light show all in synchronous, there was confidence in the unique features to sell with today’s consumers. SolidWorks was used extensively to design and model the fountain and …

Analyzing Methods To Mock The Ingestion Of Controlled Substances Within A Hair Strand Utilizing Libs Technology, Caitlin Deluke

Honors Theses

The analysis of controlled substance metabolites within the hair strand have been relied on within the scientific community, particularly in regard to Forensic Science and Criminal Justice practices. A common conflict when analyzing a strand, however, involves manipulation of one’s hair, be it through bleach and dyes or detox shampoos. Therefore, research must be conducted to determine how these manipulation efforts affect the concentrations detectable when it comes to lab analyses. This would allow for clarification within data analysis and potentially prove purposeful intent to cover up the ingestion of a controlled substance. In order to research these manipulation effects …

The Effect Of Epstein Barr Virus On Myocarditis, Ashley Jones

Honors Theses

Viral myocarditis is an inflammatory state of the heart muscle that is often a result of a viral infection. As of now, current research has linked Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), COVID-19, influenza, coxsackievirus B3 and rhinovirus to causing viral myocarditis. This proposed work examines EBV and its linkage to viral myocarditis. Due to its lytic and latent activation periods, EBV has the potential to infect cardiomyocytes and persist within different regions of the heart wall. In this experiment, the presence of EBV was tested in 72 total heart tissue samples, 36 from non-cardiomyopathy deaths and the other 36 from cardiomyopathy-related deaths. …

Can Current Stereo Recording Techniques Improve? A Creative Analysis And Experiment On Stereo Recording, Gabriel Asher Jones

Honors Theses

Listening to music in stereo has become the societal norm and because of its popularity, it has become, “invisible by its own success” (Théberge 1). Contrary to its growth, the older and more commonly used stereo microphone techniques are still being used today and very few new and unique techniques have made a similar impact. To test if the commonly used techniques have room for improvement this project compares them to brand-new ones. In order to understand and utilize stereo microphone placements numerous fundamental ideas need to be considered to achieve a certain sound and level of quality. Every microphone …

“Have You Seen Me?”: Forensic Art For Human Identification, Mckenzie Stommen

Honors Theses

Forensic art for human identification is used to identify victims, suspects, and unidentified decedents. The field is highly interdisciplinary, and forensic artists draw on a broad range of skills, knowledge, and relationships with colleagues to complete this work. This paper will focus mainly on age progression and forensic facial reconstruction, although more applications of forensic art do exist. The case study in forensic art discussed here took the form of an age progression.

New developments in artificial intelligence, facial recognition, computed tomography, and DNA have implications for forensic art, and have already begun to find a place in the field. …

The Collegiate Aviation Student Guide To Success; A Flight Student’S Perspective, Stephan Jansen Van Vuuren

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to guide incoming students on how to make the most of their time in collegiate aviation and how to increase their chances of success. The primary source of information was my own experience as a flight student at Western Michigan University from 2019 to 2022. Entering aviation as a pilot can be extremely difficult given the high barriers to entry; the most common being the money, know-how, and number of flight hours required to work as a professional airline pilot. It is important to make the right choices given the multitude of decisions professional pilots in training …

Effects Of Red Light Intensity On Cultivation And Oxygen Production In Arthrospira Platensis, Abigail Roberts

Honors Theses

Maintaining life sustaining resources during long-term space travel has encouraged scientists to turn their attention to the potential benefits of a cyanobacteria named Arthrospira platensis, commonly known as Spirulina algae. This experiment measures the oxygen production and cell population growth of two structurally different Spirulina cultures under two different levels of red light intensities, 8 µmol/m2/s (high); 3 µmol/m2/s (low). The cell population, oxygen produced, and oxygen produced per cell measurements were observed and recorded at three 24 hour intervals. It was found there was not a significant difference between high and low light intensities when considering the cell concentration …

The Effects Of Light Intensity And Cell Structure On The Cultivation Of Arthrospira Platensis, Taylor Barnhart

Honors Theses

As scientists explore further into space, more cost-effective resources are needed for long-term space travel. An interesting solution is Arthrospira platensis, a filamentous cyanobacteria high in proteins and nutrients, and known for its helical structure. In unfavorable conditions, coiled spirulina cells become straight. Spirulina converts carbon dioxide gas into pure oxygen and the different cell structures stimulate different responses in oxygen production and cultivation. In these experiments, 2.3 L containers of pure coiled spirulina and mixed (coiled and straight) spirulina were placed into 3 incubators with different light intensities: 51µmol/m2/s, 25µmol/m2/s, 12µmol/m2/s. Each experiment length was 72 hours and the …

Man In The Arena: The Evolution Of The Executive Office, Jack Sandone

Honors Theses

Through an historical case study, this paper will answer the question: just how powerful has the presidency become? Has it really, through various tangible tools and the evolution of institutions, become a king-like figure, rising above the vaunted Legislative and Judicial Branches? The conclusion is this: based on the precedent of “prerogative,” a term to be explained and analyzed, presidents have been granted access to extraconstitutional actions that were not outside of the purview of the founding fathers. The usage of unilateral legislation, like the executive order, creates a surgeon’s knife of a political tool, allowing presidents to force legislation …

American Political Polarization, Kristin Leonard

Honors Theses

The United States has become politically polarized. Our political ideas have moved away from the political center and trend towards ends. Our high levels of party loyalty have opened the doors for extreme polarization. The push for party differentiation has seen the political elite widen the gap between their party ideas. The polarization of the elite has moved the parties and their voters further from the center. Television news promotes our political issues as partisan problems that villainize the other party. This leads viewers to push for further extreme ideas and to move away from the other side. The two-party …

Feminism And Women's Representation In Argentina, Devyn Murphy

Honors Theses

The theory of feminism has proved essential in the transformation of the patriarchal society in Argentina. Feminism paved the way for the emergence of various women’s movements, such as the Encuentros and Movimiento Nacional de Mujeres. These movements redefined the roles that women could play in society. It was because of this theory, and the movements, which made the theories a practice that advanced the political rights of Argentine women.

Regime Transitions, Democracy, And Terrorism In The Muslim World, Kevin Joyce

Honors Theses

In the 21st century, the Muslim world is continuously growing, in which Muslim’s make up approximately 24% of the world’s population. Additionally, the Muslim-majority countries, of which 50% or more of the population identify as Muslim, have lagged behind historically in democratizing. In many of these Muslim-majority countries, terrorism has an active presence and often times a destabilizing effect. In this study, I utilize the Global Terrorism Database, and other various data sources, to provide an empirical assessment of the political institutions of Muslim-majority countries, and their correlations to terrorism. I find that Muslim-majority countries in a state of failure …

Effects Of Red Light Intensity On Cultivation & Oxygen Production In Arthrospira Plantensis, Abigail Roberts

Honors Theses

Maintaining life sustaining resources during long-term space travel has encouraged scientists to turn their attention to the potential benefits of a cyanobacteria named Arthrospira platensis, commonly known as Spirulina algae. This experiment measures the oxygen production and cell population growth of two structurally different Spirulina cultures under two different levels of red light intensities, 8 µmol/m 2Js (high); 3 µmol/m2/s (low). The cell population, oxygen produced, and oxygen produced per cell measurements were observed and recorded at three 24 hour intervals. It was found there was not a significant difference between high and low light intensities when considering the cell …

Airbnb Strategic Audit, Payton Hanson

Honors Theses

Airbnb is the global leader in online vacation rental marketplaces. The company works as an intermediary to connect travelers to property hosts for short-term stays. This strategic audit serves to evaluate the company’s internal and external environment, its recent financial performance, and its current strategy to understand its sustainable competitive advantages in the Bed and Breakfast and Hostel Accommodations industry and as a substitute to traditional hotels. This evaluation is conducted using the Porter’s Five Forces and PESTE analyses. Using the information from these tools, strategic recommendations are given for Airbnb.

English Language Learners In The General Education Classroom, Jolie Crane

Honors Theses

English Language Learners are often thrown into the mix of education without much support. This work takes a look into the different ways that general education teachers can support these students while maintaining a regular classroom function.

Deloitte U.S. Strategic Analysis, Lucy Bazis

Honors Theses

Deloitte is a well-known public accounting firm that provides various services, such as audit, tax, and consulting. This analysis assesses the external forces affecting Deloitte utilizing a PESTEL analysis, the industry forces utilizing a Porter’s Five Forces analysis, the current strategy, competitive advantages, and the resources of capabilities of the firm. Based on the assessment, this paper gives strategic recommendations to remain the top of the accounting industry.

The Fall Of The Pakatan Harapan (Ph): Contesting Nationalism In Malaysia, Cheng Kidd Sun

Honors Theses

The collapse of the 22 months-old Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition-government in 2020 was the ultimate manifestation of contestations over nationalism that have continued in Malaysia since the nation’s inception more than six decades ago. The “middle ground” platform — a political moderation strategy to win across ethnic lines to obtain multiethnic support — that helped the PH coalition to win the 14th Malaysian General Election was shattered due to identity tensions. The current political discourse has persistently insisted that the betrayal of politicians and political parties, along with economic insecurity and media fragmentation, had contributed to the downfall of this …

From The Farm To Higher Education: Interpreting The Experience Of Students With A Migrant/Seasonal Farm Working Background And Have Participated In The College Assistance Migrant Program (Camp), Elizbia Xaxni-Capula

Honors Theses

The following thesis presents research on the experience of scholars with a migrant and/or seasonal farmworker (MSFW) background and have participated in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) in a 4-year institution. This research begins the methodology that was used to select the subjects being interviewed individually. This is followed by a literature review of the data that is already available specific about this demographic presenting 3 common barriers. The barriers focused on this are economic constraints, family role in higher education, and the imposter syndrome. An analysis of the respondents' answers will contribute to the sections of this thesis, …

Censorship In Schools: Reading's Position In The Landscape Of Policy Creation, Rachel Beckham

Honors Theses

Censorship is not new to current issues. It has affected authors and speakers for centuries, but it is especially prevalent today, especially in schools. Teachers and librarians are often challenged for the materials they choose to provide to students. Concerned parents object to the materials for containing sexual content, profanity, or LGBTQ+ characters or themes. This study aims to answer the question, “What role, if any, do books containing controversial topics serve in the literature classrooms of today’s students?” To answer this question, the author of this study conducted a literary analysis on the top three most banned books of …

Creation Of Preschool Evaluation For Children Experiencing Sensory Processing Disorders, Mary Vestal

Honors Theses

For our thesis project, we partnered with Dr. Michelle Suarez, the co-director of the Resiliency Center at Western Michigan University. When we first met with her, she informed us about the high rates of expulsion for Kalamazoo preschool students with various regulation challenges relating to sensory processing disorders, regulation, autism, and trauma. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, preschool students are expelled at three times the rate of children in K-12 (2022). Additionally, according to the Equal Justice Society, 250 preschool children get suspended or expelled each day nationwide (2021). The article continues to …

The Effects Of Survival, Pleasantness, And Storytelling Conditions On True And False Memory Recollection, Rachel Daniels

Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the extent to which various processing scenarios influenced participants' rates of true and false memory recollection. Participants were placed in one of three conditions, storytelling, survival, or pleasantness, and then studied a list of common nouns. They were then instructed to comment on the words in a specific manner depending on the condition to which they were randomly assigned. Following this, participants completed a math distractor task, and were then asked to complete a free recall test for the previously studied words. The results indicated that participants in the storytelling condition …

Case Study - The Outcomes Of Occupational Therapy For An Autistic Teen, Molly Boyle

Honors Theses

This study sought to understand the outcomes of occupational therapy through interviews of a person with autism spectrum disorder (defined below), their family, and an occupational therapist. By interviewing each of these people, this study aimed to examine the impact of occupational therapy on the autonomy and independence of a young adult with autism and his family.

Creation Of Preschool Evaluation For Children Experiencing Sensory Processing Disorders, Brittney Tuck

Honors Theses

For our thesis project, we partnered with Dr. Michelle Suarez, the co-director of the Resiliency Center at Western Michigan University. When we first met with her, she informed us about the high rates of expulsion for Kalamazoo preschool students with various regulation challenges relating to sensory processing disorders, regulation, autism, and trauma. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, preschool students are expelled at three times the rate of children in K-12 (2022). Additionally, according to the Equal Justice Society, 250 preschool children get suspended or expelled each day nationwide (2021). The article continues to …

Active Vs Passive Investing, Garret Buchheit

Honors Theses

With the increased popularity of passive investing, the long-term investment success of active management is being questioned more frequently. For this reason, this research seeks to find whether actively managed funds produce sufficient returns that cover the fees and management costs associated with them. A comparative analysis was made with 5401 actively managed U.S. mutual funds and several common market indices over three, five, and ten-year time spans ranging from 2012 to 2021. Additionally, an analysis was made comparing active and passive management in the recessionary period of 2007 to 2009. Finally, analysis was conducted on annual holdings turnover rates …

Accepting The Monster Within: Addressing Mental Illness Through Young Adult Literature, Jenna Ellis

Honors Theses

This creative research project discusses the importance and practice of implementing a unit on mental health in young adult literature in secondary-level ELA curriculum. The first portion of this thesis is an original short story, entitled “Beneath the Surface,” which portrays a middle-schooler, Leith, whose anxiety manifests itself as a monster. “Beneath the Surface” explores mental illness through a metaphor of the ocean, utilizing water imagery to depict Leith’s experiences with and symptoms of anxiety. Following the short story is an annotated bibliography describing mental health texts for students to read in an ELA unit on mental health as well …

Asecret Charting And Sensory Processing Disorder - A Tool For Parents And Teachers, Taylor Lerman

Honors Theses

When considering the results of research from this study, the reader should note this specifically applies to elementary school aged students but could be applicable outside of this study for the purpose of added ages. The cumulative ASECRET charts do not explicitly apply to that of a typical child and added disabilities to consider are discussed within the discussion section of research. Conditions left unmentioned should not be considered inapplicable, but for the purpose of this research, discussion points focus on sensory processing and conditions with higher rates of comorbidity to sensory processing compared to others. The purpose of this …

Ways To Decrease Risk Of Postpartum Hemorrhage, Madison Holcomb

Honors Theses

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading preventable cause of maternal mortality (Jena et al., 2022). In fact, it accounts for 25% of maternal deaths globally (Cooper et al., 2022). There is a tremendous need for education to the pregnant population There are methods to decrease the risk that needs to be taught to patients. The education on risk factors should be provided in the in the preconception period and throughout pregnancy. There are several components of educational practice that may improve the knowledge of pregnant individuals. The educational components can be divided into implementations during the antenatal period and the …

The Effects Of Holistic Modalities On Stress Reduction In Nursing Students Attending School During The Pandemic, Rachel Kamp

Honors Theses

Nursing students tend to experience high levels of stress due to the pressures and demands of nursing school, including exams, clinical, and interactions with professors and preceptors (Labrague et al., 2017). Recently, the COVID-19 Pandemic has created additional stressors. Both mind and body modalities (yoga, meditation, deep breathing etc.) and exercise modalities (running, walking, etc.) are some of many health promoting, stress reducing activities that were proven to be effective in reducing stress in nursing students prior to the pandemic. This study aims to determine if these modalities are still effective now, and how nursing faculty supports stress reduction in …

Pfas Mass Balance, Donovan Vitale

Honors Theses

First-generation, PFOS-dominant Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrate of approximately 200 gallons was released to the sewer system from the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport on March 30, 2021. The AFFF release migrated to the Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant (KWRP), raising plant effluent above the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) PFOS water quality standard for a total of 46 days post-spill, although the influent concentrations exhibited sharp declines after only 7 days. By sampling influent, effluent, and biosolids daily, the only known long duration, high-frequency PFAS data set of an accidental AFFF release was generated. This study has …