Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Thin Filament Assembly In C. Elegans Muscles, Angela Russ

Honors Theses

All striated muscles are composed of small units called sarcomeres [1]. Within each sarcomere, there are thin filaments composed of actin and thick filaments composed of myosin. The thin filaments extend from either end of the thick filament towards the middle of the sarcomere. The lengths of thin filaments are correlated to muscle contraction and force production [1], but it is currently unknown what regulates their lengths. Prior hypotheses based on vertebrate models have focused on a nebulin ruler model [2]. However, nebulin is not present within invertebrate muscles, and this has led to a major gap in the field’s …

Female Choice: Attraction In The Animal Kingdom, Lindsay Culpepper

Honors Theses

Across taxa, choosing a mate is one of the most crucial decisions a female can make. This choice can come with direct benefits like protection and parenting assistance, but it may also provide indirect benefits through the survival of her offspring and thus the continuation of her genes. The female considers numerous qualities when making that choice, evaluating aspects of potential mates’ physical appearance and behavior. Understanding female choice is crucial to effective animal conservation and management, as it has significant implications for captive breeding programs, both in terms of output and in preparing offspring for release. This thesis will …

Thamnophis And Their Toxic Relationship: Testing For Intraspecific Venom Variation In Common Garter Snakes, Thamnophis Sirtalis, Grace E. Coppinger

Honors Theses

Venomous species, particularly snakes, have captured human interest for decades. Over the last few decades, scientists have studied front-fanged venomous snakes to develop drugs, treat human disease, better manage snakebites, and answer ecological and evolutionary questions. However, these studies have largely ignored rear-fanged snakes which account for two-thirds of total snake species, despite only accounting for 23 % of published venom gland transcriptomes. To address the lack of knowledge about rear-fanged snake (RFS) venom, we sequenced the messenger RNA from the Duvernoy’s gland in 9 male and 10 female Common Garter Snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis. I produced the first Duvernoy’s venom …

Gertrude Stein: Autobiography And Play, Ryleigh Thornton

Honors Theses

By using Gertrude Stein’s two autobiographies, this thesis attempts to examine the use and evolution of play in writing. In The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, play stands within the language and games that Stein invites her readers to engage in. By using Roger Caillois’ characteristics of play, Stein’s writing can be seen as different from the high, serious modernism at the time with writers like William Faulkner and T.S. Eliot. After the publication of Toklas, Stein reverted into a crippling writer’s block because she could no longer find interest in the world to think and write about. However, after …

Interspecific Venom Variation Among Three Microsympatric Scorpion Species Facilitates Niche Partitioning, Diplocentrus Lindo, Vaejovis Intermedius, Centruroides Vittatus, Anne Elizabeth Thaxton

Honors Theses

Scorpions are globally distributed and very well known for their use of venom for prey capture and defense. Despite their abundance and high number of species, very little is known about the venom used by scorpions, and how the components of venom work to maximize the success of the individual. The venom of a species is directly produced by the venom gland, which can be found at the very end of the tail in the telson. To further our understanding of scorpion venom, we generated the first venom gland transcriptomes for three species from three different families, Centruroides vittatus, Diplocentrus …

Survey Of The Bolctes From Fish River Nature Preserve, Noah T. Nelson

Honors Theses

Boletes are a special kind of mushroom inside of the Kingdom Fungi that are distinguished from other mushrooms by their uniquely pored hymenium, as opposed to gills. Many boletes are ectomycorrhizal, meaning they are mutualists with vascular plants, and thus beneficial to the overall health of the terrestrial ecosystem. Some are well-known for their edibility and are of economic importance. In the United States 59 genus-level clades comprising 290 operational taxonomic units have been reported. The southeastern US and Gulf Coast regions however are less researched and recorded for their mushroom ecology. In Alabama, only 56 bolete species have been …

Genetic Analysis Of Global Sawfish Populations, Kylie Faulkner

Honors Theses

Family Pristidae contains five of the most critically endangered elasmobranch species: Anoxypristis cuspidata, Pristis pristis, Pristis pectinata, Pristis zijsron, and Pristis clavata. The species of this family have suffered drastic population declines and range reductions due to historic patterns of overexploitation, accidental entanglement, and habitat disruption. The conservation of this taxa has been historically complicated by taxonomic uncertainty, as similar morphologies across species make them exceedingly difficult to identify. A morphological and genetic comparison of sawfish specimens collected globally was conducted in 2013, which supported a reduction in the number of described species from seven to …

The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Microbial Biomass Abundance In Longleaf Pine Ecosystems, Sarah K. Borne

Honors Theses

One of the most diverse ecosystems, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) habitats comprise only a small fraction of the habitat they once spanned in the Gulf Coastal Plain Region of the Southeastern United States. To preserve longleaf pine ecosystems, proper prescribed burning techniques and ecosystem management are essential for preventing high intensity wildfires and increasing species diversity. Little is known about the effects of prescribed fires on carbon levels, nitrogen levels, and microbial biomass in longleaf pine forests. These components are crucial for determining how well burned areas are recovering at a microbial level compared to unburned areas. The …

Musselwhite: A Case Study In The Development Of Modern Legend In The American South, Ella J. Lauderdale

Honors Theses

The development of modern legend is widely researched, and there are many theories on the involvement of rumor and truth in the creation of folk stories. However, there are often few opportunities to look at the development of a modern legend in detail from beginning to end. The legend of Luther Musselwhite is unique in that it begins at a relatively fixed time, and the generations present during that time are still available to interview. This case study traces the development of this modern legend in Mississippi and analyzes the possible motivations for the spread and development of modern legends …

Effects Of Cogongrass Invasion On Soil Biota And Nutrient Loads In A Longleaf Pine Savanna, Jordan Werneth

Honors Theses

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, characterized by its namesake pine species and diverse community of understory vegetation, is a hotspot of biodiversity in the southeastern United States. The longleaf pine savanna is differentiated from other longleaf systems through the combination its unique assemblage of herbaceous understory vegetation, wide-open canopy, and distinct hydrogeological composition. Longleaf pine ecosystems, including savannas, are facing significant decline from their historic range due to anthropogenic interference including fire suppression, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and the introduction of invasive species such as cogongrass (Imperita cylindrica).

Cogongrass, a nonnative grass species introduced to the …

Understanding The Functional Role Of Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum) Threonyl-Trna Synthetase In Reproductive Fitness, Anza Ali

Honors Theses

Introduction: Transfer RNA synthetases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the addition of amino acids to their corresponding transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and play an essential role in protein synthesis. Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that rely on prolonged feeding periods to complete their life cycle on a vertebrate host. Tick tRNA synthetases help the tick in continuous protein synthesis for efficient blood feeding and reproductive fitness, thus presenting a potential target for developing new tick control strategies. Studies have been conducted assessing the functionality of different tRNA synthetases such as Valine-tRNA synthetase, Asparagine-tRNA synthetase, Lysine-tRNA synthetase, and Leucine-tRNA synthetase …

Algorithmic Playgrounds: Investigating The Play Element In Social Media, Ashlyn Daniels

Honors Theses

The integration of digital technology into everyday life has radically changed how people participate in society and culture. Every facet of modern life is shaped by how humans interact with software and this human-computer interaction has directly shaped cultural behaviors and products. Digital tools such as artificial intelligence and social media applications have transformed the common means of cultural production. To better understand how this intertwining of culture and computation impacts modern life, this thesis argues for a better understanding of the relationship between play and computation. Human-technology interactions conceal a more foundational movement of play, and by understanding the …

Suppressing Reactive Oxygen Species Via Application Of Antioxidant Supramolecular Polymers, Zacchaeus Wallace

Honors Theses

Cardiovascular diseases along with various other disease conditions are characterized by an upregulation in reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can overwhelm homeostatic processes in the body, resulting in cellular apoptosis and severe oxidative damage. The lack of clinically approved treatments to regulate or alleviate this elevated ROS presence underscores the need for novel therapeutic strategies. While antioxidants promote cell rescue through ROS scavenging, their clinical translation is impeded by insufficient bioavailable concentrations at the source of injury. The opportunity to apply antioxidant supramolecular polymers of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) is an exciting prospect of research to combat corresponding issues. For this …

Mate Choice Between Two Species Of Topminnows From Dissimilar Hybrid Zones, Chloe Davis

Honors Theses

Understanding the origins of reproductive isolation between closely related species is foundational to evolutionary and ecological research. Recent reviews have documented contemporary hybridization between a large portion of species. A greater knowledge of reproductive isolation and its components are vital to expanding conservation efforts for threats such as those to species persistence and community processes. However, there is a lack of clear understanding of how isolating mechanisms evolve throughout many systems where hybridization is prominent. Individuals within the Fundulus notatus species complex (F. notatus, F. olivaceus, and F. euryzonus) readily hybridize at many contact zones replicated throughout their …

Neurodivergent Gaming: Critical Game Design And Scholarly Practice, Mary Samblis

Honors Theses

This showcase of interactive experiences is designed to simulate and explore the hidden struggles of neurodiversity using game mechanics. It draws on my personal experience as an individual on the autistic spectrum to explore the relationship between game forms, academic scholarship, and critical thinking. The showcase aims to demonstrate the scholarly side of video game development and what video games, as a medium, have the potential to become within academia. Unlike articles or videos, video games have the unique quality to be interactive and immersive, allowing designers to experiment with mechanics as a tool for creating thoughtful and reflective experiences. …

Learning Scene Semantics For 3d Scene Retrieval, Natalie Gleason

Honors Theses

This project presents a comprehensive exploration into semantics-driven 3D scene retrieval, aiming to bridge the gap between 2D sketches/images and 3D models. Through four distinct research objectives, this project endeavors to construct a foundational infrastructure, develop methodologies for quantifying semantic similarity, and advance a semantics-based retrieval framework for 2D scene sketch-based and image-based 3D scene retrieval. Leveraging WordNet as a foundational semantic ontology library, the research proposes the construction of an extensive hierarchical scene semantic tree, enriching 2D/3D scenes with encoded semantic information. The methodologies for semantic similarity computation utilize this semantic tree to bridge the semantic disparity between 2D …

Iuno… Saevissima: Patriarchy, Divinity, And Villainy In Imperial Roman Epic, Nolan Michael Cicci

Honors Theses

Juno is a Roman deity with a significant amount of scholarship around her impact on Roman literature and Roman social life. Her divine department is as the protector of motherhood, banks, family order, marriage, and women in general. Many Roman temples still exist that immortalize her. However, there is another aspect to her character that is at odds to her portrayal in day-to-day Roman life, mainly her portrayal in the Roman epics of Virgil's Aeneid and Silius Italicus' Punica. Virgil (fl. ~26. B.C.) and Silius Italicus (b. ~26 A.D.) wrote, respectively, examples of epic literature, both which detail the myths …

Here (Toma): Translations Between Me And My Mother, Seth Courtad

Honors Theses

The lyric mode can be thought of as the engine of a piece, what drives its thinking and structure forward. Memoir writing most often refers to writing based on an author's own memories. For these two reasons, I've labeled my Honors thesis a lyric memoir. The memoir consists of poems, translated into Spanish by my mother, dual essays in which I share the page with another writer, and "after" essays which consider a wide variety of topics on identity, death, religion, and language. Critically, what makes the memoir lyric is its lack of direct narrative, instead relying on the layering, …

Autism On The Net: An Autoethnographic Appraisal Of Literature On Online Socialization, Empowerment, And Kinship Of Autistic People In Digital Spaces, Lennox Le Vine-Miller

Honors Theses

In a world that is increasingly becoming more and more active online, social groups formed on the basis of interests and passions have the propensity to intersect with communities of those who experience marginalization, in this case, autistic people. As such, this work seeks to examine what the basis of an autistic cultural identity is, and how the social factors that it is built on, those being belongingness, social connectedness, and political connectedness, and how they manifest among various online communities, whether it be cosplay fandom, fanfiction communities, or virtual worlds within Minecraft and Second Life. These online communities illustrate …

Expanding On Experiential Differentiation In Crowded Markets: Success Through Understanding And Addressing Intangible Consumer Needs, Mitchell Hibbs Hibbs

Honors Theses

This thesis project focuses on exploring and elucidating how businesses in crowded markets achieve their respective success. Markets include personal care, skin products, cosmetics, perfume, and others, to name just a few relevant to this work. I argue that by focusing on customers' intangible needs and engaging them through experiential means, businesses can create a substantial, sustainable, and compelling niche, differentiating themselves from the crowd. I propose an original model, EIND (experiential and needs-based differentiation), and a working structure to implement, analyze, and design using EIND principles.

Determining The Antimicrobial Activity And Permeabilizing Effects Of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids And Piscidins On Vibrio Parahaemolyticus And Vibrio Vulnificus, Christina Harris

Honors Theses

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are found in all organisms and have gained attention for their effectiveness against a variety of pathogens. Piscidins are AMPs that were discovered in mast cells of vertebrates, mostly within marine animals, and are an important part of the innate immune system due to their potent antimicrobial properties. Piscidin 1 (P1) and piscidin 3 (P3) are found within sea bass and have different antimicrobial activities. P1 exhibits strong membrane disruptive properties, while P3 goes through the membrane to the targeted DNA. These piscidins can experience metalation with copper (Cu2+) which enhances their antimicrobial activity in vitro (P1-Cu2+ …

The Effects That Dietary Intake And Cardiorespiratory Fitness Has On Insulin Resistance In Adults, Trinady Moore

Honors Theses

Insulin resistance can impair bodily responses to insulin and the uptake of glucose within the human body. This imparity has many consequences and can more commonly cause Type II Diabetes.¹ This study focuses on how different lifestyle modifications can be used to combat the sensitivity to insulin within the body. The sample included forty-one adults whose ages varied from 18 to 35 years old. The participants completed a VO2max test, blood glucose test, and a 31- item food frequency survey. These tests and survey questions revealed the correction between the participants’ age, blood glucose levels, VO2max score, and diet …

Player Exposition: Education And Immersion In Jrpgs, Callan Danenhower

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how the opening segments of Japanese role-playing games use different techniques to educate and immerse the player. Informed by game studies scholarship, I consider how games create exposition differently from other narrative mediums, coining the term “player exposition” as a useful heuristic for game analysis. The thesis will be divided into two sections—education and immersion—to identify the two significant aspects of player exposition. I argue that exposition in Japanese role-playing games draws on concepts from other mediums, specifically film and literature, while using educational and immersive concepts to introduce the player to the game’s fictional world. In …

“Ufo Reports Swamp Mississippi”: Media Coverage Of The 1973 Pascagoula Alien Abduction, Jane Fort

Honors Theses

On October 11, 1973, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker reported that they were taken aboard an unidentified flying object (UFO) in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Hickson and Parker’s abduction is now known as one of the most famous extraterrestrial encounters in the United States. In 1973, Hickson and Parker’s story captivated the media’s attention, and fifty years later, in 2023, UFOs are still widely reported on. This thesis utilizes the first-hand narratives from Hickson and Parker’s individual books to provide a detailed retelling of what happened on October 11. This thesis then analyzes the media coverage of the Pascagoula alien abduction in …

A World Between: The Macro And Micro-Relationships That Shape The Borderlands, Teresa Digerolamo

Honors Theses

This thesis explores changing border policies, their effects on migrants, and the humanitarian community that has emerged to meet the needs of migrants. Border policy has sought to make the journey through the U.S.-Mexico border perilous and unattractive for travelers, pushing migrants into dangerous terrain known to reach life-threatening extremes in the summer and winter months. Over 8,000 migrants have died since 1998 along the U.S.-Mexico border, and aid groups have emerged to meet the need for life-saving care. The humanitarian community in southern Arizona is active and dynamic, adapting to ever-changing border policy and mobilizing resources year-round. Through reviewing …

Do You Know The Pangolin?: Analyzing Biodiversity Awareness And Attitudes, Ariel "Jazz" Holcomb

Honors Theses

Understanding the impact education has on environmental knowledge and values is critical for knowing how we can promote pro-environmental awareness and attitudes. Thus, this study investigated how environmental education level influences awareness and attitudes on environmental issues, specifically the Biodiversity Crisis. Through a survey primarily utilizing Likert scale statements, the researcher evaluated the differences in knowledge and care levels between classes taking an introductory environmental science course, one class of environmental science majors and one for non-majors. One focus point of the course is the world’s most trafficked mammal, the pangolin, so this species was used as a focus species …

Cat Color Theory: Can Cat Color Being Accurately Used To Predict Behavior, Emily Mears

Honors Theses

Is there scientific backing for "Tortie-tude" or "Orange Cat Behavior"? Many cat owners swear by these claims. Can coat color predict cat personality? If coat color is an accurate way to predict personality, the cat adoption process could be smoother. Also, veterinarians can be better prepared to avoid cat scratches and bites if they know a color is more likely aggressive. We made and distributed two surveys to determine the perception of personality by color and the actual personalities of cats. The first survey, "Cat Perception," was given to people who work with cats and, therefore, have interacted with a …

Reproductive Justice In Mississippi: A Call For Reform And Acknowledgement, Andie Udziela

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I apply the values of the Reproductive Justice Movement to reproductive healthcare resources in Mississippi to advocate for reproductive policy reform. I begin by navigating the historic racial discrimination in gynecology and how it manifested in Mississippi. Dr Sim’s abusive experimentation on Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy depict how Anti-Black racism took root in gynecology and obstetrics and was later expanded on by the eugenic goals of white supremacy and the feminist movement through Margaret Sanger and the Mississippi Appendectomy. Then I discuss the current availability of reproductive care in Mississippi to low-income individuals to emphasize socioeconomic and …

Virtual Reality As An Adjunct To Behavior Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review, Alya Alharrasi

Honors Theses

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2030, mental disorders will become the primary source of global disease burden [1]. Anxiety-related disorders, including specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and various forms of general or specific anxiety, are the most rapidly growing mental health disorders worldwide [2]. In the United States (US), over 1 in 10 American youths are experiencing depression, resulting in a severe impact on their personal, academic, or professional encounters and social engagements [3]. Similarly, anxiety disorders affect up to one-third of the US population during their lifetime [4].

Due to the growth of mental health …

An Investigation Of Bone Preservation As A Result Of Environmental And Cultural Variables In Mortuary Contexts, Adyn Hallahan

Honors Theses

Stable isotope analysis in bioarchaeology of human bone is generally used to reconstruct diet or migratory patterns of certain populations. Although this type of analysis is now standard practice, little research has been done regarding how cultural and mortuary practices may affect chemical composition of bone. This study aims to determine whether different simulated mortuary contexts have an effect on stable isotope levels in bone, using seven pig rib bone samples as proxy for human bone. In addition, macroscopic and microscopic observations are used to assess preservation and taphonomic processes. One of the samples served as a control, not being …