Digital Commons Network^™

Gender And Sexuality In Desperate Housewives, Berkley Smith

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Tracking System Effectiveness For Texas Police Departments In Low-Income Communities, Jakob Scarcelli

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

From Page To Panel: Navigating Intertextuality And Multimodality In A Neil Gaiman Graphic Adaptation, Kassandra Whitehurst

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Assistive And Augmentative Communication: Ethics And Possibilities In Music Therapy With Non-Speaking Clients, Amanda Bursch

Honors Theses

Music therapy is a healthcare field wherein music experiences and the myriad relationships formed between client(s), board-certified music therapist(s), and music activates health-oriented changes (Bruscia, 2014). Within this field there are multiple facets that directly impact the client’s experiences; these include: arrangement of the therapy environment, role and function of music experiences, therapeutic relationships, and communication in verbal and non-verbal forms. However, there is a gap in the education and training of music therapists concerning alternatives to verbal communication, and the use of these alternatives in therapy. Through interviews and analysis, this thesis presents findings regarding the experiences of one …

Determining The Role Of Propionate In Macrophage M1 And M2 Activation, Hannah M. Derespiris

Honors Theses

Macrophages are one of the many essential cells of the innate immune system that help to protect the body from dangerous pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause infections, especially in the elderly, immunocompromised, and pregnant women. The antimicrobial activities of macrophages that are utilized to respond to pathogens such as L. monocytogenes can include phagocytosis, inflammatory responses, and the production of antimicrobial compounds such as nitric oxide. These activities need to be regulated carefully to avoid causing unintentional damages. Typically, macrophages exist in a naive, unactivated state, or can be activated classically …

Understanding The Barrier To Integrating Empathy Education Into Pre-Medical Curriculum, Angela Galluzzo

Honors Theses

The overwhelming consensus in healthcare research over the past two decades supports that healthcare providers demonstrating empathy is an integral component of quality of care and health outcomes. The benefits of empathy in patient-provider relationships range from stronger immune responses from patients to a lowered burden on the healthcare system to fewer malpractice lawsuits against providers. Even with this research suggesting that providers should be empathetic throughout patient interactions, there are barriers to implementation. The barrier that my research will focus on is time–specifically how time constraints throughout professional schooling prevent a broad education that would teach providers how to …

Mitigation Of Javascript-Based Fingerprinting Attacks Reliant On Client Data Generation, Nathan Joslin

Honors Theses

While fraud detection companies use fingerprinting methods as a secondary form of identification, attackers can exploit these fingerprinting methods due to the revealing nature of the software and hardware information collected. Attackers can use this sensitive information to target users with known vulnerabilities, monitor a user’s activity, and even reveal their identity without their knowledge or consent. Unfortunately, average users have limited options to opt out of or block fingerprinting attacks.

In this thesis, we propose a solution that enforces dynamic policies on web pages to prevent potential malicious device fingerprinting methods. We employed the Inline Reference Monitor (IRM) approach …

Cross-Cultural Educational Exchanges For Peace Through Common Humanity, Katelyn G. Jutras

Honors Theses

How do human connections from cross-cultural educational exchanges promote peace and understanding? Authentic personal connections can lead to deeper cultural understanding and awareness. This type of human connection can lead to peace. Many cross-cultural educational exchanges, such as Fulbright, were created to promote peace and understanding. Cross-cultural educational exchanges now take on more forms due to increases in the ability to share knowledge which supplies more opportunities for conflict and misunderstanding or peace and understanding. Due to this, it is important to have students participate in cross-cultural educational experiences to create personal connections to understand cultural differences better. This experience …

Moderating Role Of Experiential Similarity On The Relationship Between Social Support And Posttraumatic Growth, Avery Lytle

Honors Theses

Background and objectives: Trauma exposure is associated with negative outcomes like posttraumatic stress disorder. However, not everyone reports distress; resilience is common. Some even report improved psychological functioning following trauma, termed posttraumatic growth (PTG). Numerous factors are implicated in PTG development, many related to the cognitive processing of the event. Outside of cognitive factors, one of the strongest promoters of PTG is social support, but less is known about what types of support are most facilitative. Of potential importance is experiential similarity, or the extent to which the support person has experienced shared elements of one’s trauma. The present study …

Contesting Human Rights Coherence: Neoliberalism As An Epoch Of Brutality, David Quick Iii

Honors Theses

The end of the Cold War solidified modern human rights’ dependency on neoliberalism. Neoliberal capitalism fosters universal commodification, hyper-individualism, and a standard of excess. A consequence of these developments is that some persons of marginalized populations turn to crime as a means of achieving basic human rights. To particularize, the realization of the self as a rights-holding subject emerges from the brutalization and subsequent de-realization of the other. Furthermore, justifications of such actions may be coherent within the modern human rights discourse. This thesis is contextualized by the historical dynamics and present-day observations of El Salvador, which I take to …

Methods For Exploiting High-Resolution Imagery For Deep Learning-Based Diabetic Retinopathy Detection And Grading, Adam M. Saunders

Honors Theses

Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that affects the eyes of people with diabetes, and it can cause blindness. To diagnose diabetic retinopathy, ophthalmologists image the back surface of the inside of the eye, a process referred to as fundus photography. Ophthalmologists must then diagnose and grade the severity of diabetic retinopathy by analyzing details in the image, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Alternatively, due to the availability of labeled datasets containing fundus images with diabetic retinopathy, AI methods like deep learning can provide automated detection and grading algorithms. We show that the resolution of an image has a large …

Our Voices: Getting To Know Autism, Katherine Rasberry

Honors Theses

This study was done in effort to understand the thoughts and feelings of autistic adults relative to life transitions and resources available. We surveyed key stakeholders; specifically autistic students, but also family/caregivers of adults. Six surveys were created, each based upon different themes: camouflaging, life transitions, managing mental health, overstimulation, social communication, and family and caregiver perceptions. Our surveys were marketed on Western Michigan University’s campus and through social media and are still ongoing. Trends in the data, however, suggest that overall autistics have concerns about how their disabilities impact life in or shortly after college. Many respondents expressed they …

Our Voices: Getting To Know Autism - Creating An Informative Website For Autistic College Students, Ashley Wagner

Honors Theses

This study was done in effort to understand the thoughts and feelings of autistic adults relative to life transitions and resources available. We surveyed key stakeholders; specifically autistic students, but also family/caregivers of adults. Six surveys were created, each based upon different themes: camouflaging, life transitions, managing mental health, overstimulation, social communication, and family and caregiver perceptions. Our surveys were marketed on Western Michigan University’s campus and through social media and are still ongoing. Trends in the data, however, suggest that overall autistics have concerns about how their disabilities impact life in or shortly after college. Many respondents expressed they …

“Exploring The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Universal Electronic Medical Records”, Zachary Mcclenny

Honors Theses

A universal electronic medical record (EMR) is a platform where all of a patient's medical information, history, and data is stored and maintained by providers over time. A universal platform allows all of the medications, tests, procedures, labs, scans, notes, and any other clinical information for that patient to be kept in a record for any provider to view and make changes to while under their care. Although in the United States today, as well as many other countries, EMRs are owned and operated by privately ran businesses and institutions. Only the private institutions that have access to the EMR …

What Are The Effects Of Socio-Political Stances Marketed Through Social Media?, Brianna Trierweiler

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the intricate dynamics between socio-political stances and consumer behavior on social media in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Stemming from MKTG 3710 research, it delves deeper into the impact of socio-political views on consumer social media habits, offering valuable insights for marketing and societal understanding. Structured into background, secondary research, and qualitative research, the study emphasizes understanding the intersection of socio-political views and social media in the digital age. Recognizing its profound influence on marketing strategies, public discourse, and societal values, the research explores the complex dynamics of this connection and its wider implications. Secondary research includes an …

City Flags And The Politics Of Urban Revitalization: The Case Of Syracuse, Ny, Grace Risinger

Honors Theses

People tend to care about flags, but are not aware that their city has a flag. A recent wave of flag redesigns has been happening in the United States since a 2015 TED Talk was posted widely criticizing city flags. This subject prompted my professor, Daniel Alvord, to ask for a research assistant for his project to understand this phenomenon. For my thesis, I focus on a specific flag redesign initiative in Syracuse, NY, through an ethnographic case study. By applying previous urban sociological literature to my focus on flag redesigns, I can connect the Syracuse community member’s increased civic …

Selective Melt Recrystallization Of Acetaminophen Polymorphs Through Environmental Control, Eleanor Lowe

Honors Theses

Polymorphism is the ability for a molecule to crystallize into multiple different structures in the solid state. The preparation of one polymorph over another is practically important to pharmaceutical development, as properties of polymorphs can vary and impact the drug delivery method. Polymorph outcomes depend heavily on the environment in which the crystal is nucleated, or initially formed. Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is one example of a polymorphic compound. Here we use acetaminophen as a model system to better understand primary factors controlling polymorph selection and interconversion. We hypothesize a specific atmospheric environmental factor plays large role in …

Instadamn –The Power Of Instagram’S Platform As An Instigator And Indicator For Offline Political Participation Among Young Adults, Natalie Davidson

Honors Theses

Over the past decade, exposure to various forms of political content on social media, as well as social media usage for political means, has been studied by scholars as a link to predicting offline political participation by social media users. While evidence has been gathered that categorizes activity on the platforms of Facebook and Twitter as potential influencers and predictors of offline political behavior, the literature on the political relevance of Instagram as a predictor of offline political participation has yet to be fully explored. Additionally, although younger generations have historically participated in some forms of political behavior (particularly voting) …

When In Rome, Do As Meloni And Salvini Do: Dissecting The Potentially Extreme Nature Of The Political Communication Of Italy's New Right-Wing Populist Duo, Thomas S. Erie

Honors Theses

The fundamental question that this research project aims to answer is: what are the defining characteristics of the style and rhetoric of the communication practices of Italian right-wing populist leadership and how do they relate to those of fascism? After the Italian elections of 2022, in which a right-wing populist coalition led by Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini came to power, further research is necessary to understand the potential implications of this electoral result. Political communication has developed in recent years to shift towards direct communication from the leader to their base through social media and speeches published on YouTube. …

Does Tssh Deletion In Paraburkholderia Bonniea Affect Its Symbiosis With Dictyostellum Discoideum?, Anna Chen

Honors Theses

Paraburkholderia are amoeba resistant, gram negative bacteria that form facultative symbiotic relationships with D. discoideum, a soil dwelling amoeba host. Three species of Paraburkholderia, P. agricolaris, P. hayleyella, and P. bonniea are able to persistently infect nonnative, or symbiont free, D. discoideum. These three species share a type III secretion system (T3SS) and type VI secretion system (T6SS) that is absent in other close relatives We hypothesized that the ability to persistently infect D. discoideum may be partially attributed to the T3SS and T6SS shared across the three species of Paraburkholderia.

The goal was to test the phenotypic effect of …

On The Pursuit Of Developer Happiness: Webcam-Based Eye Tracking And Affect Recognition In The Ide, Tamsin Rogers

Honors Theses

Recent research highlights the viability of webcam-based eye tracking as a low-cost alternative to dedicated remote eye trackers. Simultaneously, research shows the importance of understanding emotions of software developers, where it was found that emotions have significant effects on productivity, code quality, and team dynamics. In this paper, we present our work towards an integrated eye-tracking and affect recognition tool for use during software development. This combined approach could enhance our understanding of software development by combining information about the code developers are looking at, along with the emotions they experience. The presented tool utilizes an unmodified webcam to capture …

The Lie-Brary Of Congress: Misinformation’S Grip On The American Legislative Process, Caleb Bitting

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the influence of misinformation on the policy-making pro- cess by examining its temporal relationship with congressional speech on the floor of Congress. Through the application of Granger causality tests, I aim to determine the extent to which misinformation permeates political discourse and affects representatives from both political parties. My findings reveal that misinformation drives congressional speech on certain issues, and it appears to have an asymmetrical impact on Republicans and Democrats. While not set up to answer the question about a false dichotomy, my thesis hints that Republicans spread significantly more systems-based misinformation than their Democratic counterparts.

The Effect Of Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) Extinction On Ecosystem Function In The Gulf Of Maine Rocky Intertidal, Sophia K. Montague

Honors Theses

Stressors associated with climate change including thermal stress and ocean acidification inhibit the growth and reproduction of many species, including the ecologically and economically important blue mussel species in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Established scaling relationships between mussel size, abundance, and water filtration suggests that the decline of mussels will stunt GOM water filtration. This change in the rate of water filtration could have large effects on the abundance of phytoplankton, abundance of invertebrate larvae, abundance of nutrients and organic material, food web stability, and biodiversity. Overall, this thesis explores the effect of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) …

Finding The Common Denominator: Understanding The Shared Experiences Of Female Math Majors, Abigail R. Rosenbaum

Honors Theses

Despite efforts to increase gender diversity in STEM fields, women remain underrepresented in mathematics, especially in advanced academic and research positions. This study aimed to explore the experiences of female math majors as they attempt to navigate this male-dominated space. Through qualitative interviews with seven female math majors, two female math professors, and a focus group with education majors at Woodbridge College, small liberal arts college in the United States, several common themes were identified that define the experiences of female math majors. The findings suggest that math is held at an elevated status in society and that there is …

From Schleswig To Anschluss: The Plebiscites And Referendums Of Interwar Germany, Matthew J. Rocha

Honors Theses

This paper aims to bridge the gap between the plebiscites following the First World War and the referendums of the Third Reich. To this point, the literatures on these sets of votes have remained completely separate. No scholars have considered the NSDAP’s votes in the context of the postwar votes. By comparing and contrasting these groups of plebiscites for the first time, this paper will shed light on the democratic backsliding of interwar Germany.

This paper argues that when planning their referendums, the leaders of the Third Reich had the immediate postwar plebiscites in mind and were, in some cases, …

Portraits Of Practice: A Case Study On Elementary Schools Successfully Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support, Catherine "Cat" Merkle

Honors Theses

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is an educational framework that aims to make the general education classroom more inclusive to all students and types of learners. MTSS has been found to improve student growth and achievement and decrease special education referrals through the use of layered supports that allow students to stay in the classroom as much as possible. There is a direct focus on progress monitoring, universal screening, and data-based decision making in order to ensure that all students are getting the support they need, whether it be universal, group-based, or individualized. This study aimed to understand what factors …

Merchants Of Blood And Gunpowder: The English Arms Trade In West Africa, Jaime K. Schneider

Honors Theses

The period between 1500 and 1650 saw the development of a transoceanic trade network, multiple European colonial empires in the Americas, and rapid developments in firearms technology. Combined, these factors laid the groundwork for two interrelated phenomena, the transatlantic slave trade, and the emergence of a global trade in arms. Examining the documents of the Royal African Company and assembling a broad selection of secondary sources, this paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate over the role of slavery in the development of modern capitalism. This paper argues that the transatlantic slave trade was vital for the development of …

Food As A Vector For Change: Lessons From The Third Sector On Improving Livelihoods With Nutritional Knowledge In Medellín And Bogotá, Solomon Treister

Honors Theses

In this thesis I argue that improving diet in communities depends on building nutritional knowledge. In examining the role of community level organizations, I look specifically at how knowledge is conveyed through agriculture and gastronomy. This project analyzes how civil society organizations work to reintegrate individuals into food systems, compelling consumers to take agency over their diets and pursue better livelihoods. The industrialization of food systems has fundamentally changed the way humans connect with food and diet. In Colombia, internal displacements and urban migration have accelerated a loss of connection with the land and food processes. At the same time, …

Thanks, It's Second-Hand: Shifting Values Of Second-Hand Clothing In Mexico City, Sofia Arleo

Honors Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the relationship between people and clothing in Mexico City. Using ethnographic snapshots, local histories and scholarly research on used clothing, this thesis looks at how the economic and emotional value attached to second-hand clothing is determined by place, story and social identity. This thesis questions how clothing changes value as it travels between the United States, open air markets that have existed since the Aztec empire and curated second-hand and vintage stores in Roma Norte, one the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. Second-hand clothing is unique in that it has an added narrative from its …

Jewish Presence In The Venetian Empire: A Challenge To Venetian Mythology, Avery Rosensweig

Honors Theses

This paper attempts to explain the significance of Jewish presence in the Venetian Empire in the context of the myth of Venice. Jews were officially permitted to settle in Venice in 1516, but their connection with the Venetian Empire goes further back. Jews were important for the success of the Venetian Empire, particularly from the sixteenth century onward. The permanent settlement of the Jews in Venice directly impacted the very ideology of the Venetian Empire.

Although the phrase "myth of Venice" was developed by twentieth-century historians, Venetians perpetuated the myth and wove its ideals into the foundation of the Venetian …