Digital Commons Network^™

The Level Of Commitment Of Intrinsic Religiosity And Relational Aggression In Middle-Aged Women, Hannah E. Allen

Honors Theses

The study examined the relationship between the level of commitment to intrinsic religiosity and the role of relational aggression in the lives of middle-aged women. Research has shown that middle-aged women participate in relational aggression, but few studies have investigated it. The causes and methods of prevention in relational aggression are something to be considered, and a first step is examining risk and protective factors. Is intrinsic religiosity a protective or risk factor for participating as an instigator in relational aggression? Does intrinsic religiosity actually buffer the negative effects associated with victimization in relational aggression? Based on research that previously …

As Seen In Vogue: An Analytical Observation Of Nudity In French And American Vogue, Elizabeth A. Kiehn

Honors Theses

For centuries, Europe has been the leader in fashion production and innovation. At the heart of this continent lies the fashion capital of the world—France. French designers have always been on the cutting edge of fashion. Setting trends, shocking consumers, and enticing the world have been normal everyday activities for them as if it is in their blood. French culture is much more daring and open about sexuality in comparison to American culture, however, American designers and retailers are still heavily influenced by French fashion designs. This begs the question then: Are French fashion magazines equally influential on American fashion …

The Effect Of Joint Attention Intervention Techniques On Expressive Language Ability In Preschool Children With Autism, Beverly L. Locker

Honors Theses

This study sought to investigate the effect of an intervention program for joint attention on joint attention and expressive language skill. The participants were five males with autism spectrum disorders who were attending a reverse inclusion preschool in the southeastern United States. The investigator observed the participants in their classrooms over a five-week period. The most significant finding was variation in the participants’ joint attention and language behaviors. Only one participant showed improvement across the period of the study. One important clinical implication from this study is the idea that therapy for joint attention might be more effective in a …

U.S. Gaap Versus Ifrs: Reconciling Revenue Recognition Principles In The Software Industry, Jason T. Babington

Honors Theses

In the world of financial accounting, a demand for universal standards exists. The two primary standard setting boards, The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), have made some strides in developing universal standards, but they still are not fully reconciled in the area of software revenue recognition. The main reason the two standards are not reconciled in the area of software revenue recognition is that a difference exists in the critical event between the standards. The critical event refers to the exact time a company recognizes revenue on its books. The purpose of the …

The Digital Commons And Copyright: The Conflict Between Property Rights And Free Speech, Ashley Turacek

Honors Theses

U.S. copyright law as most laws are based off of British law. This paper examines the origin of copyright law in Britain and traces its development throughout 19th America up until the 21st century. While tracing the development of copyright I also examine the implications occurring on the freedom of speech as technological advances create more changes in copyright law.

Mending The Mind With Dharma, Jason Brown

Honors Theses

Anxiety, depression, and tragedy are all unavoidable aspects of existence that we find ourselves grappling with at some point in our lives. In those darker moments we often look beyond ourselves for a means to cope with our struggles in the hopes of transcending into enhanced states of being. The world¿s religions have provided various answers to problems of mental and physical affliction. Across cultures and throughout history, numerous techniques for ¿mending the mind¿ have emerged, conditioned by a number of factors, including the normative values of a society as well as the scientific advances and technologies available for therapeutic …

Contemporary Hollywood And The Attention Economy, Caitlin Falco

Honors Theses

This thesis had two goals: to explore the transformation of Hollywood from the 1930s to present, and to investigate how Contemporary Hollywood functions in a growing attention economy. Evident in the types of films that it produces as well as its evolving industrial structure, Contemporary Hollywood significantly differs from the Classical Hollywood of the 1930s. New digital technologies like surround sound and computer-generated imagery (CGI) have allowed studios to create a different type of film like the blockbuster and to have more extensive control over their films. Additionally, growing exhibition and distribution platforms have also fundamentally altered the industrial landscape …

Visual Branding In Graphic Design, Leslie E. Kirk

Honors Theses

Brands are all around us - no matter where we go, no matter what we do. As consumers, we are bombarded by images of logos and advertising campaigns every day. However, we rarely think about the process by which brands enter our lives. Before any product is ever produced or sold, it must first be branded. Every idea, from initial sketches to patented logos, supports a branding strategy, or the decisions a production team has made about what will drive a consumer to choose their brand over that of their competitors.

One problem small companies face when trying to get …

Disagreeable, Villainous, And Wimpy: The Child As Antihero In Burnett, Colfer, And Kinney, Blakely J. Owens

Honors Theses

Although children’s literature is often dismissed as largely didactic and supportive of entrenched power structures, an examination of the antihero’s development in children’s literature reveals the genre’s complexity and subtle challenges of social mores. Critics focus extensive attention on the redemption of a less-than-ideal character from social deviancy to normalcy in fiction for young readers, but more rarely do they discuss those characters that remain static in their lack of heroic qualities and fail as role models for children. The on-going discussion on conventional subgenres like the school story does not often include texts that subvert the form with bullying …

Dive Into The Pit: Moshing And Its Effects On Perceived Stress, Sense Of Belonging, & Self-Esteem In College Undergraduates, William Tyler Edwards

Honors Theses

Moshing has been underrepresented in the research field. This is especially true in the area of Therapeutic Recreation. Moshing has been seen as a dangerous and violent form of dance. However, in a controlled environment moshing has the potential to be used as a therapeutic modality.

This study examined the effects of moshing on perceived stress, sense of belonging, and self esteem in undergraduate college students at the University of Southern Mississippi. Data was collected during a five-week moshing dance session through the use of three assessments/surveys, which included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the …

The Trap-Neuter-Return Program As A Means For Collecting, Analyzing, And Comparing Data In Animal Care Facilities In Florida, Louisiana, And Mississippi, Stephanie T. Doty

Honors Theses

The TNR program has been met with both scrutiny and approval as a result of conflicting data from studies that examine its usefulness as a means of controlling the free-roaming cat population explosion (Levy & Crawford, 2004). Though the differing opinions will be discussed, it is not the intention of this paper to provide evidence in support of one or the other; instead, the purpose is to examine the various clinics’ implementation of the TNR program and its usefulness in providing data. In addition, an analysis of the data was done to determine what they may suggest about the free-roaming …

If You Build It, They Will Come: A Study Of Imperial Design In Victorian Britain, Scarlett A. Jones

Honors Theses

The Crystal Palace (1851) and Paddington Station (1854) utilized imperial design in their construction as a tool to infuse the British public with pride in the empire. This study considered how the buildings were discussed in the press and other descriptive materials, such as guidebooks and architectural critiques to provide a general perception of how imperial propaganda utilized descriptions of imperial design to garner support for the empire. The study concluded that the impact of imperial design as propaganda for the empire was influenced by the function of the buildings. Attitudes towards imperial design varied, hinting at a division in …

Attitudes Of Clinically Practicing Registered Nurses In Southern Mississippi Toward Physician-Assisted Death, Robin E. Smith

Honors Theses

Problem

The purpose of this study is to discover unique themes related to the attitudes of nurses in Southern Mississippi toward physician-assisted death (PAD).

Methods

This study is a qualitative, inductive content analysis. The sample comprised three registered nurses currently practicing in Southern Mississippi. The researcher guided each participant’s one-hour interview with questions, then recorded and transcribed the texts for data analysis; and coded and analyzed data. Themes were selected if there was inter-rater agreement of 100% between the researcher and thesis adviser.

Results

The interview questions focused on (a) the presence or absence of support for legalization of PAD, …

Study Of Students' Knowledge Of The Profession Of Graphic Design, Rachael C. Thomas

Honors Theses

Research, or rather the lack thereof, seems to indicate a lack of appreciation for graphic design, designers themselves, and the work they do in both the public and scholarly society. Without proper acknowledgement from the public and academia, graphic design as a profession is in danger of disappearing. The problem may stem from graphic design being a relatively new field if one is to think of it as really taking off with the invention of computers. This lack of understanding may also contribute to the absence of a single definition for graphic design. To address these concerns, this study will …

Effectiveness Of Individualizing Interventions Informed By The Hierarchic Dementia Scale (Hds), Used By Nursing Staff, To Reduce Aggressive Behaviors In An Individual With Alzheimer’S Disease, Nicki E. Relan

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, representing 60 percent of all cases, and is described as a chronic, progressive, degenerative cognitive disorder. With loss of independence due to cognitive impairment, AD patients become more confused and anxious, which leads to a higher incidence of aggression towards nursing staff. It is paramount that the nursing community seeks new evidence-based healthcare innovations to reduce aggression and to protect caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of individualizing interventions informed by the Hierarchic Dementia Scale (HDS) to reduce aggressive behaviors in people with Alzheimer’s disease. …

The Who, What, Where, And How Of Foreign Languages: A Study Of Foreign Language Curricula At Four-Year Colleges In Mississippi, Mariah S. Senegal

Honors Theses

This paper studies the eight four-year public universities within the state of Mississippi and their French and Spanish foreign language curriculums in order to compare their curriculums to those of The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ standards of the Five C’s: communication, communities, culture, connections, and comparisons. The results are broken down into three sections by each college’s overall rankings, each college’s individual course offerings, and culture offerings. The data provides interesting results that shows that while a university may offer more or less foreign language courses, their curriculum did not necessarily reflect the standards that ACTFL …

Movement Marketing Of Nonprofit Organizations: Creating Consumer Advocates, Laura B. Hunt

Honors Theses

The title of my thesis is called Movement Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations: Creating Consumer Advocates. The purpose of the study was to determine how nonprofit organizations use marketing to further their cause. The study involved interviewing employees of nonprofit organizations using a standard questionnaire to gather information about how the organization utilizes marketing internally and externally. After analyzing the information gathered from the personal interviews, several techniques were used by all of the organizations. The organizations use movement marketing by first starting to spread the passion for their cause within the organization through employees, volunteers, and board members. These advocates …

The Council Of Conservative Citizens: Extolling Nativism And Perpetuating Stereotypes, Jordan M. Tinnon

Honors Theses

The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), an overtly pro-white, anti-immigrant political organization, uses biased news articles laden with racial stereotypes to promote and propagate their dogma of white superiority and nativism. In these articles particular attention is paid to the supposed threats of Hispanic immigration, attempting to make the case that Hispanics put white Americans’ health and safety, along with the white American way of life, at risk. Six recent articles from the CofCC website are shown to capitalize on the fear of the public to further advance and support a doctrine of nativism. Nativism has serious ramifications both to …

Perceptions Of Bp: Successes Of Post 2010 Oil Spill Recover Effort, Jordan R. Mathews

Honors Theses

This purpose of this project was to determine peoples’ opinions of BP’s post 2010 oil spill recovery effort. The researcher examined 65 faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi in order to determine their beliefs, attitudes, and intentions concerning different elements of the BP oil spill recovery effort. The researcher found that there is an overall negative opinion concerning the economic, ecological, and overall recovery effort aspects of the spill. This research suggests that BP still has some work to do in order to restore the gulf coast like they promised.

An Examination Of The Social Functions Of Mouth Behaviors In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Kirsten E. Lapuyade

Honors Theses

This project examines the social functions of mouthing behaviors in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) houses dolphins which are captive but in a natural habitat. The twenty-six dolphins are used in human interactions, but for the rest of their time they are allowed to roam naturally. These dolphins make it possible to examine natural social behavior in a captive setting. The following study examines video data of these dolphins obtained by Dr. Stan Kuczaj in 2009. Behavior of the dolphins in these videos was recorded, the primary focus being mouthing behaviors.

There …

Facebook As A Job Screening Tool: Are Sales Employers Discriminating Against Job Applicants Based On Their Facebook Profiles?, Jocelyn M. Lockhart

Honors Theses

Social media networking sites are an exceptionally popular resource of self-expression in modern society. They allow friends, families and lovers across the globe to connect and stay in touch with one another. It has become increasingly common for hiring employers to utilize these sites as job-screening platforms. This research will explore how sales employers specifically examine job candidates’ Facebook profiles. Furthermore it will examine whether or not they are discriminating against these applicants based on their Facebook content.

Professional First Ladies In The Media: Framing Of Clinton, Bush, And Obama In The Washington Post, Jazmyne E. Butler

Honors Theses

This study examines how the news media portray and frame modern first ladies. By prefacing the research with background information about the history of the role of first ladies, and media theories such as framing, the reader is able to better understand the implications of this coverage. Other previous research delved into gender roles and how deviation from these roles is subject to criticism. The goal of the research is to examine the first 100 days of a presidency to determine if a first lady who steps out of bounds with the traditional societal female gender role is subject to …

Changing The Nature Of The Beast: An Analysis Of Significant Variations From Madame De Beaumont’S La Belle Et La Bête In Disney’S Beauty And The Beast, Heather A. Stevens

Honors Theses

Madame Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont wrote and published La Belle et La Bête while working as a governess and educator in 1757. She told the tale to a young female audience as a means of teaching important life lessons. Walt Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, is clearly inspired by Beaumont’s story, yet Disney makes many alterations to her characters. This thesis locates and analyzes these changes, arguing that they greatly alter the message of Beaumont’s story from one that is empowering to women to one that is harmful and ultimately anti-woman. This thesis also examines …

The Effects Of Music On Foreign Language Retention In Elementary Schools, Hayley M. Collins

Honors Theses

There are a variety of different strategies educators have to choose from when deciding to teach a foreign language in their elementary school classroom. Although this is so, there are still educators who choose to rely on the traditional method of rote memorization. Interactive play allows the students to be hands-on when learning foreign language vocabulary rather than simply memorizing it. Music is also incorporated into interactive play to see its effects on retaining the knowledge students are learning. Both of these, music and interactive play, were used in this study to prove that the combination of the two is …

Developing Methods To Measure Small Attenuation Coefficients Using Short Distance Radiation Detection, Erica F. Bloor

Honors Theses

Accurate radiation measurements are very important for a variety of health, security, and industrial applications. The work described in this thesis is based upon developing a correction for the response of a sodium iodide (NaI) gamma-ray detector that is accurate enough to be used for determination of small mass-attenuation coefficients, such as for air, with short distance measurements. The goal is to find and apply appropriate corrections for the raw data provided by the NaI detector to enable the measurement of the gamma-ray mass-attenuation coefficients of air for detection distances of less than 1 meter. If measurements of the mass-attenuation …

Gaap And Ifrs Convergence: The Effect On Lease Accounting, Ellen E. Bailey

Honors Theses

The research performed in this study has two main objectives. The first objective relates to lease accounting and the way accounting for leases differs between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The second objective relates to how companies will be affected by the convergence of GAAP and IFRS.

Using Manipulative Models To Develop Tree-Thinking, Donaven C. Mclaurin

Honors Theses

It is well known that students often struggle with tree-thinking, a core aspect of evolutionary education. Scientists consider phylogenetic trees multidimensional hypotheses of evolutionary relationships. However, student view textbook diagrams as static, two-dimensional images. Physical manipulatives have been used to facilitate learning science content in areas such as genetics, but these instructional tools have not yet been tested in tree-thinking. In order to circumvent students’ tree-thinking struggles, I investigated the use of manipulative, three-dimensional tree models in an introductory biology course designed for non-science majors (n=163). Specifically my research questions included: What are the differences in tree-thinking learning gains when …

Effects Of Illegal Immigration Upon Crime In The United States, Christopher M. Necaise

Honors Theses

The U. S. Government regularly compiles and publishes statistics involving crimes occurring in the United States, especially through the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). These publications can be used to search facts and figures with respect to crime, including by locale, type of crime and the race of the perpetrator, among others. Inexplicably, however, no data is provided with respect to whether the perpetrator has a legal or illegal immigration status or his/her ethnicity. This absence of objective data on crime and immigration has led to some with political agendas from both sides …

Aaarrrggg I’M A Pirate: Cloud-Streaming Services And Their Effects On Music Consumption And Music Piracy, Caitlin M. Seale

Honors Theses

With advances in technology, music consumption among listeners has vastly changed throughout the years. These changes in technology have allowed piracy to thrive and prosper while physical sales vastly decreased. Previous studies have explored how music piracy effects music consumption. This study goes beyond the work that previous studies have explored by examining a new form of music consumption—cloud-streaming websites. This thesis examines how cloud-streaming services have affected music consumption and music piracy through an analysis of an online study distributed to music consumers. The results showed that cloud-streaming services do change the way that people consume music. Respondents demonstrated …

Behavorial Lateralization Of Pectoral Fin Rubbing Researched In 27 Identified Bottlenose Dolphins, Brittany R. Poelma

Honors Theses

This thesis takes a look at the behavioral lateralization of handedness present or not present within the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population housed at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. Dolphins and humans share similar brain structures in that the brain is split into hemispheres that allow an individual to present behaviorally dominate features on different sides of their body. This type of split brain structure allows for a phenomenon known as handedness, where one hand presents dominant motor control. For dolphins, their “hand” is their pectoral fin. This thesis looked at a managed care population to investigate …