Digital Commons Network^™

9/11 And The Butterfly Effect, Taylor Eubanks

Honors Theses

September 11, 2001, is a day that forever changed and impacted this nation. Following the worst terror attacks in our nation's history, the citizens of this nation showed the absolute best parts of humanity and simultaneously the lowest depths of ignorance and hate. Immediately in the days following 9/11, an incredible sense of solidarity and pride for our nation was felt no matter what part of the country you were in. It seemed as though every home had an American flag hanging from their porch in unison. This level of Patriotism can be a truly beautiful thing, however, it can …

Effects Of "Ultrasound" On Completion Of Cognitive Tasks In Relation To Dolphin Assisted Therapy, Carrie Wein

Honors Theses

In previous studies, it has been suggested that ultrasound may be the mechanism behind the success of Dolphin Assisted Therapy programs. This study was conducted to determine whether advertising these positive effects of dolphin produced ultrasound to prospective patients will elicit a placebo effect of improving cognitive function. A memory matching task was designed to measure cognitive task completion efficiency, and completion times were recorded in seconds. Participants were divided into two groups, Group A completing the task under normal, or control conditions first, and under the mock "ultrasound" condition second, while Group B received the mock "ultrasound" condition first …

Cesar Chavez Day Celebration With Delores Huerta, 2009, Julian Ramirez-Torres

Honors Theses

“Big things don’t happen in Kalamazoo and especially not for our people”. These are the words of a young Hispanic student at Kalamazoo Central High School. This KCHS student along with others did not believe that the Hispanic community could bring an important speaker such as Dolores Huerta to Kalamazoo. Dolores Huerta, alongside César Chávez Co-Founded the United Farm Workers (UFW). What that young Hispanic student saw as impossible, I saw it as calling and a dream, but most importantly as a moment when I could change the way those students thought about what is possibly from our Hispanic community. …

An Analysis Of Lithic Debitage From Mound C At The Winterville Mounds Archaeological Site (22ws500), Barbara Mcclendon

Honors Theses

The Winterville Mounds, located in Northwest Mississippi, was once home to one of the largest chiefdoms in the Southeast. It served as a both a religious and political center and housed the ruling class atop its twenty-three manmade mounds. Recent excavation on Mound C at Winterville has uncovered an unusually large quantity of lithic artifacts. In an effort to shed light on the presence of such utilitarian tools where elites resided, this study utilized individual flake analysis on 830 pieces of lithic debitage, including cores, flakes, shatter, and tools. After documenting significant evidence of early through late stage lithic reduction …

Online Music Piracy In College-Age Students, Jasmine D. Allen

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess the demographic profile of online music pirates and to assess how the magnitudes of various existing constructs differ according to gender. To reach conclusions as to which kinds of college students engage in online music piracy and their reasons for doing so, a campus-wide online survey that assessed the demographic information and piracy motivations of participants was offered to college students at a university. There is a need for this study because it will further contribute to a growing knowledge base that offers explanations as to why individuals partake in acts of …

Grey Matter: Investigating The Gendered Fan Consumption Of Grey’S Anatomy, John Barr

Honors Theses

This study investigates the fan consumption of the television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which is commonly associated with a predominately female fanbase. Utilizing both a male and female focus group with fans of the show, participants took a survey (gathering demographics and their Bem Sex-Role Inventory score) and viewed two episodes of the show, both followed by a discussion of the episode and the show in general. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed in full for analysis, along with the survey data and observational notes taken during the viewing. Coding of the data revealed that males and females held …

The Effects Of Xanthigentm Supplementation On Body Composition, Serum Markers Of The Metabolic Syndrome, And Hepaptic Enzyme Levels In An Obese Population, Emily Buras

Honors Theses

XanthigenTM [100 mg brown seaweed extract (0.8 % fucoxanthin) and 100 mg pomegranate seed oil (70 % punicic acid)] has been shown to significantly reduce body fat, liver fat, and improve serum markers of liver function in obese females. Twenty-nine participants were matched for age, gender, and body fat percentage and randomized into either a XanthigenTM group or a placebo group. For 16-weeks, participants were asked to consume a reduced calorie diet while supplementing their diet with their respective pills three times per day. Data were analyzed using multivariate ANOVA with repeated measures and presented as mean ± standard deviation. …

Do Parenting Practices Mediate The Relation Between Maternal Depression And Child Adaptive Behaviors? An Examination Of Outcomes For Children From Varying Socioeconomic Status Groups, Stephanie Smith

Honors Theses

Through a moderated mediational model, the current study examined whether parenting practices mediate the relation between maternal depression and adaptive behaviors in preschoolers and whether that mediation is moderated by socioeconomic status (SES). Data were collected from parent and teacher report questionnaires on 117 preschool children [54 attending Head Start and 63 attending other (non-Head Start ) childcare centers]. It was hypothesized that parenting practices would mediate the relation between maternal depression and child adaptive behavior (positive parenting leading to higher adaptive behavior, negative parenting leading to lower adaptive behavior) and that the relation between parenting and adaptive behavior would …

Revolutionary Identities And Competing Legitimacies: Why Pariah States Export Violence, Ari B. Weiss

Honors Theses

Amid the burgeoning literature on international norms, the study of states that violate them, so called pariahs, remains sparse (Shannon 2000). Although recent studies of pariah states have the identified numerous ways in which they break international norms, we do not know why they pursue one action over another (E.g Geldenhuys 2004, Nincic 2005). I argue that the export of violence is caused by the state’s "revolutionary identity" which leads to the adoption of competing and incompatible norms. Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) I test this against other alternate and prevailing hypotheses, demonstrating that a combination of sovereignty, existential threat, …

The Effects Of Xanthigen Supplementation On Body Weight, Resting Energy Expenditure, And Body Composition In An Obese Population, Lisa Knecht

Honors Theses

Since obesity is a significant problem that is facing the American people, there has been great interest in trying to develop a successful health supplement to help counteract the effects of obesity. Xanthigen is a new supplement composed of brown seaweed extract and pomegranate seed oil and is theorized to increase resting energy expenditure and decrease BMI and body fat. This study involved a 16‐week supplementation protocol to examine the effects of Xanthigen supplementation on an obese population in the Mississippi area. Testing of resting energy expenditure, BMI, and body fat percentage took place every four weeks for 16 weeks. …

1st Mississippi Mounted Rifles: Mississippi’S Union Battalion In The Civil War, Beau Johnson

Honors Theses

In the Civil War era, Mississippi was a house divided. Secessionists were in a never ending conflict with pro-Unionists in the 1850’s and into 1860 over secession. These clashes even spilled over into the war as Confederates skirmished with pro-Unionists, as well as groups of people that became known as anti-Confederates (these being people that did not support the Union, but did not agree with the policies of the Confederacy). The division in Mississippi had become so bad that many men refused to join the army, some deserted after conscription, while others supported the Union in any way possible. In …

Dnagents 3.0: Genetically Engineered Mobile Agents For A Dynamic Network Topology, John Bovatsek

Honors Theses

Mobile agents are a relatively new topic in the realm of computer science research. They are being researched throughout the world by many scientists in order to ascertain their viability in real world applications. They have many disadvantages that keep them from widespread adoption. With his graduate dissertation Genetically Engineered Intelligent Mobile Agents, Kackley opened a whole new area of this research by combining mobile agents with genetic algorithms. These algorithms model the natural process of evolution to evolve solutions for problems.

This thesis is part of a research group effort to expand on Kackley’s work in the Database …

The Effects Of An Informal Science Education Setting On Students’ Attitudes Towards Learning Science, Lauren Finley

Honors Theses

Informal science education is becoming increasingly popular in today’s classrooms, and for this reason, it is important to understand the effects of informal science education on students. In this study, the Children’s Attitude Survey (Wulf, Mayhew, & Finkelstein, 2009) was used to measure the effects of informal science education on students’ attitude toward science. Questionnaires were administered to two sample sets, and results indicated a slight decrease in attitude after participating in an informal science field trip. Continuing research in this area will provide more insight into why these effects were seen, and how informal science education can be best …

Virtue For Commercial Purpose: A Look At Production Code Censorship In The 1930s, Jacob Key

Honors Theses

This paper is a study of the conservative political bias inherent to the Motion Picture Production Code as it applies to Great Depression cinema. Many films in this period attempted to explore progressive themes but were edited or prohibited outright under the Code’s authority. Father Daniel Lord, the Code’s author, greatly feared cinema’s cultural and moral influences, but may have been unaware of the political ramifications of his work. On the other hand, his boss, Will H. Hays, was an ambitious man fully in support of the Code’s ability to censor politics that differed from his own. The unlikely partnership …

Human-Animal Relationships In Traditional Healing Methods: A Cross-Cultural Analysis, Ashley Long

Honors Theses

Limpiezas are a form of ritual used around the world for healing and diagnosis illness. In a lot of cases, rituals such as these are used with other objects such as bones, flowers, eggs, or animals. Within the Santeria and Andean cultures, limpiezas are performed using animals; it is the goal of this research paper to determine why certain animals are used and how they complement the healing process. Research included an exploration of contextual data and cross-cultural analysis of the different populations. It was found that the differences found in the cosmologies of the separate cultures can be referred …

“I Have Something To Say, If People Only Would Hear It”: The Voiceless Artist And The Idea Of Reform In The Work Of Rebecca Harding Davis, Kathryn Plunkett

Honors Theses

In her 1904 memoir, Bits of Gossip, American journalist and fiction writer Rebecca Harding Davis wrote that “nobody has sketched those uneasy, unsuccessful ghosts who haunt the gates and hedges of the scribbling world; always outside, yet always hoping to enter in” (142). In this remark, Davis reveals her desire to write about ordinary people in ordinary situations and to give her writings a sense of realism that had not been portrayed by the idealistic Romantic writers that preceded her. Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, American writers had emphasized emotion and imagination over reason, allowing them to …

Disconnected: College Freshmen Experience Communication Without Technology, Lacey Myers

Honors Theses

We are in a technological revolution, where “Generation Next” is surviving and thriving in a digital world. New and improved methods of communication through technology have altered the way we live and communicate. Today’s young adults, who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet, are living in a whirlwind of innovation and advancement “and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change” (Pew Research Center, 2007). They cannot remember or imagine a world without such advanced technology. Modes of digital communication such as the cell phone, internet, and social …

The Relation Between Cognitive Inflexibility And Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits In Adults: Depression And Anxiety As Potential Mediators, Lakenya Deberry

Honors Theses

The current study quantitatively examined the relation between cognitive inflexibility and obsessive-compulsive personality traits and also examined whether depression and anxiety were mediators of that relation. A total of 56 individuals, ages 18 to 40, participated in the study and were recruited from the undergraduate and graduate student body of The University of Southern Mississippi as well as other participants from the University community. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on measures of cognitive inflexibility (Cognitive Flexibility Scale; CFS), depression and anxiety (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale; DASS), and obsessive-compulsive personality traits (Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire; PDQ-4). It was hypothesized that cognitive inflexibility …

Evaluating Child Routines As A Mediator Of Marital Conflict And Child Adjustment, Ashley Prine

Honors Theses

Many studies have examined the relationship between destructive marital conflict and child externalizing behavior, however there are several gaps in the literature about constructive marital conflict and internalizing child behaviors. Also, where many experiments have focused on parenting practices as the mediator of this relationship, no known studies have examined child routines as a mediator. Thus, the current study aims to test child routines as a mediator between both constructive and destructive marital conflict, and child internalizing and externalizing behavior. Participants included 121 married mothers with children from ages 6-12 (M = 8.59, SD = 1.93). Data about the parent’s …

An Investigation On The Interaction Of Various Natural Products With The Amyloid-Β Peptide; Betulinic Acid Causes Rapid Amyloid-Β Fibril Formation At The Expense Of Soluble Oligomers, Matthew Planchard

Honors Theses

In this report we investigate the interaction of the natural compounds asiatic acid (AA), asiaticoside (AS), umbelliferone (UM), and betulinic acid (BA) with the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, the aggregation of which is implicated to be the major pathogenic event in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Screening of compounds for ability to affect Aβ aggregation was performed via ThT fluorescence. Only BA showed consistent deviation from controls, causing virtually instantaneous formation of large amounts of fibrils in a concentration-dependent fashion. Turbidity assays ensured the aggregation monitored via ThT was not experimental aberration. Kinetics utilizing ThT and turbidity indicated that BA causes immediate exponential …

Pilgrimage To The Birthplace Of Elvis Presley, Joseph Samuel Miller

Honors Theses

At the Elvis Presley birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, a sacred, secular pilgrimage is taking place. This study used the categories of myths, symbols, and experiences to understand the perceptions of the pilgrims at the birthplace. Using a combination of interviews and mapping, the themes and data presented show that the area has a clear distinction of sacred space, which was defined by the relics in the spaces that Elvis physically interacted with. The pilgrim related to these symbols through strong, varied mythological content. A mapping component illustrated the international spatial distribution of pilgrims to the birthplace and confirms that it …

A Scenographic Transposition From The Stage To The Screen: An Excavation Of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Jordan Randall

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the distinction between the scenic design of A Streetcar Named Desire’s original Broadway production and 1951 film. Using Streetcar as a case study, I evaluated the differences in the choices made in the scenography of the two mediums as a way to evaluate whether there are inherent differences between theatre and film. I examined the scripts of both mediums and analyzed how the story was transposed and how that transposition affected the choices made by the director and designer in the making of the film.

What Makes A Man: Social Constructions Of Masculinity In The Works Of Stanley Kubrick, Michael Cory Taylor

Honors Theses

This study examines three male protagonists from films by Stanley Kubrick, and the original literary texts, with specific focus on the social influence of each character’s sense of masculinity. Much has been written about literature and film as a social critique, but there is a particular need for study through Kubrick’s lens. The original literary texts are Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. By considering the historical context of both the novel and its adaptation, it is possible to provide an indication of each protagonist’s effect on social constructions of manhood. It is also necessary to note the …

The Influence Of Residence Hall Design On College Students' Grade Point Averages, On-Campus Involvement, And Sense Of Community, Katrina Rutledge

Honors Theses

Residence halls have a large impact on college students' experiences. Residence hall design can help foster higher GPAs, encourage more involvement on campus, and create a stronger sense of community among students. Colleges and universities should consider these factors when designing and constructing new residence halls or renovating existing halls. Different residence hall design styles can foster different results in the above mentioned categories. This study compares transitional style residence halls to suite-style residence halls. The purpose of this study was to gather results from surveying upperclassmen living in both types of residence halls to determine if one design style …

Perceptions Of The Deaf Among Various University Social Groups, Ashley Thrash

Honors Theses

Due to lack of previous research in this area, research for this project will be conducted on various social groups on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in order to determine the attitudes towards the deaf held by each social group. (For this project, a social group is defined as an organization whose members are college students on a university campus.) Research will be conducted through the use of a survey instrument designed to measure hearing people’s perception of deaf people, in terms of their intelligence, job skills, communication skills, academic skills, ability to deal with traffic, …

A Phylogeny Of Samydaceae Based On Nuclear Gbssi And Emb2765 Dna Sequences, Chelsa Williams

Honors Theses

Samydaceae are a tropical family of woody flowering plants, poorly known because they were once included in the ‘dustbin’ family Flacourtiaceae and because there are few economically important species. The family has recently been studied using DNA sequence data, but most of the data were from plastid DNA and some relationships had low statistical support. For this study, two nuclear regions, EMB2765 and GBSSI, were sequenced in order to affirm or refute the relationships inferred from plastid DNA and in order to find stronger statistical support for relationships. The data collected mostly affirm previously collected data from plastid DNA.

The Relationship Between Resistance To Conformity And College Students’ Alcohol Use, Alcohol-Related Consequences Experienced, And Pbs Use, Melissa Ambrosino

Honors Theses

College students’ alcohol use has reached alarming heights in the past 25 years and shows no signs of slowing; experiencing alcohol-related negative consequences is on the rise for this demographic. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) can help prevent negative consequences. This study sought to determine if relationships existed between resistance to conformity and college students’ alcohol consumption, alcohol-related negative consequences experienced, and PBS use. Data were collected via online surveys from students at a Southeastern mid-sized university. As hypothesized, resistance to conformity had negative relationships with alcohol consumption (r = -.094, p = .05 ) and number of alcohol-related negative …

The Identification Of Arachnid Species In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Lauren Auer

Honors Theses

Despite the known diversity of arachnids in neotropical ecozones there has been little considerable movement towards creating a collective means for identification of arachnids in Belize. Previous studies on ecotourism indicate positive trends between biodiversity education and conservation concern. This study was conducted to engage in a field-based study of arachnids in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to determine the most frequently encountered arachnid species. For this study, four separate locations were surveyed within the Sanctuary: three trail sites and the main camp area. Each site was surveyed during two alternate time periods to account for diurnal and nocturnal species. …

The Practice, Regulation, And Political Context Of Midwifery In Mississippi: Attitudes Of Healthcare Professionals, Alexandria Broadway

Honors Theses

The current state-by-state system of midwifery regulation—or lack thereof—has made the issue a subject of debate amongst policy-makers, community-members, and healthcare providers as a whole. In Mississippi, the practice of midwifery is, at present, legal but unregulated, meaning there is no protocol for licensure, certification, or registration. In 2011, a bill that sought to require all non-nurse midwives in the state to become Certified Professional Midwives through the North American Registry of Midwives or a successor organization was proposed. Though the legislation passed the House of Representatives, it was never signed into law. This bill, along with past and current …

Spiders Of Riparian Communities In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize, Megan Chevis

Honors Theses

Currently there is little literature on what arachnids inhabit the tropics of Central America, especially within the country of Belize. This study aimed to find which spider species are found in riparian areas within the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in central Belize and to distinguish trends among spiders and the microhabitats in which they live. Nocturnal samples were predicted to have greater diversity than diurnal samples at all sites. Pisauridae, Salticidae, and Lycosidae were predicted to be the most common spider families collected. Specimens were collected from three riparian sites located on trails within Cockscomb. Diurnal and nocturnal samples were …