Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of “No Pro Homo” Policies On Lgbtq+ Perceptions In The American South, Isabella L. Brocato

Honors Theses

Five states in the American South currently have “no pro homo” policies in place, while an increasing number of bills targeting discussions about sexuality and gender identity in public schools are being introduced to House floors around the country. Although there is extensive research on the ways in which these policies put the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ students at risk, there is little to no research about how they shape public perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community collectively. With inspiration from Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s social science study cited in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), this study works …

Fine-Tuning A 𝑘-Nearest Neighbors Machine Learning Model For The Detection Of Insurance Fraud, Alliyah Stout

Honors Theses

Billions of dollars are lost within insurance companies due to fraud. Large money losses force insurance companies to increase premium costs and/or restrict policies. This negatively affects a company’s loyal customers. Although this is a prevalent problem, companies are not urgently working toward bettering their machine learning algorithms. Underskilled workers paired with inefficient computer algorithms make it difficult to accurately and reliably detect fraud.

The goal of this study is to understand the idea of -Nearest Neighbors ( -NN) and to use this classification technique to accurately detect fraudulent auto insurance claims. Using -NN requires choosing a value and a …

Investigation Of Python Variable Privacy, Joshua Bartholomew

Honors Theses

This study looks at the relative security of Python regarding private variables and functions used in most other programming languages. Python has only grown in popularity due to its simple syntax and developing capabilities. However, little research has been published about how secure Python code and programs compiled from Python code actually are. This research seeks to expose vulnerabilities in Python code and determine what must be done for these vulnerabilities to be exploited by hackers to abuse potentially sensitive information contained within the program.

The proposed methodology includes examining the private variable concept in other programming languages and conducting …

Evaluation Of Raman Spectroscopy As A Screening Tool To Predict Dna Recovery Potential In Skeletonized Human Remains, Cody Silverman

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if Raman spectroscopy can be used as a rapid and non-destructive screening tool to predict DNA recovery potential for bone, and to explore the correlation between the compositional microstructure of bone and preservation of DNA. The two primary structural components of bone are calcium hydroxyapatite and collagen. It is proposed that by analyzing bone using Raman spectroscopy, the presence, state, and distribution of hydroxyapatite and collagen can be measured, which may be useful in predicting if the sample is viable for DNA analysis. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Temperature And Humidity On The Formation Of Antemortem Root Banding, Mae Griffin

Honors Theses

Microscopical hair analysis has become a controversial practice within forensic science primarily due to issues related to interpretation, and specifically overstating the significance of an association. The validity of microscopical hair comparisons has suffered from intense scrutiny by the forensic community, with one criticism being a paucity of peer reviewed research. An often-unrecognized aspect of microscopical hair analysis is its use in providing reconstructive information based on identifiable features. One example of this is postmortem root band or PMRB. PMRB is the formation of a band slightly above the root bulb and below the skin surface on the hair of …

Pancake Programming: An Interactive Stack-Based Coding Experience In Virtual Reality, William Adams

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Russia's Agenda For Ukraine: An Examination Of Putin's Media Propaganda Narratives, Gillian Grace Littleton

Honors Theses

This thesis explores Russian discourse about Ukraine as reflected in Russian popular media since 2014’s Euromaidan Revolution. The thesis provides an overview of Russia’s historic denial of Ukrainian statehood and it argues: Russian historians and politicians have seen Ukraine as a “little-brother” nation to Russia, with a shared Slavic heritage, and that any attempts by Ukrainians to separate themselves from Russia are Western influence movements. The thesis examines three types of mass media in order to demonstrate the interaction between history, politics and popular culture. Chapter 1 explores the public speeches of key Russian political figures including Vladimir Putin himself, …

The Efficacy Of The Student Communication Repair Inventory And Practical Training Program On Adolescent’S Self-Advocacy Skills In Communication Breakdowns, Karlye Tolbird

Honors Theses

Purpose

Hearing loss can affect several aspects of an adolescent’s life, particularly their self-advocacy skills and ability to communicate their needs in the classroom. Literature shows that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years have a prevalence of hearing loss between 14.9 percent and 19.5 percent (Shargorodsky et al., 2010). Therefore, early identification and intervention of hearing loss are necessary to reduce the adverse effects on the development of cognition, verbal communication skills, and self-advocacy skills (Michael & Zidan, 2018). This research study aimed to determine if the implementation of the SCRIPT program changes the communication repair behavior …

Effects Of Acute Exercise On True And False Memory, Hanna Watson

Honors Theses

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the role of acute exercise timing on true and false memory performance. Methods: A randomized controlled, within-subject design, was employed (N=39). The five counterbalanced visits included a control visit, vigorous-intensity exercise (80% of HHR; heart rate reserve) before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with no delay before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with a delay before encoding, and light-intensity exercise (30% of HHR) during encoding. A recognition task using the DRM (Deese-Roediger-McDermott) paradigm was used to evaluate true and false memory performance. Results: With hit rate as the outcome, there was …

Women Without Bodies: Autonomy, Empowerment, And Embodiment In Southern Women, Martha Peyton Ford

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between rural, upper-class, Southern, white women and their bodies. In my attempts to understand this relationship, I analyze sources from the fields of gender studies, philosophy, and psychology, utilizing concepts such as the Cult of True Womanhood, the newly-emerging field of body memoirs, and the long-lasting but elusive idea of Southern ladyhood to make sense of cultural expectations of Southern women and their bodies. This research, alongside my use of autoethnography and oral history, serve as an anchor for my analysis of women’s relationships to their bodies, in which I use myself, my mother, and …

Using Resilient Pedagogy To Rethink Consultant Training In The Writing Center Post Pandemic, Jessica Love Herron

Honors Theses

Since becoming a writing consultant three years ago, I have been interested in how writing centers can improve their training practices. Specifically, I have always been interested in the invaluable nature of consultant-to-consultant relationships in comparison with standard consultant training manuals. Though my idea of consultant-to-consultant relationships and training was specific to the in-person writing center, the need to rethink this consultant interaction was reinforced by the recent pandemic when most writing centers transitioned to completely online operations. In March of 2021, I hosted a panel presentation and gathered data from writing consultants about the ways that their centers were …

Voting Behavior And Motivations Across Generations: Evidence From A Nationally Representative U.S. Survey, Angela Alexander

Honors Theses

The four generations of Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z are all distinct in nature as it relates to their characteristics, which are shaped by the American culture in which they were born. These generations as a whole also have different levels of political participation and political ideals. The purpose of this study is to examine how these differences correlate to voting behavior. The goal is to draw conclusions about the differences between voting behavior across generational lines, discovering patterns especially as it relates to motivations for voting. Through the use of a nationally representative survey, I was …

Supporting Teachers With Psychologically Diverse Populations, Morgan Wilkie

Honors Theses

While the issue of mental health management in education settings has been a focus for research for decades now, much of what is missing from these examinations is direct accounts from educators themselves on how they may be better supported as they navigate teaching psychologically diverse populations. In this study, 20 public-school teachers across the Oxford-Lafayette school district were surveyed through the use of semi-structured interviews in order to understand how they may be better equipped to manage psychological disorders in their classrooms. Each participant was asked the same prompt, and after the interviews were administered, their answers were then …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Ionic Liquids Using Nitrogen-Based Cations For Transdermal Delivery, Jo Galloway

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the synthesis mechanisms of water-soluble ionic liquids with nitrogen-containing cationic bases for future use in transdermal drug delivery and forensic science applications. Ionic liquids are salts with an organic cation and either an organic or inorganic anion. They have asymmetric structures, which means that the molecules don’t pack together as neatly as other salts do, therefore, they don’t crystallize as easily, and their melting points are lower. Ionic liquids have melting points below 100°C, and many are liquid at room temperature. Mechanistic studies reveal that the potency of ILs in enhancing transdermal …

Barriers To Breastfeeding For Mothers In The Mississippi Women, Infants, And Children Program: Insights Of Peer Counselors, Grace Louise Dragna

Honors Theses

Breastfeeding has been recognized by numerous public health organizations as the optimal feeding practice for infant growth and development, yet the state of Mississippi has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the nation. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Mississippi offers breastfeeding resources to low-income women throughout the state. Mothers enrolled in WIC can receive peer counseling services from women in their community who have personal experience with breastfeeding. This study serves to identify WIC peer counselors’ perceptions of factors influencing Mississippi WIC participants’ decisions to initiate and sustain breastfeeding. I interviewed …

A Systematic Review Of Music Therapy For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alana Andrus

Honors Theses

Music therapy has been suggested to be effective in Autism. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of music therapy as a potential treatment option for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. To obtain published records, a PubMed search was conducted with the search term “music therapy autism,” which generated 187 studies. Each study was evaluated for relativity to the topic at hand. The remaining 151 articles were assessed for support status, as well as other later suggested research, in order to more confidently support music therapy as a treatment option for ASD patients. Approximately …

Student Attitudes Towards English Grammar, Evalyn H. Bassett

Honors Theses

The literature on English grammar is mostly on its history, standardization, educational implementations, how ideologies shape its frequency of usage, and how it is perceived by students learning English as a second language. This study seeks to address a gap in the literature that reviews the attitudes of college students towards English grammar as their first language and how these attitudes correlate with any past experience with English grammar up to this point. To gain a better understanding of student’s attitudes towards English grammar, an online mixed-methods survey was distributed to graduate and undergraduate students in all departments of the …

The Role Of Prenatal Anxiety Sensitivity On Postpartum Anxiety And Depression, Ryann Holman

Honors Theses

Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for women, with roughly 15% of women experiencing psychopathology during pregnancy and postpartum. The most common mental health concerns during this period are anxiety and depression, which have been linked to adverse outcomes on both mother and baby, such as low birth weight and preterm birth. In understanding their onset, anxiety sensitivity has been found to be a potential mechanism for the development of both anxiety and depressive disorders. The goal of the current study was to examine the association between prenatal anxiety sensitivity and postpartum anxiety and depression. Pregnant women were given a battery …

The Effects Of Thc On Hiv Tat Protein-Mediated Neuroinflammation, Camille Martin

Honors Theses

Although antiretroviral therapies have allowed people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to achieve normal life expectancies, they cannot cure HIV nor the neurological symptoms associated with infection, termed neuroHIV. NeuroHIV describes a myriad of neurological disorders including mood disorders (depression and anxiety), cognitive impairment, neuropathic pain, and motor disinhibition. The mechanisms by which HIV promotes neurological impairment are not known, but may involve actions of its neurotoxic proteins. One such protein that has been well-characterized is the HIV trans-activator of transcription (Tat). Tat exerts neurotoxic effects via various means, one of which is to activate microglia, the macrophages of …

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson

Honors Theses

Across phylogeny, integration of external factors, memory, and internal states of the organism dictate organismal behavior and mechanisms. The underlying genetic components can affect these behaviors such as in genomic changes arising from speciation. In this thesis, a new place preference assay was evaluated in the analysis and investigation of two species of Drosophila flies (D. melanogaster and D. simulans) to measure similarities and differences and their attraction to two different food substrates. Sleep and circadian measurements were also recorded during experimentation. The Drosophila Activity Monitor 5M (DAM5M) System and Sleep Circadian Analysis MATLAB Program (SCAMP) analysis were …

Stature Estimates Of The Classic Period Maya From Chac Balam And San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Natalie Clark

Honors Theses

This thesis presents updated sex and stature estimates for ancient Maya females and males who lived in San Juan and Chac Balam in northern Ambergris Caye from approximately AD 700-900.

The regression formulae used in this study reflect a closer population affinity to the Maya compared to the equations used in the original analysis by Glassman (1995). Del Angel and Cisneros’ (2004) formulae were used when estimating stature based on a complete long bone. In Steele and Bramblett (1988), Steele and McKern (1969) and Steele (1970) regression formulae were used when estimating stature based on an incomplete humerus, femur, or …

A Study Of Cannabigerolic Acid And Its Derivatives Via Raman Spectroscopy And Density Functional Theory, Trevor Wolfe

Honors Theses

The cannabinoids are a class of molecules endogenous to the cannabis plant. Their scientific relevance has increased in recent years due to the mercurial legal status of marijuana across the United States. Some of the most known are cannabidiol (CBD), δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (δ9-THC), and δ8-THC due in large part to their widespread use, especially in states where marijuana and related products are legal. However, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is arguably the most important cannabinoid; it is enzymatically converted into other acidic cannabinoids, which subsequently undergo non-enzymatic processes (isomerization, thermal decarboxylation, oxidation, etc.) to synthesize further cannabinoids. Although there is a wealth of …

Student Engagement And Performance Assessment As Associated With Three Types Of Integument System Laboratory Activities, Sophie Deoliveira

Honors Theses

Students participating in anatomy education, specifically an Anatomy and Physiology classroom, have shown difficulty in learning and retaining information on the various systems of the body. This study sought to assess the benefits of different learning activities associated with student engagement and performance on subsequent examinations regarding the integumentary system. For this study, three different hands-on laboratory activities (i.e., treatments) were given during different laboratory sessions. These hands-on activities included labeling a three-dimensional model, illustrating a model, or building a model of the integumentary system using materials provided. Students then completed a post-laboratory questionnaire regarding their enjoyment of their particular …

A Performance Analysis Of The Belle Ii Detector, John Stacy

Honors Theses

The Belle II experiment has recently (2018) started data taking at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider in Tsukuba, Japan. Detector performance studies are necessary to understand early data and prepare for more complex analyses. This study of the proton detection efficiency of the Belle II detector compares real and simulated data to find discrepancies with the intention to provide useful information for detector and calibration experts to better gauge detector performance. It also attempts to improve the characterization of proton identification efficiency at low momenta, which performs poorly under the current fitting model. This helps analysts exploring final states that include …

Invasion Of The Northeastern United States By The Southern Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus Frontalis, And The Impacts On Signatures Of Isolation By Distance Assessed Using Mitochondrial Dna, Lora Grace Holman

Honors Theses

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is a small, black beetle that parasitizes pine trees across the United States and Central America. Recently it has been recognized that the range of SPB is not limited to the southern United States, but rather extends northward across the eastern United States, which raises concerns for pine trees that have never encountered the pest before. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences from a section of the cytochrome oxidase I gene and four different measures of genetic distance compared to geographic distance, we tested for evidence of isolation by distance (IBD) among sampled SPB to see whether …

Lifetime Measurement Of The Xi_C^+ Using Belle Ii Monte Carlo, Paul Gebeline

Honors Theses

This analysis uses simulated data from the Belle II experiment to measure the lifetime of the Xi_c^+ baryon. Three different decay modes are investigated to explore the feasibility and accuracy of such measurements at Belle II. The Xi_c^+ lifetime is measured using one of these modes after reducing backgrounds from sources other than the decay of interest. The final result is 464 +/- 15 fs, which is consistent with the expected result of 442 fs within uncertainty. This result shows that Belle II can make competitive measurements of particle properties and decays.

Lectin-Glycan Complexes: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Docking Calculations, Ashton Custer

Honors Theses

Lectins are a type of glycan-binding protein that noncovalently bind glycans. Carbohydrates are molecules consisting of sugar units joined together. Glycans are carbohydrates. Hence, glycans are also sugars. Lectins and lectin-glycan complexes have a range of biological roles and can be found in animals (including humans), plants, bacteria, viruses, and yeasts and fungi.¹ Many scientists focus on the computational study of these complexes due to their intricate roles in many living organisms. Computational study is important in furthering our knowledge of lectin-glycan complexes and other such protein complexes. However, computational study is not perfect. There are many challenges in …

Computational Investigations Into Astrochemical Inorganic Oxides, Ammonia Borane, And Genetic Algorithms, E. Michael Valencia

Honors Theses

The formulations of quantum mechanics in the early 1900s were exciting theoretical discoveries, but were not practical to apply until the advent of computers and the subsequent computational methods in 1951. With the introduction of tractable simplifications, procedures such as Hartree-Fock allowed for determination of properties of non-trivial systems. Presently, huge leads of computational power have allowed for extremely precise, quantitative work that can be applied to the human body, synthesis, or even astrochemical processes. This thesis presents works concerning 1) the history of quantum mechanics; 2) a brief primer on computational chemistry and its methods; 3) inorganic oxides in …

The Femicide Epidemic: A Case Study Analysis Of Governmental Response And Recommendations For Combatting Femicide In El Salvador, Chloe Rizk

Honors Theses

Femicide refers to the misogynistic killing of women by men. Globally, femicide is the leading cause of premature deaths for women. El Salvador notoriously has one of the highest femicide rates in the world. This thesis analyzes the effectiveness of current Salvadoran governmental responses to femicide using quantitative and qualitative analysis. This research found that, despite a lack of enforcement, there was a relative reduction in femicide rates following major governmental responses. Most notably, following the passage of VAW-focused laws from 2011 to 2012 and the appointment of a particular unit to investigate gender-based violence, femicides in El Salvador decreased …

Ab Initio Study Of The Rotation Of The C≡C Group In Benzvalyne, Advait Praveen

Honors Theses

For benzvalyne, we have characterized the minima and transition states of the molecule using the B3LYP, MP2, and M06-2X methods and aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. This was done by calculating the energy of the molecule while rotating the alkyne bond contained within it. After the initial rotation, optimized parameters for the molecule are found. Following this, imaginary frequencies were attempted to be found at the local maximum produced by the graph of the Energy v. rotation angle. Should the negative frequencies be found, the energy of the molecule will be characterized by the CCSD (T) method and aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets. This …