Digital Commons Network^™

Class Scheduling Web App, Anubhav Rawal

Honors Theses

This Scheduling Web Application in Django was built to allow a user to create a schedule for upcoming semesters. Users with appropriate privileges could upload an excel schedule to which instructors could be assigned. Additionally features included dynamic editing for admin users and viewing the main schedule for general users. Our goal was to create an application from the ground up using the Django framework to accomplish these tasks.

Synchronous Drones For Autonomous Package Delivery, Ryan Kruegel

Honors Theses

As technology progresses, drones are becoming a more realistic substitute for humans in the workplace. Using drones to move a payload allows for higher mobility and faster delivery times. This project explores the idea of using drones as delivery devices. The project itself is a continuation of the Synchronous Drones project started by Adam Dubs, Saleh Almaden, and Jonathan Emhoff. The main objective is to have two drones operate in sync to deliver a load to a designated location. The benefit of this is that if multiple drones can be synchronized, even larger loads can be moved. For the scope …

How Critical Legal Studies Risks Rights: Roberto Unger Criticized Through A Dworkinian Lens, Nicholas Michael Vanhee

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of A-Layer In Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Pufa)-Mediated Effects On Aeromonas Salmonicida Subsp. Salmonicida, Allen Lin

Honors Theses

Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects salmonids and non-salmonids worldwide leading to an infection known as furunculosis, which is characterized by skin lesions and hemorrhages of the fish epidermis. This infection is carried out by a A+ (virulent strain) of A. salmonicida containing an important virulent factor known as the A-layer, which is a 2D paracrystalline structure that binds to the basement membrane and functions to promote adherence to host membranes and resistance to host defense. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the A+ A. salmonicida to incorporate exogenous fatty acids …

Biofortification As A Sustainable Solution For 'Hidden Hunger': Evaluating Its Impact On The Environment, Nutrition, Culture, And Ethics, Elysia Lewis

Honors Theses

Micronutrient malnutrition, also referred to as ‘hidden hunger’, negatively impacts the health of millions of people around the world. Because of this, several strategies to reduce malnutrition have been proposed, one of which is biofortification. The process of biofortification increases the nutrient content of plants during their vegetative life cycle. Research has been conducted that shows the ability of biofortification to increase micronutrient content in crops, so the next step is successful implementation and adoption by consumers. This paper reviews several publications that look at biofortification with respect to the environment, sustainability, human nutrition, culture, and ethics from a variety …

The Oakland Athletics Use Of Sabermetrics And The Rise Of Big Data Analytics In Business, Jacob Moorefield

Honors Theses

The Moneyball phenomenon revealed how Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics general manager utilized advanced data analytics; Sabermetrics, to statistically analyze the data in baseball which aims to quantify baseball players’ performances based on objective statistical measurements. As technology increases and big data becomes more accessible, sports organizations like the Oakland Athletics are illustrating how businesses, small and large, can use advanced analytics to promote growth. This research paper provides a meta-analysis on the results of large businesses using big data analytic techniques similar to Sabermetrics, to show the improvements in marketing, consumer outreach, revenue, and employee retention while questioning whether …

The Combined Influences Of Race, Sexuality, And Gender On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Courtney House

Honors Theses

The current research examines the perceptions of sexual harassment based on the influence of the victim’s gender, and the race of both the victim and the perpetrator, and perceiver’s feminist beliefs. By using vignettes (a brief description of an event), we manipulated a) the gender of the victim (man or woman), b) the race of the victim (POC or white), and c) the race of the perpetrator (POC or white). Our hypotheses were as follows: a) vignettes depicting same-sex harassment will be less in line with the definition of sexual harassment; b) vignettes portraying the victim as a woman of …

“A Penny For Your Thoughts:” Developing An Adapted Stimulus Reward Association – Stroop Task To Assess The Impact Of Individual Difference Factors On Cognitive Control, Mia Melone

Honors Theses

Limited studies have examined the effect of feedback sensitivity and intrinsic motivation on cognitive performance. The present study serves as a pilot project for a study at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga that examines the modulating role of external, monetary reward incentives and cognitive intrinsic motivation on cognitive control. For the present study, the relationship among cognitive performance outcomes (reaction time and accuracy) on an adapted Stimulus Reward Association Stroop Task will be explored. Two main hypotheses were tested in the present study: H1 Reaction time on congruent trials will be significantly faster than reaction time on incongruent trials. …

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault

Honors Theses

Objective: The benefits of perceptual-cognitive training in elite level athletes has recently been investigated in multiple sports such as basketball, soccer, and archery, but conclusive evidence proving test transferability of 3D-MOT training is lacking. The purpose of this research is to examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training to on-field soccer performance parameters. Participants: NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (n=22) between the ages of 18-25 who were placed into either the experimental group (n=10) or control group (n=12). After baseline testing for both groups to determine visual tracking speed (VTS), the experimental group completed 10 3D-MOT training sessions with NeuroTracker …

Item-Specific And Relational Encoding, But Not Warnings, Are Effective At Reducing The Illusion Of Competence, Emily Cates

Honors Theses

Metamemory, or the ability to understand the capacities of one’s own memory, is an important part of the learning process. One method for assessing metamemory is through the Judgment of Learning (JOL) task in which participants are asked to judge the likelihood of correctly remembering a target word in a cue-target word pair when only presented with a cue word at test. The associative direction of the cue-target pair has been shown to affect the accuracy of JOLs. Unlike forward pairs (e.g., credit-card), in which JOLs accurately predict recall, an illusion of competence has been reported for backward associates (e.g., …

A Case For The Decriminalization Of Simple Possession Of Narcotics In Mississippi, Stroud Tolleson

Honors Theses

Through its incarceration of simple possession offenders, Mississippi is failing to acknowledge the severity of addiction and importance of mental health. In this paper, I will examine Mississippi’s history of opinion and policy on drug use. In order to gain a better understanding of addiction and Mississippi’s criminal justice system, I interview several individuals with experience in varying aspects of these issues. Mississippi has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the United States, with stringent laws regarding the possession of narcotics. Mississippi’s mental health resources have been deemed unconstitutionally deficient on more than one occasion, and addicts are …

Strategies For Socioeconomic Development: A Study Of Nonprofit Practices, Alexis L. Dahl Walls

Honors Theses

This project seeks to examine methods in which nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are able to further their impact, specifically in regard to the socioeconomic development of their communities. This is done through examining consequences of socioeconomic disparities such as health disparities and increased crime rates, reviewing a number of commonly used NPO strategies, and emphasizing the importance of performance measurement tactics. All information was gathered through the combination of a complete literature review and a case study on a local nonprofit organization: MadisonHome Inc. It is important for nonprofit organizations to implement a variety of measurement tactics in order to determine …

America Arts For All: Promoting Musical Opportunity And Equity For Socioeconomically Challenged Students, Sydney L. Amos

Honors Theses

America Arts for All examines the student benefits of being involved in the Central Music Academy, a program that provides free music lessons to students on free or reduced lunch. Some of the benefits their program specifically realizes are higher graduation and college entry rates as well as higher interest in and knowledge of music in comparison to their general public school peers. Low-income students are significantly under-represented in music programs across the nation because they cannot afford instruments or program fees or because they feel that they cannot compete with their more socioeconomically privileged peers. Examination of the student …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Gypsum Calcination Under Fire Exposure, Ethan Andrew Fowlie

Honors Theses

Gypsum wallboard undergoes calcination when exposed to heat. Quantitative analysis of the depth of calcination caused by a fire is of great use in fire investigations. The rate and the depth of calcination through the board are dictated by the heat and mass transfer through it. The present study analyzes the calcination of gypsum in two phases.

Phase 1 explores the impact of the position of the fire on the depth of calcination. The history of incident heat flux and the surface temperature of a gypsum board exposed to a constant heat release rate fire have been predicted using Fire …

Exceptional Learners And The Inclusive Classroom, Alicia R. Harris

Honors Theses

This thesis includes a brief history of special education and how individuals with disabilities were previously treated both in and out of the classroom. The identification process is then described along with different categories that students can be placed into. After the discussion about special education and individuals with disabilities the importance of Inclusion and the effects that it has on those students is described. The final section of the paper discusses strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to support students with disabilities while in the classroom. Some of the strategies that are discussed are accommodations, modifications, Universal …

Peeling Off The Proof: Using Peel-Away Polymer Technology In The Collection Of Ignitable Liquids During Arson Investigations, Cassidy Laney

Honors Theses

Determining the presence of ignitable liquids at the scene of a fire is a key part of any arson investigation. Residues of ignitable liquids are most often found in absorbent or porous material as there is a chance that some liquid will remain in the pores of the substrate after a fire. Unfortunately, the collection of ignitable liquids from porous surfaces such as concrete is especially difficult given the fixed nature of the substrate. Several on-site collection techniques have been developed to collect the ignitable liquid from the concrete directly at the scene, however they each have their own drawbacks …

Accounting Practicum: Case Studies Compilation And Analysis Fall 2020 And Spring 2021, Margaret Case

Honors Theses

The following thesis consists of twelve explanations on a variety of financial accounting standards. Those of which fall under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as directed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In addition with the topics presented are learned material from Intermediate Financial Accounting I and II and multiple other accounting-related classes. Each topic has been analyzed and concluded in conjunction related to the thesis topic. Through the accounting case studies, an understanding of various major accounting principles and their related areas are shown. The case studies were completed with the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson under …

Calibration Study Of A Bacterial Quantification Technique Using Transport Swabs And Line Inoculations On Agar Growth Medium, Seth Larue

Honors Theses

Enumeration of bacteria has been the subject of research for over a century. Some of the techniques that have been developed include viable plate counts, the most probable number assessment, and more modern molecular techniques. Many of the newer molecular-based techniques provide little or no information about the viability of the cells being counted, and are generally not quantitative. Having quantitative data for potentially pathogenic bacteria on surfaces can be very useful in many settings, particularly in healthcare facilities. Knowing the numbers of bacterial cells present on surfaces within healthcare facilities may be important to attempt to study the cause …

Mentally Restorative Areas For Students: Impacts Of Nature On Psychophysiological State, Jesse Moore

Honors Theses

Situated in the top outdoor ranking city of Chattanooga, the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) includes diverse areas available for student rest and recreation. This study aims to introduce UTC students into the collection of studies on the effects of natural environments on Attention Restoration Theory (ART) by using the Stroop cognitive test and portable electroencephalograph (EEG) headsets. Participants completed the Stroop test after ten-minute mental restoration sessions in environments of varying natural exposure included on campus. Through analysis of variance, location was found to significantly influence performance on Stroop testing and measures of relaxation (p=0.030). …

Differences In Erosion Rates And Elevation Among Natural, Living And Hardened Shorelines In Mississippi, And Alabama, Brittany Juneau

Honors Theses

Shoreline erosion is a phenomenon that currently threatens both natural ecosystems and human settlements along the coast. With trends showing gradual sea level rise as a result of climate change, erosion is becoming an increasing threat to these communities. This research aims to provide more insight into the relationship between shoreline morphology and three shoreline protection techniques: natural marsh, living shoreline, and hardened structures. Six sites along the Alabama and Mississippi coast that had all three shoreline types were evaluated to determine what the average erosion rate and slope was for each shoreline. Erosion rates were calculated by image analysis …

Environmental Justice Analysis Of Drinking Water Policies In Michigan Cities, Annika Paldan

Honors Theses

This thesis examined environmental justice aspects of drinking water policies in four cities across Michigan: Flint, Birmingham, St. Joseph, and Benton Harbor. An overview of the history of the environmental justice movement, environmental racism, and drinking water policies provided the basis for a four-part evaluative criterion to assess environmental justice components at the municipal level. These criteria include (1) housing tenure, (2) age, size, and service line composition of the infrastructure, (3) public participation in the policy process, and (4) emergency management of the city. Findings indicate that environmental justice has come a long way, with cities now incorporating components …

A Review Of The Effects Of Virtual Communication On Performance And Satisfaction Across The Last Ten Years Of Research Published In The Journal Of Organizational Behavior Management And The Journal Of Applied Behavior Analysis, Muhammad Romail Khan

Honors Theses

Work and school settings have seen an overall increase in the use of virtual communication technology over the last decade (Kiers, 2020). This use of virtual communication technologies has seen an unprecedented growth in the year 2020 owing to the shelter-in-place and lockdown measures put in place due to the COVID-19 global pandemic (World Health Organization, 2020). Despite this increase in the use of virtual communication technologies, limited research has been conducted on the effects of delivering behavioral interventions through different virtual communication technologies on performance and satisfaction. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the research conducted …

Who Is Most Likely To Stereotype The Lgbtq+ Community?, Shelby Smith

Honors Theses

There exists an extant literature investigating sexuality, gender, and stereotypes. It has examined how accurate people are at predicting sexual orientation and if there is an ability that can be developed, usually referred to as gaydar, to be able to tell if some is gay or not by looking at them. A lot of these finding suggest that participants are using societal stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender to identify people. Participants were sent a survey where their demographic information was collected. They read several vignettes and identified traits of the described individuals including sex and gender. It was hypothesized …

Combating The Recruitment And Radicalization Of Potential Terrorists: A State-Based Methods And Effectiveness Analysis For Application To Counter White Supremacy Terrorism In The Usa, Francesca Pimenta

Honors Theses

For approximately the past twenty years, the United States (US) government has focused on combating terrorist threats from abroad like Islamic terrorism. However, in recent years, terrorism has transitioned from an external threat to an internal threat. Some people in the US only realized how large a threat white supremacy terror poses to the nation’s security following the insurrection in the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Despite this newly gained knowledge, the threat of white supremacy terror in the US has been growing for years. This study looked at the ways foreign governments have combatted white supremacist terrorism, recruitment, and …

An Exploration Of Accounting Topics Through A Series Of Case Studies, Joshua Pearson

Honors Theses

This thesis contains 12 case studies about various accounting and financial issues. The cases follow as: A Tale of Two Cities, Conceptual Overview of Assets, Excel Course, Taxodus: Playing the Global Tax Avoidance Game, Business Interview, Case Competition-Overview, Case Competition-Audit, Case Competition-Tax, Case Competition-Advisory, Case Competition-Earnings, Stock Price, and Analysis, and Financial Crisis of 2008. Other than the cases labeled case competition, none of these cases are meant to build off each other and should be taken by themselves. The series of case competition cases are part of a larger group case where each group chose a Fortune 500 company, …

No One Is Above The Law: Public Perception Of Prosecutorial Misconduct's Influence On Wrongful Convictions, Amanda N. Pappas

Honors Theses

Wrongful convictions pose a large threat to the integrity of the United States criminal justice system. While there are many known causes of wrongful convictions, such as eyewitness misidentification, ineffective counsel, and false confessions, the most egregious cause is prosecutorial misconduct. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, prosecutorial misconduct has been found in roughly half of the exonerations listed in the registry. Prosecutors have a tremendous amount of power in the criminal justice system through determining plea deals, obtainment of evidence, disclosure of evidence to the defense, and many more. Studies have been conducted that reveal the occurrence of …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of The Humic Acid Inhibitor On Forensic Genetic Investigations Of Human Skeletal Remains, Madeline King

Honors Theses

Postmortem survival of DNA in human skeletal remains occurs due to the compact microstructure of the skeleton and its ability to provide a strong, protective physical barrier to environmental insults. On a molecular level, DNA preservation in bones/teeth involves electrostatic interactions between the negatively-charged DNA backbone and positively charged calcium residues in hydroxyapatite, the latter of which is one of the main components of bone microstructure. Despite these protections, over time endogenous DNA becomes damaged, limiting our ability to detect it and affecting its utility in making a positive identification. Hence, forensic genetic investigations of unidentified human remains (UHRs) are …

Extraction Of Human Dna From Soil In A Simulated Clandestine Grave, Arely Joaly Parra Lopez

Honors Theses

Locard’s Exchange Principle states that “every contact leaves a trace.” The same principle applies when a perpetrator of a homicide decides to bury a victim in a clandestine grave. If a perpetrator originally buried a murder victim in haste to prevent discovery and then decided to later move the victim’s body to a remote location for disposal, decomposition fluids from the victim’s body (which contain cellular material and therefore DNA) would remain in the surrounding grave soil at the original burial site. It is possible that investigators could: 1) prove that a human body had once laid in that location …

Women’S Collegiate Lacrosse Team Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Muscular Strength, Kaylee Kaczvinsky

Honors Theses

The study is characterizing cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in women’s collegiate lacrosse players. It will examine maximal heart rate, maximal oxygen consumption and hamstring and quadriceps muscle strength and compare between positions. There are multiple athletes that each play a different position which will affect their cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. For maximal heart rate and oxygen consumption, a cycle ergometer will increase in work rate until the point of fatigue. A Cosmed Quark metabolic cart will measure oxygen consumption and heart rate. The muscular strength test measures the athlete’s quadriceps and hamstring ratio at two different isokinetic speeds. …

Discovering The Formation Of Sound, Michelle L. Andrus, Catherine Scott

Honors Theses

Sound is a part of everyday life. We use it when talking to others, listening to music, and even to know when food is ready in the microwave. Therefore, it is critical that students learn about sound and how it functions. In this lesson, a first-grade students explore sound through a variety of make-shift instruments and are introduced to the different elements of sound.