Digital Commons Network^™

The Radon Transform And The Mathematics Of Medical Imaging, Jen Beatty

Honors Theses

Tomography is the mathematical process of imaging an object via a set of finite slices. In medical imaging, these slices are defined by multiple parallel X-ray beams shot through the object at varying angles. The initial and final intensity of each beam is recorded, and the original image is recreated using this data for multiple slices. I will discuss the central role of the Radon transform and its inversion formula in this recovery process.

Cameras, Satellites, And Surveys: A Multi-Platform Approach To Monitoring Lake Conservation Behavior, Daniel D. Homeier

Honors Theses

Shoreline buffers are essential to maintaining lake water quality and there are numerous methods for their assessment. There is uncertainty in the benefits and drawbacks of different shoreline buffer assessment methods. In this study I explore three methods of remotely assessing shoreline buffers in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine: household surveys, geotagged shoreline photos, and satellite imagery. By comparing these three methods I will evaluate their accuracy and applicable scale when used to assess the presence and quality of shoreline buffers.

I used both parametric and non-parametric analysis to (1) evaluate the relative accuracy of 154 household surveys in …

Isometries And Spontaneous Lorentz Violation In General Relativity, Greg Merritt

Honors Theses

General Relativity, or GR, is a theory which describes gravity as a manifestation of the curvature of space and time. While the other three fundamental forces in nature are represented as field theories, GR is a geometric theory. In the search for a way to reconcile the field theories for the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces with the gravitational force, a logical place to start is by re-expressing GR as a field theory. In doing so, we find that the theory contains a number of symmetries. When we solve the equations in GR, we find that by choosing certain solutions …

Examination Of Spatial Variations In Recrystallization Mechanisms In Quartz, Emma N. Beck

Honors Theses

S-C mylonites form as a result of non-coaxial deformation in ductile shear zones. Planes of weakness develop and delineate two domains, the S and the C Each of these domains accommodates variable amounts of strain. Sample WMSZ-188 exhibits subgrain rotation (SGR) recrystallization in the C domains, and grain boundary migration (GBM) recrystallization in the S domains. This partitioning of recrystallization mechanisms indicates either: (1) strain-rate partitioning during a single deformation event; or (2) a second, lower-temperature deformation event that over-printed the C domains. This study tests these two hypotheses. Optical and EBSD analyses were used to look for evidence of …

A Poet Of The Sikhs: Aesthetic Embodiment In The Poetry Of A Young And Elderly Bhai Vir Singh, Todd Curcuru

Honors Theses

Bhai Vir Singh, famous 19^th and 20^th century Sikh poet, writer, and scholar is remembered for his great literary achievements and proliferation of the Pubjabi language. Raised in the Punjab, India after the fall of the Sikh kingdom to the British, Vir Singh grew up in a time of religious turmoil due to Western influence. Joining the Singh Sabha reformation movement, he dedicated his life wholeheartedly to return contemporary Sikh identity to its foundational roots as present in the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth.

Despite his desire to return to a fundamental Sikh identity, Bhai Vir Singh …

Mediums Change, Fears Stay The Same, Lucy Wilhelms

Honors Theses

Although generally dismissed by scholars as being overly sentimental or superstitious, the gothic genre has survived for over four centuries and maintained significant cultural appeal, outlasting the sentimental novel and the travelogue as popular literature. What, then, makes this genre different? What is so special about the gothic?

In my thesis, I examine the evolving cultural appeal of the gothic genre that keeps it attractive and relevant for readers by tracing the gothic text, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, through its initial inception and its subsequent adaptations. As a novel, The Woman in Black both repeats and revises …

The Effectiveness Of Capital Controls On Capital Inflows In Emerging Markets, Kathleen A. Davis

Honors Theses

Capital flows have become increasingly more volatile over the past

decade, causing growing concern in emerging markets over the potential damages

large sudden capital inflows and outflows can cause those economies. Capital

controls have been used since World War I as a way to try to control these flows.

After being abolished nearly everywhere, they have recently been reintroduced in

a number of countries. The main analysis of this paper looks at the effect of the

capital controls on capital inflows from 2000 through 2010 in an 8 country sample

of emerging markets who have recently implemented changes in their …

Facebook Sharing Habits And Its Effect On Personal Privacy, Bryan M. Bubulka

Honors Theses

Over the past several years many individuals have jumped on the social networking bandwagon to create Facebook accounts linking their lives to the outside world, over four hundred million according to Facebook (Facebook, 2012). Whether it’s your personal privacy or property, knowing what information to post or share on social networking sites such as Facebook could be the key in protecting both. This research will focus on possible privacy concerns within social networking sites using Richard Mason’s groundbreaking PAPA (Privacy, Accuracy, Property, and Accessibility) Framework (Mason, 1986). The PAPA Framework will be used to identify what is being shared on …

Ogawa Mimei's Children's Stories: A Case Study Of The Rise Of Childhood In The Context Of Westernization And Japanese Modernization, Alexandra E. Kint

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine the influences of westernization, the tension between Japanese modernity and tradition, and the stories of Hans Christian Andersen on Ogawa Mimei’s children’s stories. I begin the body of my thesis with a brief historical background of Japan, beginning with the start of the Meiji period in 1868. Within the historical section, I focus on societal and cultural elements and changes that pertain to my thesis. I also include the introduction of Hans Christian Andersen in Japan. I wrap up the historical section by a description of Ogawa’s involvement in the Japanese proletarian literature movement and …

Verifying Harder's Conjecture For Classical And Siegel Modular Forms, Davia Sulon

Honors Theses

A conjecture by Harder shows a surprising congruence between the coefficients of “classical” modular forms and the Hecke eigenvalues of corresponding Siegel modular forms, contigent upon “large primes” dividing the critical values of the given classical modular form.

Harder’s Conjecture has already been verified for one-dimensional spaces of classical and Siegel modular forms (along with some two-dimensional cases), and for primes p 37. We verify the conjecture for higher-dimensional spaces, and up to a comparable prime p.

Elucidation Of B-N And B-P Stretching Vibrations Using Raman Spectroscopy And Electronic Structure Calculations, Dana Nicole Reinemann

Honors Theses

Boron-nitrogen (B-N) and boron-phosphorus (B-P) dative bond stretching vibrational frequencies were studied using vibrational spectroscopic methods and electronic structure calculations. There has been a great controversy over the assignment of B-N dative bond vibrational frequencies for many years with a range of inconsistent assignments in the literature. The B-N dative bond stretching frequency in N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) esters was analyzed here using infrared, Raman, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic methods and compared to the results of electronic structure calculations employing the MP2 and M06-2X methods with a triple zeta basis set. The mode including the B-N stretching motion proved to …

Into The Magic Mirror: The Narratives That Reflect Our Lives And Dictate How We Should Live, Chany Fehr Buchanan

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the influence fairytales have on society, how they dichotomously reflect cultural worldviews yet set standards for appropriate behavior and prescribe hegemonic ideologies. It specifically explores the fairytales told in America over the last couple of centuries, examining how those stories have evolved in correlation with the shifting values of the country. Each chapter lays a foundation for how certain characters are normally portrayed in fairytale tradition - the hero, the beauty, and the villain - and then evaluates how our culture has Americanized those figures, consequently making each of them less idealistic or archetypal and evolution of …

The Effect Of Extended Durations Of Walking In Different Footwear On Measures Of Muscle Activity, Kacie Brooke Childers

Honors Theses

In 2010, nearly 3.1 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported among private industry employers resulting in an incidence rate of 3.5 cases per 100 full time workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of the fatal occupational injuries in 2010, 14% were attributed to falls. Forty-five percent of falls have been attributed to inappropriate footwear, and occupationally induced muscle fatigue has been identified as a contributing factor to falls. Different footwear types have been shown to effect muscle fatigue levels during walking and standing. In an occupational setting, workers generally endure relatively small workloads for extended durations. …

The Role Of Cortisol In Modern Society: Linking Psychosocial Stress And Health, Logan Dwayne Fair

Honors Theses

Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones, which can act on almost all cells in vertebrate tissue through binding to glucocorticoid receptor. Cortisol, which falls into this class, is released in response to stress and provides our bodies with the necessary energy to cope with a wide variety of stressors. This function of cortisol is brought about through its action on numerous metabolic and immunological pathways. However, when cortisol levels remain elevated for extended periods of time, many of these acute effects of cortisol can bring about long-term health problems, including many associated with metabolic S5mdrome, such as obesity and …

The Effect Of Extended Durations Of Walking In Different Footwear On Measures Of Balance, Rebecca Lane Macneill

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of extended walking durations on a hard firm surface in different types of industrial footwear on balance and postural control. Postural sway variables (RMS sway and sway velocity in the medio lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions) were measured, based on center of pressure (COP) movement, with the NeuroCom Equitest Balance Master-Posture Platform Sensory Organization Test (SOT). Fourteen healthy adult males participated, and measures were taken at 30 minute time intervals over 4 hours of standing/walking. The eyes open (EO) condition of the SOT was utilized for this study. Each …

A Higher Duty:' The Sectionalization Of American Institutions Of Higher Education, Patricia Grace Ethel Gauthier

Honors Theses

This thesis is a comparative study of the rise of sectionalism in northern and southern antebellum American institutions of higher education. The West Point Military Academy, which maintained a roughly equal number of southern and northern cadets. presents a case-study of how faculty, staff, and students dealt with sectionalism in a mixed group. Information was gathered from numerous sources including college histories, archival material from the University of Mississippi, and southern military school studies. Several general trends were discovered from this data. 1) Southern academia actively encouraged the development of sectionalism because it provided public funding and enrollment for southern …

Anything New Under The Sun?: Walker Percy And The Search For A Third Way And Place, Matthew Jordan Griesbeck

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how Walker Percy, through fiction, explores the various inadequacies of place, ontology, and religious belief through his representation of his characters* engagement with these three areas in their attempt to live a meaningful life. 1 analyze three of Percy's novels. The Moviegoer (1961), The Last Gentleman (1966). and The Second Cowmg (1980), as well as Percy's non-fiction essays and Percy criticism. I find that the novels are continuous with Percy's non-fiction, and that Percy critics too often simply restate the author's beliefs instead of undergoing a thorough examination of what the author …

‘The Triple Bottom Line’: Examining Eu Support For Organic Agriculture With Examples From Italian Wine Producers, Kimberly M. Biagini

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal Of Southern Identity, Elizabeth Myhr Lynch

Honors Theses

Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal of Southern Identity (Under the Direction of Dr. Mark Dolan)

The objective ofthis paper is to investigate the media's role in portraying southern identity and to determine the media's effect on the surrounding communities. It specifically addresses the three media institutions of Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, and The Southern Foodways Alliance and determines how they represent and celebrate southern culture. The methodology of the paper consists of the assessment of existing literature in the field of the media's depiction of the South followed by case studies on Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, …

The Effectiveness Of Common Language: A Contextual Analysis Of Thomas Paine’S Common Sense And Rev. Martin Luther King’S Letter From A Birmingham Jail, Mack Arthur Turner Jr.

Honors Theses

MACK-ARTHUR TURNER, JR: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMON LANGUAGE: A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THOMAS PAINE'S COMMON SENSE AND REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING'S LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL )

People are different in several ways; however, we are also share many similarities. For example, we all have ways in which we can communicate others. One of the problems in communicating is connecting with one's intended audience. The way that people construct their ideas and convey them could be effective based on the audiences' ability to understand, interpret, and react. In this paper, I examine the way in which many powerful and influential …

The Impact Of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals: Supply Chain Issues And Resolutions, Anna Elizabeth Baker

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pyrilamine On The Selectivity Of Phonotaxis, Kristin Chung

Honors Theses

Hormones modulate phonotactic behaviors of female crickets (Acheta domesticus). This project seeks to observe the changes in phonotactic behavior when anti-histamine is injected in the prothoracic ganglion. The anti-histamine used, pyrilamine, resulted in older, unselective females becoming more selective to the male calling songs. Females injected with saline (controls) remained unselective. The experiments with pyrilamine (anti-histamine) validates histamine's proposed role on phonotactic selectivity by enhancing inhibition of syllable period selective neural circuits in the prothoracic ganglion.

An Evaluation Of Electrical Conductivity As A Practical Tool In Mastitis Detection At Andrews University Dairy, Carrie Mesiar

Honors Theses

An infection in a cow's udder, also known as mastitis, has been a persistent problem for the U.S. dairy community. Mastitis not only decreases milk production, but also shortens the productive life of dairy cattle and can be fatal if left untreated. Mastitis presents in both subclinical and clinical forms - clinical is easy to diagnose and treat, whereas subclinical cases are much harder to detect as they present no physical symptons, yet can still become clinical in time. At the Andrews University Dairy, part of the milking system includes electrical conductivity (EC) determination which measures the ionic composition of …

Examination Of The Determinants Of Whether Registered Auditing Firms Correct Their Quality Control System Defects Identified In Pcaob Inspection Reports, Robin Anne Jackson

Honors Theses

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board [PCAOB] is charged with inspecting both individual public company audits as well as audit firm quality control systems. PCAOB inspection reports include information on deficiencies in dividual audits as well as quality control system defects. However, portions of the reports describing any quality control system defects are not made unless the firm does not correct those deficiencies withm one year. 1 classify in inspection public each firm as Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3. Type 1 firms are those whose quality control defects were uncorrected and therefore disclosed after the allotted year, those …

Assessing Companies Allowance For Doubtful Accounts: Earnings Management And The Recession, David Mcarthur Neyhart

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the economic downturn from 2007- 2009 had any significant influence on company’s ability to estimate bad debt expense, and to examine if there were any noticeable trends of earnings management. The estimates that companies use for their estimated allowance for doubtful accounts are largely unregulated and subjective, and therefore are more easily manipulated. This point is illustrated in the Statements on Auditing Standards number 57.4 by saying, “As estimates are based on subjective as well as objective factors, it may be difficult for management to establish controls over them. Even when …

An Analysis Of The Metropolitan Atlanta Residential Real Estate Market: Beyond The Housing Bubble, Thomas Mcdowell Platt

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the Metropolitan Atlanta housing market after the collapse of the Atlanta housing bubble between 2007 and 2011. Time-series analyses were performed for home prices, the amount of time homes spent on the market (days on market), and the number of homes listed for sale (inventory). Simple linear regression analyses were used to determine the effects of days on market and inventory on home prices. Homes were separated into quartiles and the analyses were repeated to determine how different price ranges behaved over the four-year period. Following the collapse of the Atlanta housing bubble, home prices and inventory …

Food Preparation Habits Among College Students: An Exploration And Culinary Intervention, Mary Lindsey Simpkins

Honors Theses

The obesity rate among Americans has been growing at an alarming rate in recent years; because of this, there has been much inquiry into the possible causes, interventions, and prevention methods for this problem. One major trend that appears to have an impact on this obesity epidemic is the large proportion of meals eaten outside the home namely, at fast food or sit-down restaurants. This trend is especially prevalent among college students, whose lifestyle is generally marked by an abundance of stress coupled with a lack of time and money. Because of this lifestyle and a lack of food preparation …

Effects Of Perspective-Taking On Reading Comprehension, Apral Patrice Foreman

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Causes And Effects Of Chinese Investment In Africa, Jamey Hurst

Honors Theses

China’s engagement in Africa represents a radical departure from the modem paradigm of development. To the West, it represents a threat to the “Washington Consensus” and the accepted aid paradigm, but to African countries, the Chinese are providing much desired investment. Due to a paucity of information on this subject, this research aims to consolidate perspectives on this type of investment and identify factors leading to as well as the possible effects of the China-Africa relationship. This is accomplished by contextualizing the China-Africa relationship within a wider discourse on development, and then separating African countries on the basis of total …

The Scottish Court Of Session And Federal Supremacy In The United States Of America, Matthew Karl Suess

Honors Theses

The federal court system under the United States Constitution varied substantially from the English judicial system. This thesis will explore the extent to which the Court of Session, Scotland’s highest court, influenced the form of the United States federal court system. First, the thesis will examine the Acts of Union of 1707, the contract binding the kingdoms of England and Scotland into one political body. The language of the Acts of Union, specifically the language regarding the form and power of the Court of Session, will serve to draw a parallel with the United States Constitution. Next, the thesis will …