Digital Commons Network^™

Decoding Bacterial Resilience: Srnas And Sigma Factors In Stress Adaptation And Persistence Of Salmonella, Anita Nguyen

Honors Theses

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules in bacteria that function primarily to regulate gene expression, including those associated with stress. The Borchert Lab has identified 173 sRNAs and > 500 sRNAs that are responsive to desiccation and carbon starvation (c-starvation), respectively. Prokaryotic transcription involves an RNA Polymerase (RNAP) that transcribes DNA into RNA. RNAP involves sigma factors, which recognize promoters for the initial steps of RNA synthesis. The Borchert Lab has determined that there are significant overlaps between sRNAs expressed in cells subjected to both short-term durations and long-term durations of carbon starvation. Salmonella enterica serovars can have outbreaks associated …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Exoenzyme Y Enzymatic Activity Inhibits Exoenzyme S-Induced Caspase Activation But Not Cytotoxicity In Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Connor Holm

Honors Theses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is the most common cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care unit patients. P. aeruginosa utilizes a type III secretion system that injects exoenzymes U, S, T, and/or Y into the host cell cytosol. A majority of clinically isolated P. aeruginosa strains express ExoY often in combination with ExoU and ExoT, or ExoS and ExoT. Host signaling mechanisms in response to intoxication with individual exoenzymes have been extensively studied, yet little is known about host cell response to co-intoxication. In this study, pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were infected with P. aeruginosa strains expressing different combinations …

The Search For Slow Particles And Magnetic Monopoles With Nova, John Clark

Honors Theses

Singular magnetic poles, north or south, have been theorized to exist for hundreds of years. In the modern day, the elusive singular magnetic pole still remains undiscovered. The appearance of this particle would help confirm many Grand Unified Theories, GUTs, and revolutionize our understanding of some of the fundamental forces of the universe. Fermilab's NOvA collaboration is working on ways to screen and detect magnetic monopoles and other slow-moving particles coming from outer space alongside their main mission to study neutrinos. The aim of this work is to determine and improve the Far Detector’s efficiency at identifying slow moving particles. …

Development And Characterization Of A Pro-Angiogenic Peptide Amphiphile For Deep Dermal Burn Healing Via Spray Delivery, Loria Dimartino

Honors Theses

Severe burns and other dermatological injuries are frequently accompanied by a range of comorbidities and aesthetic challenges that patients must contend with. The complexity of burn care is exacerbated by the lack of a standardized surgical protocol, as treatment strategies are tailored to individual patient factors, including overall health status, wound size and location, as well as the expertise and resources available to the surgical team. Most commonly, deep dermal burns are treated through grafting, which effectively covers the injury site, but requires the creation of a second wound on the body of approximately the same size. This produces a …

The Numerical Method For Finding All The Zeros Of A Function F (X) On An Interval [A,B], Franissa Simon

Honors Theses

In this study, we develop a simple mathematical method for finding all the roots of a function on a specified interval. Existing classical numerical methods, including the Bisection Method, Secant Method, and Newton Method, cannot find all the zeros of a function f (x) on an interval [a,b]. Popular numerical root solvers like Matlab’s ‘fzero’, Maple’s ‘fsolve’, and SageMath’s ‘find_root’ typically yield only a single zero. This thesis explores a proposed interval computation bisection method, a systematic approach based on the traditional Bisection Method and interval computation. Unlike traditional bisection, which relies on the intermediate value theorem, this approach uses …

Fouling-Resistant Voltammetric Xylazine Sensors For Detection Of The Street Drug “Tranq”, Ann Holland Wemple

Honors Theses

As the opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc on a national and global scale, it is increasingly critical to develop methodologies to detect the most dangerous of these drugs as fentanyl and its derivatives have orders of magnitude higher potency than morphine. Recently, the scientific challenge for chemical detection of fentanyl and its derivatives has been complicated by both the constantly increasing synthetic variations of the drug as well as the expanded use of adulterants. One tragically consequential example is the nocuous street drug known as “Tranq” which combines fentanyl or a fentanyl derivative with the veterinary sedative Rompun®, chemically …

An Ethical Defense Of Puberty Blockers As Gender Affirming Care For Adolescents, Alexander Konigsberg

Honors Theses

In this paper, I give an overview of the varying perspectives on gender affirming care, which disagree on who has the right to decide for the adolescent. I offer the psychological model as the perspective providers should take to avoid imposing their own morals on the patient. Next, I explore adolescent wellbeing and determine that since no adolescent specific goods exist, we should treat adolescents by child or adult wellbeing if you believe child wellbeing exists). I find that with these arguments, physicians should prescribe puberty blockers to adolescents as it gives more access to wellbeing. Finally, I explore objections …

Can Neutron Star Mergers Alone Reproduce R-Process Enrichment In Ultra-Faint Dwarf Halos?, Christine Gyure

Honors Theses

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are the only confirmed source of the r-process responsible for heavy element formation. However, there are concerns about the extent to which NSMs can enrich small dwarf galaxies arising from either a strong natal kick velocity or substantial merger time. We present the results of a novel analytic model investigating the impact of these two distributions, represented respectively by a Maxwellian and power law, and their accompanying parameters on chemical enrichment in ultra-faint dwarf halos. We find that our model reproduces the observed enrichment fractions in these small dwarf galaxies for a variety of parameter combinations, …

Excerpt Scenes From Twin Lilies Of Tirg, Sal Tindell

Honors Theses

Excerpts of Twin Lilies of Tirg: is a craft paper and three novel scenes. The craft paper focuses on the elements and structure of dialogue and how it is present in three scenes that follow the three elements in a novel: the ground situation, the conflict, and complication. The novel Twin Lilies of Tirg is a fantasy fiction that focuses on King Sebestian as he navigates running his kingdom while being blackmailed by another King.

The Need For Standards In Autonomous Driving: Exploring Ethical And Social Implications In The Successful Deployment Of Autonomous Cars, Nandni Patel

Honors Theses

Autonomous driving incorporates applications and algorithms of AI to enable self-driving vehicles as viable transportation options across the country. Self-driving vehicles may provide advantages over human-driven vehicles in several ways, including cost savings, accessibility to transportation, efficiency, convenience, and reduced traffic. However, there are still challenges due to the added lack of cybersecurity issues, laws, and ethical factors to consider in gaining public trust. Ethical issues such as choosing how to respond to accidents and algorithms for safety decisions are factors in the progression of autonomous vehicles for many companies. Since a gap exists in research and development for ethical …

Public Memory Of World War Ii In Japan, Jeneva Grace Midgett

Honors Theses

Public memory often fails to encompass varied perspectives on past events, representing exclusively the collective understanding of one group or nation. Most nations shape history through personalized narratives, which remember their own motivations in conflicts, neglect their harms done against others, or memorialize past harms and traumas for reasons such as collective identity, nationalism, or guilt. However, while public memory is similarly controlled from nation to nation, various scholarship has illuminated changes within Japanese World War II education, and many scholars have discussed its potential impact to Japanese World War II public memory. To fully analyze Japanese public memory and …

Perception, Pain, And Prejudice: Misunderstanding And Contemporary Maternal Health Inequality, Anyssa Holloway

Honors Theses

Pain is a universal experience that we human beings experience daily, whether mentally, physically, or emotionally. Encountering pain is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, serving as a universal reminder of our shared humanity. It operates as an internal alarm system, alerting us to disruptions in both external and internal equilibrium, thereby highlighting the importance of maintaining homeostasis. With this universal sensation felt by all of humankind for millions of years, in a more modern context, there exists a need to understand how a universal connection is measured. As pain is felt on a universal scale such as the …

Technology And Transportation’S Role In Social Isolation In Rural Older Adults, Sara F. Miller

Honors Theses

This study examines the perceptions and experiences of rural older adults. More specifically, their community experiences, connections, technology, and transportation. Past literature, when examining these topics, took a quantitative approach utilizing scales. This study takes a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews to examine the feelings behind the experiences of the participants. Interviews were conducted with four older rural adults. The four participants were female and were of varying marital statuses. Three of the participants were Caucasian, and one was African American. Four themes were found in this process. It was found that the participants were content with the connections that …

Fashion Cents: The Struggle For Power In Consumerist America, 1860-1940, Bailey M. Brown

Honors Theses

As urban migration expanded throughout the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, a greater number of women entered the workforce. Predetermined hours for working meant that women now had predetermined hours for leisure, something that was hard to come by in the traditional female roles within the sphere of domesticity. As a result, women began to dominate spaces outside of the domestic sphere, such as department stores, as both workers and consumers. Female consumerism, then, necessitated the rise of the advertising industry, subsequently playing a major role in the creation of power struggles between sellers and female consumers. The female consumers' …

The Effects Of No Child Left Behind On Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Chosen Profession, Menley Clayton

Honors Theses

Since the enactment of NCLB (2001), it has been the source of major controversy. And although it was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, its impact is still apparent. NCLB’s intention was to ensure that all students in the United States had equal access to a high-quality education, regardless of race, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status (Mills, 2008). To achieve this goal, the Act introduced new requirements surrounding teachers, testing, and school improvement. These requirements have led to, among other things, teacher dissatisfaction. To identify the sources and level of dissatisfaction, a survey was distributed to teachers …

A Simplified Thermal And Battery Model For Off-Grid Solar Air Conditioning In Florida’S Hurricane Context, Steven A. Sanford

Honors Theses

Florida’s hurricane-prone climate often leaves residents without power and at risk of dangerous indoor heat conditions. This thesis examines whether an off-grid, solar-powered air conditioning system can feasibly maintain safe indoor temperatures over a one-week outage period during peak hurricane season. A simplified, lumped-capacitance thermal model and an energy-based (Coulomb-counting) battery state of charge (SoC) approach were developed in MATLAB to simulate a DC-powered air conditioner (the DC48 unit) in a single-zone space. Historical weather and solar irradiance data from Vero Beach, Florida, represent the hot and humid conditions typical of post-hurricane scenarios. The model uses an on/off plus deadband …

The Effect Of Catalyst Choice On Biodiesel Yield And Quality Using Waste Cooking Oil As A Feedstock, Neka Long

Honors Theses

Biodiesel is one current area of interest as a replacement for traditional diesel fuel. Benefits of biodiesel include that it can be derived from renewable resources, and it possesses properties similar to that of traditional diesel fuel. Biodiesel is often produced through a catalyzed transesterification process, which involves the use of a catalyst to aid in the conversion of triglycerides into alkyl esters. A method called the transesterification double step process (TDSP) was researched and used in this project due to the success seen using this method for the conversion of waste cooking oil to biodiesel. In this project, four …

Biomimetic Design Of Mechanochromic Single-Chain Nanoparticle Polymer Networks, Samuel Robinson

Honors Theses

Hydrogels are a class of polymer networks that show promise in many biomedical applications but are typically limited in use due to their brittle nature. Synthesizing hydrogel networks that are comparable to biological materials has long been an area of interest. In this study, we are working to create a polymer network inspired by the muscular protein, titin. Titin can unfold under mechanical tension, releasing stored length, making the muscle material extensible and durable. To mimic this behavior, we propose creating a polymer network with similar stored length using single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) cross-linked with phenolphthalein (PP) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). …

‭Prevalence Of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria In Showers At A Long-Term Nursing Care Facility, Joseph Caleb Kulon

Honors Theses

Pathogenic bacteria on environmental surfaces in nursing homes may contribute to the‬ growing burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), particularly as the U.S. population‬ ages and more individuals transition into long-term care. In this study, 70 swab samples were‬ collected from five community shower rooms at a nursing home over three sampling trips. Five‬ common shower surfaces were sampled: the floor drain, shower bench, faucet/valves, shower‬ curtain, and grab bars. Samples were processed in the UTC CIDC microbiology lab and‬ inoculated onto four selective and differential media: Hardy CHROM MRSA agar (for‬ methicillin-resistant‬‭ Staphylococcus aureus‬‭ [MRSA]‬‭ and‬‭ S. pseudintermedius‬‭ [SIM]), mannitol‬ …

The Decline Of Hip-Hop As A Political Medium: An Examination Of Digital Sampling And Its Impact On The Genre's Evolution, Justin A. Laporta

Honors Theses

The decline of hip-hop as a political medium has been a dramatic turn for the genre since its creation. The specific use of digital sampling was a mechanism in the genre's ability to express African American socio-political struggles. During hip-hop's "Golden Age," artists used sampling not only as a creative tool but as a means to politically empower communities, foster civic engagement, and revive historical messages of resistance. However, the rise of mass commercialization and the imposition of legal copyright restrictions—particularly through landmark cases like Grand Upright Music Ltd. v. Warner Brothers (1991) and Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films …

Associations Between Community Based Learning And Openness To Diversity Among Ur Undergraduate Students, Shea T. Baker

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationship between the quality of community based learning (CBL) experiences and students’ openness to diversity, and the potential moderating effects of student identity. Prior research indicates that CBL can have positive diversity-related outcomes, but other studies show CBL can perpetuate biases and white supremacy. I surveyed 152 University of Richmond undergraduate students who completed a CBL course in Fall 2024. Measures included a modified version of the Service Learning Quality Assessment Tool (SLQAT), the Openness to Diversity and Challenge scale, and demographic information. Results indicate that higher quality CBL is positively associated with openness to diversity, …

The Ripple Effects Of Belonging: How Faculty–Student Connections May Drive Mutual Success, Marissa Burton

Honors Theses

Experiencing a sense of belonging on a college campus is predicted to increase academic success, classroom engagement, and greater well-being for students. Less central to the belonging conversation is faculty belonging; since faculty play an instrumental role in the development of student belonging, we hypothesize that faculty belonging may increase positive student outcomes inside and outside the classroom. Study 1 examines faculty experiences of and beliefs about belonging at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), with the aim of identifying patterns and indicators of heterogeneity. Results revealed that significant burnout is central to a lack of faculty belonging and stronger desires …

Man Versus Machine: Investigating The Likelihood Of Improvement And Perceptions Based On Ai Generated Versus Human Generated Feedback On Writing Assignments, Catherine Cummins

Honors Theses

With AI use becoming more common every day, it is important to test how technology can help us. Feedback is an integral part of the writing process, so we decided to test how well AI can generate feedback for an assignment. Additionally, we examined perceptions people held towards AI & if AI can help student essay scores improve. Overall, no difference of the rate of improvement from the first draft to the second draft was found between AI and humans. Additionally, perceptions of AI are still on the negative side. Finally there was no difference in quality of AI feedback …

From Prison To Progress: Evaluating The Impact Of Second Chance Act Grants On Recidivism, Alexandra Hall

Honors Theses

Recidivism in the United States is at an all-time high and significantly higher than in other developed nations. Past literature examines how conditions present in prisons and the criminal justice system affect recidivism and other outcomes of formerly incarcerated persons. Recognizing the need for reform, the Second Chance Act was passed in 2007, which aims to create or improve reentry programs by giving state, county, and tribal governments and nonprofit

organizations funding. Few studies have examined the effect of Second Chance Act grants,

though two studies published in 2016 and 2017 found that the grants generally decrease recidivism. This study …

The Impact Of Corporate Profits On Gdi Estimates: Forecasting And Data Revisions, Peterson Haas

Honors Theses

The National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs) produced by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) provide key measures of U.S. economic activity, including gross domestic product (GDP) and gross domestic income (GDI). Although conceptually equivalent, GDP and GDI often diverge due to differences in source data and revision timing. This study focuses on corporate profits—a small but volatile component of GDI that is frequently revised, especially during the BEA’s annual (A1) and benchmark (C1) revisions. I examine how revisions to corporate profits influence GDI revisions and whether they can improve real-time estimates of GDI. First, I document the size …

A Cross-Taxa Comparison Of Avian Telomere Dynamics, Age, And Lifespan, Benjamin Konigsberg

Honors Theses

When eukaryotes replicate cells throughout their life, the end regions of chromosomes naturally degrade as a result of the 5' to 3' directionality of DNA polymerase. There is a point when the chromosome is too damaged to provide normal cellular functions, so the cell will die. Telomeres act as a buffer by providing repetitive sequences of non-coding nucleotides. While telomeres do shorten during replication events, the enzyme telomerase can extend telomeres to prevent senescence. Telomere lengths vary between individuals based on different stressor and stress mitigation. Telomeric rate of change is a metric that can capture telomerase activity by measuring …

Comparing Spatial Interfaces Of The Tower Of London Task, Paean Luby

Honors Theses

Executive functioning involves key mental skills like self-control and problem-solving, which are often impaired by brain injuries. The Tower of London (TOL) task is a problem set commonly used to assess planning, but both traditional and digital versions can lack consistency, and, in the case of digital versions, realism and physical engagement. Research shows that 3D tasks, such as a 3D version of the Tower of Hanoi, engage the brain in distinct and meaningful ways, likely due to increased spatial involvement. By merging immersive 3D environments with the consistency of digital tools, virtual reality (VR) has the potential to enhance …

Adaptation Challenges In Scene-Specific Visual Search For Individuals With Asd, Carmen Ovalle

Honors Theses

This research investigates how individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) process category information and adapt to changing visual environments during search tasks. Drawing on Enhanced Perceptual Functioning and Weak Central Coherence theories, the study examines whether individuals with ASD rely more on detailed, exemplar-based templates compared to neurotypical individuals. Two experiments manipulated category-color associations within real-world scene contexts using match and mismatch conditions to assess visual search efficiency and cognitive flexibility. While no statistically significant group differences were found, a trending effect suggested that neurotypical participants may engage in more scene-based processing. These findings contribute to a growing body of …

Hegemony And Homophobia Drive Conservative Men’S Heightened Endorsement Of Adverse Relationship Conflict Responses, Abigail Smith

Honors Theses

Conflict is inevitable in romantic relationships, and men vary widely in the strategies they use to resolve such conflict. The present study tested the roles of sexual orientation, political orientation, and masculine norm conformity in predicting men’s endorsement of adverse conflict responses in romantic relationships. In this pre-registered experiment, 403 cisgender men (200 straight, 203 queer-identifying; 44% racial/ethnic minority) first indicated their conformity to stereotypical masculinity norms then were presented with four randomly-ordered vignettes of a couple in an argument—each depicting a target man engaging in one of four conflict responses (physical violence, psychological aggression, withdrawal, compromise). After each vignette, …

A World Without Prison: The Role Of Policy In Prison Abolition, Kristen Davis

Honors Theses

As concerns about mass incarceration persist, prison abolition offers an innovative approach to safety and justice. The prison abolition movement has been active in the United States since the 1970s. Despite increasingly critical attitudes of the prison system, prison abolition is yet to be accepted in mainstream policy making. Instead, policymakers focus on reform, which problematically legitimizes and reinforces locking people away as criminals. One reason why reform takes precedent may be that prison abolition is often understood in negative terms, as a movement that only advocates ending incarceration. However, its essence is better captured in positive terms, such as …