Digital Commons Network^™

A Culture Of Its Own: The Story Of The Sally Mcdonnell Barksdale Honors College, Mary Boyte

Honors Theses

Since its inception in 1996, the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College has created a culture of striving for academic excellence which is constantly shifting. At its core is the desire to educate students who learn for the sake of learning. Through small, seminar-style classes, students discuss broad questions that take them beyond the walls of the SMBHC. This thesis paints a complete narrative of Ole Miss’ honors education, starting with the Scholar’s Program in 1952 and ending in the spring semester of 2023. In addition to offering a factual history, this thesis also explores what sets an honors course apart …

A Financial Analysis Of Accounting Through Case Studies, Logan Moll

Honors Theses

This thesis contains a collection of ten case studies completed during the fall and spring semesters for the Accountancy 420 class under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. The class and case studies were completed to fulfill the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Accountancy Practicum. During the fall semester, Dr. Dickinson presented the class with specialized case studies to consider different areas of the accounting and business industry. During the spring semester, we formed groups and selected a Fortune 500 company to research before completing case studies that evaluated the company’s following areas: company overview, audit, tax, …

The Great Debate, Britain 1868-1876: An Exploration Of British Politics Via Reacting To The Past, Ryan Jurich

Honors Theses

The Victorian era (ca. 1830 – 1900) in Britain saw massive economic and social transformations brought about by industrialization and the emergence, for the first time, of a modern class society. This research project focused on creating an innovative way for students of history to learn about the various political, economic, and social changes shaping and being shaped by the decisions of the British government in the latter half of the 19^th century by using the Reacting to the Past curriculum framework. In particular, it focused on the historical first ministries of William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, their famous …

Evaluation Of The Geotechnical And Foundation Components On Jud Site, Mirabel W. Nkanor

Honors Theses

This thesis is part of the senior design final project of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Mississippi. Geotechnical and foundation analyses were done on a proposed construction project for a multi-family home in Orlando, Florida. This evaluation done in this thesis follows the pre-existing geotechnical report on the side, USDA soil reports, ASCE Code 32-01 (Design of Foundations), and ASCE-7 Section 12.31.1 (Foundations and Superstructure-to-Foundation Connections).

A structural system was selected from the proposed location, on the corner of South Conway and Judge Road, and an evaluation of the Bearing Load capacity was completed to determine the …

Design And Synthesis Of Dinucleating Phthalazine-Based Ligands Toward Bimetallic Ruthenium Catalysts For Water Oxidation, Alex Bromley

Honors Theses

Two synthetic pathways were developed to construct dinucleating ligands towards the synthesis of bimetallic ruthenium-based water oxidation catalysts. The motivation for this work stems from earlier observations of related ligands that are susceptible to oxidative decomposition. The design pursued here incorporates a phthalazine core into the dinucleating ligand, which, we hypothesize, will prevent the previously established cleavage of a pyridazine unit at the same position. The ligand precursors involved in the multi-step syntheses are characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Synthetic protocols were refined to ensure reproducibility. In addition, our hypothesis for which of the two target ligands will …

The Antler: The Design And Development Of An Independent Shower Support Stand For Those Living With Lower Extremity Limb Loss, Kylie Wright

Honors Theses

While we do not often think about it, taking a shower is a privilege. Standing in the hot water, cleaning off after a long day outdoors, and taking a moment to simply relax is an experience that most people in the U.S. have participated in. However, about 1.4 million Americans do not have this luxury3. Lower extremity amputees have long been advised to shower while seated for their safety. This population is unable to experience the simple independence that accompanies standing in the shower. Despite the growing rate of amputations each year, no products are currently available on the market …

The Perceived Impact Of Morning Tubs On Elementary Students' Twenty-First Century Skills, Shelby Phillips

Honors Theses

Increasing demands for creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration to be taught in schools puts pressure on educators to incorporate non-cognitive skills into the already rigid curriculum (Battelle for Kids, 2019). While there is ample research on play in the classroom and the importance of teaching twenty-first century skills to elementary students, there is very limited research on teaching twenty-first century skills via morning tubs. Morning tubs elicit skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, motivation, critical thinking, and problem-solving in students (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009). Therefore, this thesis aims to introduce play to educators as a strategy through …

An Analysis Of The Production Of Pharmaceutical-Grade Acetone Via The Dehydrogenation Of Isopropanol (Ipa), Jordan Desplas

Honors Theses

The production of 99.9 wt% acetone from isopropanol in Unit 1100 is designed to start up in 2025 and operate for 12 years after startup. The engineering team was tasked with designing the process, creating an economic model, and optimizing the net present value (NPV). The process was simulated in AVEVA PRO/II Simulation for the design process, and the economic analysis was estimated in Microsoft Excel. Parametric and topological optimization was performed linearly on the unit operations in the process. The NPV was improved by $14M from a base case of $122M to an optimized case of $136M. The project …

Pour-Over Coffee Stand With Warmer, Francesca Patawaran

Honors Theses

This project sought to demonstrate the process of bringing a new product into the market, from the initial design and prototyping stage to marketing and, ultimately, mass production. As part of the curriculum of The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME), the project team manufactured fifteen Pour-Over Coffee Stands with electric heating components. We first created a 3D model of the proposed design, ensuring that all components fit together in an assembly. Next, we worked with the lab technicians to create a prototype of the product. Then, we refined the manufacturing process to eliminate waste where possible. Throughout the …

The Use Of Scattering Cancellation To Cloak And Decouple Slot Antennas And Antenna Arrays, Daniel Ferro

Honors Theses

The concept of cloaking has been prevalent in emerging research, being able to hide oneself completely from outside observers would be a huge benefit for covert surveillance and other fields. This idea has expanded past optical invisibility into the field of electromagnetic invisibility. To accomplish this form of cloaking, a non-natural material, called metamaterials, must be used. Furthermore, metamaterials can be used in a variety of different techniques including transformation-based cloaking, transmission line cloaking, and scattering cancellation cloaking. One application of cloaking is to use scattering cancellation to decouple two antennas that are placed too closely together such as in …

Is My Prescription Ready Yet? A Qualitative Examination Of Patients' Understanding Of The Prescription Filling Process In Community Pharmacies, Maria Sallee

Honors Theses

Long lines at the pharmacy can frustrate patients. Consequently, patients becoming frustrated can add stress to an already overworked pharmacy. Without knowing what patients understand about the often complicated prescription filling process at community pharmacies, it can be difficult for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to communicate the reason behind any delays in patients receiving their medication. To learn what patients understand about the prescription filling process, fifteen interviews were conducted over the phone after mailing recruitment flyers to members of a diabetes research collaborative in North Mississippi. The interviews revealed that while patients have a positive relationship with their pharmacists, …

The Effect Of Cannabinoids And Terpenes On The Activation Of Hmc3 Microglial Cells, Mohamed Marzouk

Honors Theses

Life expectancies of people living with HIV have significantly lengthened due to the availability of antiretroviral therapies. Despite their ability to increase survival, these treatments do not “cure” HIV, nor do the stop the onset of neurological symptoms associated with infection, termed neuroHIV. NeuroHIV describes a myriad of neurological impairments including mood disorders (depression and anxiety), cognitive impairment, neuropathic pain, and motor disinhibition that reduce quality of life for people living with HIV. Mechanistically, the neurological impairments may involve actions of neurotoxic proteins directly produced by the virus. One of these proteins that has been well-characterized is the HIV trans …

"Beowulf": Interpretation And Supplementation, Abigail Martin

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the various ways in which Beowulf has been interpreted across time, explaining how factors, called paratexts, have played a large part in shaping these interpretations and how, especially in reading the Beowulf manuscript, we inherit the sum of these influences. In order to demonstrate this, I present a variety of arguments and perspectives on the text that have been developed by scholars over the years based on different types of paratexts (physical, intangible, and translational) in the absence of a known author. At each stage of Beowulf’s life, there have been opportunities for individuals with authority …

De Novo Design Of Artificial Cu Peptide For Substrate Oxidation And An Electrochemical Approach To Determine Reorganization Energy, Morgan Murphy

Honors Theses

Copper enzymes are found in nature. Their mechanisms and properties are unknown, as spectroscopy is limited. By creating artificially designed copper peptides through de novo design, the behavior, characteristics, and spectroscopy of copper enzymes can be studied to enhance understanding of the mechanisms involved with enzyme catalysis. Design, synthesis, purification, and characterization are completed to create a quality peptide mutant that can be studied to learn about natural enzymes. This plays an important role in pharmaceutical research, renewable energy sourcing, and studies of biological processes in the body. In this study, 3SCC de novo peptide is mutated at different positions, …

Influences Of Post-Fledging Protein Supplementation On Growth And Reactive Stress Response In Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Castanotis), Gabrielle Morris, Mary Lindley Tharp

Honors Theses

Protein needs of non-poultry birds, like Zebra Finches (ZF) are understudied. ZFs consume proteinaceous half-ripe seeds during breeding and chicken eggs are recommended supplements for captive ZFs; but developmental needs are unclear. Eggs contain essential amino acids that impact the “stress” hormone, corticosterone (CORT). Diet and corticosterone influence avian growth and stress management. Juvenile egg-fed ZFs outgrow seed-fed birds. Juvenile egg-supplementation boosts adult male attractiveness due to cheek patch augmentation compared to seed-only birds. Across studies, timing of diet (nestling Vs. fledgling) varies, both sexes have not been included, and simultaneous measures of growth and corticosterone are lacking. We are …

Examining The Influence Of Training On An Event-Based Prospective Memory Task In 3-Year-Olds, Emeri Rose Nosal

Honors Theses

Given the significance of prospective memory (PM) throughout an individual’s lifespan, PM has gained great momentum as a topic of research. Surprisingly, less studies have examined PM in children than adults despite the fact that cognitive abilities are developing during this time. Performance in event-based PM tasks has been shown to be poor in preschoolers and particularly weak in 3-year-olds. Previous studies of event-based PM tasks have included manipulations such as cues and incentives to aid in performance. In this study, I examined another potential manipulation to aid in PM performance not previously examined in literature: training. To assess whether …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise On Memory: Considerations Of The Testing Effect, Philip Christian

Honors Theses

This study had three main objectives. The first objective was to determine whether or not there was evidence of a testing effect being present when a short-term memory assessment is included along with a long-term memory assessment. The second objective was to determine whether acute exercise can improve long-term memory recall over a control condition. The third objective was to determine if the potential effects of acute exercise on long-term memory are confounded by the inclusion of a short-term memory assessment. Participants were 54 undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi, with an age range of 18-22 years old. Participants …

Synthesis Of Salvimadol Analogues For The Studies Of Pain, Anxiety, And Depression, Seth Mccaughan

Honors Theses

From 2001 to 2013, worldwide prescriptions of opioids more than doubled from around 3 billion daily opioid doses per year to 7 billion due to major shifts in pain management culture and attitude.¹ This surge in opioid prescriptions brought quick pain relief to patients, but it also brought new challenges, such as nonmedical opioid use, opioid use disorders, and overdose deaths.² In 2015, 33,091 of the 52,404 drug overdose deaths were contributed to opioids, and in 2013, the cost of opioid overdose and addiction was estimated to be $78 billion in economic burden.^3,4 The social and economic …

Functional And Location Context Effects On Reading Sentences In Healthy Young Adults: Evidence From Eye Tracking Methods, Elizabeth Baird

Honors Theses

Spreading activation theory proves the way our brains are semantically wired to accept outside information and understand it. Previous studies have demonstrated the effects of spreading activation theory in different settings and activities. These effects are important to understand because they can be used in therapy and assessment for communication disorders. This study explores how the context of sentences affects reading time on noun targets in healthy young adults using an eye tracking method. Specifically, we compared functional and location context types and manipulated the context to be incongruent or congruent to the targets. Our research questions were (1) whether …

The Auditory Radiations And Migraines: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study, Eva Kiparizoska

Honors Theses

Previous literature shows that there is a known correlation between the presence of migraines and hearing loss. The purpose of the current study was to better understand how a history of migraines can affect the integrity of the auditory radiations and the increased risk of hearing loss in individuals with migraine history. We used Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in order to examine the effect of a history of migraines on the auditory radiation systems in the brain. The DTI neuroimaging data was collected from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample, and participants’ demographics closely paralleled the United States demographic distributions. Our …

Kindness Without Barriers: An Investigation Of The Benefits Of Social Organizations For Students With Disabilities, Abby Newton

Honors Theses

While legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) has made monumental progress in education for individuals with disabilities, there is still an evident need for increased accessibility and equity of opportunity within the K-12 environment. IDEA guarantees students with disabilities will receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, but this law does not include discussion on the evolving barriers to social participation students with disabilities often face, and sequentially, the impact this has on one’s learning environment. This report will examine the benefits of extracurricular activities for …

The Engineering Challenges Of Designing And Manufacturing A Tensegrity Cup Stand, Yaniv Goulet, Daniel Ferro

Honors Theses

Progressing from a simple idea into a fully developed product is one of the main goals of any engineer. Through Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence’s capstone program, the team was tasked with realizing a tensegrity cup stand. The tensegrity structure consists of a top and a bottom of some form only supporting itself by tension. The team had to research the concept, create an initial design, create a prototype of the product, improve the design after the prototype’s mistakes, apply lean principles to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and analyze all the economic impacts of the engineering decisions. In the …

Para Todes: ¿Sí O No? The Use Of Inclusive-Language Alternatives In The Spanish Language In Montevideo, Uruguay, Gabrielle Goulet

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the attitudes towards the possible implementation of gender-neutral language, through the use of the -e, on official documents and schools in Montevideo, Uruguay, and how the attitudes of Spanish speakers in Uruguay align with the country’s history of inclusivity. In this context, Uruguay is considered an inclusive country because there is evidence of legal changes that promote gender equality, thus creating an gender-inclusive environment. This thesis utilizes a mixed-methods approach which includes both qualitative and quantitative research. The findings show that many people will use inclusive language when asked of them. They also believe that this usage …

From Concept To Completion: The Multifaceted Process Of Designing, Manufacturing, And Problem-Solving In The Development Of A Horizontal Bumper Plate Rack, Wallace Crain

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to create a bumper plate organizer from concept to final production run to simulate what it would be like to create a new product. The entire Center for Manufacturing Excellence coursework led up to this moment where all of the coursework could be put into practical use. The project began in Spring 2022 and finished in Fall 2022. The team was made of one mechanical engineering major, one civil engineering major, one biology major, one computer science major, and one accounting major. My main focus in this project was on the product design and …

Effects Of Group Ii Metal Binding On The Stability Of Dna I-Motif Structures, Charlotte Powers

Honors Theses

B-form DNA can adopt alternative structures while in superhelical duress. Alternative DNA structures are favored when there is an asymmetric distribution on complementary DNA strands. Cytosine rich strands may utilize cytosine-cytosine base pairing to form a four-stranded structure known as the i-motif (iM). The stability of iMs is affected by several factors such as DNA sequence, temperature, pH, ionic strength of the solution, and crowded conditions. While the effects of temperature, pH, and crowding conditions on iM stability have been well documented, the effects of ion presence in a solution has been less studied. Hence, those studies are the basis …

Financial Accounting Case Studies, Winn Sams

Honors Theses

This thesis is an assembly of eleven accounting case studies completed during the 2021-2022 academic year, while enrolled in the ACCY 420 course instructed by Dr. Victoria Dickinson. The case studies included in this thesis cover a broad range of topics within the field of accounting. These topics include the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on businesses, the financial effects of COVID-19 on Pfizer Inc., examining cities of future residence for accounting careers, an interview with a business owner, and an Excel verification course. Cases 6 through 11 are dedicated to the analysis of ExxonMobil and its …

The New Teacher Of Ideas: A Study On Social Media, Political Influencers, And Generation Z, Brenley Rinaudo

Honors Theses

The current study focuses on members of Generation Z and where they learn about politics and receive political news. Different than previous generations, Generation Z receives news on social media more than on traditional media platforms (Murmuration, 2023). Politicians must quickly begin to understand how to engage and connect with the next generation of voters on these social media platforms. For these reasons, this study surveyed members of Generation Z at The University of Mississippi. Current University of Mississippi students are members of Generation Z and reflect common trends among this Generation, such as constant usage of social media. This …

Southern Sustainability: An Examination Of Waste Management Mechanisms Within The University Of Mississippi Community, Haley Clift

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and study local mechanisms surrounding waste management at The University of Mississippi. The research study gathers quantitative and qualitative research to make conclusions about sustainability and recycling practices on The University of Mississippi's campus. The thesis discusses whether those practices are effective for those in The University of Mississippi's community based on the data collected and research conducted. The researcher also offers proposals for the University of Mississippi community based on the research conducted.

The gap that exists in the waste management processes at The University of Mississippi was addressed by blending …

Links Between Mental Health And Employment Outcomes Among Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emma Atkinson

Honors Theses

Problem: Mental health outcomes related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been extensively researched, although most research in the area is on children with ASD. Studies on adults with ASD are scarcer. More specifically, studies that analyze the association between mental health and work-life balance (WLB) as well as mental health and job satisfaction (JS) among employed adults with ASD is limited. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between mental health and WLB among adults with ASD, the association between mental health and perceived JS among adults with ASD, and whether or not ASD severity moderates …

How Medical Cannabis Took Root In Mississippi, Loral Winn

Honors Theses

How Medical Cannabis Took Root in Mississippi

(Under the direction of Dr. Iveta Imre)

How Medical Cannabis Took Root in Mississippi is a multimedia journalism piece that follows the timeline of medical cannabis’ legalization in Mississippi through the lives and lenses of characters from each sector of the medical marijuana industry. Written in a journalistic style with hints of narrative methods, the article tells the story of medical cannabis advocates, current patients, state registered practitioners, dispensary owners and employees, and a family-owned cultivation facility while also providing concrete evidence and facts about the legislation and regulations included in the state’s …