Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Risk Factors For Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study, Grace Lowe

Honors Theses

Maternal mortality, the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of delivery, claims approximately 700 women annually in the United States. In Ohio, the rate is slightly less than 16 women each year. Knowledge and intervention of risk factors, particularly the non-medical factors for maternal mortality are crucial to preventing these deaths. This qualitative interview study with community health workers identified specific risk factors Ohio mothers face and how they are being addressed in the field by individuals who work directly with pregnant and postpartum women. The interviews uncovered various interventions that are recommended to reduce the …

Tiktok And The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, And Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S) social movement via content analysis and interviews. The study includes analyzing a sample of 50 videos posted to the social media platform TikTok, and an interview with a user who posts videos about MMIWG2S. TikTok uses a unique algorithm to tailor users’ feeds based on the types of videos with which they watch and interact. This allows for the creation of an online community that shares common interests with one another, especially in a time where communication methods have changed significantly. …

Healthy Eating, Unhealthy Mind: Measuring The Rate Of A Disordered Eating Pattern Among University Student Athletes And Non-Athletes, Erika Moeller

Honors Theses

The present study examined the rates of Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern characterized by an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy foods, among college athletes and non-athletes at a medium-size, Midwestern university in the U.S. The present study investigated ON using two different tools: the ORTO-15 and the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The independent variables were athletic status and hours of exercise per week, and the dependent variables were scores on the EHQ and ORTO-15. Participants reported demographic information, including whether they were an athlete (n = 196 athletes, 105 non-athletes) and how many hours of exercise they perform …

Ain't No Sunshine When They're Gone: Pollinators In A Solar Prarie, Brigid M. Morgan

Honors Theses

Around the world, pollinator populations are decreasing due to climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pesticide use, and disease. A solar prairie can provide that habitat space with native plants to attract and promote the growth of native pollinator populations. In this study at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, I sought to find out if native pollinators were using the habitats inside and around the solar panels at Curran Place. By using pan traps weekly throughout the summer months to collect the insects, I found that native pollinators are using the habitats between the rows of …

Evaluation Of Patellar Tendon Load Across Sports-Related Activities, Breven Perry

Honors Theses

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (OSD) is a disease that results in a painful inflammation of the tibial tuberosity caused from overuse of the knee as the apophyseal growth plate is continuing to close in adolescence. As this condition arises from too much tension on a closing growth plate, it is most prevalent in children 8-15 years old, and especially common in athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine the peak patellar tendon force experienced from a variety of movements common in sport. 30 subjects performed a walk, run, hop, single-leg hop (SLH), countermovement jump (CMJ), single-leg CMJ, drop vertical …

Understanding The Hydrolytic Activity Of Papiliotrema Laurentii On Polyester Polyurethane Coatings, Ariana L. Santos

Honors Theses

Though plastic polymers such as polyester polyurethanes have many applications from electronics to aircraft coatings, their resistance to natural degradation presents an environmental concern. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism of degradation from microorganisms that were discovered breaking down the coating of a cargo aircraft may offer insights into a method of bioremediation. To explore this, the fungus Papiliotrema laurentii (one microorganism isolated from the consortium) was cultured in several different media types at different pH levels in order to understand how it adjusts its protein secretion patterns to environmental changes. 2D gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing (IEF) and a variety of gel …

A Computer Vision-Based Method For Bolt Loosening Detection, Savannah Burdette

Honors Theses

Routine bolt-loosening inspection plays an essential role in managing and preventing the degradation of our nation’s highway bridges over time. Neglecting to perform these inspections could result in public safety concerns. The study of this thesis develops a cost-effective method of bolt-loosening detection based on computer vision. To this end, two input images of the bolted connections are collected at two different inspection times. The feature points are then identified from the input images, based on which a geometric transformation matrix is applied to correct any perspective differences between the two images. Next, we select the image patches of the …

Contraceptive Knowledge Of Female College Students, Lina Perugini

Honors Theses

Background: Over 37% of teens (aged 15-19) and 62% of young adult (20-29) women use some method of contraception (Daniels, 2019). Women in college demonstrate inconsistent use and lack of knowledge about reproduction, menstruation, and contraception (Sutton, 2017). This study aimed to assess collegiate women’s knowledge of contraceptive and tested two hypotheses: (1) women in college will demonstrate a lack of knowledge about contraception; (2) those who use hormonal birth control will demonstrate significantly higher levels of contraceptive knowledge when compared to non-users. Method: 128 female college students completed an anonymous online survey that included demographic information, history of contraceptive …

Examining The Impacts Of Flooding On Public Health, Lauren Gibson

Honors Theses

Over the past 10 years, South Carolina has experienced over five major weather events that have led to extreme flooding along the coast. These types of repeated major events have the potential to significantly impact people’s lives and livelihoods. When looking at the issue from a public health perspective, it is known that natural disasters such as flooding can negatively affect community health. However, little research has been done to analyze the impacts on individual health from flooding. This issue inspired a more in-depth research analysis to examine those health impacts from local Horry County residents. This research aims to …

Defining The Leading Edge Of The Marine – Non-Marine Transition In The Pee Dee Basin: Influences, And Dynamic Parameters Of A Highly Dynamic System, Nicole Mchugh

Honors Theses

Among estuaries, there is a large block of co-dependent and independent variables shaping habitat and environmental conditions within a critical area. Historical data proxies and indexes from seven different stations were assessed to consider temporal and spatial variability of the marine and non-marine transition along the South Carolina Pee Dee River Basin. Historical datasets from the upper reaches of Winyah Bay and lower section of the Pee Dee River basin were compiled along with shorter termed deployments of a new instrument station installed near Georgetown, SC. This area is representative of the marine-non-marine transition in drowned river mouth estuaries. Water …

Collection Of Accountancy Case Studies, Adam Lalejini

Honors Theses

The following collection of case studies examines various personal and professional topics in accounting. These topics range from personal research and reflection on important topics within the profession to a comprehensive case competition focusing on The Coca-Cola Company. Throughout the collection, theoretical accounting frameworks and solutions are applied to real world scenarios. In addition to theoretical frameworks, financial statements and relevant outside sources are used with applicable.

Interspecific And Ontogenic Differences In The Molar Occlusal Surfaces Of Manatees (Sirenia: Trichechidae), Lyle Goulbourne

Honors Theses

While much is known regarding limitless horizontal replacement of manatee teeth, the morphology and topography of the teeth have not been formally described, nor have interspecific differences and ontogenic changes in relative tooth size been described in detail. To physically describe the teeth, photographs of the molars from West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatees (T. inunguis) were taken and the features of the teeth were identified. To compare tooth size differences, the area of the posterior-most molar in occlusion was measured from both the upper and lower molars of the manatee skulls from West Indian and Amazonian manatees. …

The Importance Of Public Space During The Covid-19 Pandemic With A Case Study Of The City Of Kalamazoo’S Kik Pool, Natalie Baker

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of Alpha Domain Of Metallothionein For Hydrogen Production, Aditya Surakanti

Honors Theses

The world relies on nonrenewable resources for a significant portion of its usable energy, the most common being fossil fuels. Fossil fuels release many unwanted byproducts during their extractions and conversion processes. As a result, this excessive use leads to harsh consequences upon the environment, including rapid global warming, release of numerous water and air pollutants, and it could possibly lead to an increased risk of death in those who are exposed to these toxins. In response to this scenario, the goal of my project is to design an artificial hydrogen catalyst, which can absorb sunlight and oxidize H2O into …

Providing Culturally Competent Eldercare For Asian Americans, Britney Ngo

Honors Theses

As the Asian American elderly population continues to grow, it is important to acknowledge cultural factors that may impact their behavior, attitudes, preferences, and decisions in the context of eldercare. Cultural competency acknowledges and considers these factors while providing care that includes biophysical factors of healthcare as well as non-medical dimensions of care such as language and culture.

This thesis seeks to address the applications of providing culturally competent eldercare to Asian Americans and offer future recommendations to care settings that have limited resources by utilizing a multidisciplinary review of literature accompanied by interviews with representatives from On Lok, a …

A Comparison Of Music Therapy Apporaches Utilized With Persons Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Sally M. Gibson

Honors Theses

Music therapy is a clinical practice wherein music is used in the context of a therapeutic relationship to address client needs relating to their physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual health and wellbeing. Two contrasting approaches to music therapy treatment have been identified by Bruscia (2014) as outcome-oriented and experience-oriented. Both approaches provide opportunities for clients to reach their health-related goals, but the planning and implementation of therapy is different from each approach. The purpose of this project was to examine how these two orientations are represented in the professional literature related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This paper includes …

Attempted Synthesis & Antibacterial Properties Of Apt-6k Against Ndm-1 K. Pneumoniae, Alec Bofetiado

Honors Theses

NDM-1 K. pneumoniae is a highly resistant bacterial organism that is capable of causing debilitating nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients. Only "last-resort" antibiotics--such as colistin--work against this organism. Therefore, new antibiotics are needed to help fight against these types of infections. APT-6K is a novel compound that was demonstrated to be effective against MRSA with nanomolar concentrations in a prior study. Novel methods of APT-6K synthesis and its testing for antibiotic effects against NDM-1 K. pneumoniae were attempted in this research. APT-6K synthesis was unsuccessful. Commercially-prepared APT-6K also did not demonstrate growth inhibition against NDM-1 K. pneumoniae nor against a …

Monitoring The Immune Status Of Calves At The Agricultural Education Center, Jared Wallen

Honors Theses

Each year at the Andrews University Agriculture Education Center calves born to the resident cows and calves that are purchased are raised by the students in the animal science program. In each of the previous two years that calves have been raised, morbidities and mortalities have been observed. In order to prevent any calves from dying and reduce the rate of illness this research project was designed to monitor the calves’ immune status. By doing weekly blood draws, the total serum protein levels were determined and used as a standard for their health. Body temperature, food and water intake, and …

Implications Of Facial Coverings On Communication, Katherine Giustino

Honors Theses

Nonverbal communication constitutes over half of communication in verbal communicators’ production. With so much lost to covering essential parts of expressing nonverbal communication, for example the mouth, this study aims to find how that impacts the general population’s ability to communicate effectively.

A study found that masks act as an acoustic filter for speech and can attenuate high frequencies (Marler & Ditton, 2020). At the most basic level, a facial covering creates a physical barrier to communication.

This study was designed in a survey format to gather data. A total of 95 participants completed the survey in its entirety. The …

Take Care, Nicole Wetzel

Honors Theses

Day-to-day life is full of habits and routines set in place to maintain our health, each completed without a second thought. Though seemingly tedious, every action toward cleanliness is meaningful time we invest in ourselves. They are crucial to our wellbeing, deserving of our careful attention, not mindless execution. When closely examined, a strange tension is found between the end-goal of hygiene and the disgusting remnants of the steps taken to get there; the former cannot be achieved without confronting the latter. This relationship reveals the true value of these often-overlooked routines. Through intentional observation of the actions themselves and …

Gene Expression Of Stress-Related Biomarkers And Disease Presence In Gene Expression Of Stress-Related Biomarkers And Disease Presence In Crassostrea Virginica, Jaycie Keylon

Honors Theses

Crassostrea virginica, the Eastern oyster, is an environmentally and economically important species along the East coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentally, oysters are filter feeders, cleaning the water of contaminants. They also provide habitat and shelter for other marine species. Oysters are of significant economic value as seafood to nearby communities as well. Eastern oyster populations have been significantly adversely affected by the parasite Perkinsus marinus, which causes Dermo disease. Dermo affects oysters during times of warm temperatures and high salinities and has the potential to wipe out entire populations of oysters. Throughout this study, the …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Status In Cognition And Brain Health Across The Lifespan, Erica Chung

Honors Theses

Disparities in cognition are inevitable throughout the lifespan due to socioeconomic gaps. Individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) may have fewer access to environmental resources, especially with regard to education, than individuals of higher socioeconomic status. Differences in available resources from a young age may affect brain development, leading to detriments in cognition and behavior, further impacting socioeconomic success in adulthood. In the present study, we modeled the development of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and changes in cognitive function throughout the life trajectory in the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Rockland Sample. The DLPFC volume was predicted to …

Cultivating Family Empowerment In Schools: The Experiences Of Marginalized Families In Special Education, Rachel-Marie F. Sinco

Honors Theses

The provision of special education services to special needs students is largely upheld by federal and state policies and regulations, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) which ensures that children with disabilities have the opportunity to access a free appropriate public education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004). However, marginalized families of low-income and linguistically diverse backgrounds continue to face barriers and challenges to effectively participate in their child’s education and secure the necessary and appropriate services for their child. Family Empowerment Centers on Disability (FECs) in California provide a policy solution to assist families navigate …

The Perceptions And Practices Of Japanese Identity In Contemporary France, Sara Gardner

Honors Theses

France is well known for promoting dominant white ideals of “Frenchness” over all others, stemming from the French republican ideal of culture-blind and colorblind universalism.. This universalism, however, is often criticized for glossing over individual heritage and struggles, and studies surrounding this issue often focus on ethnic groups that have made headlines, such as Muslim and North African populations in France. But what about less studied communities, such as the Japanese in France? These less studied populations are worth investigating as we can look at their experiences to further understand the impact of French nationalism. Through a primarily interview-based ethnographic …

Assembling Place: White Supremacist Formations At A Place-Based Educational Institution, Emma Terwilliger

Honors Theses

This research considers white supremacist formations at an elite, place-based educational institution in the Bahamas. Place-based education is an educational philosophy that connects “learning” to the setting in which students are engaging in that learning. Through the structuring philosophy of place-based education, I examine how white supremacist formations are/were engaged with, experienced, remembered, and reinforced by 11 former and current educators, administrators and students who have attended/worked at the school. I contend with my interlocutors’ memories and experiences through four interwoven threads: tourism and imperialism in the Bahamas as manifested through the school’s “place-based” educational philosophy, militarist ordering of every-day …

Memories And New Beginnings: Chinese American Restaurants And Food As A Contact Zone In Early-Twentieth Century California, Nicholas Kim

Honors Theses

In previous Asian American studies, authors largely focus on urban centers. In my thesis, I center rural Chinese American communities in early-twentieth century California in the making of the Chinese American identity. I argue that they, along with Chinese American food, acted as contact zones for Chinese and non-Chinese Americans. This paper covers a range of themes, including most prominently the connection between food and culture. I additionally address how Chinese American restaurants and food challenged perceptions of Chinese Americans as foreigners, their role in gender relations, and what we consider to be authentic. This paper largely uses archival newspaper …

The Bittersweet Tooth: Understanding French Identity Through The Colonial Empire, Commodity Fetishism, And Pâtisserie, Clarisse D. Allehaut

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that patisserie and the French relationship with dessert are a part of national identity. The historical context of patisserie runs parallel to the growth and power of the French colonial empire. Patisserie feels removed from the empire, and yet the two show how gastronomy, luxury, and exploitative power in the form of empire are components of French history and identity. Marx’s theory on commodity fetishism serves as the backbone for this argument. This theoretical idea supposes that value is an objective concept and society attributes importance and perceived meaning. Patisserie exemplifies commodity fetishism as a good with …

Analyzing Mental Health Curriculums: Recommendations For The Implementation Of A Mental Health Curriculum For Middle Grade Students, Lauren A. Bendheim

Honors Theses

Adolescent mental health has been an increasingly important topic of conversation in education policy as the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national state of emergency for child and adolescent mental health in 2021. In this two phase study I work to understand the landscape of what mental health education looks like in the United States through interviews with policymakers, curriculum developers, and classroom instructors as well as literature research. I investigated what mental health education looks like in practice and how it is experienced by middle school students through classroom observation, student surveys, and curriculum analysis. In my research …

Understanding The Role Of Race In American Medicine, Fariel C. A. Lamountain

Honors Theses

Long running inequity in health care and outcomes in the United States stem from failure to acknowledge the underlying role of the Transatlantic slave trade as it manifests in all facets of American society and commerce. This paper focuses specifically on the American medical system and its foundations to understand the precursors to generational trends in lack of access to healthcare and poor health for Black communities. This paper uses a three-pronged approach to understand the racist cycle of inequity, highlighting the history and origins of racism in American medicine, personal accounts and statistical evidence of inequity, and community and …

Pfas Environmental Contamination In Central Maine, Megan H. Andersen

Honors Theses

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative chemicals that are used in a variety of consumer products and industrial applications. Paper mills across the state of Maine have used PFAS in their industrial paper making processes, and their wastes often flow for treatment into municipal sewage treatment facilities. PFAS contaminated municipal wastewater from the general use of PFAS consumer products are also processed by these plants. Liquid waste is condensed into solid waste septage and sludge, and in what was thought to be an environmentally friendly repurposing practice, municipal sludge and septage has been spread on plots …