Digital Commons Network^™

Protecting Privacy In Covid-19 Digital Contact Tracing, Nicolas M. Turner

Honors Theses

Digital contact tracing applications are a necessary and potentially dangerous tool used to combat the spread of COVID-19. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of personal information gathered by contact tracing applications, there is high potential for privacy issues to arise. This thesis explores the dangers of digital contact tracing or contact tracing via a mobile application. Focusing on the United States, this paper studies how contact tracing works and how a contact tracing application might collect different types of data. The paper then studies the effects of giving up location data and health data and what potential ramifications that …

Microbiome Community And Parasitic Infections In Wild Bees, Mark G. Young

Honors Theses

The microbiome is increasingly recognized for its complex relationship with host fitness. Akin to primates and other social animals, bumblebees harbor a specific microbiome derived from social contact. The bumblebee microbiome is characteristically species poor, with just a few “core” phylotypes accounting for the majority of total abundance. Genomic analyses reveal phylogenetic congruence and adaptation of the core endosymbionts to the bumblebee gut, indicating a shared evolutionary history. Prior investigations reveal that the relative abundance of core microbes is negatively associated with infection by a trypanosome, Crithidia bombi, and that the microbiome has a mechanistic role in immunity. As …

"Nice, Quiet Hand": The Creation And Navigation Of Feeling Rules In A Second Grade Classroom, Avery Munns

Honors Theses

Emotions are largely viewed as individual and internal, but in reality, emotions are socially situated. This project aims to use a sociology of emotions framework in order to explore how emotional expectations are created, maintained, and navigated within a classroom environment. Through a series of observations over the course of a month, I set out to answer questions surrounding which emotions were encouraged, which emotions were discouraged, and how both teachers and students created and navigated these feeling rules. Overall, I found that emotions were largely discouraged, especially through the overarching feeling rules of “be quiet” and “control your body.” …

Contrasting Patterns Of Nutrient Limitation In The Littoral And Pelagic Zones Of Mesotrophic Maine Lakes, Grace C. Neumiller

Honors Theses

Intense nutrient loading of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) causes sudden regime shifts in freshwater ecosystems from clearwater to turbid conditions with frequent cyanobacterial blooms. Characterization of nutrient limitation patterns of primary productivity in these ecosystems is necessary for effective management of algal blooms. However, much of this research has focused on pelagic habitats. The influence of lake habitat (i.e. benthic littoral versus pelagic zones) on nutrient limitation of primary production in mesotrophic lakes is largely unknown, particularly in contrast to research on pelagic nutrient limitation in eutrophic systems. Using paired nutrient diffusing substrata and mesocosm experiments, we measured chlorophyll- …

Covid-19 Media Exposure And Parenting, Abagail Roy

Honors Theses

Rationale- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a drastic change in the way of living for most parents. A study conducted during the lockdown of Italy found that parents experienced a high level of distress (Marchetti et al., 2020). Several studies have been conducted to find how media exposure and screen time affect children but much less research has been conducted on how media exposure is related to parental feelings and parenting.

Methods- The aim of this paper is to explore the role of COVID-19 media exposure in parental aggravation, closeness to children, parental self-regulation, intolerance of uncertainty, and resourcefulness. …

Integrative Genome Assembly Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis And Staphylococcus Hominis Strains, Cana L. Brown

Honors Theses

Due to rapid advances in sequencing technology, it is becoming increasingly easier to assemble unknown genomes from millions of short sequencing reads of nucleotides taken from the full genomic sequence (Hernandez, 2008). In this study, we used various computational programs to align reads from unsequenced strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus hominis into a hitherto undefined, single contiguous genomic sequence. We used SPAdes to assist with template free assembly (Bankevich, 2012), BLAST to identify a suitable reference genome from closely related species (Madden, 2013), Bowtie2 to align our reads to the reference genome, SAMtools to sort and organize …

Thermal And Thermophysical Properties Of Anionic Amines And Their Aqueous Solutions For Co2 Capture In Confined Environments, Randi Swanson

Honors Theses

Air revitalization for the International Space Station (ISS) has been identified by NASA as a mission critical need which requires improvement. The current method uses13X zeolite, a solid adsorbent, to adsorb carbon dioxide. While this is effective, the zeolite adsorbent produces dust that is unwelcome on the space station. Furthermore, the adsorbentis too sensitive to humidity in moderate temperature gas streams [1]. Aqueous solutions of ionic amines show promise as a safe and efficient solution, as they do not volatilize and are not water sensitive [2]. Specifically, anionic amines have the most potential because of the amine functional group’s ability …

Improving Psychological Pre-Surgical Evaluations For Chronic Back Pain By Linking Data Of Pre-Surgicalmmpi-2-Rf And Post Surgical Pain Interference On Emotional And Physical Functioning, Ethan Hayes

Honors Theses

Chronic pain is running rampant, and its treatment options can sometimes be more dangerous than the pain itself. With such a widespread prevalence – and chronic in the name - numerous individuals are left to deal with daily anguish that fails to abate. This Honors Thesis examines a sample of patients presenting with chronic pain and attempts to validate previous research investigating what factors determine candidacy for a possible treatment, dorsal column spinal stimulator surgery. Research supports that this treatment may have beneficial effects, but patients are sometimes unable to gain respite, despite having a stimulator implanted into their lower …

Factors Contributing To Diminished Long-Term Outcomes Of Secondary Infections, Alia Tayara

Honors Theses

It is widely known that patients suffer diminished long-term outcomes in the years following secondary infections, infectious diseases that occur during or after treatment of a primary infection such as influenza or COVID-19. One common secondary infection is pneumonia, which has become the most fatal hospital-acquired infection. The bacterium responsible for pneumonia is known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cytotoxic supernatant in these studies was generated from a PA103 strain of Psuedomonas aeruginosa with a type III secretion system that maintains the ability to transfer exoenzymes ExoU and ExoT into target cells during infection. The focus of the following studies was …

Assessment Of Hypothermia As A Correlate Of Pde4 Inhibitor-Induced Nausea In Mice, Marianna Susan Oditt

Honors Theses

Type-4-cAMP-phosphodiesterases (PDE4s) are a group of isoenzymes that hydrolyze the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). PDE4 inhibitors have many therapeutic uses including reducing inflammation, however, they also have side effects like nausea and emesis, which have diminished the clinical utility of PDE4 inhibitors. When administered to mice, PDE4 inhibitors have been shown to cause hypothermia. Given that nausea and emesis in humans are also associated hypothermia, this project served to determine whether PDE4 inhibitor-induced hypothermia may represent a correlate of nausea and/or emesis in mice. To this end, the current literature was screened for articles that explore nausea, emesis …

Heavy Metals Found In Juul's Electronic Cigarettes, Joshua F. Gesselberty

Honors Theses

Electronic cigarettes better known as e-cigarettes have been consistently rising in popularity with new products entering the market daily. E-cigarettes function by vaporizing a liquid composed of propylene glycol, glycerin, benzoic acid, nicotine, and flavor additives with the use of a metallic heating element. This vapor produced is then inhaled by the user. The composition of this liquid is critical to discovering the possible health effects.

This study investigates the presence and concentrations of heavy metals in the e-liquid before and after vaping. An ICP-MS was used because of its ability to scan several metals rapidly and its high sensitivity. …

The Role Of Inflammasome In Vascular Remodeling Following Injury, Ted Amadi

Honors Theses

The purpose of the project presented in this thesis is to assess the contribution of inflammasome activation in mediating vascular wall remodeling that occurs following carotid artery injury due to decreased blood flow. To examine this, we used a mouse model of carotid artery ligation in mice lacking the expression of a key mediator of the inflammasome signaling pathway. Following ligation, we completed a histological assessment to compare the degree of the neointima formation and expression of inflammasome related proteins in both injured and the non-injured contralateral carotid artery in both wild-type (WT) and Caspase 1 knockout mice (Cas1 -/-).

Determination Of Pollutant Load Reductions To Three Mile Creek As A Result Of The Implementation Of Storm Water Bio-Infiltration Basins On The Usa Campus, Jordan E. Blackmon

Honors Theses

Three Mile Creek has been identified as an impaired urban stream and is now a priority for cleanup for both the City of Mobile and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Methods to better manage storm water runoff on the USA campus have begun, with a goal to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek. Both sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek disrupt habitat and lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, which are detrimental to overall stream health. Low Impact Development strategies are an innovative way to use nature-like, green-infrastructures to minimize storm water runoff quantity and improve …

Amplification And Filtering Stage For An In-Home Wireless Polysomnograph, Seth Young

Honors Theses

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that tends to be easily treatable but, for most sufferers, is undiagnosed. To lower the economic barriers to screening the design of a portion of a polysomnograph, or obstructive sleep apnea testing tool, is considered. A filtering and amplification stage is theorized, simulated, and constructed for testing. The stage, consisting of three cascaded 1st order Butterworth low pass filters and amplifiers, did not achieve the target signal to noise ratio for a sinusoidal waveform of amplitude 200µv, but showed promising signal to noise ratios for waveforms with amplitudes as low as 600µv. The …

Comparative Analysis Of Computationally Accelerated Ngs Alignment, Ada Chaeli Van Der Zijp-Tan

Honors Theses

The Smith-Waterman algorithm is the basis of most current sequence alignment technology, which can be used to identify similarities between sequences for cancer detection and treatment because it provides researchers with potential targets for early diagnosis and personalized treatment. The growing number of DNA and RNA sequences available to analyze necessitates faster alignment processes than are possible with current iterations of the Smith-Waterman (S-W) algorithm. This project aimed to identify the most effective and efficient methods for accelerating the S-W algorithm by investigating recent advances in sequence alignment. Out of a total of 22 articles considered in this project, 17 …

Caregiver Knowledge, Perceived Self-Efficacy, And Level Of Confidence In Limiting Bedtime Screen Use In Preschoolers, Emily Hollingsworth

Honors Theses

Screen time usage is a major factor leading to negative behavioral and health consequences in young children. Screen time also affects sleep, with prior research showing a significant association between screen time, particularly at bedtime, and reduced sleep duration and increased sleep problems. The initial aim of this research was to measure and attempt to increase, through an educational intervention, the knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, and confidence of study participants/primary caregivers with regard to limiting the bedtime screen use of their preschoolers with the goal of health promotion. It was intended to be a quantitative, quasi-experimental, multi-site, pre- post-intervention case study. …

Health Care Providers' Attitudes Toward Screening Patients For Sexual Violence And Intimate Partner Violence, Judith Hoyt

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental study of health care providers at a faith­based clinic for uninsured adults in a metropolitan area was to detennine health care providers' knowledge of and attitudes towards the use of SV and IPV screening tools. This study measured a volunteer group of primary care providers' knowledge and attitudes towards SV and IPV screening tools before and after applying an educational intervention presenting the benefits of screening and identifying patients who have previously been, currently are, or at risk to suffer abuse. A total of IO eligible participants completed all elements of the study. The …

Women Outside The Household In Early Modern Germany, Abigayle Edler

Honors Theses

During the early modern period, women were highly regulated by society. This regulation included everything from sumptuary laws restricting consumerism and clothing to exclusion from guilds and other occupational restrictions. Women were generally expected to remain within the household sphere and were discouraged from deviating from traditional norms. However, some early modern German women were able to challenge and subvert these expectations. Given the prescribed gender roles often enforced within early modern German society, what prominent roles and industries, if any, were women able to participate in outside of the household? “Women Outside the Household in Early Modern Germany” utilizes …

Iot-Enabled Environmental Monitoring Technologies, Clayton Suell

Honors Theses

Environmental monitoring is essential to protect human life and the environment due to issues such as global warming, pollution, and weather phenomena like hurricanes. To this end this thesis presents a prototype IoT (Internet of Things)-enabled environmental monitoring network. The network will include the ability to collect data from various locations that will be uploaded to a cloud so that the data can be accessed from any device with a network connection allowing for greater environmental awareness and a database that can be used for environmental analysis. The network will be flexible enough that every data collection point will either …

Utilizing Acoustic Levitation To Determine Ionic Liquid Effects On Enthalpy Of Polymerization, Davina V. Ho

Honors Theses

Ionic liquids (ILs) are emerging as an eco-friendlier alternative to traditional organic compounds. The hope with ILs in this project is to incorporate them with resins used in 3D printing to act as plasticizers which will in turn help prolong the life of the printed object. A common issue with plasticizers like phthalate in particular is they can leach out of plastics due to their vapor pressure which leads to decreased performance and can also pose a health risk being released into its surroundings or atmosphere. A major benefit of incorporating ILs in with resins comes from their low volatility …

Comparison Of Resilience, Empathy, Anxiety, And Depression Levels In College Aged Individuals Who Have A Sibling With A Developmental Disorder And Those Who Have A Typically Developing Sibling, Cecelia Prentiss

Honors Theses

Observing and analyzing the relationships between siblings can bring insight to what kinds of behaviors they will be inclined to have, as well has how prominent those behaviors will be. Specifically, it is important to analyze and compare levels of resilience, empathy, anxiety, and depression in individuals who have a sibling with a developmental disorder (DD) and those who have a typically developing (TD) sibling. This research looks to find out more information on college-aged individuals who have a sibling with a developmental disorder. There have been many studies that have conducted research to show how children and older adults …

Open Arms: Adult Faith-Based Volunteers: Expectations And Needs To Work With Youth With Disabilities, Merritt B. Vise

Honors Theses

Religious organizations can offer many benefits to society at large such as extended social groups, opportunities for physical activity and service, and emotional support. People with disabilities are often in need of these opportunities most because of the social pressures, rejection, and isolation many experience at school or home. This study was designed to assess the experiences and needs of adult religious volunteers who work with students with disabilities in order to determine expectations and knowledge needs of these volunteers. This study examined the published research about the benefits of religious organizations to students with disabilities, the rate of involvement …

Ogt Glycosylation Of Histones In T Cells May Participate In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Jared Luke Ridgeway

Honors Theses

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects women. The etiology is not known yet, but genetics and environmental factors trigger the disease. These epigenetic changes modify gene expression and contribute to the development of the disease. It is known that T cells from patients with lupus overexpress genes that may contribute to the onset and progression of the disease. Dr. Gorelik has shown that OGT (O-linked N-acetyl-Glucosamine Transferase), which is an X-linked gene, is overexpressed in women with SLE. OGT adds b-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to serine and threonine residues of proteins. …

Characterization Of Bpa Sensitive Strains In C. Elegans, Giulianna I. Escobar

Honors Theses

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been present in our environment since 1891 when it was first synthesized by Aleksandr Dianin. BPA has since been a topic of interest due to the possibility of diseases associated in human consumption of the chemical. Interestingly, Caenorhabditiselegans, commonly known as C.eleganshave shown to be able to tolerate the chemical. Thisorganism is an advantageous model organism for research since they are simple organisms to study, cheap, produce a large brood size, and have a short life cycle. Previously a forward genetic screen was done to isolate 2000 healthy strains in order to determine which strains showed …

Dissociating Socioeconomic Influences On Maternal Language Input And Child Language Outcomes, Klaudia Kulawska

Honors Theses

Early language development is associated with children’s socioeconomic status (SES). Specifically, children from lower SES backgrounds, on average, exhibit slower language development compared to their peers from higher-SES backgrounds. Even though SES is a multidimensional construct, research often relies on a single dimension or a composite measure when studying child language development. In this article, I investigate four dimensions of SES, including maternal education, income-to-needs ratio, financial security, and neighborhood SES. Specifically, I examine whether the quantity and quality of maternal linguistic input mediates the relationships between dimensions of SES and child receptive language skills. Mothers and their 36-40 months …

The Effects Of Higher Education On Socioeconomic Mobility: A Comparative Analysis Of Outcomes At Bucknell University, Katrien Weemaes

Honors Theses

Income inequality and the lack of higher-education opportunities across the United States often correlate with families' socioeconomic status. In this honors thesis, the following questions will be examined: How does the social mobility of Bucknell Students compare with students from other national universities? How do a student’s race and financial aid status affect their ability to achieve social mobility? How has the rate of social mobility through Bucknell changed in recent years? How does a student’s current family socioeconomic status affect their ability to achieve high-income success upon graduation? Does the level of accessibility to Bucknell change when socioeconomic status …

Rights For The “Non-Conforming” Woman: The Intersectionality Of The Fight For Women’S Rights And Lgbtq+ Rights In Argentina, Talia C. Housman

Honors Theses

Argentina has faced many challenges throughout its history of activism as the people have pushed for an equal society. Different movements have sprung up over the years, but they have begun to twist together in recent times due to the need for support during repressive regimes. This brings into question the concept of intersectionality, which spans feminist, queer, and legal theory in its attempt to explain the need for overlap, modeling the natural development of personal identities and groups like family. The feminist movement and the LGBTQ+ movements have woven together in many rallies, especially during El Encuentro Nacional de …

Twelve Angry Men: A Twenty-First Century Reflection Of Race, Art, And Incarceration, Mackenzie A. Gross

Honors Theses

Twelve Angry Men: A Twenty-First Century Reflection of Race, Art and Incarceration is a Comparative and Digital Humanities Honors Thesis concentrating on Africana Studies, theatre, sociology and legal studies to demonstrate the importance of investing in incarcerated communities through theatre and education.

In Chapter I, I critique the loss of identity attached to incarceration, and introduce the foundation for Black bodies individuals being discriminated against in the prosecution system. I analyze the “Punishment vs Progress” mentality, and introduce current educational programs in place in prisons. I elaborate on the details of our production, as well as the makeup of actors. …

Food Insecurity At Bucknell University: A Look At Student Experiences And Contributing Factors, Emma Curtin

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the prevalence of food insecurity at Bucknell and examines the contributing factors. Two research questions frame the present study: 1) What factors contribute to food insecurity on Bucknell’s campus? And 2) How do students at Bucknell experience food insecurity? Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student food insecurity is explored. The theoretical framework used in this thesis is Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction. This framework coupled with a phenomenological approach to analyzing the data are the most appropriate for the present study because food insecurity is a systemic phenomenon, maintained by institutions but lived …

Synthesis, Gari Eberly

Honors Theses

Synthesis is a scientifically-aware collection of poetry that explores how gender relations and race amalgamate to impact the maturation of an individual. Employing both sonnet and computer code, I reflect on my experiences as a mixed-raced girl growing up in central Pennsylvania, my growth through several romantic relationships, and how I currently navigate male-dominated spaces as a woman.

For the past four years, I have sought to bridge the gap between my two academic commitments: poetry and science. Both poetry and science exist as a means to ask and answer questions about the messy interactions that shape personalities and relations …