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Honors Theses

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The Prc And Its Anti-Drug War: The Opium Suppression Campaign Of The Early 1950'S, Queen Marcela Pierre Jan 2019

The Prc And Its Anti-Drug War: The Opium Suppression Campaign Of The Early 1950'S, Queen Marcela Pierre

Honors Theses

For centuries, China sought to suppress opium consumption within its borders. Following the Chinese Communist Party’s rise to power, the 1950’s drug suppression campaign initiated new attempts to bring about the end of opium’s presence within Chinese society. What led to this campaign’s success is its utilization of different strategies within each region of focus. The combination of strategies used allowed the CCP to eradicate all forms of the opium market in both urban and rural areas where the campaign was active. This thesis examines the methods used during the campaign and how these methods resulted in the campaign’s success.


Design And Development Of Chemically And Biologically Stable Salvinorin-Based Ligands For Opioid Receptors, Tanner Neilson Jan 2019

Design And Development Of Chemically And Biologically Stable Salvinorin-Based Ligands For Opioid Receptors, Tanner Neilson

Honors Theses

The number of opioid prescriptions as a method in pain management increased dramatically in the mid 1990’s following Dr. James Campbell’s 1995 Presidential address to the American Pain Society, where he called for patient pain to be included as a vital sign. The rapid increase in prescriptions in the early 2000’s coupled with a massive effort by pharmaceutical companies to downplay the addictiveness of these drugs has led to a consistent increase in opioid-related drug overdoses, with 47,600 of 70,237 drug related deaths involving opioids in 2017. Opioid analgesics most commonly act upon the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), which is one …


Development Of A Dart-Mass Spectral Database For 3d-Printed Firearm Polymers, And Airborne Mercury At Three Lakes In North Mississippi, Parker Ball Jan 2019

Development Of A Dart-Mass Spectral Database For 3d-Printed Firearm Polymers, And Airborne Mercury At Three Lakes In North Mississippi, Parker Ball

Honors Theses

This research focuses on two studies: a development towards a DART-mass spectral database for 3D-printed firearm polymers, and a test for airborne mercury concentrations at three lakes in North Mississippi. With the relatively recent developments in 3D-printing technology, 3D-printed firearms have become increasingly prevalent as they have become more accessible to the public. Despite its growing popularity, little research has been done regarding the forensic analysis of evidence from 3D-printed firearms. Using DART-MS in conjunction with thermal desorption techniques, we obtained the mass spectra for 50 different commercially available 3D-printing polymers. Chemometric analysis was done to account for the high …


Food Waste In German Households: A Policy Analysis, Carlie Maree Vowell Jan 2019

Food Waste In German Households: A Policy Analysis, Carlie Maree Vowell

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the issue of food waste in Germany and proposes policy solutions for food waste in German households. The author analyzes the history and background of sustainability and food waste in Germany in order to recommend a change in policy. The author uses a systematic literature review as the primary method for investigating food waste in Germany. The findings indicate that household food waste occurs due to a lack of planning, misreading food labels, misconceptions about food, improper food storage techniques, and a lack of awareness on the economic and environmental implications of food waste. Moreover, various demographic …


The Wise Women Of Oxford, Jaz Brisack Jan 2019

The Wise Women Of Oxford, Jaz Brisack

Honors Theses

In Fall 2015, a group of women began meeting for lunch. The first meeting was nearly spontaneous: a woman named Eunice Benton emailed a few of her friends, saying that she would prefer to go out to eat with them at one o’clock on a Friday instead of eating alone. From there, the email list Eunice had created began growing and incorporating many new women from a variety of backgrounds, some of whom Eunice knew and then, increasingly, some she didn’t. The list spiked tremendously after the 2016 presidential election, as the group provided comfort to women who were extremely …


Regionalism And Reform: The Consequences Of Consociationalism In Belgium, Elizabeth L. Brown Jan 2019

Regionalism And Reform: The Consequences Of Consociationalism In Belgium, Elizabeth L. Brown

Honors Theses

With the success of the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), a Flemish regionalist party, in recent federal and regional elections, the continued role of regionalism in Belgian politics has been made clear. This has occurred despite significant efforts by Belgian politicians to counteract this tendency. By analyzing the impact of the six state reforms that have drastically affected the political system within the country, this paper outlines how the reforms themselves have unintentionally incentivized the political parties to pursue regionalism as a winning political strategy, which laid the groundwork for the current success of the N-VA. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates how the …


Determination Of Shrinkage Of Fine-Grained Soils Using 3d Scanning Technology, Hemant R. Joshi Jan 2019

Determination Of Shrinkage Of Fine-Grained Soils Using 3d Scanning Technology, Hemant R. Joshi

Honors Theses

Shrinkage Limit is the moisture content parameter in fine grained soil which is related to the volume stability of the soil. The conventional method, ASTM Standard D427-04 that uses mercury has been replaced by wax method, ASTM Standard D4943-02 that uses wax and water or MT-92 that uses spray coating. This modification has certainly minimized safety concerns of the laboratory technicians by avoiding the use of the health hazardous substance, mercury (Hg) but it is not really an economic and convenient method. This thesis proposes a 3D scanning method of determining the shrinkage limit of fine grained soils. The 3D …


Al-Qaida, Boko Haram, And Isis: Tracking The Shift In Women’S Involvement, Anna Therese Beavers Jan 2019

Al-Qaida, Boko Haram, And Isis: Tracking The Shift In Women’S Involvement, Anna Therese Beavers

Honors Theses

This paper discusses the shift in women’s roles in Islamic extremist groups over the last two decades. Focusing on three violent Sunni groups, al-Qaida, Boko Haram, and ISIS, the research aims to fill gaps in United States and global counterterrorism and reintegration efforts by providing a comprehensive, accurate, and timely assessment of the recent change in women’s roles in terrorist organizations, shifting from foundational to limited operational to fully operational. The shift occurred and continues to unfold as several moving parts have fallen into place to create this situation. Women’s desire to participate at a more operational level, the need …


Feedback-Related Neuronal Processing During Motor Learning, Rosemary Marguerite Marquez Jan 2019

Feedback-Related Neuronal Processing During Motor Learning, Rosemary Marguerite Marquez

Honors Theses

Motor learning has been widely examined using electroencephalography (EEG) to record event related potentials (ERP). ERPs occur in response to given stimuli and represent underlying neural processes that are either modifying or being modified by motor learning. This study seeks to examine how movement feedback changes neural activity (i.e. ERPs) in the motor cortex, and more specifically, if feedback-related neuronal activity is modified by motor learning and visual feedback. A novel visuomotor rotation task was employed in which participants adapted their movement to a 30- degree counter-clockwise rotation. Feedback was given through the presence or absence of the trajectory line …


[Female]: A Collection Of Profiles Featuring Influential, Inspiring, Modern American Women Who Have Made History, Tara Lyn Hawkins Jan 2019

[Female]: A Collection Of Profiles Featuring Influential, Inspiring, Modern American Women Who Have Made History, Tara Lyn Hawkins

Honors Theses

[FEMALE] is a collection of profiles that feature the stories of some of the most influential and inspiring modern American women and how they have influenced the world. The profiles look into the lives and careers of female athletes, entrepreneurs, political figures and entertainers who are currently alive in 2019. Each profile includes dialogue from recorded interviews with the featured women. The idea for this project came from wanting to learn more about the successful, influential role models in my life. To learn about the hardships and odds they overcame in order to achieve their dreams and become the women …


To Sleep Or Not To Sleep, That Is The Question: Sleep, Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms In Pregnancy, Alexis B. Miller Jan 2019

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep, That Is The Question: Sleep, Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms In Pregnancy, Alexis B. Miller

Honors Theses

Pregnancy is a time associated with many changes in a woman’s body including hormonal, metabolic, physical, and physiological changes (Miller, 2004; Okun, Kiewra, Luther, Wisniewski, & Wisner, 2011). A related concern is pregnant women and the impact of disturbed sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 36% of the population in Mississippi experience an insufficient amount of sleep (CDC, 2014). Moreover, sleep disturbances in pregnancy are significantly associated with antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms (Volkovich, Tikotzky, & Manber, 2015; Yu et al., 2017). The present study assessed potential relations between sleep disturbances, anxiety, depressive symptoms …


6th-12th Grade Math Teachers And Their Experiences With The Mississippi College- And Career-Readiness Standards, Dorothy Reid Jan 2019

6th-12th Grade Math Teachers And Their Experiences With The Mississippi College- And Career-Readiness Standards, Dorothy Reid

Honors Theses

This thesis identifies and describes 6th-12th grade math teachers and their experiences with the Mississippi College- and Career- Readiness Standards. There are two parts to this thesis: 1) a survey distributed to public school math teachers across the state and 2) the written thesis. In my thesis, I craft teacher narratives from the quantitative and qualitative results of the survey. Listening to the teachers’ narratives provides beneficial insights to the implementation of the MCCRS at the classroom level. Teachers have many different experiences. My thesis offers policy recommendations, based on the teacher narratives, to three levels of education: teachers, schools …


Examining The Impact Of Meaning And Resilience On Survivors' Life Satisfaction After Hurricane Harvey, Emily A. Gawlik Jan 2019

Examining The Impact Of Meaning And Resilience On Survivors' Life Satisfaction After Hurricane Harvey, Emily A. Gawlik

Honors Theses

The experience of a traumatic event such as a natural disaster can often lead individuals to suffer a variety of negative sequelae, including the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. However, certain positive psychological constructs like meaning and resilience have been shown to mitigate these consequences. The purpose of this study was to explore the contributions of meaning and resilience to the life satisfaction of individuals (N = 55) impacted by 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. It was hypothesized that not only would meaning and resilience be significantly and positively related to life satisfaction but that meaning would contribute more to the prediction …


Evaluation Of School Wellness Policies Implementation As Measured By The Organizational Readiness To Change Theory, Elizabeth B. Quirk Jan 2019

Evaluation Of School Wellness Policies Implementation As Measured By The Organizational Readiness To Change Theory, Elizabeth B. Quirk

Honors Theses

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity trends have been increasing drastically for the past twenty years. School wellness policies have been put into place to help decrease overweight and obesity prevalence. Analyzing a school’s organizational readiness to change for full implementation of wellness policies could identify areas that are contributing or hindering successful implementation of federal regulation of policies and policy outcomes. METHODS: This pilot study included 21 participants, all of whom served as a school wellness coordinator, either at the district or school level in Mississippi. Each participant completed a six-part questionnaire addressing school wellness policy implementation. Survey item development was …


“Nosotras Como Mujeres”: The Environmental Activism Of Indigenous Women Of The Ecuadorian Amazon, Leta Rowan Jan 2019

“Nosotras Como Mujeres”: The Environmental Activism Of Indigenous Women Of The Ecuadorian Amazon, Leta Rowan

Honors Theses

Across Latin America, indigenous organizations have mobilized against environmental destruction inflicted upon their communities. Environmental destruction brought about by climate change and extractive industries has been especially devastating in the Western Amazon- the most biologically diverse region of the Amazon and home to a diversity of indigenous populations. The efforts of indigenous organizations in the Western Amazon, notably the Ecuadorian Amazon, have been successful in affecting progressive environmental policies as a means to protect their natural environments and standards of living. Indigenous women specifically have played a significant role in addressing the climate injustices affecting their communities and have employed …


The Haves And The Have Nots: Segregation And Marginalization In Puebla, Mexico, Jarvis Benson Jan 2019

The Haves And The Have Nots: Segregation And Marginalization In Puebla, Mexico, Jarvis Benson

Honors Theses

Beginning in the early 1990s, the city of Puebla, Mexico pursued an urbanization strategy based on converting the historic center into a hub for international tourism devoted to marketing colonial architecture and developing another section of the city, Angelópolis, as an affluent space for commerce and elite dwelling. This strategy produced a crowding out effect that relegated the lower and working classes to the peripheries of the city. There are currently high levels of marginalization in Puebla that negatively impact overall citizen well-being, with pockets of precarious populations living in zones with difficult social conditions. Though based on a small …


A New Consultation Service For Community Pharmacies? An Investigation Of Pharmacists' Perspective On Implementing A Weight Management Program, Shelby N. Strength Jan 2019

A New Consultation Service For Community Pharmacies? An Investigation Of Pharmacists' Perspective On Implementing A Weight Management Program, Shelby N. Strength

Honors Theses

Pharmacists are capable and interested in providing a targeted weight management intervention addressing the high rates, and associated risk, of obesity. A series of in-depth phone interviews with Mississippi community pharmacists were used to gain their perspective on a systematic approach for delivering a weight and obesity management service to patients. Using qualitative content analysis, three themes were identified and analyzed. These themes included: pharmacist’s perceptions of patient’s needs, program structural components, and pharmacist’s implementational needs. These findings can be used to expand the role of pharmacists, serve as a model for the development of other consultation services, improve health …


Microadventures: Student-Empowered, Trauma Informed Outdoor Learning Projects, Jennifer Lyn Flaumenhaft Jan 2019

Microadventures: Student-Empowered, Trauma Informed Outdoor Learning Projects, Jennifer Lyn Flaumenhaft

Honors Theses

This project began with colored Post-It notes and a classroom of Colby College students with a mission to promote student voice in an under-resourced rural elementary school. Lyn Mikel Brown’s Youth-Fueled Activism class paired with Transforming Rural Experience in Education (TREE), an organization that transforms rural communities into hubs for opportunity and civic empowerment.1 TREE uses trauma-informed principles to improve the school experience for students at Seabrook and Portside Elementary Schools. Our class worked with TREE to engage in curricular reform that reimagines learning in a way that promotes student voice. Our class took Maine Common Core State Standards and …


Effects Of Vertical Transmission Of Maternal Antibodies To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum On Growth And Condition Of Eastern Bluebird Nestlings (Sialia Sialis), Mckenzie Xiang Denton Jan 2019

Effects Of Vertical Transmission Of Maternal Antibodies To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum On Growth And Condition Of Eastern Bluebird Nestlings (Sialia Sialis), Mckenzie Xiang Denton

Honors Theses

Mothers display maternal effects to influence the development and success of offspring through processes such as resource allocation. In birds, this occurs largely through the egg yolk with the vertical transmission of antibodies to offspring to protect the vulnerable young from disease. Specifically, poultry and eastern bluebirds across the eastern United States are commonly infected by the bacteria Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), for which mothers may produce antibodies against. To test for the vertical transmission of MG-specific antibodies from mothers to nestlings in eastern bluebirds and the associated fitness effects, bluebird boxes were set up and monitored during the field season. …


State And Regional Comparisons Of Breastfeeding Policies And Rates: A National Study, Erin Johnson Jan 2019

State And Regional Comparisons Of Breastfeeding Policies And Rates: A National Study, Erin Johnson

Honors Theses

State legislation focused on promoting and supporting breastfeeding is relatively new, beginning in the 1990s. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an association between state breastfeeding rates and state breastfeeding legislation and other institutional policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases breastfeeding report cards with the most up-to-date state breastfeeding rates. These reports are used to examine the relationship between state breastfeeding rates and number of breastfeeding policies passed by a state. Government initiatives, such as Healthy People Initiative, and organizational practices, such as Baby-Friendly USA Inc., are also studied to determine their …


Fungal-Algal Speed Dating: Exploring Symbiotic Potential Of Fungal-Algal Cocultures, Natalie S. Williams Jan 2019

Fungal-Algal Speed Dating: Exploring Symbiotic Potential Of Fungal-Algal Cocultures, Natalie S. Williams

Honors Theses

Symbiotic relationships are widely studied phenomena in the biological world. Of particular interest are the ubiquitous relationships that exist between fungi and photoautotrophs. While much is known about the commonly occurring interactions that persist between fungi and a wide range of terrestrial plants, we are interested in exploring the symbiotic capacity between fungi and earlier diverging lineages of the plant kingdom, notably green algae. We developed an experiment to allow for a medium-throughput analysis of fungal-algal interactions using three model green algae: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Penium margaritaceum. With numerous replicated assays, these algae were individually paired with a …


Assessing The Effects Of Antioxidants On Oxidative Stress In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Via Protein Carbonylation, Dalton Sheffield Jan 2019

Assessing The Effects Of Antioxidants On Oxidative Stress In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Via Protein Carbonylation, Dalton Sheffield

Honors Theses

Breast cancer is a highly complex, heterogeneous disease, and potential effective treatment options are being continuously researched in order to provide a method of halting cancer growth and metastasis. One area in particular involves alleviating oxidative stress within cancer cells. Oxidative stress is generally defined as an imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant species in favor of the oxidants. Cancer cells use this oxidative stress to initiate carcinogenesis in cells through different mechanisms, and protein carbonylation is a primary biomarker used to quantify oxidative stress levels. Antioxidant compounds are those used to alleviate oxidative stress within cells. Here breast cancer cells …


The Economic Effects Of National Marijuana Legalization, Alexander Lee Robison Jan 2019

The Economic Effects Of National Marijuana Legalization, Alexander Lee Robison

Honors Theses

In today’s political and social climate, the legalization of marijuana has been a major topic of discussion across the nation. As more states pass legislation to legalize marijuana, whether it be for medicinal or recreational purposes, a market is being created that has economically beneficial possibilities that can be harnessed on a national level. This thesis seeks to highlight the economic effect marijuana legalization could possibly have on the national economy by examining the states that have legalized marijuana. States who have already passed such legislation provide a framework for state-level economic impact of marijuana legalization that can be projected …


Measurements Of The Primary Bjerknes Force In A Cavitating Ultrasonic Field, Mason Smith Jan 2019

Measurements Of The Primary Bjerknes Force In A Cavitating Ultrasonic Field, Mason Smith

Honors Theses

Cavitation is the result when there are rapid changes in pressure in a liquid. These vapor-filled cavities can occur when ultrasound propagates through water at sufficient power. The volumes of these cavities can pulsate and can even couple with the radiation pressure from the ultrasound. The result is a translational force on the bubbles. This translational force on the bubble is called the primary Bjerknes force. The secondary Bjerknes force is the result of two pulsating cavities, but this force is ignored since the buoyant force and the primary Bjerknes force are the dominant forces. Immediately before a bubble begins …


A Study Of The Kratom Alkaloids And Their Binding To The Μ-Opioid Receptor, Reba Elizabeth Ann Chamblee Jan 2019

A Study Of The Kratom Alkaloids And Their Binding To The Μ-Opioid Receptor, Reba Elizabeth Ann Chamblee

Honors Theses

Kratom, a plant commonly found in southeast Asia, has traditionally been used for medicinal treatments. Recently, however, the popularity of the drug has significantly increased due to its euphoric effects, leading to it being used as an alternative to illegal opioids. Several alkaloid compounds have been isolated from the leaves of the plant. The main alkaloids seen are the following five alkaloids: mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, speciociliatine, speciogynine, and paynantheine. Two alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, have exhibited high potencies and are potentially even more potent than morphine. Previous studies have indicated that the main mediator of the psychoactive effects is the opioid …


Institutional Divides: How Democracy Affects Economic Complexity In The Transition Economies Of Eastern Europe And Central Asia, Mary Frances Holland Jan 2019

Institutional Divides: How Democracy Affects Economic Complexity In The Transition Economies Of Eastern Europe And Central Asia, Mary Frances Holland

Honors Theses

The transition economies, in making their way from a command economy to an integrated market economy, experience vastly different levels of development. This work proposes an influence of inclusive, democratic institutions on increased economic complexity. This project reviews the history of diverging political and economic policy decisions across the region. Case studies for Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan review trade data and democratic policies to better understand groups of development across the region. This paper utilizes Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s institutional developmental theory as a basis for the creation and sustainability of democratic and economically diverse structures.


Renewables & Refugees: A Solution For Jordan, Lauren Burns Jan 2019

Renewables & Refugees: A Solution For Jordan, Lauren Burns

Honors Theses

As the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan continues to host the third largest Syrian refugee population in the world, the state’s infrastructure and its people are taking a toll. Before the war in Syria began, Jordan was already suffering from a weak economy, resource scarcity, and an enormous population boom. Since accepting nearly 2.5 million refugees, these issues have compounded year after year—nearly reaching a breaking point. I propose an unconventional solution to some aspects of the refugee crisis: renewable energy. Renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels, consume less water in electricity generation, emit fewer greenhouse gases, and promote job creation …


Economic Advancement Across The European Playing Field, Zac Herring Jan 2019

Economic Advancement Across The European Playing Field, Zac Herring

Honors Theses

This project seeks to examine the relationship between economic history, soccer, and economic institutions in countries who have attained varying levels of success on the soccer field and economically. The work of several influential scholars in recent decades has drawn attention to the need for a shift in the goal for economic achievement from industrialization to institutional effectiveness. This study develops a model to further understand the relationship between economic achievement and soccer success. It then includes case studies of three countries from the model in order to further understand the impact of the institutions that have a significant presence …


Zoning Policies In The United States: An Inquisition Into The Inequities And Solutions, Caroline Heavey Jan 2019

Zoning Policies In The United States: An Inquisition Into The Inequities And Solutions, Caroline Heavey

Honors Theses

This research examined the real estate zoning laws in the United States and their impact. Zoning policies regulate land use by codifying land parcels. These zoning policies dictate what type of construction, commerce, activity, etc., can happen where in a community. These policies are intended to protect the common welfare and provide a stabilizing force in the real estate market to protect property values and create predictability. Nevertheless, these policies sometimes fall short of these goals and cast inequities into the community. By focusing on residential zoning policies, the researcher was able to examine these resulting inequities. The researcher utilized …


Japanese Mascots: Diplomatic Tool, Domestic Escapism, Gwenafaye Mccormick Jan 2019

Japanese Mascots: Diplomatic Tool, Domestic Escapism, Gwenafaye Mccormick

Honors Theses

In Japan, mascots are not only representatives of sports teams and sugary cereals, but are vital diplomatic tools of communication and domestic tools of escapism. Though a multitude of mascots exist, scholarship on the topic tends to portray the body of mascots as one-dimensional. This thesis analyzes the modern mascot field and provides previously undefined categories for mascots based on their application, as their absence hinders further analysis. These definitions also describe the subversive social space that mascots inhabit in Japanese society and allow the thesis to examine consumers’ relationships with mascots. An analysis of the U.S. and Israeli embassy …