Digital Commons Network^™

Welfare Federalism And Immigrant Inclusion: How State Ideology, Democracy, And Public Opinion Shape Social Policy, Emily Daniel

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the variation in immigrant access to state-level social welfare programs in the United States from 1997 to 2023, focusing on the influence of state ideology, democratic performance, and public opinion. In the wake of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which curtailed federal welfare access for many immigrants and shifted authority to the states, significant disparities emerged in how states approached immigrant inclusion. This study examines eight states—four historic immigrant destinations and four “new growth” states—with varied political climates and demographic changes. Using a legislative output index, moral language analysis of state media …

Past Lessons, Present Strengths: Does Prior Experience Predict Greater Well-Being And Resilience Among Community-Based Learning Students?, Madison Fields

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationship between prior experiences, vicarious resilience, and psychological well-being of students enrolled in a community-based learning (CBL) course. Given that CBL has positive psychological benefits for students, I investigated the circumstances under which positive outcomes were more likely, specifically: To what extent does prior CBL-relevant experience improve students’ mental health outcomes as a result of a current CBL experience? The study consisted of N = 158 undergraduate students at the University of Richmond enrolled in a CBL course in Fall 2024. They completed self-reported measures of prior experiences, vicarious resilience, and psychological well-being. Results were analyzed …

Loneliness By Choice Or By Circumstance?: Examining The Relationship Between Friendship, Need To Belong, And Loneliness, Yuting Hong

Honors Theses

A sense of belonging is a fundamental human need (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Maslow, 1943). On college campuses, students’ need to belong is often satisfied by interactions with peers. Friends comprise the largest component of college students’ social network, and good friendships provide a variety of resources, such as companionship, help, and emotional security. When students lack high-quality friendships, they are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness. However, there are likely important individual differences in the relationship between friendship quality and loneliness. The cognitive discrepancy theory of loneliness suggests that loneliness arises when there is a gap between the …

Shame On Us: The Democratic Costs Of Public Shaming, Elijah Han

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that contemporary public shaming—amplified today by the Internet and universal social membership—is unjustifiable because existing theories ignore its distinctly democratic harms. Defining public shaming as an intentional, collective act that weaponizes social opprobrium, I critique existing consequentialist and deontological defenses, showing they overlook how shaming erodes the conditions for democratic citizenship. Public shaming breeds mistrust, skews who gets to set social norms, chills political participation, radicalizes targets, and obscures what norms actually govern us; these six systemic costs undermine democracy and outweigh any social, economic, or moral benefits except in rare cases where public shaming averts existential …

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

Honors Theses

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

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

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

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

Honors Theses

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

Les Femmes Dans Le Monde Médical, Emma Kane

Honors Theses

Cet essai est une investigation du rôle de femmes dans le monde médical avec les anecdotes de femmes des années 1800 a aujourd'hui. On affirme que les femmes avaient été traitées comme des objets de recherche et formation au lieu de patientes et égales. En outre, malgré le progrès de femmes dans le monde médical, elles ne reçoivent toujours pas la même estime que leur homologues homme.

This thesis explores the role of women in the world of medicine through female narratives from the 1800s to present. The essay argues that women have been objectified for research and education purposes …

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

Honors Theses

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

The Impact Of Remittances On Children’S Educational Outcomes: The Case Of India, Neha Reddy Kalwala

Honors Theses

This paper investigates whether children in Indian households receiving more remittances have better educational outcomes. India is the world’s largest recipient of remittances and is characterized by a unique socioeco- nomic and demographic context that makes any educational improvements or disparities particularly impactful on global education metrics. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey, I employ OLS and logit regressions with household fixed effects, a difference-in-differences strategy, and a Heckman selection model. Two measures of educational outcomes are analyzed: weekly hours spent at school and school enrollment. Findings suggest that an increase in remittances leads to a higher …

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

Honors Theses

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

Tracking The Evolution Of Crossings In Memristive Hysteresis Responses, Eric Neuhaus

Honors Theses

A memristive device has an internal resistance that depends on the history of the applied voltage signal. This dependence gives rise to a pinched hysteresis loop in its current-voltage (I-V) characteristic, a property of resistive switching.

Beyond the crossing at the origin, additional crossings can emerge throughout the loop.

Our computational model simulates the current-voltage response of a memristive device under a sinusoidal voltage. We apply techniques from catastrophe theory to perform parametric analysis, assessing how intrinsic parameters influence the emergence of additional crossings. From there, we introduce a voltage transformation parameter to continuously transition the signal to a symmetric …

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

Honors Theses

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

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

Honors Theses

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

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

Honors Theses

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

Evaluating Factors Of Coach Compensation In Ncaa Division I Fbs College Football, Ethan Vest

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the determinants of college football coach compensation, specifically examining whether individual coach characteristics or institutional characteristics play a greater role in compensation. Using six fixed effects regression models, I compare model performance using R-Squared, Adjusted R-Squared, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and subset F-tests. The results indicate that the school at which a coach is employed has a larger impact on compensation than individual identity. Further, lagged win percentage is found to be a significant variable on compensation, indicating that coaches negotiate their contracts in the off-season based on their performance in the previous …

The Fragility Of Belonging: Interpersonal And Institutional Factors Shaping Student Experiences In Higher Education, Ziran (Ted) Zhou

Honors Theses

Belonging is a core human need that shapes students' emotional well-being, motivation, and academic persistence (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Strayhorn, 2019). Students who experience a strong sense of belonging in higher education report lower levels of stress and depression, greater engagement, and higher academic achievement (Gillen-O'Neel, 2021; Meehan & Howells, 2019). Yet belonging remains a fragile and uneven experience, shaped by social relationships, campus climate, and institutional structures (Covarrubias, 2024; Valdez & Golash-Boza, 2020).

This study addressed two primary research questions: (1) How do experiences of belonging differ across students with varying social and identity backgrounds? (2) What factors foster …

Exploring The Role Of The Id2 And Rab11fip3 Pathway In X-Linked Chronic Granulomatous Disease (Xcgd) Through Comparative Gene Expression Analysis, Kaili Coenen

Honors Theses

X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (XCGD) is a debilitating immunodeficiency disorder primarily affecting men. The disease results from mutations in the CYBB gene on the X chromosome, which encodes the GP91^PHOX protein responsible for electron transfer from NADPH to molecular oxygen. Despite the identification of the CYBB mutation, the pathological mechanism underlying the reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in XCGD remains unclear. We hypothesized that comparative gene expression analysis, combined with pathway analysis, could identify genes and signaling pathways contributing to reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in XCGD. In this study, we analyzed gene expression data from four …

Lateral Violence Awareness In Nursing Students At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Aika Owens

Honors Theses

The purpose of this honors thesis was to obtain descriptive data about how nursing students at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Professional Nursing Practice perceive lateral violence in their clinical rotations and educational environments. This Honors thesis is significant to nursing because although lateral violence is a well-researched topic among scholars of nursing practice, there is little gathered data regarding lateral violence among nursing students, specifically at the University of Southern Mississippi. Nursing students are a vital population to examine because nursing students are often first exposed to lateral violence within a clinical setting, leading to early internalization …

Divine Condemnation And Psychological Flexibility: Viewing Psychological Distress Through A Religious Lens, Abby Chittenden

Honors Theses

Recent research has shown the widespread prevalence of psychological distress. Religion can operate both as a resource as well as a problem or barrier to good mental health. Given that some individuals attribute mental distress to religious or spiritual causes, such as punishment from God or demonic involvement, this research examines how these beliefs influence emotional regulation and mental health outcomes. The study surveyed 1,304 participants, including 686 undergraduate students and 618 online participants, to assess their religious attributions, psychological flexibility, and level of distress. The results indicated that those in the general sample who viewed their mental health struggles …

A Comprehensive Performance Comparison Of Machine Learning And Federated Learning For Intrusion Detection In Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks Using Can-Bus Data, Tim Leonhardt

Honors Theses

Federated Learning (FL) is a Machine Learning (ML) approach that decentralizes training across distributed devices, eliminating the need to centralize data. Unlike traditional ML, where models are trained on aggregated data, FL sends a global model to multiple nodes for local training, with updated parameters transmitted back to the server for aggregation. This process preserves data privacy, making FL ideal for sensitive applications like cybersecurity. However, FL introduces challenges such as data heterogeneity, communication overhead, and difficulties in achieving model convergence, which can impact performance.

This study investigates a fundamental assumption in ML and FL research: that the superior performance …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Educators In South Mississippi, Alexis Papp

Honors Theses

This study was focused on discovering what may have caused educators in kindergarten through 8^th grade classrooms in mid-south Mississippi to leave or consider leaving the profession as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic within different content areas. Participants identified issues within the system that diminished their abilities to educate their students effectively and this diminishment was related to the pandemic. Research from “Mississippi Teachers Are Eyeing the Exit” (Ballard, 2023) and “Teachers’ Dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Contributing to a Desire to Leave the Profession” (Gillani, 2022) showed that teachers were having strong difficulties during the pandemic …

Cellular Telemetry For Real-Time River Flow Velocity Data From Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Loggers, Joshua Lee Seymour

Honors Theses

Streamflow is a critical element in understanding watershed processes and the effects of land use on those processes because it is the primary medium through which water, sediment, nutrients, organic material, thermal energy, and aquatic species move. Fluvial Acoustic Tomography (FAT) systems offer accurate direct measurements of river section-averaged flow velocity by measuring reciprocal acoustic travel times between at least two acoustic nodes positioned on opposite riverbanks. However, similar to many in-situ sensors used in estuarine and riverine environments, FAT loggers require manual data retrieval, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and limits real-time access and increases maintenance costs. This project presents …

Media And Attitudes: Glp-1 Medications For Weight Loss, Wiio Meinheit

Honors Theses

This thesis aimed to explore relationships between media and attitudes toward using GLP-1/antidiabetic medications for weight loss. This survey-based study collected data on media usage, consumer behaviors, and attitudes from students attending a public, mid-major university in the southern United States. Data from the survey was statistically analyzed to find significant relationships and correlations between variables. The results showed that attitudes toward GLP-1/antidiabetic medications for weight loss had the strongest correlation with willingness to try these medications recommended by famous athletes. The results also showed that attitudes strongly correlated with willingness to try these medications recommended by social media influencers …

The Effect Of Gender On Career Success In Remote Work Settings In The Accounting Profession, Ashlyn Roche

Honors Theses

This study analyzed the career success assessments of hypothetical male and female public accountants working in remote and traditional office settings to determine if gender and work location affect work assessment. Subjects, practicing public accountants, were randomly assigned resumes of hypothetical accountants that included indications of either remote work or traditional office work and the gender of the assigned hypothetical accountants. Resumes of hypothetical accountants were otherwise identical. After initial assessments of assigned hypothetical accountants’ future career success, subjects were asked to recommend activities that would increase the likelihood of the accountants’ future career success. Subjects were then told that …

Nostalgia, Economic Revitalization, And Community Relationships In Hattiesburg's Recent Historic Preservation Efforts, Jordan Jones

Honors Theses

This paper examines the reasons behind the modern interest in historic preservation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and argues that its supporters are driven primarily by nostalgia towards what they envision as “Old Hattiesburg” and its aesthetics, interest in economic opportunities, and the strengthened sense of community made possible through historic preservation. From the foundation of Hattiesburg to today, there have been shifts in interest in Downtown and its historic districts, and they fluctuate based on changing political, economic, and social trends. In order to contextualize Hattiesburg’s historic preservation, this thesis draws upon secondary scholarship on historic preservation, economic revitalization, and historical …

Sensory Awareness In Architectural Design And Construction: A Guide To Inclusion And Hospitality For All, Morgan Harwell

Honors Theses

Modern approaches to architectural design and construction have gravitated toward elegance, glossiness, and over exaggeration of a bright environment through materials such as marble, glass, white paint, and fluorescent lighting. While these choices can be alluring, their impact on individuals with disabilities and sensory processing disorders is typically dismissed. This study explores the intersection of architectural elements — such as lighting, noise, scent, and spatial organization — and sensory overload in disabled individuals. Through a detailed literature review, education of architectural principles, and incorporation of building techniques, this study proposes a computer-generated three-dimensional model of a shopping center. The primary …

Evaluating The Effects Of Social Ostracism On Attentional Control And Episodic Memory, Colby Brown

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationships between social pain, attentional control, and episodic memory. Fifty-five University of Southern Mississippi undergraduates (Mage = 19.78 years; Range = 17-29) wrote responses to one of three prompts designed to elicit feelings of social pain, physical pain, or no pain (i.e., control). Participants then completed a battery of attentional control (AC) and episodic memory (EM) tasks consisting of the Stroop squared, Flanker squared, Simon squared, and dual-list recall tasks. Participants also completed a series of questionnaires including Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess any change in affect caused by the writing prompts and …

The Factors That Affect Usm Student Experience In The General Chemistry Classroom, Emma Dickerson

Honors Theses

Chemistry has a reputation for being a challenging discipline for many students. Enrollment in chemistry courses is much lower than that of other disciplines due to “chemophobia”, which can be caused by many aspects of chemistry.^1-2To increase enrollment in chemistry, it is important to understand how to improve the student experience in the classroom. To determine the factors that affect a student’s experience in their current chemistry class, the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ) was adapted and given to students in General Chemistry I and II classes at The University of Southern Mississippi. Descriptive statistics, an Analysis …

Assessing The Behavioral Impact Of Pyridostigmine Bromide In Rats, Noah A. Martin

Honors Theses

Pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is an organophosphate (OP) nerve agent prophylactic used to protect warfighters against chemical warfare agents. OPs inhibit the neural enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain. This leads to the buildup of acetylcholine, causing respiratory failure, seizures, and death. PB functions by inhibiting ~30% of peripheral AChE temporarily, protecting the enzymes so that the body is able to restore sufficient cholinergic function post-exposure. PB does not cross the blood-brain barrier, though it may still indirectly affect toxicity in the brain due to repeated AChE inhibition throughout treatment, or by inhibition of non-target ChE’s in the blood. The aim …

Seasonal Detection Of Coliphages In Freshwater Bodies At Coastal Carolina University, Ella Caldwell

Honors Theses

Bacteriophages, commonly referred to as phages, are non-living viruses that only infect bacteria. As the most abundant biological entities on Earth, understanding their role in regulating microbial populations is essential. This ongoing research aims to identify naturally occurring bacteriophages that could effectively control bacteria blooms. The primary objective of this study is to detect coliphages on Coastal Carolina University's campus and determine their viral families. Coliphages are a subgroup of bacteriophages that specifically infect coliform bacteria. Water samples were collected across multiple sites on campus, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to amplify the viral DNA from the potential …