Digital Commons Network^™

Lifestyles Of The Instagram Famous: What Fashion Micro-Influencers Want From Brands And How Brands Should Partner With Them., Reed Ashton Kevin

Honors Theses

In an age of social media, Instagram ranks among the most popular mobile sharing platforms in the world. Created in 2010, Instagram now boasts over 800 million users and has widespread community engagement, leading worldwide trends.With the exponential growth of Instagram, it is no surprise that companies and their brands began to pay close attention to its marketing potential. And although marketers have utilized Instagram in many ways, perhaps the most successful tactic has been through influencer marketing. An influencer is any person in a position to affect the decisions of others. Influencer marketing works well for brands because of …

Indoor Localization Using A Smartphone: Approaches, Issues, And Challenges, Lee J. Easson

Honors Theses

Localization has gained priority in an increasingly inter-connected world. The majority of industries and sectors require some means of tracking the location of objects and/or people anywhere on the Earth, whether indoors or outdoors. GPS is an already-implemented and viable solution for outdoor localization. However, indoor localization is more challenging to implement and thus has become a broad area of research. Despite the challenges of tracking location in places where satellite GPS signals are unreliable or unreachable (i.e. within a building or structure), there has been considerable progress made in indoor localization research. Although current indoor localization technology can achieve …

O-Glcnacylation Of Hif-1Α Protein In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Joshua D. Dolsen

Honors Theses

Cancer is an insidious disease that, if not caught in time, can cause devastating effects on the human body, especially if it metastasizes. It is important to note that each cancer behaves and develops differently based on its location in the body and the cellular characteristics constitute the instance of the disease. However, the development of cancer can universally be characterized by the acquisition of different hallmark abilities that promote disease progression. Proteins known as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) can influence progression through these hallmarks, but primarily provides cancer cells with the ability to alter its metabolism to survive and further …

Double Jeopardy: Minority Stress And The Influence Of Transgender Identity And Race/Ethnicity, Krystina Millar, Jason Eastman

Honors Theses

This study assessed gender and racial/ethnic differences in gender-related discrimination and psychological distress within a sample of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Prior research suggests transgender individuals with multiple minority statuses experience higher psychological stress than their singly disadvantaged counterparts, and both minority race/ethnicity and transgender minorities experience more frequent and severe forms of discrimination than white and cisgender individuals. Using data from a convenience sample of 101 self-identified transgender and gender nonconforming adults recruited through LGBTQ+ organizations from across North America, I analyzed the relationship between race/ethnicity, gender-related minority stress, and psychological distress. Gender-related discrimination and gender-related victimization did …

How Individual Traits Affect Type Ii Diabetics’ Intentions To Use Wearable Technologies, Ashna Anita Sethi

Honors Theses

This research aims to uncover personality traits that affect type II diabetics’ intentions to use wearable technologies. Survey data of 321 responses were used for data analysis to measure results. Data was analyzed using SPSS software to determine the effects of individual traits on current usage and purchase intentions of wearable technologies explored in the research. The individual traits studied were involvement, impulsivity, and self-consciousness. Smartwatches, smart socks, insulin pumps, and continuous glucose monitors were the wearables studied in this research. Results found that involvement has an impact on future purchase intentions of wearable technologies. However, impulsivity has partial statistical …

The Effects Of An Animal Experience On State Anxiety In Female College Students, Angela Golio

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Conversation About Cultural Appropriation As Explored By An Emerging Media Professional, Shikha Shrestha

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates cultural appropriation for the benefit of emerging media professionals. I use a personal encounter with cultural misappropriation as a starting point for the study. To further my exploration, I call upon the theory of symbolic interactionalism and scholarship in sociology, anthropology, and art criticism to better understand the concept. Then I interviewed many students and faculty members in the university community and they provided both insight and personal reflections on the concept, especially the media’s role in how they view cultural appropriation. Finally, I provide case studies, choosing three areas where cultural misappropriation has occurred, and suggest …

Rebranding The Classics: The University Of Mississippi, Maraea Cardner

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the current perceptions of the study of classics from an Integrated Marketing Communications perspective with the goal of realigning misconceptions with the contemporary ideology of those within the field. The field of classics is facing challenges stemming from misappropriation of the field itself, and there is a current debate about the decline in the number of classicists in the field and in the number of undergraduate students studying classics. Specifically, this thesis looks at the Department of Classics at the University of Mississippi as a model for other like departments across the field to use …

Understanding Juuling Trends Among Differing Age And Gender Demographics Through Social Sensing, Thomas Mcfann

Honors Theses

Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students have increasingly begun using the Juul, which is a type of e-cigarette. In fact, in 2017 a study showed that “2.1 million high schoolers and middle schoolers used e-cigarettes” (Richtel and Kaplan, 2018). The reason why my research specifically addresses the Juul is that it “is now the largest e-cigarette brand measured by retail sales companies” (Huang et al., 2018b). Studies have been done to show the short time it takes for a child to lose autonomy over tobacco use, ranging from 2 to 30 days of first inhaling a cigarette (DiFranza et …

Neuroprotection With Novel Anti-Oxidant And Cannabinoid-Based Small Molecules, Jacqueline R. Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by various underlying mechanisms within the nervous system. Excitotoxicity is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, and is produced by over excitation of glutamate receptors on neurons, ultimately leading to cell death. Protein aggregates and oxidative stress have also induced neuronal cell death that lead to many neurodegenerative diseases as well. Many compounds isolated from plants have shown protective ability against these underlying toxicity mechanisms. In this study, we tested several cannabinoid and anthyocanin-based small molecules protective abilities against excitotoxicity. We found several compounds that protected against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner. We also tested …

Finding Equilibrium On The Internet: How Chinese Netizens And The Regime Navigate Social Media Censorship, Hailey Mckee

Honors Theses

China’s current social media landscape consists of the most users in the world operating within the most extensive governmental censorship apparatus in the world, which over time has created a shaky balance between personal expression and institutional order. This thesis attempts to shed light on an understudied, potentially sensitive topic by exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese Internet users and the communist regime in terms of content surveillance. By examining the current Internet environment, assessing the opportunities and challenges the web provides users and the regime, implementing a survey with sixteen Chinese netizens, and conducting a literature review, this thesis …

Trafficking Of Haitians On The Island Of Hispaniola After The 2010 Earthquake, Caroline Bass

Honors Theses

On January 12th, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the nation of Haiti. The people of Haiti suffered many losses of life, homes, and livelihood. Later that year, as a result of the earthquake, a cholera outbreak occurred in Haiti taking the lives of thousands more. This study attempts to determine if Haitians were at a higher risk of being trafficked and if human trafficking increased on the island after the earthquake. I analyze how human trafficking in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was impacted as a result of the earthquake and the consequent reaction of the Dominican Republic in …

Studies On Luminescent Gold And Platinum Nanoclusters For Biological Sensing And Catalysis, Richard Covington

Honors Theses

Nanoclusters are small nanoparticles that usually range around a micrometer in diameter. Gold Nanoclusters are known for their unique size and surface qualities and do not share metallic properties with nanoparticles or their respective bulk material. Some metal nanoclusters show high fluorescence and can be synthesized with protein mediation. Nanocluster formation depends on a number of variables, including temperature, pH, and type of reducing agent. This experiment was done to begin to understand how these variables may affect synthesis and what exactly they are. Pure Wild Type CSP-1 protein was induced, transformed, and purified in order to mediate gold and …

Discovery Of Evidence With Social Media, John Wilkins

Honors Theses

Advocacy is about the client, who is entitled to a thorough investigation of the facts. The formal fact gathering stage of litigation is discovery, which involves interrogatories, depositions, requests to produce, medical examinations, and requests for admission (Maerowitz & Mauet, 2013). Interrogatories and depositions give litigants a chance to posit questions regarding social media evidence. A social media post could be used to discredit and devalue prior witnesses’ testimony. It could be particularly useful for attorneys and paralegals who find themselves lacking corroborating evidence to bolster their claims using online resources. Consider how websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter …

#Whyididntreport: Using Social Media As A Tool To Understand Why Sexual Assault Victims Do Not Report, Abby Garrett

Honors Theses

Sexual assault has gone largely under-reported, and social media movements, like #WhyIDidntReport, have brought great awareness to this issue. In order to take advantage of the large amounts of data the #WhyIDidntReport movement has generated, the study uses tweets to explore reasons why victims do not report their assault. The thesis cites current research on the topic of assault to generate a list of explanations victims use to describe their lack of reporting and compares the distributions with existing studies. We use a supervised learning technique to automatically categorize tweets into one of eight categories. This approach uses social sensing …

An Experiment Of Modern Music: An Application Of The Modern Production And Distribution Of Independent Music, Jesse W. Klapheke

Honors Theses

The music industry is not what it once was. Currently, there is a much larger burden for the independent artist to bear in regards to producing and marketing their own music, and for many this seems like a mountain too tall to climb. With this thesis, I set out to measure the effectiveness of today’s music production and distribution methods and tools by recording a full length audio recording, documenting its inception, production, and distribution by utilizing 21st century ‘do-it-yourself’ home recording equipment and distribution services, the product of which being the album ‘50,000’.

The metrics by which the success …

Developing A Campus Resource Guide For The Eku Latino Community, Kasey N. Dearing

Honors Theses

Mental health concerns are a growing problem in the United States. For minority populations and the Latino population in particular, there is a disparity between the number of individuals suffering from mental health issues and those seeking help from mental health services. As the Latino population continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly important to recognize these concerns and find ways to combat them. The current creative research project utilizes research on the growing mental health concerns for the Latino population within the U.S., with specific focus on Latino students in higher education, to support the creation of a campus …

Gradyear: From Ideation Through Product Delivery, Laura A. Salvador

Honors Theses

This thesis will serve to document the first year of GradYear, from ideation through product delivery. GradYear is a Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) Senior Capstone Project; the GradYear team is comprised of five students with academic disciplines ranging across business, accountancy, and engineering. The goal of the team was to design and manufacture a high-quality, classic wooden picture frame for college or university graduates that highlights their graduating class year. Under the direction of Dr. Jack McClurg, Dr. Matthew O’Keefe and factory floor technician Mr. James McPhail, the team designed the GradYear Classic using principles of DFMA and implementing …

All Parts And Parcels: Unpacking And Analyzing Kentucky Education Reform, Matthew A. Lee

Honors Theses

Since the mid-twentieth century, public education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky has often faced opposition from its General Assembly. Historically underfunded, Kentucky’s public education system has consistently placed near the bottom in all measures of student assessment and school finance in the nation, according to data published annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Over the last thirty years, however, the General Assembly has taken some steps toward improvement. The purpose of this paper is to present a historical record of these reform efforts and to analyze whether these alterations have been effective. To assess the state’s role …

How Small Business Owners And Managers Make Marketing Decisions Based On The Success Of The Local College Football Team, Sarah L. Rychlak

Honors Theses

Existing literature suggests that while many people, especially business owners, believe that their local economy suffers when the nearby sports team is not performing well, that is not the case. Student enrollment can take a dip when this occurs in college towns, but economic growth and prosperity is not dependent on a successful sports team. Studies have explored these effects in large cities, but less attention has been paid to the cities that would be more affected by the performance of sports teams, which is small college towns. This research explores the relationship between college football team success and small …

How Non-Centrist Parties Gain Electoral Success In German Politics: An Analysis Of The Alternative Für Deutschland’S Success In The 2017 Federal Election., Madison B. Bickert

Honors Theses

[No Abstract was provided]

When Life Gives You Lemons: Comparing Two Diffusion Methods For A Psychological Screening Tool In The Medical Field, Jessica Tran

Honors Theses

E.M. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory is used to explain the process of how an idea or technology gains momentum and spreads through a particular population. The result of the diffusion is called adoption, meaning that over time the group has changed their initial behavior (i.e. using the new technology, purchasing and performing new behavior, etc.). There is considerable evidence for successful use of this theory in various fields. The study investigates the theory using a new psychological screening technology. A solicitation to hear information about the tool was presented to 19 physicians who were separated into two randomized groups, …

“Liberation From What?”: French Muslim Women’S Bodies As A Site Of National Boundaries And Identity, Mae H. Stuart

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how dominant French discursive frames conceptualize Muslim and French-Algerian women's gender performance as related to their level of assimilation into France politically and socially. It examines how these modern discursive derive from colonial sentiments and policies towards Muslim Algerian women. Then, I outlines the specific frames used in discussion of French-Muslim women's bodies and consider the international and national political contexts in which these frames developed. Finally, the thesis presents four interviews that I conducted in June 2018 with French-Algerian women, providing them a space to respond to elite framings of their decisions about how to present …

The Vietnam War At Home And Abroad: Soldiers, Military Leadership, And The Antiwar Movement, Mason E. Fox

Honors Theses

During the 1960s and 1970s, youth activism and culture shaped American society. Pre- and college-age youth participated in the civil rights movement, engaged in politics to improve their education and equality, and called for a true democracy in American culture. The youth were passionately standing up for what they believed in, shaping the mold of America’s future. One of the most remembered youth protests of the 1970s was the antiwar movements. What began as peaceful demonstrations in 1964, quickly turned into draft card burnings, antiwar music recordings, and even went as far as torching ROTC buildings. The Kent State shooting …

Technology In Theatre: Breaking The Fourth Wall, Samantha Burns

Honors Theses

For a long time, theatre has been seen as a medium of the past. With new technologies such as cellphones being more commonplace, there could be a way to utilize them in theatre. This thesis is a reflection on writing an interactive script, figuring out the best way for an audience to interact with a performance utilizing their phones. The play comments on women in not only theatre, but all sorts of media and how they are portrayed.

Religion, Institutionalism, Legalism, And Same-Sex Marriage: Comparative Experiences Of Non-Heterosexual Males In Northern Ireland And Tennessee, Reaghan Gough

Honors Theses

The intersection of religion, legalism, institutionalism, and sexuality is historically one of controversy. Consequential discord often leads to the marginalization of certain members of a community, which creates lasting psychological and social effects that shape how these individuals define themselves within their culture. This study identifies shared experiences between two groups of non-heterosexual adult males near Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where same-sex marriage is illegal, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the practice is federally accepted. The samples provide a look into the effects of religiously-motivated, discriminatory legislation on the personal lives of the subsequent population. Specifically, participants are asked to reflect on …

Analysis And Proposed Improvement Of Hamilton County Vw Elab Equipment, Hiroshi Yanagida

Honors Theses

Digital fabrication laboratories have revolutionized project based learning within K-12 STEAM education curriculum. However, classroom utilization of the labs often requires excessive machine hours to accomplish, and this often leads to rapid machine depreciation and disrepair. Many educators do not have the time to repair their equipment while developing curriculum and engaging with their students. This study focuses on building a repair history for common digital fabrication equipment, which includes Prusa i3 Mk2S FDM 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC routers. Data were collected over a 6 month period to find which machines encountered the most issues. The 3D printers …

Citizen Trust Of The Police In The United States: How Bad Is It, And What Can We Do To Fix It, Mariah K. Warner

Honors Theses

Trust in the legitimacy of law enforcement is necessary for effective policing. Literature focuses in on three broad areas in its discussion of trust in the police; general feelings of social trust toward one’s community, belief in absence or presence of procedural justice, and perceptions of police effectiveness in the neighborhood in terms of disorder and incivilities. In this paper, I use data from the World Values Survey collected in 2011 in the United States to examine these correlates of trust in the police by way of logistic regression models. I find that, in accordance with recent scholarship, individuals’ perceptions …

Redemption Or Contamination: Reviewing The Illness Narratives Of The Chronically Sick And Their Support Systems, Allison R. Dearing

Honors Theses

Chronically sick individuals deal with pain on a daily basis, which can lower their quality of life and make it more difficult. Illness narratives or “sickness stories” have been known to help people place illness in their lives. Support systems are a factor that could influence individuals’ illness narratives to lead them towards a redemption or contamination sequence. In this study, I interviewed twenty-five women with endometriosis and asked them questions regarding their health status, illness narratives, and support systems. The interviews were reviewed and categorized between redemptive and contamination sequences.The support systems influence on the sequence were also reviewed …

Lipid Modification In Aeromonas Salmonicida Through Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Incorporation, Rachel Hofer

Honors Theses

Aeromonas salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that can infect a wide host range of fish populations, including salmonids and non-salmonids as well as freshwater and marine life. A. salmonicida causes the disease furunculosis, which can cause lethargy, intestinal inflammation, ulcers, hemorrhaging, and death. The infection is spread through fish-to-fish contact, and the presence of infection can have devastating effects on cultivated fish populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of A. salmonicida to incorporate polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into its lipid profile and test the phenotypic effects thereof. A. salmonicida cultures were grown in minimal media …