Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activity In Response To Burning As A Forest Restoration Technique, William M. Steward

Honors Theses

Burning is a method of forest restoration with the goal of returning natural tree species to ecosystems. Burning has a wide range of effects on an ecosystem, including the alteration of important soil processes and characteristics. One of the key components of soil is the activity of extracellular enzymes, which can be used to provide insight into the nutritional requirements of soil microbes as well as nutrient availability and cycling. Because enzymes are important in the overall functioning of soil and can be used to assess soil health, there is great need to examine the effects of burning on soil …

Essential Roots: Planting Seeds For A Bright Future; A Pilot Implementation Of Transitional Service That Promotes Nutritional Health And Business Skills For Students With Idd, Jennybeth S. Hendrick

Honors Theses

Too many men and women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are unable to live autonomously due to economic instability and the lack of knowledge to successfully make appropriate and healthy life choices. To improve attainment of financial independence and autonomous living, transitional services must be implemented into grade schools so that adolescents can master basic life skills to help their future quality of life. Essential Roots: Planting Seeds for a Bright Future, a pilot transitional program and evaluation was conducted in a classroom at the Scott Child Development Center, Oxford, MS. The goal of the non-randomized, controlled research study …

Promotion Of Environmental Engagement Through Positive Youth Development In Tanzania, Katherine Westfall

Honors Theses

With climate change and environmental degradation already having devastating effects on communities in sub-Saharan Africa, enhancing youth's commitment to the environment and mobilizing their pro-environmental action is increasingly urgent. In this study, we explored predictors of environmental commitment and action based on a model of positive youth development. We predicted that sociodemographics, self-efficacy, connection to nature, sense of community, and club participation would predict environmental commitment and action. Tanzanian youth (N = 959) from regions across the country completed self-report measures assessing these constructs. Using a series of logistic and hierarchical multiple regressions, we were able to predict statistically significant …

The Performer's Journey As A Student Of Music, Rachel Saliba

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a study of one student's journey as a student of singing at the University of Mississippi. The author documented her progression through four years of vocal study, culminating in a recital performance that occurred on December 7, 2013. First, the author presents the development of a lifestyle that was reflective of her career as a musician. Next, the author provides a description of rehearsal procedures that enabled technical improvement. Then, the author includes a copy of the program notes that were given to the audience of the December recital. Finally, the author presents an analysis of …

Roles And Regulations For Pharmacists In State-Level Disaster Relief Efforts, Rachel Lowe

Honors Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine what expanded roles have been identified for pharmacists by the states in disaster relief efforts, what regulations currently exist for pharmacists in disaster relief efforts in each state, and whether or not disaster relief and public health training should be added to the pharmacy school curriculum. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to survey fifty-three boards of pharmacy via email and Qualtrics Survey Software. Results: Analysis of the survey results showed that most states lack a disaster preparedness plan and expanded roles for pharmacists in disaster relief efforts, and most …

Organic Farming In France: À La Mode Or A Mode Of Life?, Ellen L. Mallette

Honors Theses

Organic farming, as opposed to conventional or traditional farming that employs the use of chemicals, is a method that was begun in the middle of the twentieth century, shortly after the end of World War II. In many ways it is a return to farming practices that were conducted for centuries until about the late 1800's when pesticides and fertilizers were introduced. The rise of organic farming has been occurring all over the world to varying degrees over the past few decades. The French have always had a strong connection to agriculture, food, and the preservation of tradition, so organic …

Effects Of Globalization On The Use Of The Mediterranean Diet In Spain, Jacob J. Mcgee

Honors Theses

Spain is known for its sandy beaches, vibrant nightlife, and incredible foods. The Mediterranean diet of Spain is praised for its health benefits, but recently it appears that the population has begun to turn away from their original diet. Studies have shown that the Spanish have been experiencing a constant culture change due to globalization since the 1950s when the General Francisco Franco allowed the technocrats to have some control over the government. With a new economic policy, new people and their new ideas flooded the country bring with them their cultures. These cultures influenced the Spanish life changing many …

We Live Like The Poor, But We Die Like The Rich: Cuban Biomedical Implementation And Its Implementation Within Ecuador, James Drew Toppin

Honors Theses

Shortly following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, communist leaders Ernesto Che Guevara and Fidel Castro made it a top priority to address the poor health of the country's citizens. By developing a large pool of physicians, Cuba instituted groundbreaking approaches to biomedicine that emphasize prevention and the physiciancommunity relationship. The high physicians per capita ratio also permitted Cuba to develop its now famous system of international biomedical diplomacy. Cuba's successes domestically and abroad occur within the context of the regional geopolitical environment, in which Cuba is subjugated to extraordinary economic pressures from the U.S. embargo. The superior health of the …

Evaluation Of Microbial Diversity Present In Herbal Supplements As Revealed By Pcr-Based 16s Sequence Analysis, Stephen Stone

Honors Theses

Over the last few decades people have become more aware of their general wellness and have turned towards alternative measures to ensure good health. One of these alternative measures, the herbal supplement market, has risen significantly in recent years, even though there is no conclusive research that points to the effectiveness of herbal supplements. Also, because of sparse regulation from the FDA, there are many questions related to the efficacy, composition, processing methods, and, consequently, safety of these supplements. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial composition of herbal supplements in an attempt to identify potential targets …

Dieting For Diabetes: A Mobile 'App'roach, Alaina Brooks Darby

Honors Theses

Diabetes mellitus, being a prevalent disease in modern society, is moderately influenced by one's nutrition. Due to this, mobile programs created especially for tracking food intake can be an important aid for diabetics. The objective of this project was to analyze eight of the most prominent of these applications — MyNetDiary, GoMeals, MyFitnessPal, Fooducate, Lose It!, The Carrot, Diabetes In Check, and Daily Carb — to determine the subsets of diabetics that would benefit most from the utilization of each. Data was obtained through testing of each app and through the information provided by users on iTunes and Google Play …

Simulated Diabetes Testing Experiment Using Artificially Manipulated Livestock Blood, Hollie E. Ables

Honors Theses

Due to the prevalence of diabetes and lack of simple endocrine experiments, a laboratory protocol was developed in order to increase student knowledge of the disease and the diabetic testing process. In this paper, we present the protocol for manipulating the glucose concentration of commercially available bovine blood. The bovine blood was manipulated using Ringer's solution to which glucose was added, and six samples were prepared (pre-prandial and postprandial, normal; pre-prandial and postprandial, pre-diabetic; pre-prandial and postprandial, diabetic). This laboratory exercise provides a physical, hands-on student activity that highlights pancreatic endocrinology and the results of pancreatic malfunction. The laboratory exercise …

Analysis Of Body Type Preferences Among Young Adults, Khyati Maheshkumar Ganatra

Honors Theses

Based on a study conducted by Devendra Singh in 1993, it is believed that males prefer females with a lower waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, as compared to higher ones. This may be due to the evolutionary advantage of these females being more fertile and able to reproduce. However, social media has been suggesting that thinner females are more attractive. One way society measures thinness is by a characteristic known as the 'thigh-gap' that many females strive to obtain. This study was conducted to discover whether or not a difference exists between males and females regarding their preference of the thigh-gap …

The Effects Of Prenatal Education And Hospital Intervention On Breastfeeding Initiation, Lauren Camp

Honors Theses

Breastfeeding is considered an important health practice for mothers and babies. However, Mississippi has the lowest breastfeeding rate of any state in the nation. Because of the numerous potential benefits of breastfeeding, the overall health of Mississippians could benefit from improved breastfeeding outcomes. Using 2010 data retrieved by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey, which is administered through the Mississippi State Department of Health (MDH) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this study explores the factors that influence the breastfeeding decisions of mothers in Mississippi. In the PRAMS survey, women were asked whether …

The Effects Of Population Disbursement, Percentage Of Medicare Beneficiaries, And Per Capita Income On Medicare Fee Schedule Prices, Ann Marie Mercier

Honors Theses

The thesis is an overview of the existing pay disparity in the fee-for-service billing amounts for professional medical services provided by physicians to Medicare patients in the United States. Will improvements in the per capita income, percentage of Medicare participants, or change in the population disbursement result in higher Medicare fee-for-service billing amounts for healthcare providers? Mississippi has one of the fewest primary care physicians per capita rates than any other state. One reason may be the Medicare fee-for-service prices paid to physicians. This paper will show Mississippi Medicare fee-for-service fee schedule prices for a sample of HCPCS codes compared …

Can We Institute Medical Trust? An Exploratory Case Study Of Patient-Staff Relations At A Community Health Center In The Mississippi Delta, Emma L. Willoughby

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to use the concept of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model and the case of the community health center (CHC) to explore social interaction and trust between patients and medical providers. While the PCMH model is being championed as revolutionizing and improving healthcare delivery, little evidence has yet to support the formation of basic social and health mechanisms, such as trust, that would result in positive health outcomes. The model's guidelines focus more on healthcare organization and information technology than developing interpersonal relationships and adapting services to meet the specific needs of diverse populations. …

Energy Drinks And Caffeine: The Science Behind The Billion- Dollar Industry, Eric Villarreal

Honors Theses

Ask any college student how he or she gets through long study sessions, all-nighters, and the always grueling finals week and he or she will most likely reference some caffeine-containing beverage as the antidote, with energy drinks becoming an ever increasing option. The effects, both physiological and psychological, of the ingredients in energy drinks (caffeine and, to a lesser degree, glucose) dictate their usefulness to consumers. A review of the available research literature from http://scholar.google.com using the following keywords: caffeine, energy drink, Red Bull, caffeinated beverage, caffeine drink, energy drink industry, energy drink company, and glucose yielded the references that …

Octocoral Physiology: Calcium Carbonate Composition And The Effect Of Thermal Stress On Enzyme Activity, Hadley Pearson

Honors Theses

Octocorals are a diverse group of organisms, and within the Caribbean they contribute substantially to coral-reef cover. In this thesis, two different studies performed on these marine organisms are detailed. In Section I, the percent calcium carbonate composition of several species was analyzed. Octocorals produce sclerites: calcium carbonate crystals that serve as the skeletal elements of the coral. Determining the percent calcium carbonate composition of eight Caribbean octocoral species can give comparative insight into the form and function in these animals. This study also offers clues about potential evolutionary tradeoffs between rigidity and flexibility, as well as establishes some basic …

Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Reactive Oxygen Species In Neurodegeneration, Leah Farina

Honors Theses

Neurodegeneration leads to the loss of normal anatomy and physiology of the neuronal system in a human body. The hallmark of most neurodegenerative diseases is abnormal folding and accumulation of proteins within neuronal cell bodies that is not present in healthy people. These changes in normal protein metabolism often lead to neuronal cell death and failure of the affected regions of the central nervous system. Abnormal protein accumulation may be attributed to dysfunctional mitochondria and damage by reactive oxygen species. In addition to causing altered protein accumulation, dysfunctional mitochondria and an excess of reactive oxygen species also lead to errors …

Identity And Gender Constructs In "Written On The Body", Paige Van De Winkle

Honors Theses

In Jeanette Winterson's novel Written on the Body, the ungendered narrator leads the reader through his/her love story with Louise. At moments, the narrator appears to reveal his/her gender, but these moments only reveal the reader's own assumptions about gender and identity which prove to be social constructions, and inconclusive evidence about the narator's gender. The novel shows that gender is not an inherent part of identity, and emphasizes themes that are universal and more important than gender differences, such as biology and the body. The body proves to be beautiful and universal, and gender is an insignificant part …

Rapid Test For Determining The Presence Of Oleic Acid, Serena Chambers

Honors Theses

Food allergies have a large impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide. More recently, the allergic reaction to peanuts and peanut-related products has become a popular issue since the reaction they cause is one of the most severe. Food related allergies claim roughly 250 lives each year in the United States alone, with peanut related allergies accounting for almost 60% percent of those deaths. This research is designed to produce a rapid test effective in determining the presence of oleic acid, an allergen found in peanut oil. Oleic acid makes up over 50% percent of the peanut oil …

Racial Differences In Self-Efficacy Expectations For Exercise, Selena P. Smith

Honors Theses

This project examined the link between race and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy pertains to an individual’s confidence in ability to complete or engage in a particular task or activity (Bandura, 1986). Prior research shows that self-efficacy has a great influence on exercise initiation and adherence (Bandura, 1986; Dishman, 1982; Rodgers and Sullivan, 2001). Research also supports that Caucasians are more likely to participate in exercise than African Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000).

Participants included 51 females, 31 Caucasians and 20 African Americans, between the ages of 18 and 50 years old. The women were recruited from local fitness gyms, …

Barriers To Group Fitness Participation For Students, Faculty, And Staff At A Rural University, Tyler Harwell

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Attitudes Of Pre-Service Early Childhood Educators Concerning Their Attitudes Toward Physical Activity In The Early Years, Rebecca Forbus

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Female Division I Cross Country Runners: Is Balance An Issue?, Stephanie Taylor

Honors Theses

Injuries, including those resulting from falls, are virtually unavoidable in the sport of cross country. Due to the constantly changing terrains that cross country runners face, falls and injuries may be a more common aspect of the sport than previously thought. The strenuous nature of the sport and increased injury risk faced by runners are things that make being successful very difficult. Researchers have made connections between joint stability, muscle fatigue, proprioception, and muscle strength and injury/fall rate. Studies have found that balance abilities are lower in fatigued muscles. The frequent injury trends in distance runners show that many of …

The Investigation Of Risk Factors For Upper Respiratory Infections Among College Students, Romie Barnes

Honors Theses

Upper respiratory tract infections and cold-like illnesses are common sources of morbidity among college students. The emphasis of hand-washing and reducing the dispersal of aerosol droplets by covering coughs and sneezes reduces the spread of the common cold. However, less emphasis is placed on other risk factors for reducing cold-like illness such as: stress level and physical activity (Doyle and Cohens 2009). An increase in stress and a decrease in physical activity are common among college students (Nichol et al 2005). For this reason, the present study analyzed the effects of stress and physical activity on the incidence of upper …

A Case Study Of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Rebecca Lynch

Honors Theses

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a physiological disorder that causes many negative effects involving a variety of systems in the body, such as the endocrine, metabolic, psychological, and reproductive systems. This paper will explore the complex mechanisms behind the manifestation of PCOS and how these, and other factors, may make diagnosis difficult. In order to thoroughly understand these aspects of PCOS, the causes, symptoms, and treatments were explored. The diversity of causes and symptoms of the disease add to the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment of PCOS. The best treatment option varies among individuals, and the effectiveness of each treatment …

Rates Of Obesity And Incidence Of Diabetes In Hispanics In The United States: An Examination Of The Epidemiological Paradox, Lucy Dean

Honors Theses

Using pooled data from the 2008-2011 National Health Interview Survey and employing multinomial and binomial logistic regression methods, this research examines disparities in rates of obesity and incidence of diabetes between individual Hispanic subgroups in comparison to non-Hispanic whites and blacks. Immigration status(including nativity, duration in the United States, and citizenship status) is hypothesized to play a central role in rates and obesity and incidence of diabetes. Unlike Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other Hispanics were more likely to be overweight as well as obese when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Mexican-Americans had the only significance in prevalence of type 2 …

Targeted Delivery Of Ribonucleotide Reductase Sirna In Cancer Cells Via Gold Nanoplexes, John Caleb Grenn

Honors Theses

Cancer treatment has much room for improvement, as therapies today cannot differentiate well between what cells are part of a tumor and which are healthy. Our research involves targeting cancer cells by their overexpressed folic acid receptors, and delivering small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to silence genes crucial to cell survival by the RNA interference gene knockdown pathway. By using Gaussia luciferase siRNA (siGLuc) as a model for cell delivery, we have been able to test our ability to deliver siRNA via a gold nanoparticle delivery system, also developed in our lab. We also synthesized ribonucleotide reductase siRNA (siRRM2), which will …

Comparative Effects Of Upper Or Lower Body Ergometry To Facilitate Recovery From High-Intensity Combined Arm And Leg Exercise, Benjamin Chad Lyman

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of upper body versus lower body ergometry on blood lactate concentration ([La]) disappearance. Ten individuals (age: 20.6 ± 1.3 yrs, height: 1.72 ± 0.08 m, weight: 66.77 ± 10.42 kg) completed preliminary testing sessions, 3-5 days apart, to determine the power output corresponding with the subject’s onset of blood lactate (OBLA), which for the purposes of this study is considered the subject’s lactate threshold (LT), for leg ergometry (LT_L) and arm ergometry (LT_A). Participants then returned to the laboratory on three separate occasions to complete the …

Attitudes Of Clinically Practicing Registered Nurses In Southern Mississippi Toward Physician-Assisted Death, Robin E. Smith

Honors Theses

Problem

The purpose of this study is to discover unique themes related to the attitudes of nurses in Southern Mississippi toward physician-assisted death (PAD).

Methods

This study is a qualitative, inductive content analysis. The sample comprised three registered nurses currently practicing in Southern Mississippi. The researcher guided each participant’s one-hour interview with questions, then recorded and transcribed the texts for data analysis; and coded and analyzed data. Themes were selected if there was inter-rater agreement of 100% between the researcher and thesis adviser.

Results

The interview questions focused on (a) the presence or absence of support for legalization of PAD, …