Digital Commons Network^™

Case Study: Investigation Into The Ownership Of Jean-Honore Fragonard's Blind Man's Buff (1750-1752), Trinity Ghering

Honors Theses

During World War II, Nazis stole 60,000 pieces of Jewish-owned cultural valuables from French collections. German leaders were fascinated with art and saw it as a vehicle to bolster their status and power. Art was specifically stolen on behalf of Adolf Hitler, who intended to build his own museum: the Fuhrermuseum.

One of the most influential families in France at that time was the Rothschild family. During World War II, the Jewish family was forced to flee their home while over 3,500 pieces of artwork from the Rothschild collection were stolen. Most were never recovered. I suspect that Jean Honoré …

Mountain (Grand)Mamas: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren During The Opioid Epidemic In Appalachia American And Their Portrayal In Media, Rosemary P. Kelley

Honors Theses

Deep within the hills of Appalachia grandparents are stepping into the familiar role of parenting as many have become the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. These grandparent-headed households (GHHs), a form of kinship care, have increased largely in response to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged the region; children are often left in the care of grandparents as parents experience substance use disorders and, in turn, incarceration. According to the US Census Bureau, over seven million grandparents live with their own grandchildren; over 32 percent of which serve as caregivers and are responsible for these children. The impact of kinship …

Does Culture Impact Academic Anxiety In University Students?, Angie J. Marroquin

Honors Theses

University students may experience academic anxiety when attending an institution of higher education. For this study we recruited a diverse population of college students with different cultural backgrounds to investigate if specific groups are more impacted by these experiences. The purpose of this study is to determine whether cultural factors (cultural inclusion, country of origin, language) influence academic anxiety in college students. A survey was distributed to Eastern Kentucky University students. The results indicated that cultural inclusion had the greatest impact on academic anxiety. Country of origin and language did not influence academic anxiety according to results.

Occupational Justice In The Justice System: The Impact Of Occupational Therapy On Incarcerated Americans, Cassidy Cain

Honors Theses

In the United States alone, there are two million people being held in prison and four million people on parole or probation. Of those released, over half will return to prison in a year. This is an alarmingly high rate of recidivism and incarceration compared to other developed nations. The United States prison system fails to rehabilitate inmates and instead equips them with maladaptive skills that will hinder their success outside of the prison. Inmates are suffering from occupational injustice, which can be detrimental to their ability to succeed outside of the prison system. Implementing occupational therapists into the prison …

Expanding Upon Excitation: The Observance Of Nonlinearity In Alexandrite, Katherine A. Stephens

Honors Theses

Nonlinear optical effects are a light-matter interaction that can be observed when multiple optical fields drive a response in the material under excitation. To determine whether or not an effect is present in alexandrite, a beryl stone doped with chromium ions, literature reviews were conducted and research regarding the theory around the nonlinear multiphoton was performed. Safety measures for the laboratory and previous research using the same laser were also examined. This was taken into account when performing original experiments to measure a potential effect from a laser interaction with alexandrite. After an initial experiment was adjusted to filter out …

Made In China?: Analyzing The Decline In Offshoring To The Prc, Michael B. Peake

Honors Theses

This paper will primarily discuss globalization, primarily around the movement of manufacturing in and out of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This thesis analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data in order to estimate the true motivators for moving manufacturing to China (i.e., offshoring), and reasons why not to move manufacturing to China, or even reasons to move manufacturing back from China (i.e., reshoring). This thesis also considers potential alternative options for countries in the case that a company may be looking to outsource manufacturing but may still want some of the advantages of offshoring their manufacturing. This thesis thus …

The Exceptional European Experience: An Analysis Of Education Abroad's Impact On College Students And The Field Of Nutrition And Dietetics, Mckenna Moore

Honors Theses

Education abroad has become a very popular avenue over the past century for college students from the United States to be immersed in a culture different from their own and experience significant growth, personally and professionally. Italy is a country that has a culture different from that of America and the contrast becomes even more evident after time abroad. United States citizens desire immediate satisfaction and this desire is accompanied through services such as drive-thrus, delivery services, and online shopping. Americans also often revolve their food experience around quantity and speed at which it is served. Italians, on the other …

Exploring Selective Mutism And Determining The Best Treatment Options, Austin Arroyo

Honors Theses

Selective mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak or communicate effectively in certain social situations but ability to communicate in settings where they are comfortable and relaxed. This paper seeks to explain selective mutism including the description of theories of anxiety, history and etiology of selective mutism, and common characteristics associated with selective mutism. It also contains information about treatment options and determines which treatment is considered the most effective. The conclusion is that there is not one treatment that is considered the best for selective mutism. Selective mutism manifests differently from person …

The Many Shades Of Anne Boleyn, Allison C. Turner

Honors Theses

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and the mother to Elizabeth I, is a famous historical figure who has been the focus of many fictional dramas. Mysteries surrounding Anne’s looks and her involvement in historical events has created interest that allow historical fiction writers to produce different version of Anne Boleyn on film and in the theater. Multiple of these fictional representation of Anne Boleyn processes feminist ideals that are a result of the feminist wave happening at the time. Though a feminist lens, one can see how the portrayal of Anne Boleyn has varied. This project …

The Faces Of Crime: How Municipal Police Department Presence On Social Media Influences The Lives Of Incarcerated Americans, Carley Frost

Honors Theses

This photographic exposé and the complimentary research was designed to highlight the impact of municipal police department presence on social media and the consequences it has on those who are featured on the pages. As social media became a centerpoint of social life, police departments sought to utilize social media in a way that uplifted the department; however, in doing so, incarcerated members of the community were simultaneously being publicly humiliated. Their mugshots and alleged charges were published onto the department social media pages, allowing their family and peers to comment and share freely. These individuals report difficulty finding a …

The Effect Of Cinnamon Supplementation For Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Lisset Rosaldo-Hernandez

Honors Theses

Objective: The study aimed to dictate the capability of cinnamon supplements in reducing fasting blood sugar levels (FBS mg/dl) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c %) for patients with diabetes mellitus II (DMII). Comparing pre and post-intervention glycemic markers with aloe vera, ginseng, and anti-diabetic medication to determine if herbal supplements are an effective complementary alternative medicine (CAM) treatment for DMII.

Methods: The range of articles gathered consisted of 175 through MEDLINE and 510 through Google Scholar; these platforms allowed access to MEDLINE and ScienceDirect articles but were reduced to 40 based on search terms such as “Cinnamomum cassia.” ” …

Examining The Evidence: Portrayals Of The Careers In Criminal Minds, Natalie Decker

Honors Theses

Within the fields of forensics and criminal justice there is the hot topic of crime show representations and their accuracies/inaccuracies. Some people owe these shows for exposing the career choice to them while others within the field blame these shows for common misconceptions about their career. This study utilizes the research done concerning the two main theories that apply to crime show effects: the cultivation theory and the CSI Effect. By examining the current research, a new study was conducted to further confirm or deny the claims made by both theories which aim to say that these crime shows are …

Exploring Portrayals Of Cults In News Media: Establishing A Continuum, Ashley M. Reynolds

Honors Theses

This thesis examines and analyzes the way cults are portrayed by various news media outlets. The intention of this thesis and my research in general is to convey the power of media influence in forming an individual’s perspective on cults. Each news media outlet (for purposes of this thesis, this includes Fox News, CNN, and the Associated Press) has their own definition of what a cult is, and this determines how they present those “cults” to the public. To understand how individuals form their opinions about cults and what exactly cults are via the media, it is necessary to investigate …

Hollers, Hillbillies, And Higher Education: The Influence Of Dialect And Negative Stereotypes On The Academic Experiences Of Rural Appalachian College Students, Jessica D. Boggs

Honors Theses

Rural Appalachia is presented in popular culture as a region lacking in resources, morals, education, and more. Consequently, Appalachians who speak in the nonstandard language variety representative of the region are often subject to harmful stereotypes. This work examines the impact of negative stereotypes on dialectal Appalachian college students during their pursuit of higher education. This research was conducted via an anonymous survey investigating how students from specified rural Appalachian counties in Kentucky perceived their academic experiences regarding stereotypes, speaking a stigmatized Appalachian dialect, and how these influence others’ perceptions of them when attending any college or university. Hypotheses included …

Legal And Community Input In The Record Of Decision For The Bluegrass Army Depot, Hannah E. Taylor

Honors Theses

The Bluegrass Army Depot of Richmond, Kentucky is owned and operated by the United States Army to demilitarize the chemical weapons stockpile facility. The citizens of Richmond filed a civil suit against the Army for wanting to incinerate the stored chemical weapons. This research compiles an overview of the history of chemical weapons, current laws and legislation regarding the facility, political implications, public opinions surrounding the installation, facility stockpiles and ammunition, chemical weapons dissemination methods, and specific analysis and research dedicated to the Bluegrass Army Depot’s project stages, destruction technologies, and public involvement. The central purpose is to compile a …

Application Of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (Ert) To Wetland Hydrogeology: An Assessment Of The Efficacy Of Array Configurations, Wynter Monjarez

Honors Theses

Abstract — Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is a geophysical technique used to measure and map the resistivity of the subsurface. Resistivity (expressed in units of Ohm-meters), the inverse of conductivity, is an intrinsic property of earth materials that is a function of their material composition, void space, and water content. ERT is frequently used for mineral and groundwater exploration, but this technique can be used for any study that requires information of the near-surface environment. Resistivity is determined by applying a known direct current on one electrode pair (labeled C1 and C2) and taking measurements of the voltage potential on …

Is Lineage C A Distinct Species?, Shiza Khan

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Capital Embodiment: White Beauty And Bodies In Sally Rooney’S Conversations With Friends, Josie K. Forsthoff

Honors Theses

Beauty standards that have long been understood by feminist theorists as sexist also have a history of being rooted in racism. By reproducing the white, slender representations of beauty uncritically, authors potentially perpetuate the racist, classist, and sexist hierarchies in which our cultural norms are rooted. Popular, contemporary author Sally Rooney consciously writes about the privileges of wealth but fails to write in the same way about the capital of beauty and slender bodies. My literary analysis focuses on the political power and implications of the white beauty and embodiment of Frances in her debut novel from 2017. Rooney’s representation …

Foreign Detainee Operations Post 9/11: An Example Of The United States’ Ethical Compromise, Seth Longstreth

Honors Theses

Abstract: After 9/11, the United States government issued a series of policies that allowed tortuous interrogations to extract actionable information. After being a member of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture, the U.S. directly defied these international treaties purely because it suited their interests during the retaliation against al-Qaeda. This paper seeks to address the lack of accountability that was present in the Bush administration and supporting departments while attempting to draft doctrine that capitalized on the subjectivity of torture laws, as well as the implications these actions have on the nation. This research takes a multi-case study …

Faces Of Faith: Monastic Identity And Protestant Theology In The Swiss Reformation, Kevin O'Gorman

Honors Theses

Religious orders were ever-present in medieval life. Their influence was not limited just to the pulpit and the physical area around monasteries but extended into the daily life of entire kingdoms. Each religious community was unique in the interpretation and expression of its Rule of life, both between and within orders. During the Reformation, religious communities faced pressure from newly converted Protestant authorities alongside theological conversations within their own walls. New Protestant theologies carried with them anti-monastic ideas that challenged religious communities to fundamentally reexamine their lives. Nowhere were these choices as complicated as in Switzerland, where monks and nuns …

Validation Of Effective Removal Of Pfas From Glassware Sampling Train Used For Evaluation Of Thermal Treatment Of Pfas, Elizabeth Riedel

Honors Theses

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals that are extremely stable and highly toxic to the environment and human health. PFAS are used in a myriad of common products including nonstick cookware, water-resistant fabrics, personal care products, cosmetics, and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Because of their widespread use and resistance to degradation, PFAS have infiltrated the environment, including drinking water sources. To combat the spread of PFAS, various methods for treatment and removal of PFAS are being researched. A promising solution that has been identified for PFAS removal is thermal treatment, where degradation of PFAS occurs after exposure …

Determining The Role Of Propionate And Sigb On Benzalkonium Chloride Resistance In Listeria Monocytogenes, Emma C. Schaefer

Honors Theses

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a deadly food borne pathogen that causes listeriosis infection in humans with a high mortality rate. L. monocytogenes can form biofilms in food processing environments and become resistant to antimicrobial agents such as benzalkonium chloride (BC) and other quaternary ammonium chlorides (QACs). BC is used for cleaning and disinfection of food processing areas and is known to disrupt cell membranes of L. monocytogenes, causing cytosol leakage and the degradation of proteins and nucleic acids. Previous research shows that QAC resistance is associated with the upregulation of certain efflux pump genes (mdrL, brcABC, …

Othering The Brother: Toward A Sibling-Oriented Ethics Of Care, William Bryant

Honors Theses

This project is an examination of issues of childcare, gendered responsibilities, and family identity informed by feminist and queer theory. As the second oldest in a family of eight, I have always understood myself primarily as a big brother. Rooted in this experience, this project is an exploration of feminist care ethics as they pertain to existing family structures. I review and build upon feminist conversations surrounding the family, especially concerning motherhood. Then, working with more recent queer and trans discourse, I explore how different familial care practices have been limited, reconfigured, or erased under dominant cis-heteronormative notions of care. …

The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Kindergarten Readiness Skills In Preschoolers, Jacquelyn S. Lavigne

Honors Theses

Preschool in the US is an important, but costly affair for many children. Roberts and Bryant (2011) found that preschoolers who live in homes with a low socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely to perform highly on measures of kindergarten readiness than their peers who come from homes with a higher SES. Previous research has demonstrated that there is a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures on children’s academic performance in school. However, there is little that is known about the impact of the pandemic on school readiness skills among children who live in homes with …

Moderating Role Of Experiential Similarity On The Relationship Between Social Support And Posttraumatic Growth, Avery Lytle

Honors Theses

Background and objectives: Trauma exposure is associated with negative outcomes like posttraumatic stress disorder. However, not everyone reports distress; resilience is common. Some even report improved psychological functioning following trauma, termed posttraumatic growth (PTG). Numerous factors are implicated in PTG development, many related to the cognitive processing of the event. Outside of cognitive factors, one of the strongest promoters of PTG is social support, but less is known about what types of support are most facilitative. Of potential importance is experiential similarity, or the extent to which the support person has experienced shared elements of one’s trauma. The present study …

The Generic Flamboyance Of Muriel Spark, Tess Poe-Slade

Honors Theses

In her 1970 speech, “The Desegregation of Art” Scottish author Muriel Spark suggests that art has become overly sentimental and ultimately ineffective in its aims of social change. While scholars have used this speech to understand the importance of humor in Spark’s work, unexplored has been the use of genre as a means of social critique. In analyzing Spark’s novellas The Public Image and The Driver’s Seat, I argue that Spark uses archetypes to demonstrate the limited agency of women and the disturbing implications of all too familiar conventions.

Contesting Human Rights Coherence: Neoliberalism As An Epoch Of Brutality, David Quick Iii

Honors Theses

The end of the Cold War solidified modern human rights’ dependency on neoliberalism. Neoliberal capitalism fosters universal commodification, hyper-individualism, and a standard of excess. A consequence of these developments is that some persons of marginalized populations turn to crime as a means of achieving basic human rights. To particularize, the realization of the self as a rights-holding subject emerges from the brutalization and subsequent de-realization of the other. Furthermore, justifications of such actions may be coherent within the modern human rights discourse. This thesis is contextualized by the historical dynamics and present-day observations of El Salvador, which I take to …

Measuring Wetland Restoration Success Through Water Quality And Invertebrate Community Indices, Abbey E. Raison

Honors Theses

Wetland restoration projects are essential to preserving these imperiled ecosystems. While restoring lost or degraded wetlands is the first step, determining the success of these restoration efforts is often difficult or only focuses on one aspect of an ecosystem (e.g., water quality testing). I plan to measure the success of wetland restoration through traditional (i.e., water quality testing) and non-traditional methods (i.e., terrestrial and aquatic insect sampling) in native (i.e., control) and restored (i.e., experimental) wetlands in Ohio. I will use sweep nets for aboveground insect collection and a dip net for aquatic macroinvertebrate collection. These samples will be sorted, …

Identifying The Effects Of Anaerobicity And Propionate On Listeria Monocytogenes Metabolism And Central Nervous System Infection, Rebecca Rudd

Honors Theses

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative foodborne pathogen that can enter the bloodstream and invades the central nervous system to cause meningitis. As an intracellular pathogen, L. monocytogenes replicates inside the host cell cytosol and avoids extracellular immune defenses as it disseminates throughout the body. L. monocytogenes can also reach and cross the blood brain barrier, resulting in severe or fatal symptoms in immunocompromised and elderly patients. The overarching goal of my research project is to better understand how different environmental factors, anaerobicity and propionate, in the intestinal lumen alter the ability of L. monocytogenes to cause infections. In the first …

Tracking System Effectiveness For Texas Police Departments In Low-Income Communities, Jakob Scarcelli

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.