Digital Commons Network^™

Diurnal Variation In Co2 Efflux By Pine Seedlings And Root-Associated Mycorrhizal Fungi, Richard Easterling

Honors Theses

This project was part of a larger experiment conducted by Amber Horning and Jason Hoeksema in the Department of Biology at the University of Mississippi, which was set up to investigate variation (over time, and with different light levels) in resource exchange between pine seedlings and two different species of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. The experiment was conducted in a growth chamber, with mycorrhizal pine seedlings growing in plexiglass "mycocosms." I worked with two EM fungal species (Rhizopogon roseolus and Pisolithus arhizus, hereafter "Rhizopogon" and "Pisolithus"), which were collected locally near Oxford, Mississippi under loblolly pine. I selected a subset of …

Nutritional Knowledge And Behaviors Of Undergraduate Students, Victoria Inghram

Honors Theses

Poor dietary behavior can lead to various chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and obesity. Because dietary intake takes time to impact health, observing diet knowledge in college students can be beneficial. This study sought to measure whether greater nutritional knowledge would translate to a healthier dietary intake. Nutritional knowledge and behavior were measured and then compared in 257 students in two different undergraduate classes - an introductory nutrition course and a standard biology course - which was the control group. Each class was given the same survey at the beginning and end of the fall semester. Results indicated …

Analysis Of Septum Defects In Arabidopsis Organ Boundary Mutants, Katherine T. Anderson

Honors Theses

Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant species, has been heavily studied to determine the genetic contributions that lead to gynoecium development. The Arabidopsis fruit is created from two carpels that form a gynoecium, which contains the stigma, style, and ovary. The ovary is divided into two sub-compartments by a septum, and the ovules develop within the ovary. The fruit’s purpose is to protect, nurture, and eventually disperse the mature ovules, or seeds, and if the septum does not fuse properly, the plant’s fertility will be impacted. SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) and ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA HOMEOBOX GENE1 (ATH1) are two genes that are known …

Auditory Radiation And Cognitive Decline: Probabilistic Tractography Study, Adryanna Tucker

Honors Theses

The relationship between hearing loss and Alzheimer’s disease has been studied for many years. Previous studies have shown a negative correlation between the two. In our study, we investigated the relationship between the strength of the auditory radiation connections and the severity of cognitive decline. To do so, we assessed probabilistic tractography using DTI data of the primary auditory pathway. Further, we assessed the level of cognition using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cog to determine the relationship between the auditory connections assessed in each patient and that patient’s level of cognitive decline. We found that FA and AD were positively …

Frames, Fallacies, And The Market For Lemons, Adam Field

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate the impact of an “endowment frame” on risk behavior in games of asymmetric information. Akerlof’s (1970) description of a “market for lemons” led to the creation of a modified screening game into which the endowment frame could be placed. The game was subsequently computerized and administered to 18 test subjects in the Mississippi Experimental Research Laboratory. At the beginning of the experiment, test subjects were randomly assigned to either a control or treatment group. Each participant played 20 rounds of the game and was compensated based on his or her performance. The …

An Investigation Of Possible Reservoirs Of Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus Of Turkeys In Mississippi, Walker Hyche

Honors Theses

Emerging infectious diseases are a problem among wildlife and domestic populations. It is critical for these diseases to be studied. Lymphoproliferative disease virus is a retrovirus affecting turkeys and chickens. Prior research originally identified the virus in the United Kingdom and Israel. The first case of LPDV in the United States was found in 2009 in Arkansas. This study tests different reservoirs for the virus. DNA was extracted from samples of different origins and preservation types. Through PCR and gel electrophoresis analysis, different sample types from turkey populations were tested for LPDV. This study provides a method for submitting blood …

Table 42 Needs Ranch: Working Memory And Waiters, Austin D. Yowler

Honors Theses

Past literature on waiters as specialists in memory ability focus mainly on short term memory. The encoding and retrieval are vital parts of the process of serving, but the way these studies have operationalized this task have taken the task of waiting tables removed extraneous material present in the daily tasks of a waiter for the purposes of laboratory measurement. During a shift, a server maintains several tasks in their mind and executes them in a very fast pace, sensory stimulating, distracting, environment. Working memory is the ability to maintain accurate information in the face of distraction. This type of …

Investigation Of Origin And Growth Of Fungi In Coastal Beach Sand, Ruth L. Wright

Honors Theses

In a previous study from this lab (Stevens, Evans, & Aguirre, 2012) yeast colonies were isolated and grown grown from sand collection at pristine, medium use and high use beaches along the grand strand. In that study greater yeast abundance and greater diversity both correlated with higher census of human use, suggesting that some yeast growth of sites was anthropogenic. However the sand matrix itself also varied from very fine, uniform, dark sand at the pristine beach to coarser, color varying, less tightly packed sand at residential and commercial beaches. This suggested an alternative hypothesis to differential colonization and growth …

Density And Species Richness Of Macrofaunal Benthic Bivalves In North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, Richard Hawley, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Marine benthic bivalves are consumed by higher trophic levels. Bivalve species richness and density depend on temperature, salinity, and location. Biweekly core samples were collected from Bly Creek from 12/2017 to 12/2018. Benthic macrofaunal bivalves were counted and identified to describe density and species richness. Bivalves were also photographed for species identification. Bivalves composed 0% to 17% of the total macrofauna. The maximum bivalve density (8,149 bivalves/m²) was recorded on December 23, 2018. The fewest bivalves were observed from December 2017 through March 2018. Eight bivalve species were recorded during 2018; at least one species was present year-round. …

Investigation Of The Catalytic Properties Of Cerium(Iv) Oxide In Metal Oxide Laser Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Madison Mcminn

Honors Theses

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) has emerged in recent years as one of the most powerful tools available for characterizing the molecules involved in the biochemistry of life. Metal oxide laser ionization (MOLI) is a recently described variation on MALDI in which a metal oxide, rather than an organic acid, is utilized as the matrix. Unlike other metal oxides, Cerium(IV) Oxide (CeO₂) demonstrates a unique property of laser induced catalytic side chain cleavage of fatty acids when applied to phospholipids and energized by standard lasers found in MALDI-TOF-MS instruments.

In previous work, a technique for CeO₂ deposition …

Microplastics In Fiddler Crabs (Genus Uca), Gabrielle Forbes, Eric Rosch

Honors Theses

Microplastics, as defined by NOAA, are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. The production of plastic products and plastic use has exponentially increased since the start of plastic usage. Consequently, the amount of plastic waste has also increased greatly. Plastic waste that has been thrown out by humans into the environment breaks down into microscopic pieces, causing harm to organisms that live there. The purpose of this study was to see if there were microplastics passing through fiddler crabs (genus Uca), collected from the marsh at Waties Island, SC. Fecal …

Grab ‘Em By The Pussy: How Hegemonic Masculinity Encourages Locker Room Talk And Sexual Violence Against Women, Madalynn Marrone

Honors Theses

Locker room talk refers to the degrading and sexist narrative about women that is exhibited by some heterosexual males of all ages. The instance of locker room talk is not just confined to actual locker rooms, but invades our politics, educational institutions, and service industries. By researching the origins of how boys are socialized in Western culture, I have seen a correlation between engaging in locker room talk and perpetration of sexual violence. In my extensive analysis, I pieced together how socialization of boys can turn into a hegemonic masculine gender identity which in turn predisposes men to engage in …

Effects Of Perceived Audiences On Discrimination Learning In Pigeons ( Columbia Livia ), Peyton M. Mueller, Matthew Murphy

Honors Theses

The social facilitation effect is a phenomenon frequently discussed in the subfield of social psychology. Some studies have examined the social facilitation or inhibition effects in nonhuman animals, though few have examined the effect of perceived audiences on their cognitive functioning. In order to study this effect, three different video stimuli were presented to one subject while solving a memorization discrimination task. It was hypothesized that the pigeon would learn a task at different rates based on the type of perceived audience presented. No significant results were found due to the fact that the subject was unable to learn the …

Demersal Fish Use Of Printed Oyster Shells As Nesting Habitat In North Inlet Estuary, Sc, Annie Boyd, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Temperate estuarine blenny species establish subtidal territories and nesting sites. Four blenny species co-occur in North Inlet, SC including the striped blenny, Chasmodes bosquianus, crested blenny, Hypleurochilus geminatus, feather blenny, Hypsoblennius hentzi, and freckled blenny, Hypsoblennius ionthas. All four fishes use empty oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shells as nesting sites. Current 3D printer technology was used to create standard nest substrates to describe relationships between blenny habitat use and nest site dimensions. Replicate printed shells of 2 gape widths (5, 7 mm) for each of 2 shell cavity volumes (22 mL, 15mL, Oyster A and …

Modification Of Hiv-1 Protease Inhibitor Pharmacophore To Assess Anti-Malarial Properties, Margaret Ann Street

Honors Theses

For years, the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and malarial parasites have both been prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Coinfections of HIV-1 and malaria are common in areas of geographic overlap as both infections seem to increase the severity of the other. HIV-1 treatments have shown to decrease the Plasmodium infections resulting in a lower malarial incidence. HIV-1 protease inhibitors target a crucial step in the life cycle required for viral maturation and have demonstrated a lower level of resistance compared with other therapies. Recent studies have shown the treatment of HIV-1 with protease inhibitors has resulted in inhibitory effects …

Determination And Correlation Of Volatile And Nonvolatile Compounds With Coffee Quality, Jackson Wood

Honors Theses

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks around the world and as such is a very active area of research. This research used HS-SPME - GCMS and HPLC to correlate volatile and nonvolatile coffee components with flavor profiles generated by professional coffee tasters. Coffee was also tasted and ranked by amateur volunteers culled from SIU students and faculty population. Results indicated the professionally established overall coffee scores correlated with coffee cost per ounce, and there were differences between professional and amateur tasters. Professional tasters were trained to recognize subtle differences in flavor attributes such as fruity, floral, and sweet, …

The Coastal Route: The Role Of The Pacific Northwest Coastline In Facilitating Human Travel Into The Americas, Andrew Nye, Carolyn Dillian

Honors Theses

How Homo sapiens first entered North America has historically been attributed to a crossing of Beringia and a subsequent movement south through an ice-free corridor in Canada. Biological and physical research of the history of the area suggests an ice free corridor could not have existed in the same time frame as the first human settlements. These biological constraints would not have been present along the North West coast of the continent. New archaeological discoveries show early human settlement along the North West coast. Used together, this new evidence supports a coastal human migration instead of an inland route into …

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors And Breast Cancer Metastasis: A Review And Exploration Of Hdac(I)S And Other Chemotherapeutic Agents, William E. Sistrunk

Honors Theses

The traditional perspective of Histone Deacetylase enzymes is focused on their inherent epigenetic modification characteristics. While it is true that the histone modification these enzymes exhibit play a role in cancer and related diseases, Histone Deacetylase has a variety of non-histone targets. The non-histone targets include microtubules and are of specific interest because of the microtubules’ role in cell line differentiation, replication, apoptosis, and cancer metastasis. Using a variety of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors (HDACi) and other chemotherapeutic compounds, our research group explored the HDACi effect on breast cancer cell lines. Our goal was to indicate the presence of HDACi cell-line …

Effects Of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum On Experimentally Infected Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Meredith A. Fry

Honors Theses

The bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum is an avian respiratory pathogen that causes inflammation and swelling of conjunctiva in domestic poultry and wild finches. In the past, severity of conjunctivitis symptoms has been used to quantify infection severity and host resistance. However, many songbirds function as hosts to M. gallisepticum but do not develop this symptom at all. The absence of conjunctivitis, as well as other clinical signs, hinders our understanding of M. gallisepticum infection in the songbird community because some species are responding very differently than others. One such species is the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), a common songbird of the …

Effects Of The Pathogen Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Transmission On Growth And Condition Of Eastern Bluebirds Nestlings (Sialia Sialis), Gurshan Kaur

Honors Theses

A critical aspect to understanding disease dynamics is to understand how transmission occurs between hosts. There are two basic modes of transmission: vertical and horizontal. Vertical transmission is the passage of a pathogen from mother to offspring before or during birth, whereas horizontal transmission occurs between an infected host to a susceptible host. Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a common bacterial pathogen of poultry that causes respiratory disease. Infection of MG often results in weight loss, slowed growth rate, and increased mortality. Both vertical and horizontal transmission of MG have been found to occur in poultry. In the mid-90s, MG underwent …

Screening For Mental Health Concerns Across Pregnancy : Factors Associated With Depression And Anxiety Symptons In A Large Obgyn Clinic, Addie Keller

Honors Theses

Depression and anxiety are prevalent among pregnant women, however, mental health continues to be a portion of care neglected in the obstetric setting. Depression is of-ten thought of as a disorder that leads to a persistent feeling of sadness. Anxiety is charac-terized by excessive fear and worry. Because of the many changes occurring throughout pregnancy, both physically and emotionally, it is not uncommon for pregnant women to struggle with depression, anxiety, or both. Previous studies have found that there are many factors associated with depression and anxiety throughout pregnancy. This study focuses on the relationship between age, gravida, and social …

The Effect Of Simulated Storm Passage On The Behavior Of Whitespotted Bamboo Sharks, Chiloscyllium Plagiosum And Golden Shiners, Notemigonus Chrysoleucas, Jordan A. Healy

Honors Theses

Environmental changes during a storm can affect animal behavior; for example, tagged sharks leave shallow waters during tropical storms. While changes in shark behavior during storm passage have been documented, there have been no experimental tests to determine which environmental parameters are responsible. In this study, we experimentally manipulated two environmental cues: barometric pressure, and thunder sounds, to determine their effect on whitespotted bamboo sharks, Chiloscyllium plagiosum, and golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas. Elasmobranchs do not have a swim bladder to detect pressure change; therefore, we used golden shiners to compare the reaction of a fish with a swim bladder. The …

The Effects Of Human Approach On Sanderling Foraging Behavior, Anne Hobdy, Eric Rosch

Honors Theses

During low tide, sanderlings (Calidris alba) forage on small invertebrates in the sand of the intertidal zone. As a result, these common shorebirds frequently come into contact with humans who visit the beaches for a variety of activities, such as fishing or jogging. Here, the effects of three different approach types (undisturbed, passive, and aggressive) on sanderling foraging behavior were examined to help understand how human activities may be affecting their ability to search for food. At two local beaches, locomotory rate was recorded in addition to obvious changes in initial behavior. Treatments were defined as follows: 1) …

Theoretical And Experimental Vibrational Modes Of The Borane Pyridine Complex, Benjamin Stratton

Honors Theses

Benjamin Wade Stratton: Theoretical and Experimental Vibrational Modes of the Borane Pyridine Complex (Under the direction of Dr. Nathan Hammer) The Borane Pyridine complex is a molecule that contains a dative bond between the boron and nitrogen atoms. A dative bond is a type of covalent bonding that occurs when both electrons come from the same atom. The B-N bond has been studied in several other molecules such as ammonia borane and determining the frequency at which this bond vibrates has been a topic of interest studied in these molecules as well as several others. This complex has another factor …

An Exploration Into The Benefits, Challenges, And Potential Of Telehealth In The United States: A Mississippi Case Study, Ann Weston Sistrunk

Honors Theses

Healthcare in the United States is in need of new solutions to provide access to care for all and decrease the rising costs of care. Telehealth is a developing model of healthcare delivery, and it will provide effective and equitable solutions to increase access to healthcare across the nation. As models of healthcare rapidly change, telehealth will continue to progress, but it is necessary for policy to complement the rapidly changing healthcare environment so that telehealth implementation can be successful. Along with access, telehealth has the opportunity to address many convenience barriers to healthcare, including distribution and number of practitioners, …

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 …

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 …

Erg1a Potassium Channel Abundance Varies Within Specific Skeletal Muscle And Fiber Type, Luke Anderson

Honors Theses

Skeletal muscle atrophy results from an imbalance of protein degradation and protein synthesis which produces a net loss of protein. This loss occurs mainly through the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP). The ether-a-go-go related gene (ERG1A) is a voltage-gated K⁺ ­­channel that is upregulated in atrophying skeletal muscle. Expression of ERG1A in skeletal muscle increases UPP activity and induces atrophy. Because ERG1A appears variably expressed in muscles composed of mixed fiber types and is a K⁺ channel which has the potential to modulate contraction speed by enhancing repolarization, we hypothesized that ERG1A would be more abundant in slow-twitch fibers …

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 …

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 …