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Honors Theses

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Nonlinear Computational Analysis Of Postural Stability And Its Relationship To Estrogen Deficiency In Postmenopausal Women, Zachary Mitchell Jan 2018

Nonlinear Computational Analysis Of Postural Stability And Its Relationship To Estrogen Deficiency In Postmenopausal Women, Zachary Mitchell

Honors Theses

This study aims to determine if multi-scale entropy analysis will more accurately differentiate the postural stability of postmenopausal women as a function of their estrogen status than traditional measures of postural assessment. The study participants included 7 non-Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) postmenopausal women (mean age = 57) and 4 HRT postmenopausal women (mean age = 55). Postural stability was measured with the NeuroCom Equitest and the use of conditions 1-4 of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT). The subjects received an equilibrium score for each condition with a score near 100 representing good postural stability. A modification of the Multi-Scale Entropy …


Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Activity And Expression In The Aged Mouse Hippocampus, James Mitchum Jan 2018

Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Activity And Expression In The Aged Mouse Hippocampus, James Mitchum

Honors Theses

CaM Kinase II (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase enzyme that acts as a critical regulator of learning and memory. It has previously been shown that the inability of CaMKII to maintain activation is connected to memory deficits within the aging brain. While the connection between CaMKII dysfunction and learning and memory impairments is well established, little is known about the changes that cause CaMKII dysfunction. Our research set out to investigate if CaMKII is altered during the process of aging. Specifically, we looked at activity, regulation, and stability by conducting experiments to quantify CaMKII levels of …


Women In The Chilean National Identity: How Futbol And Consumption Cultures Affect The Public Sphere, Madeleine Hall Carpenter Jan 2018

Women In The Chilean National Identity: How Futbol And Consumption Cultures Affect The Public Sphere, Madeleine Hall Carpenter

Honors Theses

In the past thirty years, Chile has experienced dramatic political, social, economic, and cultural changes. A constant source of national identity, pride, and comfort through this tumultuous period was (and continues to be) fútbol. Chileans follow the sport relentlessly and it is a key part in the construction of local, regional, and national identities. My thesis work aims to answer the following question: how do the relationships between consumption cultures and football create/delineate/eliminate space for women in the overarching social public sphere of national belonging? In order to answer this question, I utilize a mixed methods approach to investigate how …


Effects Of Emotion And Construal Level On Obesity Stigma, Peyton D. Curtis Jan 2018

Effects Of Emotion And Construal Level On Obesity Stigma, Peyton D. Curtis

Honors Theses

We conducted the present study to determine how emotion and construal level contribute to obesity bias. Specifically, we examined if different emotions, such as disgust, sadness, and happiness, played a role in several different judgments of an obese versus thin individual: 1) general impressions, 2) supporting a friend, and 3) endorsing personal versus biological/environmental causes for weight. We also investigated whether a self me construal or collective we construal influenced these judgments. We additionally considered whether emotion and these construal levels would interact to influence such judgments. The current work found that emotion and construal level did not interact to …


Racial Ideologies And Ethnoracial Social Inclusion Policy In Mexico And Peru, Bruce Abby Jan 2018

Racial Ideologies And Ethnoracial Social Inclusion Policy In Mexico And Peru, Bruce Abby

Honors Theses

My study examines the covariation of racial ideologies and ethnoracial social inclusion policies with ethnoracial identity in Peru and Mexico. I begin by studying the history and evolution of racial ideologies in Latin America generally and then in Mexico and Peru more specifically. I use this research to help guide and inform my bivariate tabular analysis of data collected by the Project on Ethnicity and Race in Latin America (PERLA). From the PERLA survey questionnaires for Mexico and Peru, I choose questions pertaining to ethnoracial identity and attitudes towards specific social inclusion policies and racial ideologies. I measure the covariation …


Development Of A Novel Salivary Cortisol Laboratory Experiment For Undergraduate Physiology Students, Charmin C. Guy Jan 2018

Development Of A Novel Salivary Cortisol Laboratory Experiment For Undergraduate Physiology Students, Charmin C. Guy

Honors Theses

Developing an endocrine-based laboratory exercise for undergraduate students is challenging because of the limitations that are characteristic of endocrine processes. These laboratory exercises often involve invasive methods and expensive biochemical analysis. They are also time consuming because of the slow-acting endocrine responses. A potential endocrine-based exercise that can be completed in 2-3 hours, is non-invasive, and at a low cost is a salivary assay. This assay is not without drawbacks, however, including sample collection outside the laboratory classroom. Cortisol is a hormone that is accessible in saliva and provides some insight into the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA Axis), also known as …


Breastfeeding Support Programs: Systematic Review Of Socioeconomic Literature, Chinelo Ibekwe Jan 2018

Breastfeeding Support Programs: Systematic Review Of Socioeconomic Literature, Chinelo Ibekwe

Honors Theses

This thesis describes a systematic review and analysis of literature concerning breastfeeding and programs focused on improving breastfeeding participation. It examines breastfeeding programs with respect to intervention evaluation and the economic impact of breastfeeding programs, and scrutinizes social factors such as race, ethnicity, cultural identity, income, and age which potentially influence the outcomes of these breastfeeding programs. It explores how breastfeeding programs have reduced rehospitalization of low birth weight and preterm infants through the implementation of one or a combination of the following services to mothers and babies: breast pump supplies, education, and training on breastfeeding, transportation to and from …


Rethinking Cannabis Legislation: Insights From Advocacy Groups, Christopher Hunter Tramel Jan 2018

Rethinking Cannabis Legislation: Insights From Advocacy Groups, Christopher Hunter Tramel

Honors Theses

Prohibition and regulation of substances in the United States transformed throughout the 20th century namely through the Pure Food and Drug Act, the prohibition of alcohol, the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act, and the Controlled Substances Act, with each further expanding the number of substances regulated and the consequences of breaking the regulations. The first chapter will briefly outline major events and legislation from 1937 to the present day and how such events and legislation set the stage for grassroots initiatives on the state level seeking to take advantage of the medicinal properties of Cannabis sativa and its impact on relative …


Child Sexploitation: A Study Of Machismo And The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children In Latin America, Courtney M. Cone Jan 2018

Child Sexploitation: A Study Of Machismo And The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children In Latin America, Courtney M. Cone

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to explore how the inextricable relationship between machismo and poverty connects to the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Latin America through predatory behaviors in order to provide insight to anti-trafficking campaigns. The overt Latin American culture of machismo contributes to the discrimination of women and children, enhancing their inherent dependency on men for economic survival. The inevitable pattern of dependency on patriarchal figures out of vulnerability to societal constructions is evident in economic, political and social structures. The pervasiveness of dependency is seen through patterns of violence against women, patterns of child abuse, and patterns of …


Stress In College Students: Associations With Anxiety And Perfectionism, Emory Hamblin Jan 2018

Stress In College Students: Associations With Anxiety And Perfectionism, Emory Hamblin

Honors Theses

Psychosocial stressors are prevalent in the workplace and academic environment largely due to emotional responses from rising conflict, unattainable demands, or a decreased sense of control. An individual's perception of stress is interrelated to the characteristic of perfectionism and the level of anxiety one possesses. Stress is commonly associated with adverse circumstances, and perfectionism is characterized by the setting of unrealistically high standards accompanied by a personal and social standard, attitude, or philosophy. Anxiety is characterized by increased physiological arousal, inhibition of ongoing activities, and a change in individual priorities. Previous studies have examined anxiety's relation to stress-invoking stimuli, but …


Analyzing The Use Of Expressive Writing Among College Students, Grace Ann Wilbanks Jan 2018

Analyzing The Use Of Expressive Writing Among College Students, Grace Ann Wilbanks

Honors Theses

This is among the first studies to investigate the naturalistic use of expressive writing in college students. To do so, 255 undergraduate students from the University of Mississippi anonymously completed an online survey. Participants first answered basic demographic questions followed by questions assessing their sadness or depression, happiness, and overall adjustment in college. Next, participants responded to questions concerning expressive writing and ways in which they handled demands of college. Finally, respondents then completed a well-researched, standardized measure of depression, anxiety, and stress. Independent-samples t tests revealed that students who engaged in expressive writing demonstrated lower mean levels of sadness …


Fruit Structure In Arabidopsis Thaliana Organ Boundary Mutants, Katelyn Childers Jan 2018

Fruit Structure In Arabidopsis Thaliana Organ Boundary Mutants, Katelyn Childers

Honors Theses

The fruit are an integral plant organ that function to nurture and disperse seeds. Â Using the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, the genetic mechanisms underlying fruit development have been carefully studied. Â The Arabidopsis fruit originates from the female reproductive organ, the gynoecium, which consists of two carpels that develop into the ovary with a style and stigma. Â Proper formation of the fruit relies on a functional floral meristem and on the specification of boundary regions that arise between the carpel walls and a medial replum. Â Two genes known to affect both the development of organ boundaries in …


Studying The Effects Of Hydrogen Bonding In 1h-1,2,3-Triazole And Its Derivatives, Leah Alexandra Wallace Jan 2018

Studying The Effects Of Hydrogen Bonding In 1h-1,2,3-Triazole And Its Derivatives, Leah Alexandra Wallace

Honors Theses

1,2,3-triazole is used as a building block in many pharmaceutical drugs. The molecule has several derivatives that are useful in other areas including treating fungal infections and in dealing with some environmental issues. One of its derivatives, benzotriazole, is commonly used as an inhibitor of corrosion through the formation of a copper-benzotriazole complex. One area of particular interest in studying triazoles is the ability of these molecules to tautomerize. The hydrogen atom can move from the 1H position to the 2H position and this transfer is thought to be affected by solvent interactions. Here, we study the effects of hydrogen …


Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Studies On Gold Nanoparticles, Leigh Sumner Jan 2018

Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Studies On Gold Nanoparticles, Leigh Sumner

Honors Theses

After determining that the size of nanoclusters can be tuned such that they have a precise formula much like a chemical compound, much is still not known about nanoclusters, their properties, and how they interact if core size, ligand, and even environment is changed. One such mystery is how does the size of the nanoparticle tune its ability as a catalyst. As it is known that nanoparticles possess unique properties, studies have begun to look towards nanoclusters as catalysts for alternative forms of energy. Therefore, determining how size affects the ability of a nanoparticle catalyst becomes a very important question. …


The Role Of Cannabinoids And Terpenes In Cannabis Mediated Analgesia In Rats, Margaret A. Rousseau Jan 2018

The Role Of Cannabinoids And Terpenes In Cannabis Mediated Analgesia In Rats, Margaret A. Rousseau

Honors Theses

Objective: This research examined the contributions of terpenes (volatile oil) and cannabinoids in cannabis mediated analgesia in rats. Methods: In experiment 1, separate groups of rats received IP administration of either vehicle, 5, 10, or 15 mg/kg cannabis extract, one of three concentrations of volatile oil alone in these cannabis extracts, one of three concentrations of these extracts with volatile oils removed, 2.5, 5, or 7.5 mg/kg Δ9-THC, or 10 or 18 mg/kg morphine 30 m before hotplate and tail-flick tests of thermal nociception. One week later, separate groups of rats received a second administration of these test articles IP …


An Examination Of Mississippi Teachers' Likelihood To Report Child Sexual Abuse And The Potential Effect On The Rates Of Victim Disclosure, Marjorie M. Cox Jan 2018

An Examination Of Mississippi Teachers' Likelihood To Report Child Sexual Abuse And The Potential Effect On The Rates Of Victim Disclosure, Marjorie M. Cox

Honors Theses

Within the last year alone, hundreds of news reports have swept the United States about the experiences of sexually abused children, shocking citizens with chilling accounts from both perpetrators and victims. Once their initial reaction plays out, many people resume their daily lives with little thought to the details or repercussions of the abuse; after all, incidents of that nature only befall other peoples' children. How does this secondary response affect child victims? Are children more or less likely to divulge their abuse with a societal response such as this? These are questions that the researcher sought to answer within …


Development Of A Gel Assay For Analysis Of Bovine Milk Casein, Masa Miscevic Jan 2018

Development Of A Gel Assay For Analysis Of Bovine Milk Casein, Masa Miscevic

Honors Theses

The main purpose of this research was to develop a gel assay for analysis of casein samples for ultimate application for studies of in vitro models for stomach and intestinal processing of dairy products in adults and infants. It is proposed that casein completely dissolves and is digestible in simulated gastric, and is somewhat soluble and digestible in simulated intestinal environments of adults and infants. The following experimental methods were devised to thoroughly examine behavior and properties of casein originating from different sources in range of solvents and varying pH values. First, casein was enriched in comparison to soluble materials …


Effects Of Texting On Neck Muscle Activity And Neck Flexion In College Students., Matalgah Haneen Jan 2018

Effects Of Texting On Neck Muscle Activity And Neck Flexion In College Students., Matalgah Haneen

Honors Theses

College students are susceptible to tech neck, a possible musculoskeletal disorder producing neck strain due to texting. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether texting among college students produces any significant effects on the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles and neck flexion. To the best ofmy knowledge, no study in the literature has studies the effects of texting taking into consideration factors specific to college students, such as carrying a backpack and different environments (e.g. stairs, hallways). This justifies my primary aim of examining collegiate factors (i.e. backpack, environment) influence on neck muscle activity and flexion in students …


Cardiolipin Profiling In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Meghan Houston Mcneely Jan 2018

Cardiolipin Profiling In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Meghan Houston Mcneely

Honors Theses

Six human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, LM, BoM, T47D, MCF7, and MCF7-BoM) were treated with three differentially targeted phospholipase inhibitors (bromoenol lactone, tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate, and halopemide) as well as various dietary oils (canola oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and soybean oil). Cell viability assays were performed to examine the effects of each inhibitor and oil in varying concentrations on the proliferation of each breast cancer cell line. The goal was to detect changes in cardiolipin concentration within each cell line after exposure to a series of various phospholipase inhibitors and oils. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was …


Neurotoxicity Of Asimina Triloba, Myriam Sanders Jan 2018

Neurotoxicity Of Asimina Triloba, Myriam Sanders

Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be brought on by genetic and environmental factors including exposure to compounds and extracts found in plants. Many substances extracted from plants have been shown to induce cell death in neurons. This experiment tests different plant compounds to determine if they induce death in neurons in cell culture. In particular, we focused on extracts and compound from the Asimina Triloba plant- a plant that had anecdotally been connected with Parkinson's Disease-like effects. Cultured neurons were treated with increasing concentrations of the compounds and extracts. Twenty-four hours after treatment, viability was assessed. Results show that while …


Evaluation Of New Antimalarial Drug Combinations, Robert Tyrone Higginbotham Jan 2018

Evaluation Of New Antimalarial Drug Combinations, Robert Tyrone Higginbotham

Honors Theses

Malaria is a disease that has affected people throughout the world for centuries and is still responsible for over 200 million clinical cases per year. While a number of developed countries have eradicated the disease, its prevalence in tropical regions poses a significant global health challenge. The disease is caused by the Plasmodium genus, an obligate, intracellular parasite that is carried by the female Anopheles mosquito. While there are effective antimalarial drugs in clinical use, Plasmodium's resilient nature has allowed it to develop resistance to multiple drugs. This fact makes it imperative to seek out novel drugs to combat resistant …


The Construction And Characterization Of Vaccines Expressing The Pre-Membrane And Glycoprotein E Antigens Of The West Nile Virus, Ryan Johnson Jan 2018

The Construction And Characterization Of Vaccines Expressing The Pre-Membrane And Glycoprotein E Antigens Of The West Nile Virus, Ryan Johnson

Honors Theses

The West Nile Virus (WNV) is a positive polarity, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae. In this family, there are several globally relevant human pathogens including dengue fever virus (DENV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), yellow fever virus (YFV), the newly emerging Zika virus, and the West Nile Virus (WNV). WNV, like other Flaviviruses, is spread by an arthropod vector, and can cause West Nile fever and West Nile encephalitis and meningitis, and is now considered to be endemic in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. No vaccine is currently available to prevent WNV infection, …


Abortion Access And Child Maltreatment: A Cross-National Analysis, Alexandra Gersdorf Jan 2018

Abortion Access And Child Maltreatment: A Cross-National Analysis, Alexandra Gersdorf

Honors Theses

This thesis has examined the impact of restricted abortion access on different indicators of child maltreatment. Drawing from literature linking unwanted pregnancies to child maltreatment, I posited that given the proposed relationship between unintended pregnancies and child maltreatment, we should expect to see increased instances of maltreatment within countries that allow less of forbid women from accessing abortions. For this purpose, I created an index of abortion access to numerically rate a country's level of liberality or restrictiveness. Then, using data from 49 countries, this thesis examined the potential linkage across a variety of measures that indicate child maltreatment while …


Interculturality In Health: The Infant Mortality Rate Of Bolivia, Allen G. Crosthwait Jan 2018

Interculturality In Health: The Infant Mortality Rate Of Bolivia, Allen G. Crosthwait

Honors Theses

The Bolivian government implemented an intercultural reform in 2006 in an attempt to improve the quality of health for its indigenous citizens throughout the country. One of the biggest focuses thereof was to improve the infant mortality rate, as it has historically far surpassed the rates of other Latin American nations. Though superficial data presented by the government seem to suggest that the intercultural reform has been an unprecedented success, very little extensive research has been done on the topic. My work gauges the merits of the intercultural reform and assesses which areas particularly have been successful. To do so, …


An Analysis Of Commercial Oxidative Hair Dyes Using Raman Spectroscopy, Allyson Henke Jan 2018

An Analysis Of Commercial Oxidative Hair Dyes Using Raman Spectroscopy, Allyson Henke

Honors Theses

Here, we aim to further the potential use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in analyzing hair dyes for use in forensic investigations. Current methods include light microscopy and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). However, these techniques can be destructive to the hair samples, do not have high discriminatory power, and have had problems with giving inconclusive results. Raman spectroscopy, on the other hand, is a fast, simple technique with a high discriminatory power. Previous work has shown that SERS can be used for in-situ analyses that is not destructive to the sample. This previous work also demonstrated that SERS could definitively differentiate …


Heterobifunctional Linear Dendritic Block Co-Polymers (Ldbcs) As Multifunctional Carriers For Targeted Drug Delivery, William Rieger Jan 2018

Heterobifunctional Linear Dendritic Block Co-Polymers (Ldbcs) As Multifunctional Carriers For Targeted Drug Delivery, William Rieger

Honors Theses

Despite current research towards applications of polymeric drug delivery systems (DDSs) in biomedical research, significant limitations—specifically in synthetic accessibility, bio compatibility, and principles of molecular self-assembly—have been discerned. To address these drawbacks, we will investigate the synthesis and characterization of heterobifunctional linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs), which combine the advantageous properties of both linear and dendritic blocks to afford nanomaterials with superior mechanical properties. Our LDBC systems contain two differing functional constituents, namely a hydrophilic polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendron covalently linked to a hydrophobic polyester (polylactic acid, or PLA), and can self-assemble to form nanoparticles of various morphologies that serve as the …


Determination Of The Chromosomal Position Of Three Mutations Using Recombination Mapping In Drosophila Melanogaster, Zane Bryant Coleman Jan 2018

Determination Of The Chromosomal Position Of Three Mutations Using Recombination Mapping In Drosophila Melanogaster, Zane Bryant Coleman

Honors Theses

Genetic screens are performed in order to characterize genes and mutations, often relating to developmental processes. A previous genetic screen performed in Drosophila melanogaster found three mutations on the second chromosome affecting glial cell development: FF12, DD68, and D19. These mutations each disrupted the pattern and expression of reversed polarity (repo), a target gene of the glial fate master regulator, glial cells missing (gcm). Here, I use recombination mapping with phenotypically observable dominant markers to locate the genetic map position of each mutation. This method provides a rapid estimate of the mutations' locations that can then be tested against molecularly-defined …


Welcome To Europe? Consequences Of The Eu-Turkey Deal For Refugees Contained On Lesvos, Julia Endicott Jan 2018

Welcome To Europe? Consequences Of The Eu-Turkey Deal For Refugees Contained On Lesvos, Julia Endicott

Honors Theses

In 2015, the world experienced the greatest flow of migrations since World War II. During that year, more than one million people entered Europe, the majority of whom werefleeing civil war and political unrest in the countries of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Eritrea, aswell as many other places. The quantity of refugees was unprecedented and challenged theexisting borders of Europe. Some countries on the continent were willing to accept newcomers,while others acted to keep them out. One tactic developed by European Union (EU) policymakers to manage the migration flows was the EU-Turkey Deal, which was implemented onMarch 20, 2016. Under …


Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer With Statin Drugs And Coq10, Jacob Thrasher Jan 2018

Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer With Statin Drugs And Coq10, Jacob Thrasher

Honors Theses

Statin drugs are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol levels in patients, but recently statins have been under investigation as a potential anti-cancer drug. Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and subsequently inhibit the mevalonate pathway and cholesterol synthesis. Since cholesterol trafficking is vital in the growth and metastasis of cancer, statin drugs are being studied to explore their effects on cancer cells. CoQ10, one of the products from the mevalonate pathway, also has shown some potential anti-cancer properties, but its use to combat cancer is controversial. While some studies have shown that CoQ10 supplements can be synergistic with other cancer treatment …


Characterizing The Effects Of Stm And Ath1 Mutations On Floral Organ Development In Arabidopsis Thaliana, James Luke Leary Jan 2018

Characterizing The Effects Of Stm And Ath1 Mutations On Floral Organ Development In Arabidopsis Thaliana, James Luke Leary

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the function of SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) and ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA HOMEOBOX GENE1 (ATH1), two transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana that play a role in the molecular pathways that establish organ boundaries in flowers. Prior research has shownthat mutations in the STM and ATH1 genes cause defects in the boundaries formed between floral organs and the stem of the plant. My study was designed to investigate whether ATH1 and STM also control the boundaries found between adjacent floral organs. I predicted that stm ath1-3 double mutant flowers would display a significant number of stamen-stamen and …