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Honors Theses

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Elevated Corticosterone Levels Decrease Vocal Attractiveness And Elicit Non-Calling Mating Tactics In Male Green Tree Frogs, Hyla Cinerea, Hannah Burroff Jan 2016

Elevated Corticosterone Levels Decrease Vocal Attractiveness And Elicit Non-Calling Mating Tactics In Male Green Tree Frogs, Hyla Cinerea, Hannah Burroff

Honors Theses

Condition-dependent male alternative tactics are often driven by competition among males for females. The expression of alternative male mating tactics can be influenced by the external social environment as well as internal physiological state. Recent models predict that circulating levels of stress hormones (i.e., glucocorticoids) and androgens may be particularly important in determining mating tactic expression under varying social circumstances. This study intergrates both components to investigate the cause of alternative tactic adoption in male green tree frogs, Hyla cinerea. Males of this species produce acoustic signals that are critical for attracting females and male vocalizations stimulate production of the …


Practical Faith: How Southern Black Women And White Women Used Their Faith In Pursuit Of Equality, Holly Baer Jan 2016

Practical Faith: How Southern Black Women And White Women Used Their Faith In Pursuit Of Equality, Holly Baer

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how Southern black and white women used their Christian faith in the pursuit of racial and gender equality, showing how feminist theory and religious doctrine function in reality and everyday practice. The first chapter looks at upper and middle class white women's experiences from the Antebellum period through the early twentieth century, and shows how they used their faith to gain autonomy by manipulating common religious beliefs of the time. The second chapter examines black women's experiences, primarily during the Civil Rights Era, and shows that black women had to approach equality as vocal activists, rather than …


Biological Activity Of Garcinia Kola On Hepatitis C, Madeline Dwyer Jan 2016

Biological Activity Of Garcinia Kola On Hepatitis C, Madeline Dwyer

Honors Theses

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). According to the World Health Organization, hepatitis C infections affect between 130-150 million people worldwide. It is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 500,000 people die from hepatitis C infections or related complications each year. Although new treatments are 90% effective at curing chronic hepatitis C infections, they cost tens of thousands of dollars. Available treatments are incredibly cost prohibitive, especially considering that the regions most affected by hepatitis C are Africa and central and eastern Asia (Hepatitis C). This creates a …


An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptors And The Endocannabinoid System, Jenn Miller Jan 2016

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptors And The Endocannabinoid System, Jenn Miller

Honors Theses

Within the past two decades, sigma receptors have become a popular area for research. Although much has been learned about their structure, subtypes, and functions; there is still much to be learned. Consisting of two receptor subtypes (sigma-1 and sigma-2), it has been discovered that sigma receptor ligands potentiate the analgesic effects of both opiates and cannabinoids, though the exact mechanism and sigma subtype on which this occurs is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine if potentiation of opiates and cannabinoids occurs through sigma-1 or sigma-2 receptor signaling. Tetrad assays were performed for: 1. Morphine, an …


An Examination Of The College Major Decisions Of Students At The University Of Mississippi, Jonathan P. Evans Jan 2016

An Examination Of The College Major Decisions Of Students At The University Of Mississippi, Jonathan P. Evans

Honors Theses

Factors such as socio-economic status affect students' level of educational aspiration. Furthermore, major (and thus career choice) may be influenced by race or gender. This study demonstrates the effects of academic aptitude, race, gender, first generation status, and importance of expected future earnings on undergraduate students' college major decision. More specifically, this study examines if these factors lead to an increase or decrease in the probability of students choosing a major in a specific field. The likelihood of choosing a major in a specific field is relative a baseline category, which can be changed.


Christian Faith And Evolution: One Person's Journey In Science And In Faith, Logan Wilson Jan 2016

Christian Faith And Evolution: One Person's Journey In Science And In Faith, Logan Wilson

Honors Theses

Evolution has always proved to be controversial to many people of faith, but it has been specifically problematic to many Christians including myself. This thesis explores the history and substance of the controversy between different expressions of Christianity and evolution by providing a relatable rendition of the theory of evolution. It breaks down the contributions of Charles Darwin and explains them in a manner than can be understood by a non-biologist. It also explores the stances of certain authors such as Richard Dawkins and Michael Ruse on the matter. This thesis is an independent study comprised of input from articles, …


Indolizine-Squaraine Nir Emissive Materials, Tana A. Rill Jan 2016

Indolizine-Squaraine Nir Emissive Materials, Tana A. Rill

Honors Theses

Near-infrared (NIR) emissive organic materials are an emerging area of study with an array of applications for both military and civilian purposes including night vision technologies, secure communications, surveillance, homing, fluoresence imaging, secure displays as NIR OLED materials, heat-blocking coatings, in vivo fluoresence biological imagaing, and additional optoelectronics device applications. We have developed a series of organic NIR emissive materials based on an indolizine donor and squaraine acceptor. The novel-to-squaraine donor, indolizine, exhibits a remarkable increase in absorption maximum wavelength when compared with benchmark indoline-based squaraine dyes (700 nm vs. 625 nm) with molar absorptivities ranging from 100,000-262,000 M-1cm-1. Emission …


Females Influence Brain Evolution: Dance Complexity Related To Volume Of A Sensorimotor Region In Manakins, Wilson Helmhout Jan 2016

Females Influence Brain Evolution: Dance Complexity Related To Volume Of A Sensorimotor Region In Manakins, Wilson Helmhout

Honors Theses

Manakins are a family of birds the males of which use acrobatic, non-vocal display behaviors to attract females to mate. Across the manakin family (Pipridae), species perform displays of varying complexities with variation in the number and type of display sites, acrobatics, and number of mechanical sounds. Females of at least one species, select males on the basis of 10s of ms differences in performance of certain male display elements suggesting strong sexually selection. Additionally, recent studies show a positive relationship between display complexity and relative brain weight in manakins. This overall association of complexity with brain weight could be …


Study Of An Active-State Cb1 Receptor Model And Jwh Compound Interactions To Predict New Emerging Synthetic Cannabinoids, Kelsey Leigh Pettus Jan 2016

Study Of An Active-State Cb1 Receptor Model And Jwh Compound Interactions To Predict New Emerging Synthetic Cannabinoids, Kelsey Leigh Pettus

Honors Theses

In recent years, a new class of compounds, called synthetic cannabinoids, have made their appearance in the market as a substitute for illegal marijuana or its constituent natural cannabinoids. These compounds, which are active at the same G- protein coupled receptors (GPCRS) as cannabinoids, are continuing to gain popularity because of the same cannabinoid-like effects they create. Though two cannabinoid receptors have been identified in humans, known as CB1 and CB2, synthetic cannabinoid activity at the CB1 receptor has been the focus of much research regarding synthetic cannabinoid ligand binding. In this study, the structure of the CB1 receptor is …


Someday My Prince Will Come: How Are Gender Roles Enabled And Constrained In Disney Music, During Classic Disney, The Disney Renaissance, And Modern Disney?, Lauren Hughes Jan 2016

Someday My Prince Will Come: How Are Gender Roles Enabled And Constrained In Disney Music, During Classic Disney, The Disney Renaissance, And Modern Disney?, Lauren Hughes

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to study how Disney has promoted gender roles through its music over three different Disney eras: Classic, Renaissance, and Modern Disney. While Disney movies have been criticized in the past for having characters with unattainable bodies and unrealistic views on love and life, the role that Disney music plays in promoting gender roles has not been as thoroughly researched or as widely criticized. With the immensity that children learn and are surrounded by Disney music, it is imperative that the message that the children take in is a healthy one. Through the analysis of …


Courtship Lateralization And Its Effect On Mating Success Of Male Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo), Mara E. Vernier Jan 2016

Courtship Lateralization And Its Effect On Mating Success Of Male Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo), Mara E. Vernier

Honors Theses

Lateralization results from unequal processing of tasks in the different hemispheres of the brain. While lateralization is a widely researched topic of study, little is known about the effects of sexual selection on lateralization. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is lateralization of male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) courtship and whether the presence of lateralization is associated with male mating success. Male behavioral data were collected from video recordings of courtship made by Dr. Richard Buchholz during a previous mating study. Males were categorized as either successful or unsuccessful males based on how often they were …


Gender Rules: Differences In Male And Female First-Year Undergraduate Adherence To Campus Alcohol Policy, Ashley Maiolatesi Jan 2016

Gender Rules: Differences In Male And Female First-Year Undergraduate Adherence To Campus Alcohol Policy, Ashley Maiolatesi

Honors Theses

Although differences in both men's and women's risk-taking and alcohol consumption have been respectively examined in previous research, the relationship between the two has not been thoroughly documented. While there have been studies on differences between male and female drinking habits, including those on amount and frequency of consumption, as well as studies documenting how women felt about both risk-taking and gender differences in morality, these factors are rarely, if ever, expressly linked. The current study aims to test past research regarding women's traditional hesitation towards engaging in risky behavior and rebelling against policy through the study of behavioral outcomes …


The Effects Of Tillage, Glyphosate, And Genetic Modification On Bacterial Root Endophyte Composition In Zea Mays, Breena Lori Nolan Jan 2016

The Effects Of Tillage, Glyphosate, And Genetic Modification On Bacterial Root Endophyte Composition In Zea Mays, Breena Lori Nolan

Honors Theses

The community structure of the endophytic bacteria in Zea mays roots was examined for the potential effects of glyphosate application, tillage strategies, and whether or not the corn plant in question was of an organic or glyphosate-resistant variety. Roots were harvested from plots designated to receive their specific treatments at the USDA-ARS Crop Production Systems Research Unit Farm. Vortexing, sonication, and tissue grinding, extraction, and next generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes from these roots were used to describe their bacterial community composition. Results indicated significant differences in the bacterial communities correlated to tillage practice or corn type, whereas glyphosate …


Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Comparison Of Three Different Plants And Their Processes, Facilities, And Challenges They Face, Jon Abigail Mcdonald Jan 2016

Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Comparison Of Three Different Plants And Their Processes, Facilities, And Challenges They Face, Jon Abigail Mcdonald

Honors Theses

This study compared methods of wastewater treatment, and the conditions that they must be able to accommodate. To address this issue I visited wastewater treatment plants in three locations: Clarksdale, MS; University of Mississippi; and Oxford, MS. Additionally, I examined the chemistry and microbiology of the water in their respective receiving streams. I hypothesized that the wastewater plant with the most modern facilities and resources available would have the least effect on the water quality of its receiving stream. At each plant I learned what chemicals, equipment, and other methods are used, as well as unique challenges their treatment systems …


The Role Of Pharmacists In Prenatal Healthcare Concerning Obesity, Hypertension, And Diabetes, Madeline Ott Jan 2016

The Role Of Pharmacists In Prenatal Healthcare Concerning Obesity, Hypertension, And Diabetes, Madeline Ott

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of pharmacists in prenatal health care for women with chronic diseases. This study consists of a systematic review of Medline and Academic Search Premier listed articles concerning pregnant women and obesity, hypertension, or diabetes and pharmacy, focusing special attention on 40 articles. The second part of the study consisted of pharmacist interviews with thirteen pharmacists on how they view the current role of pharmacists in caring for pregnant women who are obese, hypertensive, and diabetic. The literature review suggested that chronic diseases can have a detrimental effect on children, and that there were many gaps …


G-Quadruplex Mediated Splicing Of P53 Mrna, Melissa Holy Jan 2016

G-Quadruplex Mediated Splicing Of P53 Mrna, Melissa Holy

Honors Theses

The protein p53 is a master regulator of the cell cycle and its mutation/inactivation is associated with over 50% of cancer cases. Mutations in p53 are associated with worse survival rates, resistance to therapies, and other risk factors in breast cancer specifically. p53 is encoded by the TP53 gene and is expressed as several transcripts. In the G-rich portion of intron 3, secondary DNA structures known as G-quadruplexes are able to form. The stabilization of these G-quadruplexes leads to correct splicing of intron 2, thus making a functional p53 protein. A known quadruplex-stabilizing compound (TMPyP4) was tested to determine its …


Optimizing Rna Extraction From Fungal-Algal Tissues For Transcriptomic Gene Expression Analysis, Michael J. Hohl Jan 2016

Optimizing Rna Extraction From Fungal-Algal Tissues For Transcriptomic Gene Expression Analysis, Michael J. Hohl

Honors Theses

Extracting high-quality RNA is critical for downstream applications such a qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq based transcriptomics. Single-stranded RNA is readily susceptible to degradation by environmental RNases, necessitating rapid and sterile homogenization techniques; freezing at -80°C, lysis buffer addition, and short bursts of beadbeating have been shown to increase yields and quality of extracted RNA. Utilizing fungal-algal tissues from the model symbiosis between the filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, three different commercial homogenizers and six RNA extractions kits were assessed and an optimized extraction protocol for total RNA from fungal-algal tissues was determined. Using the protocol designed …


The Effects Of Genistein, Thymoquinone, Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate,5-Fluorouracil, And Low Level Laser Therapy On Fadu Hypopharyngeal And Laryngeal Carcinoma Cells, Osasu Adah Jan 2016

The Effects Of Genistein, Thymoquinone, Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate,5-Fluorouracil, And Low Level Laser Therapy On Fadu Hypopharyngeal And Laryngeal Carcinoma Cells, Osasu Adah

Honors Theses

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma are two types of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The location of the tumor makes it hard to detect without complex tests. Overall, these types of cancer are not common, and there are no simple screening tests for such cancers. Due to this issue, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma are usually diagnosed when signs and symptoms occur, such as sore throat, trouble swallowing, and constant coughing. With the use of FaDu, a head and neck cancer cell line of the hypopharyngeal origin, experimentation can be performed in order to initiate possible treatments. The standard treatments for …


The Effects Of Eating Disorders And Menstrual Irregularity On Bone Mineral Density In Sorority Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Rachel Robertson Jan 2016

The Effects Of Eating Disorders And Menstrual Irregularity On Bone Mineral Density In Sorority Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Rachel Robertson

Honors Theses

Past research has reported bone loss among women diagnosed with eating disorders as a direct result of estrogen imbalance (Cobb et al., 2003; Gibson et al., 1999; Kim et al., 2012; Zuckerman-Levin et al., 2014). Menstrual irregularity may result from estrogen imbalance, which is characteristic of an eating disorder and ultimately causes bone loss. Past studies have focused on this three-way relationship between eating disorders, menstrual irregularity, and bone mineral density (BMD) specifically in female athletes (Cobb et al., 2003; Gibson, Mitchell, Reeve, & Harries, 1999) but rarely in recreationally trained or sedentary females. Previous research has also focused on …


Vegetation Effects On Rhizosphere Microbial Communities In Coastal Wetlands Of South Mississippi, Sean Woo Kang Jan 2016

Vegetation Effects On Rhizosphere Microbial Communities In Coastal Wetlands Of South Mississippi, Sean Woo Kang

Honors Theses

The Mississippi vegetated coastal wetlands consist of many salt and brackish marshes. In those marshes, there are two plant species Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus that thrive in those environments. This would not be possible without the benefits of microbial communities that live in the portion of the plant's soil called the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere is crucial for plant nutrition, health, and quality. It supports the biomass and activity of microorganisms for carbon sequestration, ecosystem functioning, and nutrient cycling in natural ecosystems. To investigate the vegetation effects on rhizosphere microbial communities in coastal wetlands, plant samples and their rhizosphere soils …


The Effects Of Parental Involvement On K-12 Education, Vivian Paris Jan 2016

The Effects Of Parental Involvement On K-12 Education, Vivian Paris

Honors Theses

Recent research on levels of parental involvement uses advanced statistical techniques to describe the scope and scale of involvement and to determine its unique impact on student achievement. The present thesis looks into the unique impacts parental involvement has on k-12 student's academic performance. This thesis will review the positive relationship between parental involvement and pupils' academic achievements and that parental involvement is ultimately low. Ways to increase parental involvement in a pupil's education have been the effort of many establishments. Whether it is a government program or a local born idea, programs are in existence that have been successful …


The Effects Of Thc On Attentional Bias To Emotional Stimuli, Sydney N. Haberberger Dec 2015

The Effects Of Thc On Attentional Bias To Emotional Stimuli, Sydney N. Haberberger

Honors Theses

The current study tested the hypothesis that the effects of THC on affect are mediated by the ability of THC to alter attentional bias to positive and negative stimuli. The study was completed by 16 participants, all of whom were consistent marijuana users. During sessions, participants used a machine called a Quantified Smoke Delivery System, which delivers a controlled amount of smoke to the user, to smoke either a cigarette that contained THC or a placebo cigarette. After smoking, participants would complete a task. During tasks, participants were placed in an eye tracking apparatus in order to record the movement …


Finding Optimal Brain Mappings Using Integer Linear Programming Solvers And Other Methods, Heriberto Flores Dec 2015

Finding Optimal Brain Mappings Using Integer Linear Programming Solvers And Other Methods, Heriberto Flores

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Collective Prey Capture By Juvenile Venus Flytraps (Dionaea Muscipula), Steven Rosen Dec 2015

Collective Prey Capture By Juvenile Venus Flytraps (Dionaea Muscipula), Steven Rosen

Honors Theses

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), first described by Charles Darwin, is a unique carnivorous plant which acquires prey using leaf blades modified into snap-traps. A recent study showed that prey capture by flytraps was not selective. With this study we examined prey capture rates further by analyzing D. muscipula traps less than 1 em in length to determine if juvenile flytraps differ from adults. Similar to the earlier findings, trap size appeared to play no role in prey capture success. This was likely due to the fact that 88% of all prey items recovered were smaller than the smallest collected …


Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study Of Mikey, Gabrielle Lober Dec 2015

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study Of Mikey, Gabrielle Lober

Honors Theses

This paper describes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) including diagnostic criteria, suspected causes, prevalence, comorbidities, and influences on client factors. A hypothetical case study is presented to give readers an illustration of what someone with ASD might look like. Possible treatment based on evidence and selected frame of references will be given for the hypothetical client. This paper is not all inclusive of the role of occupational therapy in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but gives an illustrative example.


Is The Zebrafish Zombie Mutant Caused By A Mutation In Cdc20?, Peyton Johnston Dec 2015

Is The Zebrafish Zombie Mutant Caused By A Mutation In Cdc20?, Peyton Johnston

Honors Theses

The zombie mutant was identified as an early arrest mutant, stopping in development around the 10-somite stage (14 hours of development). Further inspection revealed that this mutant was a cell cycle mutant and cells in the mutant arrest during metaphase as early as the 5-somite stage (11.6 hours of development). A similar phenotype is seen in the Drosophila melanogaster cell cycle gene fizzy, known to be to be a homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene, cell division cycle 20 (cdc20). CDC20 is an activator protein of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an ubiquitin E3 ligase that is …


Recommendations For The Development Of New Hospital Guidelines Due To The Effects Of Antibiotics On Clostridium Difficile Colitis, Megan Kohsel Dec 2015

Recommendations For The Development Of New Hospital Guidelines Due To The Effects Of Antibiotics On Clostridium Difficile Colitis, Megan Kohsel

Honors Theses

Clostridium difficile colitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the colon and diarrhea. This can even lead to death in some cases. The incidence of this infection and its overall effects have been on the rise throughout the last twenty years as antibiotics have been prescribed more frequently. Therefore, it is necessary that the rate of C. difficile infection is lowered by improved guidelines for hospitals, so that fewer people are infected and also that fewer antibiotics are prescribed to avoid the infection with C. difficle.



Experiential Avoidance Post-Trauma: Investigating Predictors Of Traumatic Stress And Problematic Behavior., Elise Trim Dec 2015

Experiential Avoidance Post-Trauma: Investigating Predictors Of Traumatic Stress And Problematic Behavior., Elise Trim

Honors Theses

Experiential avoidance (EA) is the unwillingness to remain in contact with distressing thoughts, feelings, memories, and other private experiences (Hayes et al., 2004; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999). Although the use of EA may lead to immediate reductions in distress, prolonged use can result in problem behaviors such as substance misuse (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, Follette, & Strosahl, 1996). Although a strong temporal relationship has yet to be established, findings suggest a possibility that EA could be a mechanism by which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are developed and maintained (Krause, Mendelson, & Lynch, 2003; Rosenthal, Polusny, & Follette, 2006; Dvorak, …


Exploration Of The Range Overlap Between Cynomys Leucurus And Cynomys Ludovicianus, Kenneth D. Choi Dec 2015

Exploration Of The Range Overlap Between Cynomys Leucurus And Cynomys Ludovicianus, Kenneth D. Choi

Honors Theses

The ranges of two species of prairie dogs, Cynomys leucurus and Cynomys ludovicianus, overlap in a narrow area in the western Great Plains in Wyoming. We used GIS software to map their distributions and infer land cover preferences within and on either side of the zone of overlap. In general, both species used habitats in proportion to their availability and did not display strong selection of their expected vegetation types (based on the literature). However, both species of prairie dogs were overrepresented in areas of human settlements and crops, which may indicate that these species prefer human-modified habitats, or perhaps …


L3 Auditory Interneuron Responses To Dual-Frequency Calling Songs In Female Crickets (Acheta Domesticus), Jeong Bin Lee Dec 2015

L3 Auditory Interneuron Responses To Dual-Frequency Calling Songs In Female Crickets (Acheta Domesticus), Jeong Bin Lee

Honors Theses

Female crickets exhibit positive phonotaxis in response to calling songs with specific carrier frequencies (4-5 kHz), syllable periods (SP; 50-70ms), and other parameters. Among a number of ascending prothoracic auditory neurons identified, only L3 has been proposed to be involved in SP selective phonotaxis. L3 responds with selective decrement to 5 kHz stimulus with attractive SPs. Furthermore, L3 is highly tuned to 16 kHz auditory stimulus, which has been correlated with aversive phonotactic behaviors. L3’s cellular responses to simultaneous 16 kHz and 5 kHz stimuli were examined through extracellular recording, thereby further establishing the connection between L3’s selective decrement and …