Digital Commons Network^™

A Critical Analysis Of Infant Mortality In Kalamazoo County, Audrey Jensen

Honors Theses

The following is a review of the state of infant and fetal health in Kalamazoo County in the 21st century. Since infant health is a marker for the effectiveness of health care, this review will analyze the leading causes of infant mortality in Kalamazoo County. Statistical indicators show that Kalamazoo County falls below both state and national IMR averages. The leading causes of infant mortality in Kalamazoo are considered preventable infant deaths. Therefore, this review will make recommendations for the reduction of IMR through the improvement of preventative prenatal healthcare practices.

The Impact Of Prenatal Stress On The Development Of Limbic System Structures, Alyssa Murray

Honors Theses

Stress in early life is well documented as detrimental for the brain’s developmental trajectory, while prenatal stress is minimally explored. In the prenatal period, the placenta prevents much of the mother’s cortisol from reaching the fetus, but the fetus is still exposed to some maternal cortisol, and exposure increases with increasing stress. One neural structure particularly susceptible to stress is the hippocampus. The goal of this review is to address the role prenatal stress may play in damaging the hippocampus, a structure integral to learning and memory functions. Correlations between prenatal stress and a reduction in volume and function of …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Retinal Ganglion Cells By Specific Alpha 7 Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists And An Acetylcholineesterase Inhibitor, Sara Kaliszak

Honors Theses

In previous studies from this lab, an alpha7 nACh receptor was found to successfully modulate retinal ganglion cell neuroprotection against glutamate assault when bound to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or if an alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine agonist, such as PNU-282987 was used in in vitro models (Wehrwein et al., 2004; Iwamoto et al., 2013). These in vitro studies support the hypothesis that activation of alpha7 nicotinic ACh receptors triggers neuroprotection against loss of retinal ganglion cells normally induced by excessive glutamate insult. The results from these in vitro studies instigated an in vivo study in our lab using a rat glaucoma model. …

Parweb: A Front-End Interface For Cluster Computing., Jacob Potter

Honors Theses

The High Performance Computational Science Laboratory at Western Michigan University operates a cluster of systems for use by students, professors, and professional researchers. Currently users that want to access the cluster, known as “Thor”, require knowledge of the Unix/Linux command line. They also require knowledge of operating a piece of software known as TORQUE to correctly achieve results from the High Performance Computing Lab.

The Web User Interface Framework for High Performance Cluster Computing alleviates the need for intimate knowledge of a command line interface, and replaces the current interaction interface with a more user friendly and graphical oriented system. …

Blood Sacrifice: The Connection Between Roman Death Rituals And Christian Martyrdom, Angela Dawne Kennedy

Honors Theses

Scholars from a variety of disciplines have done some incredible work on the subject of martyrdom, but the story is far from complete, particularly in terms of how and why it was so similar to the Roman concept of public deaths. The primary sources include the surviving Christian martyrologies, Greco-Roman philosophical treatises, and Roman, Christian, and Jewish histories. Martyrdom itself was a tool of assimilation that somehow bridged the communities of the empire together. There is a huge body of information in a variety of genres that contribute to this project. But there exists a hole in the combined scholarship …

Structure’S Impact On Homiletic Rhetoric: A Case Study Of Melissa Scott’S Preaching, Erik S. Nelson

Honors Theses

Though the connection between the study of rhetorical processes and the practice of expository preaching is obvious, academic cooperation between the two fields is lacking. This case study presents an example of the harmony achievable between the disciplines through the production of constructive criticism, a process known to communication scholars as rhetorical analysis, for a sample of sermons given by Pastor Melissa Scott in recent years. Scott, whose preaching style is uniquely centered on translation-based exposition, represents the modern pastor whose skill and technique might be improved upon with the implementation of recent and emerging communication theory. Specifically, this study …

Nurse Knowledge Of Clostridium Difficile, Ashley E. Frosch

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of knowledge nurses have about Clostridium difficile. Seventy-five nurses participated in this study. A 25-question true/false survey was distributed via email to graduates of The University of Southern Mississippi. The survey consisted of a brief demographic section and 25 questions addressing Clostridium difficile knowledge. A total of 582 surveys were sent out with a total of 75 completed. Out of 25 questions in the survey, the majority of respondents (>50%) only answered 7 questions incorrectly. Overall, the nurses in this study possessed accurate knowledge about C. difficile; although, there …

America's Closet Door: An Investigation Of Television And Its Effects On Perceptions Of Homosexuality, Sara Moroni

Honors Theses

This study investigates the relationship between television and social perceptions. It uses the television shows Will&Grace, The L Word, Queer as Folk, and Modern Family for rhetorical analysis. Then, it uses the information gained from the analysis to hypothesize how and why these television shows both reflect and affect social perceptions of homosexuality.

U.S. And Spanish Newspapers And The Coverage Of The Land Campaign Of Cube In The Spanish-American War: June 7 - July 16, 1898, Tyler Wilson

Honors Theses

The Spanish-American War was a significant event in the history of the United States that initiated America’s imperialistic goals by spreading its economic and political influence in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and other overseas markets. In 1898, the U.S. saw its foreign and economic interests collide with Spain and its foreign policy in Cuba. This was an opportunity for the United States to expand and colonize areas of the world by challenging Spain and declaring itself as an emerging super power at the time.

The growth of journalism in the 1890s developed alongside America’s outward expansion by being the primary …

Correlating Periodontal Disease And Cardiovascular Disease: A Comparative Study Of Research Methodology, Alexandra Hensen

Honors Theses

This meta-analysis compares and contrasts three types of population-based research methodology currently used to analyze correlations between Periodontal disease and Cardiovascular disease, the most wide spread diseases in the Western industrialized world. The three studies that were analyzed in this thesis include: "Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Periodontal Disease, Tooth Loss, and Atherosclerosis," published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases (2013), this was a cross-sectional population-based study; "Periodontal Disease and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes" published in Diabetes Care (2005), this was a longitudinal population-based study; and "Identification of a Shared Genetic Susceptibility Locus for Coronary Heart …

The Effects Of Trauma On Brain Development In Infancy, Sasha Kellogg

Honors Theses

This thesis explains how trauma, which can be defined for this study as traumatic experiences, affects brain development in infants. For the purpose of this report, infants are defined as being fifteen months or younger. As gathered from the book and articles researched, typical infant brain development, including the eight processes of neurodevelopment and the four main parts of the brain, will be explained in this report, along with how the brain grows and matures. This thesis shows how maturation of the brain in infancy is dependent upon the bonds and connections infants form with others and explains how trauma …

Greek Life And God Attachment: The Interaction Of Sorority Influence And Religiosity On Women's Body Shame, Monica Burney

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the relationships between sorority women’s internalization of Greek thin ideals and body image, and dimensions of sorority women’s religiosity and body image. A combined relationship among sorority women’s internalization of Greek thin ideals, body image, and religiosity was also examined. Based on previous research it was expected that women’s internalization of Greek thin ideals would be associated with worse body image (in terms of body shame, body esteem, and drive for thinness) and that women’s religiosity (in terms of secure attachment to God) would be associated with better body image. Combinations of Greek thin ideal internalization …

Evolution Of The Morphology Of Bottom Walking Turtles, Victor David Munteanu

Honors Theses

Ecomorphology and functional morphology are two distinct disciplines within biology that are often conflated and erroneously used interchangeably. By investigating the morphological distinctiveness of bottom-walking turtles relative to aquatic swimmers and terrestrial walkers, we can disentangle the effects of ecology and performance. Shell morphology, tail length, digit length, webbing length, and integumental differences were examined using dry and wet preserved specimens. Bottom-walkers were hypothesized to be distinct in all measurements. Instead, bottom-walkers were typically distinct from terrestrial taxa but not aquatic taxa, although for integumentary structures, only bottom-walkers were found to have significantly more integumentary structures than terrestrial turtles. This …

Sexing The Male: Manifestations Of Masculinity In Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, And Villette, Emma Foye Quinn

Honors Theses

Abstract: This project considers Emily and Charlotte Brontë's constructions of masculinity in Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Villette. There is a vast proliferation of scholarship focusing on gender in the Victorian Era, but as much of this criticism focuses on women, the analysis of heterosexual masculinity in these novels provides a unique perspective on the complexities involved in gender constructions during this period. Masculine identity was in a transitory state in the early nineteenth century, as Romantic values were replaced by Victorian conceptions of masculinity, largely influencing the expectations of men. This paper argues that based on an understanding of …

Trends In The Association Between Socioeconomic Status And Obesity In U.S. Adults: 2002-2012, Amanda Elaine Ayers

Honors Theses

Since the 1980s, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled to over 30 percent of the adult population (Thorpe, 2004). Obesity is a key contributing factor to continually rising national healthcare costs. Addressing its negative implications is essential not only from a cost perspective, but also for the betterment of our nation¿s general health and wellbeing. Obesity is reportedly associated with a 35% increase in inpatient and outpatient spending, as well as a 77% increase in related necessary medications (Sturm, 2002). Obesity, which some have argued should be classified as a disease in itself, has roughly the same association …

Evaluation Of The Design Of Komendant's Cycloidal, Thin Shell Roofs At The Kimbell Art Museum Using Finite Element Analysis, Mikhail Osanov

Honors Theses

The analysis of Komendant's design of the Kimbell Art Museum was carried out in order to determine the effectiveness of the ring beams, edge beams and prestressing in the shells of the roof system. Finite element analysis was not available to Komendant or other engineers of the time to aid them in the design and analysis. Thus, the use of this tool helped to form a new perspective on the Kimbell Art Museum and analyze the engineer's work. In order to carry out the finite element analysis of Kimbell Art Museum, ADINA finite element analysis software was utilized. Eight finite …

Relationship Repair After Infidelity: Looking At Other Perspectives, Cherra Mina Mathis

Honors Theses

Prior research examining relationship repair after infidelity scenarios tends to focus primarily on heterosexual relationships, and often does not take into consideration the nuance between emotional and sexual infidelity, which, according to evolutionary psychology theories, tends to be salient to individuals based on their reproductive challenges. This research intended to rectify that dearth, hypothesizing that non-heterosexual participants would be more likely to repair a relationship where a partner has committed sexual infidelity than they would be to repair a relationship where a partner has committed an emotional infidelity. As well, based on prior research, there were expectations for sex differences …

Nicotine And What Else?: Hplc Elution Optimization For The Analysis Of Alkaloids Found In Electronic Cigarettes, Jessica L. Murray

Honors Theses

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have been scrutinized by the Food and Drug Administration and other public health organizations for issues related to quality control and efficacy. Erratic nicotine delivery and numerous toxic compounds in refill solutions have been reported. The ultimate goal of this research is to add to the growing amount of knowledge regarding e-cigarette ingredient content, safety, and quality. Standards of the tobacco alkaloids nicotine, anabasine, cotinine, and myosmine were prepared and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Various elution schemes were tested and adjusted for optimal analyte resolution, and a final elution scheme was developed to …

The Use Of A Small Molecule To Improve The Thermostability Of Dna Junctions, Arik Shams

Honors Theses

The short-term goal of this research project is to employ small molecules as a means to stabilize four-way DNA junctions (4WJs) composed of natural DNA and chimeric nucleic acids. The long-term goal of the project is utilizing the 4WJs as extracellular therapeutic inhibitors of DNA binding proteins [i.e. Histones and High Mobility Group Protein B (HMGB1b)]. A number of studies have shown that classical intracellular DNA-binding proteins have a variety of deleterious side-effects when present in the extracellular milieu. In order to develop a successful 4WJ therapeutic, we are focused on using modified nucleic acids to enhance the stability of …

Study Of The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene Ms95 In Dna Repair In The Pathogenic, Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Erin M. Smith

Honors Theses

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent of the respiratory infection Histoplasmosis that is mediated by a shift from the mold phase to the pathogenic yeast phase. Genes have been identified that are specific to the mold or yeast phase in order to study the molecular biology of this shift. MS95 was identified in a subtractive cDNA library that was enriched for mold-specific genes, and has been found to be homologous to the DNA damage-responsive gene DDR48, which functions in DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to elucidate the function of MS95, a …

Regulation Of Gene Expression In Karenia Brevis, Skylar C. Rodgers

Honors Theses

Karenia brevis is species of dinoflagellate responsible for most of the harmful algal blooms that occur in the Gulf of Mexico. These blooms can be detrimental to the environment and the economy of a coastal region due to the brevetoxins produced by Karenia brevis. Currently, the cause of these blooms, as well as the mechanisms of associated toxin production, are unknown. Efforts to characterize Karenia brevis at a molecular level are ongoing. However, based on genomic findings, researchers have hypothesized that regulation of gene expression occurs post-transcriptionally. In many organisms, non-coding RNAs, such as natural antisense transcripts (NATs), play …

Examining The Relationship Between Parental Overprotection, Use Of Assistive Technology, And Independence With Routines Among Children With Physical Disabilities, Kelsey I. Shinnick

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between parental overprotection/overindulgence, assistive technology utilization, and independence with routines among children with physical disabilities. Participants included 26 primary caregivers of children with physical disabilities age 6 to 12 (M = 8.65, SD = 2.00). Data regarding demographic information, parenting practices, the child’s gross motor functioning, assistive technology (AT) use, independence with routines, and frequency of routines were obtained from the primary caregiver via an online survey. While no significant relationships between the variables of interest were observed after controlling for the child’s age, gross motor functioning, and …

The Orphan Train Adventures Series: The Kelly Siblings’ Trek To Responsibility, Ashten T. Redell

Honors Theses

The Orphan Train Adventures, a series of historical novels by Joan Lowery Nixon (1927-2003), is concerned with the responsibility exercised by its child characters during the antebellum and Civil War periods. This thesis examines how Nixon, by illustrating the positive effects of responsibility through her child characters, suggests the value of cultivating responsibility in children of the contemporary period. Nixon’s use of the mid-nineteenth-century setting and the rearing practices associated with this time allows her to demonstrate positive acts of responsibility in her main characters—six siblings sent west from New York City on …

Subcloning And Expression Of Complexin Isoforms Involved In Mast Cell Degranulation, Cameron Blake King

Honors Theses

Mast cells play an important role in the immune system by releasing chemicals such as chemokines and cytokines once they are stimulated. These products are released after stimulation by a process called mast cell degranulation. Mast cell degranulation is accomplished when vesicles containing the chemicals inside the mast cell fuse with the mast cell membrane via SNARE-mediated (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptors) membrane fusion. This family of proteins consists of syntaxin, SNAP 25-like protein, and synaptobrevin/VAMP (Vesicle Associated Membrane Protein)(2). Comlexin isoforms (complexin 1,2,3,and 4) have been known to regulate this system in a fashion that is still unclear. In …

Lgbt Parents On American Television, Heather Kahn

Honors Theses

Television is an ever changing medium used in mass communication, and people often rely on this medium for knowledge about different subjects. This study demonstrates how television depictions of marginalized groups can change over time. Focusing specifically on a subset of the LGBT community – parents – this study documents the evolution of LGBT parents on American television. A total of 14 television shows were selected for a qualitative analysis. The parents depicted in these shows were analyzed according to gender, race, class and sexuality. The results were then summarized and put into historical context. This study contributes to the …

‘My Freedom Is A Privilege Which Nothing Else Can Equal’: The Life And Writings Of Venture Smith And Phillis Wheatley, American Slaves, Donald Holmes Ii

Honors Theses

Slavery in the United States was an evolving institution that lasted nearly 400 years. To understand the colonial era of slavery within the United States, I examine the life and times of Venture Smith, as documented in his autobiography, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa (1798), and that of Phillis Wheatley using The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley (1988). Both Smith and Wheatley were African-born slaves brought to America during the eighteenth century. In Smith’s narrative, he concludes by proclaiming “my freedom is a privilege which nothing else can equal” (31). This statement …

Investigating The Co-Regulatory Role Of Midline And Extramacrochaetae In Regulating Eye Development And Vision In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lillian M. Forstall

Honors Theses

The Honors thesis research focused on the roles of extramacrochaetae and midline in regulating eye development and the vision of Drosophila melanogaster. It is known from previous studies that extramacrochaetae (emc) and midline (mid) independently regulate the formation of ommatidial units in the Drosophila compound eye. However, the thesis focuses on the interaction of these two genes and their co-dependent roles in regulating eye development. This study also attempts to explain the recovered formation of ommatidial units and interommatidial bristles when the expression of both of these genes is reduced and whether flies doubly mutant …

Cloning, Expression And Interaction Studies Of The Potential Rubisco Activase Cbbq, Salma A. Dawoud

Honors Theses

Carboxysomes are polyhedral microcompartments found in all cyanobacteria and in many chemoautotrophs. Within their shell they contain the enzyme ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO), which fixes CO₂. Downstream of the carboxysome operon there is another gene cluster containing several genes that may enhance carboxysome function. Two of these genes, cbbQ and cbbO, encode potential RubisCO activases. Using recombinant CbbQ and CbbO protein, and RubisCO isolated from carboxysomes the interaction between these proteins was studied. The CbbO and CbbQ proteins were both His tagged, allowing them to be purified with Ni²⁺-NTA column chromatography. Each of these tagged …

Solving The Obesity Problem One Bite At A Time: A Review Of Interventions, Sally Catherine Davis

Honors Theses

Resource limitations contribute to obesity in southern rural populations. An examination of published research provides evidence related to factors that lead to obesity and to related health consequences. Resource limitations in southern rural areas include a lack of access to healthy foods, a lack of safe areas to exercise or fitness equipment, and a lack of funding to promote the hiring of adequate numbers of healthcare workers to implement prevention programs and treat obesity related diseases. An investigation of obesity rates in Mississippi and Louisiana demonstrate that high rates of obesity exist. Through an exploration of published interventions in both …

A Look Into Informal Science Education And Students With Individual Education Plans, Ashleigh M. Davis

Honors Theses

Informal science education is a field of study that is becoming increasingly popular and important in the world of science, especially regarding elementary students. It is important to understand how students with learning disabilities and individual education plans react to informal learning experiences. This case study seeks to reveal the experiences of two students with an individual educational plan due to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when participating in an informal nature hike associated with the Over, Under, and Through: Students Informally Discover the Environment (OUTSIDE) program. The two students demonstrated increased attention and interest in science during and …