Digital Commons Network^™

Outlining The Biocidal Mechanisms Of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics, Tyler D. Brown

Honors Theses

Each day, antibiotic resistance affects the livelihood of individuals worldwide, especially in relation to hospital-acquired diseases. In an effort to combat this resistance, antimicrobial peptides, small biopolymers produced naturally by multicellular organisms, can be used to selectively eliminate bacteria and have demonstrated great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Many naturally-occurring antimicrobial peptides possess high concentrations of lysine and arginine amino acid residues, which are protonated and positively-charged at physiological pH. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of antimicrobial peptide mimics, using amino acid mimics. N-3-aminopropyl methacrylamide (APMA) and 3-guanidinopropyl methacrylamide (GPMA) monomers mimic the amino acid residues lysine …

Differences In Consumption Rates Between Juvenile And Adult Laccophilus Fasciatus Rufus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) On Larval Culex Quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae), Carmen E. Bofill

Honors Theses

With the increase of global temperature and human populations, prevalence of vector-borne diseases is becoming an issue for public health. Over the years these vectors have been notorious for developing resistance to human regulated insecticides. Thus, other forms of control, including the use of natural predators, have become an important topic in research. Research on member of the family of predaceous diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and their predatory ability to decrease aquatic mosquito larvae populations has been of recent interest. The purpose of this study is to 1) quantify consumption rates of the dytiscid Laccophilus fasciatus rufus juvenile and adults on …

Choice And Control Of Enrichment For A Rescued And Rehabilitated Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Trunactus), Hannah Bahe

Honors Theses

Animals living under human care experience stress related to a lack of control over t environment. One way to remedy this is through the use of cognitive enrichment, su choice and control of enrichment. This type of enrichment has been shown to have benefits for animals under human care including increased activity and social interactions. To determine if choice and control was more beneficial than enrichmen alone, a three year old male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was ex to novel enrichment items in two experimental conditions. For the first condition, th animal was given a novel object. During the …

“No On 26” And @Ms4healthyfams: A Study Of Excellence Theory Public Relations In The Magnolia State, Karelia L. Schmitz

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to better understand how public relations campaigns that are designed to influence public policy can incorporate principles from James E. Grunig’s Excellence Theory to improve campaign effectiveness and relevance. In this case study of the Mississippians for Healthy Families campaign in opposition to Mississippi Proposition 26, social media distributed was viewed to analyze its content messages and practices. The study’s research question was designed to understand communication methods used by Mississippians for Healthy Families through the “No on 26” campaign, and the question was examined through a content analysis of materials collected from MS4HealthyFamilies …

Carbon And Nitrogen Analysis To Determine Competitive Outcome For Three Species Of Container Mosquitoes, John Lloyd Martin

Honors Theses

It is well documented that intense larval competition exists between species of container mosquitoes. Two of the main genera of mosquitoes found to inhabit containers are Aedes and Culex. This study sought to determine the effects that different detritus treatments and larva ratios would have on carbon and nitrogen content, mass, and survival of larvae of various species. The species used in this experiment were Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. I hypothesized that Ae. albopictus would be more efficient in acquiring nitrogen then the competitor species Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Thus, I expected Ae. albopictus to …

Deconstructing The Body: The Exploration Of The Human Mind Through Symbols, Cassandra M. Knudsen

Honors Theses

The writing of fiction is one of the most popular and enjoyable modes of self-expression; not only does it give the writer the freedom to indulge her imagination, but also allows her a particular insight into her own patterns of thought. This form of introspection is especially important to the symbolist, who hopes to convey psychological human truths through the use of symbols. Traditionally, the intentional use of symbolism is frowned upon in fiction writing, as it is seen as distracting from conveying human truth. However, this study hopes to prove through both literary review and the practice of fiction …

Body Image And Beauty Routines Among College Women: Genital Grooming And Sexual Attitudes, Amber L. Hammons

Honors Theses

The selection of body altering products available to twenty-first century women is easily accessible and widely utilized. These products, though, are vastly different from those once available to their female predecessors. Although women’s bodies have been sites for societal pressure and control for centuries before the twenty-first, American girls in this century experience body image norms and pressures in qualitatively different ways than girls who came before them. Of particular interest to this study is the differing bodily experience of early twentieth century women to that of twenty-first century women.

The trading in of corsets and floor-length dresses for razors …

A Rhetorical Criticism Of Anti-Era Cartoons, Josie A. Burks

Honors Theses

Over the course of American history many battles have been fought to ensure that equality was extended to the citizens of the United States. With momentum from the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, a bill was introduced to Congress in 1923 that sought to ensure equality for the women of the nation, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Though this bill was later reworded and reintroduced in every subsequent session of Congress, it would not be until 1972 that the bill would become a household name. This thesis analyzes the rhetorical elements that are at play within a selection of anti-Equal …

Restoring The Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Forests Using Pineywoods Cattle Grazing In Conjunction With Prescribed Burning, L. Tyler Albin

Honors Theses

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is major forest constituent of the Southern Coastal Plains of the United States. Ecologically, a virgin longleaf pine forests supports increased species richness. Since the 1800s, longleaf pine forests have been exploited as a massive source of commercial products (e.g., lumber, pulp, and naval stores). A decrease in species richness has been recorded following this vast decrease in longleaf pine presence. Rebuilding the longleaf pine ecosystem is essential for restoring species richness and maintaining the ecological health of many Costal Plains habitats. Presently, the most popular restoration and management method utilized is prescribed burning. Prescribed …

Role Of Il-17 In Cd8+ T Cell Mediated Clearance Of West Nile Virus, Jordan E. Lowery

Honors Theses

West Nile virus (WNV), a positive sense single stranded RNA flavivirus, is prevalent in many countries worldwide and is a growing threat in the United States. Some patients infected with WNV develop severe neuroinvasive disease including meningitis or encephalitis which may lead to death. The recently characterized cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, neuroinflammatory conditions, and immune responses to various microbial infections. Previous research has indicated that a known contributor to IL-17 production, interleukin-23, is produced in response to WNV infection, but the role of IL-17 during WNV infection has not been studied before. This study …

Faith And Homosexuality: Grace, Religious Problem-Solving Styles And The Internalized Homophobia Of Homosexuals, Maria R. Matty

Honors Theses

The current research examines the grace-orientation and problem-solving styles of gay and lesbian people of faith relative to their relationship with God and the extent, if any, of their internalized homonegativity. This issue was investigated using psychological measures involving a) the style of religious problem-solving, b) internalized homonegativity, c) feelings of shame and guilt and d) personal experiences of grace. Statistical analyses found that having less homonegativity toward oneself and the disclosure of homosexuality is associated with higher levels of experienced grace and lower feelings of shame and guilt. Collaborative and deferring religious problem-solving styles correlated positively with both experienced …

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome: Regulation Of Pyrimidine Enzymes, Ashley N. Broadway

Honors Theses

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome, PUBS, is a unique condition that shows an interesting discoloration of the urine from women who have a chronic catheter. This study focused on the regulation of enzyme activities to determine the effects that may create an environment where PUBS is seen in patients with catheters. In this study, the reductive pyrimidine pathway was used to read out the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15692. This microorganism expresses a pathway that synthesizes indoxyl from tryptophan. The bacteria strains were grown using various carbon and nitrogen sources. Concentrations of acetonitrile at 2 mM and 10 mM, concentrations of …

An Overview Of Sensory Processing Disorder, Heather Lonkar

Honors Theses

This thesis was done to evaluate the basic overview of the definition, diagnosis, comorbid conditions, symptoms, causes, and treatment, as it pertains to Sensory Processing Disorder. Although the research has been light on this subject, there have been studies done, that show the possible causes, and effectiveness of treatment in children. The purpose was to examine, more closely, the relationship between Sensory Processing Disorder and the outcome of occupational therapy based sensory integration (OT-SI) intervention. Controversy surrounding sensory integration exists, because of lack of fidelity in research. Researchers are currently interested in the fidelity of the treatment, and whether or …

Individualized Education Program Complexities For Students With Autism, Jordan Rohraff

Honors Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) belongs to a group of closely-related neurobiological disorders (Phetrasuwan, Miles & Mesibov, 2009). Incidence of this disorder is on the rise and is also seen as a topic of increasing concern, especially among educators and parents. Students with ASD need assistance from a variety of professionals in order to achieve academic success. To maintain effective communications between all involved parties, a collaborative plan must be put into place. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is an educational roadmap for students with disabilities. Although these important plans have many benefits such as providing students with their much needed …

The Effect Of Regional And Seasonal Variability In Wastewater Microbial Community Structure On The Biodegradability Of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids, Steven Aiello

Honors Theses

Biodegradability is an important consideration in the design of novel chemicals. At the end of their function, chemicals should break down into harmless degradation products to avoid toxic effects as a result of environmental persistence. To test the biodegradability potential of novel chemicals, a protocol designed by the Organisation for Economic and Cooperative Development (OECD) is used. This protocol states that in a mixture of the chemical of interest, a microbial inoculate, and mineral media, 70% of the chemical must degrade within a 10-day window of a 28-day experiment in order to be considered readily biodegradable. The protocol states that …

Is A Mutation In The Homolog Of Cdc20 Causing The Zombie Mutant Phenotype In Zebrafish, Damir Musaev

Honors Theses

The cell cycle is essential for proper growth and development in all organisms. Many diseases, including cancer result from defects in control of the cell cycle. Here we characterize the zebrafish recessive cell cycle mutant zombie (zom).The chromosomes of zombie mutants arrest in the metaphase-anaphase transition of mitosis, suggesting a mutation in the cell cycle machinery of the embryo. Zom was mapped to a small interval in lineage group 2, which included CDC20 locus. CDC20 is an activator of the Anaphase Promoting Complex, and the role of this complex is to separate chromosomes during the metaphase-anaphase transition. Sequencing the …

A Study Of Stress Levels Of Students, Rebekah Currie

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Treating Bipolar Disorder And Schizophrenia With Biomedical Protocol, Samantha M. Cardenas

Honors Theses

Bipolar Disorder and schizophrenia afflict approximately 2% of the human population, more than 12,400,000 people. When family members, co-workers, and care-givers are factored in, more than 10% of the population is directly impacted by these medical conditions. Finding a way to reduce the severity of the symptoms or cure these diseases would positively impact a large number of people. This paper defines and differentiates between these two similar-but-different maladies, and explores both the traditional courses of treatment as well as the most current research with potential to help combat these diseases – especially genetic mapping with the use of neuroimaging. …

Labeling Of Retinal Ganglion Cells In A Rat Glaucoma Model, Lucia Rodriguez

Honors Theses

Glaucoma is a degenerative disease of the retina containing multifactorial structural and functional defects. There is a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) seen in this optic disorder. Cupping of the optic disk seen in glaucoma is a result of the loss of RGC axons at the optic nerve head where the nerve fibers connect. As a result of these factors, visual field loss is common among glaucoma patients.¹ In the United States, this visual field loss associated with glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness since glaucoma is difficult to detect.² Usually, increased intraocular pressure …

Walk-Training Increases Expression Of Gdnf In Pectoralis Muscle But Not Diaphragm From Mouse, Erin Donovan

Honors Theses

Neurotrophic factors are proteins that play an important role in the development and maintenance of neurons. Recent studies have shown that neurotrophic factors may hold promise for treating damage to the nervous system caused by trauma or diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is expressed in skeletal muscles and affects peripheral motor neurons. Results of previous studies have demonstrated that exercise can increase GDNF content in skeletal muscle of rat. The goal of the current study was to examine whether expression of GDNF in skeletal muscle of mouse is also regulated …

The Effects Of Cooling On Collegiate Basketball Player’S Core Temperature, Heart Rate, Rating Of Perceived Recovery And Rating Of Perceived Exertion, Taylor Phelps

Honors Theses

Cryotherapy is commonly used in sport and performance applications however primarily as a means for improved recovery. Intermittent cooling during competition may contribute to improved performance by modifying perceptual or physiological stress. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of intermittent cooling (IC) versus no cooling (NC) through the course of a collegiate basketball game in a thermoneutral environment. METHODS: Eight healthy, (age, 22 ± 1 year, height, 186.7 ± 7.1 cm, weight 93.4 ± 10.1 kg) competitively-trained collegiate basketball players participated in a randomized and counterbalanced repeated measures protocol. Participants performed in 3 simulated games. …

Habitat Stratification Of Barn Swallows (Hirundo Rustica), Cave Swallows (Petrochelidon Fulva), And Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) Nesting On Highway Structures In Northeast Texas, Ashleigh Tynes

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Taboo Topics: Depression, Anxiety, Sexual Assault, And Ptsd; The Influence Of Stigma On Help Seeking, Kaitlyn Cichocki-Goss

Honors Theses

This review analyzes investigations into the stigma associated with depression, anxiety, sexual assault, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how stigma affects patients seeking treatment. The three disorders and the experience of sexual assault are examined for; prevalence, past and present stigma, and the history of the diagnosis. Each of the three disorders and sexual assault carry social stigma. Stigma can be described as a negative belief towards one group of people and in this case, stigma likely prevents people from seeking help. Researchers have found that one way to reduce stigma and the barrier that it has on help …

From Foster Care To Becoming A Family Member, Zachary Henderson

Honors Theses

This exploration examines different aspects of the transition from a foster care placement into an adoptive home. This project was completed using the qualitative research approach will allowed for semi-structured interviews w ith single individuals. Both participants experienced foster care during their youth. The interviewees were drawn from a convenience sample. The interviews were then then transcribed. The transcripts where then examined to search for common themes which may improve the transition for child going from foster care to adoption. Although the sample is small, the insight is great. It seems that the professionals were competent but not humble regarding …

Environmental Systems And Patterns Applied To Design, Aaron Cooper

Honors Theses

Looking at the variety of organic form in a natural setting is always an eye opening experience. Seeing how those forms are based on a common system in the environment is even more amazing. Applying the concept of form driven by ratios in the environment to design layout seems like a common sense approach to functional design, yet this is not a common solution in modern design.

Organic form looks organic because it is a product of the environment it is from. If a page is the originating environment for content with a specific function, the content should look like …

Core Aspects Of Curriculum Development: A Literature Review And Development Of Program Handbook For Health Informatics And Information Management, Nicole Yon

Honors Theses

TIle purpose of this review was to determine the basic principles of curriculum design and to understand how they are used to develop a competent curriculum handbook. The findings were used to develop a handbook for the Health Informatics and Information Management major at Western Michigan University. This literature review focuses on a variety of web pages, articles and books that analyzed the topics of curriculum design and curriculum handbook development. A review of the Bronson School of Nursing Handbook and the Temple University - Health Information Management Department B.S. in Health Information Management (HiM) Student Handbook was also conducted. …

Synthetic Cannabinoids: Law Vs. Science, Melissa R. Sterling

Honors Theses

Synthetic cannabinoids are designer drugs which have been made to mimic the effects experiences by tetra-hydro-cannabinol (THC). These substances are sprayed on herbal blends and ingested through smoking. There are many different structures of synthetic cannabinoids because the Controlled Substance Act has outlawed certain structures. A chemist can alter an already known structure by changing a minor detail creating a new legal drug. The problem with these drugs is that they cause many adverse effects and are bad for public health. In order to decrease the use of these synthetic substances the legalization of marijuana is being considered. The issue …

Identifying The Dna Sequence Requirements For A Synergistic Interaction Between Two Cis-Regulatory Elements, Kaitlyn R. Francis

Honors Theses

My thesis research studies the genetic material that is the blue print to make animal life. In animals, a key type of genetic material is sequences collectively referred to as cis-regulatory elements (CREs). These sequences control the expression of genes; more specifically they instruct when to turn “ON” or “OFF” the production of a gene’s functional product. My research investigates the interaction between the two CREs, the Anterior Element and the Dimorphic Element of the fruit fly species Drosophila melanogaster. These two CREs act synergistically to produce a pattern of expression for the bab1 and bab2 genes that differs …

Photoreactions Of A Water Soluble Poly-Isoquinolpyrrole With Plasmid Dna, Gregory Versteeg

Honors Theses

With the goal of creating a porphyrin we reacted isoquinol pyrrole, p-fluorobenzaldehyde, and boron trifluoride etherate under appropriate conditions. Instead of a porphyrin being synthesized, we created polyisoquinol pyrrole in high yield and with great absorption properties around 600nm. We characterized this compound via UV/vis spectroscopy, proton NMR, and electrochemistry. The compound was then reacted with [Ru(bipy)2Cl2] to create a cationic compound and this molecule was tested as a possible photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) but it was unable to photocleave plasmid DNA above 550nm. The original compound was then methylated and this new compound was also tested as a …

Novel Neuroprotective Function Of Apical-Basal Polarity Gene Crumbs In Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Andrew Steffensmeier

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD, OMIM: 104300), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no cure to date, is caused by the generation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) aggregates that trigger neuronal cell death by unknown mechanism(s). We have developed a transgenic Drosophila eye model where misexpression of human Aβ42 results in AD like neuropathology in the neural retina. We have identified an apical-basal polarity gene crumbs (crb) as a genetic modifier of Aβ42-mediated-neuropathology. Misexpression of Aβ42 caused upregulation of Crb expression, whereas, downregulation of Crb either by RNAi or null allele approach rescued the Aβ42-mediated-neurodegeneration. Co-expression of full length Crb with Aβ42 increased severity …