Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Prenatal Anxiety Sensitivity On Postpartum Anxiety And Depression, Ryann Holman

Honors Theses

Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for women, with roughly 15% of women experiencing psychopathology during pregnancy and postpartum. The most common mental health concerns during this period are anxiety and depression, which have been linked to adverse outcomes on both mother and baby, such as low birth weight and preterm birth. In understanding their onset, anxiety sensitivity has been found to be a potential mechanism for the development of both anxiety and depressive disorders. The goal of the current study was to examine the association between prenatal anxiety sensitivity and postpartum anxiety and depression. Pregnant women were given a battery …

The Effects Of Short-Term Indoor And Personal Exposure To Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) On Cardiovascular Health: A Review, Whitley Cagle

Honors Theses

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), a component of air pollution, has known effects on human health. However, there is limited research surrounding the specific cardiovascular impacts associated with these small particles entering into the bloodstream. This literature review aims to make associations between indoor and personal exposures to PM2.5 and cardiovascular health. An online search was conducted to obtain scholarly articles using various key terms, and the articles were filtered through based on specific selection criteria. In the final review, we focused on 37 research articles which discussed PM2.5 and its effects on the human cardiovascular system. Positive associations between PM2.5 …

Comorbidity Burden And Covid-19 Vaccination Intention: Application Of The Health Belief Model, Michael Raymond

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many aspects of American’s lives causing over 79 million cases and over 950,000 deaths. Existing research shows severity of COVID-19 infection may be linked to number of underlying health conditions, known as comorbidities. The objective of this study was to determine if comorbidity burden was associated with intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. This relationship was looked at through the Health Belief Model (HBM) and its mediating variables of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers. Our sample was compromised of 350 individuals recruited from an online platform who were not already vaccinated against COVID-19. …

Family History, Cultural Custom, And Personal Preference: The Accents Of Food Access In Oxford, Mississippi, James Hirsch

Honors Theses

Contemporary food access literature in the social sciences centers on models of food decisions emphasizing income, prices, distance, and time. To challenge this analysis, this research conducts interviews with six residents of Oxford, Mississippi, focused on their food habits. These interviews have been summarized, and motivating factors have been extracted and compared back to the literature’s findings. The motivating factors found through the interviews include perceived differences in food quality, store opening/closing hours, partner/family preferences, family/cultural influences, and perceived risks from the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast to the literature, spaciotemporal concerns were less dominating among participants than the above factors, …

Isolation Of Sphingolipids From Sphingomonas Echinoides B-3126 And Their Characterization By Ms/Ms Analysis, Edgar David Uribe Sanchez

Honors Theses

EDGAR DAVID URIBE SANCHEZ: Isolation of Sphingolipids from Sphingomonas echinoides B-3126 and their Characterization by MS/MS Analysis

Sphingolipids are important components in human cellular lipid membranes and are differentiated by the incorporation of serine with an amide bond between the amino acid and a lipid tail. Sphingolipids produced by bacteria differ in both headgroups attached to the serine alcohol and the architecture of the lipid backbone. While the synthesis of sphingolipids in mammalian cells is well studied, only a handful of steps in the pathway are described in bacteria.¹ The observations that although sphingolipid synthesis is rare in bacteria, …

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Freshwater Crayfish, Colby Finch

Honors Theses

The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is increasing in natural aquatic environments. Alongside this, organisms that live in these ecosystems are increasingly harboring antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this study, I analyzed the capacity for the crayfish species Procambarus vioscai paynei to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Crayfish, as well as water and sediment, were sampled from a pond at the University of Mississippi Field Station. The guts of crayfish were plated on TSA agar, as well as agar containing vancomycin, erythromycin, penicillin, tetracycline, or ciprofloxacin. Following incubation, counts of bacteria were determined. Selected bacterial isolates were tested for multiple antibiotic-resistance. Bacterial isolates were also …

A Cross-Cultural Survey Of The Funerary Practice Of Body Element Removal And Deposition In Mortuary Pottery, Sara Grevy

Honors Theses

Proteomic residue analysis conducted on several ceramic sherds from funerary vessels dating to the early Iron Age (700-400 BCE) led to the discovery of peptides of human blood, tissue, and organs. The pottery was recovered in 1999 from Grave 5 in Tumulus 17, an early Iron Age burial mound, at the Heuneburg, a paramount settlement and mortuary complex in southwestern Germany. Prior to this discovery, there had been no evidence of the removal of body elements and their deposition in funerary pottery during the early Iron Age. This thesis presents a cross-cultural literature survey of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical evidence …

Invasion Of The Northeastern United States By The Southern Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus Frontalis, And The Impacts On Signatures Of Isolation By Distance Assessed Using Mitochondrial Dna, Lora Grace Holman

Honors Theses

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is a small, black beetle that parasitizes pine trees across the United States and Central America. Recently it has been recognized that the range of SPB is not limited to the southern United States, but rather extends northward across the eastern United States, which raises concerns for pine trees that have never encountered the pest before. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences from a section of the cytochrome oxidase I gene and four different measures of genetic distance compared to geographic distance, we tested for evidence of isolation by distance (IBD) among sampled SPB to see whether …

Retro-Structural Analysis Of The Four Helix Bundle Motif In Binuclear Proteins, Walker Pedigo, Maggie Smith

Honors Theses

Protein structure is directly related to protein function. There are four levels of protein structure: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. The interactions amongst the structural components of a protein give rise to its unique characteristics. The four helix bundle motif is a common structural trait in a variety of binuclear proteins. In this study, PyMOL, a molecular visualization system, was used to analyze binuclear proteins that possess a four helix bundle. Images of proteins containing dicopper, diiron, and dimanganese sites were captured. The images were compiled into figures for each individual protein. After creating the figures, each protein was further …

The Effects Of Thc On Hiv Tat Protein-Mediated Neuroinflammation, Camille Martin

Honors Theses

Although antiretroviral therapies have allowed people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to achieve normal life expectancies, they cannot cure HIV nor the neurological symptoms associated with infection, termed neuroHIV. NeuroHIV describes a myriad of neurological disorders including mood disorders (depression and anxiety), cognitive impairment, neuropathic pain, and motor disinhibition. The mechanisms by which HIV promotes neurological impairment are not known, but may involve actions of its neurotoxic proteins. One such protein that has been well-characterized is the HIV trans-activator of transcription (Tat). Tat exerts neurotoxic effects via various means, one of which is to activate microglia, the macrophages of …

Student Engagement And Performance Assessment As Associated With Three Types Of Integument System Laboratory Activities, Sophie Deoliveira

Honors Theses

Students participating in anatomy education, specifically an Anatomy and Physiology classroom, have shown difficulty in learning and retaining information on the various systems of the body. This study sought to assess the benefits of different learning activities associated with student engagement and performance on subsequent examinations regarding the integumentary system. For this study, three different hands-on laboratory activities (i.e., treatments) were given during different laboratory sessions. These hands-on activities included labeling a three-dimensional model, illustrating a model, or building a model of the integumentary system using materials provided. Students then completed a post-laboratory questionnaire regarding their enjoyment of their particular …

The Use Of Embark In Teaching About Genetic Relatedness, Anna Bonvillain, Tori Trammel

Honors Theses

Because of the increasing importance of precision medicine, it is vital that future healthcare providers master concepts related to genetic variation taught during their undergraduate classes. However, studies have shown that physicians often lack an adequate understanding of genetics, which serves as a hindrance to effectively caring for their patients. To address this issue, we created a collaborative active-learning protocol to improve pre-health students' comprehension of key concepts such as genetic relatedness and the source of genetic variation between siblings. Our worksheet guides students to compare the genetic profiles of two canine siblings using the Embark DNA genotyping platform. Embark …

Impacts Of Diabetes Stigma On Acute Healthcare Engagement Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Kate Camillo

Honors Theses

Introduction: Individuals frequently experience public and self-stigma stemming from type 2 diabetes. Prior studies have linked stigma with higher levels of poorer diabetes outcomes such as greater disease-related distress and worse glycemic control. However, few if any studies have examined the association between diabetes-related stigma and healthcare utilization. This gap in the literature is critically important given the importance of proactive disease management and preventive care as well the high costs of acute service use in this population. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between type 2 diabetes stigma, patient activation, and acute medical …

Patients’ Perspective Of Patient-Centered Approach Vs. Biomedical Approach, Lakynn Hillhouse

Honors Theses

Evidence-based practice in audiology may consist of a patient-centered approach or a biomedical approach when offering individuals the results of hearing evaluations. Boisvert et al. (2017) and the Institute for Defense Analysis confirmed that audiologists preferred to select one approach. The question was if an audiology patient is presented with two options of explaining the hearing health issues, which model/approach will be his or her preference?

Participants may have had unconscious biases related to race or gender that could have unknowingly impacted their perception of the videos. The results of this research will facilitate clinical understanding of individual preferences regarding …

The Relationship Between The Contrast Avoidance Model And Dysfunctions Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Whitney S. Shepherd

Honors Theses

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) features excessive worry, with additional symptoms including sleep disturbances, muscle tension, concentration issues, fatigue, and irritability (APA, 2013). The Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM) posits that those with GAD maintain worry to avoid emotional shifts by engaging in contrast avoidance (CA) tendencies (Newman & Llera, 2011). Additionally, chronic worry is associated with dysfunctional outcomes of GAD such as sleep difficulties and quality of life (QoL; Henning et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2000). Although both CA tendencies and these dysfunctional outcomes of GAD have shown to be related to worry, CA tendencies have yet to be explored …

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson

Honors Theses

Across phylogeny, integration of external factors, memory, and internal states of the organism dictate organismal behavior and mechanisms. The underlying genetic components can affect these behaviors such as in genomic changes arising from speciation. In this thesis, a new place preference assay was evaluated in the analysis and investigation of two species of Drosophila flies (D. melanogaster and D. simulans) to measure similarities and differences and their attraction to two different food substrates. Sleep and circadian measurements were also recorded during experimentation. The Drosophila Activity Monitor 5M (DAM5M) System and Sleep Circadian Analysis MATLAB Program (SCAMP) analysis were …

Effects Of Acute Exercise On True And False Memory, Hanna Watson

Honors Theses

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the role of acute exercise timing on true and false memory performance. Methods: A randomized controlled, within-subject design, was employed (N=39). The five counterbalanced visits included a control visit, vigorous-intensity exercise (80% of HHR; heart rate reserve) before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with no delay before encoding, vigorous exercise during encoding with a delay before encoding, and light-intensity exercise (30% of HHR) during encoding. A recognition task using the DRM (Deese-Roediger-McDermott) paradigm was used to evaluate true and false memory performance. Results: With hit rate as the outcome, there was …

Women Without Bodies: Autonomy, Empowerment, And Embodiment In Southern Women, Martha Peyton Ford

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between rural, upper-class, Southern, white women and their bodies. In my attempts to understand this relationship, I analyze sources from the fields of gender studies, philosophy, and psychology, utilizing concepts such as the Cult of True Womanhood, the newly-emerging field of body memoirs, and the long-lasting but elusive idea of Southern ladyhood to make sense of cultural expectations of Southern women and their bodies. This research, alongside my use of autoethnography and oral history, serve as an anchor for my analysis of women’s relationships to their bodies, in which I use myself, my mother, and …

The Effects Of Astrocytic Derived Insulin-Like Growth Factor (Igf-1) On Cognition And Astrocytes, Destiny Wilson

Honors Theses

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a neuroendocrine signaling hormone that plays a vital role in growth and development, as well as learning and memory. Inhibition of this hormone results in cognitive impairments like those seen with age-related decline. While a majority of research has focused on the role of IGF-1 on neurons, the role of astrocytes still needs to be explored. Our research investigates how astrocytes and cognition are affected as a result of direct regulation of localized IGF-1 production in early development and after puberty. Preliminary studies in our laboratory established a connection between IGF-1 and glial fibrillary …

The Femicide Epidemic: A Case Study Analysis Of Governmental Response And Recommendations For Combatting Femicide In El Salvador, Chloe Rizk

Honors Theses

Femicide refers to the misogynistic killing of women by men. Globally, femicide is the leading cause of premature deaths for women. El Salvador notoriously has one of the highest femicide rates in the world. This thesis analyzes the effectiveness of current Salvadoran governmental responses to femicide using quantitative and qualitative analysis. This research found that, despite a lack of enforcement, there was a relative reduction in femicide rates following major governmental responses. Most notably, following the passage of VAW-focused laws from 2011 to 2012 and the appointment of a particular unit to investigate gender-based violence, femicides in El Salvador decreased …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Ionic Liquids Using Nitrogen-Based Cations For Transdermal Delivery, Jo Galloway

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the synthesis mechanisms of water-soluble ionic liquids with nitrogen-containing cationic bases for future use in transdermal drug delivery and forensic science applications. Ionic liquids are salts with an organic cation and either an organic or inorganic anion. They have asymmetric structures, which means that the molecules don’t pack together as neatly as other salts do, therefore, they don’t crystallize as easily, and their melting points are lower. Ionic liquids have melting points below 100°C, and many are liquid at room temperature. Mechanistic studies reveal that the potency of ILs in enhancing transdermal …

The Detection Of Human Antibodies Against Differing Sars-Cov-2 Virus Proteins By Immunoblot Testing, Virginia Kate Gammon

Honors Theses

The emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has instigated one of the most influential pandemics, causing unique and detrimental effects throughout various parts of the world. By developing a stronger understanding of the viral genome and structural components, researchers are driven towards medical advancements and the implementation of improved testing methods. This research aims to provide a reliable COVID-19 antibody test by immunoblot detection, which can deliver more accurate results than the currently used enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Within this protocol, differing SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins were detected through western blotting analysis and were evaluated based upon differing strengths in …

A Study Of Dextran As A Macromolecular Crowding Agent, Katherine Morgan

Honors Theses

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the hereditary material in all living organisms. According to the Watson and Crick model, DNA exists as two long strands coiled into a double helix. However, DNA has been found to have the potential to exist in secondary forms known as G-Quadruplexes and i-motifs. I-motifs (intercalated-motif or iM) are formed under acidic conditions when sets of cytosines pair with protonated cytosines and are looped around each other. The pKa value for iMs in dilute solutions is approximately 6.5, but iMs can potentially exist at a higher, physiological pH value under crowded conditions. Within the interior of …

Investigating The Role Of Small Rna Pathways In Arabidopsis Shoot Gravitropism, Julia Lott

Honors Theses

The plant stem grows against the gravitational force, a phenomenon called negative gravitropism. In the model dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis thaliana, gravity is sensed by starch-filled amyloplasts, which trigger the shoot gravitropic response through the action of a growth hormone called auxin. In the darkness, a group of transcription factors named PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) promote stem negative gravitropism by inhibiting the starch metabolism in the endodermal amyloplasts. Red light promotes starch metabolism and converts amyloplasts into other types of plastids (e.g., chloroplasts) through the red/far-red light photoreceptors—phytochromes. Consequently, red-light-grown seedlings lose starch granules in amyloplasts and exhibit agravitropic growth. However, the …

Th1, Th2, And Th17 Inflammatory Pathways Predict Cardiometabolic Protein Expression In Serum Of Covid-19 Patients, James Richard Michels

Honors Theses

A predominant source of complications in SARS-CoV-2 patients arises from severe systemic inflammation contributed to by Helper T-cell associated cytokines, potentially leading to tissue damage and organ failure. The high inflammatory burden of this viral infection often results in cardiovascular comorbidities. A better understanding of the interaction between the cytokine storm and cardiovascular proteins might inform medical decisions and therapeutic approaches. We hypothesized that all major helper T-cell inflammatory pathways (Helper T 1, Helper T 2 and Helper T 17) synergistically contribute to cardiometabolic pathways in serum of COVID-19 patients, and that both of these factors correlate to COVID-19 severity. …

The Effect Of Gelatin Ph And Incubation Time On The Size Of Nanoparticles Manufactured By Desolvation, Katarina Papachrisanthou

Honors Theses

Gelatin nanoparticles have been known to be used as a drug transporter to target sick tissues like those of cancer. Gelatin nanoparticles have long been engineered by one-step and two-step desolvation processes. Yet, manufacturing gelatin nanoparticles of reproducible size has not been accomplished successfully. This research will look at how the starting processing steps such as gelatin solution pH adjustment and incubation times influenced the size of gelatin nanoparticles. Gelatin solution pH incubation times between 0 and 24 hours showed an increase in gelatin nanoparticle size in those manufactured by one-step desolvation. Two-step desolvation engineered gelatin nanoparticles showed a smaller …

Mercy Otis Warren’S Marcia(S) And Cornelia(S): A Case Study In Women’S Internalization Of Classicism In Early America, Brittany Ellis

Honors Theses

The connection between people in early America and classicism is a field of study that has been heavily documented, although it has remained a very male-focused field with little research done about how women in early America formed a relationship with antiquity. This thesis reveals that elite white women had a deep emotional and intellectual attachment with mothers and matrons from ancient Greece and Rome as a basis for expressing political thoughts and identity; classicism formed a common language that many women could relate to each other before, during, and after the American Revolution. This assessment is achieved through a …

Effects Of Music Exposure On Autobiographical Memory In Alzheimer's Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Gregory Vance

Honors Theses

The progression of Alzheimer’s disease is primarily characterized by a loss of memory concerning past events, as well as a lack in ability to create new memories. While this spans across many subsets of memory, such as recognition, recall, and autobiographical memory, there seems to be a lesser impact on musical memory in those with Alzheimer’s. Multiple studies have suggested that exposure to music and introduction of music therapy can even improve other aspects of memory in Alzheimer’s patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to examine the relationship between music exposure and autobiographical memory specifically. A pool of electronic …

The Sustainability Rhetoric Among The Spanish Fashion Companies Involved In The Rana Plaza Collapse Of 2013, Keegan Lyle

Honors Theses

Over the last century, fashion has evolved to become a commodity that is rapidly changing and easily available. The processes that have led to this accessibility of fashion, however, have proven to be harmful to the environment and, most recently, proven to be potentially fatal for the people making the clothing. In 2013, a garment factory in Bangladesh, housing production for major global fashion brands, like Zara and The Children’s Place, collapsed following a series of negligence. The event has sparked years of awareness-raising in the public dialogue of fast fashion. As a part of the newly-developing research in sustainable …

The North Mississippi Field Guide For Young Explorers, Olivia Wymore

Honors Theses

The North Mississippi Field Guide for Young Explorers is an interactive field guide to some of North Mississippi’s wildlife designed for a younger audience, ages six to twelve. The creation of this field guide is a culmination of my inspirations and interests as a child and my involvement and passions as a student at the University of Mississippi. Multiple times during my college experience I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with the local Montessori school, Magnolia Montessori School, by volunteering for various events and leading educational activities. After working with this school and learning about their teaching methods …