Digital Commons Network^™

Preschool Survival Guide: Gardening, Beth Ann Weaver

Honors Theses

Nature-based learning can be defined as utilizing nature in learning experiences to meet developmental domains. The benefits of nature-based learning and play in early childhood are significant. Children who engage in nature have active imaginations, learn new concepts and vocabulary, have respect for their environments, learn and understand biodiversity, have better problem-solving skills and so much more. Despite these benefits, the low prevalence of nature and science-based activities in early childhood classrooms continues to exist due to the lack of knowledge and confidence in these specific subjects. This thesis analyzes developmentally appropriate practices needed to effectively implement science and nature …

Exploitation Of The Screaming: Sexual Violence In Horror Film, Chloe Watson

Honors Theses

Sexual violence has been routinely represented in film since the start of cinema, and these representations can vary greatly depending on the time, director, and genre. In the horror genre specifically, representations of sexual violence are common. Male directors, in particular, create stories of female-centered sexual violence, which can come across as authentic or exploitative. Films such as It Follows and Last Night in Soho display sexual violence in more acceptable ways, while films like All Hallows’ Eve and The Devil’s Rejects exploit the experience for various reasons. The exploitative films have detrimental effects on an audience member’s mentality, as …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Ox-Nad Derivatives, Juanita Monteiro-Pai

Honors Theses

Energy metabolism is complex, and NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, plays a huge role as an organic redox cofactor, driving metabolic reactions. The abundance of pathways dependent on NAD has led to an increase in the studies of NAD and its precursors. As a result NR, or nicotinamide riboside, is now a popular pharmaceutical taken to increase levels of NAD in the body. NR is not only a precursor to NAD, but a metabolite that is found in extracellular regions such as urine and blood. While this molecule should be an intracellular molecule, the fact that it is found in …

Impacts Of Hurricane Idalia’S Surge On Coastal Sand Biogeochemistry, Wendy "Cor" Mchone

Honors Theses

Beaches are heavily influenced by extreme events, such as hurricanes. Biological and chemical processes, such as primary production and diagenesis are often interrupted by these events. To examine the effects of hurricanes on coastal biogeochemistry, this study used sand and porewater samples from Waties Island, SC, which were collected before and after Hurricane Idalia. The samples were analyzed for macronutrient concentrations, organic content, and chlorophyll concentrations. Macronutrient pore water concentration changes were not uniform. The inventory of nitrite decreased significantly after the storm, which was reflected in slight increases in the inventories of nitrate and ammonium. Concentrations of nitrate, which …

Testing For The Significance Of Generational Differences On Opinions Of Nuclear Power, Eli Moore

Honors Theses

Different generations have different experiences from each other depending on the circumstances of the world they were raised in. As a result, different generations have different views of different controversial topics, and there are few topics as controversial as nuclear power. Throughout its history, it has been seen as both the solution to our energy problems, as well as a threat to the safety of life as we know it. This project aims to see if such a difference exists, and if so, what factors would be most influential in creating this difference? Would the past mistakes and catastrophes shape …

Sedimentary Conditions At A Tidal Creek That Exhibits Seasonal Pelagic-Benthic Variations, Jack B. Corbin

Honors Theses

Tidal creeks in the Grand Strand of South Carolina are small but numerous connectors between land and ocean. One of these creeks, White Point Swash, exhibits a seasonal switch between planktonic and benthic photosynthesizers. As plankton become less abundant in fall, benthic macroalgae bloom, aided by lower water levels due to fall-winter dredging of the main channel, until late Spring. This study builds on previous findings and examines sedimentary conditions at this site further. Sedimentary chlorophyll a (in microphytobenthos) and pore water nutrient concentrations are confirmed to be higher than water-column concentrations. Sedimentary nutrient fluxes to the sediment-water interface, calculated …

The Effects Of Limb Occlusion On The Slow Component Of V̇O2 During Intermittent, Heavy-Intensity Cycling, Sela Lomascolo

Honors Theses

This study examined the physiological responses to continuous, heavy-intensity (CONT), intermittent, heavy-intensity (INT), and intermittent, heavy-intensity cycling with limb occlusion (INT-LO). METHODS: Five young (23.2 ± 5.5 yrs.), healthy subjects participated in this study and completed a total of seven visits. Three conditions were completed by each subject: CONT, INT, and INT-LO. Each condition consisted of a 4-minute warm-up (20 W), 6 minutes of exercise, followed by 5 minutes of recovery cycling. For CONT, exercise was performed at Δ50% for the entire 6 minutes. INT and INT-LO alternated between 15 seconds of work at Δ50%, and then 3 seconds of …

Feminism And Female Identity In Adaptations Of Pride And Prejudice Throughout The 20th And 21st Centuries, Emily Suh, Emily Suh

Honors Theses

To many of her fans in the world, Austen is undeniably a feminist author, especially for her time in the nineteenth century. In a time where women were dependent upon male family members for their livelihoods, most of Austen’s heroines exhibit a sort of independence and strong will with a mind of their own, including in Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth is the model for what an independent woman is, a woman who is not so concerned with the monetary value of matrimony and only falls in love because she wants to. Furthermore, female audiences tend to like Elizabeth more than …

Opportunity And Oversight: The Nil And College Football Through The Lens Of Ole Miss, Emma Harrington

Honors Theses

Since 2021, student-athletes have been reaping financial benefits of the commercialized use of their name, image, and likenesses (NIL). In addition to engaging in direct endorsement contracts with third party businesses, student-athletes are likewise working with NIL collectives to secure novel forms of funding opportunities. In this thesis, the current system of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) utilized in collegiate athletics will be examined. While NIL can be a beneficial source of income and exposure to student athletes across the country, the set of rules, or lack thereof, in effect is not substantial enough to maintain a safe and healthy …

The Emergence Of Approachable Luxury In The Grocery Industry, Joseph Curcio

Honors Theses

This thesis examines various trends in the grocery industry that have led to the new age grocer. These trends are centered around the emergence of approachable luxury products on grocery shelves and new grocery stores centered around an approachable luxury approach. Due to the subjective nature of the term “luxury,” it is hard to define, but multiple academic definitions from the Journal of Business Research are analyzed.

The timeline of the luxury grocery is outlined – beginning with traditional Iberian shops to the emergence of the new curated grocer to the revitalization of big box stores. The thesis includes psychological …

From Cypherpunks To Congress: A Historical Analysis Of The Development, Uses, And Regulatory Landscape Of Cryptocurrencies, Andrew Moore

Honors Theses

As cryptocurrencies have begun to proliferate through the economy policymakers are asking questions of where they came from, how do they work, what they are used for and how should we regulate the market. Through a historical analysis, it can be seen that Bitcoin represented a legitimate innovation in money and provided significant improvements to earlier attempts at private commodity currency. Additionally, many of the criticisms lobbied against Bitcoin appear to be overstated, most notably the claim that it is a good tool for criminals. However, there has been a notable split in the market. The emerging crypto industry bears …

Interspecific Venom Variation Among Three Shades Of Aphonopelma Tarantulas: A. Gabeli, A. Hentzi, And A. Anax, Jorjia Elmore

Honors Theses

Phenotypic variation is a common occurrence throughout the animal kingdom and can occur both interspecifically and intraspecifically. Interspecific variation evolves in response to differential selection between species whereas intraspecific variation is commonly expressed as sex-based or population-based differences. Both interspecific and intraspecific phenotypic differences occur frequently in venomous species including arachnids, and can often result in differences in venom yield, potency, and protein. The North American tarantulas (Theraphosidae: Aphonopelma), include approximately 35 species and little is known about their venom. To test for interspecific and intraspecific venom variation, we collected individuals from three species and generated proteomic profiles and Illumina …

Fiddler Crab Gut Microbiomes As An Indicator For Eutrophication Due To Waste-Water Contamination In Estuaries, Madison L. Geraci

Honors Theses

Estuaries are unique biogeochemical zones in coastal systems that provide a myriad of ecological functions: providing habitat for critically important fishery species, diverse species of plants and animals, and contributing to nutrient cycling. Estuaries are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors as they are intersections between marine and terrestrial communities and are often the hotspot of coastal development and activity. Estuarine sediments act as repositories for anthropogenic contaminants, including excess nutrient runoffs and waste-water pollution that can cause states of eutrophication. Microorganisms are sensitive to these environmental changes, presenting a unique opportunity of being useful bioindicators of environmental stress. Isolating microorganisms from …

Measurement Of Transmission Efficiency Of Blue Light Blocking Devices, Jada Lee

Honors Theses

Technology and light sources have experienced a revolution in recent years leading to the production of light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. White-light LED bulbs undergo degradation over time, leading to a rise in color temperature and a proportional increase in the emission of blue light from these bulbs. The small size of LEDs makes them the optimal choice for electronic devices because of their limited screen size. This means that blue light now exists in red, green, and blue solid-state illumination systems that did not exist a decade ago. It is debated if blue light induces toxic effects on the …

Conflicting Ethe In _Anna Karenina_: A Reexamination Of Tolstoy’S Complex Female Protagonist, Hannah Diles

Honors Theses

Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina depicts the world as an endless array of choices and experiences to which one assigns meaning to. His characters, like real people, must navigate their world of complex ethical systems using their own moral ethos. Readers and critics alike critique Anna as a heroine for living out her moral ethos, pitting it against the social and feminist ethos of late 19th century upper class Russian society. Anna’s story is either interpreted as a cautionary tale or Anna is portrayed as a feminist heroine who tragically died for love. Throughout this paper, I argue that Anna is …

Emotional Experiences Of Black U.S. Computer Science And Engineering Students Amid Faculty-Student Interactions, Kyle Shanachilubwa

Honors Theses

Black students encounter unique challenges in computer science and engineering education. Chief among these is a disconnect with faculty due to a lack of mentorship and difficulties in interactions with faculty. Despite these challenges, Black students bring many engineering and computer science assets. This study aims to understand the emotional experiences of Black students in computer science and engineering education. We present an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to answer the questions: (1) How do Black students experience faculty-student interactions in computer science and engineering education? (2) How do Black students experience professional shame in these interactions? To answer these research …

Little Cricket On The Hearth: The Quiet Feminism Of _Little Women_, Caroline Anderson Klein

Honors Theses

Since the advent of the cult of domesticity, the stakes for female characters in domestic literature have been notoriously high. There was no room for flaws, rebellious decisions, and certainly no room for mistakes—whether of the woman’s own accord, or simply as collateral damage of a male character’s immorality. In this shallowly Calvinist domain, women were never more than one broken guardrail away from social ruin or death. In writing Little Women, Louisa May Alcott breaks these molds through unflinching kindness to her female characters from childhood to adulthood, even unto death. Alcott achieves this quietly feminist feat by …

The Relationships Between Parental And Youth Physical Activity Behaviors And Perceptions, Bryanna Deangelis

Honors Theses

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure. Physical activity has multiple different intensity levels, such as light, moderate, and vigorous. It is extremely important for both physical and mental health. The goals of this study are to examine the relationship between parental physical activity (i.e., leisure-time physical activity [moderate-vigorous physical activity]), youth health (i.e., body mass index [BMI], physical activity (moderate-vigorous physical activity), and perception of parental encouragement towards physical activity in a sample of parent-youth (8-14 years old) dyads. Participants will be sent a link via email that will have the …

Analysis Of Toyota And The Automobile Industry, Dylan Saltzman

Honors Theses

Toyota is an automobile company that has dominated the market for many recent years. The cars that we have today are a lot different than the ones we had two hundred years ago. Innovations in car technology were possible by entrepreneur’s who wanted to make a difference in the world. Now, there are so many different options of cars to buy. This paper will outline the three main different types of fuel sources for cars, the pros and cons of each, and determine which consumers want the most. It will then go into what Toyota and its competitors have done, …

Prevalence Of Mental Health Issues In Division Iii Athletes, Logan Streety

Honors Theses

College athletes have always struggled with their mental health, and it has recently become more widely recognized because of their lifestyle. Between managing schoolwork, team responsibilities, and having a social life, it is extremely easy to become overwhelmed and put other things before one’s psychological health. In this study, the SUNY Cortland Women’s Basketball team was surveyed to determine if depression, anxiety, and stress are prevalent in athletes at SUNY Cortland. The DASS-21 questionnaire was distributed to each of the women’s basketball athletes. This 21-question survey produced scores that determined whether they are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress. …

From Cells To Clinics- The Role Of College Biology Education In Shaping Future Physician Assistants, Monica Manley

Honors Theses

This thesis provides a personal reflection on translating concepts and techniques learned in multiple biology courses (i.e. microbiology, neuroscience, comparative physiology, and genetics) in to clinical practice as an intern in the emergency room of a hospital. Each selected concept contains a description followed by an example of how this knowledge relates to a specified duty of a physician assistant with in an emergency medical setting.

Do You Know The Pangolin?: Analyzing Biodiversity Awareness And Attitudes, Ariel "Jazz" Holcomb

Honors Theses

Understanding the impact education has on environmental knowledge and values is critical for knowing how we can promote pro-environmental awareness and attitudes. Thus, this study investigated how environmental education level influences awareness and attitudes on environmental issues, specifically the Biodiversity Crisis. Through a survey primarily utilizing Likert scale statements, the researcher evaluated the differences in knowledge and care levels between classes taking an introductory environmental science course, one class of environmental science majors and one for non-majors. One focus point of the course is the world’s most trafficked mammal, the pangolin, so this species was used as a focus species …

The Stories That Matter From The People Who Care: Interviewing The Mentors Of The Women’S Business Leadership Center, Megan Nicole Gray

Honors Theses

Women across the nation face barriers that include a pay gap, under representation, caregiving expectations, threats of sexual violence, and more. Barriers related to the workplace are significant due to their impact on a woman’s autonomy, particularly in Arkansas. The Women’s Business Leadership Center on the Arkansas State University campus provided an excellent opportunity to investigate the life experiences of women in Arkansas who recognize barriers to women and confront them. Eleven mentors of the WBLC at ASU were interviewed to document such life experiences. Regarding mentorship, participants shared that they built support systems, received their own benefits, commonly had …

Exploring The Impact Of The Coaching Relationship On College Student-Athlete Mental Health, Miya Carmichael, Julia Vasquez

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors of the coach-athlete relationship that influence athletes’ mental health and to find ways to improve the quality of this relationship. A total of 8 eligible participants in the qualitative study were asked to complete an individual interview session where they answered questions about their personal experiences with coaches as collegiate athletes. We will be searching for the essential structures of the coach-athlete relationship by studying multiple examples of it and finding what experiences athletes have in common. The results of this qualitative study have shown coaching behaviors that promote fear …

Modeling Vibration Stiffness: An Analytical Extension Of Hertzian Theory For Angular Contact Bearings With A Thin Viscoelastic Coating, Davis R. Burton

Honors Theses

This thesis considers the novel angular contact rolling-element bearings proposed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center, which are coated with a thin solid lubricant that exhibits viscoelastic behavior. Current analytical models for the dynamic stiffness matrix of angular contact bearings, critical for vibration analysis, lack the ability to model the effects of a solid coating, as well as the time dependencies inherent in viscoelastic theory. The author first presents an overview of the stiffness matrix derivation, followed by a treatment of the underlying Hertzian contact theory. An analytical extension of this theory is proposed which accounts for a thin elastic layer …

Color Psychology: How Colors Can Reflect Our Emotions In Relation To Gender, Age, And Cultural Background., Virginia Alvisi

Honors Theses

Our lives are surrounded and influenced by colors. Colors help us in our everyday lives, from helping us understand different concepts to helping us drive around town with road signs and streetlights. Colors regulate our lives not only physically but also, especially, psychologically. Warm and bright colors can give insight into
energy and happiness. On the contrary, cool and dark ones can be soothing and calming.

Research has demonstrated that colors can shape our experiences and affect our psycho-emotional status (our mental state related to a situation or circumstance). To demonstrate the link between our psycho-emotional state and the use …

Genetic Analysis Of Global Sawfish Populations, Kylie Faulkner

Honors Theses

Family Pristidae contains five of the most critically endangered elasmobranch species: Anoxypristis cuspidata, Pristis pristis, Pristis pectinata, Pristis zijsron, and Pristis clavata. The species of this family have suffered drastic population declines and range reductions due to historic patterns of overexploitation, accidental entanglement, and habitat disruption. The conservation of this taxa has been historically complicated by taxonomic uncertainty, as similar morphologies across species make them exceedingly difficult to identify. A morphological and genetic comparison of sawfish specimens collected globally was conducted in 2013, which supported a reduction in the number of described species from seven to …

Understanding The Clinician's View Of Pragmatics In Pediatric Therapy, Shelby Oliver

Honors Theses

Pragmatics is one of the most integral components of language, yet it often seems to receive little attention in therapy settings. Previous research indicates the importance of intentionally targeting pragmatic skills for children with language disorders and/or autism spectrum disorders, as well as the lack of current pragmatic evaluations. This thesis used an online survey to record how clinicians view pragmatics, how they evaluate pragmatics, and how they target pragmatics. Participants were all certified clinicians, and the research survey featured a variety of open and closed questions. Results revealed a deep pragmatics knowledge base. However, results indicated the use and …

Reviving The Past: Enhancing Language Models With Historical Text Optimization, Heather D. Broome

Honors Theses

Recent advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) have brought attention to the significant potential that exists for widespread applications of Large Language Models (LLMs). As demands and expectations for LLMs rise, ensuring efficiency and accuracy becomes paramount. Addressing these challenges requires more than just optimizing current techniques; it urges novel approaches to NLP as a whole. This study investigates novel data preprocessing methods designed to enhance LLM performance by mitigating inefficiencies rooted in natural language, particularly by simplifying the complexities presented by historical texts. Utilizing the classical text The Odyssey by Homer, two preprocessing techniques are introduced: tokenization of names …

Establishing A Model For Sustainable And Meaningful Philanthropy Partnerships: A Case Study Of Kappa Delta Beta Sigma And Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, Kenning Bridges

Honors Theses

Sororities have a long-standing tradition of philanthropic engagement, evolving from simple donations to forging sustainable partnerships with charitable organizations. This thesis project delves into the dynamics of sorority-philanthropy relationships, focusing on the partnership between the Beta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Delta and Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center. Through interviews, surveys, and literature review, the study explores the evolution of their collaboration, challenges faced, and strategies for sustainability. The partnership, initiated by modest donations, has grown into a significant commitment by Kappa Delta Beta Sigma, displaying a transition from transactional giving to deep engagement with Kids Hub's mission. Challenges such as …