Digital Commons Network^™

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. …

Social Media Reliance And College Students' Tendency To Conform To Online Behaviors And Trends, Emily Grucello

Honors Theses

The importance of social media is undeniable among college students who frequently turn to online platforms as a form of recreation. While researchers have analyzed the influence of social media on emotional factors, fewer researchers have investigated if reliance on social media has an impact on public behavior and conformity habits. Therefore, the current study assesses if user reliance on two common platforms, TikTok and Instagram, are associated with conformity levels. Data collection came from a sample of 124 college-aged participants. Results found a significant correlation between conformity and Instagram reliance (r = .31, p < .001), as well as conformity and TikTok reliance (r = .32, p < .001), such that higher levels of conformity was associated with higher reliance on Instagram and TikTok. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how consumption of social media has the potential to alter the decisions and behaviors of young adults.

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.

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 …

"Speak Arabic!": Arabic Dialect Comparison Videos And The Reconfiguration Of The Maghreb-Mashreq Language Ideology, Jacquelyn Stewart-Kuhn

Honors Theses

There is a hidden power imbalance in the Arabic-speaking world. It is not related to warfare, politics, or oil, but language. For decades, Egyptian and Levantine (Mashreqi) dialects have been over-represented in Arabic language media, to the detriment of North African (Maghrebi) dialects. This imbalance has played a crucial role in reinforcing what Hachimi (2013) refers to as the “Maghreb-Mashreq language ideology,” i.e. the belief that Mashreqi dialects are superior to Maghrebi dialects. Yet in an era of social media, Mashreqi voices and dialects are becoming less dominant, and Arabic-speakers across the region are being increasingly exposed to Maghrebi voices …

Cell Type-Specific Production Of Amyloid Precursor Protein During Infection Is Dependent On The Strain Of Herpes Simplex Virus 1, Mia Elias

Honors Theses

Cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) generates the antimicrobial peptide amyloid beta (Aβ), the accumulation of which is linked to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathogenesis. Whether processing of APP contributes to anti-viral responses is debated. Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), a neurotropic double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus, establishes lifelong latency and can cause a range of outcomes, from asymptomatic infection to herpetic encephalitis (HSE). Whether disparate outcomes are dependent on HSV-1 strain is unknown. Using three differentially virulent HSV-1 strains, we compared the regulation of APP-associated proteolytic processing in both a corneal infection murine model and an in vitro model. …

Sdrnas Participate In The Maintenance And Onset Of Prostate Cancer, Neil Y. Chaudhary

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

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 …

Effects Of Age And Gender On Perceptions On Victims Of Financial Exploitation, Kathleen Hillman

Honors Theses

A report by the Center for Victim Research shows that younger adults are more often victims of general and identity fraud (Irvin-Erickson & Ricks, 2019, p. 9); however, research conducted on financial exploitation focuses heavily on older adults. However, a recent study by Gunderson and colleagues (2021) found that older and younger adults are highly susceptible to financial exploitation. The purpose of the current study is to determine if perceptions of vulnerability to financial exploitation vary by the age of the victim. A sample of undergraduate participants will be recruited from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga through an online …

Screening Full-Sib And Half-Sib Families Of Chestnut Seedlings For Resistance To Cryphonectria Parasitica Using A Small Stem Assay And A Leaf-Disc Assay, Uma Plambeck

Honors Theses

Cryphonectria parasitica is the ascomycete fungus species that causes chestnut blight disease. Symptoms of chestnut blight include bark cankers and eventually the death of American chestnut, Castanea dentata. However, not all Castanea species are equally affected by the disease, and some Asian species appear highly resistant. The OALDS and SSA in this study aim to assist in screening for resistance to C. parasitica within a year. We investigated the effect of C. parasitica on three North American species, one European species, four East Asian species of Castanea, and nine full-sib families of TACF backcross hybrids. Our study used both a …

Transcendence In Kierkegaard And Barth, Andrew Myrick

Honors Theses

This paper examines the theological intersections and divergences between Karl Barth and Søren Kierkegaard, focusing on their conceptualizations of God's transcendence. Barth, influential in the twentieth century, viewed divine knowledge as accessible only through Jesus Christ's revelation, critiquing any historical or metaphysical bases for such knowledge. He was significantly influenced by Kierkegaard, who emphasized paradox and the "infinite qualitative distinction." This study traces Barth's evolving thoughts on transcendence across his works, including his critiques of Kierkegaard in his later years. While some scholars suggest a shared theological trajectory based on transcendence, this paper argues for nuanced differences, engaging with the …

Effects Of Attractiveness And Relationship Type Of Perceptions Of Adolescent Sexual Grooming, Alexandra Shappley

Honors Theses

Child sexual grooming is a prevalent issue within the United States, especially with the rise of the internet and social media (Shakeshaft, 2004; Finkelhor et al., 2000; Winters et al., 2017). There has been less research done on adolescent sexual grooming; however, researchers have found that perceptions of adolescent sexual grooming vary depending on the gender and age of the offender and victim (Russel & Gyrus, 2022; Sahl & Keene, 2012). Researchers have found that people perceive a sexual grooming relationship as inflicting more harm if the perpetrator is a man (Hernandez et al., 2019), particularly an older man (Russel …

The Competitive Advantage Of Prioritizing Human-Centered Design Thinking In Business, Joshua Rajan

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the impact of design thinking on promoting innovation within businesses. Design thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach that solves problems using empathy, creativity, and iterative prototyping. The thesis commences by clearly defining design thinking and presenting its fundamental concepts, emphasizing how it differs from traditional business thinking. The thesis vividly illustrates the real-world impact of design thinking through compelling case studies from the consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive, and entertainment industries. It showcases how design thinking fosters creativity and develops solutions that prioritize customers' needs. The case studies show how companies gained a competitive advantage by deeply understanding …

Microfaunal Remains From The Ryan-Harley Site, Savanna Caylor

Honors Theses

The Ryan Harley site is located in the Wacissa River basin in northern Florida. It is one of the few sites in the southeastern United States to contain a Suwannee point artifact. Several excavations in 2015 and 2017 showed extinct and extant faunal remains within and around the Suwannee component. The geoarchaeological data showed that whether these remains were in situ or not is inconclusive. This paper will focus on the microfloral and faunal remains to draw conclusions about the environment encountered during the Younger Dryas (12,900-11,700 cal B.P). The relationship between floral and faunal species present will help to …

Investigation Of Pra For Rapid Part Replacement, John Lazenby

Honors Theses

As the electronics industry transitions to using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices of increasingly smaller technologies, radiation effects analysis becomes more significant in mission planning. In this work a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) program, RadSTATS, is used in the analysis of various COTS memories in a radiation environment. The probabilities that the bits in memory will be flipped due to single event upset (SEU) rates are calculated for each memory, volatile and non-volatile. The unavailability of bits was discovered to increase with increasing storage capacity. Methods of error detection and correction (EDAC) between the same manufacturer were seen to decrease at unavailability …

Imagined Intergroup Contact As A Mechanism To Change Beliefs About Gender, Samantha Oyler

Honors Theses

Gordon Allport first proposed the Intergroup Contact Theory in 1954. According to his theory, contact between ingroup and outgroup members, under certain conditions, would lead to positive effects, specifically the reduction of prejudice. Since then, this theory has been expanded to include members of other majority/minority groups. Research suggests intergroup contact has positive effects for reduction of anti-trans prejudice. To date, the focus has largely been on the mechanisms driving changes in attitudes and intentions towards trans individuals through intergroup contact interventions. It is unclear whether this intervention might also promote the acquisition of more nuanced sociocultural understanding about gender, …

Investigating Thin Filament Assembly In C. Elegans Muscles, Angela Russ

Honors Theses

All striated muscles are composed of small units called sarcomeres [1]. Within each sarcomere, there are thin filaments composed of actin and thick filaments composed of myosin. The thin filaments extend from either end of the thick filament towards the middle of the sarcomere. The lengths of thin filaments are correlated to muscle contraction and force production [1], but it is currently unknown what regulates their lengths. Prior hypotheses based on vertebrate models have focused on a nebulin ruler model [2]. However, nebulin is not present within invertebrate muscles, and this has led to a major gap in the field’s …

The Tripartite Influence Model Of Body Image And Disordered Eating Among Female Athletes: Testing An Expanded Model, Emma Nyrup Tonsberg

Honors Theses

The aim of the study was to investigate how different sources of sociocultural pressure (family, media, peers) described in the Tripartite Influence Model, and additions of teammate- and coach pressures, were associated with thinness-and muscularity internalization and appearance comparisons among athletes. Subsequently, these potential mechanisms were explored as predictors of disordered eating among athletes. Analyses included 71 female athletes. Athletes were recruited through a student subject pool recruitment portal, as well as with local and regional flyers and emails. Participants completed a series of self-report measures in Qualtrics. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was utilized to test the hypotheses. Partial support …

Civil Disobedience Of Social Workers In Hospice, Jamie Leigh Roper

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Female Choice: Attraction In The Animal Kingdom, Lindsay Culpepper

Honors Theses

Across taxa, choosing a mate is one of the most crucial decisions a female can make. This choice can come with direct benefits like protection and parenting assistance, but it may also provide indirect benefits through the survival of her offspring and thus the continuation of her genes. The female considers numerous qualities when making that choice, evaluating aspects of potential mates’ physical appearance and behavior. Understanding female choice is crucial to effective animal conservation and management, as it has significant implications for captive breeding programs, both in terms of output and in preparing offspring for release. This thesis will …

Side Channel Detection Of Pc Rootkits Using Nonlinear Phase Space, Rebecca Clark

Honors Theses

Cyberattacks are increasing in size and scope yearly, and the most effective and common means of attack is through malicious software executed on target devices of interest. Malware threats vary widely in terms of behavior and impact and, thus, effective methods of detection are constantly being sought from the academic research community to offset both volume and complexity. Rootkits are malware that represent a highly feared threat because they can change operating system integrity and alter otherwise normally functioning software. Although normal methods of detection that are based on signatures of known malware code are the standard line of defense, …

Formation Of Diazirine Functionality For Propellant Applications, Abby Mock

Honors Theses

Our research focuses on a cost-effective approach which minimizes synthetic overhead when assembling compounds with diazirine functionality. The goals are to prevent the surplus use of ammonia in the formation of diaziridine functionality and use an IKA Electrosyn 2.0 in the oxidation of diaziridine functionality. Success with either specific aim will significantly reduce the synthetic overhead currently observed. Diazirine functionality plays a vital role in a vast number of applications. Two of interest to us include diazirine functionality as a next generation propellant and as a photoaffinity label. With the latter, this strategy plays a vital role in drug discovery …

Impostor Phenomenon, Perfectionism, Psychological Distress, And Burnout In Pre-Health Undergraduate Students, Victoria Lee

Honors Theses

Preparing for a career in the healthcare field is incredibly strenuous and demanding, and previous research endeavors have demonstrated that students in professional healthcare programs show an increased susceptibility to impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout. Previous studies have indicated a possible link between impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout; however, these studies only considered two or three constructs at a time in graduate students (Rosenthal, et al., 2021; Seong, et al., 2020; Garratt-Reed, et al., 2018). The current study’s purpose was to investigate the whether or not impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, and psychological distress could be potential predictors …

Melting Point Predictions Of Thermally Stable Ionic Liquids Using A Machine Learning Approach, Jarod Morris

Honors Theses

Thermally robust ionic liquids hold promise as high temperature solvents, heat transfer fluids, and high-performance lubricants. These ionic liquids, inspired by thermoplastics like PEEK and PES, incorporate peraryl functional groups that lend them high thermal stability, however they often have melting points greater than 100 °C. A broad liquid range is usually desirable in most applications, so finding thermally robust ILs with lower melting points would significantly enhance their applicability. In this study, machine learning models are developed to make predictions of melting points for these thermally stable ionic liquids using a process called quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR). The methodology …

Measurement Of The Branching Fraction Of Y(4s), B^0b^0 At Babar, Daniel B. Johnson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Medical Ethics During The American Civil War, Luke Love

Honors Theses

This thesis will explore the relationship between medical ethics and the American Civil War through a microhistorical approach. This includes analyzing the ways in which the physician-patient relationship was conducted and which medical practices were deemed ethical and by whom. Changes that occurred in medical ethics during the war will be analyzed and explained. v

Emotion Regulation And Media Use In Young Children, Brianna Dixon

Honors Theses

Child screen time has increased tremendously in the past several years because of new technological advances. This is a great resource for some individuals on a limited basis. However, many children are being taught to regulate their emotions through media use. The initial aim of this study was to attempt to find a correlation between parent reported screen time and problematic media use. It was hypothesized that higher reported screen time would be significantly related to greater problematic media use and that higher reported screen time and problematic media use would be related to a greater negative reaction in screen …