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Honors Theses

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How To Grow My Business On Social Media, Thomas Vehige May 2023

How To Grow My Business On Social Media, Thomas Vehige

Honors Theses

This thesis discussed goals, strategies and tactics to expand an existing freelance sports videography business into a more robust business through the use of targeted social media campaigns. Author discusses demographic choices, social media platform selection and goals for thoughtful evaluation of opportunities and core competencies.


Professional Shame As Experienced By Pre-Professional Accountants, Grant R. Countess May 2023

Professional Shame As Experienced By Pre-Professional Accountants, Grant R. Countess

Honors Theses

While the role of shame in professions is an emerging area of research, it has not been thoroughly studied in accounting’s professional or educational settings. Shame has been explored in engineering and nursing education with powerful implications regarding well-being and learning. This study is primarily driven by the research question, “How do pre-professional accountants experience professional shame?” Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), I interviewed three pre-professional accountants to further understand the lived experiences of shame as accounting interns. I demonstrate the insights from the analysis of these transcripts, which characterize the experience of locating identity as pre-professionals, navigating expectations, experiencing …


Striped Blenny (Chasmodes Bosquianus) Presence And Behavior Between Sunrise And Sunset At Oyster Landing, South Carolina, Madeline Schuetze May 2023

Striped Blenny (Chasmodes Bosquianus) Presence And Behavior Between Sunrise And Sunset At Oyster Landing, South Carolina, Madeline Schuetze

Honors Theses

Lunar and diel cycles of fishes can help to interpret their behaviors during their reproductive season. Temperate estuaries are used by many benthic fishes for shelter and reproduction. This study examined the behavior and presence of striped blennies (Chasmodes bosquianus) during diel and lunar cycles. PVC pipe shelters were placed to mimic oyster shell nests, a natural habitat for blennies, and cameras were placed to monitor these shelters in April, May, and June 2022, during the striped blenny reproductive period. Video footage was reviewed and analyzed for the presence and behavior of both male and female blennies. Male presence …


Antioxidant Potentials Of Kombucha Based On Water Chemistry And Its Impact On Fermentation, Olivia Sundman May 2023

Antioxidant Potentials Of Kombucha Based On Water Chemistry And Its Impact On Fermentation, Olivia Sundman

Honors Theses

Kombucha is made by using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) to ferment sweetened tea. This fermentation produces a beverage with a unique aroma and acidic flavor. Kombucha has recently gain popularity in the United States and has been reported to have numerous health benefits from increased weight loss to helping to fight cancer. There is a wide variation in kombucha composition, little is known about the impact the water’s chemistry has on the fermentation and the resulting kombucha. The impact that bicarbonate, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and sulfate concentration have on the measured antioxidation potential of brewed kombucha …


The Dynamics Of Sedimentary Chlorophyll Α At A High-Energy Beach, Sarah (Gray) Abel May 2023

The Dynamics Of Sedimentary Chlorophyll Α At A High-Energy Beach, Sarah (Gray) Abel

Honors Theses

Productive sandy beaches are one of the most crucial areas serving our ecosystem today. While often overlooked in scientific research, productive beaches have many essential functions that lead to the preservation and protection of many different species as well as ecological wellness and stability. A key factor that is linked to this productivity is the presence of chlorophyll in the sediments. Piston cores of the sediments at the low-tide mark at Waties Island, South Carolina, were collected across multiple years and subsequently analyzed for chlorophyll concentrations through fluorometry after acetone extraction and acidification. Each core profile was processed to calculate …


Investigation Of A Possible Switch Of Benthic Photosynthetic Organisms And Phytoplanktonic Organisms In White Point Swash, South Carolina, Nathan Easterling May 2023

Investigation Of A Possible Switch Of Benthic Photosynthetic Organisms And Phytoplanktonic Organisms In White Point Swash, South Carolina, Nathan Easterling

Honors Theses

This research study examined the possible switch from benthic photosynthetic organisms to phytoplankton in the water column at White Point Swash, Long Bay, South Carolina, and what is causing this switch to occur. During Dr. Hannides’ and his group’s studies at this and other swashes in the past, they noticed this phenomenon of the benthic photosynthetic organisms taking over during a certain time and then the phytoplankton in the water column taking over during a different time. In this study, I measured the relative benthic macroalgal area coverage and sedimentary chlorophyll a concentration as measures of the abundance of benthic …


Suboxic And Anaerobic Respiration Across A Sandy-Shore-To-Estuarine Gradient, Jacey Ballard May 2023

Suboxic And Anaerobic Respiration Across A Sandy-Shore-To-Estuarine Gradient, Jacey Ballard

Honors Theses

Sulfate is an inorganic ion that is one of the major ions of seawater. Sulfate is also an essential reactant in microbially mediated anaerobic respiration that produces sulfide, an energy source during chemosynthesis. Sulfide is widely found in sediment, and water rich in decaying organic material, as well as hydrothermal vents. While sulfate reduction occurs extensively in muds, such as those of marshes, it is not expected to occur in sand which is much better aerated. Recent research in our group documented extensive sub aerobic respiration in coastal sands which suggests that sulfate reduction may have also been happening. This …


A Cooperative Business Analysis Of Starbucks Corporation & Reflection By Principal Financial Investigator, Abigail R. George May 2023

A Cooperative Business Analysis Of Starbucks Corporation & Reflection By Principal Financial Investigator, Abigail R. George

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is a business analysis of Starbucks Corporation. The company is commonly known for its distinctive coffee shops and operates over 31,000 stores worldwide. Starbucks is also known for extreme brand loyalty, strong market position, high quality products, and premium service. The Company's weaknesses include expensive raw material and product costs, overcrowding in the US, and overdependence in the US market. If Starbucks positions themselves correctly, they have an opportunity to expand into new markets and establish brand loyalty across the globe, with expansion comes diversifying products which would expand their product mix and make them …


Digital Dna: The Ethical Implications Of Big Data As The World’S New-Age Commodity, Clark H. Dotson May 2023

Digital Dna: The Ethical Implications Of Big Data As The World’S New-Age Commodity, Clark H. Dotson

Honors Theses

In the emerging digital world that we find ourselves in, it becomes apparent that data collection has become a staple of daily life, whether we like it or not. This research discussion aims to bring light to just how much one’s own digital identity is valued in the technologically-infused world of today, with distinct research and local examples to bring awareness to the ethical implications of your online presence. The paper in question examines anecdotal and research evidence of the collection of data, both through true and unjust means, as well as ethical implications of what this information truly represents. …


Individual Accountability Of Amazon Turk Gig Workers: Comparing English And Mandarin Construct Operationalizations, Cassaday Brennan Ray May 2023

Individual Accountability Of Amazon Turk Gig Workers: Comparing English And Mandarin Construct Operationalizations, Cassaday Brennan Ray

Honors Theses

The construct of individual accountability has been tested by two prior studies including Frink et al. (2018), finding that individual accountability is a second-order construct in which the components focus, intensity, and salience are loaded, as well as Verwaeren and Nijstad (2021) who found that individual accountability focus is a two-factor construct (process and outcome). Contrary to these prior studies, I examine the dimensionality of individual accountability in gig work, as gig work is a different context than that of the previous research, which focused on traditional employees. In my research study, I make two competing hypotheses questioning whether individual …


Social Connectedness As Experienced By Black Christian Women At A Predominantly White University, Halle Christina Miller May 2023

Social Connectedness As Experienced By Black Christian Women At A Predominantly White University, Halle Christina Miller

Honors Theses

This study examines the lived experiences of Black women attending a predominantly white Christian university and explores how they navigate social connection and belonging in this context, highlighting identity relevant experiences and intersectionality in layered identities. Literature demonstrates, social connection and belonging is an important aspect of well-being. This study serves to advance or extend theories relating to social connection and belonging by examining in particular the role that identity plays in belonging, specifically considering intersectionality and layered identities. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with three Black women who were currently enrolled in the university. …


Neuronal Effects Of Cocaine In An Animal Model Of Social Stress: Analysis Of Neuronal Recordings, Eboni Eddins May 2023

Neuronal Effects Of Cocaine In An Animal Model Of Social Stress: Analysis Of Neuronal Recordings, Eboni Eddins

Honors Theses

Studies that use Intermittent (episodic) Social Defeat (ISD) in rats demonstrate that ISD increases cocaine-self administration several weeks after the end of the adverse experience and suggest that a history of social stress makes individuals more vulnerable to substance abuse in the long term. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a key role in regulating drug-seeking behavior. The present study investigates whether ISD enhances the response of mPFC neurons to cocaine. Male Long Evans rats (3-4 months) were implanted with electrode arrays in the mPFC (prelimbic area) and divided into two groups (Control, n= 4; Stress, n= 4). They were …


Black Male Educator Shortage In The Mississippi Public School System: Impact, Challenges, And Intervention Strategies, Jilkiah Bryant May 2023

Black Male Educator Shortage In The Mississippi Public School System: Impact, Challenges, And Intervention Strategies, Jilkiah Bryant

Honors Theses

The shortage of Black male educators in Mississippi's public school systems is a critical issue with far-reaching implications for the state's education system. Despite the state's sizable Black population, the percentage of Black male teachers remains disproportionately low, and there is little evidence of progress being made to address this issue. This paper examines the impact of the Black male educator shortage on Mississippi's education system, the challenges faced by Black male educators, and related intervention strategies to increase the number of Black male teachers in Mississippi's public school systems. Through a comprehensive literature review and interviews with Black male …


Teacher Preparedness For Integrating Dyslexia Interventions In The General Education Classroom, Eleanor Perkins May 2023

Teacher Preparedness For Integrating Dyslexia Interventions In The General Education Classroom, Eleanor Perkins

Honors Theses

This thesis features a review of the body of literature surrounding teacher knowledge dyslexia and its interventions. Several studies show teachers (both preservice and inservice) do not have a strong understanding of neither the learning disability nor effective interventions for dyslexia. Students with dyslexia benefit from explicit and systematic teaching. The following lesson plans demonstrate how to lead both large- and small-groups using dyslexia-centered strategies as a general education teacher. The ten-day unit and accompanying intervention plans are designed to specifically accommodate the needs of students with dyslexia, though even students without dyslexia are known to benefit from systematic and …


Investigating The Impact Of Student-Teacher Relationships On Teacher Retention And Recruitment, Kylie Scott May 2023

Investigating The Impact Of Student-Teacher Relationships On Teacher Retention And Recruitment, Kylie Scott

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of positive student teacher relationships on teacher retention and recruitment. The overarching research question this thesis project aims to address is how do teachers describe the impact of student-teacher relationships on their decisions to become a teacher and stay in teaching? Verbal data collected through semi-structured interviews with my former teachers have been analyzed and reviewed for common or emergent themes. These themes will be discussed along with other commentary from a literature review, results, and a conclusion.


Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Sydney Ruth Rester, Shelby Lynn Berry May 2023

Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Sydney Ruth Rester, Shelby Lynn Berry

Honors Theses

Seniors at the University of Mississippi studying biomedical engineering complete a senior project that seeks to solve a problem in healthcare. Our team, composed of Sydney Rester, Shelby Berry, Andrew Ulmer, and Alex Bromley, sought to improve care associated with nasogastric feeding tubes. We identified two major problems: clogging and tube dislodgement. To address the problem of dislodgement, the team crafted a new feeding tube design with a balloon attachment. The attachment prevents a patient from pulling the feeding tube out and keeps the tube from dislodging due to normal patient movement. We further determined that our tube should be …


Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Shelby Lynn Berry, Sydney Ruth Rester May 2023

Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Shelby Lynn Berry, Sydney Ruth Rester

Honors Theses

Seniors at the University of Mississippi studying biomedical engineering complete a senior project that seeks to solve a problem in healthcare. Our team, composed of Sydney Rester, Shelby Berry, Andrew Ulmer, and Alex Bromley, sought to improve care associated with nasogastric feeding tubes. We identified two major problems: clogging and tube dislodgement. To address the problem of dislodgement, the team crafted a new feeding tube design with a balloon attachment. The attachment prevents a patient from pulling the feeding tube out and keeps the tube from dislodging due to normal patient movement. We further determined that our tube should be …


Queer Representation In The Horror Genre: An Analysis Of Queer Stereotypes, Makenna N. Lambert May 2023

Queer Representation In The Horror Genre: An Analysis Of Queer Stereotypes, Makenna N. Lambert

Honors Theses

Queer representation has been present across all genres of film since the dawn of filmmaking. Much of the early representation of queer identities originated in the horror genre, specifically during the time of the Motion Picture Production Code (1934-1968). However, many negative stereotypes and tropes still common in media today originated in this time period. Films like Dracula’s Daughter and Bride of Frankenstein included stereotypes like the overly effeminate, weak gay man, the aggressive, ugly lesbian, and the concept that queer people are predatory. Modern-day horror films have started to stray away from these harmful tropes, including more well-rounded and …


The Measurement And Treatment Of Overt Stuttering In Handwriting, Preston Dubberly May 2023

The Measurement And Treatment Of Overt Stuttering In Handwriting, Preston Dubberly

Honors Theses

While stuttering continues to be considered a speech disorder, other linguistic expressive modalities are reported as having stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD) as well. With research now defining the stuttering phenomenon as a medical disease, the modern stuttering research paradigm is now better equipped to account for SLDs in multiple expressive modalities, including handwriting. As our appreciation of stuttering crosses expressive modalities, the purpose of this manuscript is to document, describe, and define SLDs in handwriting, as well as to investigate fluency enhancement strategies for those who stutter in handwriting. The participant in this case study self-referred himself for an evaluation and …


A Realistic Path Towards A More Affordable Healthcare System For The United States, James Loome May 2023

A Realistic Path Towards A More Affordable Healthcare System For The United States, James Loome

Honors Theses

This study was performed in order to try to discover ways in which the American healthcare system can improve and become more affordable for its citizens. The main focus was to see how implementing a universal healthcare system could benefit the United States. I analyzed aspects of many different universal healthcare system structures and chose aspects that I think should or should not be included in a revised version of the US healthcare system. There was a strong focus on the aspects of Japan and Costa Rica’s healthcare systems. I also pointed out weaknesses in the US healthcare system that …


Buy The Rumor; Sell The News: Predicting Growth In The Shanghai Stock Exchange Resulting From The 2020 Foreign Investment Law, Jonathan Dwyer May 2023

Buy The Rumor; Sell The News: Predicting Growth In The Shanghai Stock Exchange Resulting From The 2020 Foreign Investment Law, Jonathan Dwyer

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to prove that China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange responds to relevant policy changes, and, as a result, the new 2020 Foreign Investment Law will result in market growth. This is done by establishing a historical precedent, analyzing the significant changes brought about by the new law, and finally using three economic models to provide a mathematical basis.


Historical Truth Hurts: Administrative Response To The Contextualization Of Slavery And Racism On The University Of Mississippi Campus, Ashton Wiggins May 2023

Historical Truth Hurts: Administrative Response To The Contextualization Of Slavery And Racism On The University Of Mississippi Campus, Ashton Wiggins

Honors Theses

This thesis explores what instigated changes in how the University of Mississippi deals with its history of racism, how effective those responses have been, and where improvements in its response can be made. A timeline of UM’s history, interviews, and a review of the recommended and implemented contextualization efforts on campus offer insight into the tangible changes in policies at the university. Interviews with former Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context members and student leaders reveal the varying perspectives and goals that had to be compromised, and an overwhelming sense that the University of Mississippi’s failure to pursue a …


Is Vdac1 A Novel Bcl2 Family Member That Binds Bax?, Claire Pearson May 2023

Is Vdac1 A Novel Bcl2 Family Member That Binds Bax?, Claire Pearson

Honors Theses

Apoptosis is a type of regulated cell death important for normal embryonic development and maintenance of adult tissues by removing excess or dysfunctional cells to ensure proper functioning of organs. The Bcl-2 family of proteins determines whether apoptosis remains suppressed or becomes activated through the balance of interactions among pro-survival and pro-death members. A defining feature of the Bcl-2 family is a BH3 domain that drives interactions between the family members. Isoform 1 of the voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC1) has an important role in metabolism, but was recently found to have high homology with known BH3 domains. This study …


Does Vdac2 Have A Bh3 Domain?, Lillian Ferkany May 2023

Does Vdac2 Have A Bh3 Domain?, Lillian Ferkany

Honors Theses

Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) by Bax oligomerization triggers apoptosis. BCl-2 family proteins, classified as BH3 only proteins, pro-survival proteins, or pro-apoptotic proteins, control apoptosis partly through their agonist or antagonistic effects on Bax, which are mediated by their conserved BH3 domains. All BH3 domains form an alpha helix containing 5-7 conserved hydrophobic residues, designated H0-H5, and one conserved aspartic acid that drive interaction with Bax and other ‘multi-domain’ BCl-2 members. BH3 agonists induce Bax oligomerization, while BH3 antagonists sequester Bax to prevent MOMP. We discovered that voltage dependent anion channels (VDACs) in the MOM contain a putative BH3-like domain …


Examining Relationships Between Covid-19, Investor Personality Traits, And Investor Risk Tolerance., Joshua Turner May 2023

Examining Relationships Between Covid-19, Investor Personality Traits, And Investor Risk Tolerance., Joshua Turner

Honors Theses

In 2020, financial markets around the globe sharply declined as the threat of Covid-19 became severe. The financial market reactions were precedented. Due to the unprecedented reaction, conversations arose describing the influences that impacted investor behavior. Among these influences are behavioral influences such as personality traits and financial risk tolerance. The following research evaluates the relationships between Covid-19, Dark Triad Personality Traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy), financial feelings, preference for consistency, long-term orientation, and the need to evaluate. A survey gauging individuals’ economic perception, personality traits, and risk behavior was distributed to 116 individuals. Quantitative analysis was done using t-tests …


Lgbtq+ In A Rural Kentucky Town, Caroline A. Kinsman May 2023

Lgbtq+ In A Rural Kentucky Town, Caroline A. Kinsman

Honors Theses

This interview series aims to understand the perspectives of LGBTQ+ community members in relation to local government in a small rural town in Kentucky. The purpose is to ascertain the correlation between the LGBTQ+ community's level of feeling accepted and the efforts and attitudes of non-LGBTQ+ officials. In total, six LGBTQ+ individuals were interviewed, and two elected government officials. Themes found within the interview series include reputation, safety, mental health, urgent change, blindness, and lack of responsibility.


Morphological And Functional Classification Of The Amblyomma Americanum (Lone Star Tick) Hemocytes, Julia Hanson May 2023

Morphological And Functional Classification Of The Amblyomma Americanum (Lone Star Tick) Hemocytes, Julia Hanson

Honors Theses

Ticks are a diverse group of obligate blood-feeding (hematophagous) arthropods that transmit a wide array of human and animal pathogens. These pathogens have caused an increase in tick-borne diseases that pose a significant threat to public health without preventative measures. These pathogens interact with the tick immune system upon uptake, which is primarily divided into humoral and cellular components. Cellular immunity in ticks encompasses several pathogen-eliminating mechanisms including phagocytosis. These mechanisms are mediated by the action of immune cells, commonly referred to as hemocytes, which are analogous to mammalian white blood cells. This study utilized a combination of morphological, functional, …


Behind The Design, Natalia C. Smith May 2023

Behind The Design, Natalia C. Smith

Honors Theses

Higher education is a place of learning and such a space requires the optimal design for a learning setting. While classrooms are an important space for learning in higher education, they are not the only place, where learning occurs on campuses. These spaces outside of the classroom are referred to in ways such as “private study areas”, “writing centers,” and “third spaces”, but in this paper, these spaces are referred to as informal study spaces. These spaces are identified as any space, outside of a formal classroom setting, where students regularly congregate for academic purposes. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) has …


Play That Funky Music: A Study Of Bacterial Contamination Of Wind Instruments, Ashley Clark May 2023

Play That Funky Music: A Study Of Bacterial Contamination Of Wind Instruments, Ashley Clark

Honors Theses

Should there be standards to routinely clean instruments and what methods are available for that? It has been found that the bacteria and other microorganisms inside of musical instruments may be the culprit of respiratory infections in musicians (King et al. 2016). This project was divided into two experiments. First, clarinet reeds were introduced to three different species of bacteria. Then mouthpieces of trombonists and clarinetists of Eastern Kentucky University were swabbed and analyzed using a Colony Forming Unit assay. Bacteria was found to live on unused reeds for up to 30 days. Mouthpieces house millions of bacteria, determined by …


Impacts Of Personal Cultural Orientations On College Students’ Psychological Health And Preventive Behaviors During The Covid-19 Period, Joanna Ouyang May 2023

Impacts Of Personal Cultural Orientations On College Students’ Psychological Health And Preventive Behaviors During The Covid-19 Period, Joanna Ouyang

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought dramatic life changes to individuals across the world. Personal cultural orientations of these individuals alter the way individuals respond to the pandemic and their mental wellness. This research investigates how personal cultural orientations impact college students’ mental health primarily anxiety, prevention behaviors and intentions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and active coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n=155) completed measures of independence, ambiguity intolerance, masculinity, gender equality, mental health, prevention behaviors to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and active coping strategies to protect themselves during the pandemic. Results revealed that people with higher …