Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing Staphylococcal Contamination On Surfaces And Bedside Areas Of A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Of A Children's Hospital, Daniel See

Honors Theses

Staphylococci species are known to be a cause of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). There is limited research about the surveillance and identification of staphylococci bacteria from NICUs. Surveillance of bacteria within the NICU helps to identify areas acting as reservoirs for bacteria so that new cleaning policies and techniques can be put in place to stop the spread of HAIs. The objective of this study was to swab sample sites in a local level IV hospital NICU and identify locations of staphylococci presence throughout the NICU. Forty-one swabs were selected from over 900 swabs collected …

Grieving Experiences Of Undergraduate College Students, Alexia V. Rehling

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the well-being of bereaved versus non-bereaved undergraduate students. Additionally, they were asked to report how many losses they have experienced, the characteristics of the most difficult loss, and their experiences with grief. Lastly, data on use of and access to support sources was collected as well as their perceived helpfulness. Results showed that bereaved undergraduates (i.e., those who indicated experiencing at least one significant loss) reported lower well-being than non-bereaved individuals. Further, 4% of participants met the criteria to receive a diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder, 32.4% reported experiencing the separation distress …

Faunal Comparison And Analysis Of The Blufftown Formation-Cusseta Sand Contact At Hannahatchee Creek, Georgia, Seth Fradella

Honors Theses

The origin of fossil material in the highly fossiliferous bed above the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Blufftown Formation-Cusseta Sand contact at Hannahatchee Creek, Georgia, has long been a subject of scientific curiosity; however, no research has yet been conducted to specifically investigate discrepancies between the fossil assemblages of the upper Blufftown Formation and the basal Cusseta Sand, which overlies it unconformably. In the most recent published hypothesis, Case and Schwimmer (1988) propose that the basal Cusseta Sand contains a mixture of original fauna as well as material reworked and redeposited from the underlying Blufftown Formation, resulting in a lag deposit above …

Csi Effect: Exploring Impact Among Mississippi Lawyers, Jennie Odom

Honors Theses

The “CSI Effect” suggests that a growing number of jurors often have unrealistic expectations concerning the amount of forensic evidence which should be reasonably presented to convict an alleged criminal, and this misconception arises from watching heavily dramatized crime shows such as the CSI franchise. While many scholars have examined the CSI Effect, one critical perspective is often missing from the existing literature, that of the lawyers. Therefore, this project worked to explore the perspectives of both defense attorneys and prosecutors. Personal interviews were conducted to gain insight and perspective regarding the CSI Effect, whether these perspectives had impacted the …

An Exploration Of Community Needs: The Lafayette County Foster Care System,, Meredith Mckissick

Honors Theses

Are there enough foster parents to meet the needs of our community? Who advocates on behalf of children who are in the custody of the state? What do children in custody need? Prior to this research, the general public was unable to find these answers in a concise and accessible manner. This study explores the community needs of the Lafayette County Foster Care System in Mississippi, through the means of a needs assessment. The assessment involves six interviews with local foster care leaders, collection and analysis of results, and formal recommendations. Findings are organized by both individual interviews and thematic …

Characterization Of Mumian And Host Rock In Al-Amerat Cave, Oman., Sara Alqamshouai

Honors Theses

Mumian is a sticky black-brown material found in the Mumian cave in Wadi Al Mayh, Al Amerat, Oman. Mumian has been used for centuries as traditional medicine by the local Omani people. Though commonly ingested orally to resolve a variety of common ailments, very little is known about the Mumian material in terms of its chemical composition. The principle aim of this study is to characterize the Mumian and the host rock in terms of the mineralogy and chemical characteristics using a variety of analytic instruments, including XRD, NMR, FT-IR, XRF, and UV- VIS. A secondary goal of this study …

Refugee And Asylee Policy In The United States, Hannah Domsic

Honors Theses

This study aims to objectively examine the impact that the global refugee crisis has on the United States, and vice versa. Research was conducted on the history of refugee resettlement in the United States as well as current statistics in order to create an overview of the refugee process to the United States and how resettlement is handled. A map was also created of the top countries refugees flee from to visually illustrate the extensive process of refugees’ journeys to the United States. This project is rooted in communication theories to provide a framework of understanding how refugees in the …

Examination Of Sedentary Behavior And Stress Levels In Undergraduate Students At Western Michigan University, Samantha Putman

Honors Theses

The intention of this research project is to provide a snapshot of current sedentary behavior and stress levels of undergraduate students at Western Michigan University (WMU). This project investigates two variables of interest in current undergraduate students at WMU to understand how much sedentary behavior and stress students are experiencing whilst pursuing their undergraduate degree. Both sedentary behavior and stress are often seen as underlying causes of multiple health issues, which is why they are variables of interest. Understanding these two variables can help the university support aspects of an undergraduate’s life affected by increased stress and sedentary behavior while …

The Effects Of “No Pro Homo” Policies On Lgbtq+ Perceptions In The American South, Isabella L. Brocato

Honors Theses

Five states in the American South currently have “no pro homo” policies in place, while an increasing number of bills targeting discussions about sexuality and gender identity in public schools are being introduced to House floors around the country. Although there is extensive research on the ways in which these policies put the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ students at risk, there is little to no research about how they shape public perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community collectively. With inspiration from Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s social science study cited in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), this study works …

Future Parents: Associations Between Social Media Use, Parenting Styles, And Parenthood Desires, Kennedy Evins

Honors Theses

Research suggests that college students without children have opinions about parenting styles and practices, which may influence future parenting intentions and behaviors. In addition, research indicates that media exposure affects fertility desires in women. The present study explored how pre-parent college students view parenthood by examining the impact of social media use on perceptions of parenting, parenthood intentions, and anticipated parenting styles. One hundred nineteen (N = 119) college students completed measures that assessed social media use, perceptions of parenting, parenthood intentions, and anticipated parenting styles. Demographic variables such as parental status, race, age, and gender were also collected. …

Media Framing And Respectability Narratives In #Blacklivesmatter: A Twitter Analysis, Sherrice Wright

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine community dialogues on the social media platform, Twitter, in order to better understand how conventional media framing influences conversations on social media. The Black Lives Matter movement, one of the most prominent, current social justice movements, was founded on Twitter. Since then this platform has played a pivotal role in gaining awareness for issues of marginalized citizens. While Black Lives Matter has had a key role in the development of public perception, so has the traditional media. Through the use of media framing, the dominant class has the ability to reinforce or …

Low Academic Outcomes: A Result Of Food Insecurity And Student Mental Health During Covid19, Kristen Riley Cole

Honors Theses

Food insecurity has significantly increased throughout the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools switched to remote learning and children lost access to free school meals, affecting them psychologically and academically. This study examined the relationship between food insecurity and low academic outcomes, accounting for student mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD, as well as parental involvement as a possible protective factor against mental health. The current study administered a survey through Amazon’s MTurk to reach a diverse group of participants across the United States. Data analysis from the study can conclude that food …

Stigma And Rurality: How Community Type Influences Stigmatizing Views Toward Mental Illness, Kirsten P. Speights

Honors Theses

Public stigma, or a set of negative attitudes and beliefs that can contribute to discrimination against those with mental illnesses, negatively affects behavioral health care and may be particularly prevalent in rural communities. The goal of this study was to examine public stigma across rural, suburban, and urban communities, as well as its association with mental health symptoms. An online survey was conducted using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) service as well as the University of Southern Mississippi’s SONA platform. Demographic data, community type, and mental health symptoms were collected via self-report inventories. When looking at the combined SONA (n= 298) …

Expression And Purification Of The Bacterial Protein Curli Csga And Its Cross-Interactions With Amyloid-B, Leah Grace Cantrell

Honors Theses

One of the main causes of neurodegenerative diseases is aggregation of amyloid proteins that are toxic to the neurons. Proteins like amyloid-β (Aβ) and α-syneuclein (α-syn) form hallmark aggregate lesions that contribute to pathological processes in the brain in Alzheimer and Parkinson’s patients, respectively. Recent ground-breaking studies have suggested a link between the microbiota of the gut and neurodegenerative diseases, called the “gut-brain axis.” It has been long known that the protein, CsgA found in many enteric bacteria, forms amyloid fibers of its own called Curli. Curli fibrils are a structural component of bacterial colonies and maintain the integrity of …

Analysis Of Covid-19 And Vaccine Administration In Mississippi, Megan Sickinger

Honors Theses

In this work, we develop a simple mathematical model to observe the spread of COVID-19 and vaccine administration in Mississippi. Based on the well-known Kermack-McKendrick Susceptible-Infected-Removed epidemiological model, the ASIRD−V model has eight ordinary differential equations that split infected populations and recovered populations into vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. After determining that the system is reliable for real-world applications, we investigate and determine the stability and equilibrium points of this system. The system is found to be disease-free when R0 < 1 and endemic when R0 > 1. We use MATLAB to numerically solve the system and optimize the model’s parameters over four short periods, two with the …

Comparing The Reproductive Fitness Of Fundulus Hybrids And Their Parental Species (Fundulus Olivaceus And Fundulus Notatus) Within Mississippi Freshwater Contact Zones, Sarah Stovall

Honors Theses

Hybridization of closely related taxonomic groups within the Animal Kingdom has led to complex species interactions that are not well understood. Pre-zygotic or post-zygotic barriers complicate hybridization as a means to diversify; however, diverging hybrids may speciate and expedite evolution of involved taxa. This study pursues understanding of these intricate interactions using topminnow Fundulus notatus, Fundulus olivaceus, and their hybrids from the Fundulus notatus species complex. Persisting hybrids within riverine contact zones were hypothesized to experience barriers of hybrid breakdown from lower fitness in comparison to the pure species. Specimens were collected within four contact zones: Spring River, …

Oligomerization Of Amyloid-Β Peptide In The Presence Of Gangliosides–Implications For Alzheimer Disease, Sydney Boyd

Honors Theses

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction in elderly populations worldwide. A key characteristic of AD is the formation of neuritic plaques composed of extracellularly deposited aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ), an intrinsically disordered protein. Although Aβ fibrils were once thought to be the prime initiators of the disease, research has since been shifted to consider soluble, low molecular weight Aβ oligomers as the driving force behind AD toxicity. Due to its origin as a cleavage product of amyloid precursor protein (APP), an integral membrane protein, Aβ is known to perpetually interact with …

Evaluating The Effects Of Initial Testing On Misinformation Suggestibility For Eyewitnessed Videos, Wryleigh Shearin-Anderson

Honors Theses

Exposure to misleading details following an eyewitnessed event often leads to memory errors for these misleading details—a pattern termed the misinformation effect. A recent debate is whether completing a memory test after a witnessed event, but before exposure to misleading details, can reduce subsequent misinformation (a protective effect of testing; PET) or increase subsequent misinformation (retrieval-enhanced suggestibility; RES). We further evaluated the initial testing effects using witnessed videos (vs. static images) which often yield a RES pattern and using household scenes which often yield a PET pattern. Following study of four household videos (e.g., bathroom, bedroom, etc.) that depicted an …

Fine-Tuning A 𝑘-Nearest Neighbors Machine Learning Model For The Detection Of Insurance Fraud, Alliyah Stout

Honors Theses

Billions of dollars are lost within insurance companies due to fraud. Large money losses force insurance companies to increase premium costs and/or restrict policies. This negatively affects a company’s loyal customers. Although this is a prevalent problem, companies are not urgently working toward bettering their machine learning algorithms. Underskilled workers paired with inefficient computer algorithms make it difficult to accurately and reliably detect fraud.

The goal of this study is to understand the idea of -Nearest Neighbors ( -NN) and to use this classification technique to accurately detect fraudulent auto insurance claims. Using -NN requires choosing a value and a …

A Comparative Analysis Of Statutory Remedies For Wrongful Convictions In The Fifty States, Abigail St. John

Honors Theses

Thousands of individuals have been wrongfully convicted across the United States. When an exoneration occurs, an individual’s conviction is absolved, and their innocence is proved through newly discovered evidence. While it might be impossible to protect from the errors of the criminal justice system, it is in the hands of the state to compensate the wrongly convicted. There is an abundance of research that focuses on reforming the existing wrongful conviction compensation legislation, but there is a lack of scholarly data that explains the motivations behind this compensation. Moreover, few researchers have considered the role of partisanship and political parties …

Invasion Properties Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Aged Cells, Mina Lane Chasteen Burton

Honors Theses

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by the gram-positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. When compared to other foodborne illnesses, listeriosis has a higher death rate due to an increased incidence of complications such as meningitis, hydrocephalus, and sepsis in immunocompromised populations. Elderly individuals experience a condition known as immunosenescence, which is a gradual compromisation of the immune system brought on by natural aging. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder causing premature aging, which allows HGPS cell lines to be used as models to further research in the field of biogerontology. This study utilizes the F2365 strain of …

Reproductive Timing In Percina Aurora And Other Percina Species In The Pascagoula River Watershed, Malia Davidson

Honors Theses

The Southeastern United States is home to high levels of aquatic biodiversity and was recently named one of the Earth’s biodiversity hotspots. Within this region, growing human populations continue to place pressure on aquatic ecosystems and the resident species. Darters (Percidae: Percina) represent a large proportion of the freshwater fish diversity in the region. However, for some species the fundamentals of age, growth, reproductive timing and effort, and ecology remain poorly understood. That said, understanding the timing, duration, and effort allocated to reproduction is vital to successful management of any species. The pearl darter, Percina aurora, has been …

Fluid Pathways In Magmatic Fluid-Dominated Hydrothermal System: Upper Resurgent Cone, Brothers Volcano, New Zealand, Esther G. Goita

Honors Theses

The Tonga-Kermadec Arc is an active volcanic arc located between New Zealand and Fiji. The arc expands over an approximate distance of 2530 km. The Kermadec Arc is currently host to over 30 volcanoes, the majority of which are submarine. The magmatic activity along the arc is characterized by the convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates. Brothers volcano is the most active hydrothermal system along the Kermadec arc and hosts two distinct hydrothermal systems, one magmatic fluid dominated, and the other seawater dominated, making the site perfect for studying nascent volcanogenic massive sulfide formation and fluid pathways. The International …

Table Stakes In The War For Talent: Examining The Role Of Educational Assistance Programs Among The Fortune 1000, Noah Hubbard

Honors Theses

This study gathered stakeholder viewpoints regarding the role of educational assistance programs among the Fortune 1000 companies during the war for talent. Thirteen semi-structured interviews revealed themes that addressed four guiding research questions. After analyzing the results of the interviews and reading relevant literature, I created recommendations for each of the questions. From the first guiding research question (How do educational assistance programs help attract and retain employees and differentiate companies from one another?), recommendations include: offer a broad range of programs from G.E.D. to master’s degrees, utilize tuition assistance models to improve access to educational assistance programs, and allow …

Investigation Of Python Variable Privacy, Joshua Bartholomew

Honors Theses

This study looks at the relative security of Python regarding private variables and functions used in most other programming languages. Python has only grown in popularity due to its simple syntax and developing capabilities. However, little research has been published about how secure Python code and programs compiled from Python code actually are. This research seeks to expose vulnerabilities in Python code and determine what must be done for these vulnerabilities to be exploited by hackers to abuse potentially sensitive information contained within the program.

The proposed methodology includes examining the private variable concept in other programming languages and conducting …

Adaptation Of Graphic Design For Inclusivity Of Diverse Demographic Audiences, Stephanie Bedoya

Honors Theses

Being culturally aware of one’s target audience is essential in order to avoid insensitive design choices and communicate more effectively. Through secondary source research, I described design issues impacting populations that are frequently overlooked. I found examples that either lack cultural awareness or inclusivity for these populations. This project analyzes these existing design materials and provides a redesigned version following more inclusive standards.

Impacts Of Human Development And Salt Marsh Characteristics On Variation In The Growth And Reproduction Of Spartina Alterniflora, Alora Lovely

Honors Theses

This study focused on how human development may impact salt marshes using the common native species Spartina alterniflora as an indicator. Salt marshes are vital coastal ecosystems that help protect against major flooding and can filter pollutants from the water. Like many environments, salt marshes have been impacted by human development in many ways, from construction of cities and roadways to pollution from industrial facilities and equipment. The salt marshes that once dominated many coastlines along the North American Atlantic coast have been destroyed or reduced in size dramatically with the extensive development that has occurred along these shores. Three …

From Patrons To Landlords: The Transformation Of Class Relations In Zanzibar Through Wakf Reform, Isabel Spafford

Honors Theses

This study examines the role of wakf reforms in reshaping class relationships in Zanzibar during the British protectorate. Prior to the establishment of the British protectorate in Zanzibar, wakf dedications maintained patron-client relationships between the landowning class and poor clients that were established during the time of slavery but continued after abolition. I argue that wakf dedications were essential to continuing these relationships, and therefore British wakf reforms were necessary to achieve British colonial goals of dissolving patron-client relationships and establishing a capitalist system based on wage labor and ground rent. I analyze the relationship of the British colonial class, …

Evaluation Of Raman Spectroscopy As A Screening Tool To Predict Dna Recovery Potential In Skeletonized Human Remains, Cody Silverman

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if Raman spectroscopy can be used as a rapid and non-destructive screening tool to predict DNA recovery potential for bone, and to explore the correlation between the compositional microstructure of bone and preservation of DNA. The two primary structural components of bone are calcium hydroxyapatite and collagen. It is proposed that by analyzing bone using Raman spectroscopy, the presence, state, and distribution of hydroxyapatite and collagen can be measured, which may be useful in predicting if the sample is viable for DNA analysis. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop …

Heroines And Murderers The World Of Sophoclean Women, Nathan Debar

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the female characters of the extant and fragmentary plays of the 5th-century BC Athenian poet Sophocles. These plays’ composition date ranges from the second half of the 5th century BC. Not every play will be considered for this study, as some do not contain female characters or female characters cannot be ascribed to a fragmentary play. Only plays that feature female characters or plays in which female characters and their actions can be reasonably estimated will be used in this study. For the fragments and their information, I shall default to Hugh Lloyd-Jones’ 1996 Sophocles: Fragments. …