Digital Commons Network^™

Sandworms And Computer Worms: An Assessment Of American Critical Infrastructure Cyber Vulnerabilities And The Russian Federation's Growing Offensive Capabilities, Spencer Johns

Honors Theses

Bottom Line Up Front: It is highly likely that the Russian GRU has the capability, resources, and intent to execute cyberweapon attacks against American critical infrastructure in times of heightened tensions, either as a warning or a first strike. I also assess that much of current American critical infrastructure is not secure enough to withstand a coordinated assault by the GRU, and very likely has numerous severe vulnerabilities known by the GRU.

"Contemporary Audio Software Designs And Applications", Jacob Wolfe

Honors Theses

This study was an ear-first investigation into the spatial fidelity of binaurally rendered Ambisonic content, which is a technique currently in wide use to create multi-dimensional sound for virtual and augmented reality. 4 participants compared sounds played back on a 2-dimensional horizontal acoustic loudspeaker configuration, and a replication of an identical sound field that has been binaurally rendered for headphone playback. The final goal of altering the headphone program to align more closely with the original acoustic loudspeaker sound field has been realized and proven with improved localization results for participants.

The discovered improvements of this investigation consist of a …

Factors Influencing Alcohol Use During Covid-19 With College Students, Nikki Davis

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse mental health implications. Young adults have been identified as a particularly high-risk group for increased alcohol use during the pandemic (Capasso et al., 2021). Psychological distress, motives for drinking, experiential avoidance, COVID-19 related fears, and campus connectedness may all be factors related to drinking in college students; however, many of these factors have not been examined during COVID-19. The current study surveyed a sample of full-time, WMU college students (N = 235) who were 18 years old or older (M = 21.13, SD = 3.33). The majority of the sample identified as women (71.9%) …

Stories In Song, Lauren Kowal

Honors Theses

Accompanying her senior recital performance, Stories in Song, Kowal writes a form of extended program notes and analysis in which she relates each piece of music to their original storytelling form. She compares the intention of the composer in their retelling of these famous stories, or how the stories were adapted to music, and to how best portray the stories in their performance.

Sound For The Cinema: A Senior Composition Recital By Lindsay Dills, Lindsay Dills

Honors Theses

Sounds for the Cinema involves the exploration of all elements encompassing the creation of film within one composition recital. Pieces were written with the intention of pursuing effective storytelling in writing the music, sound design, foley sound art, and directing videography. Every composition explores different facets of the filmmaking experience. The Batman, Spring, and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers are all rescorings opening the recital showcase to exhibit how altering the music of an already created scene can change the entire tone of a movie. Following this, the composition utilizing a clip from Antman and the Wasp …

Living In A Divided America: The Housing Policies That Have Segregated Our Country And Oppressed African American Wealth, Jenna M. Barnes

Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to highlight the wrongdoings that the American government and people have caused through poor housing practices and provide solutions to this expansive problem. This honors thesis investigates the discrimination that has taken place within the housing industry and implications it has had on African American wealth. The findings of this research uncover the lending procedures and zoning that kept black communities segregated and restricted integration. Discriminatory housing practices have obstructed African American’s from home ownership, which is the easiest way to build and pass on wealth. The biggest factors that have increased the wealth …

The Gamification Of Well-Being, Matthew Barnes

Honors Theses

The rise of the digital era has caused digital domains to become increasingly prevalent and impactful in people’s lives. This thesis explores the threats, as well as possible benefits of one type of digital system: a gamified app. It examines how gamification can impact people and society in positive and negative ways. An experimental model was tested to examine the potential impacts of such apps. The project also considered the ethical implications of gamified systems and suggests that if ethical frameworks are created, gamified systems can have a positive effect on people’s lives and be tools for positive social change.

Computational Analysis Of The Synthesis Of Hydrogels Using The Diels Alder Reaction, Avery Boley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Clay On The Inhibitory Effect Of Mustard Seed Meal On Velvetleaf Seedling Growth, Heeyun Oh

Honors Theses

Mustard seed meal (MSM) has been studied as a biofumigant in suppressing weed growth in an organic-friendly way. Previous studies have shown that MSM in the presence of elevated sand content was highly effective in suppressing the germination of velvetleaf seeds, and that as clay/silt in sand content increased, MSM effectiveness decreased in suppressing seed germination. Based on these results, it was postulated that clay may have effects on MSM by inhibiting this biofumigant from suppressing weed growth. Two different types of pure clay--kaolin and montmorillonite--were selected with their increasing concentrations. Low concentrations of clay do not seem to influence …

Friendship In A Pandemic: Test Of An Experimental Intervention To Boost The Protective Effect Of Friendship Quality, Hyewon Hong

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the decrease of general wellbeing and increase in loneliness for many people. Friendships hold a well-established link to positive physical and mental health outcomes, particularly through the social support given by close, high-quality friendships and the improvement of friendship quality may be a novel way to counteract recent declines of mental health. The current research seeks to establish the efficacy of a created intervention designed to increase the friendship quality of an emerging adult population (N = 116). The theory behind the creation and implementation of such an intervention is discussed. The efficacy of …

Sexual Assault: Disclosure, Healthcare Barriers And Facilitators, And Interventions, Meghan Stepnitz

Honors Theses

Sexual assault is apparent across the globe. Sexual assault victims and survivors face many barriers that decrease disclosure to healthcare providers leading to it becoming underreported. These barriers can be alleviated with interventions implemented by healthcare providers to ease the process of disclosure. Victims and survivors also face barriers seeking post-assault, follow-up, and mental healthcare. Researchers have described the barriers that sexual assault victims and survivors face accessing healthcare in the immediate period after assault, but less research has focused on healthcare beyond this period. Recognizing these barriers gives the opportunity for healthcare providers to remove them and make healthcare …

Relative Energy Comparison For Various Water Clusters Using Mp2, Df-Mp2, And Ccsd(T):Mp2 Methods, Qihang Wang

Honors Theses

The study of water clusters is an important area of research in many disciplines, such as biology, physical chemistry, and environmental studies. However, due to the difficulty in studying larger water clusters, such as clathrate hydrates, it is beneficial to obtain accurate descriptions of smaller water clusters to use as models for larger systems via computational methods. By starting with small water clusters, such as (H2O)₆, and moving into larger systems it is possible to build up data on various water structures that can determine the energetics of the various geometries within a certain number of water molecules. …

A Research Study On The Effects Of Differentiated Instruction, Tiered Instruction, And Tracking On First Grade And Second Grade Students Who Perform Lower In Academic Subjects Compared To Their Classmates, Britni Sanchez

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Contribution Of Environmental Education To Dismantling An Increasingly Dysfunctional Environmental Attitude, Jenna Patricia Santacroce

Honors Theses

In part one, this thesis explains how a widespread environmental attitude, which is that it is permissible for humans to dominate the Earth, originated in early human history and remains prevalent today. This “domination attitude” is accompanied by American physical and social structures, otherwise referred to as provisioning systems, which largely constitute a current, prominent paradigm. This paradigm is leading to irreversible environmental degradation which adversely impacts all life on Earth. In part two, this thesis claims that this trajectory can be effectively diverted through a paradigm shift, one where the domination attitude is abandoned, humans pursue a more harmonious …

Policy Solutions To Maximize The Economic Potential Of The Casino Industry Clusters In Tunica County, Mississippi, John Furla

Honors Theses

Tunica County has come a long way over the past 30 years. From being named “America’s Ethiopia” in 1989 to leading the state in many aspects of economic development today, Tunica County has completely transformed their economy all on the back of the casino industry. Grounded in agglomeration theory, this research serves to confirm the quantitative data that claim that the casino clusters in Tunica County serve as the central driver of economic development for the area through the process of spillover. Through six qualitative interviews with officials from Tunica County government and economic development agencies, the collection of descriptive …

Art To Influence Creativity In Algorithmic Composition, Tyler Braithwaite

Honors Theses

Advances in Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) techniques have caused an explosion of problems posed that revolve around the mass analysis and generation of sequential data, including symbolic music. Building off the work of Nathaniel Patterson’s Musical Autocomplete: An LSTM Approach, we extend this problem of continuing a composition by examining the creative impact that injecting latent-space encoded image data, specifically fine art from the WikiArt Dataset, has on the musical output of RNN architectures designed for autocomplete. For comparison purposes with Patterson, we will also be using a corpus of Erik Satie’s piano music for training, validation, and testing.

A Man Not A Monster : Reimagining Disability In Hollow Crown's Richard Iii, Taylor E. Uphus

Honors Theses

Traditional portrayals of William Shakespeare’s Richard III (1592) in film interpret Richard’s physical disability as an outward reflection of his evil. In recent years, disabilities studies scholars have reconsidered the historic association of Richard’s physical deformity with immorality. Unlike previous Richard III films, the BBC’s Hollow Crown: Richard III (Dominic Cooke, 2016) highlights Richard’s mental abuse and trauma. While the film does not shy away from Richard’s villainy, its more empathic depiction of Richard contests the one-dimensional stage and film representation of him as a conniving monster. Ultimately, this film presents Richard III to critique society’s treatment of disabled individuals.

What Are The Essential Elements Of The Customer Journey Experience For Food Delivery?, Benjamin Famiano

Honors Theses

As more restaurants start to adopt ghost kitchens to fulfill online orders, those restaurants need to know which customers would be satisfied with the fact that a ghost kitchen is preparing their food, and if not, what can restaurants do to appeal to those customers. Will the use of ghost kitchens have a negative effect on the consumers trust and satisfaction level or will it have positive or neutral effect? To answer this question, we conducted a survey using 100 random respondents each from New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. We collected the demographics of the respondents and then …

A Modern War: How Large Dairy Corporations Negatively Affect The Relationship Between Dairy Cows, Humans, And The Environment, Mikayla M. Marti

Honors Theses

I created a short romantic story to represent the mostly negative relationship between humans, dairy cows, and the environment. The research was conducted relating to dairy consumption’s effect on human health, the effect of large dairy corporations on cows’ health and well-being, and the effect of dairy production on the environment. The desired evidence through scientific findings was minimal to nonexistent due to the political nature of the dairy industry. This is represented best in the war setting of the short story as war is highly politicized and rarely unanimously agreed upon as either good or bad. My argument started …

The Spectre Of “Overpopulation” In Climate Change, Kris Mann

Honors Theses

Malthusian overpopulation remains a popular idea across the globe as something that needs to be combated, especially with the anthropogenic impact on the environment. The central guiding question is: To what extent is “overpopulation” a valid notion with regards to the present climate crisis, and should action be taken regarding population reduction? This research concludes that the notion of overpopulation itself is racist, classist, and has caused senseless amounts of suffering in its wake. The inherent notion of overpopulation can only be reductively applied to our current global status with regards to fighting climate change. While the climate crisis is …

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks: The Impact Of Music Intervention On Speech Therapy Outcomes, Jenna F. Johnson

Honors Theses

Within this thesis, the benefits of music-based intervention used within speech therapy sessions is explored through the study of neurology, literature reviews, and research data. The neurological pathways of speech and music depend on common processes in the mind; this relationship could potentially reveal benefits when using certain music activities in speech therapy sessions. The neurological link between language and music has been implemented in studies in speech therapy clients with fluency disorders (stuttering), patients with Parkinson’s disease, and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, there is a shockingly small number of studies surrounding patients with speech sound disorders, …

From Reality To Fiction: How Women’S Mental Health Was Portrayed In 19th Century Literature, Sara Mason

Honors Theses

This thesis is an examination of the history of mental health treatment for women in the 19^th century. Fictional literature written during this time by American and English female authors is used to explore the underlying attitudes towards women who were perceived to have a mental illness. This thesis explores the three works Jane Eyre, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and The Awakening, as well as the biography of the female authors. This information is used to explore the patriarchal society represented in these works and how that is shown through the authors’ writing. The medical profession is also …

The Mechanistic Basis For The Toxicity Difference Between Juvenile Rats And Mice Following Exposure To The Agricultural Insecticide Chlorpyrifos, Katelyn Sette

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Girl Power: Criminal Justice Gender Discrimination In Ohio, Kentucky, And Indiana, Abigail M. Scola

Honors Theses

Women in the career field of criminal justice are severely underrepresented and face obstacles every day in the form of discrimination and sexual harassment. This work looks to investigate the frequency of perceived gender discrimination and harassment against women employed in the criminal justice system. This research was completed through a survey administered to those working for a department of the criminal justice system in the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana regions to gage the gender discrimination present. Local and state police departments, law offices, jails, prisons, and federal law enforcement agencies in ten counties in each of the three states …

Assay Development For Investigating The Contributions Of P75 Neurotrophin Receptor (P75ntr) Signaling To Neurodegeneration Associated With Parkinson’S Disease, Samantha A. Radomski

Honors Theses

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75^NTR) possesses the ability to promote cell survival or apoptosis upon activation. The specific signaling cascades regulated by p75^NTR in neurodegenerative pathologies are poorly understood due to the multifaceted nature of the receptor. Prior studies associate oxidative stress, a cellular condition induced by an overwhelming presence of reactive oxygen species, with promoting proteolysis and subsequent activation of p75^NTR in dopaminergic neurons. Dopaminergic neurons express p75^NTR and are of interest in neurodegenerative research. The degeneration of these neurons occur during the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. Here, we optimized an in vivo and …

Family Centered Care In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Standard Checklist For Nurses And Parents, Tori C. Williams

Honors Theses

Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) care for critically ill newborn babies. Family Centered Care (FCC) is a relatively new standard of NICU care that allows for caregivers to be as much of a part of the NICU experience as health care providers. This thesis utilized a review of literature to identify research that shows that FCC is an effective way to improve outcomes for neonates and their caregivers. Many sources did provide evidence for this. Some evidence shows that FCC can lead to shorter length of stay, increased rates of breastfeeding, and increased weight gain for the neonates, while parents/caregivers …

Coping Strategies In College-Aged Women Across The Attention Spectrum, Keri Phillips

Honors Theses

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a highly studied condition that has garnered increasing attention across the past 30 years. Within the population of adults with ADHD, women with ADHD may be an underidentified, underserved, and understudied group. The term “Coping Strategies” is used to describe the various behaviors an individual might engage in to help deal with the hard and stressful parts of life. For those dealing with ADHD, coping strategies can be an important aspect of dealing with their symptoms. The current study surveyed a sample of college-age women, with the goal of learning how their placement on the …

Theorizing A Continuum Of Serial Killer Fandom And Fascination In Our Society, Kellyn N. Smith

Honors Theses

Interest in serial killers has become a prominent topic of discussion in the media today. The so-called serial killer fandom has been on the fringes of our society for generations. Violence and the perpetrators of violence have always been fascinating to some individuals. The advent of the internet has allowed the serial killer fandom to spread and for members to connect with each other. Over time, many forms of expression for this interest in killers has manifested.

This thesis proposes a theoretical continuum of serial killer fandom. Constructed from an ethnographic content analysis of existing literature and relevant media, this …

Doctor Mario: How Video Games Are Being Used As Medicine, Grayson T. Salyers

Honors Theses

The video game industry has become the largest media industry in the world, dwarfing even the movie and music industries. As such, video games are very present in the consciousness of American citizens. This makes them attractive to areas such as the field of medicine, which is always researching new and more effective ways to administer treatments to patients. This thesis examines all the research surrounding the use of video games as medicine, whether it be to treat a mental illness, physical ailment, or just for cognitive training, in an effort to determine if video games are effective as a …

Nectar Source Preferences Of The Hummingbird: A Field Study From South Texas, Jasmine Benavidez

Honors Theses

With the rise of urbanization, comes a rise in urban-like activities—most notable is birdfeeding. Given the increasing popularity of bird-feeding, especially in hummingbird feeding, concern for implications, if any, has mounted. There is reason to believe that artificial feeders can impact the surrounding environment; that is, it is possible that feeders could attract pollinators away from flowering plants, which, in turn, could bring repercussions for pollination and all associated with it. However, literature, on the matter, is rather limited. To add to this, past studies provide two opposing arguments. This study aims to explore the nectar source preferences of hummingbirds …