Digital Commons Network^™

The State And The Spirits: Voodoo And Religious Repression In Jim Crow New Orleans, Kendra Cole

Honors Theses

Voodoo transitioned from a religion that caused its practitioners to be criminalized and apprehended by the state to a lure used to entice visitors to the Crescent City. This thesis attemtps to show how the public perception of Voodoo shifted in the late nineteenth-century from a hidden threat to a public novelty. I explain this shift through analyzing New Orleans guidebooks, newspapers, and court cases at the turn of the twentieth-century. This thesis fills the gap in the scholarship pertaining to the twentieth-century. I achieve this by drawing upon more extensive literature on the oppression of African-derived religions in other …

Transformation Of Model Organisms With Munc13-1 For Subcloning And Protein Harvesting, Grace Dittmar

Honors Theses

Exocytosis is the process by which cells release various molecules into the extracellular space. This mechanism is accomplished by membrane fusion, in which the membrane of the transport vesicle and that of the cell itself fuse to create one continuous membrane, allowing the release of the molecules inside the vesicle. A family of proteins, known as SNARE proteins, is responsible for facilitating membrane fusion. SNARE proteins form a complex between the vesicle membrane and the plasma membrane. For various cells, such as mast cells and neurons, exocytosis is essential to carry out their vital functions. Various accessory proteins are known …

The Economic Impact Of The 2018 Conference Usa Baseball Tournament On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Jonathan Brent

Honors Theses

This study aims to measure the economic impact of the 2018 Conference USA Baseball Tournament on the Mississippi Gulf Coast compared to holding the college sporting event at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Visitor spending and demographic data was collected through random intercept surveys outside MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Economic Modeling LLC (EMSI) Input-Output model was used to determine the economic and fiscal impact of visitor spending during the sporting event. The impact to the six-county coastal region and the state of Mississippi as a whole was analyzed. The EMSI model projected an increase of …

The Ebp-Cot Assignment: Increasing The Use And Understanding Of Ebps In Preservice Teachers, Margaret Bowman

Honors Theses

This study investigated whether the use of the Evidence-Based Practice-Classroom Observation Tool (EBP-COT) assignment in an introductory teacher education practicum increased the understanding of Evidence-Based Practice-Classroom Observation Tools (EBPCOT). Participants in this study were consenting special education majors in their introductory block practicum course at a mid-south university in the fall semester of 2018. Students were asked to complete the EBP-COT assignment to include focused checklists components and reflections as well as a pretest and posttest. The assignment, pretest, and posttest were analyzed for similarities in increased understanding of evidence-based practices and comfort with the use of evidence-based practices. Overall, …

They Never Stopped Rockin': A Brief History Of The Chitlin' Circuit, Mississippi, And Their Effects On America's Music, Warren Beebe

Honors Theses

This work focuses on the development of one of America's first musical tour routes: the Chitlin' Circuit. While its name may sound strange, the Chitlin' Circuit was responsible for the development of numerous distinct musical genres throughout the United States, such as blues and rock and roll in the twentieth century. Southern roadhouses, dive bars, and juke joints proudly showcased performers that gained initial fame touring with old medicine shows. As these artists gained recognition for their new musical stylings and elaborate showmanship, the owners of these local nightspots began to exchange contact information to better capitalize on these highly …

Hiv-1 Integrase Multimerization By Quinoline Based Drugs, Samer Beauti

Honors Theses

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1), a single stranded RNA retrovirus, affects over 30,000,000 people world-wide1. The virus works by infecting and promoting destruction of CD4 immune cells. and thus, suppressing proper immune functions2. Contrary to DNA viruses, the absence of extensive proofreading mechanisms in RNA viruses makes HIV latency a major obstacle in the discovery of long-term, effective treatments. Moreover, the importance of exploring novel therapeutic targets and designing complimentary inhibitory molecules remains steadfast in HIV research3 Recently, HIV-1 Integrase (IN) multimerization, the core enzyme used for integration of the viral DNA into an invaded host chromosome, has been …

The Impact Of Oxygen On The Intracellular Survival Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Amber N. Coats

Honors Theses

Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen that is responsible for the foodborne disease listeriosis. In order to invade host cells and establish an infection, this pathogen must travel through the gastrointestinal tract where it is exposed to a variety of stressors, including low pH, bile, and variations in oxygen concentrations. These stressors necessitate this organism’s ability to sense and respond to its environment. Previous research has shown that bacteria use two-component systems to sense and regulate genes needed for improved survival in stressful environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to determine if the expression of the putative oxygen …

Fate Of Ingested Rna In The Two-Spotted Spider Mite, Obrie D. Scarbrough

Honors Theses

RNA interference, or RNAi, is a gene regulation mechanism that uses small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) to silence the expression of certain genes. The application of RNAi has been extended to insect pest control. The two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae is a persistent agricultural pest that tends to develop pesticide resistance at an alarming rate, making it a perfect candidate for RNAi technology development. It was hypothesized that unique sRNAs could be isolated from RNA soaked spider mites, and new synthetic RNAs could be synthesized to elicit greater knockdown than was achieved in previous studies. To perform this research, a small …

Direct Behavior Observations And Teachers' Ratings Of Internalizing Problem Behaviors, Lauren R. Parker

Honors Theses

Systematic direct observation is a commonly used method in schools to compile data on students' behavior in a naturalistic setting. Internalizing problem behaviors, behaviors such as social withdrawal, somatic complaints, and anxiousness, can lead to adverse consequences and have not, to the researchers' knowledge, been systematically observed in a classroom setting. Additionally, students have never been identified for intervention through direct observation. The researchers administered the Student Internalizing Behavior Screener (SIBS), which is a 7-item, teacher-completed, Likert-type scale which measures occurrences of internalizing problem behaviors. Once scores from the SIBS were calculated, students who scored at-risk were chosen for observation …

Design Process Of A Novel Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Sample Preparation Methodology, Julian M. Richardson

Honors Theses

The technique of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) has been a frontrunner in the field of polymer science for decades. It’s used as a tool for characterization has been integral in mankind’s understanding of the properties of polymeric materials. The procedure for obtaining data using DMA is widespread and standardized, however the procedure for preparing the samples is a list of dimensions and tolerances with no mention of how to obtain said dimensions. Every research group using DMA is left to their own devices to prepare samples. This discontinuity can create the problem of nonuniform results across the scientific community. This …

Improved Data Acquisition Using A Novel Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Sample Preparation Technique: The Numbers Do Not Lie, Jordan J. Winetrout

Honors Theses

Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is a technique commonly used to identify the thermomechanical properties of polymeric materials. In the aerospace industry, a typical DMA sample is a glassy epoxy-amine polymer network. On a laboratory scale, these types of materials are cured in a silicon mold and sanded by hand to yield a sample with testable dimensions. This preparation technique is time consuming and causes sample imperfections which negatively affects data acquisition. This thesis aims to absolve the issues with DMA sample preparation by using a custom vacuum housing and a DeWALT^TM brand orbital sander. This novel approach has been …

Vulnerable Narcissism, Difficulties In Emotion Regulation, And Relational Aggression In College Students, Shelby E. Caffarel

Honors Theses

Relational aggression is a form of aggressive behavior involving the intentional infliction of harm to the victim’s sense of belonging, reputation, or social relationships. Although most of the research on relational aggression has focused on children and early adolescents, there is evidence that it can be a serious problem for college students as well. Several predictors of relational aggression have been identified, but the mechanisms through which many of them operate is not sufficiently clear. The present study examined the relationship of vulnerable narcissism and difficulties in emotion regulation to relational aggression in a college student sample. It was expected …

Patient-Perceived Stigma & Communication In Mental Healthcare: Predictors Of Medication Adherence And Mental Health Outcomes, Cameron A. Cloud

Honors Theses

Patients with mental illness often report feeling stigmatized by their mental healthcare providers, which may deter them from seeking care services altogether. Although workplace interventions can be implemented to reduce stigma, outcomes are limited and may not be long-lasting. The objectives of this study are to investigate which variables of interpersonal communication are significant predictors of medication adherence and mental health outcomes in patients with mental illness. This study surveyed 258 participants from the United States who were at least 18 years of age and reported seeing a mental healthcare provider and taking psychotropic medication within the past five years. …

Madwomen And Resistance: Gender And Self-Harm In Romantic And Victorian Literature, Emily V. Rasch

Honors Theses

Literature of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was concerned with madness. However, relatively little research has been done to indicate how supposed “madwomen” escaped patriarchal control. This thesis will analyze madwomen from the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries and will argue that suicide appears in literature as the sole way that “mad” characters can resist patriarchal control. I examine the impact of self-harm and suicide in Mary Wollstonecraft’s Maria or the Wrongs of Woman; John Keats’s “Isabella and the Pot of Basil”; and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I connect self-harm to the desire to escape patriarchal …

An Analysis Of How The Internet Has Changed Photography And The Profession Of Photojournalism, Florence A. Maillot

Honors Theses

Photography and the photojournalism profession [HR1] is ever-changing due to the Internet. Technological advances allow photographers to use the Internet to their and their publication’s advantage. Along with positive effects of the Internet, there are also negative consequences. The positive and negative aspects intertwine, and it can be difficult for photojournalists to do their jobs due to the negative consequences. This study focused on these positive and negative effects, as well as the personal tolls that photojournalists continue to face daily. The aim of this study was to determine the positive and negative effects of the Internet on photojournalism through …

Methods Of Domination: Towards A Theory Of Domestic Colonialism In Khaled Hosseini’S The Kite Runner, Lauren E. Duke

Honors Theses

While the canon of post-colonial literature has been heavily researched, little scholarship can be found connecting post-colonial theory to instances of colonial tropes within autonomous nations, an event which may be described as “domestic colonialism.” This thesis will examine Khaled Hosseini’s work, The Kite Runner (2003), as a modern work of post-colonial literature, as it reveals the methods of domination present in 20th century Afghanistan. I will evaluate the text based on the definitions of traditional settler colonialism and anthropoligal classifications of intergroup domination in order to highlight the narrative of domestic colonialism that is present within the text. Through …

Involvement Of College Football Fans At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Cameron S. Kenney

Honors Theses

The modern college football market faces several challenges including the fact that game day attendance numbers have continued to drop for the past few years and show no signs of slowing down. Understanding the psychological involvement of sports fans could play a major role in improving attendance numbers and providing consumers with a greater experience during football games. The primary goal of this research was to determine predictors of sports involvement among Southern Miss football fans. Another goal was to determine which facets of involvement predicted return intentions. With those who had attended a home Southern Miss football game in …

The Dna Damage Response Gene Ddr48 Regulates Sterol Synthesis Genes To Confer Antifungal Resistance To The Pathogenic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Gabriella Reyes

Honors Theses

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungal pathogen that is endemic to the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi river valley regions. The fungus grows as a mold at environmental temperatures (25C) and transforms into a unicellular yeast upon inhalation by a mammalian host (37C). The mold to yeast shift is required for pathogenicity in host organisms, where the potentially fatal disease, histoplasmosis, can present. This study aims to characterize the DNA damage response protein DDR48 and the role that it plays in combating cellular stressors in H. capsulatum. We found that DDR48 is expressed strongly in the mold phase but expressed only …

A Study On The Modifications Of [2.2]Paracyclophane And Their Effects On The Enantioselectivity Of The Copper Catalyzed Cyclopropanation Reaction, Yousef Dawoud

Honors Theses

The use of chiral [2.2]paracyclophane Schiff-base ligands has been shown to induce enantioselectivity in the copper catalyzed cyclopropanation of styrene with diazoesters. ¹ Previous research by Dr. Masterson tested Schiff-base ligands based on 4- amino[2.2]paracyclophane with moderate enantioselectivity. In this project, the Schiff-base N- salicylidene-4-amino[2.2]paracyclophane, was modified by way of Grignard addition to the imine carbon and its enantioselective properties were explored with the copper catalyzed cyclopropanation. The methyl Grignard addition to N- salicylidene-4-amino[2.2]paracyclophane was successful in producing the amino alcohol and the amino alcohol was characterized. The amino alcohol was produced from the R enantiomer of the Schiff-base and …

When Saliva Is A Crime: Reforming Mississippi’S Hiv Criminalization Law Utilizing The Center For Disease Control And Prevention’S Policy Analytical Framework, Anastasia Walrod

Honors Theses

Mississippi is currently experiencing an HIV/AIDS crisis. The state is ranked in the top 10 for diagnoses of HIV infection, with Jackson, Mississippi ranked sixth in the nation for HIV diagnoses and fourth in the nation for AIDS diagnoses. Despite antiretroviral treatment allowing for persons with HIV to lead healthy lives, Mississippians continue to die from AIDS in large part because of stigma, misinformation, and lack of resources. This is furthered by Mississippi’s HIV criminalization law. HIV criminalization laws are used to penalize HIV exposure, but HIV-specific criminal laws are considered largely ineffective public health policies because these statutes further …

Checklist Of The Vascular Flora, Restoration Plans, And Educational Interpretive Signs For A Remnant Prairie At The Lakewood Memorial Cemetery, Hinds County, Mississippi, Olivia Shelton

Honors Theses

A floristic survey was conducted on the eastern margin of the Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery, located between Jackson and Clinton, Mississippi, near the western edge of the Jackson Prairie ecoregion. From soil map data and preliminary observations of the landform and flora, the eastern part of the cemetery was hypothesized to be remnant prairie now mostly covered by exotic grasses (pasture) and woodland. Plant specimens were collected, identified, and preserved in the herbarium of The University of Southern Mississippi (USMS). The survey yielded 119 species of vascular plants, of which 98 (82%) were native and 21 (18%) were non-native. Indicative …

Mother Feminism: A Study In Jewish American Literature, Hannah Jane Leduff

Honors Theses

Traditionally, Jewish mothers in the orthodox practice of the religion are socially marginalized by the same patriarchy that institutionally reveres them. Orthodox tradition requires that Jewish women value family above all other aspects in life by fulfilling their divine calling: motherhood. Typically, the scholarly community regards orthodox Jewish mothers as oppressed by the patriarchy because they accept motherhood as a divine calling to which they have no alternative. Their arduous efforts in instilling progressive values in their children, however, reveal their feminist intentions despite the oppression they encounter within their religion. The term “mother feminism” describes Jewish mothers’ altruistic feminist …

The Impact Of State Political Party Association On The Gender Wage Gap, Audrey Kelly

Honors Theses

Purpose: This study investigates whether political party association impacts the gender wage gap in the United States of America. This study is motivated by the minimal recent reduction in the gender wage gap, despite legislation presented to combat this problem. The study is also motivated by the impact of gender wage gap on females’ choice of major, which directly impacts the national economy.

Design/methodology/approach: Gender wage gap data is collected from 50 states and Washington D.C. for the year 2018 to examine whether political party association significantly impacts the gender wage gap. Mississippi is a proxy for the Republican …

Music Scenes, The Creative Economy, And Changing Your Backyard, William Ford

Honors Theses

City branding has become a popular tactic by cities looking to improve economic development, reputation, or attract tourists and businesses to move to its specific town or city especially with music branding. However, much of the research on city branding focuses on massive international cities.

This project focuses on how city branding can be implemented in a smaller setting, but more specifically how the uniqueness of a smaller town’s music scene can be the catalyst to an effective city brand. To do this, data from the Levitt Foundation was analyzed to get a better grasp on what qualities a smaller …

A Mobile Application For Crowdsourced Acquisition Of Urban Street-View Pedestrian Facility Data, Andrew Fink

Honors Theses

In recent years, pedestrians have been dangerously overrepresented in traffic crashes, and the pedestrian fatality rate has steadily increased during the last decade. Additionally, studies have shown that the majority of pedestrian-involved traffic accidents occur in urban non-intersections, which suggests that a more well-connected pedestrian facility network in cities would lower the rate of pedestrian involvement in traffic accidents. One way to improve the pedestrian facility network coverage is to first have up-to-date, accurate, and thorough data regarding the presence of existing pedestrian facilities. However, state departments of transportation have stated that the current methods of acquiring this data are …

Comparative Error Analysis Of The Black-Scholes Equation, Chuan Chen

Honors Theses

Finance is a rapidly growing area in our banking world today. With this ever-increasing development come more complex derivative products than simple buy-and-sell trades. Financial derivatives such as futures and options have been developed stemming from the traditional stock, bond, currency, and commodity markets. Consequently, the need for more sophisticated mathematical modeling is also rising. The Black-Scholes equation is a partial differential equation that determines the price of a financial option under the Black-Scholes model. The idea behind the equation is that there is a perfect and risk-free way for one to hedge the options by buying and selling the …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Utilization Of Iron Ii Ion Sensing Fluorescent Probes For Detection Of Early Onset Anodic Corrosion, Dane N. Wedgeworth

Honors Theses

Corrosion effects can be seen in infrastructure all around the world. From rusted bridges, ships, and other steel surfaces, the price of corrosion adds up quickly with repairs, maintenance, and complete replacement. Common approaches to corrosion detection and prevention require slow, optical inspection to begin the repair and maintenance process, which can also be very slow and costly. However, recent literature suggests that metal chelating probes can yield new understanding of the processes of corrosion faster and with greater specificity in location and diversity in mechanisms for early onset of corrosion. Earlier corrosion detection can be characterized by several ways. …

Cloning, Expression, And Purification Of Fadk And Its Application In Coa-Rna Capture, Jon-Michael L. Stork

Honors Theses

Coenzyme A (CoA) is an important enzyme cofactor involved in acyl transfer reactions. Recently, CoA and its various thioesters were found to exist at the 5’ end of RNA molecules. Although the function of these molecules is still unknown due to difficulties in their isolation, their existence at the 5’ RNA end reveals potentially novel biological roles of RNA. We are exploiting the broad substrate tolerance of the medium chain fatty acid-coenzyme A ligase (FadK), hypothesizing that this enzyme will accept biotinylated medium chain fatty acid substrates, creating biotin-tagged CoA-RNA. This modified CoA-RNA can later be captured using streptavidin affinity …

The Incorporation Of Lipids Into The Cellular Membrane Of Salmonella, Betsy H. Redfern

Honors Theses

Salmonella is a gram negative, facultative anaerobic food borne pathogen and is the leading cause of deaths related to food borne illnesses. In order to establish an infection successfully, Salmonella must be able to survive in the presence of various stressors that it encounters, namely changes in pH, oxygen availability, osmolarity and bile. Previous research has shown that exposure to bile causes a shift in fatty acid composition in the cell membrane of the enteric bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. Thus, this led to the hypothesis that Salmonella incorporates fatty acids into its cellular membrane following exposure to bile and thereby protects …

The Effect Of Therapy Dogs On Preoperative Anxiety, Morgan Royer

Honors Theses

Humans and animals have been companions for ages but that relationship and its benefits have only begun to be explored. Recently, animal assisted therapies have been used to improve both psychological and physiological wellbeing. One of the most popular therapies uses dogs. There are many research studies on the effects of therapy dogs on children and adults with results that have found that the companionship of a dog significantly decreases their stress levels in many different situations, including health care facilities. I investigated the effects of therapy dogs on adults’ anxiety before going into day surgery. Participants were patients from …