Digital Commons Network^™

The Legal Status Of Personhood In The Wake Of Genetic Editing, Tessa C. Ross

Honors Theses

Policies and laws regarding human health require continual examination as technologies improve, and genetic editing technologies that have the ability to modify a person’s DNA are unquestionably relevant to examine. The technologies most intriguing to investigate are those with the ability to directly edit the nuclear genes (segments of DNA within the nucleus of cells) through techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 and Cpf1. This study intends to answer the questions of how should policy develop to accommodate for the improving medical technology of genetic editing and how could genetic editing technologies affect the legal status of personhood for the purposes of …

Methods Utilizing The Phenomena Of Light Scattering To Measure Microscopic Aluminum Oxide Particle Size In Both Solution And Turbulent Air Flow, Lawrence Edward Deese

Honors Theses

Lawrence Deese: Methods Utilizing the Phenomena of Light Scattering to Measure Microscopic Aluminum Oxide Particle Size in Both Solution and Turbulent Air Flow The purpose of this research project was to measure microscopic aluminum oxide (alumina) particle size both in solution and in air flow. Experimentally, the process of sizing microscopic particles is technically challenging. Two methods were used for measuring the sizes of 4 different manufacturer labeled aluminum oxide particles sizes. The first method was using Dynamic Light Scattering analyzed by a LS Spectrometer to measure the alumina particle size while suspended in solution. The second method was using …

Interactions Of Fentanyl With Gp120 In The Central Nervous System, Meagan Buchanan

Honors Theses

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has affected more than 75 million individuals worldwide. HIV not only affects the peripheral system through the targeting of T cells, but also causes adverse effects in the central nervous system. Individuals suffering from HIV often experience neuropathic pain and are prescribed opioids to combat the chronic pain. Along with the increase of opioids prescribed to HIV patients, the number of deaths related to the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has increased drastically. Drug abuse and HIV are interlinked epidemics; individuals who are HIV positive and referred to as “NeuroAIDS.” The HIV envelope protein, gp120, has been …

The Chevron Bunionectomy For Moderate To Severe Deformity: Effects Of Varying Procedural Factors In Hallux Valgus Correction, Hunter Reed Harrison

Honors Theses

With growing popularity of minimally invasive surgery, the Chevron bunionectomy has been investigated for use in moderate to severe hallux valgus. This study investigates procedural components of lateral release, fixation, and 2nd digit procedures to evaluate effects on outcome. 109 out of 325 patients of a distal Chevron osteotomy with a minimum preoperative IMA of 15° completed the phone survey rating satisfaction and pain levels. Patients were contacted an average of 5.2 years postoperatively. 83% of patients reported being extremely to very satisfied with their outcome. Only 9 patients complained of current foot pain greater than or equal to 5 …

The Antifungal Occidiofungin Disrupts Morphological Switching In The Polymorphic Fungus Candida Albicans, Aaron Albee

Honors Theses

Occidiofungin is a natural antifungal compound produced by Burkholderia contaminans MS14. Prior work has been shown occidiofungin to be effective against Candida albicans in its nonpathogenic yeast form. However, C. albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that requires a morphogenic switch to a filamentous form to cause disease. As previous work focusing on the non-pathogenic form has shown distinct biochemical and morphological changes with occidiofungin exposure, I hypothesis that the filamentous form of this fungi will also undergo identifiable changes that can be characterized. To this end, cells induced to undergo morphological switching in the presence of occidiofungin were analyzed by …

Towards A Metaethics Grounded In A Simplified Process Metaphysics, Benjamin Kromann

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to not only illustrate a metaphysical position, but also explore a possible metaethical scheme which can be grounded therein. First is offered an outline of the core principles of Process metaphysics. Then the author differentiates their own take on these principles, bringing into dialogue several other philosophers, both within the tradition of Process philosophy and outside of it. Next is explored the way in which this scheme can inform issues in other domains of inquiry relevant to the final issue being addressed, which is metaethics. Though it is found that this scheme can support at least a …

Academically Productive Classroom Discourse, Elizabeth Burford

Honors Theses

This paper is focused on recent studies connected to Academically Productive Classroom Discourse (APCD) and its effects in the classroom, as well as findings implications for classroom practice and future research suggestions shared by the researchers. APCD can be defined as discussion that propels a deeper academic conversation forward in the classroom, as opposed to creating surface level conversations, halting the conversation, or moving the conversation in a circle. The purpose of this paper is to examine what areas of APCD have been studied and what the results of those studies imply for classroom practice and for more research. Twenty-five …

Investigation Of Radiation Effects On Tungsten And Numerical Methods To Determine Indentation Modulus, Erin M. O'Quinn

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to obtain a better understanding of how radiation damages tungsten and tungsten alloys by comparing material properties of these materials before and after radiation as well as determining effective methods to obtain these material properties. Existing literature was reviewed to compare the differences in material properties of virgin and irradiated tungsten. Additionally, numerical analyses were performed on tungsten and tungsten-rhenium to determine indentation modulus. Abaqus was used to run finite element simulations and complex mathematics to replicating a series of indentations about the material of interest was coded into Python. The input of both …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Undergraduate Research Programs At Mississippi State University For Developing Science Professionals, Isabella Joann Durham

Honors Theses

Since 2013, Mississippi State University has been offering research experiences for undergraduates through formal programs which pair high-performing students in collaborative research with faculty mentors. The purpose of these programs is to provide students with the opportunity to enhance scholarly activity, participate in the discovery of new knowledge, and become a part of the scientific community. We tested the hypotheses that undergraduate research improves student participants’ educational experience (including personal and professional development), enhances retention of talented students in science careers, and leads to discovery of new information that contributes to the larger body of knowledge, while also looking at …

Sarcasm Understanding Across The Lifespan, Kristen Barnett

Honors Theses

Research has identified a developmental progression of sarcasm understanding, stating that children get better at understanding sarcasm as they get older, though adults are still not perfect at reliably detecting sarcasm. This may be related to the cues present (e.g., story context, verbal cues, and facial expressions). Research has primarily focused on verbal cues, specifically exaggerated or “dripping” intonation, in child and adult populations. The literature is lacking in the realm of facial expressions and child populations. This study aimed to add to the literature concerning facial expressions as well as to evaluate sarcasm understanding with more than one cue …

Edge Effects And Diversity Of Understory And Canopy Cloud Forest Beetles, Mallory Barbier

Honors Theses

Habitat fragmentation results in edge effects— changes in diversity and community composition along high-contrast forest edges. To date, a study of edge effects on beetle diversity has not been performed in tropical cloud forests, and few studies compare communities at both understory and canopy levels. Using bottle traps, I sampled canopy and understory beetle communities in a tropical lower montane cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica across three distances (edge- 15 m, middle- 100 m, far- 205 m) along an edge-to-interior transect into the forest. According to the Shannon-Weiner diversity index, the site with the most diversity was the middle …

Policy Analysis Of Tennessee's 51-To-Life Law: Juvenile Sentencing Reform, Natalie P. Hurst

Honors Theses

In the state of Tennessee, juvenile offenders convicted as adults for first-degree murder must receive a minimum sentence of 51 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Tennessee’s minimum juvenile sentencing guideline is the strictest in the United States. In 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that sentencing juvenile offenders to life is unconstitutional citing psychological evidence for a juvenile’s ability to be rehabilitated in comparison to adults (Miller v. Alabama, 2012). Tennessee’s 51-year minimum juvenile sentencing standard is a potential violation of this ruling because it has been shown that the life expectancy in prison …

External Support In Civil Wars And Its Effects On Refugee Flow, Josiah Mezera

Honors Theses

The refugee crisis in Syria that began in 2011 raised several questions in terms of civil war interventions and their effects on refugee flow. Did a third party’s decision to intervene in the Syrian Civil War have any impact on the flow of refugees from the region? This thesis attempts to answer this question. There are multiple forms that external support by a third party can assume: direct military support, indirect military support, and humanitarian aid. This thesis hypothesized that direct and indirect military support would correlate with an increased number of refugees, and that humanitarian aid would have little …

Navigating The Grey Areas Within Financial Reporting: A Composition Of Case Studies, Annabelle Fortune

Honors Theses

The following thesis consists of a composition of case studies that I wrote under the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. Over two semesters, Dr. Dickinson advised my peers and me to work through a dozen case studies covering a variety of financial accounting concepts. For most of the cases, we were presented with information and pertinent data about a company, then a series of questions for us to answer would follow. While many of the questions were objective in nature, some of the questions allowed us to be creative and provide our own recommendations to the problems presented. Aside from …

Financial Reporting: A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Accounting Methods And Applications, Parker Morgan

Honors Theses

This paper serves as a collection of the case studies assigned by Dr. Victoria Dickinson throughout the Professional Research and Development Thesis Program. Each of the twelve case studies presented within this thesis pertains to a different topic or problem regarding the application of accounting standards, financial reporting, or accounting methods. Additionally, this report displays the application of accounting problems to real-life situations, thus incorporating various subjects, such as investments, economics, accounting, and risk advisory. By promoting the use of group-related assignments, this course stimulated teamwork and classroom collaboration. Because of this, students were able to enhance their communication and …

A Pfa Study: Exploring The Relationship Of Anxiety And Self-Esteem With Expressive Writing, Abraham J. Gothong Walayat

Honors Theses

Research has indicated that expressive writing is thought to be beneficial by decreasing inhibitions, but what was still unknown is how the use of self-esteem words could moderate the change in anxiety levels. This study examined the efficacy of Expressive Writing on anxiety levels across time (baseline, immediately post treatment, 30 minutes post, and 15 days post) compared to a Superficial Writing control condition. This study also examined how the use of self-esteem words moderated anxiety levels. Subjects (N=31) were drawn from the Andrews University Behavioral Science Research Subjects Pool and were randomly assigned to either an Expressive Writing experimental …

Conservation And Caffeine: The History Of Coffee Tourism And Sustainability In Costa Rica, Kelsey Smith

Honors Theses

Costa Rican coffee has had a long reputation for being some of the most flavorful coffee on the planet. However, it took many years for Costa Rica to establish itself as a coffee producing country, and many more years to develop sustainable coffee-growing systems. Out of the ruins of exploitation by the United Fruit Company, Costa Rica has built up a booming and sustainable agritourism industry, and coffee has played an integral role in its success. While there are many benefits and drawbacks to agritourism, Costa Rican farmers have managed to make every step of coffee production, from growing to …

Poster, Expanded, Lynnae Strait

Honors Theses

The poster is a fundamental part of graphic design that has existed since the 1800s. Throughout the years, its purposes and aesthetics have changed, but its format has adapted very little. This thesis project sought to define the traditional format of the poster, and then challenge the definition to expand the audience’s understanding of what a poster is and isn’t. This project’s primary goal was not to create aesthetically unique poster, but to create a poster that redefined the format—which would likely result in the achievement of the former goal as well.

The definition was derived by viewing and understanding …

An Exploration Of Homeschooled Students’ Motives For Applying To An Honors College, Claire Callagher

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Diversionary Use Of Media Within The Land Dispute Between Chile And Bolivia, Rebecca Restani

Honors Theses

The land dispute between Bolivia and Chile has been an ongoing conflict that dates back to British decolonization. The War of the Pacific, which ended in 1904 and allowed Chilean sovereignty over land that was formerly Bolivia’s remains the root of the problem, as it rendered Bolivia a landlocked nation. In 2013 Bolivia filed a case with the International Court of Justice demanding negotiations of access to the Pacific Ocean. Within this land dispute, I analyzed the use of Twitter as a method of diversionary politics, which has been largely speculated over the years, that when presidential approval ratings are …

The Role Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Global Education: A Case Study On Sub-Saharan Africa, Laura Taylor

Honors Theses

This paper will work to investigate the effectiveness of educational programs of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of policy in the relationship between a host country and a non-governmental organization. Utilizing a comparative case study approach, this paper examines three different NGOs, operating out of three developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, all with the mission of aiding the realm of global education. Each case study examines the state, the NGO, the historical context of NGOs and the government chosen, the relationship of the NGO selected and the government, …

“Evaluating Knowledge And Perspectives Of Behavior Analytic Language Strategies In The Clinical Practice Of Speech-Language Pathology”, Mackenzie Sturman

Honors Theses

Research shows that principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be beneficial to language acquisition. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have the responsibility of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for individuals with various speech and language impairments, and work directly with language instruction. However, there is limited knowledge of the degree to which SLPs use concepts of behavior analytic language interventions in clinical practice for individuals of varying language and communication disorders. This study investigated the extent to which practicing SLPs use language strategies from ABA in their clinical practice. A qualitative approach was utilized by conducting individual semi-structured interviews with four practicing …

Yield Stress Analysis With Dv-Iii Rheometer, Leah Margaret Cook

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to understand the behavior of everyday substances (toothpaste, lotions, ect.) and chemicals through the analysis of yield stress. By measuring the flow properties of these products, one can determine the stability, uses, and other properties of a substance. Yield stress is experienced everyday from squeezing a tube of toothpaste, to stirring a batch of cake batter, or canning products in a factory. Yield stress along with viscosity helps us predict the behavior of chemicals, cosmetics, and food that we handle daily. Yield stress, torque, and strain values were measured with a DV-III Rheometer and …

Radiative Double Electron Capture By Ions In Collisions With Gas Targets, Charles Taylor

Honors Theses

Radiative double electron capture (RDEC) is a two-step quantum process where two electrons are captured from the target gas to the projectile ion beam with a simultaneous emission of a single photon. The projectile ion beam was obtained from the tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Western Michigan University. The projectile beam used is fully and partially ionized fluorine 9+, and 8+ in collision with highly pure nitrogen gas. The objective of the research is to observe RDEC from x ray detection using time to amplitude converters (TACs) that look for coincidences between x rays and particles. The signal from …

Effects Of Stuttering Frequency, Speaking Rate And Treatment On Speech Naturalness In Adults Who Stutter, Emily Hausman

Honors Theses

Purpose: Individuals who stutter can often exhibit speech patterns that sound unnatural compared to individuals who do not stutter. Unnaturalness can be due to several underlying factors including the presence of stuttering itself and the unintended consequences of treatment approaches that alter speech motor patterns. Understanding factors that impact speech naturalness within the stuttering population can help improve the clinical management of the disorder. The current study investigates the relationship between pause duration, speech rate and stuttering frequency, and listener ratings of speech naturalness in a group of adults who stutter (AWS) before and after participation in a stuttering treatment …

Deducing The Reproductive, Behavioral, And Learning Effects Of Developmental Cannabinoid Exposure In Zebrafish, Marisa L. Kutchma

Honors Theses

With the spreading legalization of marijuana, it is important to investigate the effects of two of its active ingredients—Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC and CBD differ in that THC exerts psychoactive effects, while CBD does not. Thus, CBD is renowned for its analgesic effects in treating a variety of ailments, for example, childhood drug-resistant epilepsy. In addition, there is an increase in reports of prenatal CBD usage. As it is increasingly used, research has fallen far behind the proliferation of CBD and more needs to be done, particularly in the developmental realm. This study utilizes a developmental origins of …

Clicks And Mortar: The Modernization Of Boutique Retail To Aid Rural Revitalization In Mississippi, Mary Linley Albert

Honors Theses

As ecommerce outlets boom, many brick and mortar stores cannot keep up and are forced to shut their doors. Rural retailers have been hit harder than any other segment by this supposed Retail Apocalypse. In the same vein, many previously online only businesses are opening brick and mortar locations. The purpose of this research is to understand the combined necessity of physical and digital commerce for businesses and lay out an omnichannel strategy, the Clicks and Mortar method, that is tailored directly to the needs of rural boutique clothing retailers. The methods used to gather research and data include primary …

Lgbtq+ Student Safety On Western Michigan University's Campus, Kaitlyn Sedorchuk

Honors Theses

Campus climate, in general, has been a popular area of research for many years, and this also includes campus climate for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus) students. Outside of the campus climate survey done back in 2013, there has been no recent campus climate research done on Western Michigan University’s campus as of Spring 2019. This means that there has been no research focusing on queer students’ perceptions of Western’s campus, as well.

In order to help and rectify this and create a platform in which queer students attending Western Michigan University could share their experiences, the current …

Financial Literacy: The Argument For Required Coursework Regarding Personal Finance In Schools, Maclain Canfield

Honors Theses

Financial literacy is one of the most important skills for adults to possess, and therefore personal finance should be required education. Being financially literate provides individuals with the knowledge needed to make financially prudent decisions that substantially impact their lives (Kenton, 2019; Lusardi, 2008; Zucchi, 2018). However, only fifty-seven percent of adults in the United States are financially literate (Klapper, Lusardi, & Oudheusden, 2015).

Although financial literacy provides lifelong benefits, basic personal finance is seldom taught in schools (Council for Economic Education, 2018; NPR, 2019). Research shows that students are more financially literate where financial education in high school is …

The Effects Of Attachment Anxiety On Trait Anxiety And Borderline Personality Symptoms Through Specific Pathways Of Emotion Regulation, Jessica Good

Honors Theses

Previous research has shown that deficits in emotion regulation impair coping skills for individuals clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) resembling trait anxiety, as well as those clinically diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Herr, Rosenthal, Geiger, & Erikson, 2013; Beeney et al., 2015; Putnam & Silk, 2005; Nielsen et al., 2017; Mennin, Heimberg, Turk, & Fresco, 2002; Marganska, Gallagher, & Miranda, 2013). The current study hypothesized that (a) the specific types of emotion dysregulation measuring lack of clarity and impulsivity would mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and BPD while the other types do not, and (b) the …