Digital Commons Network^™

Technical Difficulties: An Investigation Of Problematic Social Media Usage And Well-Being Of Emerging Adults, Sarah Swan

Honors Theses

Grounded in previous scholarship investigating the relationship between social media use and psychoemotional outcomes, this study conceptualizes and tests a comprehensive model that constellates predictive factors (i.e., time spent, platforms selected, purposes of use, and emotional regulation abilities) and negative behavioral and emotional outcomes (i.e., addiction and emotional affect), specifically among emerging adults (ages 18-29). A survey of 591 respondents revealed that high usage of certain platforms (i.e., Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook), alongside individual emotional regulation abilities and passivity of social media use, predicts higher levels of addiction and negative emotional outcomes. Additional findings indicate significant differences in social media …

The Effect Of A Peptide Targeting Ligand On Transfection Efficiency Of Polymeric Nanoparticles To Dendritic Cells, Anthony Radka

Honors Theses

Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 5-8% of the global population, leading to chronic symptoms, long-term treatment, and reduced quality of life. Current therapies primarily rely on lifelong administration of immunosuppressants, which are associated with severe side effects and heightened susceptibility to infections. This has spurred interest in cellular therapies that manipulate dendritic cells (DCs) effectively and can selectively treat these diseases. This work aims to improve the efficacy of dendritic cell-based therapies using cationic polymers that can electrostatically complex with nucleic acids, forming nanoparticles referred to as polyplexes, that can deliver therapeutic nucleic acid cargo. These particles are a favorable alternative …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Educators In South Mississippi, Alexis Papp

Honors Theses

This study was focused on discovering what may have caused educators in kindergarten through 8^th grade classrooms in mid-south Mississippi to leave or consider leaving the profession as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic within different content areas. Participants identified issues within the system that diminished their abilities to educate their students effectively and this diminishment was related to the pandemic. Research from “Mississippi Teachers Are Eyeing the Exit” (Ballard, 2023) and “Teachers’ Dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Contributing to a Desire to Leave the Profession” (Gillani, 2022) showed that teachers were having strong difficulties during the pandemic …

Privacy-Aware Ai-Based Agricultural Monitoring Using Internet Of Drones, Md Benozir Hossain

Honors Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a vital tool for agricultural farming. AI-based image processing models utilizing different machine learning (ML) algorithms and deep learning (DL) offer advanced functionalities in disease detection, yield estimation, land use, etc. This thesis examines AI-driven techniques utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) with the addition of Federated Learning (FL) to analyze satellite and drone images for agricultural insights, especially in detecting Cotton diseases. The AI models improve agricultural farming in many ways, such as using data to make critical decisions, reducing labor costs, pest infestations, etc. Moreover, these models allow farmers to minimize yield losses by …

Finding A Choreographic Relationship Between Music And Dance Performance, Grace Dugas

Honors Theses

The choreographic project increase emerged from a choreographic curiosity about how the relationship between dance and music can influence each other within a contemporary dance performance. The choreographer was also interested in whether or not the audience can perceive the choreomusical relationship. The exploration of literature considered the aesthetic, educational, and accessibility differences between dance and music. This is followed by a detailed exploration of related terminology and ideas that choreographers can utilize. Lastly, the literature studied how the audience can perceive the choreomusical relationship presented in a dance performance. The choreographer, with the assistance of the dancers, generated movement …

Cellular Telemetry For Real-Time River Flow Velocity Data From Fluvial Acoustic Tomography Loggers, Joshua Lee Seymour

Honors Theses

Streamflow is a critical element in understanding watershed processes and the effects of land use on those processes because it is the primary medium through which water, sediment, nutrients, organic material, thermal energy, and aquatic species move. Fluvial Acoustic Tomography (FAT) systems offer accurate direct measurements of river section-averaged flow velocity by measuring reciprocal acoustic travel times between at least two acoustic nodes positioned on opposite riverbanks. However, similar to many in-situ sensors used in estuarine and riverine environments, FAT loggers require manual data retrieval, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and limits real-time access and increases maintenance costs. This project presents …

Cache-Augmented Generation In Rag Pipelines: Fast And Memory-Efficient Approach To Multi-Agent Knowledge Query Systems, Yaju Gopal Shrestha

Honors Theses

This thesis presents an implementation and evaluation of Cache-Augmented Generation (CAG) for knowledge query systems, building upon the approach introduced by Chan et al. (2024). Traditional Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems (Lewis et al., 2020) face challenges including high latency, excessive memory usage, and complex infrastructure requirements. By implementing a cache-augmented architecture that preloads relevant knowledge and eliminates real-time retrieval, our approach significantly improves response time while reducing resource requirements. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of CAG through a comprehensive implementation for The University of Southern Mississippi's chatbot system, achieving a 49.02% improvement in response time compared to traditional RAG approaches. …

An Introduction And Examination Of Firm-On-Firm Activism, Martha Jimena Paredes Villela

Honors Theses

This research examines firm-on-firm activism, defined as public, coercive actions taken by corporations against another corporation to influence them socio-politically. I investigate how consumers evaluate this emerging form of corporate activism using costly signaling theory. I propose that consumers will perceive firm-on-firm activism as more authentic due to the financial and nonfinancial costs incurred by the firm, ultimately leading to increased consumer support. An online experiment will manipulate the type of corporate activism (firm-on-firm vs. traditional) and measure perceived costs, authenticity, and consumer support intentions. This study contributes to the corporate activism literature by introducing and examining a novel form …

Media And Attitudes: Glp-1 Medications For Weight Loss, Wiio Meinheit

Honors Theses

This thesis aimed to explore relationships between media and attitudes toward using GLP-1/antidiabetic medications for weight loss. This survey-based study collected data on media usage, consumer behaviors, and attitudes from students attending a public, mid-major university in the southern United States. Data from the survey was statistically analyzed to find significant relationships and correlations between variables. The results showed that attitudes toward GLP-1/antidiabetic medications for weight loss had the strongest correlation with willingness to try these medications recommended by famous athletes. The results also showed that attitudes strongly correlated with willingness to try these medications recommended by social media influencers …

Archival Literacy Principles As Facilitated By University Websites: A Webometric Content Analysis, Abigail Bowers

Honors Theses

Archival literacy, the skills and knowledge one needs to effectively utilize an archive or special collections, is often taught to undergraduate students during one-shot instruction sessions or semester-long courses. For users who do not attend these sessions, archives may be inaccessible due to a lack of archival literacy. In the digital age, one way for institutions to bridge the gap between archives and users who do not attend these instruction sessions is by creating websites that align with principles of archival literacy.

This study utilizes a webometric content analysis methodology to analyze how well the homepages of institutions of higher …

Addressing The Gap: A Comparative Case Analysis Of The First Week Of School In Two Second-Grade Classrooms, Madeline Roberts

Honors Theses

The first week of school in the United States public school system constantly evolves as stakeholders strive to create the most functional programs for the students served. Multiple factors come into play during the first week, including classroom management, initial academic instruction, and socioemotional learning. This research project aims to compare and contrast these various factors through a qualitative comparative case study. The specific investigation examines similarities and differences in two public schools, second-grade classrooms at Southside Elementary School located in Lake View County School District, Mississippi (LCSD) and Local Elementary School located in Westbrook County Schools, Tennessee (WCS). Both …

A “Little” Solution To A Big Problem: A Documentary About The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, Savannah Humber

Honors Theses

A “Little” Solution to a Big Problem is a documentary film that revolves around the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum and how it positively impacted its community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pocket Museum is a small alleyway located in downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippi and is filled with small objects, scenes, and fun activities. The thesis includes interviews with Vicki Taylor, creator of the Pocket Museum, and Lissa Ortego, the first artist to paint in the alleyway. They explain the history behind the museum, the circumstances that led to its creation, and how they kept the museum relevant during and after the COVID-19 …

The Impact Of Hazardous Noise Levels On The Hearing Mechanism Of Marching Band Students, Margaret Westbrook

Honors Theses

Marching band participants are exposed to hazardous noise levels, and they are at risk of developing hearing loss. In this study, the impact of marching band noise on the hearing mechanism of marching band students was examined. Participants who were not in the marching band and were not exposed to noise were used as controls. Detailed case history and noise exposure history were collected using a noise exposure questionnaire (NEQ). The pure tone audiometry test was conducted to examine their hearing, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were recorded to examine the inner ear function, and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were …

American Girl(Hood): Gender Performance, Tween Media, And Social Media Content, Mary Carol Dassau

Honors Theses

The American Girl brand of eighteen-inch dolls presents narratives of young girls throughout historical and contemporary settings, as well as manufacturing a line of dolls designed to look “just like you.” Despite the company’s commitment to female empowerment, these narratives still fall into certain tropes of societal expectations for women and are not inclusive of all girls’ experiences. Young American Girl fans and teen collectors on YouTube then take these narratives to create their own original video content, often in stop-motion animated format. These animations typically consist of original stories and characters, which both reinforce the narratives presented by the …

Comparing Urban And Rural Mississippi Residents’ Health Literacy Of Sexually Transmitted Infections, Leah Tucker

Honors Theses

Health literacy is an individual’s ability to understand medical information to make decisions regarding their health, and it has become an important topic of discussion in the medical field. This is because people with low health literacy are more likely to be in poor health. There have been several programs aimed at improving health literacy across the US, but health literacy varies geographically. Typically, urban areas have higher health literacy rates than rural areas since rural areas have less access to health resources and health care. Almost 80% of Mississippi’s counties are considered rural, and Mississippi has some of the …

Filipino Music In The Sphere Of Multicultural Music Education: A Survey Of Preservice Teachers, Lauren Johnson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore how preservice music teachers (i.e., students who are preparing to become music teachers) viewed diversifying music curricula, specifically regarding music from the Philippines, an archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia. Additionally, this research explored preservice music teachers’ cultural identities and how those identities influenced their beliefs and opinions about teaching. “Culture” was defined by Merriam-Webster (n.d.) as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.” Although there is a diverse population of students throughout schools in the United States, limited research has been conducted about incorporating …

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A Comparative Analysis Of The Representations Of American Serial Killers In News And True Crime Media, Jenelle Walters

Honors Theses

Serial killers are a subject that have fascinated individuals for centuries in both news and entertainment media. Although research has been done on the representations of serial killers in news media, little research has attempted to connect the representations seen in the news media to those seen in true crime entertainment media. Through the use of four case studies, a comparative analysis was done to compare the framing seen in the original news articles, both local and national, to the framing seen in the later true crime films, documentaries, and series. Although the framing originally seen in the news media …

Nostalgia, Economic Revitalization, And Community Relationships In Hattiesburg's Recent Historic Preservation Efforts, Jordan Jones

Honors Theses

This paper examines the reasons behind the modern interest in historic preservation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and argues that its supporters are driven primarily by nostalgia towards what they envision as “Old Hattiesburg” and its aesthetics, interest in economic opportunities, and the strengthened sense of community made possible through historic preservation. From the foundation of Hattiesburg to today, there have been shifts in interest in Downtown and its historic districts, and they fluctuate based on changing political, economic, and social trends. In order to contextualize Hattiesburg’s historic preservation, this thesis draws upon secondary scholarship on historic preservation, economic revitalization, and historical …

Sensory Awareness In Architectural Design And Construction: A Guide To Inclusion And Hospitality For All, Morgan Harwell

Honors Theses

Modern approaches to architectural design and construction have gravitated toward elegance, glossiness, and over exaggeration of a bright environment through materials such as marble, glass, white paint, and fluorescent lighting. While these choices can be alluring, their impact on individuals with disabilities and sensory processing disorders is typically dismissed. This study explores the intersection of architectural elements — such as lighting, noise, scent, and spatial organization — and sensory overload in disabled individuals. Through a detailed literature review, education of architectural principles, and incorporation of building techniques, this study proposes a computer-generated three-dimensional model of a shopping center. The primary …

Smoking And Oral Health In The Tipu Maya: A Study Of Nicotine In Dental Calculus, Emily Byrd

Honors Theses

Tobacco smoking was a deeply rooted tradition in Maya society, often associated with ritual and daily life, and may have contributed to patterns of dental health. However, despite its cultural significance, direct biological evidence of tobacco use in ancient populations is rare. This study addresses that gap by analyzing nicotine residues preserved in dental calculus from the Tipu Maya, offering new insight into both cultural practices and potential health impacts.

Mass spectrometry identified molecular peaks corresponding to nicotine and its degradation products within the calculus samples.  Analysis revealed that over two-thirds of the individuals tested positive for nicotine, supporting the …

Evaluating The Effects Of Social Ostracism On Attentional Control And Episodic Memory, Colby Brown

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationships between social pain, attentional control, and episodic memory. Fifty-five University of Southern Mississippi undergraduates (Mage = 19.78 years; Range = 17-29) wrote responses to one of three prompts designed to elicit feelings of social pain, physical pain, or no pain (i.e., control). Participants then completed a battery of attentional control (AC) and episodic memory (EM) tasks consisting of the Stroop squared, Flanker squared, Simon squared, and dual-list recall tasks. Participants also completed a series of questionnaires including Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess any change in affect caused by the writing prompts and …

Perceptions Of Mississippi Parents Of Youth And Young Adults With Autism Regarding Relationship Training And Sex Education, Cade Mccormick

Honors Theses

This study used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine if there was a

significant difference between the age of a parent with a youth or young adult with ASD

(autism spectrum disorder) and the age of their child when they plan to discuss the three

sex education and relationship training topics of sexual intercourse, sexually transmitted

diseases, and contraception. The results of the ANOVA were not significant for the sex

education and relationship topics of sexual intercourse F (2, 22) = 1.485, p = 0.248 and

contraception F (2,22) = 3.059, p = 0.0667. However, the results of the ANOVA …

Safety, Efficacy, And Adjacent-Level Fracture Risk Following Vertebral Augmentation And Radiofrequency Ablation For The Treatment Of Spine Metastases In Patients With Cancer, Andrew Niekamp

All Publications

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vertebral augmentation (VA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating pathologic spinal fractures in patients with cancer and adjacent fracture risk following treatment. Materials and Methods This single-institution retrospective study, conducted from January 2017 to September 2020, included patients with cancer who underwent percutaneous VA with or without spine RFA for pathologic spine compression fractures. The primary outcome was pain reduction, assessed using the 10-point visual analog scale before the procedure, at first follow-up, and 2-4 weeks after the procedure. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with epidural cement leak. Results …

Understanding Employee Performance In Technology-Mediated Environments, William Patrick Malloy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative flexible design single case study was to expand the understanding of the dynamics behind performance management in technology-mediated environments and the effect it has on organizational outcomes. Managers in technology-mediated environments struggle to exercise control due to the inadequacy of existing performance management tools designed for traditional settings, which are not adequate in remote and hybrid work contexts. The study was conducted using a constructivist paradigm and a single-case study research design, employing semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and archival data analysis. Data from all sources were coded using NVivo, applying first- and second-cycle coding processes …

Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Mental Health Professional’S Perspective, Octavia Victoria Sutherland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore mental health professionals’ lived experiences treating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the southeastern United States. This research uncovers the nuances of the professional’s cognitive, emotional, and professional challenges when treating this vulnerable population. The constructivist theory guided this study which entails understanding the cognitive development stages, cultural contexts, and social interactions. This qualitative study used purposive sampling to recruit 12 licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists that have experienced adverse effects due to their work with CSA survivors. All data collected were derived from …

Emerging Black Male Adults' Lived Experiences With Racial Microaggressions And Social Media, Ian L. Griffin Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racial microaggressions on social media take a serious psychological toll on emerging Black male adults (EBMAs), leading to heightened stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Despite increasing awareness of these issues, research has yet to fully examine how religious involvement buffers the mental health effects of digital racial adversity. This study examined how EBMAs experience social media racial microaggressions, the impact of these encounters on their mental health, and whether engagement in religious activities helps reduce psychological distress. This research adopted a qualitative phenomenological design, integrating interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and thematic analysis to understand these experiences through microaggression theory …

Engaging Church Teams To Support Youths Aging Out Of Care, John Alan Honeycutt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Emerging Adults (EAs) in out-of-home care (OHC) face significant challenges when aging out of the foster care system, including histories of traumatic experiences. Approximately 30,000 exit Child Protective Services (CPS) annually, with 4,000 becoming instantly homeless. This study used a facilitated grounded theory approach, engaging 14 participants representing two churches. The aim was to identify the topmost factors for gaining interest, commitment, and action from a Volunteer Church Team Volunteer Team to assist one EA in their transition to independent living (IL). Primarily, non-Hispanic White and Native American Indian participants aged 35–65 contributed insights during three hours of brainstorming and …

Relationship Between Motives For Social Media Use And Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults, Ashley N. Santiago-Fernandez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today's world, where technology is advancing at an exponential rate, social media has become an indispensable part of the lives of young people. Research on the relationship between social media use and mental health has yielded mixed results, with some studies emphasizing its benefits while others highlight its negative impacts. To delve deeper into this phenomenon, this quantitative correlational study aimed to conduct a comprehensive study of the relationship between social media use and mental health, specifically depressive symptoms, among young adults. To contribute to the theoretical framework, the study consisted of an online survey (N=182) that assessed motives …

Relationship Between Mental Health Education And Nurse Preparedness, Deborah C. O'Dell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study was to see if there was a relationship between the type of Mental Health education undergraduate nurses received or the number of Mental Health clinical days they experienced and how prepared they were to care for Mental Health Consumers (MHCs) when they first were employed. This information had never before been studied, so had the potential to change nursing curriculum and provide better care for MHCs. An anonymous survey using the Behavioral Health Care Competency’s questions was used and an invitation to participate was placed on various nursing discussion forums and social media sites. Participants (n = …

The Relationship Between Weather Variablity And Agricultural Land Cover Change In North Dakota (1997-2023) And Its Implication For Future Change, Sabrina Karim

Theses and Dissertations

Climate variability and weather patterns play a critical role in shaping agricultural land use and land cover (LULC), particularly in states like North Dakota, where agriculture dominates the landscape. This study explores the impacts of climatic factors—specifically rainfall, temperature, and Growing Degree Days (GDD)—on agricultural land cover (ALC) changes in North Dakota from 1997 to 2023, with projections for 2033. By combining historical analysis and predictive modeling, the research examines how climate variability has influenced crop dynamics and provides insights into future scenarios. The research uses advanced geospatial tools, including Google Earth Engine, and machine learning techniques such as Random …