Digital Commons Network^™

Combating Recidivism, Shaylin Daley

Senior Honors Projects

SHAYLIN DALEY (Psychology) Combating Recidivism Sponsor: Lisa Holley (Political Science) Many people believe that criminals cannot be helped. It is evident that at least some of society shuns people who break laws and have negative views about the amount of money spent on detaining inmates. Thousands of individuals are released from United States prisons a day. Many of these individuals have no plan in place for their return home and are sent into the streets with nothing except for a jail ID. Most of these people will end up returning to prison. A good sum of these people face problems …

Make Time For Movement: 5-Minute Exercise Breaks In The Classroom, Catherine O'Donnell

Senior Honors Projects

Picture yourself back in elementary school. Have you ever struggled to finish an assignment no matter how hard you tried? You may have felt antsy, unfocused, or completely exhausted from the constant thinking and brain power it takes to complete a full six hour school day. What could you have done to regain focus and energy to continue learning? An exercise break! As an Elementary Education major and certified Group Exercise fitness instructor, I aspire to combine my passion for teaching and fitness by bringing exercise into the classroom. For my project, I have designed 5-minute movement breaks that follow …

Big Business, Small Plastic, Hannah Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Emergency Medicine And Mental Health: Are We Adequately Educating And Training Providers To Care For Mental Health Patients?, Abigail Miller

Senior Honors Projects

Mental health is a significant problem in the United States. In the prehospital setting, it is not prioritized like other medical conditions, and therefore, does not receive the same quality of treatment. Emergency Medical Service providers (EMS providers) play a significant role in caring for people experiencing mental health emergencies, as many of these people come to the hospital via ambulance. EMS providers are responsible for providing quality prehospital care, effectively communicating, and advocating for patients during the transfer of care to emergency department staff. This transfer of care is one of the first steps toward quality treatment and continuity …

Burnout Rates Affecting The Future Of Bedside Nursing, Hannah Kramer

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

A Child's Experience Working Through Grief: A Booklet For School Aged Children Navigating Their Grief Journeys, Alyssa Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

The term grief describes the feelings you experience in response to the death of a person in your life, while the term mourning represents the period in which you feel or express signs of grief or sorrow. A child’s grief experience after the death of a significant person in their life is an often overlooked and understudied topic. The importance of being open and honest with children as they navigate their grief journey is at the forefront of this project. Using research regarding how children process, express, and understand grief, I created, “A Person In My Life Has Died, What …

Food Insecurity And Charitable Food Services: What Do College Students Think About Such Public Health Interventions?, Kaitlyn Driscoll

Senior Honors Projects

Hunger and food insecurity exist across millions of households in the United States. In 2020, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food required for an individual to maintain an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with an increased prevalence of chronic health conditions and directly affects a student’s ability to learn. Approximately 30% of college students obtaining an education in the United States are currently food insecure. Universities across the country are addressing student hunger via the establishment of on-campus …

The Effectiveness Of Peer To Peer Mentoring In Reducing Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In College Students, Ryan Harra

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

University counseling centers are struggling against resource constraints to meet the rising demand for mental health care. Peer-based mentoring programs offer the potential for an alternative approach to mitigate the increasing demand for treatment and improve overall psychological well-being among college students. However, research investigating peer mentoring programs on college campuses is lacking. This study evaluates program feasibility and potential effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms among college students that underwent a 4-week peer mentoring program. Results from this preliminary study indicate peer-based programs may be more effective in reducing symptoms of depression (especially anhedonic depression) compared to anxiety. …

Uncomfortable Conversations With A Psychiatric Survivor: Exploring The Paradigm Shift In Mental Health, Sean Gunderson

University Honors Program Senior Projects

This project focuses on the ongoing scientific paradigm shift in the field of mental health. It presents historical and current information as well as explores possibilities for the future in the context of a podcast series. Each episode has a specific theme. A different co-host participates in the episodes on the history, current circumstances, and future possibilities of mental health. The nature of the ongoing scientific paradigm shift is such that previously proposed medically based hypotheses for mental illness have not been supported adequately by subsequent research. A substantial internal controversy in the field of mental health has resulted, which …

From Mexico To The Usa: Mental Trauma Throughout The Migrant Journey, Gisselle Lopez Hernandez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The journey across the U.S.-Mexico border symbolizes a transcendental rite of passage for many Latino migrants in their search for the “American Dream”. Anecdotes about these experiences reflect both the dreams and aspirations as well as the fears and dangers faced by migrants in their route north. However, the migrant population experiences many obstacles and challenges throughout their journey that has contributed to signs of trauma such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Not much research has been conducted to examine the reasons behind migration or the effects on their mental health. The purpose of this inquiry is to explore and …

Efficacy Of Automated Wireless Hearing Test System Implemented In An Exercise-Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program, Cecilia Talarico

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cancer patients are at risk of hearing loss due to the ototoxicity of chemotherapeutics and radiation treatments. Gaining clinical access to ototoxic monitoring is a challenge for patients, and physicians are often hesitant to burden their patients with more travel and appointment scheduling to obtain hearing testing. The current pilot study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing the newly developed Creare Wireless Automated Hearing Test System (WAHTS) in an exercise-based cancer rehabilitation center setting. Nine cancer patients were recruited for hearing testing. Hearing tests were conducted using an automated testing algorithm (WAHTS) in an open room and then tested again using …

Applications Of Algebraic Coding Theory To Cryptography, Kylie Schnoor

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Whether it is online commerce, international relations, or simply through email communication, the encryption and decryption of data is essential to the inner workings of everyday life. To encrypt and decrypt efficiently, it is important that there is some structure behind the process rather than just a random procedure. The purpose of this research is to analyze different encryption schemes and their structure, with a focus on schemes that apply algebraic coding theory to cryptography. Cryptosystems based in algebraic coding theory are particularly important to the future of cryptography, as they are resistant to attacks by quantum computers, unlike many …

The Influence Of Personality On The Effects Of Nature Exposure Among College Students, Marshall Seiken

Undergraduate Honors Theses

College students’ emotional, mental, and physical health have seen a steady decline over the last decade. Research suggests that exposure to nature such as interacting with wildlife, hearing nature sounds, or programs where individuals are directedly involved in their experience with nature, allow for the individual to experience lower levels of stress, raise moods, and can help aid in the treatment of some of the most common mental illnesses such as Major Depressive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, there is little research that examine other variables such as personality that may influence the outcome of the nature exposure …

Mental Health Presentation: An Instrument In Coach Education, Alison Zigler

Undergraduate Honors Theses

While mental health is a prevalent and important topic in athletics, coaches often receive little to no training on how to recognize and manage mental health concerns or how to make good mental health a priority on their team. Thus, a mental health presentation that informs coaches at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) on the main mental health disorders and concerns in student-athletes and their management was conducted. An investigation on the main mental health concerns in student-athletes and the best practices for athletic staff when managing these concerns was done to properly create the presentation and accurately inform …

Frequency Of Multiple Sclerosis As A Function Of Handedness, Melissa Villafana

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Background: Previous studies have examined the association between handedness and various autoimmune disorders. There is a possible link between handedness and immune system response due to high levels of testosterone in-utero which has been theorized to affect cerebral and immune system developments. To our knowledge, only two studies have examined the relationship between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and handedness. Both studies used different measures of handedness and therefore, had contrasting results. In the current study, we suggest the need for a more appropriate way to measure handedness. Objective: This study investigates the relationship between MS type and Handedness. Methods: Participants with …

Determining The Feasibility Of A Sponge City Design On Montclair State University Campus, Megan Elizabeth Barron

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this project I examine the sponge city concept as a Low Impact Development (LID) approach to mitigating the adverse impact of stormwater runoff. LID techniques incorporate Green Infrastructure (GI) practices, which minimize the adverse impact of contemporary urban areas. Specifically, I am examining LID on the Montclair State University (MSU) campus within the context of stormwater runoff.

The Quad and the Quarry, two areas on the MSU campus, were selected for both their topographic depressions for containing runoff and for their built environment with large buildings and parking lots, an urban design feature that increase runoff. A 1/9 arc-second …

Assessing Potential Of Dual Use Solar Development In New Jersey Preserved Farmlands, Gary Ryan Chapman

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The dual use of farmland and the incorporation of solar energy has the potential to maximize the net returns per acre and utilization capabilities. Land is one of the most vital and nonrenewable resources that is often solely used for one purpose. This study focuses on analyzing three objectives: 1) To explore the potential of Agrivoltaic Farming (dual use) on preserved farmland in New Jersey. 2) To estimate the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of New Jersey’s dual use potential. 3) To generate sensitivity analyses of dual use solar and farm production in New Jersey. This study analyzed New Jersey’s …

Targeting Prosthetic Joint Infections Using Modified Egcg Derivatives With Antibiotics, Kavneet Chahil

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Prosthetic joint implantations have revolutionized orthopedic medicine by allowing individuals to regain physical function with minimal side effects. However, they are susceptible to post- surgical complications due to bacterial infections. Three significant bacteria that are responsible for the development of joint infections include Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which act by adhering to the prosthesis and form biofilms thus becoming antibiotic-resistant. It has been reported that green tea polyphenols, which are extracted from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti- inflammatory properties. The purified, and modified epigallocatechin-3-gallate-stearate (EGCGS) and palmitoyl-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (P-EGCG) are more …

Assessment Of The Asexual Reproductive Strategies Of The Invasive Clinging Jellyfish Gonionemus Vertens, Valin Jarred Booker

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Anthropogenic activities are dispersing organisms at higher rates and this dispersal leads to organisms having a higher chance at becoming invasive. The Clinging Jellyfish, Gonionemus vertens, was originally from the north Pacific Ocean, but was identified in New Jersey’s coastal waters in 2016. G. vertens undergo a complex life history with an asexual polyp stage and the sexual medusa stage. Little is known about their polyp stage, which shows multiple asexual reproductive strategies that can generate high densities of medusa. Asexual reproduction of polyps was observed in 2020 to assess the rate of clonal production. Cultured polyps can have several …

Resisting Dominican Motherhood Across Julia Alvarez’S How The García Girls Lost Their Accents And Junot Díaz’S The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Ana Hilario

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper endeavors to explore the distinct ways in which the Dominican motherhood ideology promoted by Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina’s regime is resisted by women of different social classes and race through a close reading of the characters Laura and Beli in Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, respectively. Using Adrienne Rich’s concept of motherhood ideology as a theoretical framework and engaging in discussion of how these ideologies were constructed, engendered, and enforced by the Trujillo regime, I found that these texts depict voluntary and involuntary resistance …

Spatial Distribution And Recruitment Of The Botrylloides Violaceus And Botryllus Schlosseri Tunicates In Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Kaitlyn Maguire

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Botrylloides violaceus and Botryllus schlosseri, colonial ascidians, are known invasive species of the North American Atlantic coast. The tunicates take residence and grow on native eelgrass (Zostera marina) blades, potentially negatively affecting eelgrass growth rate by means of smothering which reduces the plants ability to photosynthesize. Zostera marina is an important habitat, food source, and an indicator of environmental health. Invasive tunicates can decrease the amount of light that eelgrass receives which in turn, decreases the rate of growth of eelgrass. In the summer months of 2021, the relationship and abundance between the invasive tunicates B. schlosseri and B. violaceus …

Magic Squares Of Squares Of Order 5 Modulo A Prime Number, Imani L. Mosquera

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this paper, I examine magic squares of squares (MSS) of order 5 over Zp where p is a prime number. The first approach to the problem is to find how many distinct elements an MSS may have (called the degree of the MSS). In the next step, I study the relationship between the magic sum and the center entry of any MSS. In order to develop construction methods and configurations for magic squares of squares of order 5 with desired degrees, I study Pythagorean triples and sequences of consecutive quadratic residues modulo p. Properties of these sequences are provided …

Examination Of Social Cognition Impairments In Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury Through The Awareness Of Social Inference Test Performance, Brea Lenae Rivera

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social cognition focuses on how people process, perceive, and apply information in social context in order to understand and infer their own behaviors and that of others. Impaired social cognition is a common, and often chronic, outcome of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI). By lacking these social skills, there is a major disadvantage for social integration with others. In order to assess social cognition deficits in adult TBI populations, Part 1 and 3 of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) were administered to examine social cognition impairments. A sample of 58 participants (28 TBI, …

Can Patent Trolls Be Stopped Without Interfering With An Individual’S Property Rights?, Talar Sahagian

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis seeks to analyze patent trolls and how they are able to prey on successful patented innovations to monopolize on profits, all while doing it legally. This research aims to answer the question if patent trolls can be stopped without infringing on an individual’s property rights. This study analyzes various legislation enacted to limit the actions of patent trolls, and if they are sufficient in their totality to prevent the trolls from making a profit off a patent(s), they have no intention of utilizing or have never used. The data will be analyzed to show if the enacted reform …

Gender Roles In Natural Resource Use In Madagascar, Sarahana Shrestha

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Understanding the role that gender plays in natural resource use is crucial for effective conservation efforts. While Madagascar is a priority for international conservation due to its high levels of endemism and unsustainable natural resource use, there is little information on how gender roles affect forest product use. This study uses over seven years of data on gender roles within the extraction, use, and sale of natural forest and marine resources near Madagascar’s largest national park to inform future conservation strategies. We found that gender significantly affects how one uses natural resources in Madagascar. Men were primarily responsible for the …

In The Cities, There Is Violence : Do Higher Levels Of Police Militarization Correlate With Police Use Of Lethal Force?, Brennan B. Sumner

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Police violence has become a pressing issue in the United States. The topic of police militarization, as a consequence, has entered the public consciousness, and its effects have become a topic of concern. This paper will examine whether there is a correlation between higher levels of police militarization and higher rates of police use of lethal force from multiple perspectives. This paper will utilize a mixed methods research approach, combining historical analysis, critical literature review, and data analysis from thirty American cities. This paper will also discuss the public policy implications of police militarization and offer critiques therein.

“Don’T Call Me A Crouton” : A Case Study On The Use Of Humor In Organizational Relationships On Twitter And Facebook, Hannah Grinberg

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

An organization using humor on social media can potentially engage in dialogue through participatory boundary-work that creates an in-group between themselves and their online user publics. The ability for an organization to use humor to form that in-group, where dialogic communication is achievable, is based on the organization’s ability to produce an instance of shared mirth with their online publics. The shared experience of mirth not only determines if the organization reaches shared meaning with their receiver publics, but also indicates who the humor is intended for, and who will be left out of the in-group created. To determine the …

Green Tea Polyphenols Egcg-S And P-Egcg Containing Formulations Effectively Inhibit Growth And Biofilm Formation Of Eskape Bacteria, Calvin William Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The field of medical microbiology has prospered for decades, finding treatments and cures for a multitude of bacterial infections. While success has been found in certain areas, challenges have arisen along the way. One of those challenges being the group of bacteria known as ESKAPE. The ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) have developed their multidrug resistance through adaptation to excessive drug use or prescription, unnecessary antimicrobial utilization, and substandard pharmaceuticals. They are the major cause of nosocomial infections throughout the world. With the ever-growing concern of antibiotic resistance in treating …

Evaluation Of Ranavirus Major Capsid Protein Gene Sequence Mutations In United States East Coast Frog And Tadpole Populations, Erin Marie Tyll

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infectious disease is a leading cause of death in ectothermic taxa including amphibians, reptiles, and bony fish. Frog Virus 3 (FV3) Ranavirus is a prominent pathogen that infects frog and tadpole populations with lethal consequences, especially for pre-metamorphosed individuals. Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are particularly susceptible to FV3 infection and mortality events. Conservation of this animal is a critical effort for the maintenance of these ecologically significant animals. Amphibians contribute to the regulation of insect pest levels, energy transfer between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, algae community productivity and function, and vertebrate biomass. Understanding genetic variations of FV3 is crucial to …

The Impact Of Social Controls And Vaccination On The Spread Of Covid-19 In New Jersey, Ariel J. Bonneau

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 has led to a global pandemic (COVID-19) which continues to cause enormous public health and economic challenges around the world. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 as well as to investigate how one might contain or stop the spread of COVID-19 via different control measures. In this thesis, we consider a COVID-19 model based on an SEIR compartmental model. The model includes susceptible, vaccinated, exposed, pre-symptomatic, symptomatic infectious, asymptomatic infectious, hospitalized, recovered, and deceased compartments, each of which is sub-divided into …