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Precision To Protein: Comparative Characterization Of Printability, Physicochemical, And Nutritional Properties Of Cricket, Pea, And Whey Proteins In 3d-Printed Nutrition Bars, Sophia Hinkebein

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Protein is a priority nutrient in the American diet, being fueled by the demands of weight loss drugs, diet culture, and new dietary guidelines. However, meeting these elevated protein goals sustainably requires diversifying beyond standard sources like whey protein isolate. 3D printing offers an opportunity to present a variety of protein sources in a palatable, customized, and consumer-acceptable format. In this study, 3 protein sources (cricket, whey, and pea), were optimized within food inks for 3D printing. Optimization involved different hydration levels, with whey requiring 7 grams of added water, cricket 22 grams, and pea the most at 47 grams. …

Mammalian Biodiversity Of The Easley Conservation Stewardship Area, Grayson C. Belt

Honors College Theses

Monitoring wildlife is an important part of conservation and is particularly vital for newly acquired conservation areas to provide a baseline of what is present. In 2025, the 22 ha Murray State University Easley Conservation Stewardship Area (MSU ECSA) was established following a donation to the university by Melissa Easley. I conducted a survey using trail cameras at the ECSA in fall 2025 and winter 2025/26 to record mammalian diversity. The survey consisted of two subprojects: a mesomammal subproject of 18 knee height trail cams and a small mammal subproject using 15 custom small mammal bucket cameras. I uploaded all …

Exploring The Effects Of Protein Intake On Mood And Sleep Quality In Post-Menopausal Women, Deborah Crouch

General Human Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

 Background: Menopause is a phase of life that roughly half of the world’s population will go through. Although research looking into how the body changes and is impacted by menopause, studies relating to how diet can affect the aging body of post-menopausal women is limited. The objective of this study was to gain insight into how mood and sleep are affected by increasing protein intake in the diet.

Methods: 29 participants were assigned to either a control group (n=20) or a treatment group (n=9). The treatment group was assigned to consume 1.6 g/kg/day of protein, including 7 servings of beef …

Relationship Between Disordered Eating Behaviors And Sport In Female Collegiate Athletes, Elizabeth Files

General Human Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Disordered eating behaviors and body image concerns remain prevalent among collegiate athletes, yet the role of sport type and sport-related environmental factors, such as uniforms, is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport type, uniform perception, and disordered eating behaviors among female collegiate athletes at the University of Arkansas. A quantitative, non-experimental design was used, with 36 athletes completing an anonymous Qualtrics survey incorporating demographic questions, uniform perception items, and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short Form (EDE-QS).

Descriptive analyses indicated a predominantly young (ages 18–21), White, and underclassman sample. Chi-square analyses …

Exploring Determinants Of Value For Money And Bundling Effects On Public–Private Partnership Projects: A Data-Driven Empirical Study, Gaurav Khadka

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Public–private partnerships (P3s) are widely used to deliver public infrastructure, yet current understanding of what drives variation in Value for Money (VfM) and the effectiveness of project delivery strategies such as bundling remains largely conceptual and grounded in perception-based evidence. Consequently, governments lack empirically validated guidance on which project, financial, and macroeconomic conditions meaningfully influence VfM outcomes and whether bundling improves project performance within the P3 context. This study addresses these gaps through an integrated analysis of 180 Canadian P3 infrastructure projects (1992–2020), one of the most comprehensive datasets of realized VfM internationally, incorporating project characteristics, financial arrangements, and macroeconomic …

An Examination Of Single Mothers' Psychological Capital In Seeking Higher Education, Jennifer L. Stuart

Theses & Dissertations

AN EXAMINATION OF SINGLE MOTHER’S PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL IN SEEKING HIGHER EDUCATION

Jennifer Stuart

University of the Incarnate Word, 2025

Research Focus. In the United States, single mothers head nearly 80 percent of single-parent households, representing one of the most educationally vulnerable yet motivated populations. Despite increased visibility of single-parent families, limited research has examined the internal psychological factors that influence single mothers’ determination to pursue higher education. Much of the literature has emphasized external barriers—financial hardship, childcare demands, and social stigma—while overlooking internal strengths such as self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope. These traits, conceptualized collectively as psychological capital (Luthans et …

Honeybee Colony Response To Probiotic Supplementation And Grazing Practices, Katya M. Busenitz

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Honeybee health is a complicated issue. Studies were conducted to scale honeybee (Apis mellifera) health from the microbiome to the landscape. Colony health parameters were measured in response to probiotic administration. Colony capped brood production, colony summer weight gain, and Varroa mite incidence were measured. I found that applications of over-the-counter probiotics did not improve the measured parameters of honeybee health compared to a control group. Results suggest that probiotic application was not beneficial but positive benefits may depend on application method, brand, or strain of probiotics used. I also examined how colony health metrics responded to different …

A Meta-Analysis On Joinder Effects: Do They All Have The Same Magnitude?, Amelia M. Tisk

Student Theses

The present meta-analysis examined whether different forms of joinder and procedural consolidation produce varying levels of prejudice in adjudicative decision-making. Although joinder procedures improve judicial efficiency, psychological research has suggested that combining charges, defendants, or plaintiffs within a single proceeding may increase conviction likelihood, liability judgments, and broader perceptions of wrongdoing. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted across 22 independent study effects examining charge joinder, defendant consolidation, plaintiff consolidation, multiple-complainant procedures, and related aggregation paradigms. Effect sizes were converted to Pearson’s r whenever possible. Overall, procedural aggregation produced a moderate effect on adjudicative outcomes, r = .27, 95% CI [.22, .32]. …

A Phenomenological Study: Examining Organizational Change Initiatives Within The U.S. Army To Influence Racial Climate, Reginald Gerald Dash Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study was aimed at examining organizational change initiatives influencing the racial climate among African American soldiers in the United States (U.S.) Army. African Americans comprise a significant portion of the U.S. Army. However, African Americans’ significant contributions do not readily translate into “equal treatment”, which includes proportional representation at the highest levels of leadership. African Americans in the U.S. Army face career navigation challenges rooted in systemic racial division. The goal of this qualitative phenomenological study was to add African American soldiers’ voices to the existing literature by interviewing African American soldiers with at least five years of …

Critical Improvisation: Black Secondary Graduates’ Experiences Of Student Voice, Lauren Malara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe Black secondary graduates’ experience of improvisational comedy through the framework of Student Voice. Amid silencing legislative bans in education, the study aimed to critically make meaning of participants’ shared experiences of Theater Games and provide insight into the critical applications of improvisation as a tool to develop student leaders. The study employed a hermeneutical phenomenological design, sampling six Black graduates that participated in improvisational courses as part of the secondary curriculum. Data collection included a demographic questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and participant journals. The findings of a thematic analysis indicate that improvisation developed …

A Phenomenological Study: The Cultural Identity Of Black Transfer Students In Higher Education, Briana Lashon Levi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black transfer students from the California Community College system to Southern Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Guided by two theoretical frameworks, Afrocentric Pedagogy and Black Identity Development Theory (BIDT), the study investigated how participants described and interpreted their cultural identity as they transitioned from a community college to a Southern HBCU. In this study, cultural identity was understood as a holistic construct that included students’ sense of belonging and their experiences of cultural affirmation, which functioned as core components rather than separate constructs from cultural identity. This research specifically focused …

Wendy Law, Wendy R. Law

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Unconstitutional Cruelty, Michael R. Ulrich

William & Mary Law Review

Despite the long history of transgender people and transgender care, state legislatures suddenly rushed to pass a wave of bans on gender-affirming medical care for trans youth over a three-year period beginning in 2021—an alarming surge within a flurry of legal attacks on the transgender community. In analyzing the constitutionality of these bans, courts and scholars have focused their attention on how to characterize the nature of the rights implicated, and therefore the level of scrutiny warranted. This focus reacts to, and often follows, the current Supreme Court majority’s approach to questions about the rights of historically oppressed and marginalized …

Prefrontal Engagement In Cognitive Flexibility Across Paradigms, Katarina Kalajzic

Honors Scholar Theses

Cognitive flexibility is an executive function that involves dynamically adapting behavior in the face of changing environmental circumstances to achieve a particular goal. Disrupted in numerous psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, OCD, and depression, the neural correlates of cognitive flexibility are not well understood. However, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is strongly implicated in executive function and attentional control processes. Thus, we sought to examine the neural circuitry involved in distinct cognitive flexibility tasks – the attentional set-shifting task and the probabilistic 2-armed bandit task. Through optogenetic suppression, we targeted pyramidal neurons of the rodent medial prefrontal cortex, an …

Awareness Of Green Infrastructure Projects Near Johnson Creek Restoration Sites In Portland, Oregon, Kate R. Cullinan, Anita T. Morzillo

Honors Scholar Theses

Green infrastructure plays an increasingly important role in managing stormwater and improving human connection to nature in urban areas. My objective was to examine resident awareness of green infrastructure (GI) projects near Johnson Creek restoration sites in the City of Portland, Oregon. Using a mail survey, residents reported their awareness of local water features undergoing restoration. Geographic Information Systems analysis was used to measure the distance, by both street network and Euclidian distance, from each respondent’s residence to the closest active green infrastructure water feature project. Linear regression was used to determine the relationships between the three dependent variables and …

Ai In Wonderland, Bodj Oliver Alngohuro

Honors Scholar Theses

Studies in sound symbolism have revealed a baseline preference for people to associate certain sounds with certain concepts. The Bouba/Kiki effect, for instance, reveals a preference for individuals to associate “Bouba” with a round shape and “Kiki” with a sharp shape (Köhler 1929). Other studies have revealed other associations with certain sounds and names with concepts, such as “Mil” referring to something small and “Mal” referring to something big (Sidhu and Pexman, 2017). This study looks at LLMs and how they compare to humans concerning intuitions for certain names based on sound symbolism.

Munificence: The History And Legacy Of The Munson Steamship Line, 1865–1955, Nicholas C. Benda

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper provides an overview of the Munson Steamship Line, an American steamship company founded by Captain Walter David Munson. A veteran of the American Civil War, Captain Munson visited Cuba following the war’s conclusion and became involved in Cuba’s oil and sugar industries, gradually becoming involved in the international sugar shipping trade. An 1890 innovation in shipboard technology and its impact on the Cuban American molasses trade was a moment that established a multi-generational maritime empire, officially incorporating the Munson Steamship Line shortly after the American intervention in the Cuban War of Independence and expanding throughout the Atlantic. His …

Pathogenic Leptospira Adherence To Epithelial Cells: A Comparison Between Different Hosts Based On Outcome Of Disease, Imaan G. Masood

Honors Scholar Theses

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease with global distribution caused by infection with pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. Bacterial adherence to host cells is considered a crucial step in leptospiral infection and dissemination. However, the role of host-specific cellular interactions in disease outcome remains poorly understood. In this study, the adherence of pathogenic Leptospira interrogans serovar Manilae strain L495 and saprophytic Leptospira biflexa serovar Patoc I to kidney epithelial cell lines was investigated. The differing cell lines modeled reservoir, subclinical and acute disease hosts. Infection of rat kidney (RK3E), mouse kidney (TCMK-1), and hamster kidney cells (HaK) were evaluated …

Too Big To Fail Or Built To Survive? Government Intervention And Corporate Resilience In The Global Automotive Industry During The 2007–2009 Financial Crisis, Reagan A. Waurishuk

Honors Scholar Theses

The 2007-2009 financial crisis displayed how many industries lacked sustainability during times of market volatility. It revealed structural vulnerabilities, especially in the global automotive industry. This case study and analysis intend to examine why certain major automakers were able to survive the crisis without bankruptcy, such as Ford, Toyota, Honda, and BMW AG, while other competitors required company-wide restructuring and government assistance. This research investigates the extent and timing of government support. It also investigates the influence of these loans on firm rebound rates and whether the companies that were provided with aid were prioritized based on size or weakness. …

Multiplexing Reductive Alkylation Of Peptides For Quantitative Proteomics, Kevin C. Souza

Honors Scholar Theses

Reductive alkylation is a robust and commonly used labeling technique for quantifying proteins and peptides in complex samples using mass spectrometry. This technique involves the attachment of alkyl groups to an amino group at the N-terminus and lysine residues of a peptide, causing a mass shift that is detectable using mass spectrometry. This work aims to explore the application of reductive alkyl labeling in multiplexed quantitative proteomics. The first part of the study investigates the effectiveness of the labeling of peptides using a variety of aldehydes via reductive alkylation. The aldehydes were chosen, such that they provided various degrees of …

When Mac Shouldn’T Smile Back: Anthropomorphic Logo And Effect On Consumer Perceptions Of Generative Artificial Intelligence, Ainsley E. Ballard

Honors Scholar Theses

Drawing on prior research suggesting that anthropomorphic design can increase trust, liking, and perceived competence, this research investigates whether these effects extend to generative artificial intelligence logos. A three-group between-subjects study was conducted to examine how varying levels of logo anthropomorphization influenced consumer perceptions of an artificial intelligence brand. In being assigned to one of three logo conditions, humanoid (high anthropomorphism), animalistic (moderate anthropomorphism), or nature/geometric (low anthropomorphism), participants evaluated the new logo across multiple dimensions, including liking, brand fit, trustworthiness, and willingness to buy. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, the low anthropomorphism condition consistently received the most positive ratings, …

Factors Affecting Pedestrian-Vehicle Conflicts: An Empirical Analysis, Christo D. Jamo

Honors Scholar Theses

The number of pedestrian deaths increased by 78% between 2009 and 2023, while other motor vehicle crash deaths increased by 13% in the same period [1]. To identify potential pedestrian safety measures, this study analyzed the effects of location-based demographics, pedestrian phasing type, and other physical infrastructure and behavior variables on the probability of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at signalized intersections, which is a surrogate measure of crash risk. Data were collected from 55 intersections in Connecticut, and the pedestrian-vehicle interactions were classified by severity based on the Swedish Traffic Conflict Technique: undisturbed passage, potential conflict, minor conflict, or serious conflict. Because …

Gender-Neutral Insurance Reform In The United States: Actuarial Challenges In Pricing And Reserving, Matthew O'Connor

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines whether gender remains an appropriate rating variable in the U.S. insurance industry. Gender has historically been used across several lines of insurance because it has demonstrated predictive value in areas such as mortality, claim frequency, and health utilization. However, the continued use of gender creates challenges as insurance systems attempt to accommodate individuals who do not fall within traditional male/female binary classifications.

The paper first reviews the current state of gender use in U.S. insurance, including examples from auto, health, life, and annuity markets. It then considers equity and ethical concerns, particularly the tension between actuarial fairness …

Inosine Accelerates Cancer Cell Killing By The Experimental Antifolate Ucp1162: Implications For Novel Combination Treatments, Reshma Ramesh, Charles Giardina, Alan Kuo

Honors Scholar Theses

Antifolates disrupt one-carbon metabolism (OCM), which stops nucleotide synthesis and therefore slows down cell proliferation. Our experimental antifolate, UCP1162, stops de novo purine synthesis and thymidine synthesis by targeting the OCM pathway. We investigated whether the downstream metabolites of OCM pathway: methionine, thymidine, and inosine, affect the cell death caused by UCP1162 using MV4-11 leukemia cells. Thymidine was found to partially rescue MV4-11 cells from UCP1162, in contrast, inosine was found to accelerate the cell death caused by UCP1162. These cytotoxic effects of UCP1162 alone and in combination with inosine were irreversible, as removal of treatment did not restore cell …

Policing The Bench: Why State Legislatures Target Judicial Ethics Commissions, Emily R. Grayson

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis examines the factors driving state legislatures to restructure judicial ethics commissions. Although judicial autonomy is foundational to the American legal system, these reforms signal a growing legislative willingness to exert direct influence over the bench. With a particular focus in Texas and Georgia, this study compares the variables that shape reforms and the common themes that are present in the legislative debates. Using Devlin and Wildeman’s (2021) framework as a guide, the specific arguments made by legislators regarding these reforms are examined in an effort to understand how they justified or contested the changes. By analyzing legislative discourse …

Validation Of A Real-Time Pcr Laboratory Developed Test For The Detection Of Pneumocystis Jirovecii In Bronchoalveolar Lavage Samples, Caitlyn Moon

Honors Scholar Theses

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic, host-obligate fungal pathogen responsible for causing P. jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in humans. PJP is treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), a strong broad-spectrum antibiotic that carries risk of renal and hepatotoxicity. Therefore, rapid diagnosis or exclusion of PJP is crucial to ensure PJP-positive patients receive effective treatment and PJP-negative patients avoid unnecessary antibiotics. Unlike most microorganisms, P. jirovecii cannot be cultured, presenting complications for the typical methods of diagnosing fungal pathogens. Historically, the gold standard for diagnosis was direct microscopic examination with stains such as methenamine silver and calcofluor white, but this diagnostic technique requires highly skilled …

Home Cage Pre-Training Enhances Behavioral Task Performance In Head-Fixed Mice, Richard Zou, Claudia Mizerek, Nicholas Audette Dr.

Honors Scholar Theses

Animals utilize predictive processing to improve the processing of sensory information by reducing neural responses to anticipated stimuli and increasing responses to unexpected ones. Prior studies use simple, single-prediction, head-fixed behavioral paradigms, leaving it unclear how the brain stores and processes multiple predictions. Animals must be taught sound generating behaviors to study multiple, simultaneous predictions; however, learning in head-fixed conditions is inefficient. Therefore, we developed a two-lever behavioral task with auditory feedback and exposed mice to the task in home cages prior to switching to head-fixed training. Behavioral analysis suggests that mice understand key components of the task during pre-training, …

Play To Win: A Randomized Controlled Trial To Assess The Effects Of Play-Based Training On Upper Extremity Function In Children With Hemiplegia, Vivian London

Honors Scholar Theses

Hemiplegia, or paralysis of one side of the body, is the primary symptom of unilateral cerebral palsy, a subtype of cerebral palsy, the most common movement disorder in children. Standard of care is regular physical and occupational therapy to improve performance in bimanual activities, but conventional therapy can be expensive and draining for caregivers and children, so a need exists for a novel intervention that can take place at home and that is economical for families while being engaging for children. This thesis reports data from a subset of ten children seen as part of a randomized controlled clinical trial …

Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Reactions To Germ Exposure Based On The Big 5 Personalities, Elizabeth Macdonald

Honors Scholar Theses

Despite extensive didactic and clinical training, variability in adherence to infection prevention practices in undergraduate nursing students exists. Individual differences, such as personality, may help to explain this inconsistency. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the Big Five personality traits were associated with self-reported pathogen mitigation or avoidance behavior in undergraduate nursing students. An online survey design was used with undergraduate nursing students. Participants were presented with scenarios depicting different pathogen exposures and asked to indicate their likelihood of engaging in pathogen mitigation behaviors. The Big Five personality traits were also assessed, and bivariate …

Identifying And Quantifying The Presence And Benefits Of Natural Products In Commonly Consumed Herbs, Fruits, And Teas, Angelica Velasquez

Honors Scholar Theses

Natural products are primary or secondary metabolites derived from plants, animals, or microorganisms that display bioactive properties which can be beneficial to human health. Such properties include antibiotic, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and may play a role in drug discovery. These compounds can be isolated and synthetically altered to enhance their therapeutic potential. However, isolating individual compounds from natural sources is often challenging due to their low abundances. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) enables the detection of trace-level metabolites, making it an indispensable tool in the screening process. In this study, GC-MS was utilized to identify and quantify natural compounds in 12 …