Digital Commons Network^™

Blood Flow Restriction, Tendon Hypertrophy, And Strength Gain In The Biceps Brachii, Tonya M. Parker, Samuel Corbin, Matthew R. Feeback, Bailey Wilks, Andrew Lowe, Noelle Kaminski

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Introduction: Blood flow restriction (BFR) can improve muscular strength under lower loads versus traditional resistance training. Little research has been completed on the upper extremity and almost no targeted research on BFR and the tendon. Therefore, we aim to investigate the effects of BFR on the biceps brachii muscle and tendon compared to traditional resistance training.

Methods: Randomized controlled trial of healthy participants over seven weeks of completing bicep curls. Participants were randomly allocated to the BFR or control group (C). Ultrasound measurement of the tendon occurred at baseline, midpoint, and completion of study, while adjusted one repetition maximum (Adj1RM) …

What Amino Acid Residue Is Responsible For The Interaction Of Atg11 With Its Autophagy Partner Atg9?, Patricia Omoyemwen Woghiren

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Macroautophagy is a cellular function that involves the formation of a double membrane vesicle that isolates and transports cellular materials to the vacuole or lysosome for degradation and recycling. It is divided into selective and non-selective macroautophagy. Atg11 and Atg9 are two key proteins involved in selective macroautophagy, and their interaction is critical for selective macroautophagy. Specific residues on Atg9 critical for Atg11 binding have been identified, but similar residues on Atg11 have not been identified. The aim of my research was to identify a specific residue critical for Atg11’s interaction with Atg9. To this end, we carried out Yeast-twohybrid …

Songwriting In Music Therapy Clinical Practice, Kinneret Rivka Weiss

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Songwriting is a technique used in music therapy practice that has been documented since 1950, and has been used in a clinical setting in many countries where music therapy is a fully developed profession. There are many different types of therapeutic songwriting experiences used in music therapy practice, to accommodate for the many different needs and abilities of clients. Additionally, therapeutic songwriting is used to help achieve many goals, and is used in a wide variety of settings. These settings include the pediatric hospital, a setting given particular attention in this paper. This paper will also include the author’s own …

Use Of E-Cigarettes And Other Substances And Related Psychiatric Symptoms In Undergraduate Students, Grant L. Saba

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study evaluated the role that use of alcohol and e-cigarettes had in the development of dependence and demand of each other, along with symptoms of depression and anxiety in undergraduate college students. It tested four hypotheses: (1) that these symptoms are related to more frequent e-cigarette use, (2) they are related to problematic alcohol dependence, (3) alcohol demand will be higher in e-cigarette users, and (4) e-cigarette demand will be higher in problematic drinkers. 173 undergraduate students completed self-report inventories describing their alcohol dependence, e-cigarette dependence, depression, and anxiety, along with completing two hypothetical purchase tasks where they were …

Elementary School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives On The Management Of Pediatric Feeding And Swallowing Disorders, Kelsi L. Szakovits

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently serve autistic students in the school setting. Research reveals a correlation between autism, sensory processing, and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). As a result, autistic students may have compromised nutritional health and safety, which stands to impact their ability to access the curriculum. PFD is under the scope of the school-based speech-language pathologist’s practice. However, data has shown a perceived lack of confidence and a limited number of support and resources in the educational setting for SLPs to carry out interventions. This qualitative study will seek to understand the perspectives of elementary school-based SLPs regarding the implementation …

The Mediating Role Of Emotion Regulation Between Parent-Child-Relationship Quality And Psychological Health Of Adolescent Girls, Ethan Marcus Rick

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in adolescent psychological health and is influenced by the quality of parent-child relationships. Prior research suggests that supportive relationships foster adaptive emotion regulation, while conflict-ridden relationships contribute to emotion regulation difficulties, leading to negative psychological outcomes. This study examines the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between mother-daughter relationship quality and adolescent psychological maladjustment, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. A sample of 106 adolescent girls (ages 11–21) in the United States completed self-report measures assessing relationship closeness and discord, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological distress. Results indicated that relationship discord …

Youth Vocal Pedagogy: An Overview Of Teaching Voice To Children Lecture And Recital, Juliette Love Harrison

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Youth vocal pedagogy is an under-researched subject that creates much controversy, and the goal of this honors senior creative project Youth Vocal Pedagogy: An Overview of Teaching Voice to Children Lecture & Recital was to address this area within the field of vocal instruction that is in desperate need of study. The research presented in this project is significant because it offers the reader a compilation of information from the limited resources available on youth vocal pedagogy. Courses, several books, and a research article were carefully studied to form the culmination of the lecture portion of this project. The recital …

Online And In-Person Intimate Partner Violence: The Role Of Relationship Initiation Context, Jesse John

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive phenomenon, and cisgender women and sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are particularly affected. Despite the prevalence of internet usage and online dating among young adults, less research has examined how IPV manifests across relationships in which interactions are predominantly online, as well as those that begin online and transition to predominantly in-person interactions (i.e. hybrid). This study's primary aims are to examine the rates of IPV and nondating technology-facilitated sexual victimization among SGM and nonSGM emerging adults and explore how IPV victimization and mental health outcomes vary based on the extent to …

Relationship Between Ehealth Literacy And Use Of Patient Portals Among Older Adults: An Integrative Review, Lore Oluwatominiyi

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The rapid advancement of healthcare technologies, including patient portals, has the potential to improve patient engagement and health outcomes, particularly among older adults. However, the adoption of patient portals among this demographic remains relatively low, primarily due to varying levels of eHealth literacy. The aim of this integrative review, guided by the Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) framework, was to investigate the experience of eHealth literacy and patient portal use among older adults. The databases of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published between 2017 and 2023. Keywords used included: eHealth literacy, patient portals, and older adults. Thirty records …

Assessing Relatedness Of Copperbelly Water Snakes In A Captive Breeding Program, Dehlia Deriemaker

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Breeding threatened and endangered animals in captivity and their subsequent release can help supplement wild populations. Within captive breeding programs, maintaining genetic diversity is an important consideration for ensuring the survival of a species as a whole. Preserving genetic diversity increases population persistence, as it may offer a better chance for a species to adapt to a changing environment. The Copperbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta, CWS) is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In an effort to aid CWS recovery efforts, the Toledo Zoo manages a captive breeding program initially consisting of nine adult and …

Use Of Coculture And Carbon Source Manipulation To Stimulate Antibiotic Production In Soil-Dwelling Microbes, April R. Dembinski

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study aimed to discover new antibiotics produced by soil microbes. Previous studies have shown that manipulation of microbial growth conditions through variable carbon sources and growth in coculture could induce the production of novel antibiotics by soil microbes. This study expanded on these observations by testing the levels of antibiotic production when a producing strain was grown in twenty different carbon sources and cocultured with more than one hundred different coculture partners. Organic extracts from liquid cultures were tested against a panel of four safe relatives to ESKAPE pathogens and one yeast to detect antimicrobial activity. Certain combinations of …

The Role Of Leptin In The Regulation Of The Soluble Amyloid Precursor Protein Alpha (Sappa) Levels In Non-Small Cell Lunch Cancer (Nsclc) Cell Media, Benjamin Haddad

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

We previously found that the levels of soluble amyloid precursor protein α (sAPPα) are partly regulated by acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines A549 (p53 wild-type) and H1299 (p53-null). In this study, we hypothesize that sAPPα is partly regulated by leptin, a hormone classically recognized for its anorexigenic role in appetite regulation— yet recently shown to play a role in cancer cell signaling. It was observed that cells treated with leptin exhibited greater concentrations of sAPPα and lower concentrations of Aβ40/42 in the media compared to those of cells left untreated. An opposite effect was observed …

The Effectiveness Of Un Sanctions When Dealing With Countries Of Varying Global Influence, Jacqueline L. Deinek

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The United Nations is a complex and multifaceted organization that has attempted to maintain peace and security since its inception in the 1940s. As an organization, it has used many methods to varying success in order to achieve that goal, one of which is the act of sanctioning a nation. This study analyzes the effectiveness of United Nations sanctions on countries of various global influences and international ability by exploring the methods countries use to circumvent sanctions in various geopolitical contexts. It questions the effectiveness of these sanctions for maintaining peace when placed on states of greater or lesser global …

Examining Youth Experiences Aging Out Of Foster Care, Emma M. Croy

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This systematic literature review explores the challenges faced by youth aging out of the foster care system with a focus on the role of Independent Living Programs (ILP). Nationally, around 18,538 children are aging out of the foster care system. Issues that children aging out face include lack of transitional housing, limited access to education, inadequate healthcare, and an increased risk of involvement in the justice system. Challenges related to these issues can lead to instability in housing, employment, and health, further contributing to the risk of justice system involvement. This population does not appear in more recent literature; however, …

Allele-Specific Pcr (As-Pcr) Assays For Genetic Variants Associated With Color Morphs In Ball Pythons (Python Regius), Uyen Dao

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

While the genetic basis of color morphs in ball pythons (Python regius) has become increasingly studied, rapid and accessible tools for genotyping these known mutations are still limited. Here, we developed allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) assays for detecting genetic mutations associated with ten diUerent P. regius color morphs, providing a rapid and coste Uective genotyping tool. We first tested each color morph with diUerent combinations of AS-PCR primers to determine the optimal ones. Then, we performed AS-PCR again with a larger sample set after identifying optimal primers and amplification conditions specific to each morph-associated genetic variant. These AS-PCR assays distinguished wild-type …

Effects Of Imagined Gun Ownership Psychopathology On Fears And Estimates Of Crime, Joseph Brown

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Firearm incidents, a leading cause of death among youth aged 12-17 (CDC, 2023), present a complex issue requiring urgent attention. While prior psychological research has examined the weapons effect and related phenomena, further investigation is needed to understand the breadth of issues related to concerns with firearms usage, and specifically implications for mental health discourse (Berkowitz & Lepage, 1967; Metzl et al., 2021). In a sample (n = 55) of college students, this study investigates the effects of imagined gun ownership and exposure to a firearm and psychopathology on fear of crime and victimization. Participants were recruited in person and …

In The Wake Of Change, Kelly Nichole Clair

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

My senior project, In the Wake of Change, is a creative work which I choreographed and presented at the American College Dance Association, the EMU Undergraduate Research Symposium, and the EMU Dance Program student concert, “Crossroads.” The goal for this work was to present my explorations with choreographic methods such as repetition, movement based off the letters of words, and matching musical phrases with movement phrases, on as many stages as possible. I will dive into detail regarding my process, choices, and the piece’s narrative. I will describe the choreography process of the piece and the symbolism behind certain sections, …

Supplemental Feeding Alters Foraging Behaviors Of Tarantulas In Their Natural Habitat (Aphonopelma Hentzi), Annalyse Leach Brogan

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Foraging success is a crucial factor in survival and reproductive success for many animals. One mechanism that can improve an organism’s foraging success is foraging plasticity, or the organism’s ability to alter their behavior in response to environmental changes. This study aims to evaluate if the Colorado Brown Tarantula, Aphonopelma hentzi, a long-lived, sit-andwait predator will use foraging plasticity in response to increased prey encounters. I predicted that tarantulas with more prey encounters will have a higher body condition index, shorter foraging duration, and shorter distances traveled from the burrows. I conducted a field study on A. hentzi in their …

From Dictatorship To Sectarianism: Iraq's Domestic Politics And Minority Rights (1979-2023), Hiba Alkhuzaee

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study looks at how Iraq’s domestic politics have changed, moving from Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian rule to the post-2003 era that’s been heavily shaped by sectarian divisions. It focuses on how Shi’a communities were systematically oppressed under Saddam’s Sunni-led Ba’athist regime and then compares that to the frustrations many Sunnis have faced under the mostly Shi’a-led government that came after the U.S. invasion. By looking at government policies, shifts in society, and the current status of minority rights, I explore how sectarianism has shaped governance, complicated the Kurdish issue, and affected things like inter-sect marriages between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. …

Enhancing Nursing Education To Improve Care For Patients With Substance Use Disorder: A Literature Review, Allma Swier

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Background. As nursing students attend undergraduate school and prepare to enter the workforce, clinical experience and classroom training shape who they will become as caregivers. There is a lack of education built into the standard curriculum on how to care for people with substance use disorders empathetically and professionally. Aim. The purpose of this literature review is to determine if nursing students feel adequately prepared to care for patients with substance use disorder, and how implementation of educational curricula can increase students' knowledge of caring for individuals with substance use disorder, leading to an increase in confidence when caring for …

Pilot Study: Development Of A Food Delay-Discounting Measure For Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Aaron Daniel Schwieterman

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Individuals with intellectual (NDD) and neurodevelopmental (NDD) conditions experience disproportionately higher rates of obesity (Hsieh et al., 2014; Ptomey et al., 2020). Yet their diet decision-making process has been left out of the current literature. Delay discounting, which reflects the decrease in the subjective value of a reward as the delay to its receipt increases, has been linked to obesity and unhealthy food intake in typically developing adults. However, most existing tasks rely on hypothetical rewards and verbal reasoning, which limit their use with individuals who have cognitive or communication differences. The present pilot study developed and evaluated a novel …

Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress: The Effects Of A Medical Trauma On Development, Psychological Well-Being, And Interventions For Prevention, Emilee M. Stevens

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Background Pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS) is a syndrome of physiological and psychological responses that occur in children following exposure to stressful or traumatic medical events. Experiences such as painful procedures, admission to pediatric intensive care units (PICU) or neonatal intensive care units (NICU), and acute injuries may be traumatic to some children. This integrative review aims to identify risk factors associated with PMTS, examine its impact on child development and psychological well-being, and outline nursing interventions for prevention. Methods A search of ProQuest and PubMed was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2020 and 2025. Inclusion …

Running For Understanding 5k Guide, Adelaide J. Roell

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In April 2025, during Autism Awareness month, I organized an Autism Awareness 5K event on EMU’s campus, inviting the College Supports Program, Best Buddies, and other students from EMU, as well as members of the broader community to participate. The event aimed to raise awareness, promote inclusion, and support local students in special education. It also served as an opportunity for hands-on community advocacy and leadership in my future field of speech-language pathology. This project demonstrates many benefits of community inclusion outcomes (Cameron et al., 2022). This guide outlines the organization, how hosting community events ties to ASD, and the …

Fairness-Aware And Culturally Adaptive Machine Learning For Predicting Adolescent Substance Use, Stephanie Nworgu

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Early initiation of substance use during adolescence poses significant risks to long-term health, educational attainment, and social outcomes, making early identification a critical public health priority. Machine learning models have increasingly been used to predict substance use risk; however, many such models do not explicitly examine whether predictive performance differs across demographic groups. This senior project examines the fairness of logistic regression models used to predict first-time alcohol use among adolescents. Using nationally representative survey data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), pooled across the 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023 survey cycles, this study develops logistic regression–based predictive …

Colorblind Racial Attitudes Mediates The Association Between The Internalization Of Model Minority Myth Attitudes And Tolerance, Talal Ali

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The model minority myth is the belief that Asian Americans are generally more intelligent and more hardworking than other minority groups. Many studies have demonstrated the relationship between belief in the model minority myth and anti-Black sentiment in White Americans. However, there is little literature on the relationship between belief in the model minority myth and anti-Black sentiment in Asian Americans. With this in mind, we plan to determine whether the internalization of the model minority myth in Asian Americans has a relationship with anti- Black sentiment. This relationship is being measured by the IM-4 Scale (which measures the internalization …

The Impact Of Facility Dogs On College Students' Stress Management And Emotional Regulation, Anna Reichert

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

College is a demanding transitional time where students experience new friendships and personal growth. During this time, mental health issues can surface, which impact emotional well-being. Studies have shown that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression, encourage exercise, lower blood pressure, and raise oxytocin and dopamine levels (American Heart Association, 2021). Eastern Michigan University introduced their own facility dog, Tinker, a two-year-old golden retriever. Since Fall 2024, she has provided emotional comfort and relief to students and the campus community. Students were surveyed on stress levels and if and how Tinker made an impact. Survey results show Tinker’s effect on …

White Racial Identity, Climae Change, And Social Attitudes, Alyssa Engle

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study examined how symbolic racism, political conservativism, and White racial identity predicts attitudes toward climate change among White Americans. Prior research suggests that racial resentment vaticinates social and political judgments beyond explicitly racial domains, including environmental issues and policies which disproportionately harm Black and marginalized communities. Building on this prior research, the present study investigated whether racial identity dimensions predict climate change distress, and whether symbolic racism mediates associations between conservative political orientation and climate concern. Seventythree White undergraduate students completed measures of racial identity, symbolic racism, distrust in climate science, political conservatism, and climate distress. As predicted, a …

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Staffing: A Qualitative Study Of Hr Professionals Across Industries, Batoul Bazzi

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into staffing and recruitment processes across industries. Organizations are using AI-powered tools to support tasks such as résumé screening, interview scheduling, candidate assessments, and data organization. While these technologies offer efficiency and consistency, they also raise important questions related to bias, fairness, privacy, and the continued role of human judgment in hiring decisions. The purpose of this study is to examine how AI is currently used in staffing practices and how organizational leaders perceive its benefits and limitations. This study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with three business owners and …

A Retrieval Augmented Approach To Improving Accuracy Of Biomedical Term Normalization By Large Language Models, Thanh Son Do

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Ontology normalization is crucial in biomedical text processing, as it enables the mapping of medical expressions to standardized ontology terms and their corresponding identifiers. This thesis explores the feasibility of using large language models (LLMs) for ontology normalization, with a specific focus on the Human Phenotype Ontology and Gene Ontology. Prior research studies indicated that LLMs employing zero-shot learning tend to exhibit low accuracy and are prone to frequent hallucinations. We propose a retrieval augmented generation (RAG) approach to address these limitations and enhance normalization accuracy. We generated synthetic test sets of ontology-derived synonyms to evaluate normalization performance and developed …

Help Or Hindrance? Humans As A Range Expanding And Reducing Force For Himalayan Black Bears In Nepal, Suman Shree Neupane

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

I explore the relationship between Himalayan black bears (HBBs) and humans by constructing niche models for HBBs considering both natural and human influences. This approach allowed me to assess the net impact of human activities on HBBs, which face challenges like habitat fragmentation, but also reap some benefits (like increased food availability). I examined HBB niche impacts from humans by quantifying and comparing the extent of HBB niche space when including versus excluding anthropogenic influences. Specifically, I estimated the natural HBB niche space by assuming no human alterations of the landscape and compared this natural range to the observed range …