Digital Commons Network^™

Familiar Faces Of Young Adulthood, Ashleigh A. Gaude

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Exploring the connection between myself and my subjects through portraiture, I focus on capturing the fleeting, uncelebrated moments of everyday life. My work reflects my desire to document intimate, spontaneous experiences shared with friends, often recorded through candid iPhone photos. These seemingly mundane moments, such as shared laughter or quiet reflection, are immortalized through painting and elevate the ephemeral to something worth considering. Influenced by artists like Alice Neel, Jordan Casteel, and Nan Goldin, I utilize portraiture as a tool for recording the emotional and social zeitgeist of my generation. I emphasize the power of painting to preserve the essence …

Nonparametric Methods For Bayesian Community Detection In Complex Networks, Kedran Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Network analysis is becoming an increasingly popular interdisciplinary area of study, with emerging interest in fields like sociology, biology, economics, and ecology. Within the niche of network analysis, capturing the community structure of a network is one important achievement that many statisticians have been working toward over recent decades. The most popular modeling technique for latent community detection is the Stochastic Block Model (SBM), which falls into the category of latent variable models and will serve as the baseline model throughout this thesis. SBM is widely regarded as the most effective community detection method as it detects latent community membership …

Bang!: Real-Time Measurements And Transcriptomics Of Metabolic Reprogramming In Activated Macrophages At Fever Temperature, Kenneth Howard Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We investigated the real-time metabolic rates of activated macrophage cell lines derived from mouse, chicken and rainbow trout. Each species showed a different kinetic signature with metabolic rates accelerating under fever conditions specific to each organism. Upon activation mouse macrophages increased their rate of glycolysis early and then a later reprogramming phase occurred with a dramatic decrease in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) accompanied by a reciprocal second increase in glycolytic rates. Chicken macrophages showed an initial increase in both glycolytic and OXPHOS rates. The late drop OXPHOS rates also occurred in chicken however there was no reprogramming that occurred as glycolytic …

Influence Of Smartphone Notifications On Behavior And Eye Movement Parameters Of Emotional Attention, Joshua Daniel Upshaw

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how smartphone notifications interact with emotional facial expressions to influence behavioral and physiological eye movement parameters of attentional orientation. Using a dot-probe paradigm, participants viewed mixed emotional face pairs (angry, happy, or neutral) following an auditory stimulus (smartphone notifications, control tones, or silence). Angry faces elicited greater behavioral accuracy and delayed initial fixations, consistent with heightened threat-related attentional engagement. Notifications disrupted attentional stability, reflected in increased fixations and pupil size variability. The combined effect of smartphone notifications preceding angry faces intensified attentional modulation—evidenced by slower responses, increased blinking, greater pupil constriction, less pupil variability, and faster initial …

Literary Postcritique And American Transcendentalism: Helping Students Practice Community-Building By Rewilding Literature In The Classroom, Tate Aldrich

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literary postcritique is an emergent theoretical approach to literature that has elicited skepticism among many in academia because of its central claim that their unchecked overreliance on suspicious and symptomatic reading styles is diminishing the pedagogical potential of our reading together. To restore this potential, Rita Felski, a champion of literary postcritique, suggests adopting an aesthetic reading style, a mid-level interpretation that neither indulges in the formalists’ habits of close scrutiny nor in the cultural critics’ wider lens of political and social contexts. In The Limits of Critique and Hooked, Felski argues that an aesthetic reading style can develop …

Investigating The Role Of Soundscape Properties And Genetic Material As Sentinel Indicators Of The Acoustic Environment In Gulf Of Maine Coastal Marine Ecosystems, Grant Alexander Milne

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT By identifying soundscape properties and taxa detected with metabarcoding that accurately predict substrate composition, assumptions about propagative properties of the environment can be rapidly formed without the use of active acoustic sensing or invasive environmental sampling techniques. “Sentinel indicators,” are variables, processes, or components within ecosystems that can be measured or quantified and have sensitivity to environmental pressures. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and metabarcoding of seawater samples (MSS) are two minimally invasive potential methods of identifying sentinel indicators of soundscape and propagation properties of marine habitats by detecting the presence of marine taxa and extracting information from soundscapes. To …

The Trials And Tribulations Of Building An Ebike From Recycled Parts, Olivia Conrady

Senior Honors Projects

The United States is far from being “walkable” in most suburban areas. Though public transportation has grown in its infrastructure in some large cities, it is far from sufficient. As a result of this, millions of people drive their cars every single day -- a practice that is unsustainable and becoming an increasingly evident issue. One possible solution that has become popular is the use of electric bicycles, since they are less physically taxing than a normal bike and allow for quicker transport. Though electric bicycles have been on the rise, they are still well outside of many people’s budget, …

Surf's Up! The Benefits Of Surf Therapy For Individuals With Disabilities, Isabella Leggett

Senior Honors Projects

Surf therapy is a structured intervention that utilizes elements of the ocean and surfing to improve health. It is an increasingly popular sport for development focused on enhancing mental, physical, and social well-being. While research demonstrates that surf therapy is beneficial for all people, most research aims to gather the impact of surf therapy on children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, veterans with mental health disorders, and people with traumatic brain injuries or physical disabilities. The International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO) is a non-profit organization with surf therapy practitioners and researchers who work to advance surf therapy as an evidence-based …

Human Evolution: A Musical Portrait, Chloe S. Roper

Senior Honors Projects

The story of human evolution has been an elaborate progression entrenched in metamorphic processes and associated trial and error to create the species we are today. While these milestones are primarily explored through an academic lens, intellectual ideas are less often conveyed through a creative or abstract approach, such as through music or other art forms. Similarly, while music is often employed to evoke emotion, inspire reflection, or symbolize experiences, it is underutilized in conveying intellectual ideas. This project explores the juxtaposition of benchmark concepts of what makes our species distinctly human with instrumental musical expression in order to design …

Nutrition And Cardiovascular Disease, Sarah Gover, Sarah Gover

Senior Honors Projects

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, with poor dietary habits among its most significant risk factors. While past research has focused on individual nutrients, there is a growing interest in how overall dietary patterns contribute to CVD risk and prevention. This project explores six dietary patterns: vegan, vegetarian, ketogenic, low-fat, intermittent fasting, and Mediterranean. Each diet’s impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, lipid profiles, and inflammation is evaluated, along with their benefits, limitations, and long-term sustainability. Through this investigation, I found that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy …

Beyond Opioids: The Role Of Polysubstance Exposure In Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Treatment And Hospitalization, Caelyn Harrison

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the impact of prenatal polysubstance exposure, specifically focusing on the need for pharmacological treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the duration of their hospital stay. A retrospective analysis of 462 infants, including 121 exposed to polysubstances during pregnancy, showed significant associations between polysubstance exposure and adverse neonatal outcomes. Infants with prenatal polysubstance exposure were more likely to require pharmacological treatment for NAS (52.8%) compared to non-exposed infants (38.7%), as determined by chi-square analysis (χ²(1, N = 462) = 7.36, p = .007). Additionally, infants exposed to polysubstances experienced longer hospital stays on average (M = 14.88 …

Addiction In The Prison System: Recidivism And Alternatives, Daniel R. Bowers

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States criminal justice system has the highest number of incarcerated individuals in the world, with nearly 2 million people currently being behind bars, and around 7.5 million arrests per year according to the most recent available statistics. A key factor in this is addiction, specifically substance use disorders. Between 58% to 68% of adults arrested are addicted to one or more substances, with 68% of drug involved individuals being rearrested within three years of being released. This recidivism rate is incredibly high, and when combined with current prison and jail overcrowding, has created massive problems for the United …

Designing Hmi And Scada Laboratory Work For Engineering Students, Julianne Barteck

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human-machine interfaces are, essentially, the user interfaces used to monitor industrial facility machines and systems, which makes them a common industry tool in engineering. At East Tennessee State University, while human-machine interfaces are briefly covered in lecture and graduate students have set up some basic hands-on work, there exist no formal lab work for students on the topic. This thesis explores the literature surrounding the design of labs for a STEM or engineering-specific university class, and applies the recommendations and methods within that literature to design two laboratory guides on human-machine interfaces. These labs are intended to be implemented in …

A Machine Learning Analysis Of Factors Leading To Major League Baseball Postseason Berths, Chase S. Foster

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Machine learning is a method that employs statistical algorithms to identify patterns and make predictions from data. This study applies machine learning techniques to analyze data from Major League Baseball (MLB) teams between 1998 and 2024, with the goal of determining which factors strongly influence a team's likelihood of reaching the postseason and in accurately predicting the teams that do and do not qualify for the postseason. Data exploration and unsupervised machine learning methods such as clustering were used to identify underlying patterns in team performance metrics and determine potential significant contributors to team success. Many different supervised learning methods …

Women In War In The Ancient Middle East, Margaret E. Kimbro, Margaret Kimbro

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women are often overlooked as contributors in conflict and warfare throughout time, both modern and ancient. Women in positions of authority through politics, religion, or both contributed to the management of conflict and warfare through propaganda, political ritual, and direct involvement in the army. This thesis focuses on five different women from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Syria beginning in the 2200s BCE to the height of the Roman Empire. It focuses on the utilization of primary sources such as translated writings, statues, art and iconography, and documentation of the works of these women. Women’s contributions continue to be overlooked or erased …

Redeemed: A Dance Composition And Analysis On Transformation, Kasia D. Oliver

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I have created a film entitled Redeemed, which utilizes the medium of dance to explore emotional devastation and restoration present throughout life. My experience as a kinesiology major with an exercise science concentration, dance minor, and fine and performing arts student at East Tennessee State University from 2021-2025 has ignited my desire to connect kinesthetic awareness, somatic movement, dance choreography, and improvisation in a way that is cathartic for both me as the choreographer/performer and the audience. My goal is to touch viewers on a soul level by embodying how it feels to truly and fully exist. This film consists …

Organocatalyst Frameworks For Co2 Reduction To Methanol: Selectivity Control And Mild-Condition Activation, Nehal Asif

Honors Theses

This study investigates the development and application of organocatalysts for the reduction of CO₂ under mild and sustainable conditions. A key focus is the synthesis of an organo-boronic acid–amine catalyst system (derived from thianthren-1-ylboronic acid and diethanolamine) and its subsequent evaluation in reactions with labeled CO₂. Through NMR analyses, including time-resolved monitoring of isotopically labeled substrates, the formation of formyl intermediates and downstream products such as formate and methoxy species was confirmed, demonstrating active CO₂ transformation. Multiple catalyst variants (NA1 series) were screened to assess activity and selectivity, with experimental conditions optimized in terms of temperature, solvent selection, and the …

An Ethical Defense Of Puberty Blockers As Gender Affirming Care For Adolescents, Alexander Konigsberg

Honors Theses

In this paper, I give an overview of the varying perspectives on gender affirming care, which disagree on who has the right to decide for the adolescent. I offer the psychological model as the perspective providers should take to avoid imposing their own morals on the patient. Next, I explore adolescent wellbeing and determine that since no adolescent specific goods exist, we should treat adolescents by child or adult wellbeing if you believe child wellbeing exists). I find that with these arguments, physicians should prescribe puberty blockers to adolescents as it gives more access to wellbeing. Finally, I explore objections …

Race And Age: How Can Your Identities Change How People See You?, Kumiko Sulla

Honors Theses

Research has found that when we first look at someone, we make impressions about how they are as a person, which can lead to negative real-world consequences. However, this research mainly looks at young and/or white faces, leaving those with multiple marginalized identities out. This is especially concerning for older Black women since they are at risk of facing racism, sexism, and ageism. Even when looking at stereotyping research, nothing looks at all three factors combined, meaning there is no clear answer to what older Black women are experiencing. In this study, we aimed to assess how older Black women …

Healing On Their Own Terms: Self-Guided Attuning And Mental Health Among Chinese “Youth”, Ziran (Ted) Zhou

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how Chinese “youth” experiencing emotional distress pursue healing outside formal psychiatric frameworks. Drawing on thirteen qualitative interviews and guided by theories from medical anthropology, this study examines how young people engage Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices and everyday bodily adjustments to manage suffering. Rather than rejecting care altogether, participants turned toward culturally resonant practices that emphasized gradual self-attuning (自我调节, zìwǒ tiáojié) to internal rhythms. Healing was framed not as rupture or diagnosis, but as a relational and moral process: one that preserved emotional dignity, protected family honor, and maintained social harmony. The findings challenge assumptions that psychiatric …

A Multi-Scale Compartmental Model For Glucose Regulation And Diabetes Treatment, Andrew M. Watts

Honors Theses

Glucose is a fundamental energy source for cellular function, and its regulation is critical for maintaining metabolic stability in the human body. Glucose homeostasis is governed by a network of biochemical processes involving multiple organ systems that coordinate glucose production, storage, and uptake. Disruptions in this regulation contribute to metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, underscoring the need for mathematical models that provide a mechanistic understanding of systemic glucose dynamics. Herein, we report a multi-time scale discrete-time dynamical systems model using compartmental difference equations to describe glucose concentrations across key physiological compartments. By quantitatively modeling glucose transport and metabolism, this …

Can Neutron Star Mergers Alone Reproduce R-Process Enrichment In Ultra-Faint Dwarf Halos?, Christine Gyure

Honors Theses

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are the only confirmed source of the r-process responsible for heavy element formation. However, there are concerns about the extent to which NSMs can enrich small dwarf galaxies arising from either a strong natal kick velocity or substantial merger time. We present the results of a novel analytic model investigating the impact of these two distributions, represented respectively by a Maxwellian and power law, and their accompanying parameters on chemical enrichment in ultra-faint dwarf halos. We find that our model reproduces the observed enrichment fractions in these small dwarf galaxies for a variety of parameter combinations, …

Concord Monitor: One Year After Unh Protest, New Police Body Camera Footage Casts Doubt On Assault Charges Against Students, Jeremy Margolis

Digital Edition

No abstract provided.

Job Satisfaction Levels In The Correctional Field Based On Gender, Minal Chughtai

Honors College Theses

The overall purpose of this study was to research and understand the different levels of job satisfaction when it comes to female and male correctional officers and determine if female officers have greater levels of job satisfaction than their male counterparts. This study is a systematic review of different research articles that analyze correctional officers’ job satisfaction levels. This information will then be synthesized into one cohesive paper. The results will display the various factors that contribute to job satisfaction levels of correctional officers, such as gender perception, job burnout and stress, and other workplace variables. The overall findings of …

Total Factor Productivity (Tfp) And Financial Markets, Min Bai, Dong Zhang, Jiaoying Yang

American Business Review

The dynamic interplay between real firms and the financial markets remains under continuous government scrutiny, reflecting the evolving diversity that accompanies the expansion of financial markets. Given the financial market's critical role in capital provision, it is essential to understand how different funding relationships influence firm performance. This study focuses on A-share listed companies in China from 2013 to 2023, categorizing their funding relationships into two distinct types: net investment and net financing. The analysis reveals a significant dampening effect on Total Factor Productivity (TFP) associated with net investment-based funding relationships. Mechanistic investigations indicate that this suppression is due to …

Vol. 45, No. 2, Spring 2025: Table Of Contents, Northern Illinois University Law Review

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Table of Contents and Masthead for Volume 45, Issue 2 of the Northern Illinois Law Review

Hi Barbie! A Cultural Phenomenon Illustrates How Courts Have Lost The True Meaning Of The Independent Creation Defense, Shelby Harrison

Northern Illinois University Law Review

From movies to advertisements to department stores, Barbie is everywhere. Barbie has been around for decades and is now a cultural phenomenon. It is almost impossible to not be familiar with the iconic fashion doll. With a creation so popular and so powerful, how do other individuals or businesses create their own doll without being influenced by Barbie? This Note discusses the independent creation defense within copyright infringement. The focus of this Note is whether a defendant would even be able to assert the independent creation defense when their opponent’s creation is so widely known, like Barbie. This Note emphasizes …

Originalism’S Precedent Problem, James Bernstein

Northern Illinois University Law Review

This paper explores the tension between originalism and stare decisis in judicial decision-making. Originalism, which seeks to interpret the Constitution as understood at the time of its ratification, has gained bipartisan acceptance among judges. However, this interpretive approach faces challenges regarding precedent: How should originalist judges handle past decisions that deviate from the original public meaning of the Constitution? The paper examines this issue, particularly in light of originalists’ varied stances on the role of precedent.

Some originalists, like Antonin Scalia and Amy Coney Barrett, acknowledge the need for stare decisis to maintain legal stability, albeit with allowances for overturning …

Dewatering Of Chlorella Algae Using Co2 Gas Hydrate Formation For The Biofuel Production, Sumeet Oak

Master's Theses

When microalgae are processed for producing biofuel, dewatering the algae is an important step, particularly when combined with extracting valuable byproducts like algal oil. Conventional methods like centrifugation and filtration can be harsh on the algae and usually need high-energy inputs. In this work, the new application of CO2 gas hydrates as an algae dewatering agent was investigated. A CO₂ hydrate, CO2-nH2O, where n (n>5.75), is a nonstoichiometric compound where water molecules with hydrogen bonds are structured in an ice-like fashion to form polyhedral cavities. CO₂ gas hydrates are crystalline because gas molecules are trapped in a lattice of …

Assessing The Effect Of Prolonged Saltwater Exposure On Dna Recovery In Submerged Skeletal Remains From Sus Scrofa Domesticus (Erxleben, 1777), Malia Wellens

Master's Theses

Both water-related and mass disasters occurring over or in water (e.g., boating disasters, commercial plane crashes, and natural disasters) result in multiple deaths every year. Due to the ocean's vastness and lack of equipment, remains may not be recovered for some time, resulting in soft tissue decomposition, leaving bone as the last repository of recoverable DNA for identification purposes. Skeletal remains' physical and chemical components protect them from environmental deterioration and biological attack and preserve DNA well. Therefore, identifying an individual may depend on DNA obtained from skeletal remains. However, there is limited research on how long DNA can be …