Digital Commons Network^™

The Confluence Of Literacy And Child Welfare: The Impact Of Poverty & Adult Literacy And A Proposal For University Partnerships With Local Libraries To Close The Gaps Of Low Literacy Among Underserved Communities, Arianna E. Clouser

Honors Scholar Theses

A literature review about the connection of low adult literacy rates, poverty, and other barriers to education and literacy resources was conducted. The literature review uncovered that children living in underserved communities and experiencing poverty, have a lack of access to education and literacy resources, impacting their literacy skills that transferred into their adulthood. Information was gathered through research of online and scholar articles. A literacy kit event was conducted to make literacy kits to donate to public libraries in need of books. Interviews of local librarians was conducted to gained insight of their efforts to supporting children’s literacy and …

Sacrifice In The Name Of Balance: The Role And Rights Of Lesser Powers At The Congress Of Vienna, Jacob Flinchbaugh

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines the relationship between the great powers at the Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815, and the weaker states for whom they attempted to dictate decisions. By looking at critics of the Congress, a pattern of debate between advocates of balance of power and advocates of national sovereignty becomes apparent. Beginning with debates regarding the Congress’ organizational structure, disagreements between figures such as Viscount Castlereagh and Prince Talleyrand focused on disputes about the authority the leaders of the great powers attempted to wield. Subsequent decisions regarding the Netherlands, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire further illustrate awareness and controversy about the …

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 …

The Germinal Center Blueprint For Spatial Immune Mapping And Antibody Discovery In Breast Cancer Sentinel Lymph Nodes, Angel Shah

Honors Scholar Theses

Sentinel lymph nodes are the first nodes that receive drainage from a tumor and are commonly used to evaluate whether cancer has begun to spread, but they also provide an important window into how a patient’s immune system is reacting to tumor-derived antigens. This project examines immune activity within SLNs, with particular attention to germinal centers, where B cells mature, undergo clonal expansion and somatic hypermutation, and generate improved antibody responses. Using a combination of spatially mapped immune marker staining, rapid sampling of reactive germinal centers, cytokine profiling, and single-cell/single-nucleus RNA sequencing, the study aims to characterize the localization, activation …

From Prescription To Plate: Redefining The Pharmacist’S Role In Food Is Medicine Initiatives, Aleena R. Thomas

Honors Scholar Theses

Produce prescription (PRx) programs are an emerging Food is Medicine intervention designed to address diet-related chronic diseases and food insecurity by integrating healthcare delivery with access to fruits and vegetables. Diet-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease represent a major public health burden in the United States, particularly among populations with limited access to nutritious food. Despite growing evidence supporting PRx programs, pharmacists -- who routinely manage these conditions and monitor outcomes -- are underutilized in program implementation. The objective of this project is to translate the public health aspects of PRx programs into an accessible, …

Diagnostic Ability Of Rate Of Torque Development For Patellofemoral Pain, Arun Loganathan, Neal R. Glaviano Phd, Sungwan Kim Phd

Honors Scholar Theses

Context: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a highly prevalent condition (22.7% in general population) that significantly impacts the quality of life of those who suffer from it. However, there is no gold standard test to diagnose it yet, leading to inconsistencies with treatment as well as delayed intervention. Rate of torque development (RTD) is a neuromuscular measure that has shown strong connections to PFP.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic ability of RTD for PFP.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Laboratory.

Participants: Thirty-five individuals with PFP (24 males and 11 females, 22.7 ± 3.7 years, 1.67 ± 0.1 …

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 …

A Border Of Broken Promises: The Unfulfilled Commitments Of The Crc For Migrant Children At The U.S. Southern Border, Eva R. Passer

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis examines how closely the treatment of migrant children from Latin America to the United States aligns with the ideals of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Its central question is: to what extent do current practices comply with CRC standards? Although the CRC outlines clear obligations to uphold the best interests and fundamental rights of all children, these principles are inconsistently applied within U.S. immigration policy and practice. Through a comparative analysis of Donald Trump’s first administration and Joe Biden's presidential administration, this thesis evaluates six CRC articles concerning child migrants. It then …

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 …

Technical Debt Amplified By Ai: Real-World Case Studies And Strategies For Mitigation, Alejandro L. Reilly

Honors Scholar Theses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool that can help accelerate the accumulation of software debt, but it also provides the tools needed to manage and reduce that same burden. In this paper, we discuss the impact of AI-powered code tools on technical debt, as well as how these tools can be used to assist developers in their current practices. We also discuss some of the challenges that can arise when developers accept AI-generated code without going through the best practices of software engineering. The case studies in this paper show that the path to sustainable software in the era …

The Development Of A Crispr-Based Calibrated Functional Assay For Classifying Pathogenicity Of Msh2 And Msh6 Variants In Lynch Syndrome, Olivia N. Amodeo

Honors Scholar Theses

Lynch syndrome is a hereditary disease caused by the inheritance of a mismatch repair gene variant. Individuals with this condition are predisposed to cancer development, most commonly colorectal cancer. Current guidelines for variant classification are based on numerous evidence categories, including functional evidence. However, many novel clinical variants are not well characterized, and evidence is difficult to obtain if functional assays are not calibrated.

To address this, our lab created a calibrated functional assay that calculates an odds of pathogenicity score for MSH2 and MSH6 gene variants that can be used as evidence for classifying variants of uncertain significance. This …

Reversible, Light-Controlled Inhibition Of Stim1-Mediated Calcium Signaling Using Photoswitchable Ml-9 Derivatives In Jurkat-Lucia Nfat Reporter T Cells, José L. Matute Gálvez

Honors Scholar Theses

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) through calcium release-activated

calcium (CRAC) channels is the dominant pathway for sustained Ca2+ influx in

non-excitable cells and is essential for T cell activation, driving downstream

signaling through the calcineurin-NFAT transcriptional axis. Dysregulation of

SOCE produces multi-systemic disease phenotypes, establishing that precise,

spatiotemporally controlled modulation of this pathway is a fundamental

therapeutic requirement. ML-9 is one of the only characterized small molecules

capable of targeting SOCE upstream at the level of STIM1 localization, but lacks

the selectivity, pharmacokinetic properties, and spatiotemporal control necessary

for therapeutic development.

This work describes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of …

Disturbances In A Convergece Zone: Artisanal Fishers And The Making Of The Nearshore In Northern Coastal Peru, Leigh Shattuck Rodi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to study how artisanal fishers in northern coastal Peru interpret and respond to environmental change provoked by three sources of harm: climate change, overfishing, and contamination. Drawing from six and a half weeks of ethnographic fieldwork among artisanal fishers in Lobitos, Peru, this paper foregrounds the concept of the nearshore assemblage to highlight the ever-shifting relations between humans and marine ecologies that constitute littoral and oceanic worlds. Artisanal fishers utilize discriminatory, non-mechanical methods to fish in a protected section of Peru’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Fishing livelihoods in this space were previously possible because the convergence of …

Staying In Stem?: A Qualitative Exploration Of Women’S College Classroom Experiences In Stem Education, Sarah Dapaah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women leave STEM not because of a lack of ability, but because of the classroom and institutional conditions they encounter once they arrive. This study examines how classroom experiences shape women’s decisions to persist in or leave STEM majors at the college level. Drawing on the sociological frameworks of doing gender, gendered organizations, and intersectionality, this study explores how gender, race, and class shape women’s experiences of belonging, support, discouragement, and recognition in STEM. Using 21 semi-structured interviews and 4 classroom observations at the University of Mississippi, the study analyzes the experiences of undergraduate women who remained in STEM, women …

“Con Ăn Cơm Chưa?” (“Have You Eaten Yet?”): Foodways, Identity, And Generational Place-Making For Vietnamese Women In Memphis, Alana Freimanis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the role of food within community tactics for mobilization and negotiation. In order to do so, this study employs a mixed-methods approach of semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and archival analysis, to answer questions around how participants subvert historically racialized narratives around Vietnamese immigrant’s labor, family, and identity. Specifically, how do Vietnamese American women in Memphis use food labor to negotiate racialized immigrant identities and mobilize cultural and community power within the constraints of gendered expectations, class position, and racial stereotypes? Furthermore, this research focuses on Vietnamese women’s positionality, centering women chefs and community leaders as the …

Health And Care: Childhood Among The Classic Period Maya At Buenavista Del Cayo, Belize, Lindsey Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three deposits of perinates, infants, and young children within two non-residential superstructures of Buenavista del Cayo, Belize, display evidence of daily maintenance and care. A total of ten subadult individuals, aged 39.4 weeks gestation to 3 years, from the archaeological site of Buenavista were recovered during 2018 excavations. Signs of care and daily maintenance include survivorship through the vulnerable neonatal period (first twenty-eight days) and transition into infancy, survivorship with potential pinprick lesions on external and internal zygomatic, parietal, and pars basilaris, and intentional maintenance of the body after death. Identification of care and daily maintenance at Buenavista informs the …

Mining The Body: Racial Capitalism And The Embodied Sacrifice Zone, Regina Marie Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mining the Body: Racial Capitalism and the Sacrifice Zone of the Body examines 20th and 21st-century American literature, excavating the ways in which mining not only extracted resources from the earth, but also mined the bodies of their workers for their labor, often ignoring safety in the name of economy. This extraction of coal and of labor, along with its attendant exploitations, sparked unionization and labor movements throughout the century, as miners were frequently at the forefront of asserting their rights in response to this treatment. Using a framework that relies on both environmental criticism, such as Rob Nixon’s Slow …

Examining The Relationship Between Co-Curricular Programming And Burnout Among Medical Students At An Academic Medical Center, Lauren Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This three-manuscript dissertation examines the relationship between co-curricular programming and burnout among Doctor of Medicine (MD) students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), situating the issue within broader concerns about physician well-being and institutional responsibility.

Manuscript I establishes the conceptual and empirical foundation for the study by reviewing the prevalence, consequences, and theoretical framing of burnout in medical education. Drawing on Maslach’s three-dimensional model of burnout—emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment—and Astin’s Student Involvement Theory, the manuscript situates co-curricular engagement as a potential protective factor against distress. The literature review highlights alarming rates of depression, suicidal ideation, …

Connecting The Dots: Hbcus, Access To Ai Education, And The Realities Of Public-Private Collaboration, Whitney Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape workforce demands and educational priorities, this partnership has emerged as a potentially effective mechanism for advancing equitable access to emerging technologies. However, limited research has explored how and why diverse organizations engage in such collaborations, particularly in regions facing persistent educational and economic disparities. This study examines the organizational motivations driving participation in the Mississippi AI Collaborative (MAIC), a multi-sector partnership involving a higher education institution, industry partners, nonprofits, and a K-12 system. While the MAIC focuses specifically on AI education and training, the purpose of this study is not to examine AI …