Digital Commons Network^™

Signaling Allyship Via Antiracism, Quinn Elise Davis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Black students face ongoing exclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) classrooms and few studies have looked into strategies to help white professors attract Black students to STEM. Expressing support for anti-racism may help attract Black students to STEM, but this has yet to be explored. An identity safety cue, a signal suggesting one’s identity is valued, can help attract Black students to these STEM classrooms. We focused on anti-racism as an identity safety cue because of the preliminary evidence that support for anti-racism might be helpful for Black students, and the lack of research surrounding anti-racism as an …

The 1945 Purchase Of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway: How World War Ii Changed Racing History And Culture, Samantha Louise Slentz

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The Indianapolis 500 did not occur from 1942 to 1945 because of World War II. And due to war efforts to conserve fuel and a suspension of all auto racing activities, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner of the time, Eddie Rickenbacker, let the track deteriorate. The racetrack began to crumble, the infield became overgrown, stands began to fall apart, and many people thought that was the end for the legendary race course, and so to the Indianapolis 500. This thesis explores how the future of the track and race were secured through the efforts of two men, Wilbur Shaw and Tony …

A Comparative Look At How Professionals Perceive Social Communication Intervention For School-Aged Children, Samantha Mcdonald

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study examined how different practitioners, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, and psychologists, integrate social communication goals into their daily sessions when working with school-aged children. An online survey was sent out to practitioners in Midwestern cities in the United States to assess their opinions on implementation, execution, and usage of social communication in therapy or class sessions. The survey also outlined the six principles of social communication as described by Fujiki and Brinton (2000), and asked the participants to rank these principles in how challenging they are to implement into their sessions. The purpose of this study …

Feasibility, Acceptability And Preliminary Implementation Of The Cornerstone Program For Transition-Age Youth With Mental Health Conditions: A Mixed Methods Study, Andrea R. Cole, Danielle R. Adams, Shelly Ben-David, Beth Sapiro, Melissa L. Villodas, Victoria Stanhope, James Jaccard, Michelle R. Munson

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Transition-age youth with mental health conditions from low socio-economic backgrounds often drop out of mental health services and, as such, do not receive therapeutic doses of treatment. Cornerstone is an innovative team-based, multi-component intervention designed to address the clinical needs of this understudied population through coordination and extensive provision of services in vivo (in the community). The present study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Researchers collected quantitative and qualitative data during a small developmental trial, analyzing the two data types independently and then exploring them side-by-side to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary implementation. Semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys were …

There Could Be Light Here, Audrey Bowers

Graduate Thesis Collection

Poems about healing and hurting. The journey begins with a 14-year-old who is struggling with suicidal thoughts and ends with a 25-year-old learning how to live with bipolar 1 disorder. The poems focus on finding light in the darkness, one poem at a time.

Memento Mori: Philosophy For The Actor, Edwin C. Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores a philosophy whose goal is to fuel and protect the spirit of the working professional actor. This philosophy greatly inspired my one person show performance and will serve me in my future. Included in this paper will be my artistic philosophy, my resume, headshot, website, photos, and my one person show script, developed in the spring of 2022, titled“Memento Mori”.

Exploring Relationships And Intimacy With Adults With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disabilities (I/Dd), Gabrielle Kennedy, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga, Thais Petrocelli

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project, Exploring Relationships and Intimacy with Adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), was completed by a Doctor of Occupational Therapy candidate at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. The purpose of the project is to increase adults with I/DD's access to intimate partner relationships, sexual expression, and occupations related to intimacy by providing adaptive, community-centered, and meaningful resources.

The current occupational deprivation that the population experiences surrounding intimacy, sexual expression, and intimate partner relationships must be addressed to improve the population’s overall quality of life, health, and well-being. This project aims to inspire and …

Shortening Of Telomeres Caused By Bacterial Lipopolysaccharides In Hiv-1 Exposed Human Oral Keratinocytes, Daphne Alcala Zúñiga

Theses and Dissertations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) continues to affect many individuals around the globe. Although people with HIV (PWH) have longer life expectancies because of modern treatments, they continue to exhibit comorbidities that are signs of premature aging compared to healthy individuals. The significance of the oral microbiome during HIV-1 infection has become of interest as chronic inflammatory conditions, such as periodontitis, have shed light on the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation. HIV-1 infection can promote dysbiosis, an imbalance of the oral microbiota, which in turn promotes the growth of opportunistic microorganisms such as P. gingivalis. This overpopulation enhances pathogenicity through …

Factors Influencing The Faunal Recolonization Of Restored Thornscrub Forest Habitats, Audrey J. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

Tamaulipan thornscrub forests have high ecological and economic value, yet over 90% of these forests have been lost, primarily due to agriculture and urban expansion, and they remain threatened, making them a conservation hotspot. For decades, federal, state, NGO, and corporate entities have been acquiring land and actively or passively restoring these forests, but results have been mixed and seldom monitored. This study characterized and quantified faunal communities of restored thornscrub forest habitats in south Texas and examined the relationships between restored faunal communities and key site characteristics and environmental factors. We surveyed and analyzed mammals, birds, Lepidoptera, and herptiles …

Determination Of Effective Index Of Refraction Of Structured Materials (Photonic Crystals), Md Arafat Hossain

Theses and Dissertations

Photonic crystals have been widely studied by researchers due to their ability to control light propagation in all spatial directions. For example, 2D photonic crystals can be made of dielectric rods arranged in a square lattice. When light propagates through 2D photonic crystals, it experiences multiple scatterings by the crystal centers. The superposition of all scattered waves forms the transmitted field largely dependent upon the effective index of refraction of the structured material. We propose a method to determine the effective index of refraction through such materials with the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) model. We set up the interface of two …

Predicting The Pebcak: A Quantitative Analysis Of How Cybersecurity Education, Literacy, And Awareness Affect Individual Preparedness., Annie Goodman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This essay explores the relationship between individuals' cybersecurity education, literacy, awareness, and preparedness. While cybersecurity is often associated with complex hacking scenarios, the majority of data breaches and cyber-attacks result from individuals inadvertently falling prey to phishing emails and malware. The lack of standardized education and training in cybersecurity, coupled with the rapid expansion of technology diversity, raises concerns about individuals' cybersecurity preparedness. As individuals are the first line of defense and the weakest link in cybersecurity, understanding the influence of education, literacy, and awareness on their adherence to best practices is crucial. This work aims to survey a diverse …

Teaching Story Problems To First-Grade Students Utilizing A Variety Of Differentiated Instructional Strategies And Assessment Methods, Shelby Decker

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the differentiated instructional strategies implemented throughout a math unit in a first-grade classroom. The capstone will report the effectiveness of two instructional strategies and two assessment methods that were integrated into a math unit that focused on students’ understanding of story problems with a missing addend or subtrahend. The math unit had 13 lessons taught over four weeks between the pre- and post-assessment. Based on student data, students’ understanding and performance increased throughout this unit by using a variety of differentiated instructional strategies and assessment methods. In this capstone, I will report what the instructional strategies …

Abort Mission: An Audio Drama, Maribel Salome Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

The culmination of the audio drama and its critical introduction focuses on the current political climate regarding abortion rights, media manipulation, and governmental control as well as Latinx representation in art and media. The script follows two sisters on their mission to create an undetected, underground abortion service in a quickly evolving American dystopia.

Inspired by multiple works of both screenplays, audio dramas, and novels, my work is meant to inspire radical change to minorities in a world where hope is quickly fading.

Symphony No. 1, Isaac Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains an original multi-movement work for orchestra. The music score is preceded by a theoretical analysis that examines the construction of the work including the expansion of various motives and themes, the use of variations, palindromes, and one example of axis of symmetry. It is hoped that this symphony, within a historical context, will find its way into the modern concert repertoire of the twenty-first century.

Using Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning For Control Of A Quadrotor Dynamics, Edgar Adrian Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents a quadrotor controller using reinforcement learning to generate near-optimal control signals. Two actor-critic algorithms are trained to control quadrotor dynamics. The dynamics are further simplified using small angle approximation. The actor-critic algorithm’s control policy is derived from Bellman’s equation providing a sufficient condition to optimality. Additionally, a smoother converter is implemented into the trajectory providing more reliable results. This paper provides derivations to the quadrotor’s dynamics and explains the control using the actor-critic algorithm. The results and simulations are compared to solutions from a commercial, optimal control solver, called DIDO.

Slo Botanical Garden Deck, Noah E. Demer

Architectural Engineering

This project consists of the design and construction of an outdoor-use deck. This deck is to be located in the NE corner of the Sage Meadow at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden at 3450 Dairy Creek Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. This deck’s intended use is as a gathering area for people to congregate. Originally, the ideal deck area was proposed as 700+ square feet, but with further site and project limitations the final design was ~480 square feet. This deck has not been constructed.

Mental Health Awareness Month Display, Isabella Piechota, Arianna Tillman, Kalea Brown

Library Displays and Bibliographies

A bibliography created to accompany a display about Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2023 at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University.

A Comprehensive Compilation Of Accounting Case Studies And Analyses, Erin Morgan

Honors Theses

The following thesis consists of a collection of case studies surrounding accounting and related topics. These case studies were written and directed under Dr. Victoria Dickinson during the enrollment of Honors Accountancy 420 to fulfill the requirements for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Five of my cases specifically correlate to the company Johnson & Johnson for the case competition that was presented at the end of the semester to accounting professionals from numerous firms. The other cases include a variety of accounting topics. Through this thesis, I discovered a deeper understanding of accounting and related topics which will benefit …

Ensemble Unsupervised Semantic Segmentation For Foreground-Background Separation On Satellite Image, Jaelen Tarry

All Theses

Recently, computer vision has been promoted by deep learning techniques significantly, where supervised deep learning outperformed other methods such as in image segmentation. However, a large amount of annotated/labeled data is needed for training supervised deep learning models, while such big annotated data is typically unavailable in practice such as in satellite imagery analytics. In order to address this challenge, a novel ensemble unsupervised semantic segmentation method was proposed for image segmentation on satellite images. Specifically, an unsupervised semantic segmentation model was employed to implement foreground- background separation and then be placed within an ensemble model to increase the prediction …

A Comparison Of Regional Food Systems And Food Security In Rural Mississippi And Italy, Reinhard Matthew Knerr

Honors Theses

Food insecurity has strong links to worsened overall health outcomes, specifically, increased prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Food insecurity in developed nations is primarily characterized by reduced access to nutritionally dense foods. This problem is especially prevalent in the Mississippi (MS) Delta region, where greater than two in five people are food insecure and community health outcomes are among the worst in the nation. Recent literature has placed emphasis on solutions to urban food insecurity, but urban resolutions cannot be fully extrapolated to rural food systems, where insecurity is characterized by a multifactorial lack …

From Inpatient Facility To The Everyday Classroom - Examining The Process Of Reintegration For Arkansas Youths, Grace Webb

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on analyzing the current policies set in place within the state of Arkansas for student reintegration following a prolonged absence from school due to mental health issues. It is designed to explore what barriers and disconnections there are between mental health care and continued care after discharge of youths from an inpatient mental health facility and re-entry into the classroom. Within this thesis, current conditions impacting youth mental health and education are explored, as well as current school counseling plans throughout four school districts in various regions across the state. To my knowledge gathered from my findings, …

Accountancy 420 Case Study Analysis, Jack Bennett Moore

Honors Theses

Throughout my junior year at the University of Mississippi in my Honors practicum class, I was able to analyze ten cases covering a wide variety of accounting topics. During the fall semester of 2021, the class researched cities around the U.S. and internationally for accounting internships, became Corporate Finance Institute Excel Certified, and conducted an interview with a professional that had experience and wisdom to share regarding the business world. Additionally, the class had the privilege of having highly acclaimed accounting firms speak to the class on an array of accounting issues. The practicum class began with a documentary covering …

Dotphotozine, Issue 12, 2023, Students Of The Csusb Art Department, Francis Almendarez

Dotphotozine

No abstract provided.

The Past Close Behind Us: A Comparison Of Anti-Integrationists’ Rhetoric From The 1960’S With Anti-Critical Race Theory Rhetoric Today, Te'keyra Shelton

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research study is to analyze whether there are similarities and differences between how conservative organizations and leaders against integration in the 1960’s and Critical Race Theory today discussed and reacted to these advances for civil rights. While there are drastic differences in the context of both eras, arguments used to justify segregation are still used to justify banning Critical Race Theory. Through research on social movements, rhetorical framing, and white racial and conservative ideology, I was able to understand how these movements are structured to best gain success. And, through a comparative, content analysis of rhetorical …

Arbitrariness And Accountability In Plea Bargaining, Emma Brewer

Honors Theses

Justice is supposed to be a consistent, fair ideal of our society. If an individual is going to face punishment, there should be reasons why they receive the punishment they do, and two people who commit similar offenses should be punished similarly. These societal ideals are also embraced by the legal profession. Unfortunately, the current practice of plea bargains creates potential problems for our ability to satisfy that ideal of justice. Prosecutors have significant discretion in offering plea bargains. This discretion opens the door for potential arbitrariness. One way for prosecutors to combat that arbitrariness is by having a structured …

Spatialising Degrowth In Southern Cities: Everyday Park-Making For (Un)Commoning, Manisha Anantharaman, Marlyne Sahakian, Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

Answering the call in this special issue to spatialise degrowth studies beyond the Global North, this paper examines practices of ‘park-making’ in Chennai and Metro Manila as a potential degrowth pathway. Parks in the coastal mega cities of Metro Manila and Chennai can be seen as relics of a colonial era, and spaces coherent with capitalist, growth-oriented and consumerist logics. At the same time, however, they become spaces that prefigure alternative ways of organising social life in the city based upon values of conviviality, care and sharing. Using qualitative methods of analysis, this paper examines what practices people engage with …

Incidence And Risk Factors For Clinically Confirmed Secondary Bacterial Infections In Patients Hospitalized For Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), Hiromichi S. Park, Caitlin M. Mccracken, Noah Lininger, Cara D. Varley, Multiple Additional Authors

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: The true incidence and risk factors for secondary bacterial infections in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains poorly understood. Knowledge of risk factors for secondary infections in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is necessary to optimally guide selective use of empiric antimicrobial therapy. Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study of symptomatic inpatients admitted for COVID-19 from April 15, 2020, through June 30, 2021. Setting: Academic quaternary-care referral center in Portland, Oregon. Patients: The study included patients who were 18 years or older with a positive severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR test up to 10 days prior to admission. Methods: …

Leading The Master's Way : Contextual Challenges In Christian Leadership Among The Churches Of The Tangkhul Nagas Of Northeast India, Themshang Horam

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Micu1 Occludes The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter In Divalent-Free Conditions, Macarena Rodríguez-Prados, Elena Berezhnaya, Maria Teresa Castromonte, Sergio L. Menezes-Filho, Melanie Paillard, György Hajnóczky

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is mediated by the mitochondrial uniporter complex (mtCU) that includes a tetramer of the pore-forming subunit, MCU, a scaffold protein, EMRE, and the EF-hand regulatory subunit, MICU1 either homodimerized or heterodimerized with MICU2/3. MICU1 has been proposed to regulate Ca2+ uptake via the mtCU by physically occluding the pore and preventing Ca2+ flux at resting cytoplasmic [Ca2+] (free calcium concentration) and to increase Ca2+ flux at high [Ca2+] due to cooperative activation of MICUs EF-hands. However, mtCU and MICU1 functioning when its EF-hands are unoccupied by Ca2+ is poorly studied due to technical limitations. To overcome this …

Religion As Disobedience, Xiao Wang

Vanderbilt Law Review

Religion today offers plaintiffs a ready path to disobey laws without consequence. Examples of such disobedience abound. In the past few years alone, courts have enjoined vaccine mandates, invalidated stay-at-home orders, and set aside antidiscrimination laws protecting same-sex couples. During the 2021-2022 Term, plaintiffs relied once again on free exercise to subvert laws governing public education, capital punishment, and school prayer. Some hospitals have begun denying fertility treatment to LGBTQ employees on this same basis.

How did religion become a skeleton key for lawbreaking without repercussion? The conventional wisdom is that, after decades of neglect, the Supreme Court finally began …