Digital Commons Network^™

Social Media Agenda Setting Of Environmental Policy Issues In Switzerland, Canaan Vaughan

Honors Theses

This paper seeks to develop methodologies and testing methods for the agenda setting power of Swiss political organizational accounts on Twitter to determine who sets agenda about environmental topics. Previous research has examined social media’s agenda setting power over traditional media but has been unable to draw conclusions on which political organizations set agenda on other organizations. Research has suggested that larger organizations might have an agenda setting role over smaller ones, and organizations perceived as experts may set agenda over others. Twitter data from official organizational accounts was collected, encoded as environmental or not, and then fitted to a …

A Comparison Of Heterotroph Isolation And Sequencing Methods From Various Cyanobacterial And Algal Microbiomes, Victoria Starks

Honors Theses

Cyanobacteria have provided a vast, new source of natural products to be utilized in drug development. Because of their non-axenic nature, cyanobacteria typically have an abundance of symbiotic heterotrophs living in association with them. These bacteria can play significant roles in the survival of its cyanobacterial host as well as provide the potential production of unique compounds. The possibility of unknown natural products is only increased by the flexible nature of these bacteria, as altering its environmental state can change the activity of biosynthetic pathways and even activate novel production. Our research team’s intent is to isolate cyanobacterial strains from …

The North Mississippi Field Guide For Young Explorers, Olivia Wymore

Honors Theses

The North Mississippi Field Guide for Young Explorers is an interactive field guide to some of North Mississippi’s wildlife designed for a younger audience, ages six to twelve. The creation of this field guide is a culmination of my inspirations and interests as a child and my involvement and passions as a student at the University of Mississippi. Multiple times during my college experience I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with the local Montessori school, Magnolia Montessori School, by volunteering for various events and leading educational activities. After working with this school and learning about their teaching methods …

Save, Gamble, Or Both? The Relationship Between Premium Bond Sales And Lottery Sales In The United Kingdom, Kaden Grace

Honors Theses

Four out of every ten Americans are unable to pay for an unexpected $400 bill out of their savings accounts. To ameliorate this problem, one policy to incentivize saving is a Prize-Linked Savings Account (PLSA). Unlike a traditional savings account that pays out a consistent rate of return, a PLSA pools the interest on all deposits and distributes the returns in randomly drawn prizes (similar to a lottery). However, PLSAs remain illegal in many areas due to a concern that the introduction of a private or public PLSA could cannibalize revenue from an existing state-sponsored lottery, thus restricting the state’s …

What Is Insurance? An Analysis Of The Tax Deductibility Of Captive Insurance Premiums, John D. Patten

Honors Capstones

What is insurance for the purposes of a tax deduction? The Internal Revenue Code does not define insurance. Without this definition, taxpayers using alternative insurance products to manage their risks must look to case law to determine whether their arrangements count as tax deductible insurance or non-deductible self-insurance. This paper dives into the four prongs of insurance: insurance risk, risk shifting, risk distributing, and commonly accepted notions of insurance. This paper looks to cases that have dealt with the deduction of captive insurance premiums to provide better insight into the practical application of this test. After discussing the evolution of …

Instrumental Chamber Music (Winds & Brass)

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

2022 Recognition Ceremony Program

Recognition Ceremony

No abstract provided.

Math Musicians: Exploring The Impact Of Content Integrated Pop Music On Students’ Attitudes And Engagement During Math Instruction, Megan Hook

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Traditional methods of math instruction have been consistently linked to students having negative feelings about math, as well as decreased motivation and engagement during math instruction. This study investigated how arts integration, specifically integrating pop music, impacted students’ attitudes about math and students’ motivation and engagement during math instruction in a fifth-grade classroom. This study was mixed methods, with quantitative data collected through an adapted version of a student dispositions survey to assess students’ attitudes, motivation, and engagement, and qualitative data collected through a short response question about how students feel music impacted their math experiences. Results indicated that the …

“The Battle Against Sameness”: Queer Marriages In Forster And Woolf, Lindsey Hatton

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The Bloomsbury Group was known for unconventionality, both in their lives and in their writing. This holds especially true for E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf, whose novels uniquely depict queer relationships as an alternative to traditional, rigid, heterosexual marriages. This paper looks at Clarissa and Richard from Mrs. Dalloway, Margaret and Henry from Howards End, and Maurice and Alec from Maurice and how each of these couples subvert the societal conventions of the Victorian era in different ways. A close reading of these texts and characters allows for a nuanced understanding of Woolf and Forster’s revolutionary visions and demonstrates how …

Coronavirus Disability Survey: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Young Adults With Disabilities, Hena Rashid

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper seeks to inform individuals of the importance of digital inclusivity, diminish the digital divide, and accessibility to technological services of college students who experience a form of disability. The United States has conducted minimal research on the digital disability rhetoric, promoted minimal disability-inclusive measures to protect the rights and well-being of college students, and minimal assistance to mitigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts to this population subgroup. This subject can have a big impact on individuals who suffer from disability stigma, low accessibility issues, and who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Furthermore, this subject will benefit college students …

Teacher Work Sample: Telling Time, Courtney R. Hallam

Honors Theses

Three local elementary students were identified as performing below grade-level and receiving special education services, using direct instruction with a scripted program. The students cannot tell time using classroom clocks. The teacher created a five-day unit to teach telling time to the nearest hour and half-hour. Lesson plans were created and implemented using evidence-based practices (EBPs), including explicit instruction, modeling, and response cards. Students were able to successfully complete formative and summative assessments with scores indicating mastery. Implications and suggestions for future teaching are presented.

Lindenwood Residency Policy Extended To Two Years, Ben Kaiser

Lindenlink (2012- )

No abstract provided.

Relating Machine Learning To The Real-World: Analogies To Enhance Learning Comprehension, Vishnu S. Pendyala

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Machine learning is an exciting field for many, but the rigor, math, and its rapid evolution are often found to be formidable, keeping them away from studying and pursuing a career in this area. Similarity has been substantially explored in machine learning algorithms such as in the K-nearest neighbors, Kernel methods, Support Vector Machines, but not so much in human learning, particularly when it comes to teaching machine learning. In the course of teaching the subject to undergraduate, graduate, and general pool of students, the author found that relating the concepts to real-world examples greatly enhances student comprehension and makes …

Influence Of Stocks Intrinsic Valuation On Investment Decision Making: A Literature Review, Maxwell Okpoti Mensah, Williams Kwasi Peprah, Adu Bismark Qwusu-Selyere, Mensah Morris Ayaa, Bamfo Daniel

Faculty Publications

All over the world, investment decisions are regarded as critical decisions. Investors prior to the investment decision would like to know the possible risk and returns associated with the kind of investment to be undertaken. Investors make an excellent investment decision based on facts and figures. Since an investor cannot just by looking at a stock say whether it is overvalued, undervalued or at a fair value. This study is based on a literature review determining the intrinsic value of a stock using the Discounted Cash Flow model, with a particular emphasis on the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and …

Franklin Donell Reed

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Bare: The Modern Female Nude Uncovered, Tasha A. Determan

Honors Thesis

My honors thesis criticizes representations of the female nude and advocates for diverse expression of the female body. The research encompasses two series of artwork and a written component examining and reflecting upon the artwork. The first series is Venus of Fruit, which assesses past depictions and associations of the female nude specifically objectification and sexualization in western art. The sculptures are four cast bronze nude figures within an apple, a banana, and a pineapple. The figures are Venuses trapped within nature, beauty, fertility, and sexualization. The second series is Venus Anew, which examines the naked and the …

Reno-Protective And Immune Effects Of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 In Obesity-Related Kidney Disease, Jessie T. Sullivan

Honors Thesis

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has tripled since 1975 and is still on the rise, putting people at a higher risk of some cardiovascular diseases and kidney disease. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a stress-responsive cytokine that has been studied recently for its role in multiple biological processes and diseases. The member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b) family has been investigated as a therapeutic agent and biomarker for obesity and associated cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, cancer, and kidney disease. Studies have shown the anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic effects of GDF15, but few have …

Bilingual Behaviors: Learning Context In Second Language Acquisition, Sydney M. Fulton

Honors Thesis

Language separates human beings from other species in the animal kingdom. Not only does language provide humans with a means to communicate, but it represents one’s family, cultural identity, and personality. There are over six thousand spoken languages in the world today, and around half of the earth’s inhabitants speak more than one language. First language acquisition is a natural process for all humans that begins before birth. The human brain can acquire multiple languages during infancy, but many people acquire a second language after the brain has fully developed. Knowledge of more than one language allows one to make …

The Well-Being Outcomes Of Sexual Assault Survivors After Sexual Assault Kit Examinations, Brianna N. Zimmer

Honors Thesis

This study examined how the quality of a sexual assault medical forensic exam, or SAMFE, affects the well-being outcomes of sexual assault victims. A SAMFE is used to collect forensic evidence and provide comprehensive care to victims. Furthermore, SAMFEs are typically collected by a specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) or medical practitioner. It was hypothesized that a more trauma-informed and victim-centered SAMFE allowed victims to have better physical, psychological, and social well-being outcomes. In this study, a victim’s well-being outcomes were measured through the dependent variables of the TSC-40, Brief-COPE, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory scales. Furthermore, the quality …

Antitrust Philosophy And Its Impact On Rural Industry, Logan Gary Johnson

Honors Thesis

The United States is a nation steeped in values, and tradition. One of these values has always been the preservation of competition in the pursuit of liberty. The philosophical backing of America’s founding can be traced back to a handful of European thinkers, most notably John Locke. The connection between Locke, America’s founding, and continued struggles with antitrust enforcement are worthy of exploration. Though likely unintentional, rural communities have been left to deal with the impacts of weak antitrust enforcement in a number of key sectors. Chief of which is Agriculture. Consolidation is the new norm, with each stage of …

Operational Details Of Usd 1 Billion Credit Line, High Commission Of India (Goi)

Documents

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Polymeric Dexamethasone Prodrug Nanomedicines For The Treatment Of Lupus Nephritis, Zhifeng Zhao

Theses & Dissertations

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among lupus patients. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are uniformly used in clinical LN management. Their notorious toxicities, however, have hampered the long-term clinical application. To circumvent GCs’ adverse effects while maintaining their potent therapeutic efficacy, we have developed a micelle-forming polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated dexamethasone prodrug (ZSJ-0228), which could passively target the inflamed kidney in NZB/W F1 lupus-prone mice. It was found that monthly ZSJ-0228 treatment for five months significantly reduced the incidence of nephritis in NZB/W F1 mice with an improved survival rate. Unlike the dose equivalent daily dexamethasone treatment, long-term …

Feasibility And Efficacy Of Bisphosphonate Use For The Prevention Of Bone And Muscle Loss, Laura E. Flores

Theses & Dissertations

Loss of bone and muscle mass often occurs in tandem, increasing the risk of fragility fractures. Whereas many drugs are approved for the treatment of bone loss, there are few treatments available for the concomitant loss of bone and muscle. Identification of a treatment to mitigate pathologic bone and muscle atrophy has the potential to impact countless populations and influence approaches for healthy aging. Bisphosphonates have emerged as a potential treatment for both bone and muscle loss in cellular, murine, and observational human studies. Our findings of modest weight maintenance in postmenopausal women treated with 12-months of risedronate, relative to …

Modulation Of Immune Homeostasis In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Pravin Yeapuri

Theses & Dissertations

Modulating the immune system via. transformation of CD4+ T cell effector to regulatory (Teff to Treg) or promoting microglial clearance of abnormal disease proteins are attractive therapeutic strategies to restore immunological balance in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the past decade, we defined a safe and effective pathway for Treg induction through the cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF was developed in PD animal models and early phase I human studies demonstrating proof-of-concept efficacy for ameliorating disease signs and symptoms. Despite the recorded efficacy, the medicine’s short half-life, limited bioavailability, and injection site reactions …

Modulating Cellular Senescence To Improve Age-Associated Wound Healing Impairment, Upasana Niyogi

Theses & Dissertations

Impaired tissue repair and regenerative ability in the aged is a major socio-economic and clinical problem. One of the likely factors associated with poor wound healing is the presence of lingering senescent cells in the wound sites. Failure to eliminate these cells has been associated with inadequate healing, excessive scarring, and abnormal skin stiffening. Thus, the objective of our study was to test interventional strategies to mitigate the negative effect of senescent cells. We hypothesized that reducing senescent cell burden and promoting non-senescent cell functionality will improve wound healing with age.

We developed a 3D in vitro senescent fibroblast populated …

Modulating Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction, Upendra Chalise

Theses & Dissertations

Cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) is indicated by infarct wall thinning, reduced ejection fraction, and dilation of the left ventricle (LV). Inflammation presides in the early days of MI as a key event in cardiac wound healing. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, predominantly neutrophils and macrophages, is stimulated by ischemic cardiomyocytes that secrete inflammatory cues. This dissertation focused on identifying factors that influence cardiac remodeling after MI. S100A9 is a neutrophil-derived factor identified that exacerbated infarct wall thinning and cardiac dilation by increasing neutrophil and macrophage infiltration. Similarly, murinoglobulin 1 (Mug1) and galectin (Lgals)3 were macrophage-derived factors identified that regulate …

Visceral Adipose Tissue Remodeling In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cachexia: The Role Of Activin A Signaling, Pauline Xu

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is currently the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is projected to become the second leading cause by the year 2030. Prognosis for patients with metastatic disease remains dismal, with cachexia as a main contributor to the low survival rate. Emerging reports indicate that PDAC patients display distinct phenotypes of cachexia development, with either adipose tissue loss preceding skeletal muscle wasting or loss of only adipose tissue. While muscle wasting has been the most frequently studied mechanism in cachexia research, changes in adipose tissue are increasingly understood as important components of …

Sox2 Dosage Governs Tumor Cell Identity And Proliferation, Ethan P. Metz

Theses & Dissertations

The stem cell transcription factor SOX2 has been widely recognized for its critical roles during mammalian development. SOX2 expression has also been implicated in more than 20 types of human cancers. Importantly, the expression of SOX2 is regulated at multiple levels, which enables the tight regulation of SOX2 levels. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that elevating SOX2 from an inducible promoter inhibits the proliferation of several human tumor cell types. Other studies have reported that high levels of SOX2 are necessary to maintain lineage plasticity in advanced tumors. Thus, the dosage of SOX2 plays a critical role in …

Exploring Host-Pathogen Interactions Of The Ebola Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complex, M. Jane Morwitzer

Theses & Dissertations

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes a severe hemorrhagic fever in humans that is oftentimes lethal, emerging as a global public health threat in recent years. Understanding the host factors that contribute to the dynamic states and functions of the EBOV ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex could potentially advance the development of therapeutics. The viral architecture of the EBOV RNP complex has been defined but host protein interactions that modulate viral replication have largely gone unaddressed. EBOV nucleoprotein (NP) and viral protein 35 (VP35) play critical roles in viral replication and capsid assembly, comprising two major components of the RNP complex. Elucidation of host …

Extracellular Mechanotransduction In Marfan Syndrome: An Equivalence Principle, Stephen Haller

Theses & Dissertations

Biological tissues continuously experience mechanical stress and have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to sense mechanical stimuli. While traditional viewpoints regard cells as the ultimate sensors and processors of mechanical information, compounding evidence demonstrates that extracellular matrix, the structural component of tissues, also exhibits evolved molecular responses to force. This led us to propose a new paradigm termed extracellular mechanotransduction, in which matrix orchestrates a complementary form of force integration distinct from traditional cellular and extracellular viewpoints. We thus propose that force-sensitive signaling mechanisms evolved within the extracellular space to help cells maintain mechanical homeostasis in tissues. In this dissertation, we apply …