Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Protein Residue Analysis In Archaeology: A Geological Contamination Experiment, Theresa Popp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Protein residue analysis has been used by archaeologists for decades to explore ancient diets and hunting behaviors based on proteins deposited on tools and artifacts, however, protein contamination of buried artifacts has been assumed but lacked formal study. Through a contamination experiment testing different geological contexts (e.g. water movement and freeze-thaw), possible routes of protein contamination within soil were identified, adversely impacting protein residue analysis conducted on buried artifacts. Protein was found to move through soil in large enough concentrations to elicit positive protein residue results on sterile artifacts that never made direct contact with the protein source used in …

Phantom Spaces, Craytonia Williams Ii

Masters Theses

The world is built on ‘what-ifs’ and ‘I hopes.’ The more one can dream, the further development goes in design. We are told anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and as we have lived through many different eras, the limit in which we extend our mind has expanded. Research shows that emotional and mental instability has risen over 50% in the past decade in people under 30. How does the understanding of emotions and trauma impact the understanding and the feelings attached to designed spaces for rest and rehabilitation. We are constantly observing and adapting to …

Reducing Recycling Contamination Using An Information Nudge, Mimi Rivette

LSU Master's Theses

Recycling contamination is a central challenge to recycling programs but is infrequently studied due to the difficulty of measuring contents and the inconvenience of sorting through recycling bags by hand. We conducted two simultaneous experiments to address both the issue of recycling contamination and the infrequency of its study at Louisiana State University in Fall 2021. We implemented two signage treatments, the first explicitly instructing passersby not to recycle a short list of common recycling contaminants, including Styrofoam, food wrappers, plastic bags, and face masks, and the second generally encouraging recycling but excluding specific instructions on what to recycle. To …

The Effects Of Heavy Metal Contamination In Soil On Dna Degradation After Decomposition, Samantha Hofland

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The application of DNA is an ever-expanding field of research with many implications in the field of forensic investigation. Research into DNA obtained from soil is ongoing and suggests a new avenue in forensic investigation. This research seeks to understand the effects of heavy metal on the preservation of DNA within soil after decomposition of remains. Using pigs as a proxy for human remains, the effects of heavy metal contamination on the microbial environment and endogenous pig DNA was observed. This gave broad insight into the effect of surface burial and Western Montana; summer climate has on DNA degradation.

Using Visual Prompts And A Raffle To Increase Recycling On Campus, Heather Marie Felske

MSU Graduate Theses

Landfills pose a risk to the current level of human development and population growth. Leachates have the potential of polluting the ground water which can cause severe birth defects and decrease the population. When municipal solid waste breaks down it produces methane gas creating debilitating health problems that are fatal. More attention will have to be directed towards sustainable growth by reducing the amount of recyclable materials being discarded as waste. Part of the public affairs mission of Missouri State University is to engage in pro-social behavior and incorporate the student body and community whenever possible. One way of modeling …

An Isotopic Assessment Of Late Prehistoric Interregional Warfare In The Southcentral Us, John R. Samuelsen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skull burials are found all over the world. The cause of such ancient Native Americans deposits often lead to disagreement among scholars torn between warfare and ancestor veneration. One skull-and-mandible deposit, representing at least 352 people (A.D. 1253-1399), was uncovered at the Crenshaw site, a multiple-mound Caddo ceremonial center in southwest Arkansas. Most previous research suggested they were victims of interregional warfare from the Southern Plains or Mississippi Valley. One previous study hypothesized that this was a Caddo burial practice which expanded during the Middle Caddo period (A.D. 1200-1500) due to the adoption of maize as a staple and a …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In Consumable Fish & Surface Waters Near Sites Using Aqueous Film-Forming Foams: Potential Risks, Suggested Regulatory Standards And Policy Approaches For Massachusetts, Tachalla Gibeau

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging contaminants of concern with potential for adverse effects on both human and environmental health. Hence, long-chain PFAS compounds used in legacy aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are being phased out, resulting in the stockpiling of them at various commercial installations. PFAS contaminated runoff from these facilities has the potential to contaminate nearby surface water bodies and the fish inhabiting them. An analytical approach was used to identify surface water bodies in Massachusetts that are habitats for fish susceptible to PFAS contamination and where said fish are also popularly consumed by locals – thereby representing …

Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms In Sexual And Non-Sexual Trauma: Comparisons On Symptom Severity, Disgust, And Contamination Concerns., Jaime Murtagh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A number of emotions have been identified as contributing to the experience of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including fear and disgust. Given the high rates of comorbidity between PTSD and OCD, research has suggested that disgust may be a likely link between these disorders. The current study examined the relation between contamination disgust, trauma symptom severity, and contamination related-OCD (C-OCD) symptoms in a sample of sexual and non-sexual trauma survivors (N = 206). Specifically, it was proposed that sexual trauma survivors would endorse more severe PTSD symptoms, higher levels of disgust, and more C-OCD symptoms. …

Something’S In The Water: A Look At How Creativity And Innovation Can Prevent Future Water Crises, Tristan Holiday-Nowden

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness and create a level of consciousness about water, unlike anything we have seen in the past. This project presents a synthesis of current writings and ideologies from the fields of Environmental Science and Water Research. As well as think pieces and informative news articles from various publications.

To illustrate the damaging effects of water contamination, water pollution, and water scarcity; Flint, Michigan will serve as a case study. After diagnosing and defining the problem using the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) framework. This project will explore the challenge and look at the …

Thinging : Powerful Objects., Tammy M. Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The works in "Thinging” are inspired by desire, the genuine and the false, systems of real and perceived values, the quest for immortality, the allure of things, our use of them to make ourselves, and imagining pasts and futures via objects. The following concepts are threaded through the work: cathexis, ritual as a value builder, collections, hoarding, display, object history, exchange, use, and sign values, and vibrant materiality. At the heart of my investigation is the quest to examine the origins of object power, and by what measures it can be evaluated: value from belief, market value, and something perhaps …

The Impact Of Community-Based Training Outreach In Improving Water Quality, Health, And Sanitation In Kenya, Lavender Matuyia Ntaoti

Theses and Dissertations

Water is an important component of the human body. A greater percentage of the body comprises of water. Digestion, brain function, movement, and sweating among others are the basic functions of the human body that require water. Often, water quality is neglected in developing countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Many individuals in these countries understand the importance of having accessible water but do not prioritize the quality and the sources of the water available to them. Public health scholars endorse education, training, and sanitary infrastructure to promote awareness and importance of water quality. To address an existing waterborne …

Attribution And Attribution Error In Relationship To False Confessions, Michael L. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

False confessions are the most difficult type of confession to detect. Because the Reid interview and interrogation technique is the global gold standard for interviews, interrogations, and confessions, it is used to obtain confessions from suspects. However, the Reid method has been untested in regard to if it can detect false confessions to potentially eliminate wrongful convictions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to perform a content analysis of videos of confessions using several models that make up the Reid interview and interrogation technique. Utilizing attribution theory as a framework, these models were qualitatively assessed for their ability to …

Assessment Of Drinking Water/Aquifer Vulnerability To Contamination By Natural Manganese And Anthropogenic Chemicals In The U.S., Ryan Kelly

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Aquifers in the U.S. store groundwater used by many Americans every day for drinking eating, bathing and cleaning. These underground sources of water are vital to life and may be subject to contamination from both natural and anthropogenic pollution, including manganese (Mn) – especially shallow aquifers (<100 feet to bedrock). Natural sources of Mn are found in soils, surficial deposits, and bedrock, while anthropogenic contamination derives from landfills, waste facilities, or industries that use toxic materials. Pollutants like Mn raise concern because there is no policy in place to enforce regulation of Mn levels in water supplies based on limited information about health effects. Yet studies have shown elevated levels of Mn intake can lead to adverse human health effects. This study uses ArcMap to identify potential sources of Mn and/or toxics contamination in shallow U.S. aquifers based on geologic characteristics of a given aquifer source and proximity to waste sites. The results show approximately 2 million Americans may be at risk of consuming water with natural Mn contamination, and of those 2 million, close to 1.7 million are also vulnerable to additional toxics from anthropogenic waste. …

Imagery And Contamination Aversion, Thomas Grover Adams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the most common form of OCD. Recent research indicates that the emotion of disgust may play a primary role in the etiology and maintenance in contamination-based OCD (CB-OCD). However, little is known about the effects of disgust on compulsive behaviors related to CB-OCD (e.g.,, hand-washing). The present study utilized an imagery-priming paradigm to test the effects of experienced disgust on compulsive hand-washing. Seventy-eight participants were selected for high or low symptoms of CB-OCD. Following response training, participants were submitted to a disgust or neutral imagery task. Following the imagery task, participants rated their subjective fear …

An Empirical Investigation Of Emotional Reactivity And Elevated Mental Contamination: A Comparison Of Sexual And Physical Assault, Christal Badour

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although evidence suggests that disgust and disgust-related phenomena such as mental contamination should be associated with the experience of sexual assault, there has been relatively little direct examination of this relation. Consequently, the primary aim of the current study was to conduct a multimodal assessment of disgust and mental contamination-based reactivity to an individualized script-driven imagery procedure. Participants included 27 sexually assaulted, 25 physically assaulted, and 30 non-traumatized control female adults. Subjective reactivity (i.e., ratings of disgust, anxiety, feelings of dirtiness, and urges to wash), physiological reactivity (i.e., electromyogram activity of the right levator labii superioris and medial frontalis regions) …

Cognitive Appraisals, Stress And Emotion About Environmental Contamination In The Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, Christina A. Papadopoulos-Lane

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study explored the long term impact of white collar environmental crime, i.e., illegal disposal of toxins by ALCOA and GM foundry, on Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. Specifically this study focused on whether toxic contamination was perceived by Akwesasne residents as a chronic stressor, and how residents appraised and coped with the long term consequences of contamination. Data were collected from retrospective interviews using a non random targeted snow ball method. Lazarus's theory of stress and emotion was used to analyze the responses of 47 residents of Akwesasne about environmental contamination. Respondents who were aware of the contamination appraised it as …

The Effects Of Environmental Contamination On Commercial And Industrial Property Values: Do Perceptions Matter?, Peter Edward Grigelis

Economics Dissertations

The effects of severely contaminated properties (e.g. NPL sites) on residential property values are well documented. However, most contaminated sites are not so severe to warrant placement on the NPL, and little is known about the impacts to commercial and industrial property markets. Furthermore, perceptions may be developed about different types of land-uses as a result of information made public about sites placed on lists. If perceptions matter, then properties with no known contamination may be viewed as undesirable neighbors in a way similar to listed sites. Therefore, property value impacts could be even more substantial as compared to only …