JEWLScholar @MTSU

JEWLScholar@MTSU is the digital repository for Middle Tennessee State University. JEWLScholar@MTSU contains scholarly and research material from MTSU faculty, staff and students.

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Recent Submissions

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    Poisoned Pages: Testing for toxic elements in 19th-century book bindings
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2025) Coyle, Ethan; Harriman, Brantly
    Historical books from the 19th century often contain vibrant pigments formulated with heavy metals, which pose a health risk to library staff and patrons as books age. This study aimed to identify and characterize toxic elements in 19th century books from the Walker Library's Special Collections to inform safter handling and storage protocols. Using non-destructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, 34 books from the period were scanned. Of the 33 books, 34 (97.1%) books were found to contain at least one toxic metal, including lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and copper (Cu). By cross-referencing elemental composition with book color and historical pigments we were able to tentatively identify specific pigments such as chrome yellow, lead white, and vermillion. This research confirms the widespread presence of toxic pigments in historical collections and directly supports the implementation of new safety standards, including the sequestration of toxic books, safe storage, and proper personal protective equipment when handling these books.
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    Package Theft: Prevention Products and Procedures
    (University Honors College, Middle Tennessee State University, 2025) Napier, Robby
    Theft of packages left unattended at residence is a problem that is becoming more significant as online shopping continues to increase, with approximately a 40% increase since the pandemic. This study aimed to examine products and procedures commonly available to the public based on price, convenience, and crime prevention techniques to provide consumers with a clearer understanding of how to protect against package theft. Twenty-two products and nine procedures were included in the study. The products and procedures were scored with a combination of situational crime prevention (SCP) techniques to observe how many each used, costs associated (if any) and received a scored based on convenience of daily use and installation. The results revealed, procedures (e.g., Amazon Hub) have more SCP techniques products (e.g., Danby Parcel Guard Smart Mailbox). However, products could score higher than procedures when layered with different types of products (i.e., using a doorbell camera with a lockable box), since they use more unique techniques. The price and amount of SCP techniques used showed little relationship. However, the higher the price, the less convenient the product was going to be. More techniques could be used in security layering, which could make a less expensive alternative to some of the most expensive anti-package theft products on the market while incorporating more protection. The convenience of each product and procedure was scored with being most convenient, medium, and least convenient. The prices of the products and procedures ranged from $0-$596.00.
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    Nostalgia Based Media in a Post-Postmodern World
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2025) Sutton, Karli Lynn; Sutton, Karli Lynn; Cruikshank, Sally Ann; Woodard, Jennifer; Hall, Andrea
    This thesis examines the Netflix series Stranger Things as a contemporary case study in nostalgia, pastiche, and post-postmodern media culture. As one of the most influential nostalgiadriven television series of the past decade, Stranger Things constructs a stylized version of the 1980s that resonates with both audiences who lived through the decade and younger viewers experiencing it through mediated memory. Drawing from theories of post-postmodernism, pastiche, and nostalgia, this study explores how the series blends aesthetic imitation, cultural references, and character representation to reframe the past in a way that is emotionally meaningful, commercially strategic, and culturally impactful. Using a visual textual analysis, content was reviewed and coded across categories such as material culture, popular media references, character aesthetics, and evolving visual motifs. The analysis focused exclusively on visual cues, including settings, props, fashion, and cinematographic parallels. Findings reveal that the show consistently uses visual pastiche to evoke both direct and mediated nostalgia, relying on familiar cultural markers of the 1980s. The results also show a shift across seasons, from more subtle references toward increasingly heightened and hyperreal recreations of the decade. This study demonstrates how Stranger Things functions not only as entertainment but also as a cultural text that shapes collective memory of the 1980s. The series blends sincerity with stylization, illustrating the role of nostalgia within a post-postmodern media landscape and highlighting how contemporary audiences engage with reconstructed versions of the past.
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    Investigating the Role of the VTA and PVN in Social Motivation
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2025) Wells, Caitlyn; Wells, Caitlyn; Rogers, Tiffany D; Galizio, Annie; Ormerod, Kiel
    Social motivation is often disrupted in neuropsychiatric conditions, and two brain regions, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), are thought to play key roles through their dopamine- and oxytocin-related pathways. However, little is known about how activating these regions directly affects social behavior, especially when effort is required. This study used optogenetics to selectively stimulate neurons in either the VTA or the PVN of adult mice and examined how this influenced a range of social and effort-based behaviors. Across tasks, stimulation of the VTA produced clear sex-dependent effects. Male mice showed increases in exploration, social approach, novelty preference, and performance on effortful tasks like climbing and pushing a weighted door. In contrast, females often showed reduced motivation under the same stimulation, suggesting that dopamine-related circuits may respond differently across sexes. Stimulation of the PVN led to more subtle effects that depended on the specific context. PVN activation influenced social behavior in certain situations, such as familiarity preference or low-effort social exploration, but did not consistently increase motivated behavior when effort demands were high.
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    RALLY CRIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THEIR IMPACT UPON SELECT UNIVERSITIES AND WHETHER THEY ARE EFFECTIVE EXPRESSIONS OF THEIR BRANDS
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2025) Oppmann, Andrew James; Oppmann, Andrew James; Rost, Jim; Rost, Jim; Krahenbuhl, Kevin; Snead, Donald
    While slogans, taglines, sayings, credos, catchphrases, motto statements, axioms are common in higher education, some institutions have rally cries, a phrase that has found enduring resonance, transcends marketing and advertising, and has become a shared expression of identity and community. This study examines rally cries at select higher-education institutions, exploring what impact they have upon the universities they represent. It also explores whether they are effective expressions of their brands; how, or whether, such cries build community; and whether they have expanded beyond athletics and into other facets of the institution, including, but not limited to, academics, administration, alumni and advancement.