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Introductory Materials, Nancy M. Giardina Jan 2005

Introductory Materials, Nancy M. Giardina

McNair Scholars Journal

No abstract provided.


When Psychopaths Go To College: Psychopathic Traits And College Adjustment, Lyndsey L. Adams Jan 2005

When Psychopaths Go To College: Psychopathic Traits And College Adjustment, Lyndsey L. Adams

McNair Scholars Journal

Estimated as less than 1% of the general population, psychopaths are responsible for significant amounts of violence. However, few studies have explored psychopathic personality characteristics in non-incarcerated populations, or “hidden” psychopaths. Using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), this study evaluated correlations between psychopathic traits and indicators of college maladjustment. We hypothesize that “hidden” college psychopaths are more interpersonally maladjusted than peers, equally successful intellectually, and less impulsive than their incarcerated counterparts. Understanding the differences and similarities between incarcerated and hidden psychopaths may lead to improved recognition and possibly early intervention with these social predators.


The New Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through The Use Of Oral Histories, Kelli Brockschmidt Jan 2005

The New Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through The Use Of Oral Histories, Kelli Brockschmidt

McNair Scholars Journal

Over the past two decades, historians have begun using oral histories to reinterpret the history of World War II. Earlier historians have relied heavily on official documents, journalists’ accounts and the letters, diaries, and memoirs of commanders and staff officers, leaving out the experiences of the common soldier. Oral histories have provided more detailed, personal, and emotional accounts of WWII than the written records. My research combines the oral histories of the 32nd Infantry Division, the Red Arrow Division, with written sources in order to gain new perspectives and insight into the soldiers’ experiences in WWII during the New Guinea …


Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) And Ethnicity: A Literature Review, Shanel M. Bryant Jan 2005

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) And Ethnicity: A Literature Review, Shanel M. Bryant

McNair Scholars Journal

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most expensive mental disorders, costing U.S. citizens $77 billion every year (Reinberg, 2004). Although ADHD effects between 3-7% of U.S. children (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000), there are many misconceptions about the disorder and concerns have been raised regarding appropriate diagnosis and treatment in children, adolescents, and adults. In addition to these concerns, several authors have noted that there is a lack of research regarding ethnicity and ADHD. The limited research that has been done is confusing with some studies indicating that there is no difference in rates of ADHD diagnoses …


Second Language Acquisition Programs: An Assessment Of The Bilingual Education Debate, Jessica Cruz Jan 2005

Second Language Acquisition Programs: An Assessment Of The Bilingual Education Debate, Jessica Cruz

McNair Scholars Journal

Second language acquisition programs are frequently misunderstood, as various programs are often mistakenly labeled as bilingual education. Inaccurate labeling creates confusion and fuels the already heated bilingual education debate. The purpose of this research is to clearly define different second language acquisition programs, assess major arguments on opposing sides of this nationwide debate, and discuss program evaluations from the 1991 Ramirez investigation and the Rossell and Baker study (1996). In so doing, important issues regarding the world of second language acquisition programs will surface. Expectantly, this research will generate, or continue, further discussion addressing these concerns in an effort to …


Resistance To U.S. Economic Hegemony In Latin America: Hugo Chávez And Venezuela, Rachel M. Jacques Jan 2005

Resistance To U.S. Economic Hegemony In Latin America: Hugo Chávez And Venezuela, Rachel M. Jacques

McNair Scholars Journal

Recent years have seen increasing opposition to U.S. political and economic influence in Latin America. Venezuela is a key player in the South American economy. This project researches the country’s history from the 1950s to the present and the role of the U.S. in its formation. Through political economy, this study asks if recent political changes are due to the effects of U.S. policies in Venezuela. The research examines the relationship between the two nations and the development models proposed by the Chávez government. The paper considers alternative models of economic development, independent from U.S. political hegemony.


Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis: Analysis And Identification Of Protein Kinase Substrates, Derrick Kroodsma Jan 2005

Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis: Analysis And Identification Of Protein Kinase Substrates, Derrick Kroodsma

McNair Scholars Journal

This research study examines the synthesis of tyrosine containing peptides based on the protein paxillin. Paxillin is a proposed substrate of the Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) protein tyrosine kinase. FAK is overexpressed in tumor cells; therefore, its abnormal function is associated with several cancer types. The peptides designed here are based on the substrate sequence FAK preferably binds to and phosphorylates. Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS) provided substrate compounds which were then tested via biological assays with FAK. The synthesis of large peptides provides an accurate method to determine kinase amino acid phosphorylation preference to confirm paxillin as a FAK …


Education For Democracy: Discovering Civic Engagement, Sally Sayles Jan 2005

Education For Democracy: Discovering Civic Engagement, Sally Sayles

McNair Scholars Journal

Exploring the concepts of an experiential education promotes transformative connections between the academic classroom and other domains of student life. Therefore, this research aims to discover the capacity that education has to change the world. It explores Jane Addams’ work, her efforts to encourage democracy, and her educational philosophy that emphasizes learning from life experiences. Additionally, her philosophy of social ethics is intertwined with the writings of John Dewey, Charlene Haddock Siegfried, Ira Shor, and various other theorists. My analysis uses feminist and critical theory to formulate a learning foundation that fosters civic engagement for students and educators.


Fast Times At Ridgemont High And Porky’S: Gender Perspective In The Teen Comedy, Kerri Vanderhoff Jan 2005

Fast Times At Ridgemont High And Porky’S: Gender Perspective In The Teen Comedy, Kerri Vanderhoff

McNair Scholars Journal

This study examines gender representation in teen comedy with an emphasis on two films from the genre. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) was directed by a woman, Amy Heckerling. Porky’s (1981) was directed by a man, Bob Clark. This research reveals the different ways male and female directors portray teenage girls and encourages a re-evaluation of the values conveyed to young viewers when the perspective represented in Hollywood entertainment films is predominantly male.


The Effects Of Infant Age On Parental Vocalizations About Object Categories In A Play-Type Setting, Katherine L. Schwartzkopf Jan 2005

The Effects Of Infant Age On Parental Vocalizations About Object Categories In A Play-Type Setting, Katherine L. Schwartzkopf

McNair Scholars Journal

Previous studies have examined the role of various perceptual features of objects on an infant’s ability to effectively categorize the object. Few, if any studies have examined the role of parents in the formation of categories early in infancy and the effect of the infants’ age on the type of categorical information provided by the parents. In two studies, parental vocalizations directed to their infants (3- to 12-months of age) about objects were videotaped and analyzed. In Study 1 the proportion of superordinate labels used by parents increased as a function of the infant’s age while the proportion of basic …


Diel Summer Movement Patterns Of Fish In Sickle Creek, Manistee County, Michigan, Andria Salas Jan 2005

Diel Summer Movement Patterns Of Fish In Sickle Creek, Manistee County, Michigan, Andria Salas

McNair Scholars Journal

This study investigated the location, habitat preferences, and diel movements of burbot (lota lota) and salmonids in a small tributary stream in late spring, early summer. The research provides base-line information on fish distribution prior to the replacement of a culvert and reconnection of upstream reaches. The tributary was divided into six 100-meter reaches using blocker nets and data was collected using mark-recapture and electrofishing techniques. The community was dominated by coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), northern mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii bairdii), brook lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fosser), and the burbot. Salmonids favored undercut banks …


The Relationship Between Parole And Recidivism In The Criminal Justice System, Jacquelin A. Robinson Jan 2005

The Relationship Between Parole And Recidivism In The Criminal Justice System, Jacquelin A. Robinson

McNair Scholars Journal

From 1990 to 1999 the criminal justice system experienced a fifty percent increase in the inmate population, which included recidivated parolees. Critics claimed the parole process was not working and lobbied legislature to take action. The system responded by decreasing parole agency budgets, increasing prison sentences, and reducing rehabilitation services for paroled inmates. Research pertaining to parole and recidivism indicates two variables: there is or isn’t a direct association. The objective of this study is to compare the data and decide if parole is a viable solution for decreasing recidivism rates.


From The Delta To Chicago: Muddy Waters’ Downhome Blues And The Shaping Of African-American Urban Identity In Post World War Ii Chicago, Jennifer Goven Jan 2005

From The Delta To Chicago: Muddy Waters’ Downhome Blues And The Shaping Of African-American Urban Identity In Post World War Ii Chicago, Jennifer Goven

McNair Scholars Journal

African Americans developed the blues as a reaction to the harsh living conditions in the Mississippi Delta. The music found a new home during the first half of the twentieth century when thousands of African Americans migrated to Chicago. The purpose of this research is to understand how migration and the urban environment shaped the Black experience. Blues music, specifically the music of Muddy Waters, will be the focus of this study. His Downhome Blues, which grew in popularity following WW II, both shaped and reflected the emergence of an Urban African-American identity in Chicago.


Misuse Of Myth: Conscious Adherence Or Authoritative Control Mechanism, Henry H. Averhart Jr. Jan 2005

Misuse Of Myth: Conscious Adherence Or Authoritative Control Mechanism, Henry H. Averhart Jr.

McNair Scholars Journal

Myths are significant in explaining the existential questions of life, but when they are adopted uncritically, they may generate more harm than good. Admittedly, there is no way out of myth; we are the mythical creature. We need, therefore, to become more aware of myth and more critical of the myths we already, if only unknowingly, have adopted. This research addresses common misconceptions of the definitions of myths, attempts to identify the conscious and unconscious use of myths in our daily lives, and ultimately introduces the concept of modified myth adoption. This is done by analyzing and synthesizing selected scholarly …


Between Religion And Honor: Charles Colcock Jones And A Discussion Of Antebellum Southern Values, Jonathan Howard Jan 2005

Between Religion And Honor: Charles Colcock Jones And A Discussion Of Antebellum Southern Values, Jonathan Howard

McNair Scholars Journal

The ethic of honor among Southern white men encouraged violence, excess, and public displays of manhood. Conversely, evangelical religion compelled Christians toward abstinence and self-control, ideas usually incompatible with the expectations of honor. An elite plantation owner and a prominent Presbyterian minister, Charles Colcock Jones, acted on both these opposite ideals during the Secession Crisis and Civil War. An examination and analysis of his and other Jones family letters and correspondence will demonstrate how Jones incorporated the ethic of honor as the threat of disunion materialized, only to turn back toward evangelical Christianity following the outbreak of war.


Infrared Laser-Based Method For Measuring Isotope Ratios, Jerry Fluellen Jan 2005

Infrared Laser-Based Method For Measuring Isotope Ratios, Jerry Fluellen

McNair Scholars Journal

The purpose of this research is to build an inexpensive, compact, and precise spectrometer that will measure the 13C/12C ratio in a sample of carbon dioxide gas. The infrared diode laser-based apparatus operates by modulating the laser frequency as it scans. The frequency modulation is then converted to amplitude modulation in the signal. A ratio of signal intensities for 13CO2 and 12CO2 can be converted to a measurement of the samples’ isotope ratio. The analysis of the 13CO2/12CO2 ratio can be used for the detection of stomach …