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Strategic Nationalism: Deciphering Chinese Strategy In The South China Sea, William Levesque

Honors Theses

Over the last two decades, the South China Sea has become an international flashpoint and site of frequent Chinese aggression. Chinese naval, coast guard, and militia vessels frequently sail the natural-resource rich waters, and China has undertaken a massive campaign of island building to support its claims. The motivations behind China's aggression and their choice of strategy, however, remain ambiguous and the topic of major academic discussion. This Honors Thesis provides a new hypothesis, strategic nationalism, which is capable of explaining China's recent actions in the South China Sea.

Stable Bromine Isotope Signature Of Bromoform From Enzymatic And Abiotic Formation Pathways And Its Application In Identifying Sources Of Environmental Bromoform In The Damariscotta River, Chengyang Wang

Honors Theses

Bromoform is a major source of atmospheric bromine. Most bromoform is produced by marine organisms including macroalgae and phytoplankton, using the enzyme bromoperoxidase (BPO). Bromoform can also be a byproduct of industrial processes such as water disinfection. Identifying sources of environmental bromoform is still a challenge. A novel technique of using quadrupole mass spectrometry coupled to a gas chromatography (GCqMS) was developed and optimized for Br isotope analyses. The study shows that GCqMS in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode can measure 81Br with precision of around ±0.7‰ (60pmol bromoform injected). This study aims to investigate stable Br isotopes of bromoform …

Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Activity And Expression In The Aged Mouse Hippocampus, James Mitchum

Honors Theses

CaM Kinase II (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase enzyme that acts as a critical regulator of learning and memory. It has previously been shown that the inability of CaMKII to maintain activation is connected to memory deficits within the aging brain. While the connection between CaMKII dysfunction and learning and memory impairments is well established, little is known about the changes that cause CaMKII dysfunction. Our research set out to investigate if CaMKII is altered during the process of aging. Specifically, we looked at activity, regulation, and stability by conducting experiments to quantify CaMKII levels of …

Evaluation Of New Antimalarial Drug Combinations, Robert Tyrone Higginbotham

Honors Theses

Malaria is a disease that has affected people throughout the world for centuries and is still responsible for over 200 million clinical cases per year. While a number of developed countries have eradicated the disease, its prevalence in tropical regions poses a significant global health challenge. The disease is caused by the Plasmodium genus, an obligate, intracellular parasite that is carried by the female Anopheles mosquito. While there are effective antimalarial drugs in clinical use, Plasmodium's resilient nature has allowed it to develop resistance to multiple drugs. This fact makes it imperative to seek out novel drugs to combat resistant …

Silicon And Tin Substituted Halocyclopropanes: Approaches To New Carbenes And Strained Cyclic Allenes, Noura Srour

Honors Theses

Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene and chloro(trimethylstannyl)carbene were generated through photolysis of cyclopropanated phenanthrene precursors which were synthesized in two steps. The photolysis reactions were done in the presence of cis and/or trans-beta-methylstyrene. Though product peaks corresponding to the carbene-alkene adducts were observed in the GCMS, the yields were too low for their isolation and complete characterization. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the stereoisomers of the precursor to Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene and the carbene itself. Surprisingly, Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene’s triplet state was found to be more stable than the singlet at this level of theory.

In a related project, (1-bromo-1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthren-1-yl)trimethylstannane, was …

Launch-Explore-Summarize In High School Calculus, Nate Mattis

Honors Theses

Current research on high school calculus instruction indicates that students often possess a procedural knowledge of differentiation and integration as opposed to a conceptual knowledge (Orton, 1983; Ferrini-Mundy & Graham, 1994). Given the prominence of traditional lecture and textbook-based calculus classes in the United States, students are not always given the opportunity to expand their conceptual knowledge of essential calculus concepts. This project introduces calculus students to a more active and communal method of teaching: Launch-Explore-Summarize (LES) (CMP, n.d.). This methodology places students at the center of their learning and emphasizes inquiry-based thinking during a class. Specifically, two LES lessons …

"Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again:" Burke's Perspective By Incongruity And The Shifting Image Of The Handmaid, Morgan Hydrick

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of A Custom Support Vector Machine For Photometric Redshift Estimation And The Inclusion Of Galaxy Shape Information, Evan Jones, J. Singal

Honors Theses

Aims. We present a custom support vector machine classification package for photometric redshift estimation, including comparisons with other methods. We also explore the efficacy of including galaxy shape information in redshift estimation. Support vector machines, a type of machine learning, utilize optimization theory and supervised learning algorithms to construct predictive models based on the information content of data in a way that can treat different input features symmetrically, which can be a useful estimator of the information contained in additional features beyond photometry, such as those describing the morphology of galaxies.

Methods. The custom support vector machine package we have …

Characterizing Borrelia Burgdorferi In Virginia : Lyme Disease Prevalence As A Matter Of Bacterial Genetic Variation, Hannah Cornman

Honors Theses

yme Disease (LD) incidence and spatial distribution has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. In Virginia, the growth has been especially drastic, primarily in the Western part of the state. This research project investigates how genetic variability of the Lyme Disease causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, might be contributing to this increase in LD incidence in western Virginia. To do this, B. burgdorferi samples were isolated from ticks found across the state and were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Phylogenetic and minimum spanning tree analyses were also performed. It was hypothesized that the increasing number of Lyme disease infections …

La Vie En Périphérie : Une Comparaison Critique De La Représentation Des Populations Marginalisées Et Le Racisme Systématique Aux Etats-Unis Et À La Banlieue Du Paris, Milan Essex

Honors Theses

Les populations marginalisées sont toujours examinées à la loupe : les médias, les nouvelles, les films et la littérature. D’une part, elles sont utilisées en tant d’artistes, d’innovateurs, de modèles. D’autre part, elles sont stigmatisées comme des criminels, des paresseux, des instigateurs. La violence est toujours attachée à la figure où la peau est enrichie avec de la mélanine, et les droits humains sont menacés pour les personnes avec la peau de plus en plus brune, et les yeux de plus en plus «exotiques». Les épreuves de la peau noire se fixent dans la manière dont elles ne sont pas …

Distance In Diocese : Annual Appeal Giving In The Catholic Church, Elaine Wissuchek

Honors Theses

The distance between a donor and a charity is hypothesized to affect charitable giving for self-regarding and altruistic reasons. Distance increases transaction costs, reducing the potential extrinsic benefits received by donors; it decreases social pressure for giving, and limits the ability of donors to monitor the charity’s management. Donors also have intrinsic preferences for proximity. This study does not find the hypothesized negative correlation between distance (measured as driving time) and donations to annual appeals for Catholic dioceses.

The Effects Of Perceived Quality On Tuition And Net Tuition, Isabella Xianxin Thomas

Honors Theses

This paper examines the effects of perceived quality on tuition and net tuition utilizing both direct and indirect measures to account for quality and the U.S News and World Ranking to measure perceived quality. Tuition is the sticker price, whereas net tuition is the sticker price less discounts. Judgments of quality will be more apparent in tuition, therefore perceived quality and tuition should have a larger relationship than net tuition and perceived quality. When regressed with quality variables held constant on tuition and net tuition, effect of reputation on prices is captured. The coefficient for perceived quality on tuition had …

An Ivory Tower On The Outskirts Of Town: The Othered Intellectual In Joyce And Ellison, Will Simonson

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine a pairing of protagonists and texts, Stephen Dedalus of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and the unnamed protagonist-narrator of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1953), to explore the ways in which these protagonists are Othered as a result of their unconventional intellectualism, and how that Othering impacts their progress towards self-actualization. Making use of writings by Jacques Lacan, Pierre Bourdieu, Edward Said, Hélène Cixous, Louis Althusser, and Richard Rorty, among others, I engage with theories of language, intellect, intellectualism, and the role of the intellectual, especially when he/she is …

Trigger Warnings & Reactions To Literature: Sexual Victimization And Emotional Responses To Difficult Literature, Lynn E. C. Korsun

Honors Theses

Trigger warnings have been a cause for concern nationwide, and it remains unclear whether they truly protect students with varying histories of sexual assault trauma when exposed to triggering experiences. The sample consisted of 62 participants enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course at Bucknell in the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters. Students responded to a three-part survey, filling out a prior sexual victimization scale, a life events checklist, a PTSD checklist, a distress scale, a research participation scale, and demographic questions in response to reading an emotionally distressing, “triggering” passage from Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” Participants were …

A Philosophical Analysis Of Otherness In Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Max W. Fathauer

Honors Theses

Bertrand Russell infamously characterizes Nietzsche as a philosopher concerned solely with the flourishing individual. Several crucial passages of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, however, outline rich encounters Zarathustra has with the Other. In this paper, I argue that Russell’s characterization of Nietzsche is egregiously reductive. In order to demonstrate this, I offer an in-depth analysis of otherness in Thus Spoke Zarathustra by examining the many different kinds of relationships the individual can have with the Other. I then turn towards other works of Nietzsche to furnish the compelling, yet imprecise insight concerning otherness that Zarathustra gives us. Finally, I compare my …

Investigating The Relationship Between Sulcogyral Patterns And Structural And Functional Connectivity Metrics In The Orbitofrontal Cortex, Bethany M. Blass

Honors Theses

Located within the frontal lobe, the human orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is widely known for its roles in sensory integration, emotion processing, decision-making, and goal-directed behaviors. Atypical structural organization of the OFC may explain atypical social or motivational behaviors displayed by individuals with brain disorders, such as bipolar disorder patients (BP).

The human brain can be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to reveal interesting aspects of the underlying brain architecture. This brain is composed of different tissue types, including gray and white matter, as well as various morphological features, including sulci & gyri. Within the OFC, the sulci can be …

On Vulnerability: Distinguishing Differences Between The Knight Of Faith And The Knight Of Resignation In Kierkegaard's Fear And Trembling, Christopher G. Cross

Honors Theses

In Søren Kierkegaard's work, Fear and Trembling, he describes two kinds of individuals, which he calls the knight of faith and the knight of infinite resignation. The purpose of this thesis is to consider the differences between the two. Several scholars of the work identify different characteristics that distinguish the knight of faith and the knight of infinite resignation. These characteristics include care (Mooney), courage (Carlisle), and autonomy (Lippitt). This thesis uses those three notions to suggest that another difference between the knight of faith and knight of infinite resignation is the characteristic of vulnerability.

Rethinking Cannabis Legislation: Insights From Advocacy Groups, Christopher Hunter Tramel

Honors Theses

Prohibition and regulation of substances in the United States transformed throughout the 20th century namely through the Pure Food and Drug Act, the prohibition of alcohol, the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act, and the Controlled Substances Act, with each further expanding the number of substances regulated and the consequences of breaking the regulations. The first chapter will briefly outline major events and legislation from 1937 to the present day and how such events and legislation set the stage for grassroots initiatives on the state level seeking to take advantage of the medicinal properties of Cannabis sativa and its impact on relative …

A Case By Case Study On Accounting Principles, Cody Letchworth

Honors Theses

This thesis contains twelve different case studies that regard some of accounting's key principles. Each case is different in its own right and contains vital applications that relate to real-world scenarios. From analysis of business activities to computation of inventory, each case presents the opportunity to learn how real-world scenarios are approached and executed. Over an eight-month period, each case was prepared through analysis and other means. Each case presents its own outcome and findings due to the fact that each case is unique. With the compilation of all twelve cases, this thesis presents a brief glimpse of how to …

Financial Reporting: A Case Study Analysis, Darby Mills

Honors Theses

This paper looks at accountancy following the application of the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) through case study analysis. Within this paper, there are twelve case studies that cover areas of financial accounting, financial statement analysis, and research. The financial accounting cases cover several topics, such as stockholder's equity, inventory, leases, and deferred tax assets and liabilities. The financial statement analysis cases use ratios, creation of financial reports, and commentary to discuss in further detail the financial statements. The FASB Codification is used as a basis for research in many cases. Dr. Vicki Dickinson facilitated each case within this …

A Quantitative Evaluation Of The Htc Vive For Virtual Reality Research, Ethan Luckett

Honors Theses

The equipment typically used in virtual reality (VR) research, including head-mounted displays (HMDs) and motion capture systems, has traditionally been prohibitively expensive. The recent increase in the availability of consumer-grade VR equipment has greatly lowered the barrier to entry for VR research. The equipment typically used for research can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, but the consumer-grade HTC Vive system offers an HMD with room-scale tracking for less than $500. In order for scientific studies to be properly conducted using the Vive, its tracking must be well understood. This study measures the accuracy and drift in the …

Survey Of Accountancy In Generally Accepted Accounting Principles And Financial Statement Analysis, Evan Turner

Honors Theses

This paper surveys the current landscape of accountancy following U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles through a series of twelve case studies spanning different areas of financial reporting, taxation, financial statement analysis, and research. Several cases involve research using sections from the FASB Codification, financial statement analysis using ratios, and commentary on the impact from the perspective of users of financial statements. The cases span several areas of financial accounting including leases, stockholders equity, inventory, and deferred tax assets/liabilities in order to offer a broad perspective on the current landscape of financial reporting through individual, focused cases. The cases within this …

Haunted Mississippi: Ghosts, Identity, And Collective Identity, Hailey Cooper

Honors Theses

This thesis wrestles with the duality of the terms haunting and ghosts in relation to Mississippi and its collective identity and narrative. Ghostlore and haunted tourism provide insight into shared cultural constructs and indicate an absence of certain perspectives from more generally held ideas of identity. Analyses of ghost stories from around the state explore these hauntings of history and ghosted narratives, so it is ghosts v. ghosted and hauntings v. haunted. I use ghost stories from Natchez, MS to explore postsouthern spaces and performances of southernness and the narratives around female apparitions to study the role of southern womanhood …

A Study Of The Product Development Process For The Stackable Shelf, Stool, And Table, Harleigh Elizabeth Huggins

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to create a viable furniture product by utilizing the various phases of the product development process. The project began in Phase 0 with market research, formulation of an initial idea, and a product pitch to an executive board to check the viability of the idea. Then, the idea was developed into a concept with Phase 1 by finalizing an initial concept and looking into the potential customer. Next, the product concept was prototyped through several iterations of trial and error in Phase 2. By Phase 3, the product design was finalized, and an initial …

The Effects Of Footwear On Stride Length In Adolescent Baseball Pitchers, Alexandra Adderholt

Honors Theses

The baseball pitch is considered one of the most dynamic athletic motions. Due to its complexity, multiple variables are taken into consideration for risk of injury. Previous studies have investigated variables that influence factors of a baseball pitch such as fatigue and stride length; however, footwear has not been considered. This study's objective was to examine whether or not baseball footwear on different surface inclinations altered stride length. Eleven adolescent pitchers (Age: 13.18 ± 1.72 yrs.; Height: 179.01 ± 15.72 cm.; Mass: 61.00 ± 14.66 kg) participated in this study throwing in four shoe-surface conditions: flat ground (FG) x molded …

Out Of The Margins: Mississippi English Language Learner Curriculum Practices And Their Implications, Alexis Smith

Honors Theses

This thesis concerns itself with Mississippi school's effectiveness in educating the state's budding, primarily Spanish-speaking, immigrant population. I answer three questions: 1) How does Mississippi English language curriculum require state socialization of its students? 2) How does its curriculum provide for effective language learning practices? And 3) Does Mississippi EL curriculum provide for the magnified existence of immigrant students, or does, and how does, state curriculum continue to push immigrant students into the margins? Using inductive qualitative analysis, I explore both Mississippi Department of Education's ELL program guidelines and individual district plans.

The Frequency Attenuations Of Foam Ear Plugs Affected By User Error Of College Students, Alyse J. Lemoine

Honors Theses

This paper examines the relationship between the attenuating ability of foam ear plugs at low and high frequencies and the effects of incorrect ear plug fitting by college students. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1998) recommends the use of a hearing protection device (HPD) such as ear muffs or ear plugs to avoid noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). However, when not inserted properly, a HPD's effectiveness can be adversely affected by user error and present as a decrease in attenuation. Attenuation is measured and presented on packaging as the noise reduction rating (NRR). A high NRR affected …

Voices, Anna Kennedy Shock

Honors Theses

Voices is a creative collection of fictional short stories based on perspectives from people residing in various locations worldwide. Research by way of historical documentaries, literature, and personal observation contributed to the completion of this project. Within this collection, multiple social justice issues are explored. These include but are not limited to the following: poverty, sex trafficking, educational opportunities, and malnourishment. Each individual story possesses its own set of characters, plot, and theme, but there are continuous thematic and structural consistencies throughout the collection. A few of these themes are desperation and survival, pain and suffering found in the human …

Cm-Dii And Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Responses To Chemotherapeutic Agents, Ashten M.C. Anderson

Honors Theses

CM-DiI is a lipophilic, red fluorescent dye used for staining and tracking the migration of cells. CM-DiI makes it possible to visualize cells in histological regions and can therefore be very useful for the tracking of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis in vivo. The ability to track and quantitate cancer cell proliferation in vivo is essential for cancer drug discovery. If CM-DiI labeled cancer cells respond to chemotherapy agents similar to unlabeled cancer cells, it facilitates screening of potential anti-cancer compounds using CM-DiI labeled cells in a xenotransplanted, transgenic zebrafish model (Danio rerio). To investigate whether CM-DiI labeling would affect …

In The Shape Of A Woman: Behavioral Compliance To Gendered Expectations In The Early Modern Era And The Implications For Human Identity In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Sydney Shamblin

Honors Theses

The purpose of this essay is to examine the role that gender plays in the construction of the human within Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Merry Wives of Windsor. While gender was a vital component of the immaterial essence that distinguished humans from animals, early moderns believed that true internal gender conformity could not exist if it was not accompanied by external expressions of it. Characters in each of these plays fixate on the external proofs of their own gendered identities, and in doing so, they inadvertently reveal that those traits which distinguish humanity are only cultural constructions and learned behavior …