Digital Commons Network^™

The Cost Of Wealth: The Saudi Struggle For Sustainable Development., Benjamin Laird Hammond

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Myths, Stereotypes And Truths: A Critical Look At The Relationship Between Africans And African-Americans., Jennifer Olufemi Salu

Honors Theses

This study focuses on the relationship between Africans and African-Americans and examines the w ay many members of each group perceive the other. In examining the relationship between each group, the study focuses on looking at some of the myths and stereotypes many Africans, especially African students and immigrants in the United States, have of African-Americans and vice-versa and the impact these myths and stereotypes have on the way members of both groups view each other. This study also focuses on understanding and some of the unique challenges members of each group face in trying to correct mistaken assumptions about …

The Effects Of A Pre-Operative Education Program On Anxiety And Cortisol Levels Prior To And Following Surgery, Lou Ann Balducci

Honors Theses

Evidence suggests that lower levels of stress may negatively impact the healing process and tissue repair after surgery. The purpose of the investigation was to assess the effectiveness of a pre-operative educational program on reducing pre-operative and post¬ operative anxiety levels for patients having orthopedic surgery. Three subjects volunteered to participate in this study. The State Anxiety Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale questionnaires all showed that Subject 1 (treatment subject) did not have the highest anxiety or stress levels. In addition. cortisol levels were lower in Subject 1. Furthermore, Subject 1 was the most confident …

Environmental Awareness Of Waterville Junior High School Students, Jenna Morrison

Honors Theses

An environmental awareness survey was designed to assess the influences of gender and grade level on the relationships among outdoor experience, environmental knowledge, and environmental behavior at Waterville Junior High School, Waterville, ME. Environmental awareness indicates a fundamental understanding of the natural world, which is essential for developing future sustainable development. The foundation and acquisition of environmental knowledge of Waterville Junior High School students was determined using the multiple-choice survey. A total of 125 sixth graders and 136 eighth graders were surveyed. 61% of sixth graders and 73% of eighth graders indicated that their most common source of environmental information …

The 'Parisian Prowler': The Effects Of Modernity On Flanerie And Poetry Of Charles Baudelaire, Caroline Turner Dye

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the physical changes wrought in nineteenth century Paris that ushered the city into modernity, and led to the creation of a new figure, the flaneur. Through the eyes of one Parisian author specifically, Charles Baudelaire, I will the character of the flaneur in his historical context. examine Research was performed both in Paris during the summer of 2005, with walking tours of the city and reading original texts, and throughout the fall semester of 2005. Primary sources, maps, lithographs, photographs, and interviews were consulted as I uncovered the architectural modifications that occurred during the Second Empire under …

The Truth Shall Set You Free: Journalists' Addiction To Truth In The Face Of Danger, Margaret O'Brien Middleton

Honors Theses

As maligned as they may be at times, journalists are constantly relied upon for information. Everyday, people watch television, read newspapers, and browse articles on the internet about dangerous events happening throughout the world. It is journalists’ responsibility to bring this news to their readers. However, many stories come with a very high price. In order to report on the things that are most important to society - things that are also usually the most dangerous -journalists are forced to put themselves in the line of fire to deliver the story. The question that this thesis strives to answer is …

Questioning The Banana Republic: A Comparative Case Study Of The Implications For Local Workers Of The United Fruit Companies' Operations In Ecuador And Colombia, Ryan Kenneth Bullock

Honors Theses

The market for internationally traded bananas has grown considerably throughout the 20“^ century, with bananas being grown almost entirely in developing countries and the vast majority of imports destined for developed countries’ markets. Historically, the global banana trade has been dominated by just a few large transnational corporations (TNCs), and if there has been once constant in the evolution of the global banana market in the Americas throughout the twentieth century, then it has been the United Fruit Company. The role of the United Fruit Company within the global banana market has been the subject of significant study and analysis, …

Sigma Receptor Modulation Of Intracellular Calcium In Smooth Muscle, Katy Anna Grisham

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Pharmacological Dissociation Of Anxiety Model In The Chick Separation Stress Paradigm, Robert Thomas Wicks

Honors Theses

The chick separation stress paradigm has been validated as an anxiolytic screening assay. However, whether the paradigm better models Panic Disorder (PD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is unknown. To pharmacologically dissociate the chick separation stress paradigm as a model of PD or GAD, subjects were administered drug probes that were either: 1) only effective in the treatment of PD (phenelzine 3.125-25.0 mg/kg), 2) effective in the treatment of both PD and GAD (alprazolam 0.065-0.5 mg/kg; clonidine 0.1-0.25 mg/kg; imipramine 1.0-15.0mg/kg), 3) only effective in the treatment of GAD (buspirone 2.5-10.0 mg/kg; trazodone 0.1-3.0 mg/kg), or 4) capable of exacerbating …

An Examination Of The Gender Relations And Causes Of Gender Inequality In The Latin American Workforce., Kimberly Lane Kilpatrick

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Ils En Ont Parle, Mary Elizabeth Roe

Honors Theses

The Dreyfus Affair, which began in 1894. was not only a political clash. It also engulfed the social and cultural worlds of France during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the highest politician to the average French citizen, people from ever}' background were aware of the Dreyfus Affair and its implications for France. This Affair divided the people of France in every way possible and impressed itself upon every walk of French life for over a decade. With the aid of modem mass media, the Affair spread to every corner of France. By causing divisions in its cultural, social, and …

Ecocritism And The Renaissance: A Study In Shakespeare And More, Melissa Levert Smith

Honors Theses

This study draws on ideas from the emerging field of literary criticism known as ecocriticism and extends its basic assumptions back to the Renaissance works of Thomas More and William Shakespeare. The research therefore includes primary Renaissance texts, current ecocritical works, and selections from the twentieth-century criticism from which ecocriticism developed. I investigate in detail More’s Utopia and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear. The study takes into account the disparity between Renaissance attitudes towards the environment and current concerns about pollution and scarcity of resources, but I suggest that the questions asked by ecocritical scholars today, when …

Cotton And Compromise: Charles Pinckney And The Political Unification Of South Carolina 1788-1808, Hunter Glenn Upchurch

Honors Theses

This project surveys the life and times of South Carolinian Charles Pinckney after he participated in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. My objective was to discern how Pinckney’s political career both mirrored and contributed to South Carolina’s gradual shift away from Federalism towards Jeffersonian-Republicanism, as the western “Up-Country” region slowly took power from the more traditional, coastal “Low- Country.” To achieve this goal, I examined hundreds of pages of primary sources, including Pinckney’s extant speeches, his published articles or pamphlets, and many of his personal letters. To augment my factual and historiographical knowledge of the early national period of United …

Women In Informal Work: An Examination Of The Position Of Workers In The Latin American Informal Sector, Caroline Elizabeth Wicker

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Treatment Of Medicine In Literature, Nicholas Shawn Whipple

Honors Theses

In my thesis I explore the treatment of medicine in literature. I have analyzed six works of literature and drawn from others to create this piece of scholarship. Over the past year and a half, I have read thousands of pages from classic literature, modem mystery, and personal accounts. They have all broadened my view of the medical field and the doctor-patient relationship. I am better prepared to begin my medical training and career for having taken part in this venture.

Something's Missing: Justice Restored, Lisa Ramsey

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Measuring The Expression Of Hypovirulence In A Segregating Population Of Bc2f2 Castanea Dentata Hybrids, Lisa Michelle Worthen

Honors Theses

The American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) was reduced from an important canopy hardwood to an understory shrub by the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica). Hypovirulence, a phenomenon whereby Cryphonectria parasitica is weakened in its ability to incite chestnut blight, is caused by doublestranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules of viral origin in the cytoplasm of the fungus.Hypovirulence serves as a biological control of C. parasitica in Europe and small, isolated areas in North America, but has not been an effective, widespread biological control in North America. It has been hypothesized that the moderately higher levels of host resistance of the European chestnut …

An Interview With Wendell Berry, Birkin Gilmore

Honors Theses

In choosing which questions to ask of Mr. Berry, I was interested in the environment, physical and spiritual, that gives rise to the poems. The Sabbath poems, for instance, come from the author's meditations as he passes through places and spaces of time where, as Mr. Berry has written, "the heart and mind are open and aware." As Mr. Berry is intimately concerned with cultivating land, so these are moments to be cultivated whose fruits are poems. I am interested in how the place in which the poems are written participates in their creation. If we are to keep alive …

Mechanical Manipulation Of Facial Expressions As Means Of Inducement, Suppression, And Feedback Of Emotional States, Phillip D. Magerkurth

Honors Theses

This paper hypothesizes that tape placed strategically upon the face will provide feedback to the users emotional state by giving feedback to muscle tension. It is also hypothesized that females will greater utilize the feedback than males. Participants in the experiment were 30 college students (18 males and 12 females). Participants were randomly selected to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group had a Band-Aid placed at the outer eyebrow toward the upper ear, while the control group had a Band-Aid placed at a neural location on the upper forehead. Although there was no statistical significance between groups …

The Constitutionality Of Same Sex Marriage, Brandy Raley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The True Patron Of Ireland : Saint Brigit And The Rise Of Celtic Christianity, Autumn Dolan

Honors Theses

When Saint Patrick landed in Ireland in 432 AD, history says that he brought Christianity to the Irish. In actuality, though, Patrick's arrival was the beginning of a religious struggle between Rome and Ireland. Patrick's Church was based on Roman traditions and his mission in Ireland was not just to defeat paganism, but to intercede in the foundations of an already developing Celtic Church. To challenge Patrick and his Roman ways, Ireland exalted a saint of its own. Saint Brigit ( 452-525 AD) and the characteristics she represented in Irish hagiography clearly illustrated the ideal Irish saint. Ireland's reverence for …

Macrofungi Of The Tennessee River Gorge, William D. Starrett

Honors Theses

Representative macro fungi of the Tennessee River Gorge were collected on the Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT) property during 18 forays I conducted fom May to November 2004. This dramatically added to the baseline data on the macrofungi of the TRGT by adding 15 orders, 34 families, and 138 species to the existing list. These data were recorded in the herbarium of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga database. I converted the University's File Maker Pro fungi database into Microsoft Excel and Access, which allows it to be processed for introduction into the National Biological Information Infrastructure and onto the …

Marketing Research For Western's Panhellenic Council, Julia Renee Williams

Honors Theses

The Greek system began at Western Michigan University in 1916 with debate societies. These organizations were recognized as national organizations in the 1950s. In recent years, the Greek system at Western Michigan University has seen a decline in its membership, as well as in the number of students participating in the recruitment process. In 1997 there were 28 social Greek organizations, but as of spring 2005, there are 23. With interest diminishing, a marketing research project was conducted to determine why people are no longer interested in women's fraternities and what might draw people to them. A series of 70 …

Changes In Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Mental Illness, Jared Rogge

Honors Theses

People who suffer from mental illness comprise a highly vulnerable population, and encounter adversity from two directions. Not only do they have to contend with their illness and the management of its symptoms, but they also have to brace themselves against the societal backlash and devaluation produced by the stigma that accompanies mental illness. Stigmatization can drastically alter the life chances of individuals with mental illness and have negative outcomes in regards to employment, income (Markowitz, 1998), social integration(Chan, 2004), self esteem(Blankertz, 2001), health care, insurance, and access to justice (Sayce, 1998.)

The Forest Service's Quest For Power And Money: Implications Of A Budget-Maximizing Agency, Allison M. Stewart

Honors Theses

The Forest Service manages land for a diverse array of purposes under the Multiple Use Doctrine. Many of these uses are incompatible and lead to conflict The goal of my research is to explain what guides the Forest Service's management decisions, since this is critical to understanding how conflicts are resolved, .and uncover alternative approaches that better protect the environment.

In this paper, I present a brief history of the Forest Service's management over the past century. Particular attention is given to explaining trends in timber and recreation management. Following the historical presentation, I attempt to identify a set of …

The Continuous Struggle For Representation In The Venezuelan State, Gabriel Reyes

Honors Theses

One definition of democratic participation is a process whereby citizens influence or control those who make major decisions affecting them. Throughout Venezuela’s history, citizens have suffered under governments that aimed to limit their participation in the state. This research argues that the current Chávez regime, though seeking to concentrate power for itself in the executive branch, has also forged a space for democratic participation through its Barrio Adentro program.

In its introductory chapter, this paper examines Venezuela’s political development through a comparative lens and aims to situate Barrio Adentro within the country’s unique history. First, it shows how the political …

Liberalization Of Village Banking In Guatemala: Structural Differences In Village Banking Institutions, Erica L. Hill

Honors Theses

The International Year of Microcredit in 2005 facilitates public awareness campaigns of microfinance initiatives. Village banking allows microfinance services to reach a wider geographic region, with particular emphasis on rural regions and the poorest sector of society. It attends to those marginalized by a history of repression and conflict. In Guatemala, ethnic diversity and its accompanying social divisions have deep roots. Guatemala is an important case for village banking because of its economic reliance on village banking, the size of the country, and the large number (9) of VBIs in the country. Recent literature calls for an increase in flexibility …

Extension Of National Membership: Government Promises, Immigrant Expectations And The Impact On The Foreign Population In Germany, Justin Dubois

Honors Theses

This study posited that the gap between the governmental goals and actual outcomes of the Reform to the Citizenship Law of 1999 was produced by a variety of factors, the most influential one being the institutions of the Federal Republic. Other suggested variables were domestic public pressure and a failure in policy implementation. The earlier chapters of this study concluded that these three factors did in fact contribute to the goals-outcomes gap of the citizenship reform.

Role Of Private Owners In The Conservation Of Exotic Species, Jessica L. Beetz

Honors Theses

This study examines the private ownership of exotic species, a topic very relevant to conservation that has long been ignored in the public sphere of policy and discussion. The private ownership of exotic species is a multifaceted issue that affects not only conservation, but also the domestic industry, world trade and education. The volume of trade in live animals is remarkably high and growing, making studies that investigate the implications of this trade on the endangered and threatened species even more pressing. This thesis investigates whether or not animal species held in captivity by private owners benefit conservation of their …

Governmental Resistance In International Intellectual Property Rights, Emily Honig

Honors Theses

The field of intellectual property, roughly defined as "a product of the intellect that has commercial value," is one of the growing fields of international legal debate, as the economies of the world become increasingly interconnected and the world's corporations operate overseas with increasing frequency. The literature in the field of international law and intellectual property rights (IPRs) tends to suggest that states, for political or economic reasons, have little choice but to bow to the wishes of multinational corporations (MNCs) and provide increased protection for IPRs. However, there are a number of cases that show that under certain circumstances, …