Digital Commons Network^™

The Selective Synthesis Of Oxacalix[6]Arenes And The Exploration Of Azacalix[N]Arenes, W. Christian Crannell

Honors Theses

Calix[n]arenes, cyclIc molecules composed of "n" benzene rings meta-linked by a methylene to form a macrocycle, are very prevalent jn the literature and enjoy a wide range of applications. However, the oxygen bridged and nitrogen bridged systems, oxacalllx[n)arenes and azacalix[n]arenes, respectively, are far less common because they are synthetically challenging. Furthermore, the selective synthesis of oxacalix[6]arene systems has not previously been well documented, but the systems can now be accessed in a facile approach disclosed here. The insight and knowledge gained from the synthesis of oxacalix{6]arenes has provided a foray into the synthesis of azacalix[nlarenes.

Effects Of The Anticancer Agent Cloretazine On Human Apurinic Endonuclease-1 Activity, Jennifer L. Bushee

Honors Theses

The carbamolyating activity of Cloretazine, a novel anticancer prodrug, modifies protein function and acts synergistically with the choroethyalting species, which a1kylales DNA. The reactive subspecies responsible for carbamolylating activity is methyl isocyanate, which reacts with sulfhydryl groups and amines. DNA repair enzymes have been identified as potential targets for the modification by methyl isocyanate; in particular, base excision repair enzymes. Enzymes in DNA base excision repair include DNA polymerase beta (Pol ?) and apurinic/apyrimidic endonucease-l (APE/Ref-1). APE/Ref-1 hydrolyzes the 5' -phosphodiester DNA backbone from an abasic DNA template, where the base was excised by a DNA glycosylase. The entire nucleotide …

"System Of Silence": Philadelphia Orphanages And The Limits Of Benevolence, 1780s-1830s, Brian Sweeney

Honors Theses

In 1831, Mathew Carey, a well-known Philadelphia economist, wrote a city official describing the situation of black children in the city. He called for the creation of an orphanage to aid these children and described the motives for this action as not only the “humanity and benevolence” of Philadelphians, but also “personal interest”, as this class could otherwise turn “lawless”. Unknown to Carey, the Association for the Care of Coloured Orphans had been established in 1822 by a group of benevolent Quaker women dedicated to aiding this destitute class in an effort to promote compensatory justice for generations of oppression …

Language Of Sex: Moral Socialization And Reproductive Education In Public Schools, Melyn Heckelman

Honors Theses

This thesis is the product of my five weeks of ethnography in three classrooms in Waterville, Maine and the surrounding area, in addition to individual and group interviews with both students and the educators themselves. It seeks to understand why, in a culture so saturated with images of sexuality and naked bodies, the teachers I observed were largely unwilling or unable to discuss human sexuality in public schools as anything more than a public health issue. Since the 1960s sex educators have been fighting to teach about contraceptives. Recent longitudinal studies have confirmed what proponents of comprehensive education have been …

Shorebank Corporation: A Model Of Community Development Through Commerce, Joshua Dudley Kipp

Honors Theses

Since the passage of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, banks and other financial institutions have become more proactive about engaging in community development initiatives. One bank holding company, Shorebank Corporation, has taken this commitment to a new level by basing the whole of its practices around the promotion of community development. By filtering through prior research of the corporation and discussions with two founding members who have served as CEO and President of the corporation, it has been shown that a commercially profitable business may be created while using a business model centered around community development. This paper looks …

The Construction Of Womanhood And Race In Novels By Caroline Lee Hentz And Augusta Jane Evans, Elizabeth L. Oliphant

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the development of racial and gender stereotypes in four novels: Caroline Lee Hentz’s Eoline and The Planter’s Northern Bride, and Augusta Jane Evans’s Beulah and Macaria. In identifying the formation of these stereotypes, this paper suggests that Hentz and Evans were contributing to the formation of Southern identity, and that their works were at the crux of the formation of a Southern social construct.

K-12 Public School Finance In Mississippi: A History And Policy Analysis., Shadrack Tucker White

Honors Theses

Covers the history of the funds and formulas used to finance Mississippi's K-12 public education system. Follows these schemes through the use of the Literary Fund, the Per Capita Fund, the Equalizing Fund, the Minimum Foundation Program, and the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), Mississippi's current funding formula. Describes the MAEP calculation method and an analysis of current finance flaws. Follows with policy recommendations.

The Evolution Of Sexuality In Vampire Novels, Elizabeth Lauren Butler

Honors Theses

Sexuality is a common theme in vampire novels, especially in those intended for adults. The first vampire novels appeared in the 19^ century, and I was curious to know the sexual themes have changed as society has changed. The book industry has been inundated with vampire novels in the last fifteen years, so I read early vampire novels and short stories, vampire novels from the 1970s, and modem vampire novels to analyze how sexuality is dealt with in each. I also read scholarly journals dealing wdth sexuality in vampire novels. Vampirism as a metaphor for sexuality has evolved along with …

The Perils Of Privatizing Water: The Case Of Buenos Aires In Comparative Perspective, Joshua Lee Norris

Honors Theses

In 1993, the water providing service of Buenos Aires was privatized in order to increase the number of constituents with water access and improve water quality. The government also needed an infusion of cash to pay off foreign debt and support a new monetary policy pegged to the dollar. Given these two situations, privatization seemed to provide the most logical answer to each of these problems. However, after ten years of water rate increases that prohibited many citizens fi*om receiving water access, the state renationalized water service in Buenos Aires, Although privatization is generally accepted as the most efficient means …

The Rationality Of The Green Knight: Testing, Tempting, And Culture In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Vincent Peter Rotkiewicz

Honors Theses

This work focuses on the societal and textual context of the alliterative, 14“ century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Personal preparations for this work included studies in translating the unique dialect of the poem, research in the British Library for the purpose of finding relevant analogs to and critical works on the text, and extensive interaction and discussion with my thesis advisor. Dr. Gregory He)^orth. The primary problem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight lies in the motivations of its protagonist and antagonist. Because Gawain clings to the formulaic responses of his society and religion, he fails …

The Foundation, Education, And Practice Of Osteopathic Medicine, Anthony P. Salvador

Honors Theses

Osteopathic medicine has quickly grown into a successful and respectable branch of medical practice. It was created out of a necessity for change in the late 1800s, and continues to be a credible form of alternative medicine. After reviewing literary material, journal articles, and numerous osteopathic college sources it was seen that osteopathic medicine can be practiced in numerous settings and will become integral in the near future due to the shortage of physicians in the United States. Today, osteopaths work closely with all types of medical personal including medical doctors.

Nasser And Qutb: The Lives And Legacies Of Two Controversial Egyptians, Rachel Leonard

Honors Theses

The problems of the Middle East are complex, in-depth issues that cannot be solved easily. The matters of oil, Islam and very limited participation of the people In government mix to create problems that defy solutions from those within or outside the region. Historians and political scientists have come to examine these issues more closely, especially because of the serious political, religious and military conflicts centered in the area. There has been an upsurge in political Islamist movements, radical, fundamental and otherwise, that tend to frighten policy makers in the West. These movements arose alongside and often in opposition to …

Inhibition Of Cellular Thioredoxin Reductase By The Anticancer Prodrug Cloretazine, Tyler R. Schleicher

Honors Theses

Sulfonylhydrazines are a class of DNA alkylating drugs which also produce carbamoylating activity in situ. The carbamoylating species is of significance because it has shown to inhibit important thiol-containing enzymes such as glutathione reductase (GR) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). TrxR catalyzes dithiol-disulfide exchange reactions on thioredoxin (Trx), which in turn catalyzes other reductive processes such as deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis. In this study, we demonstrate that TrxR activity is strongly inhibited by the anticancer prodrug Cloretazine both in purified form and in leukemia cell lysates. This inhibition is specific to the carbamoylating activity of methylisocyanate (MiC). In contrast, another important oxidoreductase, glutathione …

Representations Of Grief In Akhmatova’S Requiem And Pushkin’S The Bronze Horseman, Hillary R. Smith

Honors Theses

Anna Akhmatova composed Requiem largely before 1940, but it was not published until the mid 1960s – after her death. It is now known to be one of her best works. Requiem is a cycle comprised of fifteen poems, the entireties of which are introduced by a personal reflection written in prose. Alexander Pushkin wrote his lyric ballad The Bronze Horseman in 1833 about the tremendous flood of 1824 in St. Petersburg and the involvement of the bronze equestrian statue of Peter the Great. Everything that the protagonist, Evgeny, cares for is destroyed, and he blames the Tsar for his …

Movement Patterns And Feeding Behavior Of The Limpet Tectura Testudinalis (Müller) Along The Mid-Maine Coast, Joshua Lord

Honors Theses

Tectura testudinalis is a limpet that lives in the mid-intertidal zone along the coast of Maine and grazes on a variety of encrusting algae. A previous study asserted that T. testudinalis preferred to feed and rest on the encrusting alga Clathromorphum circumscriptum and that this species of limpet displayed homing behavior. However, I show that T. testudinalis does not home or return to any specific substrate while resting. Conclusive evidence was found for nocturnal movement. I show that C. circumscriptum was the preferred food source for this limpet, closely followed by Hildenbrandia rubra, another encrusting alga. Field and lab experiments …

Object Usage Processing Improves Memory, Joseph C. Tann

Honors Theses

JOSEPH C. TANN: Usage as a Beneficial Method of Encoding

Many psychologists have attempted to find the most effective method of processing information in human memory. For years, the pleasantness method of processing was considered to be among the best methods for enhancing memory performance. One recent theory (Nairne, 2007) has suggested that processing items in terms oftheir survival value may be an even more proficient method of processing. Another theory (Reysen & Adair, 2008) attempted to prove that survival may not be the reason for the enhanced performance, but the individual’s connection with the specific object’s usage. My experiment …

Jean-Paul Marat: The Politics Of Death, Joseph Paul Wallace

Honors Theses

The following thesis discusses the death and quasi-deification of Jean-Paul Marat, politician and journalist of the French Revolution. I focus on the tensions between social, artistic, and political movements that sprung up in the wake of the radical’s martyrdom. I also demonstrate the drastic change in general attitudes and policies— political, social and artistic—toward Marat between the years of the Terror and Thermidor. I hope to prove that Marat, in transcending his own policies and words after death by becoming a visual and tactile symbol representing both social justice and political terror, is a pivotal figure for the French Revolution. …

Current Model For A Narrow Bipolar Pulse, Samuel Stewart Watson

Honors Theses

Narrow bipolar pulses (NBPs) are a class of high-altitude, high-energy discharges that occur during some thunderstorms. The mechanism responsible for initiation of these discharges is not known, but a explanation called runaway breakdown has been proposed by Gurevich et al. 2004. In runaway breakdown, fast ‘seed’ electrons are continually accelerated by the ambient electric field causing the discharge. As the runaway electrons collide with atoms in the air, they create a cascade of other runaway electrons as well as slower free electrons. In accordance with this suggestion, we model a current that increases exponentially along its propagation channel (MTLEI). The …

Russians At Work: Past And Present Of The Russian Mentality Toward Work, Dustin Cody Bankston

Honors Theses

This paper is an analysis of the Russian mentality toward work. Several factors deeply affecting the work mentality are discussed along with their historical and cultural causes. Research for this paper was primarily gathered from personal experience, academic articles, newspaper articles, books, case studies, movies, literature, history texts, interviews, and a self-conducted quantitative questionnaire. The paper identifies five major themes that affect the Russian mentality toward work including relationship to authority, group dynamics, prioritization of work, political factors, and western influences. The themes are each linked to the unique historical and cultural development of Russia. The paper concludes that an …

Abnormal Group Velocities Of Ultrasonic Pulses In Aqueous Suspensions Of Polymer Microspheres, Robert Evans Heithaus

Honors Theses

In this project acoustic waves were employed to measure dispersion properties of two suspensions of polymer microspheres that were believed to support superluminal group velocities. Broadband ultrasonic pulses were first used to study a suspension of microspheres with a mean diameter of 160 microns. The validity of the data was verified using Kramers-Kronig relations, and the attenuation, phase, and group velocity spectra During the second phase of the project a pulse consisting of broadband and narrowband components were propagated through the same 160 micron sample. The data are depicted in the Results section. Phase II studied several different bandwidths for …

The Politics Of Memory: A Study Of The Formation And Influence Of Public Memory Of The Military Regime In Argentina, Alexandra Azema Rodriguez

Honors Theses

[This study investigated the influence of various political and non-political factors public memory of the period of military regime rule in Argentina from 1976 through 1983. The sources utilized in the study mainly include scholarly works, in addition to several news articles, poll data, and a series of films concerning the subject. The study found that the development of public memory of this particular political event has been influenced by a complex array of interest groups. Each group utilized a unique set of methods and mediums to convey its preferred account of the period of regime rule. The interest groups …

Nouveau: A Feminist Magazine Launch, Meghan Cori Blalock

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a combination of research on the history of feminism and magazines in America and a business plan with accompanying prototype for the launch of a feminist magazine called Nouveau. The research took several months to complete with the business plan and prototype requiring approximately one additional academic year to finish. Based on research and general knowledge of the magazine publishing industry, I found that there is a niche in feminist publications waiting to be filled; Nouveau, which aims to redefine feminism for young professional women, will fill that niche by presenting women with the option of …

Textbook Bundling : Is It Really Worth The Sum Of Its Parts, Kati Simmons

Honors Theses

Studies have been conducted examining the impact of commodity bundling on company profits and the premium prices charged for these bundles. With recent news of the skyrocketing costs of higher education, it is critical to highlight the specific effects of commodity bundling on the prices of textbooks. A study performed by the Government Accountability Office in 2005 cited that a main cause of increasing textbook prices is the recent inclusion of textbook supplements such as software and workbooks. This paper investigates the impact that different types of supplements have on the overall price paid for the bundle. Aggregate sales data …

Crisis Rhetoric : A Theory Of Communication In Times Of Crisis, Eric D. Loepp

Honors Theses

We conducted an experiment to assess the effect of presidential rhetoric in a time of crisis. Our study was based in part on terror management theory, which posits that subtle reminders of death (mortality salience) lead to increased support of leaders an authority figures. Subjects were randomly placed in either a mortality salient condition or control condition. We also composed two speeches - one charismatic and one non-charismatic - and subjects were randomly assigned to hear one of the two. Based on elements of terror management theory, we hypothesized that in a time of crisis the charismatic speech would be …

Modulation Of Fast-Inactivating Potassium Channels By Accessory Subunits And Fatty Acids : A Role For Calcium?, Michelle M. Drzewiecki

Honors Theses

Potassium channel interacting proteins (KChIPs) co-assemble with Kv4 a subunits to form native complexes that encode considerable components of neuronal somatodendritic A- type K+current (Is,J in neurons, and transient outward current (ho) in cardiac myocytes. The binding of KChIPs to the cytoplasmic N-termini of Kv4 a subunits enhances surface expression by facilitating intracellular trafficking, stimulates subunit assembly, and regulates the functional gating properties of Kv4 channels. KChIPs, like many other neuronal calcium sensor proteins, contain four EF-hand calcium binding sites; two of which (EF-3 and 4) have particularly high affinity for calcium. Because Ca2+ is an important signaling molecule for …

Democracy In The Workplace : Leadership In Cooperative Business, Jordan Wade

Honors Theses

It is the intent of this thesis to explore alternatives to the current methods of corporate governance and to examine business models that apply democratic ideals in the economic sector. Specifically I address one normative and three empirical questions. First, why should democratic principles and ideals be a part of the economic sector? After addressing this normative question by presenting several theoretical responses, I address three practical questions related to worker-participation: Is it possible for democratic and alternative businesses to function successfully in the capitalist market? What would a democratically organized firm look like to the common laborer? What type …

Fostering Leaders For Social Justice : Ally Identity Development And Efficacy, Allison M. Duval

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to develop a conceptual understanding of ally identity and effective and sustainable ally behaviors in order to analyze ally development at the University of Richmond and synthesize brief recommendations for practical applications for cultivating allies. This first chapter on "Enduring Inequality and the Need for Allies" defines allies, explores privilege and constructions of difference in terms of race and gender, exposes the reality of current injustices, and demonstrates the need for allies as leaders of dominant social groups to work alongside leaders of non-dominant social groups in effecting broad social change. The second chapter …

Influence Of Juvenile Hormone On Territorial And Aggressive Behavior In The Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui) And Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio Polyxenes), Tara Bergin

Honors Theses

Competition is important in environments with limited resources. Males of many insect species are territorial and will defend resources, such as a food source or egg-laying site, against intruders, or even compete to attract a mate. In insects, evidence suggests that juvenile hormone acts as an aggression mediator, much like testosterone in other animal species. In this study I tested this idea using a group of male Painted Lady butterflies, Vanessa cardui, and Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies, Papilio polyxenes, that were treated prior to metamorphosis with either a high or low dose of methoprene acid (a juvenile hormone mimic). Male-male …

Stability Testing Of Mint Oils Through Gas Chromatography Analysis, Sarah Wolf

Honors Theses

In this experiment, the stability of mint oil was measured through gas chromatography analysis. Eight different oils were tested. Levels of key components of mint oil, including menthol and menthone for peppermint oil, and carvone and limonene for spearmint oil, was compared over time. Several packaging materials were immersed in oils in order to determine their effects, if any, on the composition of the oils. Additionally, oil was subjected to either 25 degree or 40 degree Celsius temperatures to determine if temperature affected the oil composition.

Immunological Effects Of Written Disclosure In Athletes, Kristen Thatcher

Honors Theses

Many studies have demonstrated the health benefits of written disclosure of traumatic or stressful events. These benefits include improved psychological well-being, fewer health clinic visits, shorter hospital stays after surgery, and increased immune function. In athletes, high immune function is necessary to ward off illness during training and competition, but much research has shown that athletes tend to have lowered immune function. Therefore, writing about traumatic events may be a way for athletes to remain healthy during their seasons. To test this hypothesis, 21 varsity athletes and 15 individuals who exercised less than three hours per week participated in the …