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Honors Theses

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Revitalizing The Signaling Power Of Class Rank At Colby College, Nicholas Van Niel Jan 2010

Revitalizing The Signaling Power Of Class Rank At Colby College, Nicholas Van Niel

Honors Theses

Consistent with trends at American colleges and universities nationwide, grades have been monotonically increasing at Colby College over the past decade while controlling for student aptitude. A rich data set that describes every Colby student over three cohorts is used to predict student performance. By comparing the mean predicted grade to the mean actual grade in a department, it is seen that some departments award mean grades that are significantly higher than predicted grades warranted by explainable factors. With some departments giving significantly higher grades than other departments, the current grading system is susceptible to awarding unwarranted higher grades to …


No, I’M Really, Really Bad At Math: Competition For Self-Verification, Alexandra E. Wesnousky Jan 2010

No, I’M Really, Really Bad At Math: Competition For Self-Verification, Alexandra E. Wesnousky

Honors Theses

In their theory of self-verification, Swann and Read’s (1981) postulate that people like feedback that is consistent with their self-concept. Researchers have yet to examine what happens when two individuals are both seeking feedback from each other to verify their self-concept on the same domain. When individuals are competing against someone to verify a similarly held self-concept, they should try to seek more polarized feedback, especially when the domain is highly important. In two experiments, participants expected to receive computer feedback on their responses to identity-related questions, either based on their own responses or on how they compared to the …


Analysis Of The Electron Withdrawing Capability Of Acetylene Groups For Promoting Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution, Eric D. Braunstein Jan 2010

Analysis Of The Electron Withdrawing Capability Of Acetylene Groups For Promoting Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution, Eric D. Braunstein

Honors Theses

It is well known that electron withdrawing groups, such as nitro or carbonyl groups, activate benzene rings for nucleophilic aromatic substitution. However, little research has been done to investigate the electron withdrawing capability of acetylene groups for substitution of aromatic halides. Experimental and computational investigations on the reactivity of halogenated phenylacetylenes with oxygen and other nucleophiles will be described.


Assessing Genetic Differentiation Among Populations Of The Invasive Plant Impatiens Glandulifera In Maine, Jordan R. Schoonover Jan 2010

Assessing Genetic Differentiation Among Populations Of The Invasive Plant Impatiens Glandulifera In Maine, Jordan R. Schoonover

Honors Theses

The annual herbaceous plant Impatiens glandulifera Royle is native to the Himalayas and is a significant invasive species in Europe. In the past century, it was introduced to the United States, where it has become established in 12 states. This study evaluated genetic differentiation among four Maine populations, to address a theory that posits hybridization of distinct lineages as a trigger for invasiveness. Regions of microsatellite repeats were evaluated at two polymorphic loci for 41 plants sampled from the four populations. A striking finding was that the observed heterozygosity was substantially higher than the heterozygosity expected from random combination of …


Development Of A Spectral 2-D Fast Fourier Transform Analysis For Sand Ripple Morphology Interpretation, Christopher M. Englert Jan 2010

Development Of A Spectral 2-D Fast Fourier Transform Analysis For Sand Ripple Morphology Interpretation, Christopher M. Englert

Honors Theses

A MATLAB-based 2-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform spectral analysis is developed and tested for its applicability to bedform morphology and hydrodynamic data from a hydrodynamically complex field site. The aspects of the procedure tested are (1) the use of an 8 sub-region arrangement for analysis versus five other arrangements, (2) the procedure for averaging the wavelength-and-orientation outputs from each sub-region to produce a single representative value for each image, (3) methods for eliminating and/or filtering poor quality data, and (4) the procedural steps in the spectral analysis that can appropriately incorporate automation versus manual involvement and interpretation. The automated technique is …


Late Permian Paleoenvironmental Factors Expounded Through Analysis Of A Forest-Floor Paleosol Profile, Karoo Basin, South Africa, Cassi Knight Jan 2010

Late Permian Paleoenvironmental Factors Expounded Through Analysis Of A Forest-Floor Paleosol Profile, Karoo Basin, South Africa, Cassi Knight

Honors Theses

Beaufort Group paleosols from the Karoo Basin, South Africa, record the paleoenvironmental conditions that existed prior to and after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Paleosol exposures from Wapadsberg Pass, Eastern Cape Province, represent a well- preserved forest-floor litter overlying an interpreted inceptisol, a condition unique to the basin. Vegetation that colonized this landscape included a canopy of the gymnosperm Glossopteris and an understory of sphenopsids (Phyllotheca and Trizygia). Wapadsberg Pass paleosol sites were sampled for petrographic and geochemical analyses to constrain interpretations of Late Permian paleoenvironmental conditions that existed ~ 70 m below the Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB). This project focuses on …


Lithium- And Oxygen- Isotope Profiles Of A Mid-Atlantic Ridge Oceanic Core Complex: The Atlantis Massif, 30°N, Ellen J. Crapster-Pregont Jan 2010

Lithium- And Oxygen- Isotope Profiles Of A Mid-Atlantic Ridge Oceanic Core Complex: The Atlantis Massif, 30°N, Ellen J. Crapster-Pregont

Honors Theses

Oxygen (O) and lithium (Li) are fluid-mobile elements used as geochemical tracers of a crustal component in the mantle. The isotopes of each element fractionate according to the degree and temperature of hydrothermal alteration. Previous studies demonstrate that Li and O isotopic trends are coupled within the upper crust near mid-ocean ridges but are decoupled in subduction-related volcanism. To better understand the average crustal signature of these systems, it is necessary to characterize these systems in the presently poorly understood lower oceanic crust. This study uses lower crustal samples from IODP Expedition 305 Hole U1309D exhumed at the Atlantis Massif, …


Continuity Of Fdi: Determinants And Effects On Growth, Loredana Popescu Jan 2010

Continuity Of Fdi: Determinants And Effects On Growth, Loredana Popescu

Honors Theses

The literature on foreign direct investment (FDI) provides evidence on the relation from FDI to growth in the presence of some absorptive qualities such as existing level of development, financial market depth, trade policies and human capital thresholds. The analysis of FDI inflows in the literature so far does not include an investigation of discontinuity, or of lack of steady positive flows. Discontinuities are expected to depend on development levels and risk factors in the host country as they proxy for attractiveness of the target to the foreign investor. This paper investigates the continuity of FDI with its determinants and …


Migration, Food And Cultural Production Across Changing Afro-Ecuadorian Geographies, Amelia J. Swinton Jan 2010

Migration, Food And Cultural Production Across Changing Afro-Ecuadorian Geographies, Amelia J. Swinton

Honors Theses

The human geography of Ecuador is changing. Urban Afro-Ecuadorians now outnumber those living in the two rural regions that have been the ancestral homelands of the population. This physical transformation assaults Ecuador's historically racialized geography, which conflated cities, modernity and white-mestizo identity. Though Afro-Ecuadorians living in the rural north had previously been physically and figuratively located outside of the national project, Ecuador’s new constitution has sought to reverse this institutionalized exclusion. National belonging has been reframed through the concept of interculturality, which recognizes diversity and equality at the same time. I conducted two periods of fieldwork in the north-central Chota …


On Perfect Friendship: An Outline And A Guide To Aristotle's Philosophy Of Friendship, Kristen Psaty Jan 2010

On Perfect Friendship: An Outline And A Guide To Aristotle's Philosophy Of Friendship, Kristen Psaty

Honors Theses

Providing insight into such timeless questions as: What is friendship? Are the best friends similar or dissimilar? and Does having friends make you a better person?, the paper addresses the importance of friendship for Aristotle, but also for the modern reader as well. A topic of special philosophical concern, Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) considered friendship to be necessary in achieving a virtuous and fulfilling life. Consequently, he wrote more about friendship than any other virtue he presented. This paper lays the foundation for understanding Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship as well as its position within his larger moral schema. The image of …


The Emerging Civil Society In China And Its Impact On Democratization, Haolu Wang Jan 2010

The Emerging Civil Society In China And Its Impact On Democratization, Haolu Wang

Honors Theses

Recent years have seen an emerging civil society in an authoritarian China. The authoritarian embrace of civil society challenges the conventional wisdom that civil society is closely linked to democracy. In Beijing, the rhetoric of civil society linked less to democracy than to modernization. However, does civil society development have any impact on democratization in authoritarian regimes? The thesis tries to provide a tentative answer by studying civil society and democratization in post-Mao China. As a result of economic development and political reforms, gradual political liberalization has marked a shift of state-society relations that gives rise to a certain degree …


The Wheat Bzip Factor, Taabf1, Mediates Aba-Induced Gene Expression In Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers, Benjamin R. Keyser Jan 2010

The Wheat Bzip Factor, Taabf1, Mediates Aba-Induced Gene Expression In Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers, Benjamin R. Keyser

Honors Theses

The plant hormone Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a central role in maturation and germination in seeds, as well as mediating adaptive responses to abiotic environmental stresses. ABA induces the expression of many genes, including late-embryogenesis-abundant genes such as HVA1. To elucidate the ABA signaling pathway leading to HVA1 expression, we focus on the bZIP factor TaABF1. Analysis of the interplay between ABA and TaABF1 in the aleurone cells of imbibing cereal grains indicated that the two are not additive in their induction of the HVA1 promoter. A synthetic ABA analog, PBI-51, did not specifically inhibit the effect of exogenous ABA …


The Differential Roles Of D-Pax2 Variants In Regulating Drosophila Eye And Bristle Development, Colin J. O’Shea Jan 2010

The Differential Roles Of D-Pax2 Variants In Regulating Drosophila Eye And Bristle Development, Colin J. O’Shea

Honors Theses

The ability to appropriately interact with the environment is crucial to an organism’s survival. The establishment of functional sensory systems, such as the bristles and eyes in Drosophila, is a critical event during the development of the organism. The transcription factor D Pax2 is involved in the differentiation of the shaft and glial cells in the developing bristle (Kavaler et al., Dev, 126:2261-2272, 1999) and of the cone and primary pigment cells in the developing eye (Fu and Noll, Genes Dev, 11:389-405, 1997). How D-Pax2 contributes to distinct differentiative pathways in different cell types is not known. Recent work by …


The “Lunatic Fringe” -- Barry Goldwater And The Conservative Revolution Of The 1960s --, Nicholas L. Bromley Jan 2010

The “Lunatic Fringe” -- Barry Goldwater And The Conservative Revolution Of The 1960s --, Nicholas L. Bromley

Honors Theses

How did conservatives, who had become effectively ostracized by their party following the Great Depression and the societal reforms of the New Deal, regain leverage within the GOP during the 1960s? My hypothesis is two-fold. First, I contend that a small group of conservative activists led by F. Clifton White, in spite of a dearth of resources and manpower, managed to infiltrate Republican infrastructure and “hijack” the delegate- selection process. The distinctly conservative and recalcitrant disposition of the Goldwater delegates demonstrates that these activists succeeded. Second, I argue that in addition to temporarily overpowering the national convention in 1964, conservatives …


The Role Of Taabf1 In Abscisic Acid-Mediated Suppression Of 𝒶-Amylase Gene Expression In Cereal Grains, Lauren J. Harris Jan 2010

The Role Of Taabf1 In Abscisic Acid-Mediated Suppression Of 𝒶-Amylase Gene Expression In Cereal Grains, Lauren J. Harris

Honors Theses

The phytohormones gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) regulate important developments events in germinating seeds. Specifically, GA induces the expression of hyrolase genes, like the α-amylase gene Amy32b, which mobilizes starch reserves to be used by the embryo, and ABA suppresses this induction. Recent advancements identified ABA and GA receptors and key components in the signaling pathways, however, the mechanism of crosstalk between the hormones remains largely unknown. To further elucidate the mechanism of ABA suppression of GA-induced genes, we focused on the transcription factor TaABF1, a member of the ABA response element binding factor family. TaABF1 has been shown …


Race & Rock & Roll: A Visual Analysis Of Rolling Stone Cover Photography, Erica D. Block Jan 2010

Race & Rock & Roll: A Visual Analysis Of Rolling Stone Cover Photography, Erica D. Block

Honors Theses

If African Americans heavily influenced the development of rock & roll as a musical genre, why do we picture rock stars as white men with guitars? In this project I examine, with a particular focus on race, how the the visual culture surrounding rock music evolved to where it is today. To do this, I performed a close visual analysis of Rolling Stone Magazine covers from 1967-1980. In this presentation I illustrate Rolling Stone's trend of featuring 'white negroes' on their covers, which allowed the magazine to use the selling power of a white person's face while retaining the attractiveness, …


Shakespeare And Homoeroticism: A Study Of Cross-Dressing, Society, And Film, Leigh Bullion Jan 2010

Shakespeare And Homoeroticism: A Study Of Cross-Dressing, Society, And Film, Leigh Bullion

Honors Theses

William Shakespeare’s plays cover an array of topics focused on sexuality, from gender reversal to adultery to beastiality. But perhaps the most consistent and emphasized topic is homoeroticism.This focus on homoeroticism proceeds from the prohibition of women on the English stage and the subsequent female roles young boys would play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night each present different representations of homoeroticism yet complement each other. A Midsummer Night’s Dream focuses on the erotic potential of unrestrained desire and the tense relationship between female amity and dominating patriarchal and heterosexual interests. As You Like It …


Patterns Of Apoptotic Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase Cleavage Induced By Laromustine And Its Analogs, Adam N. Paine Jan 2010

Patterns Of Apoptotic Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase Cleavage Induced By Laromustine And Its Analogs, Adam N. Paine

Honors Theses

The anticancer prodrug Laromustine (VNP40101M) has produced promising remission rates in clinical trials among leukemic patients relative to currently available chemotherapeutics. Such improvements demand that the agent’s mechanism of action be elucidated. This study aimed to determine the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in Laromustine-induced cell death. Previous studies indicated that the methyl isocyanate produced upon activation of Laromustine is largely responsible for its effective induction of apoptosis. Results reported herein strongly support the activation of a PARP-dependent apoptotic pathway by Laromustine’s carbamoylating and chlorethylating subspecies. Furthermore, it is evident that the Laromustine-induced PARP-dependent apoptosis is primarily attributable to methyl …


Soviet Education: Communism In The Classroom, Alison W. Berryman Jan 2010

Soviet Education: Communism In The Classroom, Alison W. Berryman

Honors Theses

My thesis examines the Soviet Union’s educational system during Stalin’s rule. It proves that the goal of the Soviet educational system in the 1920s and 1930s was to instill strong Communist loyalty from a very early age and to expedite the process of industrialization by educating future workers in “socially useful” labor.


A Disappearing Boundary?: The Changing Distinction Between Combatants And Civilians From The First World War To The Present Day, Aimee Kidder Jan 2010

A Disappearing Boundary?: The Changing Distinction Between Combatants And Civilians From The First World War To The Present Day, Aimee Kidder

Honors Theses

The issue of terrorism has stimulated intellectual debate regarding the rights and protections that should be afforded to civilians. However, the practice of targeting noncombatants in warfare extends far beyond terrorism and has roots deep in the historical past. This study looks at violence against civilians over a series of case studies from the First and Second World Wars as well as the French-Algerian War of the 1950s and 1960s. By looking at the changing legal distinctions between combatants and noncombatants, the study first establishes a trend in international law toward increasing protection of civilians. Yet, these legal advances are …


Understanding Rejection Across Ingroups And Outgroups, Prasant Dubey Jan 2010

Understanding Rejection Across Ingroups And Outgroups, Prasant Dubey

Honors Theses

Black and White male undergraduates from the University of Richmond participated in a study addressing rejection. The purpose was to discover how responses to rejection vary amongst individuals who are rejected by their in-group versus their out-group. In other words, is a white male more likely to be impacted by rejection from another white male (a member of the in- group) or a black male (a member of the out-group)? Likewise, it was interesting to note how black individuals respond differently to rejection by the in-group and out-group. Responses to rejection feedback, regarding self-esteem, attributions to rejection, cognitive capacity, and …


Campus Architecture And Student Culture In American Higher Education, Alexandra R. Troxell Jan 2010

Campus Architecture And Student Culture In American Higher Education, Alexandra R. Troxell

Honors Theses

Human-environment interaction theory, as it specifically relates to architectural determinism, has an indispensible impact on student culture on college campuses. Under the assumptions of architectural determinism, this thesis examines the relationship between architecture and student culture on 30 American college campuses. Specifically, this thesis looks at uniformity of architectural style and color and the prevalence of traditional styles of architecture in relation to the institutions' campus cultures. The results of the study found that a significant relationship exists between student culture and uniformity of building color, but not between student culture and uniformity of style or the prevalence of traditional …


Geophysical Analysis Of Seasonal Montandon Gravel Ridge Water Table Fluctuation And Moisture Gradient Variation Due To Storm Events, Annie Strader Jan 2010

Geophysical Analysis Of Seasonal Montandon Gravel Ridge Water Table Fluctuation And Moisture Gradient Variation Due To Storm Events, Annie Strader

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research project is to continue exploring the Montandon Long-Term Hydrologic Research Site(LTHR) by using multiple geophysical methods to obtain more accurate and precise information regarding subsurface hydrologic properties of a local gravel ridge,which are important to both the health of surrounding ecosystems and local agriculture. Through using non-invasive geophysical methods such as seismic refraction, Direct Current resistivity and ground penetrating radar (GPR) instead of invasive methods such as boreholedrilling which displace sediment and may alter water flow, data collection is less likely to bias the data itself. In addition to imaging the gravel ridge subsurface, another …


Aristotle And The Importance Of Virtue In The Context Of The Politics And The Nicomachean Ethics And Its Relation To Today, Kyle Brandon Anthony Jan 2010

Aristotle And The Importance Of Virtue In The Context Of The Politics And The Nicomachean Ethics And Its Relation To Today, Kyle Brandon Anthony

Honors Theses

While much of Aristotle's works are preserved in various volumes, two of his famous works are the Nichmachean Ethics and the Politics, both of which contain a rich compilation of ethical and political thought. In the Ethics, Aristotle describes a thorough understanding of ethical and intellectual virtue. By pursuing these virtues, Aristotle argues that a person can achieve a life of fulfilling happiness. The ideal polis as described in the Politics serves as a place where the virtuous life is attained in the best manner.Citizens who pursue virtue make the polis better, and the rulers that guide the polis ensure …


Subcellular Localization Of The Non-Structural Proteins 3c And 3cd Of The Honeybee Virus Deformed Wing Virus, Cierra Nichole Danko Jan 2010

Subcellular Localization Of The Non-Structural Proteins 3c And 3cd Of The Honeybee Virus Deformed Wing Virus, Cierra Nichole Danko

Honors Theses

Apis mellifera L., the European honeybee, is a crucial pollinator of many important agricultural crops in the United States. Recently, honeybee colonies have been affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a disorder in which the colony fails due to the disappearance of a key functional group of worker bees. Though no direct causalrelationship has been confirmed, hives that experience CCD have been shown to have a high incidence of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), a common honeybee virus. While the genome sequence and gene-order of DWV has been analyzed fairly recently, few other studies have been performed to understand the molecular …


Impact Of Various Insurance Types On Level And Appropriateness Of Health Care Consumption, Allison Mary Janda Jan 2010

Impact Of Various Insurance Types On Level And Appropriateness Of Health Care Consumption, Allison Mary Janda

Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which insurance type, or method of care management, impact the appropriate delivery of health care. Previous studies indicate a relationship between insurance type and patterns of consumption but do not directly link the incentives or disincentives inherent in each plan with trends inconsumption of health care. This study explores how different types of health insurance coverage affect the location, the degree, and the frequency of health care consumption in order to gain insight into which plans promote appropriate delivery and consumption ofcare.


Investigating The Effects Of Various Crowd Characteristics On The Dynamic Properties Of An Occupied Structure, Robert Joseph Firman Iii Jan 2010

Investigating The Effects Of Various Crowd Characteristics On The Dynamic Properties Of An Occupied Structure, Robert Joseph Firman Iii

Honors Theses

One of the challenges for structural engineers during design is considering how the structure will respond to crowd-induced dynamic loading. It has been shown that human occupants of a structure do not simply add mass to the system when considering the overall dynamic response of the system, but interact with it and may induce changes of the dynamic properties from those of the empty structure. This study presents an investigation into the human-structure interaction based on several crowd characteristics and their effect on the dynamic properties of an empty structure. The dynamic properties including frequency, damping, and mode shapes were …


An Argument For The Moral Obligation Of Physicians To Practice Healthy Behaviors, Kathryn A. Skimming Jan 2010

An Argument For The Moral Obligation Of Physicians To Practice Healthy Behaviors, Kathryn A. Skimming

Honors Theses

Obligations of physicians to practice healthy behaviors are analyzed through three ethical frameworks. Physicians can be considered public benefactors and are able to influence patients to adopt healthier habits and increase total utility. Society creates a moral obligation for physicians to follow the norms regarding a physician's appearance. Kant's categorical imperative also shows physicians have a moral obligation to practice healthy behaviors. Finally, a healthy lifestyle can be considered a mean between extreme behaviors. The medical community should try to promote an environment in which physicians are better able to practice healthy behaviors, because a situation can influence our behaviors.


Hurricane Katrina : An Act Of God?, Juliette M. Jeanfreau Jan 2010

Hurricane Katrina : An Act Of God?, Juliette M. Jeanfreau

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I plan to present a framework of four theodicies which organizes various responses to and attempted explanations of the suffering experienced during Hurricane Katrina; to examine several post-Katrina sermons in which pastors and priests address suffering within each theological framework; and to discuss the important leadership implications that the ideas expressed on the pulpit carry for how citizens understand the rebuilding of New Orleans. Although the city is home to citizens from a diversity of faith traditions including Judaism and Islam, this thesis will focus on responses expressed within Christian contexts. In the following pages, I will …


Investigation Of The Design Of A Bistable Micro-Chemical-Mechanical Device Utilizing Lateral Buckling, Susan Lyn Barnes Jan 2010

Investigation Of The Design Of A Bistable Micro-Chemical-Mechanical Device Utilizing Lateral Buckling, Susan Lyn Barnes

Honors Theses

The Gracias Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University has developed microgrippers which utilize chemically-actuated joints to be used in micro-surgery. These grippers, however, take up to thirty minutes to close fully when activated biochemicals in the human body. This is very problematic and could limit the use of the devices in surgery. It is the goal of this research to develop a gripper that uses theGracias Laboratory's existing joints in conjunction with mechanical components to decrease the closing time. The purpose of including the mechanical components is to induce a state of instability at which time a small perturbation would cause …