Digital Commons Network^™

Creating Collaborative Art, Sarah J. Nott

Honors Theses

Project involved in-class teaching experience of the author in collaboration with Robin Nott and Gull Lake High School and third grade teacher Mary VanderWal at Ryan Intermediate School in Richland, Michigan. The project expanded upon a program pairing high school students with elementary students to participate in various activities, and for this particular instance, the students collaborated on art projects.

An Intervention In Stereotype Threat : Does Gender-Affirming Literature Reduce Female Vulnerability In Mathematics?, Emily Dowd

Honors Theses

The current study examined whether the presentation of gender-affirming literature, in the form of information about the University of Richmond‟s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program, mitigated female stereotype threat in the domain of mathematics. A pilot study tested 10 male and 10 female college-aged participants to determine whether a derogatory beer commercial produced the threat effect in women; results were inconclusive. A follow-up study used threat methods derived from previous research and information about the WGSS program at Richmond for the intervention manipulation. Results from 30 female college students indicated insufficient threat and a nonsignificant positive increase in …

Searching For The Soul Of American Medicine : What Three High-Quality, Low-Cost Health Care Systems Can Teach U.S. Policymakers, Benjamin A. Paul

Honors Theses

"The United States health care system is broken." This common refrain has been echoed by policymakers and politicians, Democrats and Republicans, and liberals and conservatives alike. They point to the unacceptably high number of uninsured Americans, out of control costs, and questionable quality as just some of the problems that afflict American health care. Before the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March, 2010, over 45 million Americans were without health insurance coverage.1 Health care spending currently accounts for 17% of this country‘s gross domestic product. In contrast, most industrialized European countries cover all of their …

Dayton, Ohio: A Study, Nolan Nicaise

Honors Theses

The urban forest is an important element of cityscapes today. Urban trees provide a habitat to wildlife populations, create more tolerable city living conditions, and better the lives of residents around them. The urban forest, however, is not distributed equitably to the urban population, and some residents receive more or less of its positive externalities. Montgomery County, Ohio, was chosen as the study site to determine if environmental injustice was present regarding the urban forest. It was found that there was environmental injustice present in Montgomery County, as the density of the urban forest was limited by the educational obtainment …

Increased Enrollment For The Graphic And Print Science Program Through Specialty Print Advertisement, Christa Ickowski

Honors Theses

This project evaluates whether a mailer (containing information on the Graphic and Print Science Program) that is folded in a unique manner and containing color graphics would attract more students to the program. With this printed piece the capabilities of the program's students and the program are demonstrated to attract more motivated students who wish to pursue the Graphic and Print Science field. The current method of advertising the program consists of sending form letters which tend to be a little interest to the target audience of high school graphic arts students. With a specialty folded, 4-color mailing in a …

Bond Vigilantes : The Invisible Hand Of Government Regulation, Chris Marsten

Honors Theses

Bond Vigilantes are bond investors who protest structural government debt by selling bonds, increasing real yields. This increases the costs for government to borrow, allegedly causing a decrease in expenditures and ultimately a decrease in structural deficits. Models are presented which capture this effect, and offer evidence that these mechanisms have occurred over the past 50 years.

Studies On Vinamidinium Salt Amine Exchange Reactions, Borohydride Reductions, And Subsequent Transformations, Xian Jia

Honors Theses

This research would not have been possible without the extraordinary guidance of Dr. John Gupton who I like to think of as the brains behind the operation. In addition, Dr. Nakul Telang, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Gupton’s research lab, has provided great support, assistance and humor throughout my undergraduate research career. The other student members of the lab that I would like to recognize for their support and contribution to this project are Ben Giglio, James Eaton, Peter Barelli, Mona Hovaizi, Kayleigh Hall, Scott Welden, Kara Finzel. We also thank the National Institutes of Health (grant no. R15‐CA67236) for …

Synthesis Of Indole Containing Pyrimidines, Kara Finzel

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Xenopus Laevis Transgenic Lines And Their Use In The Study Of Lymph Heart Musculature Development, Diana M. Filtz

Honors Theses

Lymph hearts are pulsatile organs present in lower vertebrates that propel lymph throughout the body and into the venous system, assisting in the maintenance of fluid homeostasis. In organisms such as frogs, several pairs of lymph hearts develop amidst the somites during the early tadpole stages. Due to the unique structure and function of lymph heart musculature—exhibiting characteristics of both skeletal and cardiac muscle—the origin of these cells remains highly controversial. Studies have found that in Xenopus, the engrailed gene is expressed explicitly in lymph heart muscle cells throughout development. Through designing a transgenic …

Characterization Of Microbial Community Structure In The Octocoral Leptogorgia Virgulata, Blair E. Armistead

Honors Theses

The process of spicule formation in L. virgulata results in a drop in pH, which, if left unregulated, could lead to demineralization and subsequent animal death. Carbonic anhydrase has been suggested as a possible pH regulatory mechanism in L. virgulata tissues. This study focuses on an additional hypothetical mechanism of pH regulation involving the production of urease by endosymbiotic bacteria living within L. virgulata tissue. PCR and DGGE are used as culture-independent methods to characterize facets of microbial community structure on L. virgulata in order to identify one …

Forgiveness As A Mechanism Of Self-Regulation : An Ego-Depletion Model, Lindsay Myerberg

Honors Theses

Revenge is the natural human response to interpersonal transgressions. However, given the benefits of forgiveness, it is important to consider how forgiveness can be facilitated. Many factors have been shown to be associated with forgiveness, ranging from situational factors (e.g., perception of the transgression) to dispositional factors (e.g., personality traits). This study aims to extend research on the factors that are associated with forgiveness, and determine the processes on which forgiveness relies. To demonstrate that forgiveness requires self-regulation, Study 1 examines if ego-depletion decreases willingness to forgive, and Study 2 examines if glucose consumption can negate this ego-depletion effect. Results …

Rank One Perturbations Of Self-Adjoint Operators, Haoxuan Zheng

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Scout's Daughters : Race And Creative Development In Contemporary Adolescent Literature, Amanda Malloy

Honors Theses

At the heart of what Roberta S. Trites titles ―adolescent literature‖ – works written both for and about young adults—is a question of agency (Disturbing 7). In Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature, Trites asserts that adolescent novels attempt to answer the question of young adults who wonder if they ―should or even can affect the world in which they live‖ (1). Trites‘ argument is based on the idea that the distinguishing characteristic of adolescent literature is its focus on ―the social forces‖ that …

Friendship And Problem Solving : The Effect Of Various Situations On Co-Rumination In Emerging Adulthood Friendships, Kelly Larsen

Honors Theses

Co-rumination is the act of negatively discussing problems with another person. The focus of co-rumination is generally on the negative aspects, or things that cannot be changed as opposed to active problem solving. Co-rumination is positively associated with positive friendship quality as well as internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Co-rumination is most commonly studied in children and adolescents, but the present study extends this research by looking at the undergraduate population. In addition the current study aims to find differences in co-rumination in response to four different hypothetical scenarios. One hundred and thirty one students at the University …

Networks Of Resistance : Black Virginians Remember Civil War Loyalties, Amanda Kleintop

Honors Theses

On June 22, 1877, William Charity explained his neighborhood’s Civil War loyalties to special commissioner Isaac Baldwin of the Southern Claims Commission (SCC): “The colored people were mostly all for the union.” Charity, a free black Virginian, recognized that “mostly” did not mean all. He went on to suggest: “some of them were blind.” As a self-identified Unionist, Charity had difficulty envisioning a black man who was not loyal to the Union cause and emancipation during the Civil War. Current debates, however, have seized on those black Virginians Charity called “blind,” taking the “mostly” Unionist majority for granted. Like Charity, …

Owl Pellet Dissection: An Opportunity For Discovery, Brenna N. Towery

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Trends In The Age Of Menarche, Elizabeth M. Nielsen

Honors Theses

Menarche is the onset of menses and this age this occurs differs with every girl.  There are many factors that can influence this age or result from it.  Menses is a crucial step in the process of pubertal maturation.  This study conducted a survey to women of the Carbondale, IL area ranging from 12.5 to 74.42 years old.  The survey inquired basic characteristics such as height, weight, and age of menarche.  Factors such as body mass index (BMI), plastic use due to estrogen-like endocrine disrupting chemicals, the maternal age at childbirth and population size were also determined.  The average age …

The Effect Of Xylitol On The Growth Of Three Normal Oral Commensal Or Probiotic Bacteria, Laura Walters

Honors Theses

Xylitol is a pentitol often used as a sweetener in products such as chewing gum. It is recommended to prevent dental caries because of its inhibitory effect on the most common etiological agent of caries, Streptococcus mutans. Xylitol inhibits the growth of S. mutans by inhibiting its glycolysis, causing a futile cycle. It also inhibits the adhesion of S. mutans by reducing the expression of the gene gtfB, which causes the secretion of sticky substances. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of xylitol on normal oral bacteria, particularly commensal and probiotic strains. The strains tested were …

Tegument Protein Subcellular Localization Of Human Cytomegalovirus, John Paul Tomtishen Iii

Honors Theses

To determine the subcellular localization of the tegument proteins pp65, pp71, pp150, and pp28 as fusions to one of several fluorescent proteins. Since these tegument proteins play pivotal roles in several stages of the viral life cycle, knowledge of where and the mechanism of how these proteins localize upon release could result in a better understanding of their function during a lytic infection as well as assist in the development of an effective, novel antiviral treatment.

Metamemory Judgments For Familiar And Unfamiliar Tunes, Amanda Child

Honors Theses

Metamemory is an important skill that allows humans to monitor their own memory abilities; however, little research has concerned what perceptual information influences metamemory judgments. A series of experiments assessed the accuracy of metamemory judgments for music as well as determined if metamemory judgments are affected by ease of processing of musical features. A recognition memory task inconjunction with metamemory judgments (Judgments of Learning, or JOLs) were used to determine actual and predicted memory performance. We found that changing the ease of processing of the volume and timbre of unfamiliar tunes affected metamemory judgments, but not memory performance, for unfamiliar …

Do College Women Facilitate The Sexual Assault Of Their Same-Gender Peers?, Allyson Hopper

Honors Theses

National studies indicate that approximately 25 percent of women have been sexually assaulted by the time they finish college. Although male peers are often the perpetrators, women also engage in behaviors with their female peers that may increase the risk of sexualassault. In the present study, we sought to determine how often college women engaged in these behaviors (i.e. “female facilitation”). Participants were 373 female students (sophomorethrough senior; Greek and independent) who completed an online survey containing measures of sexual assault, alcohol consumption, and female facilitation. The female facilitation measure indexed both “facilitator” behaviors (those directed toward others thatlikely increase …

The Little Metropolis: Religion, Politics, & Spolia, Paul Brazinski

Honors Theses

There have been numerous councils throughout the Catholic Church?s history. From the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE to Vatican II in 1962, only a few centuries have passed without any major church doctrinal change. Following hand in hand with changes in doctrine came the bifurcation of the Christian Church into the Roman CatholicChurch and the Orthodox Church. The first split came in 325 CE with Arianism. Arius of Alexandria and his followers did not agree with the Catholic Church?s viewpoint that the son, Jesus, should be on equal footing with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Constantine the …

We The Peoples Of The United States Of America: Constituting American Identities Through Pluralism And Narrative, Michael .. Yohai

Honors Theses

W. E. B. DuBois writes in his 1897 essay, “The Conservation of Races,” that every black person living in America must, sooner or later, ask herself the following question: “What , after all, am I? Am I an American or am I a Negro? Can I be both? Or is it my duty to cease to be a Negro as soon as possible and be an American?”1 DuBois’ question, “Can I be both?” still lingers for blacks and other non‐white groups in America. However, the racial demographic reality of the America is changing and with it, the connotations of the …

Economic Development Under Dominant-Party Regimes, Christopher J. Gorud

Honors Theses

Case studies of economic development in Japan, Mexico, India, and Kenya examine the relationship between dominant-party regimes and developmental outcomes. This paper studies the variables of bureaucratic coherence and cohesion, corporatism, labor relations, and national developmentism as contributing factors to developmental success or failure in these states.

Do Male Physiological Condition And Territory Quality Affect Female Choice In The Brown Anole, Anolis Sagrei?, Sarah P. Flanagan

Honors Theses

Female mate choice is an important component of sexual selection because traits that influence male mate preference, such as physiology, and proficiency in acquiring resources, are favored. In lizards, the importance of mate choice remains unclear as reported results from experiments are contradictory. In this study, I investigated whether male physiology and territory quality are important to female mate choice for male Brown Anoles, Anolis sagrei. I tested the hypotheses that female A. sagrei prefer males with greater physiological capacities, and prefer higher quality territories, regardless of male phenotype. To test these, male A. sagrei were first rated for …

Optimization And Analysis Of A Model Of The Mammalian Circadian Clock, Andrew M. Cox

Honors Theses

Circadian rhythms are found in plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria and are responsible for the regulation of many biological, physiological, behavioral, and metabolic activities. In mammals, the “master” clock is embedded in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus. It is composed of thousands of cells signaling each other to synchronize and produce a unified rhythm. It is hypothesized that this communication enables the clock to rescue rhythms in gene knockout experiments that destroy oscillations at the single cell level. Henry Mirsky developed a model of this gene regulatory network within a single cell in 2009, but the published …

From Victims And Villains To Protagonists: Immigration And Citizenship In Modern Italy, Rachel Gleicher

Honors Theses

The Italian media, political parties, and immigrant-related social service organizations on all sides of the spectrum have contributed to the creation of various one-dimensional perceptions of Italy’s immigrant communities which have functioned to deny immigrants’ formal citizenship status and consequently, attempted to impede their access to the basic rights and privileges national membership guarantees. While left-leaning media outlets, organizations, and individuals tend to portray immigrants as victims draining Italy of its social, economic, and material resources, the Italian right often characterizes Italy’s immigrant population as villainous intruders incapable of integration due to cultural difference and in some cases, a natural …

The Effect Of Identification Style On Confidence Inflation In Eyewitness Testimony, Kelsey L. Stratton

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine whether confidence inflation in eyewitness testimony can be altered by the effects of self-perception and public commitment, as manipulated by identification style. In order to investigate these specific effects, identifications and confidence reports were made using both private and public methods. Additionally, target-present and target-absent lineups were used in order to assess their relative effects and to control participant accuracy.

Results revealed that the best confidence-accuracy correlations, as determined by a comparison from pre-lineup measures, were a result of post-lineup, private identifications. This indicates that self-perception may be more responsible for confidence …

Purpose Found: Conditions Of Meaningful Existence, Selfhood And The Role Of The Other In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Anna Sawch

Honors Theses

While Biblical interpretations of Genesis posit God as omnipotent creator and teacher, in John Milton's Paradise Lost it is Adam and Eve‟s relationship and interactions with one another that make them who they are and mold them into who they become. The Adam and Eve of Paradise Lost are true characters, and dynamic ones at that. Rather than serve an allegory or work to create a lofty moral lesson, Adam and Eve grow through speech, desire, and language, interfacing with one another in the spirit of true human curiosity and self-discovery. I first explored this observation that Milton's Adam and …

State Leadership For Safer Chemicals Policy Reform: Lessons From California, Maine, Minnesota And Washington, Michelle A. Russell

Honors Theses

Chemicals regulation under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 fails to protect human health. In the absence of federal protection, safer chemicals legislation and implementation is moving forward in four states: Maine, Minnesota, California and Washington. Working in response to a loud public cry of concern and persistent grassroots organizing, these four states have enacted laws that regulate chemicals in consumer products. Maine, Minnesota and Washington chose to focus on regulating the chemicals used in children’s products, taking into consideration greater vulnerability in early development and the compelling public priority to protect children’s health. The most important factors …