Honors College

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https://repository.library.cofc.edu/handle/123456789/436
The College of Charleston Honors College expands on partnerships between faculty and student by creating a vibrant living-learning community where personal attention gives the support students need to reach their goals during and after college. Inside the CofC Honors community, motivated students live, learn, and grow together while pursuing their unique interests and goals – everything from study abroad, internships, research and service projects at home and globally.

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Browsing Honors College by Issue Date "2015-05"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 72
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    “Because I am not a writer”: Local Literacy Sponsorship of Adult ESL Students
    Gerdes, Elizabeth; Warnick , Chris; Farrell, Susan $; Lewis, Simon $
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    “Tourists’ Use of Restaurant Webpages” Revisited: The Hype Surrounding Web-based Marketing
    Chikos, Leigh E; Litvin, Stephen W
    This study revisits a 2005 paper by Litvin, Blose, and Laird which centered on how frequently tourists view restaurant webpages before dining and before embarking on their trip, and whether that ultimately led to purchase behavior. Due to the nature of rapidly changing technological advances, increasing internet use, and the advent of user content sites such as Yelp or Tripadvisor as well as the popularity of the aforementioned publication, the study was replicated and the topic was re-examined. Analysis showed an increase in tourists’ use of restaurant webpages, but not to the extent predicted.
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    A Comparative Dietary Analysis of Tomtate (Haemulon aurolineatum) and White Grunt (H. plumieri)
    Babrowicz, Mary Frances; Sancho , Gorka
    A diet analysis can provide insight on competition for resources, food web dynamics, feeding behavior, and transfer of energy throughout the ecosystem. Species population management is most effective when focusing on ecosystem-based fisheries management. Studying groups of fishes rather than a single species can be useful when completing a dietary analysis of the community. This study compared the diet of two species from the genus Haemulon: White grunt, Haemulon plumieri, and Tomtate, Haemulon aurolineatum. Both species had a widespread diet that included amphipods, bivalves, bony fishes, bryozoans, crabs, decapods, echinoderms, gastropods, isopods, ostracods, plants, shrimp, sponges, stomatopods, tunicates and worms. White grunt had a more diverse diet, feeding on a total of 52 varied prey items, while tomtate fed on 21 different prey items. Many of the prey items found in each species were benthic or bentho-pelagic species, confirming that tomtate and white grunt are bottom dwellers. Competition between the fishes is only likely among bony fish prey items.
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    A Way with Words
    Burns, ELizabeth A; Goudy, Gayle
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    Anchoring and Adjustment of Autobiographical Memories
    Mugayar-Baldocchi, Marino; Greenberg, Daniel L.
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    As Seen on TV: Women's Political Participation in China
    Dickey, Katherine; Creed, John; Liu, Guoli$
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    Assessment of the Factors Associated with the Enrollment of Patients in Heart360®
    Hill, Allyson; Triblehorn, Jeffrey T; Lackland, Daniel D$
    Cerebrovascular disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Hypertension is known to be the primary risk factor for stroke. Adequate control of blood pressure has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. However, only half of the treated hypertensives have controlled blood pressures. While various methods of anti-hypertensive medications decrease blood pressure, home blood pressure monitoring increases patient adherence to medications and the number of blood pressure measurements. Home blood pressure monitoring is an economical way to provide a clear representation of patients’ hypertension and overcome white coat hypertension. The Heart360® program, sponsored by the American Heart Association, gives patients the ability to record blood pressure readings onto an online database so that clinicians can better treat hypertension, thereby increasing high blood pressure compliance.
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    Assessment of the Transition Program: Integrating Pediatric and Adult Clinical Care at the MUSC Cystic Fibrosis Center
    Harper, Rachel; Virella-Lowell, MD, Isabel; Geslain, PhD, Renaud$
    The purpose of the study was to assess the Transition Program using adolescent, young adult, and parent/caregiver input in order to improve the success of the Program at the MUSC Cystic Fibrosis Center. Transition Programs are integral in the treatment of chronic illness in order to encourage compliance and foster independence in adolescents prior to transferring to adult clinical care, around age 18. The study took place in three stages: patients and families were surveyed regarding the Transition Program, a change in the Program was implemented in order to meet a few of the goals highlighted by the results of the surveys, and the patients were re-surveyed following the change. The results showed an emphasis on the importance of keeping medication lists up to date and knowing how to manage medications. The MyChart application, a secure online patient portal that can be downloaded onto mobile devices, was identified as an addition to the Transition Program to meet these goals. Adolescents showed interest and enthusiasm in using MyChart to help become more independent during the transition process.
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    Behavioral Evidence for Enhanced Intracellular Calcium Signaling in Cocaine Sensitization
    Bailes, Carrie Ann; Meyer-Bernstein, Elizabeth; Buchta, William C$; Riegel, Arthur C$
    Chronic cocaine use causes cellular adaptations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that contribute to addiction and relapse. A better understanding of these cellular adaptations will promote the development of effective relapse pharmacotherapies. By enhancing dopamine receptor signaling, chronic cocaine disrupts multiple intracellular signaling cascades in the PFC, including calcium release from intracellular stores. However, the behavioral role for intracellular calcium signaling in addictive behaviors is unclear. Therefore, using cocaine sensitization to model aspects of addiction, we designed experiments to test the hypothesis that an elevated release of calcium from PFC stores contributes to cocaine sensitization. To establish behavioral sensitization, we administered daily cocaine (15mg/kg IP) to rats and assessed their locomotor responses. Following four days of cocaine injections, rats developed robust locomotor sensitization which appeared sensitive to pharmacological manipulation of calcium release from intracellular stores. PFC infusion of Thapsigargin (5-500μM) or Xestospongin C (3ng/0.5uL), inhibitors of Ca2+ re-entry into intracellular stores, augmented locomotor activity in sensitized animals but had no effect in non-sensitized animals. Moreover, pre-treatment with a D1 receptor antagonist during the establishment of sensitization did not prevent sensitization to cocaine or alter XeC sensitivity, suggesting that changes in Ca2+ signaling may not be dependent on D1 receptor activation. 2-APB (10ng/0.5uL), an inhibitor of InsP3 receptors on the ER, did not alter locomotor activity, suggesting the underlying adaptations are independent of InsP3 receptors. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that increases in intracellular calcium signaling within the PFC contribute to the expression of cocaine sensitization. These underlying cellular adaptations may represent mechanisms by which drugs of abuse induce PFC dysfunction and lead to addiction.
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    Behavioral Finance: A Case Study of Carmike Cinemas, Inc.
    Sayce, Katherine; Evans, Jocelyn
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    Children of Military Families: In-Depth Interviews Exploring Sources of Resiliency
    Mullett, Laura Elizabeth; Auriffeille , Deborah
    Since the end of the draft and creation of the All-Volunteer Force over forty years ago, military service has fallen to an increasingly small percentage of citizens. These citizens, their spouses and their children make immeasurable sacrifices for the safety of this nation, and it is essential we invest in their well-being. The Obama Administration is aware of the stress put on military families and has rallied for an unprecedented level of support for military families by the people of this country. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched the “Joining Forces” initiative in 2011, that calls upon all Americans to “rally around service members, veterans, and their families, and to support them through wellness, education, and employment opportunities” (Obama & Biden, 2012). These efforts come on top of countless nonprofit groups and, of course, the internal efforts of the military to develop solutions and support for service members and their families. Utilizing the theoretical framework of “Resiliency” this research contributes to the ongoing discussion of how best to support the children of military families through the unique challenges faced in the military lifestyle, both in wartime and peacetime. By exploring the interactions of stress and resiliency in the military childhood through in-depth interviews, this research adds a refreshing, up-to-date, and distinctive voice to the discussion of military childhood during wartime. While “many programs to help military children were rolled out quickly at a time of pressing need” (Easterbrooks, Ginsburg & Lerner, 2013, p.111), their effectiveness is unclear and the standards by which they have been evaluated have been inconsistent. After conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of young adults who grew up with parents in the military during the post-9/11 era, this research did not find support for the reach or effectiveness of these programs, though these programs need to be evaluated further and the attempts to help military children should certainly not be discouraged; however, during a time of military budget cuts, it is more important than ever to insure money is going to the most vital and effective areas for promoting military resilience. With that in mind, this research recommends a refocusing on the strength drawn from the military community and military culture traditionally found on military installations in the United States and across the globe. This network of social support and shared understandings is perhaps the greatest asset that military children and their families have for maintaining and enhancing their resilience in the face of a challenging lifestyle, and we cannot afford to continue to leave it out of discussions regarding military childhood and resilience. Unfortunately community life on base faces considerable challenges in the face of continued budget pressures on the military. The Air Force Times reported that, “before bases are closed or downgraded, amenities are likely to be cut to save money” – often closures of “bowling alleys, youth centers and hobby shops, to name a few” have become necessary to “trim costs without further downsizing manpower” (Ricks, 2012). While these measures are often reluctantly accepted as a practical way to save money, the decision to defund activities and community spots on base goes directly against the primary findings of this study’s research on how to encourage resiliency in the military lifestyle.
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    Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure Alters Synaptic Protein Expression in the Mouse Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex
    Moss, Julia Lois; Mulholland, Patrick J; Meyer-Bernstein, Elizabeth$
    Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are chronic, relapsing conditions characterized by excessive alcohol consumption and various behavioral deficits. Changes to brain regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a region involved in reversal learning tasks and the regulation of impulsive behaviors, have been linked to the functional impairments that follow chronic alcohol use in both humans and rodent models. A recent study from our lab demonstrated an increase in the density of long, thin dendritic spines of basal dendrites in the lateral OFC (lOFC) layer II/III pyramidal neurons following withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) treatment. We hypothesized changes in synaptic protein expression would accompany this alteration and performed a proteomics analysis to compare expression in the post-synaptic density of neurons in the lOFC of CIE-treated mice versus unexposed controls. CIE exposure significantly altered 29 proteins, many of which are involved in glutamatergic signaling and regulation of dendritic spine morphology. Western blot analysis confirmed significant changes in the expression of some of these proteins – growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43), elongation factor 1 (EF1-α1), synaptopodin, α actinin, and excitatory amino acid transporter-2 (EAAT2). Protein-level changes, such as those demonstrated in the present study, likely affect dendritic spine morphology and glutamatergic signaling, as many of these proteins are known to play a role in these processes. The OFC-dependent functional and behavioral deficits associated with chronic alcohol use likely are related to singular or combined effects of these physiological changes – altered protein expression, dendritic spine remodeling, and abnormal glutamatergic signaling – at the tripartite synapse.
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    Cracking the Workhouse: Disorderly Behavior as a Tool for Change in the Victorian Workhouse, 1834-1867
    Brig, Kristin Victoria; Steere-Williams, Jacob; Delay, Cara$
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    Diet and Genetic Effect on Frog Mating Calls
    Marrano, Frank Thomas; Welch, Allison
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    Drug and Alcohol Addiction Memoirs
    Mead, Kaya; Farrell, Susan; Heinen, Jonathan$; Beres Rogers, Kathy $
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