Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Homelessness: Causes, Culture and Community Development as a Solution

Kaitlin Philipps — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:14:16 PDT

This thesis seeks to explain the reasons that homelessness occurs, and how it is currently being dealt with in public policy. Triggers and predictors of homelessness are explored and it is shown that triggers are almost always compounded, indicating a multitude of factors that lead to homelessness. The culture and community surrounding the homeless lifestyle is seen as playing a significant role in how the individual copes with their homelessness. The norms and values of their culture are investigated and its role in rehabilitation is explored. Current institutions for helping the homeless are analyzed for different success rates. Additionally, initiatives and solutions to homelessness from two Western countries, The United States and Denmark are compared for varying successes and failures. Based on the analyzed factors this thesis proposes what could be done to improve the situation of homeless individuals by shaping public policy. Specifically the benefits that community building programs of rehabilitation such as Assertive Community Treatment and Critical Time Intervention could offer if public policy was changed to increase their use are discussed. Specifically, Assertive Community Treatment and Critical Time Intervention are advocated for due to their ability to encourage community development in conjunction with its use of community creation as a tool in decreasing recidivism rates and creating long term solutions for homeless individuals and their reintegration into society.

Is Local Food in Your Future?: An Analysis of the Viability of the Local Food Movement

Jennifer A. Sliney — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:31:18 PDT

The Local Food Movement has arisen in recent decades as a proposed solution to problems in the current food distribution system. Proponents of the movement look to solve problems such as unsustainable farming practices, greenhouse gas emissions, and unhealthy communities. Skeptics raise questions as to whether local food is truly capable of accomplishing any of those. The author proposes that as a solution, aspects of the Local Food Movement such as urban agriculture and attempts at community development should be taken more seriously in order to create a better future for the land and people alike.

Darkness in the City of Light: The Great Roundup of 1942 & France’s Role in the Shoah.

Benjamin T.C. Mead — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:18:35 PDT

This thesis explores the incident of the Vel d'Hiv Roundup in Paris in July of 1942. It was the largest roundup of Jews in France during WWII, and remains a topic that is still very taboo, but due to books like "Sarah's Key" and rising interest, other nation's roles in the Holocaust are being explored. The author drawing upon three focuses of study-- majors in History, Religious & Theological Studies, and a French minor-- attempts to show how the Holocaust impacted a nation who's national motto is "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood."

Mind the Gap: An Analysis of the Function of Love in the Works of Tom Stoppard and C.S. Lewis.

Jacqueline C. Lawler — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:06:04 PDT

Writers C.S. Lewis and Tom Stoppard, though philosophically different, both write about love that embodies the natural law. The natural law can be defined as law that is inherent in man and can be discerned by reason rather than by revelation. Both writers use their observational style in order to reason their way to nearly identical laws of love. Stoppard’s The Invention of Love, Arcadia, Rock ‘n’ Roll and The Real Thing will be analyzed using the framework of C.S. Lewis’s book, The Four Loves.

Juvenile Delinquency: An Investigation of Risk Factors and Solutions.

Lauren Cardoso — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:53:16 PDT

This article proposes that educational and community based programs can help juveniles stay away from crime and prevent recidivism. A presentation of federal and state statistics, along with an analysis of the risk factors for delinquency, will be provided in order to illustrate the important areas that should be addressed in successful programs. Testimonies, including personal interviews with those who have experience working at the RI Training School, DCYF, Boys' Town, Child and Family Services will be shared as evidence of the research found. Finally, recommendations based on the findings will be proposed.

Chicago: A Movie Musical Mockery of the Media's Razzle Dazzle Image of Murder.

Emily Sulock — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:43:17 PDT

This thesis closely examines the adaptation of Rob Marshall’s 2002 movie musical Chicago, specifically how the music and choreography support the mocking tone against the media and criminal justice system. With a storyline that has lasted almost a century, its themes still relate to our society today as it exposes the corrupt industries that hold an unhealthy amount of power over public opinion. By breaking down musical numbers, “Both Reached for the Gun” and “Razzle Dazzle,” I argue that Marshall’s unique concept connects to a modern generation immune to over-publicized and infamous murder trials.

Twitter Technology Trampling Fashion Designs: The Effects of Twitter on the Fashion Industry.

Margaret K. Reder — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:34:44 PDT

The fashion industry continuously faces the issue of fashion piracy, retailers intentionally copying fashion designs from the runway and cheaply manufacturing them to sell at a low price. While large retailers are soaring, many young designers are struggling to survive. Fashion labels are turning to better marketing strategies and the use of social media to increase their popularity, image and revenue. This thesis covers the rise of Twitter, and how fashion designers, specifically Diane Von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore, and Tory Burch, use Twitter and for what purpose. My goal is to determine if the use of Twitter fosters brand growth or is directly related to fashion piracy due to the multimedia content designers post.

A Postmodern Sense of Nostalgia: Demonstrating Through a Textual Analysis of Twin Peaks How Cult Membership Can Be Inculcated.

Nicholas G. Albanese — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:18:53 PDT

This paper explores a “cult” following in television, by looking at various aspects of the program Twin Peaks. It seeks to answer the questions of how a television show that aired for only two seasons over two decades ago was and still is able to garner such a loyal fandom, and is there some primary factor for developing this cult status? In order to answer these questions, aspects of media studies such as narrative complexity, authorship and the cult status of a show, as well as elements from the show itself, such as postmodernism and manufactured nostalgia must be teased out. This is mainly achieved by examining previous literature on the aforementioned topics as well as performing a close textual analysis of certain episodes from the show. Upon the synthesis of the literature and textual analysis, one is able to see that Twin Peaks has achieved cult status primarily due to David Lynch’s authorial stamp of post-modern nostalgia.

Development and Evaluation of a Mouse Neocortical Cells Neurodevelopment Assay to Assess the Effects of Pyrethroids

Stephanie I. Savino — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:00:56 PDT

Pyrethroid insecticides have been used for more than 40 years and account for 25% of the global insecticide market with household, agricultural and public health applications. With increasing use of pyrethroids over recent years, human exposure to these chemicals is likely. The acute toxicity of pyrethroids to mammalian adults has been documented as moderately toxic by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, little evidence is available regarding the potential toxicological effects of pyrethroids on mammalian neurodevelopment. In this study, a neurodevelopment assay was developed for future investigation of potential pyrethroid effects on the neuronal development of Mus musculus neocortical cells.

A Failing Correctional System: State Prison Overcrowding in the United States

Susan M. Campers — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:54:32 PDT

State prison overcrowding has grown into a detrimental problem within our American penal system, such that after decades of being ignored by politicians, media outlets, and the lower court system, it has resulted in an ineffective and overcrowded correctional system that craves reformation.

Reading Between the Lines of Slavery: Examining New England Runaway Ads for Evidence of an Afro-Yankee Culture

Lauren Landi — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:01:50 PDT

This paper focuses on New England slavery and the way Africans and African-Americans were able to infuse aspects of the dominant English culture and their combined African heritage into their own Afro-Yankee culture. They created their own American identity, in which they adopted and at times mocked the very culture that placed them in this system of bondage. By looking at runaway advertisements from the colonial era we can see evidence of an Afro-Yankee culture that is clearly visible in the clothes slaves wore, the hairstyles they kept, their mannerisms, talents, and overall presence.

How Blacks became Blue: The 1936 African American Voting Shift From the Party of Lincoln to the New Deal Coalition

Daphney Daniel — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:43:53 PDT

Despite the vast research done on the African American influence in the Democratic Party, comparably little has been done on what led them to become part of the Democratic Party in the first place. This study offers an overview of the rich political history of the African American experience from the 15th Amendment’s ratification in 1870 to the 1936 presidential election. My research will reveal how Republican apathy, depression era desperation and Roosevelt’s charismatic message of relief and hope played a vital role to the historical shift of the African American voting bloc from the Republican to the Democratic Party.

Executions in America: How Constitutional Interpretation Has Restricted Capital Punishment

Andrea Paone — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:35:07 PDT

In upholding the constitutionality of capital punishment, the United States Supreme Court has utilized a strict construction interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, which has led the opponents of capital punishment to abandon the Due Process approach and look to the Eighth Amendment, for which the justices utilize a loose construction interpretation.

The Canterbury Tales: Chaucer's Respectful Critique of Church Officials and Their Abuse of Power

Lauren Day — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:23:29 PDT

Geoffrey Chaucer was a religious poet-diplomat in 14th century England and as such was in a unique position at court. He used his work, The Canterbury Tales, to critique certain church officials and their practices, which he believed had become more for monetary gain than for the service of the people.

Melville and Women in Specific Relation to "Bartleby, the Scrivener"

Kaitlin Eckert — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:17:29 PDT

Although there are no female characters in Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," there is a clear sense of femininity that breaks through the barriers Melville has created showing that there is no such thing as a man's world. Within the thesis background on the author is revealed that may lend insight in to reasoning behind the lack of women, as well as specific cases where femininity is present.

Teaching Social Justice through the Lens of Multicultural Education

Alana Cimillo — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:10:39 PDT

With public school populations growing in socio-economic and racial diversity, as projected by the Census Bureau, there is a clear need for an understanding of this diversity to occur at the early childhood level. In order to truly adopt multicultural education as an integral part of a student’s academic growth, teachers must consider the meaning of “cultural competence”. In the first years of a student’s education, fundamental values can be developed as the building blocks for future culturally responsive human beings. This presentation will review concrete evidence that supports the incorporation of multicultural education early childhood classrooms.

The Implications of Male Circumcision on HIV Transmission

AliciaMarie Hurlburt — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:54:34 PDT

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the world’s biggest health threats. In 2010, 33.3 million adults and children were predicted to be living with HIV/AIDS. Although prevention methods such as abstinence, condoms, and fewer sexual partners will help to lower the number of people infected by HIV, they are not enough. Male circumcision may provide an extra prevention method to acquiring HIV. A correlation between male circumcision and HIV transmission was first discovered in areas in western and northern Africa where the male circumcision prevalence rates tend to be high and HIV prevalence tends to be low. The foreskin of the penis remains largely unkeratinized and thus more prone to microtrauma, tears, and ulcers which could increase the transmission of HIV. The foreskin also plays host to a high concentration of langerhans cells which have been shown to increase HIV transmission. Langerhans cells, which generally aid in immune responses to invading pathogens can bind HIV at a specific receptor site and deliver it to the lymph nodes. The HIV will then proliferate throughout the body. Studies show that male circumcision has the potential to decrease female to male transmission of HIV by 60%. Through mathematical modeling, case studies, and statistical analyses, it was found that male circumcision programs will be effective in lowering HIV incidence, prevalence, and death rates. The acceptability of a male circumcision program is relatively high in Sub-Saharan Africa and most specifically in Southern Africa, which has the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. The cost-effectiveness and possible mass circumcision program implementation were also examined and found to be positive influences. Male circumcision although useful in preventing HIV, must be used in conjunction only with other HIV prevention methods.

The Electrochemical Detection of Interleukin-8, Cancer Biomarker, Based on a Gold Nanoparticle Platform and its Political Implications

Jaimee Doucette — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:48:25 PDT

Herein we report on an ultrasensitive immunosensor based on glutathione protected gold nanoparticle (GSH-AuNP) for the electrochemical detection of interleukin 8 (IL-8), cancer biomarker in calf serum and proof of concept IL-8 detection in HNSCC cells. GSH-AuNP were bioconjugated to the primary antibodies (Ab1) and used to capture human IL-8 in a sandwich electrochemical immunoassay coupled to horseradish peroxidase enzyme labels. Using the optimized concentrations of the primary (Ab1) and secondary antibodies (Ab2), two sensor approaches were used to measure ultra low (≤ 500 fg mL-1) and elevated levels of IL-8. Biotinylated Ab2 bound to streptavidin HRP with 14-16 labels per antigen was used to measure high IL-8 concentration with a DL of 10 pg mL-1 (1.0 pM) in 10 L calf serum. The second approach greatly amplified the signal using 1 m magnetic beads coated with over 500,000 HRP labels providing the highest sensitivity of (1061.8 nA mL (fg IL-8)-1 cm-2 and the best detection limit of 1 fg mL-1 (100 aM) for IL-8 in 10 L calf serum. This represents a 10,000-fold and 30,000-fold decrease in the DL over the Ab-HRP(14-16) system and the industry standard ELISA for IL-8 respectively. The immuonsensors were also used to accurately measure IL-8 in HNSCC cell lines with excellent correlation to the standard enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). These GSH-AuNP based immuonsensors show great promise for the fabrication of ultrasensitive biosensor microarrays for point-of-care cancer diagnosis.

Green Decarbonylation of Aldehydes using Palladium (II) Acetate

Jessica Konopka — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:41:31 PDT

Decarbonylation reactions are important reactions in the chemical industry with typical methods being costly and wasteful. It is important to determine an effective catalyst and to see how general the reaction is with varying aldehydes, as well as to reduce the waste and make the reaction more cost effective. Several different aldehydes were studied using palladium (II) acetate as a catalyst. The samples were analyzed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) to determine if a product was formed based on the percent report obtained. Palladium (II) acetate was found to be an effective catalyst, yielding 100% product for several aldehydes used. Lower yields were attributed to altering the reflux time, distillation processes, and attempting to reuse the catalyst.

Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking: An Overlooked Issue

Michelle Kuhl — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:32:44 PDT

Slavery and human trafficking have become a widespread problem across the globe today. Practices including debt bondage, forced labor, sexual slavery, and more are occurring in every country, including here in the United States. It has been widely overlooked, and although there are several laws and declarations outlawing the practice of slavery, it still occurs. Neoliberalism and globalization are considered in this thesis as contributors to modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons. Additionally, specific case studies of a few different nations are provided to clarify the topic and help the reader create a personal connection to the issue. A lot can be done to stop these practices, including efforts by governments, business, and the general public. It is time to uphold the claim that slavery is a thing of the past.