Multiple Dimensions of Memory:
An Analysis of the Social Remembrance in China's Cultural Revolution

Leif Anderson, History
University of Wisconsin - Superior
David Tôbaru Obermiller, Ph.D., Mentor
Department of Social Inquiry - History
University of Wisconsin - Superior

ABSTRACT

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Nurses and the Responsibility to Provide Information and Education Regarding Abortion

Firestar Charette, Nursing
The College of St. Scholastica
Kathleen Cargill, M.A., Advisor
School of Arts and Letters - Department of History, Politics and Culture
The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Abortion is perhaps the most controversial legal issue since Prohibition. It has been long argued in the political and personal arenas. The best of friends can have the most opposing viewpoints to this rather simple medical procedure. The debate to decide whether the issue is ethical, legal or personal has been growing and gaining more and more attention. Nurses as educators are often on the forefront of this issue. With constantly changing laws and the ability to "opt-out" of caring for women who are considering, undergoing, or have undergone an abortion, the debate has moved from one of medical care to personal judgment or moral and religious beliefs. This paper explores the debate on whether nurses have to put aside personal feelings in caring for their patients, and whether the issue of abortion should be protected when it comes to medical care received from nurses.

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How Race Contributes to the Use of Children's Mental Health Services
and Child Protection Services in St. Louis County, MN

Stacia Donovan, Social Work
The College of St. Scholastica
Michelle Robertson, M.S.W., LGSW, Mentor
School of Health Sciences - Department of Social Work
The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

This study examined how the topics of race, ethnicity and duration of stay contributed to the use of Children's Mental Health (CMH) and Child Protection Services (CPS). Throughout the country children of color tend to be overrepresented in CPS and there is a question of whether children of color are underrepresented in mental health services. This study looked at the number of children within St. Louis County, MN, that accessed these two county-based services in a one-year period. The researcher analyzed data collected by St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services to determine statistically if this northern Minnesota county follows the trends documented throughout the country. The data was collected from the statewide Social Services Information System (SSIS) on each client in each work group throughout 2006. The researcher questioned whether St. Louis County would follow the trend and children of color would be underrepresented in the voluntary CMH services while overrepresented in CPS, but the data showed that children of color were overrepresented in comparison to the overall population in both programs.

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Women in Corrections:
How Work Stress Affects the Personal Lives of Female Correctional Officers
Working in Adult Male Prisons: A Proposal

Jacqueline L. Halberg, Social Work
The College of St. Scholastica
Lee Gustafson, Ph.D., Mentor
School of Health Science - Department of Social Work
The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

This research will explore how work stress affects the personal lives of female correctional officers who work in adult male correctional facilities in Minnesota. This qualitative study will utilize a constructivist approach in gathering and analyzing data from interviews with two female officers from each of seven adult male, state-run correctional facilities. An interview schedule will be utilized that differentiates between work and non-work stress, and coping mechanisms. Each interview will be concluded with the officers telling their personal stories of what it is like to be a female officer working in an adult male facility, in a male-dominated profession. Data will be analyzed using a matrix, identifying common themes from each interview that reflected how work stress affects the officers' marriages, parenting, friendships, and socializing.

The Na+/H+ exchanger 1 is found in

synaptic membranes of the striatum.

Lindsay Leveille, Biology

The College of St. Scholastica

Lai-Yoong Wong, Marcelo Rocha, and Patricia K. Sonsalla

Neurology Department

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ

ABSTRACT

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with damage to dopamine-synthesizing neurons located in the nigrostriatal region of the brain. Mitochondrial defects are found in a large percentage of PD patients suggesting a link between energy impairment and neurodegeneration in this disorder. Significant energy is utilized by neurons to maintain ionic gradients across the cell membrane. The sodium hydrogen exchanger-1 (NHE1) is a transmembrane protein that is involved in regulation of intracellular pH and sodium gradients. NHE1 is the most common isoform in the brain and its activation during metabolic stress is thought to play a role in the accumulation of intracellular sodium. We hypothesize that blockade of NHE1 will protect against dopamine neurodegeneration in PD models by reducing Na+ influx into the neurons. The purpose of the present study was to examine the localization of NHE1 in the brain to determine if NHE1 is present in the same location as the dopamine synthesizing neurons. Understanding the role of NHE1 in these neurons may clarify why dopaminergic neurons are more vulnerable to stress than other neurons. Samples of the kidney, liver, heart and brain regions (e.g. striatum, cortex and hippocampus) of mice were dissected, homogenized and subfractionated. NHE1 presence was determined in subfractions by Western Blot analysis. NHE1 was present in the fractions containing synaptic membranes from the striatum. This is the first documentation of NHE1 protein expression in the striatum. Its location in synaptic membranes would suggest that NHE1 may play a role in striatal dopamine function.

Evaluation of Cancer-Related GGA 1 Mutations

in Human Breast Cancer

Elizabeth Maganzini, Biology

The College of St. Scholastica

Patricia Scott, Ph.D. Mentor

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

University of Minnesota - Medical School, Duluth

ABSTRACT

Oncogenesis (tumor growth) is caused in part by changes in composition of membrane spanning proteins at the cell surface. Membrane spanning proteins enter into correct pathways by mediation of protein sorting complexes. Protein sorting complexes are needed to make sure that membrane spanning proteins get into the right pathway to travel to their right destination in the cell. The GGA (Golgi-localized, Gamma-adaptin ear homology, ARF-binding) family of proteins interacts with these protein sorting complexes. Changes in GGA activity could result in the misrouting of specific membrane spanning proteins and potentially influence whether cancer develops. The goal of this study is to evaluate the affects of altered GGA1 activity in breast cancer patients. This study is following an earlier genomic study conducted by Vogelstein and colleagues which identified two mutations in GGA1 genes which produce amino acid changes G239S and P484A that are likely to contribute to oncogenesis (Vogelstein 2002). The long term goals of this project are to determine whether altered GGA1 activity contributes to oncogenesis and to determine if altered GGA1 activity can be a biomarker in the early stages of breast cancer for further worsened progression of the disease. In order to start this long-term process of discovery, researchers must first determine if G239S and P484A mutations are the predominant cancer-related GGA1 mutations. A current pilot study is being conducted to look for GGA1 mutations in approximately 150 human breast cancer tissue samples. Genomic DNA will be isolated from each sample, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gel purified and analyzed by sequencing techniques.

Gender Differences Associated with Cortisol and Memory

Ashley R. Mott, Biology

The College of St. Scholastica

Andrine Lemieux, Ph.D., LP, Mentor

School of Sciences - Department of Psychology and Sociology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Cortisol, a commonly used indicator of stress, has numerous effects on the body. Studies have also reported that cortisol interferes with memory, but few have looked into the effects of gender differences in cortisol on this memory interference. This study investigated the effect of gender differences in memory when subjects were both at rest and under stress. Sixty-nine college students from an upper Midwestern college were studied in a quasi-experimental pre/post study. Cortisol was used to gauge stress and a wordlist learning task was used to assess the memory recall. Within this verbal memory task, the emotional valence of list items was varied to include positive, negative, and neutral words. Each student provided a blood sample at both of the time points: one at pre-stress, two weeks into the first semester, and a second at post-stress time point, during final exam week. It is hypothesized that gender differences affects memory performance of emotional (negative and positive) valence words under stress. This research will enhance our understanding of gender differences in verbal memory.

Women and Gender in Seventeenth Century England:

As Seen in Three Women's Plays

Katie M. Sundstrom, English and History, Politics & Culture

The College of St. Scholastica

Sandra Logan, Ph.D., Mentor

Department of English

Michigan State University

William Hodapp, Ph.D., Advisor

School of Arts & Letters - Department of English

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The paper studies the interconnections between the gender debate of the seventeenth century in England and three women playwrights and their plays. Through an analysis of the lives of Elizabeth Cary, Margaret Cavendish, and Aphra Behn, the author places them into the greater context of their historical backgrounds, studying how their actions challenged the traditional gender concepts of the age. At the same time, through specific plays from each, Cary's The Tragedy of Mariam, Cavendish's Love's Adventures, and Behn's Feigned Courtesans, the author compares the roles of the leading female characters and the traditional gender concepts, stressing at which points the characters deny the roles they have been forced into and instead forge new paths for women. In this way, a new and continually-changing model for women is portrayed, leading into many of the rights that women enjoy to this day.

Young Adults and the Workplace: Perspectives of Five Young Adults on How Health Risks and Workplace Motivators Influence Their Employment Choices

Samantha Szczech, Social Work

The College of St. Scholastica
Lynn Goerdt, M.S.W., LGSW

School of Health Sciences - Social Work

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Interviews were conducted in June and July 2007 with young adult workers discussing motivators, health as related to exposure to secondhand smoke, and workplace policies. The interviews were completed with five 18-30 year-old adults who work in Duluth, Minnesota, or Superior, Wisconsin. This research was conducted to address a lack of data about the perspective of young adult workers on risks to their health, particularly because of changes in current policy at the local and state level. The results demonstrated that young adult workers are motivated primarily by monetary benefits while potentially compromising their own health. Young adult workers are more likely to support non-smoking policies. In the future, policies should recognize that young adult workers are motivated by money and that risk factors are present in some work environments from which young adults should be protected.

Remote Sensing of the Rip Currents Along the Beaches

on Park Point, Duluth, Minnesota

Shirley Tillman, Geography

University of Minnesota - Duluth

Olaf Kuhlke, Ph.D., Mentor

Department of Geography

University of Minnesota - Duluth

ABSTRACT

This research examines the use of remote sensing imagery of rip currents off the beaches of Park Point, an island in Lake Superior, Duluth, MN. The imagery proposed is Quickbird® imagery orthoready standard tasking color Infrared pan sharpened (3-band) 2 ft by 2.3 ft acquired through DigitalGlobe. The hypothesis is that this imagery should allow the infrared band waves to be interpreted and show the rip currents along the shoreline better than the use of in-field research techniques.

Making Connections Between New Americans

and Resources in the Duluth Community

Andrea J. Toland, Social Work

The College of St. Scholastica

Kathleen Cargill, M.A., Mentor

School of Arts and Letters - Department of History, Politics & Culture

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The social needs of the immigrant population within the Duluth community of northern Minnesota are often overlooked. A needs assessment was conducted on New Americans residing in Duluth in the summer of 2006. The research revealed this population is not receiving all of the services for which they are eligible. The current research focuses on discovering the obstacles that occur from the service providers' point of view. A survey was created and sent to 20 local service agencies: 13 different agencies (65%) and 57 people (55%) responded. The researcher hypothesized the biggest obstacles for the service providers would be twofold: language barriers and New Americans not being aware of the services that the agencies have to offer to them.

Cyclic GMP Induced Down Regulation of Cyclic

GMP-dependent Protein Kinase Ia and Iß

Mary E. Udermann, Exercise Physiology

The College of St. Scholastica

Thomas Lincoln, Ph.D., Principle Investigator

Nupur Dey, Ph.D., Mentor

Department of Physiology

The University of South Alabama

John Dargan, M.A., Advisor

School of Sciences - Department of Exercise Physiology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Previous work has been done in the area of smooth muscle contraction in regards to nitric oxide (NO) and type I cGMP dependent kinase (PKG). PKG is a serine/threonine kinase and a major receptor for NO in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC); it is also expressed in other mammalian tissues. PKG is expressed in two gene products, PKG-I and PKG-II; PKG-I has two isoforms, PKG-Ia and PKG-Iß. PKG-Ia and Iß both mediate relaxation through NO. PKG expression varies considerably during the growth and proliferation of in vitro cell culture. Some studies suggest that down regulation is not well defined. It appears that induction of type II NO synthase (iNOS) and the increase of cGMP in the cell induce down regulation of PKG-Ia. In this study we compared cGMP induced down regulation of PKG-Ia and PKG-Iß.

Endogenous PKG-Ia and Iß cDNA were transfected into Cos7 cells, which do not express PKG. The cells were treated with different concentrations of the cGMP analog 8-Br-cGMP. Western Blots were used to analyze PKG down regulation. Results show that PKG-Ia, which has a higher affinity for cGMP, was down regulated more noticeably when compared to PKG-Iß. Down regulation appeared to be dependent on ubiquitination of PKG-Ia since the 26s proteasome inhibitor blocks down regulation.

Ethnic Identity as a Predictor of Self-Esteem, Happiness and Life Satisfaction
Among Young Hmong-Americans

Fue Yang, Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

Sister Edith Bogue, Ph.D., Mentor,

School of Sciences - Department of Psychology and Sociology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

This study explores the relationship of Hmong ethnic identity with self-esteem and general happiness, using an adapted East Asian Ethnic Identity Scale (Hmong-EAEIS and its three subscales), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and two measures of general happiness. Survey responses of 110 young Hmong-Americans ranging from 18-40 years of age, were collected at a Hmong cultural event. Hmong-Ethnic Pride (Hmong-EAEIS) is positively correlated with Self-Esteem, while Hmong-Family Values (Hmong-EAEIS) and Hmong-Interpersonal Distance (Hmong-EAEIS) are negatively correlated. Hmong-Ethnic Pride was associated with higher levels of Happiness; no aspect of ethnic identity was related to Life Satisfaction.

The Role of Cortisol and Interleukin-6 In Mediating

Stress-Related Cognitive Fatigue

Brady Zubke, Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

Andrine Lemieux, Ph.D., LP, Mentor

School of Sciences - Department of Psychology and Sociology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Stress-related cognitive fatigue is the source of significant occupational, and sometimes public, safety liabilities. Understanding individual differences within this state is critical. In this quasi-experimental pre/post study using an ecologically valid stress paradigm, the relationship between increases in stress hormones, immune proteins, subjective and objective measures of stress, and cognitive fatigue will be examined. One hundred students from a small Midwestern private college have been examined using the Iowa Gambling Task, other tests of cognitive function, and objective and subjective measures of allostatic stress load once during a relatively low stress period (weeks one or two of a typical semester) and once again during a high stress period (final exam week). The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) shows good reliability and validity in distinguishing populations with compromised functioning of the brain's frontal lobes. Each subject also provided a small blood sample at both time points. Changes in stress reactivity via both cortisol and immune protein measures of pro-inflammatory immune proteins such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) will be used as predictors of changes in IGT scores. Cortisol rises under chronic stress and is known to increase IL-6. This cytokine has receptors throughout the brain, including the frontal lobes, and has been implicated in alterations in learning, attention and memory. Given the similarities between compromised frontal lobe function and chronic stress-related behavioral changes, such as impulsivity, poor problem solving and inattentiveness, it is hypothesized that the IGT will be sensitive to the increased cortisol output, cognitive load, behavioral changes across the stress periods, and immune protein production will mediate this stress-related change. Initial data analysis confirms that individual differences in cortisol responses can be predicted by objective, but not subjective, stress indicators. Further results on the IGT and potential behavioral, endocrine, and/or immune mediators will be discussed.