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COHORT 5 ~ 1999-2000
Juvenile Delinquency Rates in Selected Neighborhoods Within Duluth, MN
Mapped Between August 1999-May 2000
Amy M. Broehm, Social Work
Jayne Fechtelkotter, M.S., McNair Scholars Program
The College of St. Scholastica
Abstract
Juvenile delinquency is a concern of American society. Delinquent offenses may include crimes against person or property, and/or status offenses. Court records of all juveniles who appeared in southern St. Louis County, Minnesota, Juvenile Court between August 1999 and May 2000 were examined for this research. This research provides a statistical analysis of delinquent offenses committed within southern St. Louis County correlated with neighborhood income level. A summary of the research findings was shared with Judge Gerald Martin and is a basis for securing grant funding for the Duluth community. The hypothesis is that the income level of neighborhoods correlates with rates of juvenile delinquency. Preliminary findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between income level and rates of juvenile delinquency.
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Outcome Evaluation of a Community Service Program for Adolescents
Christopher Dolan, Psychology
Chandra Mehrotra, Ph.D., Dean of Special Projects
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Empower 2000 is a two-phase community service program that I designed for adolescents. Program goals include (a) increasing participants’ identity development and internal locus of control, (b) enhancing their understanding of social issues in the community, and (c) strengthening their skills of project development and teamwork. Program participants ranged in age from 16 to 19 years and most of them lived in a medium sized Midwest City. The evaluation included both quantitative and qualitative measures to determine whether the program outcomes were achieved. The quantitative measures included measurement of identity development and locus of control. The qualitative measures included program traces, individual and group discussions, and an independent evaluation by the research advisor. The program seemed to meet its goals of enhancing participants’ understanding of social issues in the community, and increasing their skills of project development and teamwork. There is no evidence to support that the program met the goal of increasing participants’ internal locus of control. Although the quantitative data is inconclusive, qualitative data seems to suggest that there was an increase in their identity development. Possible drawbacks of the evaluation related to the application of the quantitative measures are discussed here, as is a further analysis of participant characteristics. Recommendations for program improvement are also outlined.
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Losing Valuable Russians: The Brain Drain
Wil Dowdell, History
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Thomas Morgan, D.A., Department of Languages & International Studies
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This project describes the current “brain drain” phenomenon; the mass exodus of talented and educated Russians to the USA.
During the 1980s the United States continually recruited scientists and other Soviet citizens in the pursuit of fighting the “communist menace.” With the fall of communism, the need to recruit for national security faded. The Americans in the 1990s focused on how the U.S. could integrate the many professional Russian disciplines into the United States’ private sector.
The Bush administration recognized the growing shortage of an educated work force. The president was advised to explore the newly opened Eastern Bloc which suddenly offered millions of professionally trained citizens to the U.S. labor force. This was a direct result of the dismantling of the Soviet Union. The United States moved quickly to ensure that proper legislation was in place to eliminate intimidating red tape, making it easier for Eastern Europeans to enter the United States and work.
For a few years, the atmosphere of the newly formed democratic Russian Federation was absolute optimism. For millions of Russians the infinite possibilities which seemed to accompany democracy ignored the exhausted Russian economy resulting from a forty-year arms race. However, during the mid-1990s the Russian economy collapsed, and many Russians began to look abroad for stability and a chance for themselves and their children to escape the declining standard of living.
Many Russians either physically left the Russian Federation or contracted their labor and expertise to foreign companies. Therefore, the mass exodus of Russians during the early 1990s was both a “push” instigated by the Russian government and a “pull” from the United States.
At the close of the second millennium emigration has taken its toll on the Russian Federation. Combined with a low birthrate, a low life expectancy for men, a high infant-mortality rate, a high suicide rate and high alcoholism, the loss of Russians to the West has caused the population to reach an all-time critical low.
This project explores the Russian standard of living which has been devastated by mismanagement and corruption. The low standard of living prevails also because of a lack of trained professionals who are vitally needed to rebuild Russia’s collapsed infrastructure.
Historically, the Russian people have been a people of profound patriotism. It has been said that the one thing Stalin gave to the Russians was a motherland. Why then have thousands of Russians each year been forced to leave their homeland for the United States? This project shows that Russia’s government must invest in the building of a private sector, and that can only begin with Russia’s attracting foreign capital investments.
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A Metaphorical Reading of the Christian Resurrection Myth
Isabelle Hill, Religious Studies
Steve Ostovich, Ph.D., Department of Philosophy
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
In what we call his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul examined the issue of resurrection. In the Christian tradition, it has often been taught to read the Christ resurrection myth literally. The problem with solely literal interpretations of resurrection stories is that when we read, for example, the Christian resurrection narrative, we have a story that will not work now, because it did not work to begin with when Paul was writing to the Corinthians. It goes against human experience to believe that bodies rise from the dead. Additionally, we dismiss important interpretations that myths serve to tell us about how to live our lives now.
We deny the metaphorical interpretation of a myth when we read it literally. Myths about death and resurrection still offer vital truths about how, as humans, we wonder about, cope with, and explain death. Myths tell us how to live life and face death whether or not there is historical and factual basis to the stories. “Myths are myths from top to bottom.” (Campbell, New Horizons) They can still work for us if we are willing to see that they are stories that, as humans, we have used to face death. We are the only species that we know of that anticipates its own mortality. (Campbell, New Horizons) My conclusion is that we can read resurrection myths, like the Christian narrative discussed in 1 Corinthians 15, as metaphors to gain meaning for our lives while we are alive and not just as stories that tell us literally what happens after we die.
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Nurse Job Satisfaction
Diane Isaac, Nursing
Gloria Pearson, M.A., R.N., Department of Nursing
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This study explored the job satisfaction level experienced by eighty-seven registered nurses from northern Minnesota who have chosen a career in nursing. The major concern in this descripitve-correlational study was to determine whether nurses who are happy with their career choice are having greater job satisfaction than nurses who are unhappy with their career choice. The major findings are as follows: 1) seventy-four percent of the 87 participants agreed they made a good career decision; 2) sixty-three percent of those same 87 nurses agreed salary, when measured alone, does contribute heavily to job satisfaction; and 3) the more satisfied the nurses were with their career, the less salary mattered. This study found that being happy with their career choice is not related to the amount of general job satisfaction that they will experience throughout their career as a nurse.
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Parent Education for High-Risk Parents: A Qualitative Study
Nicole Johnson, Psychology and Social Work
Darryl Dietrich, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This research project explores high-risk parents’ perceptions of parenting and parent education. The purpose is to gain new insight into this population in order to make a recommendation on the most effective parent education program with which to provide them. Interviews were conducted with ten mothers who are currently participating in Lutheran Social Services’ Young Parent Program. Sufficient information was found to make recommendations for the following areas of parent education programs: motivations, incentives, content, method of delivery, and follow-up.
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The Relationship Between Media Exposure
and Two to Five Year Old Children’s Creativity
Tiffany Kuchinski, Occupational Therapy
Debra Schroeder, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This research examined the relationship between media exposure and creativity in preschool children. A questionnaire on amount and content of television viewing and creative play activities was completed by 83 parents of children ages two and five in daycare. No significant correlations were found between the two summary measures of creativity and number of hours of television viewed per day. Also, no significant correlations were found between the two summary measures of creativity and percentage of the most frequently viewed five shows that are non-educational in nature. However, two of the individual creativity items correlated with percentage of non-educational television: (1) The child pretends to be animals (positive correlation) and (2) The child dances (negative correlational trend). Finally, there was a positive correlation between creativity levels and time the child spends with the parent.
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Job Satisfaction among Physician Assistants in Minnesota
Hieu Nguyen, Biology
Gloria Pearson, M.A., R.N., Department of Nursing
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed health care professionals who work with physician supervision to provide care for patients. Since PAs are an important part of the health care team, it is essential to keep them satisfied with their jobs. This study examines physician assistants in Minnesota in an attempt to understand what factors contributed to their job satisfaction. The focus of the study compares gender, degree received as a part of PA training and locale (i.e., rural or urban) in which the participant practices. Independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Areas of highest satisfaction include: the amount of time spent on-call; physician colleagues; appreciation and respect from patients; relationship with patients; and life in general. The area of lowest satisfaction was the paperwork load involved in the job.
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Empirical Evaluation of A Congressional Internship Program
Michael Novak, Psychology
Debra S. Schroeder, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This project involves an evaluation of an internship program with a Congressional Committee. The participants include the 50 staff members of a majority (Republican) staff of an authorizing committee in Congress. This group includes a variety of ages, positions and backgrounds. Also participating are five interns, again with a variety of positions and backgrounds. It is hypothesized that this internship provides a beneficial experience for students and assists professionals in their work. Specifically, it is hypothesized that students participating in the internship program develop the professional skills and the attitudes necessary to be productive and capable workers. Examples of these skills and attitudes would be computer proficiency, punctuality, ability to organize, and interpersonal skills. Also, I suggest that the paid staff of the organization in this study has positive feelings toward interns and positive experiences with them; e.g. the interns’ contribution of new ideas and the reduction of the workload of the staff. Two surveys, one for interns and one for staff, were constructed to measure the research questions. It was found that there are benefits of this internship to both students and organization staff. Benefits include reduced workload for staff members and increased professional skills for students.
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Female Sexual Arousal: A Pilot Study
Correlation Between Sexual-Esteem, Physiological Arousal and Subjective Arousal
Adenike Olisa, Psychology
Paula Randall, Ph.D. Department of Psychology
University of Minnesota - Duluth
ABSTRACT
This is a correlation study between physiological, subjective arousal and sexual self-esteem. This study evaluates females’ sexual arousal in response to visual stimuli. Volunteers watched film clips in a closed, internally locked room, while their sexual response was measured via a plethysmograph. Although some of the video clips used to evaluate these subjects contained sexually explicit images, they did not contain violence, physical or sexual abuse.
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The “Real” Lives of Vladimir Nabokov:
A Critique of Three Novels
Jamie L. Olson, English
Thomas Zelman, Ph.D., Department of English
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The distinction between truth and fiction in the interpretation of literature is not always clear, particularly in light of the reader’s tendency to subjectively “read into” the text information that may not be intrinsic. In the novels Lolita, Pale Fire, and The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Vladimir Nabokov exploits this tendency to the fullest extent, blurring the reality/art dichotomy by means of narrative deceit and often parodying the reader’s relationship to the text. The implications of these techniques and of solipsistic reading are explored in this paper, and ultimately extended to encompass literary analysis in general, thereby examining how one should interact with a fictional piece of literature.
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m- and m- Calpain Alterations During Renal Cell Injury and Death
Juanita J. Rainey, Chemistry
Larry McGahey, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry
The College of St. Scholastica
Rick G. Schnellmann, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
ABSTRACT
Calpains, calcium-activated neutral cysteine proteases, play an important role in a number of physiological and pathological processes. There are two ubiquitous isoforms of calpain, m- calpain and m- calpain. The difficulty of measuring m- calpain and m- calpain activity in cellular compartments is one limitation in determining the role of calpains in cell injury and death. One goal of this study was to adapt a Fluoresceine isothiocyanate (FITC)-casein zymogram assay to determine any changes in cytosolic m- and m- calpain activities during renal proximal tubule (RPT) cell injury and death. A second goal of this study was to determine the effect of glycine and calpain inhibitors (SJA 7029 and PD 150606) on RPT calpain activity. RPTs were isolated by collagenase digestion and purified using Percoll and centrifugation. RPTs were treated for 30 minutes with antimycin A (AA) (10 mM) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (vehicle control), in the presence or absence of glycine (2 mM), SJA 7029 (100 mM) or PD 150606 (100 mM). RPTs were then fractionated into cytosolic and membrane pools using digitonin and centrifugation. FITC-Casein zymography was used to detect both m- and m- calpain activities in the cytosolic fraction. Release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used as a marker of cell death. Thirty minutes following AA addition, LDH release was 26% compared to 6% in controls, 7% in AA + glycine, 3% in glycine alone, 8% in AA + SJA 7029, and 5% in AA + PD 15606. Cytosolic m- and m- calpain activities in AA-treated RPT decreased 44% and 34%, respectively, compared to controls. Glycine blocked AA-induced LDH release and improved cytosolic m- and m- calpain activities to 112% and 93% of controls. SJA 7029 and PD 150606 inhibited the activities of m- and m- calpain isoforms and blocked AA-induced LDH release. These data validate that the FITC-casein zymogram is capable of distinguishing m- calpain from m- calpain and show that there is a decrease in cytosolic m- and m- calpain activities following AA exposure. The observation that m- and m- calpain activities decrease to a similar extent and were equivalent to LDH release suggests that the loss of calpain activities is due to cell death. Nevertheless, the decrease in calpain activities and cell death with SJA 7029and PD 150606 further supports our previous data, suggesting that there is an important role for calpain in renal cell injury and death.
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“Through the Eyes of the Client: the Minnesota Displaced Homemaker Program”
Gayle E. Samich, Social Work
Kathleen Cargill, M.A., Department of Sociology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The Minnesota Displaced Homemaker Program (DHP) is perceived by some State officials to duplicate services to clients that are provided by other State agencies. Further, the DHP is perceived as an underutilized program and a program for which there is a waning need. This research surveyed 343 DHP clients in the seven Arrowhead Counties of northeastern Minnesota to obtain their perceptions and evaluations of the need for services provided to them by the DHP. The survey results indicated that the DHP is a unique program delivering services to a special population that cannot receive the same services elsewhere. The next challenge is to use the results of this research in the political arena.
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Mechanism of Implantation
Paula J. Snyder, Biology
Gerald R. Cizadlo, Ph.D., Department of Biology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Implantation of the mammalian embryo is a process not fully understood. However, through research involving immunofluorescent techniques and biomechanics we can learn more about the protein interactions between the embryo and the uterine epithelial cells. After the concentration of proteins and other components are identified, it is possible to observe cell migration and study the forces of contractile proteins and adhesion molecules. The next challenge is to understand how all the components of the mechanism are integrated to cause invasion of the embryo.
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Repeating Patterns in Rational Numbers
Larry Tordsen, Mathematics
Alice Guckin, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This paper explores rational numbers that form non-terminating sequences of digits when the number is expressed in decimal form. Investigations of properties of the repetend include the number of digits in the repetend, the particular digits in the repetend, and explorations of representations in number bases other than 10. The author has adapted algorithms in Maple and c++ programming languages for exploring these properties.
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Effects of Myofascial Release and Craniosacral Therapy on
Migraine and Tension-Type Headaches
Melissa Wallgren, Physical Therapy
Gary Gordon, Ph.D., Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Myofascial release and craniosacral therapy are techniques that have not been thoroughly researched as headache treatments. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that these therapies provide a beneficial treatment for headache sufferers. The sample, consisting of 14 volunteers (13 female, 1 male), were treated with myofascial release and craniosacral therapy involving a hands-on approach as well as a hand-made device. Headache relief was measured by the use of a headache log over a nine-week period. This log measured frequency, duration, severity and relief of headaches. The major implications of this research include the introduction of an alternative form of treatment to drugs and other headache treatments (e.g., relaxation techniques, biofeedback or acupuncture). Results of the study indicated there was no significant difference between the control period, the hands-on myofascial release and craniosacral therapy or the cranial base tension pillow period in headache frequency, duration, severity, relief or medication consumed.
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Predictors of Dating Satisfaction
Holly Zemek, Psychology
Debra S. Schroeder, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Determining what makes a relationship work is a mountain that is waiting to be conquered. This study takes us one step closer to the peak by examining how control, conflict, values system, and social support relate to dating satisfaction, and particularly how changes in values relate to satisfaction changes. Two surveys were administered two months apart, to 47 college students who were dating someone steadily and asked them about the aforementioned variables. Data from the first survey indicated that two variables - social support and intrinsic values - were positively associated with satisfaction. Changes in intrinsic and extrinsic values from the first to the second test were associated with changes in satisfaction.
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