The Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the effect a language barrier has on the quality of treatment and level of satisfaction for patients with limited English proficiency. Data was collected through surveys which were administered to 30 individuals during a medical trip to Guatemala. None of the individuals surveyed were proficient in English and underwent surgeries performed by physicians and medical staff who were exclusively English speakers. Interpreters facilitated communication between the patients and the medical team.

Transmembrane proteins are essential to many biological processes yet appear in only 2% of known crystal structures. Due to limitations with effective protein expression and solubility, structural and functional information on transmembrane proteins lags behind what is known about soluble proteins. One class of these transmembrane proteins is the organic anion transporters (OATs). OATs are responsible for the transport of negatively charged drugs, xenobiotics, and metabolites in the body (specifically in epithelial tissues).

The dopamine system, which regulates motor movement, motivation, reward, and emotions, is linked to physical activity behavior in mice.  It has also been discovered that enrichment - physical activity - and the dopamine system may be linked to an increase in cognitive functioning especially in those who suffer with cognitive impairments due to disease or stroke. Environmental factors such as nutrition can affect the dopamine system. “Caloric restriction” has been shown to induce changes in key neuromodulators in the brain, leading to increased longevity and better health.

A project over fifteen years in the making, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C., opened in 2004 to decidedly mixed reviews from the public.  Critics claimed that the museum avoided the history of European colonization and that its displays were arranged haphazardly and without context.  Advocates countered that the NMAI’s unique approach to interpretation and organization was part of its overall program to expose visitors to American history from the Native perspective and to promote a deeper understanding of Native culture.  This pape

This thesis demonstrates how television news stations are utilizing social media to engage their viewers by allowing them to act as co-producers, and in some cases providing incentives for their interaction.  Email and social networking sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter, are tactics explored.  The creative portion of my thesis is a ten-minute video illustrating the opinions of two news directors, two news anchors and a digital media producer.  The three designated markets covered in this thesis are (1) Bristol, VA/Kingsport, Johnson City, TN, (2) Asheville, NC/Greenvi

The development of antiviral drugs is invaluable to the progress and security of humanity. For this reason the value of plant chemicals as antiviral medicines should be considered to a larger extent in order to assist in the search for future medicines. This article strives to provide support for the potential that plants have in providing chemicals that can act as antiviral agents.

Bandana’s Bar-B-Que and Grill is an independent barbecue restaurant located in Boone, North Carolina. Bandana’s has been offering casual-dining and catering services to the Boone community for over 17 years. Bandana’s serves an estimated 240 customers each day, with about 45 percent of its business from locals, 45 percent from tourists, and only 10 percent from ASU students each year. It is the only barbecue restaurant in Boone. Bandana’s direct competitors are Woodlands Barbecue and Frontier Barbeque, located in Blowing Rock and Banner Elk, respectively.

In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind policy in the Memphis City School District, a comparison was made of Memphis schools and those in the Davidson County School District, which includes metropolitan Nashville. Both of these cities have majority African-American student populations, and thus help to identify the achievement gap in Tennessee schools.

Tests are more than tools to appraise learning, they can also facilitate the learning process itself. Numerous studies have shown that giving people an initial quiz tends to enhance their performance on a later test (e.g., Marsh et al., 2007; Richland et al., 2009; Roediger & Karpicke, 2006a). What is not known, however, is whether the initial quiz should be given before or after a person has had an opportunity to study the material. This study compared the impact of quiz placement on performance on a final test.

Teaching students to self-edit is an important process for encouraging and developing an interest in reading as well as an appreciation for literature.  Among numerous research articles pertaining to adolescent literature in the high school classroom, one of the reoccurring and most integral points reiterates that many high school students view reading very negatively.  Preliminary research also states students’ reading and writing abilities reflect self-esteem and motivation: if a student performs poorly in reading and writing, students will view themselves as poor readers