The Honors College

Protein synthesis is a critical component in the normal physiology and maintenance of skeletal muscle. With aging there is a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in muscle protein synthesis. Phytoecdysteroids are natural plant steroids that possess medicinal and physiological properties. The phytoecdysteroid, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), stimulates protein synthesis in muscle cells in vitro and increases muscle fiber size in aged mice; however, further research is needed to determine the optimal time point for 20E-induced muscle protein synthesis.

Large point sources account for as much as 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions for some countries. Further, in the US one third of all CO2 emissions come from only 311 point sources (power plants, industrial sites, etc.). Because CO2 emissions are seldom measured directly but are generally estimated from related, proxy, and re-purposed data; we also need to understand the uncertainty of these estimates. Simply stated, given a geographic and temporal space on the Earth, what are the CO2 emissions from that space and what is the uncertainty in this estimate?

Across America, the higher education system has been plagued with actions and behaviors that culminate in interpersonal violence, including sexual violence. National policies have attempted to prevent assaults and educate college students about this type of violence. Some of these policies include Title IX, the Clery Act, and the Campus SAVE Act.

Domestic violence in Nicaragua may be explained by various sociocultural factors. Socially ingrained traits of human behavior are very telling of how domestic violence against women is manifested, and therefore highlighting how this modern-day and truly global issue is gaining more recognition. This thesis seeks to observe such traits potentially related to domestic violence, particularly patriarchy and tradition, the resulting manifestation of machismo, and ingrained gender roles that have come to define domestic violence in Nicaragua today.

This thesis explores the status quo in multicultural music education. An exploration of current problems, literature in the field, field research, methodology, findings, and conclusions outlines current issues and potential remedies in order to recommend a research based approach to multicultural music education and the quality of teaching music of other cultures in the American Public School classroom.

Complete Thesis (PDF, 318KB)

The American Psychological Association defines the humanistic perspective as "a psychological model that emphasizes an individual's phenomenal world and inherent capacity for making rational choices and developing maximum potential." For this paper, I will examine merited works of literature through a humanistic lens.

This thesis searches for what attributes graduating high school students consider most important while choosing a university, and then to what degree Appalachian State University succeeds at having those attributes. A review of relevant literature, a major survey study conducted by Appalachian in 2010 and similar studies conducted by other universities lead to the development of 75 attributes used in this study.

In contrast to dominant methods of information collection regarding wedding trends that survey women after their big day has already passed, a survey approach was used to quantify future wedding trends of brides-to-be in the American millennial generation. Established literature on the topic tends to focus on the history or commercial consumption of the ritual. As research on wedding trends is limited, this thesis is explorative in nature. Research acquired from the survey suggests that this big day is around to stay, and also delves deeper into the details surrounding it.

The senior recital is the capstone experience for every Music Performance major. It represents the culmination of four years spent practicing, studying and performing music from a wide range of genres and style periods. The senior recital is an incredible and rare opportunity to group musical works together that were conceived separately by varying composers in different countries and at different times. Together, the pieces should fit together to form a meaningful musical unit.

This undergraduate thesis explores the impact of sign language on expressive and receptive language skills in deaf children. The research presented primarily focuses on American Sign Language (ASL) and English language development. However, studies based in the Netherlands were reviewed to demonstrate how Sign Language of the Netherlands (SLN) impacts receptive and expressive Dutch language skills. Overall implications from these reviewed studies indicate that sign language enhances receptive and expressive language skills for deaf children.