2023 Issue

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https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/57446

In this momentous occasion, we proudly present the TCU McNair Scholars Research Journal, a culmination of dedicated efforts by McNair Scholars and their esteemed faculty mentors. As we transition from the traditional TCU McNair Anthology to this inaugural research journal, it is a privilege to introduce letters from two pivotal figures who have played instrumental roles in shaping the undergraduate scholarly landscape at Texas Christian University. Dr. LaTrina Parker Hall, the Director of the TCU Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Higher Education and Leadership, shares insights into the transformative journey of the McNair Scholars, highlighting their commitment to academic excellence and diversity in higher education. Complementing this perspective, Dr. Frank Hernandez, the Dean of the College of Education, articulates TCU's overarching commitment to research, emphasizing the significance of undergraduate research in nurturing a community of scholars. Together, these letters set the stage for an exploration of the exceptional research contributions by our McNair Scholars, marking a significant chapter in the advancement of undergraduate scholarship at TCU.

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(2025-02-25) Doe, Jane
Understanding the structure and function of protein kinase C-Epsilon using site directed mutagenesis
This research is focused on gaining a better understanding of PKC-epsilon a calcium-dependent protein kinase involved in a wide range of cellular functions including cell proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. The interest in PKC-epsilon derives from the discovery of a de novo mutation in the PKC-epsilon gene in patients suffering from SHORT syndrome. This syndrome is a debilitating disorder characterized by short stature, hyper extensibility, ocular depression, Rieger anomaly, and teething decay. This project involved recapitulating the naturally occurring de novo mutations in vitro as well as determining if other mutations in PKC-epsilon could cause similar disease-state phenotypes. Using a technique known as Site Directed Mutagenesis mutations were introduced into the PKC-epsilon gene and the effects of these mutations on the protein expression were assessed. This mutational analysis will help identify the regions of PKC-epsilon that are vital for its function. This will help elucidate the effect of the same mutations in patients and could help correlate with the severity of disease. Obtaining a clearer picture of the different regions of the PKC-epsilon protein allows for future studies to focus on successfully fixing these regions when they become damaged and could therefore be used to help patients with SHORT syndrome.
Letter from the Director of the McNair Scholars Program
The Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Language Retention in College-Aged Students
As our world is becoming more globally connected, the ability to speak another language is increasingly becoming a valuable skill. While there exist many training programs to help acquire a new language, this task becomes increasingly difficult with age– thus presenting the need for a novel method of intervention to assist in this process. Considering this increasing difficulty and poor outcomes of existing methods, a new biologically based intervention could be valuable for improving learning and memory. Previous research conducted in our lab has shown that noninvasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is an effective intervention in memory-based reading comprehension and letter-sound learning (Thakkar et al., 2020;2023). TaVNS has also been shown to boost associative memory (Jacobs et al., 2015), spatial working memory (Sun et al., 2021), and emotional memory (Ventura-Bort et al., 2021). Despite this knowledge, little is known about taVNS and its effects on long-lasting language retention. Thus, this current study explores whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation can improve learning and retention of vocabulary words in a new language when paired with a training routine. Typically developing college-aged individuals were recruited through an online participant pool. All individuals were screened for age, IQ, reading, memory, and attention for inclusion in this study. The participants completed a one-hour training session in which they were presented with 30 Palauan nouns, the respective English translations, as well as images of the nouns. During this time, the participants received sham, 5 Hz, or 25 Hz stimulation to the posterior of the left tragus. Prior to training, participants completed a translation test to measure their existing knowledge of the Palauan language, and this test was repeated immediately after training and again seven days later to measure learning and retention. After analysis of the results, no effect was found for any stimulation group immediately after training. At retention, however, the 25 Hz taVNS group showed significantly greater performance than both the sham and 5 Hz taVNS groups on recall of material. There was also no statistical difference between the performance of the sham and 5 Hz taVNS groups. Lastly, the results further suggest that stimulation intensity does not impact efficacy of the intervention. These data suggest that taVNS, regardless of stimulation intensity, may be used to help in the retention of novel words of a new language. These data will be important for ongoing research examining the uses of taVNS, its use as an intervention for learning and retention of a new language, as well as its potential uses in other areas of cognition.
Examination of Relationships Among Sexual Exploitation, Sex, and Aces Among Youth in The Legal System
The purpose of the current study is to examine how many youths in the juvenile justice system in the same experience sexual exploitation compared to the rest of the youth in the juvenile justice system and what difference can be seen in ACEs scores by sex. Literature shows that exposure to trauma at a young age can lead to mental health problems as well as further abuse, both substance and sexual. Without proper treatment, the victims will transition into adulthood without adequate support. Healthcare professionals as well as advocates need to use trauma-informed care to help treat the whole child. The sample was drawn from the Leveraging Safe Adults (LeSA) study, a study focused on preventing opioid use among justice-involved youth and included 95 youth from 11 secure residential facilities. At the start of the study, all participants completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaire as part of the baseline assessment. Results from both t-test and chi-square analyses indicated that females who had experienced sexual exploitation has higher ACEs compared to the rest of the sample. All four hypotheses were supported. This is important to note because it shows how many youth are affected by trauma and exploitation and can inform ways to intervene.
Letter from the Dean of the College of Education
Stopping a W.O.K.E. Florida: A Frame Analysis of Anti-CRY Policy from a Terror Management Perspective
The Use of Computer Training to Improve Spanish Phonetic Transcription and Dialectal Knowledge

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