Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Development Of An Autonomous Aerial Toolset For Agricultural Applications, Terrance Life

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

According to the United Nations, the world population is expected to grow from its current 7 billion to 9.7 billion by the year 2050. During this time, global food demand is also expected to increase by between 59% and 98% due to the population increase, accompanied by an increasing demand for protein due to a rising standard of living throughout developing countries. [1] Meeting this increase in required food production using present agricultural practices would necessitate a similar increase in farmland; a resource which does not exist in abundance. Therefore, in order to meet growing food demands, new methods will …

Evaluation Of Reasons That May Affect Whether Academically Capable Females Choose To Major In Stem, Kerri Alexander Adkins

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the reasons why academically capable females choose to pursue majors in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. A mixed-methods approach using focus groups and a survey were used. Data were gathered from the focus group sessions and used to develop the survey that was then validated and checked for reliability. After some edits, the survey was administered to female freshmen attending Western Kentucky University. Unfortunately, all female students who completed the survey except one indicated they were pursuing STEM majors.

The results from this study suggest that the reasons surrounding the …

Leaving Ligand Effects On Reactivity And Solubility Of Monofunctional Platinum(Ii) Anticancer Complexes, Heidi Linn Hruska Millay

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Monofunctional platinum(II) complexes, such as phenanthriplatin and pyriplatin, have notably different characteristics from the bifunctional anticancer complexes, such as cisplatin and oxaliplatin, which have detrimental toxicities and resistance associated with them. The unique properties of the monofunctional complexes may be exploited to target cancer cells without producing the toxic side effects associated with the current FDA-approved platinum-based anticancer drugs. To advance the understanding of these monofunctional platinum(II) complexes, this study replaced the chloride leaving ligand with an acetate group, which should increase solubility and alter the rate of reactivity with key amino acid and nucleotide targets. Phenanthriplatin and pyriplatin compounds …

Analysis Of Permaculture’S Water Conservation And Crop Supporting Abilities, Hannah Chaney

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the Middle East, virtually all agriculturally viable land is under high threat of desertification due to poor land and resource management and climate change. Mulching using straw flakes (straw mulch permaculture) is a method commonly used in successful dry land permaculture projects in the Middle East. We proposed that straw mulch permaculture would increase the amount of soil moisture during dry periods and that this method would not impact the growth and survival of the crop. In order to test this hypothesis, we took soil samples from plots with and without straw mulch permaculture in Bowling Green, KY and …

The Effects Of Organic And Inorganic Nanoparticles On Bacterial Deactivation, Lauren Cooper

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Antibacterial resistance is one of the greatest problems in modern medicine, as healthcare professionals are experiencing more and more difficulty in providing effective care. As such, alternative methods of treatment are needed in order to overcome this issue. One recently proposed method of alternative treatment is photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a light-based method of treatment that utilizes (1) a photosensitizing agent, (2) light, (3) produced oxygen species. When the photosensitizing agent is injected into an infected region of interest and then irradiated with a certain wavelength of light, the agent is photoactivated and begins to produce harmful forms of …

Developing Tale Proteins As A Biosensor For Detecting Pathogen Specific Double-Stranded Dna, Kathrine Gaiko

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) proteins are important for DNA binding. They bind to specific nucleotide sequences by the use of two residues in each repeat allowing them to target specific DNA sequences. Their modular structure makes TALEs advantageous over other DNA binding proteins such as zinc finger proteins. Zinc finger proteins (ZFP) use a finger like projection to bind 3-4 subsequence base pairs while TALE proteins use two amino acid residues in each repeat to bind one nucleotide. ZFP can use SEER-Lac system for colorimetric detection, while TALE proteins can use fluorescence labeling with Alexa for detection of binding to …

Optimal Control Theory And Estimation Of Parameters In A Differential Equation Model For Patients With Lupus, Peter Agaba

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

System Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that affects many parts of the body including skin, joints, kidneys, brains and other organs. Lupus Nephritis (LN) is a disease caused by SLE. Given the complexity of LN, we establish an optimal treatment strategy based on a previously developed mathematical model.For our thesis work, the model variables are: Immune Complexes (I), Pro-inflammatory mediators (P), Damaged tissue (D), and Anti-inflammatory mediators (A). The analysis in this research project focuses on analyzing therapeutic strategies to control damage using both parameter estimation techniques (integration of data to quantify any uncertainties associated with …

Quantification Of Tylosin Antibiotics In Cattle Waste, Appala Keerthi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Antibiotics are used as prophylactic agents to promote growth and for treating infections in animals. However, the irrational use of antibiotics in livestock management is a significant cause of the development of antibioticresistant genes in the environment. Each year 2 million people suffer from the infections caused by bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics and 23,000 of these people are estimated to die because of antibiotic resistance. New drugs are continually coming into the market but are at the risk of developing resistance. Thus, there is a need for the development of analytical methods which can be used to monitor …

Ua84 Sigma Chi, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the WKU chapter of Sigma Xi.

Ua66/6/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the administration of the Biology Department.

Ua66/6/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about Biology.