Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Purification And Thermal Stability Of The Peroxidase Enzyme In Cucurbita Moschata, Garen Hamner

Senior Honors Theses

Peroxidases are enzymes that catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water while oxidizing organic substrates and are valuable in spheres like industrial and medical applications and histochemistry. Limitations still exist in the use of the well-studied horseradish peroxidase for certain activities due to limitations like poor thermal stability, thus the search for novel peroxidases that can overcome these limitations is an active area of research. Butternut squash peroxidase (Cucurbita moschata) (BSP) shows promise due to significant activity being found in the skin and apparent enhanced thermal stability, but an efficient purification scheme for it is lacking, as well as …

Modern Approaches To Treating Hospital Acquired Infections: An Overview Of Current Treatments Using Antibiotics And New Therapies Centered Around Photo-Activated Porphyrins, Meghan Johns

Senior Honors Theses

Annually, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and impose a great economic burden. The current problem is further exacerbated due to the failure of traditional treatment strategies considering the rise in antimicrobial resistance rates. Besides the fact that antimicrobial resistances complicates clinical treatment strategies, patients are also more vulnerable to secondary infections and complications from prolonged antibiotic use. As a result, research investigating novel treatment strategies for bacterial infections has recently increased. A strategy using porphyrin-based compounds is showing promise. Porphyrins and their derivatives have exhibited bactericidal effects against Gram-positive bacteria by the destruction …

Design And Synthesis Of Peripherally Selective Endocannabinoid Enzyme Inhibitors For Ocular Indications, Kezia Reji Thomas

Senior Honors Theses

Peripherally selective compounds have been found to stimulate endocannabinoid receptor activity, which has been observed to have positive physiological effects such as ocular wound healing and inflammation control. The activation of the cannabinoid 1 receptor via binding of the endogenous ligands, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, has been indicated to elicit these effects. Both ligands are controlled by two hydrolase enzymes, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), which can be targeted for therapeutic inhibition. Sulfonamide derivatives of JZL195 containing carbamate functionalities in the southern region of the inhibitor compounds were produced using novel carbamate exchange reactions. Polar functionalities were …

Prevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies In Liberty University Student Population, Emily Bonus

Senior Honors Theses

In 2020, the virus SARS-CoV-2 gained attention as it spread around the world. Its antibodies are poorly understood, and little research focuses on those with few COVID-19 complications yet large numbers of close contacts: university students. This longitudinal study recorded SARS-CoV-2 antibody presence in 107 undergraduate Liberty University students twice during early 2021. After extensive data cleaning and the application of various statistical tests and ANOVAs, the data seems to show that in the case of COVID-19 infections, SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibodies are immediately produced, and then IgG antibodies follow later. However, the COVID-19 vaccine causes the production of both IgM …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Some Disubstituted Cyclopentadienyl Rhenium Complexes As Potential Candidates In Semiconductive Materials, Chloe Vernon

Senior Honors Theses

Since 2000, when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry as awarded for conductive polymer research few studies have been performed concerning the conductive capabilities of discrete organometallic compounds. For this project, organometallic compounds were formed specifically with a transition metal included in the structure. Through oxidation and reduction reactions, the variation in the electrical conductivity could allow for an analysis of whether this unique structure would allow for tunability. The goal of this research was to begin with aromatic substituted fulvenes and perform various multistep synthesis processes, utilizing thallium salt intermediates, to produce several disubstituted cyclopentadienyl rhenium complexes. In this project, …

A Proposed Treatment Of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease By Competitive Inhibition Of Autoantibodies, Thomas Russell

Senior Honors Theses

Mixed Connective Tissue Disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by Raynaud’s phenomenon and arthritis among other symptoms. It is primarily caused by antibodies that target the U1-RNP 70K peptide. The treatment proposed in this paper uses competitive inhibition to prevent the binding of the anti-U1-RNP 70K antibodies with the U1-RNP 70K peptide. A method for testing the designed treatment in silico is proposed using AutoDock Vina docking software.

Extreme Weather And Its Impacts On Human Civilizations: An In-Depth Investigation Of Causes And Effects, Jason Zabel

Senior Honors Theses

Extreme weather has impacted humanity since creation and is an important topic that deserves examination. In this thesis, the main event that is presented and analyzed is the extreme haze that clouded much of China’s skies in 2013. Further, the impacts this major event had on people, including changes in population movement, death/injury rate, and changes in atmospheric chemistry due to the high concentration of particulates are discussed. Subsequent examples that will be explored include Hurricane Katrina and the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The main contention of this thesis is that the effects extreme weather has on human civilization …

Therapeutic Delivery Technology And Its Economic Impact, Paul E. Savas Jr.

Senior Honors Theses

Therapeutic delivery technology is a current area of high interest in both university and industrial settings. These technologies are being developed in order to deliver therapeutic agents, such as genes, proteins, and drugs, to patients more efficiently. Nanoscale delivery vehicles have proven to be useful for these applications; these vehicles may either be naturally produced or chemically synthesized. The physical properties of these nanomaterials must be characterized correctly using instrumentation that evaluates their size, morphology, and potential for agglomeration. These technologies represent a high-growth economic area that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation. Because of this innovative spirit, research and economic interest …

The Plight Of The Lucluc: Examining The Deadly Mystery Of Nodding Syndrome, Ethan K. Mcgann

Senior Honors Theses

Nodding syndrome (NS) is an emerging epidemic neurological disease that is shrouded in mystery. It is currently only found in the post-conflict regions of South Sudan, northern Uganda, and Tanzania. NS occurs in children from the ages of five to fifteen and is characterized by a loss of motor control in the neck muscles. Seizure episodes can range in intensity from atonic to tonic-clonic, and the onset of the first episode generally marks the beginning of a decline in the child’s physical and mental health. NS is a progressive disease that generally results in physical wasting, stunted growth, behavioral difficulties, …

Handling Human Hacking: Creating A Comprehensive Defensive Strategy Against Modern Social Engineering, Charles Snyder

Senior Honors Theses

Social engineering is one of the most devastating threats to any company or business. Rather than relying upon technical flaws in order to break into computer networks, social engineers utilize a suave personality in order to deceive individuals through clever conversation. These devious conversations frequently provide the attacker with sufficient information to compromise the company’s computer network. Unlike common technical attacks, social engineering attacks cannot be prevented by security tools and software. Instead of attacking a network directly, a social engineer exploits human psychology in order to coerce the victim to inadvertently divulge sensitive information. Further complicating the issue, the …

The Genesis And Emergence Of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Ca-Mrsa): An Example Of Evolution In Action?, Alan L. Gillen, Jason Conrad, Michael Cargill

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Staphylococcus aureus infections are a common cause of disease, particularly in colonized persons. Recently, a series of published articles have reported that community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) strains are evolving and increasingly becoming prevalent in households while health care acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) is declining in the USA. The changing superbugs have often been used as an example of evolution in action. Although MRSA infections have become increasingly reported in the community, population-based studies of students preparing for the health professions having S. aureus and MRSA colonization are lacking. During the 2014–2015 school year 544 students were tested for MRSA carriage …

The Fenzian Unit: Applications To Physical Therapy And Beyond, Jeshua Paul Spadino Mr.

Senior Honors Theses

The field of physical therapy includes many different treatment options in the form of exercises and modalities. The development of a low electrical stimulation signal through the Fenzian unit has provided a new outlook on healing. This device gives information to and receives information from the central nervous system (CNS) through electro-biofeedback and is separated into its own category of modalities. The device can be used to treat a wide range of ailments, all with no adverse effects. This makes it a promising tool in the medical field. It is currently being validated as an authentic medical device through clinical …

An International Cross-Cultural Study Of The Role Of Chief Informational Officers In Healthcare, Wallace Saunders

Faculty Dissertations

The introduction and utilization of Information Systems (IS) in the hospital environment has had a significant and lasting impact on the practice of medicine. The development of this dissertation will attempt to explore a widely overlooked area: The comparison of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Aspects of CIO experiences relating to assumed roles, CIO challenges, skills, frustrations, success, failure, leadership, management, involvement and perceptions about the role of Information Technology (IT) in healthcare are discussed with a comparative global model. This study investigates the managerial roles of the Chief Information Officer based on …