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Articles 1 - 30 of 134
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Purification And Thermal Stability Of The Peroxidase Enzyme In Cucurbita Moschata, Garen Hamner
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 …
"Who Wrote The Epistle, God Only Knows": A Statistical Authorial Analysis Of Hebrews In Comparison With Pauline And Lukan Literature, Benjamin J. Erickson
"Who Wrote The Epistle, God Only Knows": A Statistical Authorial Analysis Of Hebrews In Comparison With Pauline And Lukan Literature, Benjamin J. Erickson
Senior Honors Theses
The authorship of Hebrews has been a point of contention for scholars for the past two millennia. While the epistle is traditionally attributed to Paul, many scholars assert that it carries thematic, structural, and stylistic differences from the remainder of his extant epistles; therefore, many other possible authors have been proposed. Of these, only Luke has other New Testament writings. Therefore, this project conducts a statistical comparison of Hebrews to the Pauline and Lukan corpora using stylometric authorial analysis methods. This analysis demonstrates that Hebrews is stylistically closer to Lukan literature than Pauline (but not to a significant degree), and …
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 …
Parallelized Quadtrees For Image Compression In Cuda And Mpi, Aidan Jones
Parallelized Quadtrees For Image Compression In Cuda And Mpi, Aidan Jones
Senior Honors Theses
Quadtrees are a data structure that lend themselves well to image compression due to their ability to recursively decompose 2-dimensional space. Image compression algorithms that use quadtrees should be simple to parallelize; however, current image compression algorithms that use quadtrees rarely use parallel algorithms. An existing program to compress images using quadtrees was upgraded to use GPU acceleration with CUDA but experienced an average slowdown by a factor of 18 to 42. Another parallelization attempt utilized MPI to process contiguous chunks of an image in parallel and experienced an average speedup by a factor of 1.5 to 3.7 compared to …
Artificial General Intelligence And The Mind-Body Problem: Exploring The Computability Of Simulated Human Intelligence In Light Of The Immaterial Mind, Caleb Parks
Senior Honors Theses
In this thesis I explore whether achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) through simulating the human brain is theoretically possible. Because of the scientific community’s predominantly physicalist outlook on the mind-body problem, AGI research may be limited by erroneous foundational presuppositions. Arguments from linguistics and mathematics demonstrate that the human intellect is partially immaterial, opening the door for novel analysis of the mind’s simulability. I categorize mind-body problem philosophies in a manner relevant to computer science based upon state transitions, and determine their ramifications on mind-simulation. Finally, I demonstrate how classical architectures cannot resolve so-called Gödel statements, discuss why this inability …
The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning On Organizations Cybersecurity, Mustafa Abdulhussein
The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning On Organizations Cybersecurity, Mustafa Abdulhussein
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
As internet technology proliferate in volume and complexity, the ever-evolving landscape of malicious cyberattacks presents unprecedented security risks in cyberspace. Cybersecurity challenges have been further exacerbated by the continuous growth in the prevalence and sophistication of cyber-attacks. These threats have the capacity to disrupt business operations, erase critical data, and inflict reputational damage, constituting an existential threat to businesses, critical services, and infrastructure. The escalating threat is further compounded by the malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which have increasingly become tools in the cybercriminal arsenal. In this dynamic landscape, the emergence of offensive AI introduces …
Small But Mighty: Examing The Utility Of Microstatistics In Modeling Ice Hockey, Matt Palmer
Small But Mighty: Examing The Utility Of Microstatistics In Modeling Ice Hockey, Matt Palmer
Senior Honors Theses
As research into hockey analytics continues, an increasing number of metrics are being introduced into the knowledge base of the field, creating a need to determine whether various stats are useful or simply add noise to the discussion. This paper examines microstatistics – manually tracked metrics which go beyond the NHL’s publicly released stats – both through the lens of meta-analytics (which attempt to objectively assess how useful a metric is) and modeling game probabilities. Results show that while there is certainly room for improvement in understanding and use of microstats in modeling, the metrics overall represent an area of …
An Exploration Of The Application Of Desalination In Disaster Relief, Emma Sager
An Exploration Of The Application Of Desalination In Disaster Relief, Emma Sager
Senior Honors Theses
This paper aims to explore the application of small-scale desalination systems to provide clean water in the wake of marine natural disasters. A lack of clean water is a devastating impact of many natural disasters. Desalination technologies, both thermal and membrane, show potential for being scaled down and self-powered by renewable energy. Desalination can transform ocean water and contaminated drinking water with a high salt content into drinkable, usable water. While these techniques are not perfected, and the solution to a need for clean water is multifaceted, desalination shows potential. Through further research and ever-advancing technology, small-scale desalination could develop …
Design And Synthesis Of Peripherally Selective Endocannabinoid Enzyme Inhibitors For Ocular Indications, Kezia Reji Thomas
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 …
Effect On Focusing Fields By Ferromagnetic Cell Cores In Linear Induction Accelerators, Cooper Guillaume
Effect On Focusing Fields By Ferromagnetic Cell Cores In Linear Induction Accelerators, Cooper Guillaume
Senior Honors Theses
In the Los Alamos National Laboratories DARHT facility, there are two perpendicular linear induction accelerators, LIAs. The LIAs’ solenoids produce magnetic fields which focus the electron beam. Simultaneously, the accelerating pulse creates a magnetic field. These two field intensities act upon a ferromagnetic material in the cells to enhance magnetic flux density. Due to the nonlinearity of the material, this flux density will reach a saturation point. In turn, the magnetic field intensity of the axial solenoidal magnetic field will be affected and slightly altered. The width of the electron beam will increase, causing a decrease in effectiveness. Through simulation, …
Managing Cyber Defense As A Business Threat For Small And Medium Enterprises, Binh Quang Vo
Managing Cyber Defense As A Business Threat For Small And Medium Enterprises, Binh Quang Vo
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The U.S small and medium businesses (SMBs) are constantly attacked by cybercriminals. Alarmingly, the number of victimized SMBs is growing considerably every year. This results in the increasing loss of billions of dollars and risks to the national economy. The problem addressed was the rising number of cyberattacks critically harming SMBs resulting in revenue loss, damages to reputation, and business closure. The purpose of this research was to reveal the contemporary barriers and challenges that impact cybersecurity competencies of SMBs. This study used semi-structured interviews of participants who are currently working as cyber professionals in SMBs across industries. The goal …
An Analysis Of Successful Sqlia For Future Evolutionary Prediction, Andrew Pechin
An Analysis Of Successful Sqlia For Future Evolutionary Prediction, Andrew Pechin
Senior Honors Theses
Web applications are a fundamental component of the internet, many interact with backend databases. Securing web applications and their databases from hackers should be a top priority for cybersecurity researchers. Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attacks (SQLIA) constitute a significant threat to web applications. They can hijack the backend databases to steal personally identifiable information (PII), initiate scams, or launch more sophisticated cyberattacks. SQLIA has evolved since its conception in the early 2000s and will continue to do so in the coming years. This paper analyzes past literature and successful SQLIA from specific time periods to identify themes and methods …
Prevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies In Liberty University Student Population, Emily Bonus
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, …
Unique Factorization In The Rings Of Integers Of Quadratic Fields: A Method Of Proof, Zachary Warren
Unique Factorization In The Rings Of Integers Of Quadratic Fields: A Method Of Proof, Zachary Warren
Senior Honors Theses
It is a well-known property of the integers, that given any nonzero a ∈ Z, where a is not a unit, we are able to write a as a unique product of prime numbers. This is because the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (FTA) holds in the integers and guarantees (1) that such a factorization exists, and (2) that it is unique. As we look at other domains, however, specifically those of the form O(√D) = {a + b√D | a, b ∈ Z, D a negative, squarefree integer}, we find that …
The Mceliece Cryptosystem As A Solution To The Post-Quantum Cryptographic Problem, Isaac Hanna
The Mceliece Cryptosystem As A Solution To The Post-Quantum Cryptographic Problem, Isaac Hanna
Senior Honors Theses
The ability to communicate securely across the internet is owing to the security of the RSA cryptosystem, among others. This cryptosystem relies on the difficulty of integer factorization to provide secure communication. Peter Shor’s quantum integer factorization algorithm threatens to upend this. A special case of the hidden subgroup problem, the algorithm provides an exponential speedup in the integer factorization problem, destroying RSA’s security. Robert McEliece’s cryptosystem has been proposed as an alternative. Based upon binary Goppa codes instead of integer factorization, his cryptosystem uses code scrambling and error introduction to hinder decrypting a message without the private key. This …
A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Impact Of Meaningful Watershed Environmental Experiences On The Academic Achievement Of Middle School Students, Gina R. Mason
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEE) are student-centered, problem solving-oriented environmental educational experiences in which students investigate local environmental issues leading to civic engagement and informed action. The four components of an MWEE include issue definition, outdoor field experience, synthesis and conclusion, and action projects. While multiple benefits have been shown to be gained through participation in environmental education, this study’s aim was to observe the impact MWEEs have on academic achievement in middle school students. This quantitative, ex post facto, causal-comparative study examined the impact MWEEs had on students’ achievement scores, as measured by Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) …
Lost At Sea: The Nintendo Gamecube’S Failure And The Transformation Of An Industry 1996-2006, Izsak Kayne Barnette
Lost At Sea: The Nintendo Gamecube’S Failure And The Transformation Of An Industry 1996-2006, Izsak Kayne Barnette
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The history of video games is critically underdeveloped. Long simmering under a veil of academic neglect, video games have long been denied the sort of academic relevance of their sister industries: books, film, music, and TV. It is long-past time that such neglect was addressed. Most historical analyses of games begin with their origins in the 1950s, discuss their ubiquity during the heyday of Atari or Nintendo, or rope in modern views of games as tools of diversity and inclusion. Very few studies pay attention to the rather ugly adolescent years of the game industry, its motorcycle-jacket wearing, rebellious teenage …
The Minority In The Minority, Black Women In Computer Science Fields: A Phenomenological Study, Blanche' D. Anderson
The Minority In The Minority, Black Women In Computer Science Fields: A Phenomenological Study, Blanche' D. Anderson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Krumboltz’s social learning theory of career decision-making, as it provides a foundation for understanding how a combination of factors leads to an individual’s educational and occupational preferences and skills. This qualitative study answered the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States? …
A Comparison Of Cryptographic Methods, Christopher Gilmore
A Comparison Of Cryptographic Methods, Christopher Gilmore
Senior Honors Theses
While elliptic curve cryptography and quantum cryptography are significantly different branches of cryptography, they provide a suitable reference point for comparison of the value of developing methods used in the present and investing in methods to be used in the future. Elliptic curve cryptography is quite common today, as it is generally secure and efficient. However, as the field of cryptography advances, the value of quantum cryptography’s inherent security from its basic properties should be considered, as a fully realized quantum cryptosystem has the potential to be quite powerful. Ultimately, it is of critical importance to determine the value of …
Synthesis And Characterization Of Unique Pyridazines, William Hobbs
Synthesis And Characterization Of Unique Pyridazines, William Hobbs
Senior Honors Theses
The field of semiconductive organic chemistry is vast and expanding as numerous applications are being discovered for semiconductors. The research reported in this thesis focuses on the synthesis and characterization of three pyridazines. Pyridazines are organic heterocyclic aromatic semiconductors containing nitrogen and are planar in structure. The three pyridazine compounds were successfully isolated as evidenced by a high percent yield and then characterized by melting point and infrared spectroscopy. The research goal was achieved as a small library of pyridazines was compiled to be further analyzed concerning their potential within various applications in the electronic and industrial world.
Is It Useful? Orthophosphate Mapping Of An Excavated Cellar Of A Mid 1700’S Tavern In New London Va, Thomas M. Bender, Randy Lichtenberger
Is It Useful? Orthophosphate Mapping Of An Excavated Cellar Of A Mid 1700’S Tavern In New London Va, Thomas M. Bender, Randy Lichtenberger
Faculty Publications and Presentations
The partially backfilled cellar of Mead’s Tavern (VDHR # 015-0120) a circa 1760’s building in New London Virginia, was studied by orthophosphate (PO43) mapping of the recently exposed, culturally sterile, subsoil floor. Prior studies of the cellar had exposed a hearth along with features that were speculated to be wall partitions for subdivision of the cellar. The full intended purpose for those exposed features is unknown. To further probe that exposed subsoil prior to a major engineering stabilization of the tavern’s foundation, a chemical mapping of surface PO43- levels in the cellar was done. The …
Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems, Derick Swarey
Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems, Derick Swarey
Senior Honors Theses
The Incompleteness Theorems of Kurt Godel are very famous both within and outside of mathematics. They focus on independence and consistency within mathematics and hence a more thorough understanding of these is beneficial to their study. The proofs of the theorems involve many ideas which may be unfamiliar to many, including those of formal systems, Godel numbering, and recursive functions and relations. The arguments themselves mirror the Liar’s Paradox in that Godel constructs a statement asserting its own unprovability and then shows that such a statement and its negation must both be independent of the system, otherwise the system is …
The Traveling Salesman Problem: An Analysis And Comparison Of Metaheuristics And Algorithms, Mason Helmick
The Traveling Salesman Problem: An Analysis And Comparison Of Metaheuristics And Algorithms, Mason Helmick
Senior Honors Theses
One of the most investigated topics in operations research is the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and the algorithms that can be used to solve it. Despite its relatively simple formulation, its computational difficulty keeps it and potential solution methods at the forefront of current research. This paper defines and analyzes numerous proposed solutions to the TSP in order to facilitate understanding of the problem. Additionally, the efficiencies of different heuristics are studied and compared to the aforementioned algorithms’ accuracy, as a quick algorithm is often formulated at the expense of an exact solution.
Media Coverage Of Anthropogenic Climate Change: Analysis Of Coverage, Issues, And Implications For Public Engagement And Government Policy, Renee Farmer
Senior Honors Theses
Media coverage of climate change is responsible for shaping both public understanding and government policies regarding the environment. The public relies on the media to translate the oftentimes complex terminology, processes, and implications of environmental research and findings. Unfortunately, miscommunication frequently occurs as the media seek to bridge this knowledge gap, with implications including hostile public sentiment, failure to take necessary action, and ineffective or harmful governmental policies. This thesis will provide an overview of how the media cover climate change, including analyses of both poor and successful coverage of issues, identification of risks and reoccurring problems present in media …
Security Posture: A Systematic Review Of Cyber Threats And Proactive Security, Amanda Jones
Security Posture: A Systematic Review Of Cyber Threats And Proactive Security, Amanda Jones
Senior Honors Theses
In the last decade, several high-profile cyber threats have occurred with global impact and devastating consequences. The tools, techniques, and procedures used to prevent cyber threats from occurring fall under the category of proactive security. Proactive security methodologies, however, vary among professionals where differing tactics have proved situationally effective. To determine the most effective tactics for preventing exploitation of vulnerabilities, the author examines the attack vector of three incidents from the last five years in a systematic review format: the WannaCry incident, the 2020 SolarWinds SUNBURST exploit, and the recently discovered Log4j vulnerability. From the three cases and existing literature, …
Integrating Blockchains And Intelligent Agents In The Pursuit Of Artificial General Intelligence, Benjamin Fluharty
Integrating Blockchains And Intelligent Agents In The Pursuit Of Artificial General Intelligence, Benjamin Fluharty
Senior Honors Theses
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the next greatest technological milestone. AGI can be defined as a realized artificial intelligence (AI) with the ability to understand and solve problems of various scope within constantly changing environments. To take steps toward this goal, a baseline of information will be provided regarding surrounding topics and the current state of AGI, itself. Through the culmination of swarms of highly optimized narrow AI agents, a collaborative effort will be extended toward general intelligence. Blockchains have been selected to facilitate this connection. A software deliverable will accompany this thesis to illustrate how this idea might be …
General Purpose Computing On Graphics Processing Units For Accelerated Deep Learning In Neural Networks, Conor Helmick
General Purpose Computing On Graphics Processing Units For Accelerated Deep Learning In Neural Networks, Conor Helmick
Senior Honors Theses
Graphics processing units (GPUs) contain a significant number of cores relative to central processing units (CPUs), allowing them to handle high levels of parallelization in multithreading. A general-purpose GPU (GPGPU) is a GPU that has its threads and memory repurposed on a software level to leverage the multithreading made possible by the GPU’s hardware, and thus is an extremely strong platform for intense computing – there is no hardware difference between GPUs and GPGPUs. Deep learning is one such example of intense computing that is best implemented on a GPGPU, as its hardware structure of a grid of blocks, each …
A Proposed Treatment Of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease By Competitive Inhibition Of Autoantibodies, Thomas Russell
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.
Assessing Security Risks With The Internet Of Things, Faith Mosemann
Assessing Security Risks With The Internet Of Things, Faith Mosemann
Senior Honors Theses
For my honors thesis I have decided to study the security risks associated with the Internet of Things (IoT) and possible ways to secure them. I will focus on how corporate, and individuals use IoT devices and the security risks that come with their implementation. In my research, I found out that IoT gadgets tend to go unnoticed as a checkpoint for vulnerability. For example, often personal IoT devices tend to have the default username and password issued from the factory that a hacker could easily find through Google. IoT devices need security just as much as computers or servers …