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The Synthesis Of A Mepeg-Based Hydroxide Conducting Electrolyte And The Optimization Of The Mepeg-Tosylation Reaction, Andrew Ladner

Honors Theses

As society is becoming increasingly aware of the effects of climate change and the ever-looming threat of a fuel shortage, exploring green and renewable alternative energy production, such as fuel cells, is paramount. This project investigates the synthesis of a polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MePEG_n) based polymer as well as the optimization of the MePEG Tosylation reaction. The MePEG explored contains seven polymerized ethoxy groups (MePEG₇). The MePEG₇ polymer was modified by substituting a positively-charged trimethylamine group in the place of the alcohol functional group at the end of the PEG chain. The reason for …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Largazole: A Potential Chemotherapeutic Agent, Hannah Lynn Carson

Honors Theses

Histone deacetylase enzymes are known for their inherent activity as epigenetic modifiers. Although, they have become recognized for their role in cancer progression and other diseases. But also, histone deacetylases have other non-histone targets, for example, microtubules, which play important roles in cancer metastasis, apoptosis, and replication. With histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), our research explored HDACi effects on breast cancer cell lines. The overall goal was to understand the potential of largazole, a class one histone deacetylase inhibitor on breast cancer cell lines. The research consisted of two parts: sulforhodamine B (SRB) viability assays under hypoxic and normoxic conditions. The …

Study Of Pharmaceutical Tablets Using Raman Mapping, Kyle Joseph Pauly

Honors Theses

Covalent bonds are the strongest type of bonds holding molecules together. Based on the pattern of bonding of the molecule, the atoms associated with the bond will vibrate at a specific frequency. Utilizing vibrational spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, these unique vibrational frequencies can be used to detect the presence of analytes over a selected area. Furthermore, the intensities of the vibrational modes can be tracked to comparatively quantify the concentration of analytes at various locations. This is a method of great importance due to its ability to compare pharmaceutical tablets synthesized with different techniques. Here, the presence and concentration …

Crabs From The Cane River Formation Of Northern Louisiana: A Study Of Neozanthopsis Americana And Associated Fauna, Katie Mclain

Honors Theses

Neozanthopsis Americana is a crab from the middle Eocene Claiborne Group that lived along the Gulf of Mexico, and has been documented in Texas and Louisiana. This species was discovered by Rathburn (1928) and was later amended and added to by Schweitzer (2014). The specimens in this paper are found near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and along with their accompanying fossils are used to describe the depositional environment of the locality. Sediments were taken from the site and analyzed under a standard microscope for microfossils, which were collected and further analyzed under scanning electron microscope. In addition to the microfossils, the cuticles …

Religion In George R.R. Martin's "A Song Of Ice And Fire" Franchise, Sydney A. Craven

Honors Theses

This thesis is a study of religion in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire franchise. Specifically, George R.R. Martin's use of medievalisms, his interpretation of the Middle Ages, when creating the religions in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Use Of Embark Database And An Active Learning Protocol In A High School Classroom, Landon Goodreau

Honors Theses

With advances in technology, personal genome sequencing has become more affordable than ever before. With this wealth of genetic information come new individualized approaches to medicine and pharmacology, along with moral, legal, and ethical issues to carefully consider. Yet studies suggest that most members of the general public do not have the genetic literacy required to understand the implications of genomic data. It is important that today’s students are able to grasp concepts relating to their own genome to make informed medical decisions in the future. Here I describe an active learning-based activity designed to enhance high school students’ understanding …

An Educational Audiology Model For Mississippi: Telepractice For Direct Service Provision, Sally Autry

Honors Theses

Hearing loss among school-aged children is becoming increasingly prevalent (CDC, 2019). Having hearing loss in a classroom setting can negatively affect a child’s language development, academic achievement, and social communication. Educational audiology plays a vital role in the academic success of children with hearing loss by providing a full range of audiology services to students, as part of a multidisciplinary team, to facilitate listening, learning, and communication access. By performing specialized assessments, monitoring personal hearing instruments, recommending, fitting, and managing hearing assistive technology, providing support services, and advocating on behalf of students with hearing loss, educational audiologists help to bridge …

The Data Revolution: An Examination Of The Use Of Scouting And Analytics In Major League Baseball Front Offices, Eleanor Weller

Honors Theses

The area of study for this thesis is the use and optimization of the sub-departments within the larger baseball operations department in Major League Baseball front offices. The research is divided into the history of the two major units—scouting and analytics. This background is followed by an investigation of the balance between them. Information for this analysis was obtained through secondary research, primarily articles for online journals and previously conducted interviews with front office personnel. I have also included some of my own work, which was completed during the summer of 2019. The findings of the analysis are that the …

Product Realization Capstone: Using Project Management To Optimize Manufacturing Of Charcuterie Boards, Megan Staffieri

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to successfully create 36 charcuterie boards with varying designs during a two-week production period using principles of project management and manufacturing. In the initiation phase, the needs and requirements were assessed according to the project definition. During the planning phase, a work breakdown structure was created, material was researched, a budget was developed, and an initial risk assessment was performed. During the executing phase, the initial designs were prototyped before production began. The controlling phase was done in conjunction with the executing phase. The controlling phase monitored the project management plan and recorded the …

Detection And Characterization Of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Novel Synthetic Cannabinoid Metabolites Using Human Liver Microsomes, Seema Murugan

Honors Theses

Marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids are the most commonly used and trafficked illicit drug. ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary active compound in marijuana. Synthetic cannabinoids were created as a method to study the effects of cannabinoids on the endocannabinoid system, which consists of endogenous cannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors, and the synthetic and degrading enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids. Cannabinoids activate the same receptors as endocannabinoids. Synthetic cannabinoids gained popularity as recreational drugs due to their ability to avoid detection. Synthetic cannabinoids have been found to have a greater binding affinity to the cannabinoid CB₁ receptor …

Comparison Of The Vibrational Modes Of Thiolated Gold Nanoparticles Undergoing Core-Conversions Via Raman Spectroscopy, William Gregory Cannella Jr.

Honors Theses

In this project, the vibrational characteristics/vibrational modes are explored via Raman Spectroscopy for thiolated-gold nanoparticles. This class of compounds is also known as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). They remain of great interest in research areas such as catalysis, gold dependent nanoelectronics, drug delivery, and sensing, due to their unique size-dependent optical, chiroptical, and electronic properties. Vibrational spectroscopy of thiolated gold nanoparticles are oftentimes considered nontrivial as the compounds strongly absorb light in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, are generally considered weak scatterers, and give off large amounts of fluorescence. This combined with their black appearance, susceptibility to localized heating, …

Crystallization Efforts For An Engineered Nickel-Binding Protein, Gold-Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoclusters, And An Artificial De Novo Tetramer Hydrogenase Mimic, Skyler Crane

Honors Theses

Protein crystallization is fundamental to modern research efforts given its ability to determine a protein’s structure as well as the interactions that structure allows and relies upon. This process, though lacking direct application, provides necessary information for subsequent research efforts for which applicationsmay be explored. As such, efforts were taken to crystallize nickel-binding protein (NBP) reengineered from Copper Storage Protein 1 (Csp1) in its apo and metal bound form, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in its apo and gold bound form (Au-BSA), and an artificial de novo tetramer hydrogenase mimic peptide to better inform future research actions for these respective molecules. …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Transition Metal Scorpionate Complexes For Redox Shuttle Applications In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Chase Lance

Honors Theses

Given the rising global energy demands, alternative renewable energy sources are currently being investigated. The most appealing renewable energy source is solar energy, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in particular are an attractive technology. DSSCs have traditionally utilized iodide/triiodide as the redox mediator couple, which exhibits high efficiencies and fast regeneration of the oxidized dye with little recombination. Recently, the use of alternative redox couples based on transition metal complexes has been studied as a promising substitute due to the tunable design of these complexes. In this study, tridentate tris(pyrazolyl)borate and tris(pyrazolyl)methane ligands with first-row transition metals were designed and …

An Assessment Of Herb-Drug Interaction Potential Of Two Herbs: Momordica Charantia And Phyllanthus Amarus, Faridah Salau

Honors Theses

The use of natural supplements alongside prescribed medications is on the increase. Thus, it is important to analyze different properties of herbal supplements that can be implicated in eliciting herb-drug interactions. The herb Momordica charnatia is used throughout the world for its antidiabetic properties, and the herb Phyllanthus amarus is used in tropical and subtropical areas of the world for its hepatoprotective properties. Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) activation capabilities of these herbs was measured using a reporter gene assay. Additionally, Cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform induction potential for CYP1A2, CYP3A4, CYP2B6, and CYP2C9 was determined through an enzymatic assay in hepatic …

Chancellor Letter End Of Spring 2020 Semester, Glenn F. Boyce

COVID-19 Emails

No abstract provided.

The Hair You Wished To Comb, Sarah Barch

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of poems exploring gender and trauma in Greek mythology by retelling classical stories in a female voice.

Ultrasound-Assisted Post-Pyrolysis Magnetization Of Microporous Biochar For Effective Removal Of Heavy Metals, Ronish Shrestha

Honors Theses

Low cost and efficient adsorption of heavy metals from wastewater and thorough removal of adsorbent after water treatment have become the two essential needs for the commercial use of any adsorbent. Biochar (BC), the solid byproduct of pyrolysis with microporous carbonaceous structure, has been increasingly recognized as an efficient adsorbent for a vast number of pollutants. Magnetization, though eases the separation and reuse of BC, significantly reduces its adsorption capacity to a comparatively much higher extent. In this study, a hybrid post-pyrolysis magnetization was developed which sustained and even significantly increased the adsorption capacity of biochar. The process included i) …

Two Best Friends, Two Unexpected Journeys - Journey To Commencement, Sarah Sapp

Journey to Commencement

Raksha Chatakondi and Greta Koshenina find their passions in exercise science and classics

Raman Spectroscopy Study Of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol And Their Hydrogen-Bonding Activities, Kalee Sigworth

Honors Theses

Cannabis and products containing its cannabinoids have grown rapidly in acceptance and use in recent years with legalization of cannabis in many countries and US states. Cannabidiol and Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol are two primary cannabinoids in Cannabis that have been shown to produce analgesic effects along with many other positive side effects for the user. These two cannabinoids interact with receptors in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems. No spectroscopic study to our knowledge has been performed to analyze the hydrogen bonding effects of interactions between these two cannabinoids and solvents. Here, we employ theoretical Raman spectra through computational methods to study …

Comparative Analysis Of The Results From The Ideal Gas Assumptions With More Rigorous Calculations From Pro/Ii Of The Production Of Pharmaceutical Grade Acetone, Soibifaa Frank-Briggs

Honors Theses

The Chemical engineering team was assigned by Landshark Inc to investigate the production of 30,000 tonnes/yr of pharmaceutical-grade acetone with a purity of 99.9 wt.% from the dehydrogenation of isopropanol (IPA). The team was tasked with determining the necessary process and unit operation criteria to ensure the economic feasibility of the proposed plant.

The major goal of this thesis is to provide a data comparison of the reactor in acetone production process when designed in Microsoft Excel and Pro/II. The first part of this thesis will introduce the base case briefly, transition into engineering optimizations and show the results found …

Backed By His Um Legacy Family - Journey To Commencement, Abigail Meisel

Journey to Commencement

Biology pre-med blazes his trail to a career as a physician

Support For Stem Students, Bill Dabney

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.

Update Of Inclusive Cross Sections Of Single And Pairs Of Identified Light Charged Hadrons, R. Seidl, I. Adachi, H. Aihara, D. M. Asner, V. Aulchenko, T. Aushev, I. Badhrees, P. Behera, K. Belous, J. Bennett, B. Bhuyan, J. Biswal, M. Bračko, T. E. Browder, M. Campajola, L. Cao, D. Červenkov, M. C. Chang, V. Chekelian, A. Chen, K. Chilikin, K. Cho, Y. Choi, S. Choudhury, D. Cinabro, S. Cunliffe, G. De Nardo, F. Di Capua, S. Eidelman, D. Epifanov, J. E. Fast, T. Ferber

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP 3 We report new measurements of the production cross sections of pairs of charged pions and kaons as a function of their fractional energies using various fractional-energy definitions. Two different fractional-energy definitions were used and compared to the conventional fractional-energy definition reported previously. The new variables aim at either identifying …

The Trent Lott Leadership Institute Is Proud To Present Its Class Of 2020, University Of Mississippi. Lott Leadership Institute

Student Newsletters

Profiles include plans after graduation and favorite Lott memory.

First Search For The ΗC2(1d) In B Decays At Belle, K. Chilikin, I. Adachi, H. Aihara, S. Al Said, D. M. Asner, V. Aulchenko, T. Aushev, R. Ayad, V. Babu, S. Bahinipati, P. Behera, C. Beleño, K. Belous, J. Bennett, V. Bhardwaj, T. Bilka, J. Biswal, G. Bonvicini, A. Bozek, M. Bračko, T. E. Browder, M. Campajola, L. Cao, D. Červenkov, M. C. Chang, V. Chekelian, A. Chen, B. G. Cheon, K. Cho, S. K. Choi, Y. Choi, S. Choudhury

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020, The Author(s). The first dedicated search for the ηc2(1D) is carried out using the decays B+→ ηc2(1D)K+, B0 → ηc2(1D)KS0, B0→ ηc2(1D)π−K+, and B+→ ηc2(1D)π+KS0 with ηc2(1D) → hcγ. No significant signal is found. For the ηc2(1D) mass range between 3795 and 3845 MeV/c2, the branching-fraction upper limits are determined to be ℬ(B+→ ηc2(1D)K+) × ℬ(ηc2(1D) → hcγ) < 3.7 × 10−5, ℬ(B0→ ηc2(1D)K0) × ℬ(ηc2(1D) → hcγ) < 3.5 × 10−5, ℬ(B0→ ηc2(1D)π−K+) × ℬ(ηc2(1D) → hcγ) < 1.0 × 10−4, and ℬ(B+→ ηc2(1D)π+KS0) × ℬ(ηc2(1D) → hcγ) < 1.1 × 10−4 at 90% C.L. The analysis is based on the 711 fb−1 data sample collected on the ϒ(4S) resonance by the Belle detector, which operated at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e− collider. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Evidence For A Vector Charmoniumlike State In E+E- → Ds+ Ds2∗ (2573)-+ C. C., S. Jia, C. P. Shen, I. Adachi, H. Aihara, S. Al Said, D. M. Asner, H. Atmacan, V. Aulchenko, T. Aushev, R. Ayad, I. Badhrees, P. Behera, K. Belous, J. Bennett, D. Besson, V. Bhardwaj, T. Bilka, J. Biswal, G. Bonvicini, A. Bozek, M. Bračko, T. E. Browder, M. Campajola, D. Červenkov, P. Chang, A. Chen, B. G. Cheon, K. Chilikin, K. Cho, S. K. Choi, Y. Choi, S. Choudhury

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3. We report the measurement of e+e-→Ds+Ds2∗(2573)-+c.c. via initial-state radiation using a data sample of an integrated luminosity of 921.9 fb-1 collected with the Belle detector at the γ(4S) and nearby. We find evidence for an enhancement with a 3.4σ significance in the invariant mass of Ds+Ds2∗(2573)-+c.c. The measured mass and width …

Gold Nanoparticles: Core Conversion Of Au144(Sch2ch2ph)60 To Au99(Sph-Ch3)42 Using Aromatic Thiolate Ligands And Crystallization Of Au99(Sph-Ch3)42, Elizabeth Turnage

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to synthesize Au₁₄₄(SCH₂CH₂Ph)₆₀ using a two-step synthesis reaction, and then using this product to conduct a core conversion from Au₁₄₄(SCH₂CH₂Ph)₆₀ to Au₉₉(SPh-CH₃)₄₂. The Au₉₉(SPh-CH₃)₄₂ product will then be used to attempt to form crystals using five different crystal set-up methods. Au₁₄₄(SCH₂CH₂Ph)₆₀ is made with aliphatic thiolate ligands, and when it is placed in a mixture containing excess para-methyl benzenethiol, it undergoes a …

Raman Spectroscopic And Quantum Chemical Investigation Of The Effects Of Tri-Methylamine N-Oxide (Tmao) On Hydrated Urea, Hydrated Guanidinium, And Hydrogen Bonded Networks, Genevieve Verville

Honors Theses

Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO), guanidinium, and urea are three important

osmolytes with their main significance to the biophysical field being in how they

uniquely interact with proteins. TMAO is known to stabilize and counteract the

destabilizing effects of both urea and guanidinium. The exact mechanisms by which

TMAO stabilizes and both guanidinium and urea destabilize folded proteins continue

to be debated in the literature. Some studies suggest that solvent interactions do not

play a large role in TMAO’s stabilizing effects and therefore advocate direct

stabilization, whereas others suggest that TMAO counteracts denaturation primarily

through an indirect effect of strong solvent interactions. …

Spectroscopic And Computational Studies Of The Agricultural Active Ingredient Dicamba, James Johnson

Honors Theses

3,6-dichloro-2-methoxy benzoic acid, more commonly known as Dicamba, is the active ingredient in an array of pesticides used on farmlands across the globe. Dicamba’s mode of action works by mimicking the plant hormone auxin, which is synonymous to growth hormones in mammals. The mimicking of auxin results in excessive elongation and growing, which is eventually fatal for plants when the rate of growth can no longer be sustained. Dicamba has risen in prominence in recent years due to drift damage as a result of Dicamba’s high volatility. Having the ability to identify Dicamba is crucial for the agricultural industry. The …

Evaluating Machine Learning Models For Semantic Segmentation Over Cloud Images For Classification, Harsh Nagarkar

Honors Theses

Due to the increasing number of available approaches nowadays, choosing the most accurate image semantic segmentation model has become hard. The purpose of this research is to find the best-performing image semantic segmentation model for Cloud classification. For the purpose of this study, a data set of cloud images from the Max Planck Institute for meteorology is used. These images were taken from the by two NASA space satellite.Three main models UNet, PSPNet and FPN were used in combination of 4 differ-ent encoder Inception-ResNet-v2, MobileNet-v2, ResNet-34, and ResNet 101. After training all the models in the Mississippi Center for Super …