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A Visualization Tool For Survey Responses And A Unifying Interface Redesign, Iva Cramer Jan 2015

A Visualization Tool For Survey Responses And A Unifying Interface Redesign, Iva Cramer

Honors Theses

As an intern for financial software company FNC, Inc. during the summer of 2014, my fellow interns and I began an innovation project for creating and analyzing surveys for better client feedback methods. I have continued this project even after the internship, and this thesis covers that continuation: the visualization of survey responses and the redesign of the page on which they are contained. The project detailed here was to revamp the survey statistics page with a coherent layout that matches the rest of the site in addition to overhauling the actual graphs and charts for aesthetic and accuracy.


The Power Of An Actively Managed Portfolio: An Empirical Example Using The Treynor-Black Model, Alexander D. Brown Jan 2015

The Power Of An Actively Managed Portfolio: An Empirical Example Using The Treynor-Black Model, Alexander D. Brown

Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis is to examine the added benefits of actively managing a portfolio of securities from an individual investor's perspective. More specifically, managing a market portfolio with the combination of a selected few actively managed securities can, in some instances, create excess return. The active portfolios are formed based on the firms' specific industries or region in which they operate. The idea is that an investor can forecast that a specific industry will outperform or underperform other industries during different periods in the market. Using the investor's forecasts can provide excess returns if the forecast is accurate. …


The Doctor/Patient Relationship In End-Of-Life Care: A Game Theoretic Model, Stephan A. Castellanos Jan 2015

The Doctor/Patient Relationship In End-Of-Life Care: A Game Theoretic Model, Stephan A. Castellanos

Honors Theses

End-of-life care is a sensitive subject because it deals with life and death, as well as dealing with the nature of that death. In its most basic form, end-of-life care can be divided into two distinct pathways: aggressive treatment and methods, or palliative treatment and care. This paper explores the history surrounding these two routes and the implications that surround them. A review of the literature reveals that in many cases palliative care can increase in quality-of-life. An important part of the decision between aggressive and palliative care are the patient's and the doctor's feelings towards certain aspects of end-of-life …


Chemical Process Optimization For Dummies, Troy Mannino Jan 2015

Chemical Process Optimization For Dummies, Troy Mannino

Honors Theses

Chemical process optimization is a daunting task. The purpose of this work is to summarize and organize successful approaches which may be employed by the chemical process engineer when confronted with optimization problems. In general, optimization is making any process better; common goals are to increase the efficiency or maximize the economic potential of a process. The improvements made to a process during optimization are generally measured in terms of an objective function. Since the purpose of any industrial chemical process is to be profitable, objective functions most often have units of dollars. The objective function is dependent upon changes …


The Dimerization Kinetics Of Ncad12 With A Mutated Cis-X-Pro Bond, Victoria Mcclearn Jan 2015

The Dimerization Kinetics Of Ncad12 With A Mutated Cis-X-Pro Bond, Victoria Mcclearn

Honors Theses

VICTORIA RAE McCLEARN: DIMERIZATION KINECTICS OF NCAD12 P16A (Under the direction Dr. Susan Pedigo) Calcium binding causes a conformational change into a strand swapped dimer for the cadherins. However, regardless of the sequence similarity for Epithelial Cadherin (ECAD) and Neural Cadherin (NCAD), they respond to the presence of calcium differently. For NCAD, the rate of assembly and disassembly depends upon the presence of calcium, whereas for ECAD the rate of exchange is independent of calcium. Studies into a kinetic model to explain the differences between the rates have been recently conducted. It is believed that ECAD uses an X-dimer intermediate …


Towards The Synthesis Of A Swallowtailed Perylene Monoimide, Wyatt S. Whicker Jan 2015

Towards The Synthesis Of A Swallowtailed Perylene Monoimide, Wyatt S. Whicker

Honors Theses

This project was initiated in conjunction with Dr. Justin Youngblood from the University of North Texas. The goal was to synthesize a molecule to be used in solar cell testing. The target molecule involved combining donor and acceptor groups to make a combination that would be able to transfer electricity in a unilateral direction to increase efficiency in solar cells. My project involved the donor portion, a perylene monoimide donor with a long alkyl swallowtail to impart solubility. While the final molecule was not synthesized, the proposed procedure for making such a molecule was improved upon. A perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride …


The Effects Of Hg2+ On Secondary Structures Formed By T-Rich Dna, Zachary Boynton Jan 2015

The Effects Of Hg2+ On Secondary Structures Formed By T-Rich Dna, Zachary Boynton

Honors Theses

Single stranded DNA that forms secondary structures has been a popular area of research in recent years. Much research has also been done in the field of heavy metals binding to DNA. Recently, it has been discovered that mercury in the presence of thymines will form T-HgII-T bonds. It is our hypothesis that single stranded DNA rich in thymine residues will form into a structure similar to i-motifs, formed from C-rich single strands, in the presence of mercury. Based on spectral changes during a mercuric titration, it is evident that mercury induces a structural change in T-rich DNA. We then …


A Look Into Process Optimization, Joshua Hunter Lambert Jan 2015

A Look Into Process Optimization, Joshua Hunter Lambert

Honors Theses

The goal for this paper is to inform the reader on the optimization process in chemical engineering design. The reader will gain knowledge about the step-by-step process as well as terminology of the optimization journey. Optimization takes a great amount of work, and it can be a daunting task if one gets caught up in the minute details. However, I will show that looking at the big picture will drastically ease the process and make optimizing much simpler. A base case will first be presented. The base case should be modeled using a process simulator, and then an economic analysis …


An Examination Of The Theory Of Alternate Routes To High School Graduation And Its Implication On Mississippi's Educational System, Kimberly L. Hardges Jan 2015

An Examination Of The Theory Of Alternate Routes To High School Graduation And Its Implication On Mississippi's Educational System, Kimberly L. Hardges

Honors Theses

During Mississippi's 2014 Regular Legislative Session, Representative John L. Moore, Chair of the Education Committee, introduced House Bill 767 (HB 767). The goal of HB 767 was to create a pilot program that would remove the requirement for passage of Subject Area Tests as a mandatory requirement for graduation... and to establish the minimum composite score to be attained on the ACT assessment to qualify a student for graduation and for college and career readiness1 in the state of Mississippi. By a vote of 118-1 HB 767 passed the House. The bill was then transmitted to the Mississippi State Senate …


Death, Maintenance And Revitalization Of The Quechua Language In Peru: A Case Study With A Focus On San Pedro De Cajas, Madeline Fumi Jan 2015

Death, Maintenance And Revitalization Of The Quechua Language In Peru: A Case Study With A Focus On San Pedro De Cajas, Madeline Fumi

Honors Theses

I would like to express my gratitude to several individuals who continuously supported me throughout the process of my thesis research and writing. I am very grateful to my advisor, Dr. Maria Fionda, whose constructive criticism helped challenge and develop my critical thinking and writing skills. A special thanks goes to my second reader, Dr. William Schenck, and my third reader, Dr. Felice Coles, who gave me useful feedback regarding how to incorporate my qualitative findings in my thesis to support my main arguments. I would also like to thank Maria Teresa Alvarado for her help with numerous Spanish translations …


Method Development For The Detection And Quantitation Of Illicit Drugs In Fingerprints Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Madison Roussel Jan 2015

Method Development For The Detection And Quantitation Of Illicit Drugs In Fingerprints Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Madison Roussel

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to develop a method for the detection and quantitation of caffeine and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol in fingerprints using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The matrix used was 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). The presence of the analytes was confirmed by analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol was chosen as the drug of interest because it is the major metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of marijuana. Marijuana's popularity as a recreational drug continues to increase with its legalization and decriminalization across the country. It is critical to establish methods for the quantification …


X-Dimer Mutations And Their Effects On The Folding Stability And Assembly Of Ecad12 At The K14-D138 Interface, Martha Kaitlyn Coghlan Jan 2015

X-Dimer Mutations And Their Effects On The Folding Stability And Assembly Of Ecad12 At The K14-D138 Interface, Martha Kaitlyn Coghlan

Honors Theses

Classical cadherins were first identified by their function in mediating calcium-dependent cellular adhesion and constitute a large family of cellular adhesion receptor proteins whose differential binding is central to the development and maintenance of tissue architecture. The interface underlying the binding interaction reveals that all classical cadherins share a common adhesive interface in which the portion of the β-A strand closest to the N-terminus is swapped between EC1 domains of the adhesive partner protomers. A second dimeric configuration, known as the 'X-dimer', is the face-to-face association of two protomers in which their orientation is dictated by three symmetrical noncovalent interactions …


Oxygen Saturation During A Simulation Dive Response: Development Of An Experimental Protocol For An Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory, Michael S. Pergola Jan 2015

Oxygen Saturation During A Simulation Dive Response: Development Of An Experimental Protocol For An Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory, Michael S. Pergola

Honors Theses

There are issues concerning the amount of learning that actually takes place in the laboratory environment, and whether or not it is worth the investment of money, resources, and time. A laboratory protocol was designed to examine the human dive response, with the goals of generating multiple robust variables, creating a truly integrative laboratory experiment and improving lab education. The objectives of this exercise were to promote critical thinking, maximize collaboration, minimize social loafing and student engagement, promote critical thinking, and meet as many of the National Science Foundation's core competencies and assess effectiveness in achieving these objectives. The dive …


Characterization Of Epithelial Cadherin Domain 1, Molly Edmondson Jan 2015

Characterization Of Epithelial Cadherin Domain 1, Molly Edmondson

Honors Theses

Cadherins are a family of cell-surface glycoproteins that aid in cell adhesion between two proximal cells. The characteristic cadherin extracellular structure consists of five ~100 amino acid domains connected by seven-residue linker regions. Cadherins mediate adhesion via adherens junctions by forming a strand-swapped structure between identical protomers from apposing cells. Upon calcium binding, the swapping of the N- terminal strands between protomers allows for the symmetrical docking of a conserved tryptophan residue in the N-terminal strand into the hydrophobic pocket of its partner protomer. The two most-well-studied members of the classical cadherin family are Neural- (N-) and Epithelial- (E-) cadherin. …


A War On Women? The Malleus Maleficarum And The Witch-Hunts In Early Modern Europe, Morgan L. Stringer Jan 2015

A War On Women? The Malleus Maleficarum And The Witch-Hunts In Early Modern Europe, Morgan L. Stringer

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the topic of gender and witchcraft, specifically why women were so heavily represented in witchcraft trials. The demonology text, The Malleus Maleficarum was analyzed. Several other demonological texts were also analyzed and then compared to one another regarding their statements about women, men, and witchcraft. Then historiography pertaining to gender and witchcraft were analyzed and critiqued. The Malleus Maleficarum contains a high degree of misogyny, but it presents an extreme misogynistic view that is not present in other demonology texts. The argument that the Early Modern European Witch-Hunts were a war on women fails to account for …


Development Of Methods For Determining Dry Deposition Of Mercury Using An Ion-Exchange Membrane: Relative Rates Of Mercury Dry Deposition At Sardis, Enid, And Grenada Lakes, Ruiqi Feng Jan 2015

Development Of Methods For Determining Dry Deposition Of Mercury Using An Ion-Exchange Membrane: Relative Rates Of Mercury Dry Deposition At Sardis, Enid, And Grenada Lakes, Ruiqi Feng

Honors Theses

This research focuses on studies developing methods to measure dry deposition of mercury (Hg) using an ion-exchange (IX) membrane to capture gaseous mercury species in the air. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that is spread globally through the atmosphere. Atmospheric Hg deposits to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through wet and dry deposition. While routine methods have been developed to study wet deposition of Hg, measuring dry deposition of Hg is more problematic and often overlooked. In this study, we developed an inexpensive means to deploy a polyethersulfone cation exchange membrane in the field by dangling it within a polycarbonate …


Effects Of Synthetic Blood Plasma On Calcium Dependent Dimerization Of Ncad12, Brent Treadway Jan 2015

Effects Of Synthetic Blood Plasma On Calcium Dependent Dimerization Of Ncad12, Brent Treadway

Honors Theses

Neural Cadherin (NCAD) is one of three Type 1 vertebral classical cadherins that function as the primary transmembrane component in cell-to-cell interactions at adherens junctions. Adhesive interactions mediated by this protein are calcium dependent with three calcium-binding sites between each of its five extracellular domains. NCAD is very important in many cell-to-cell interactions because of its function in development and in immune and neurological synapses. Generally, in vitro studies of calcium dependent dimerization of NCAD are conducted in a nonphysiological buffer (NaCl + HEPES: SEC buffer). In order to study dimerization in more physiologically relevant conditions, I created a synthetic …


A Study Of The Impact Of Ph On The Structure And Stability Of Epithelial Cadherin, Catherine Abadie Jan 2015

A Study Of The Impact Of Ph On The Structure And Stability Of Epithelial Cadherin, Catherine Abadie

Honors Theses

Epithelial (E-) cadherin is a transmembrane protein whose function lies in cell-to-cell adhesion. It is a transmembrane component of adherens junctions of epithelial tissues, thereby connecting the actin cytoskeletons of adhered cells. It has five extracellular domains, a small transmembrane portion, and a cytoplasmic tail. The molecule must bind calcium in order to form an adhesive dimer with a cadherin molecule emanating from an adjacent cell. Cancer of the epithelial tissue, carcinoma, is accompanied by acidification of the tissue and a loss in cell adhesion. The long-term goal of this project is to determine the effect of a decrease in …


The Spectroscopic Characterization Of Newly Developed Emissive Materials And The Effects Of Environment On Their Photophysical Properties, Louis Edward Mcnamara Jan 2015

The Spectroscopic Characterization Of Newly Developed Emissive Materials And The Effects Of Environment On Their Photophysical Properties, Louis Edward Mcnamara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of new materials capable of efficient charge transfer and energy storage has become increasingly important in many areas of modern chemical research. This is especially true for the development of emissive optoelectronic devices and in the field of solar to electric energy conversion. The characterization of the photophysical properties of new molecular systems for these applications has become critical in the design and development of these materials. Many molecular building blocks have been developed and understanding the properties of these molecules at a fundamental level is essential for their successful implementation and future engineering. This dissertation focuses on …


The Least Prime Number That Splits Completely In S3-Sextic Number Fields, Zhenchao Ge Jan 2015

The Least Prime Number That Splits Completely In S3-Sextic Number Fields, Zhenchao Ge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In number theory, an integer n is quadratic residue modulo an odd prime p if n is congruent to a perfect square modulo p. Otherwise, n is is called a quadratic nonresidue. Bounding the least prime quadratic residue and the least quadratic nonresidue are two very classical problems in number theory. These classical problems can be generalized to any number field K by asking for bounds the least for prime that splits completely or does not split completely, respectively, in the ring of integers of K. The goal of this thesis is to bound the least prime that splits completely …


Functional Reactive Programming For Games, Peter Adewunmi Salu Jan 2015

Functional Reactive Programming For Games, Peter Adewunmi Salu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the effectiveness of functional reactive programming for games. To accomplish this, we clone aa, an existing game, in Elm, a purely functional programming language. We find that functional reactive programming offers an excellent alternative to event driven programming in purely functional languages. Elm still needs more work if it aims to compete with JavaScript libraries. Games, which typically need several inputs at the same time, benefit from the first class status of Signals, which allow them to be combined.


Gold Nanomolecules : Developing Synthetic Protocols, Characterization And Investigation Of Ligand Effects On Structure And Properties, Praneeth Reddy Nimmala Jan 2015

Gold Nanomolecules : Developing Synthetic Protocols, Characterization And Investigation Of Ligand Effects On Structure And Properties, Praneeth Reddy Nimmala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term "Nano" in chemistry refers to particles/molecules in the size range 1 to 100 nm. Gold nanoparticles were used in ancient times in making decorative glass as they produce vibrant, size dependent, colors upon interaction with light. Gold is a preferred choice of metal for the synthesis of nanoparticles mainly due to its inertness to atmospheric conditions and most chemicals. Gold thiolate nanomolecules, which is the primary focus of this dissertation research, are chemical molecules with a fixed number of gold atoms and organo-thiolate ligands. They are of the form Aux(SR)y and possess molecule-like properties as a result of …


Synthetic Study Of Karlotoxins And Investigation Of Alpha-Diaminoboryl Carbanion Chemistry, Yusuke Takahashi Jan 2015

Synthetic Study Of Karlotoxins And Investigation Of Alpha-Diaminoboryl Carbanion Chemistry, Yusuke Takahashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Karlotoxins (KmTxs), produced by a toxic marine/estuarine phytoplankton, the dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum, are known to be ichthyotoxic, thus being associated with numerous fish deaths events worldwide. They have also been reported to show a variety of biological activities such as hemolytic, cytotoxic, and anti-fungal activities. Recently, the Hamann group successfully assigned the absolute configurations of KmTx2, the first complete structure elucidation among the congeners. In a structural sense, karlotoxins are a family of linear polyketides with three distinctive regions; a bis-tetrahydropyran core fragment, a long, highly oxygenated carbon chain, and a lipophilic chlorodiene unit. Such potent biological activities as well …


Versatility Of Hot-Melt Extrusion For Dosage Form Design, Sultan Mohammad Alshehri Jan 2015

Versatility Of Hot-Melt Extrusion For Dosage Form Design, Sultan Mohammad Alshehri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) has attracted the attention of pharmaceutical companies and scientists as a technique for manufacturing a variety of dosage forms. In this research, HME was applied in different ways to achieve different goals, such as solubility enhancement, taste masking, solid state stability enhancement, and sustained release formulations for oral drug delivery, using one model drug, mefenamic acid. For solubility enhancement and taste masking formulations, Eudragit EPO was blended with MA in different ratios (20, 25, 30, and 40% of drug loads) and processed by a hot melt extruder to produce a solid dispersion system. FT-IR analysis …


Mercury Methylation Potentials In Sediments An Ancient Cypress Wetland Using Species-Specific Isotope Dilution-Gc-Icp-Ms: Analytical Method Development And The Effect Of Sorbent Amendments, Derek Davin Bussan Jan 2015

Mercury Methylation Potentials In Sediments An Ancient Cypress Wetland Using Species-Specific Isotope Dilution-Gc-Icp-Ms: Analytical Method Development And The Effect Of Sorbent Amendments, Derek Davin Bussan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A novel method was developed to measure mercury (Hg) directly in environmental solids using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with online sample ashing. The method combines a direct mercury analyzer (DMA) that is based on sample combustion, Hg pre-concentration by amalgamation with gold, and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), with a high resolution ICP-MS. Unlike AAS, the ICP-MS is capable of individual isotope measurements allowing for accurate quantitation by isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) and for isotope tracer experiments. The method was validated using certified reference materials including sediment (NIST 2709), leaves (NIST 1547), and fish-muscle (DORM-3), with recoveries within …


Exploration Of Novel Synthetic Utility Of Lithioacetonitirile, Rambabu Sankranti Jan 2015

Exploration Of Novel Synthetic Utility Of Lithioacetonitirile, Rambabu Sankranti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Impact Of Refill Synchronization On Medication Adherence For Chronic Diseases, Divya Verma Jan 2015

Impact Of Refill Synchronization On Medication Adherence For Chronic Diseases, Divya Verma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the impact of medication synchronization (med sync) on medication adherence for three drug classes under the CMS Star Rating system i.e. oral diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post study design was employed using pharmacy prescription fill data from various independent community pharmacies located in different regions of Mississippi. Using Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), medication adherence before and after the med sync was calculated. Total study period of one year for each patient including six months of pre-period and post-period was used for the analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated. …


Semi-Leptonic Decay Of Lambda-B In The Standard Model And With New Physics, Wanwei Wu Jan 2015

Semi-Leptonic Decay Of Lambda-B In The Standard Model And With New Physics, Wanwei Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy quark decays provide a very advantageous investigation to test the Standard Model (SM). Recently, promising experiments with b quark, as well as the analysis of the huge data sets produced at the B factories, have led to an increasing study and sensitive measurements of relative b quark decays. In this thesis, I calculate various observables in the semi-leptonic decay process Λb → Λ cτν[special character omitted]τ both in the SM and in the presence of New Physics (NP) operators with different Lorentz structures. The results are relevant for the coming measurement of this semi-leptonic decay at LHC b experiment …


The Attitudinal And Cognitive Effects Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration On Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Development Of Biological Science Related Lesson Plans, Jada Mills Jan 2015

The Attitudinal And Cognitive Effects Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration On Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Development Of Biological Science Related Lesson Plans, Jada Mills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a need for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education to be taught effectively in elementary schools. In order to achieve this, teacher preparation programs should graduate confident, content strong teachers to convey knowledge to elementary students. This study used interdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Education and the College of Liberal Arts through a Learning-by-Teaching method (LdL): Lernen durch Lernen in German. Pre-service teacher (PST) achievement levels of understanding science concepts based on pretest and posttest data, quality of lesson plans developed, and enjoyment of the class based on the collaboration with science students. The PSTs enrolled …


Behavior, Energetics, And Swimming Performance Of The American Paddlefish, Polyodon Spathula, In A Lower Mississippi River Oxbow, Bryan Andrew Cage Jan 2015

Behavior, Energetics, And Swimming Performance Of The American Paddlefish, Polyodon Spathula, In A Lower Mississippi River Oxbow, Bryan Andrew Cage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paddlefish often frequent oxbows and backwater habitats between periods of migration. Speculation as to the use and energetic savings associated with this seasonal residence has not been substantiated. This study used radio telemetry to track the seasonal movements and swim tunnel respirometry to estimate metabolic rates and swimming efficiency of paddlefish within an oxbow located just north of Clarksdale, Mississippi (Moon Lake). Paddlefish overwintered in the deepest portions of Moon Lake with little movement into shallower areas. Paddlefish swimming performance was measured at four swimming speeds (76.04, 91.27, 106.50, and 121.72 cm/s) to determine the cost of locomotion over season …