Digital Commons Network^™

The Take It All Tailgate Wagon: From Concept Through Prototype Development, Carly Huguley

Honors Theses

This text outlines the design process of the Take it All Tailgate from concept design through two prototyping stages. The Take it All Tailgate was designed for the every gameday tailgater who has a lot of tailgating equipment to haul from their vehicle to the tailgating area. With this in mind, a team of five members designed a wheeled storage space that also acts as a table in the tailgating area. Lean manufacturing was implemented to improve the build process and the overall design of the storage wagon.

Analysis Of Hemp Fiber Reinforced Polylactide Composite Under High Strain-Rate, Benjamin Rhoads

Honors Theses

The introduction of hemp fibers into a polylactide (PLA) matrix creates a hemp fiber-reinforced composite with 10% hemp fibers and 90% PLA. Natural fibers are becoming a popular alternative to synthetic fibers since they are environmentally friendly, and hemp-fibers are becoming used more often as the demand for natural fibers increased. A Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar was used to test this composite against a control group using elastic wave propagation theory. Strain gauges were mounted on the incident and transmission bars of the SHPB to measure the propagation of the wave that caused the strain in the sample, which were used …

The Effect Of Gelatin Ph And Incubation Time On The Size Of Nanoparticles Manufactured By Desolvation, Katarina Papachrisanthou

Honors Theses

Gelatin nanoparticles have been known to be used as a drug transporter to target sick tissues like those of cancer. Gelatin nanoparticles have long been engineered by one-step and two-step desolvation processes. Yet, manufacturing gelatin nanoparticles of reproducible size has not been accomplished successfully. This research will look at how the starting processing steps such as gelatin solution pH adjustment and incubation times influenced the size of gelatin nanoparticles. Gelatin solution pH incubation times between 0 and 24 hours showed an increase in gelatin nanoparticle size in those manufactured by one-step desolvation. Two-step desolvation engineered gelatin nanoparticles showed a smaller …

Th1, Th2, And Th17 Inflammatory Pathways Predict Cardiometabolic Protein Expression In Serum Of Covid-19 Patients, James Richard Michels

Honors Theses

A predominant source of complications in SARS-CoV-2 patients arises from severe systemic inflammation contributed to by Helper T-cell associated cytokines, potentially leading to tissue damage and organ failure. The high inflammatory burden of this viral infection often results in cardiovascular comorbidities. A better understanding of the interaction between the cytokine storm and cardiovascular proteins might inform medical decisions and therapeutic approaches. We hypothesized that all major helper T-cell inflammatory pathways (Helper T 1, Helper T 2 and Helper T 17) synergistically contribute to cardiometabolic pathways in serum of COVID-19 patients, and that both of these factors correlate to COVID-19 severity. …

Effects Of Music Exposure On Autobiographical Memory In Alzheimer's Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Gregory Vance

Honors Theses

The progression of Alzheimer’s disease is primarily characterized by a loss of memory concerning past events, as well as a lack in ability to create new memories. While this spans across many subsets of memory, such as recognition, recall, and autobiographical memory, there seems to be a lesser impact on musical memory in those with Alzheimer’s. Multiple studies have suggested that exposure to music and introduction of music therapy can even improve other aspects of memory in Alzheimer’s patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to examine the relationship between music exposure and autobiographical memory specifically. A pool of electronic …

Shock Tube Response Of Polycarbonate And Polyvinyl Chloride Exposed To Uv Radiation For Use In Military Application, Tallulah Jones

Honors Theses

As today’s society becomes increasingly more conscious of finding alternative ways to

power our vehicles, research surrounding solar-charged military vehicles is on the rise. With this endeavor comes an engineering feat of discovering the proper material that is cost-effective, wear-resistant, and strong enough to withstand the harsh elements and potentially large impacts that these military-grade vehicles may encounter.

This research tested two types of materials in a shock tube to simulate their behavior in a dynamic impact. These materials were polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride, more commonly known as PVC. In addition to control samples of both of these materials, samples …

Optimization Of An Ethylbenzene To Styrene Production Facility, John Michels

Honors Theses

The purpose of this case study is to optimize the design and production of an ethylbenzene-to-styrene manufacturing facility, Unit 500. Compared to the original base-case design, the optimizations presented in this document will save approximately $337 million dollars without compromising the production requirements or quality. Optimization of this process used net present value as an objective function, with changes centered around the reactors, but also the separation equipment and exchangers prior to separation, as those devices most directly controlled process stream contents and conditions. The second set of reactors was removed in favor of using one optimized set of reactors, …

Optimization And Analysis Of A Styrene Production Process, Alexis Kimpel

Honors Theses

The production of styrene from ethylbenzene in Unit 500 is designed to start up in 2024 and operate for 12 years after startup. The engineering team was tasked with designing the process, creating an economic model, and optimizing the net present value (NPV). The process was simulated in AVEVA PRO/II Simulation for the design process and to estimate the size of equipment. Parametric and topological optimization was performed subsequently on the unit operations in the process. The NPV was improved by $423M from a base case of -$919M to an optimized case of -$496M. The project is recommended to continue …

The Design And Economic Optimization Of A Warehouse Refrigeration System, Hannah Talbot

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to design a cool warehouse refrigeration system for Acme Frozen Foods, Inc located in Newark, New Jersey. The refrigeration system was used to cool eighteen 300,000 ft³ refrigerated units (200 ft x 100 ft x 15 ft), each requiring 200 cooling tons of refrigeration at a level of 0 F. The scope of this project included determining the appropriate refrigeration cycle, selecting the most desirable refrigerant, and temperature ranges to optimize the performance of the system. This project also considered the economic cost of the power needed to run the refrigerated units and …

Optimization Of Styrene From Ethylbenzene Case Study, Jabria Daria Thompson

Honors Theses

The following pages detail the optimization process of styrene from ethylbenzene in the Styrene Production Plant, Unit 500. There were two parts of the assignment, each with slightly different end goals. The goal of the first part of the assignment, was to create a process that would effectively and efficiently increase the negative Net Present Value (NPV) of the production plant. Procedures taken in this process included developing a working kinetic process simulation model and optimizing this model through unit operations and heat integration, as well as developing an accurate economic model that will be used to evaluate the proposed …

Increasing Accessibility To Monitoring Ammonia Levels In The Body Through Development Of A Novel Point-Of-Care Breath Ammonia Diagnostic Device, Emily C. Wright, Ashwin M. Sivalingam

Honors Theses

Hyperammonemia is a life-threatening metabolic condition that is characterized by elevated levels of ammonia concentrations in the blood. Resulting from serious conditions such as chronic kidney disease or liver failure, the limited functions of the liver and kidney lead to an increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) within the body. Currently, there are a wide variety of treatments for this condition, ranging from various medications to surgical procedures such as liver transplants. However, there is a lack of variety in diagnostic testing methods to determine a patient’s ammonia levels. In most cases, patients will need to schedule a doctor’s appointment …

Case Study In Enterprise Risk Management: Lion Rock Summer Camps, Inc., Arthur Meaney

Honors Theses

Enterprise risk management is a crucial part of the modern business world. Being unprepared to handle risks that a company may face can lead to financial demise. Since the 1960s, the insurance industry has steadily moved away from the focus on insurance buying. Enterprise risk management strives to identify company-wide risks, evaluate their frequency and severity, come up with risk management and loss control methods, implement said methods, and monitor their effectiveness over time. In this case study, I identify risks for Lion Rock Summer Camps, Inc. and suggest various risk management and loss control methods. Lion Rock Summer Camps, …

Customized Sidearm Case: Leading A Cme Capstone Team From Concept To Production, Robert B. Sharp

Honors Theses

The goal behind this thesis is to document and analyze my performance as the project manager for the Customized Sidearm Case capstone team during the Center for Manufacturing Excellence’s senior capstone experience. The capstone experience begins the fall of students senior year where a select number of product ideas submitted by the students are chosen, and teams are built around these projects. The objective of the project is to walk a product from the concept phase through the entire design process resulting in a full-scale production run during the spring semester. My product pitch of a wooden sidearm case, customized …

Investigation Of Accounting Principles And Concepts Through Case Studies, Samantha Labuda

Honors Theses

This thesis is a compilation of case studies that involve a variety of accounting principles and concepts. I participated in a case competition where we researched different aspects of a company that we chose: General Motors. During the five-week period, we did audit, tax, advisory, and financial research into the company. In addition, I did a business interview with Michael LaBuda, researched the 2008 Financial Crisis, studied the ramifications of 9/11 on businesses, learned about Dallas, Texas as a place where I could possibly be employed, investigated Covid-19 research, and performed another interview with John Spears. All in all, I …

Dicyanobenzothiadiazole-Based Organic Dye As A Visible Light Absorbing Strong Photoinduced Oxidant With A 16 Microsecond Long-Lived Excited State, Ivy Li

Honors Theses

Strong photoinduced oxidants are important to organic synthesis and solar energy conversion to chemical fuels or electric. For these applications, visible light absorption is important to solar energy conversion and long-lived excited states are needed to drive catalysis. With respect to these desirable qualities, a series of five 5,6-dicyano[2,1,3]benzothiadiazole ((CN)₂BTD) dyes are examined as organic chromophores that can serve as strong photooxidants in catalytic systems. The series utilizes a ((CN)₂BTD) core with aryl groups on the periphery varying electron donation strengths relative to the core. The dyes are studied via both steady-state and transient absorption and …

Effective Green Marketing Strategies On Social Media: Selling Companies And Their Consumers On Investing In Carbon Offsetting And Solar Energy In 2021, Melvin Richard Springer Iv

Honors Theses

In a digital world where consumers and businesses alike care significantly about sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), the success of startup companies hinges on constant, clear, and thoughtful communication. Through my research into successfully marketing such concerns on social media as well as my internship at Clearloop, I discovered some of the best ways to convince both companies and consumers that preserving the planet should be a primary concern for every environmentally conscious company. Companies that ignore their impacts on the environment are synonymous with companies doomed to fail in the 21^st century. Clearloop’s model of partnering with …

Design And Installation Of Automated Part Ejector For Swiss Cnc Machine, Alex Sembrot

Honors Theses

Tegra Medical, based out of Hernando, MS, is a contract manufacturer of a wide variety of medical equipment. Currently, they are under a contract to manufacture a set amount of femur rods using their Swiss machines. In their current manufacturing process of these femur rods, a machine operator is needed to manually remove the femur rod from the Swiss machine when it is completed. This process requires the machine operator to pause the Swiss machine, open the front hood of the machine, remove the part, and then restart the machine to continue the manufacturing process. Because their current manufacturing process …

Optimization Of A Styrene Prodcution And Separation Process, Bryce Little

Honors Theses

A step wise optimization of Unit 500 was completed. Unit 500 is a planned ethylbenzene to styrene production plant that has a annual production goal of 100,000 metric tons of styrene. The cost of styrene on the market is $1,598. The base case of Unit 500 produced styrene at a cost of $2,650. Optimization was completed with an emphasis on parametric changes though material of construction and heat integration were also considered. The optimized Unit 500 design reduced the cost of styrene production to $2,035 per metric ton. While this represents a significant improvement on the base case cost, it …

Kristie Willett Receives University's Top Research Award, Whitney Tarpy

University of Mississippi News

BioMolecular Sciences chair shares toxicology expertise with students, community

How Chinese Media Reports On Infectious Disease Emergence And Human Environmental Interactions, Kai-Shin Newman

Honors Theses

Human activity and behavior, animal consumption and exploitation, and environmental degradation all impact the planet and those living on it. Each can contribute to the creation of favorable conditions in which pathogenic transmission can easily occur, resulting in an increase in infectious disease emergence. Through the One Health concept, an understanding of how human, animal, and environmental health are connected can help reduce these conditions in which infectious diseases can emerge and spread. However, despite being an established concept, the One Health is not widely known or implemented. Even in a country, such as China, that has a large population, …

It's Just Caring: Improving The Museum Experience For Visitors With Autism Through Social Narratives, Reagan R. Stone

Honors Theses

This project explores how museums can improve the visitor experience for visitors with disabilities, more specifically for visitors with autism. In general, museums are environments that have a specific set of rules, guidelines, and built-in social interactions that visitors are expected to understand and follow. These guidelines, as well as the sensory overload that exists within a new environment, can make visiting the museum a stressful, and even negative experience for individuals with autism and their families. A social narrative, a simple written and visual guide that explains characteristics of new environments and various aspects of social situations, is a …

How Brands Go Viral: An Analysis Of Successful Brand Marketing On Tik Tok With Gen Z, Alyssa Rezek

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the unique relationship between Generation Z and the social media platform TikTok, especially in regard to its marketing function. A literature review, survey, and interviews were conducted to examine the social media habits of Generation Z and the attitudes they have towards these platforms. The data suggests that highly visual platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, are more widely used and trusted by members of the generation in question. These trends indicate that brands wishing to market toward this generation should become proficient in the use of these platforms. This research seeks to examine the …

Hey Queens!, Grace Temple

Honors Theses

Drag has been a part of society since as early as Ancient Greece. However, the art form has evolved throughout the centuries and is still evolving today. Modern day drag is commonly associated with RuPaul Charles and his achievements as a drag performer. He has helped pave the way for present and future drag performers to express themselves through the art form. The mainstreaming of drag has had numerous positive and negative impacts on the LGBTQIA+ community. This thesis documents the history of the art form and how it interacts with individual performers and society. This thesis consists of two …

Um-Tupelo Graduates Honored With Taylor Medals, Pam Starling

University of Mississippi News

Pontotoc's Brianna Wallace and Sarah Catherine Ware stand out through service and academics

Kritika Gupta Named Graduate School Class Marshal, Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

Doctoral candidate praised for her work in child nutrition and school wellness

New Initiatives Help Prepare Business Students For Job Market, Claire Sahs

University of Mississippi News

First-ever career fairs geared toward marketing and real estate

Red And Blue Celebration Honors Graduating Staff Members, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

Annual event recognizes 23 UM employees for overcoming challenges, earning degrees

Exogenous Supply Chain Shocks And Onshoring: An Analysis Of Thetrump Trade War And The U.S.-China Bilateral Trade Relationship, Benjamin Sullivan

Honors Theses

This paper examines the effects of the supply chain crisis on the U.S.-China bilateral trade relationship and on the health of the U.S. manufacturing sector. The policy goals and decision making of both the Trump administration and the Chinese Communist Party are examined, it is determined, within the context of the U.S.-China Trade War, that the Chinese Communist Party made more effective long-term policy decisions than the Trump Administration. However, despite the U.S’s policy failures, this paper finds that U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, relative to China, has actually increased in recent years. This relative increase in manufacturing competitiveness is driving the …

Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics In Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers, Omayma Al Azzam, Janie C. Watts, Justin E. Reynolds, Juliana E. Davis, Dana N. Reinemann

Faculty and Student Publications

Myosins are motor proteins that hydrolyze ATP to step along actin filament (AF) tracks and are essential in cellular processes such as motility and muscle contraction. To understand their force-generating mechanisms, myosin II has been investigated both at the single-molecule (SM) level and as teams of motors in vitro using biophysical methods such as optical trapping. These studies showed that myosin force-generating behavior can differ greatly when moving from the single-molecule level in a three-bead arrangement to groups of motors working together on a rigid bead or coverslip surface in a gliding arrangement. However, these assay constructions do not permit …

Grabbing Consumers By The Ears: Exploring The Role Of Branded Podcasts In An Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy, Lilly Hamm

Honors Theses

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a framework for understanding how brands can meet consumer needs. Practitioners of IMC use an array of communication channels like marketing, advertising, sales, and public relations to build a consistent brand narrative, but they also recognize that strong marketing potential rests in the hands of the consumer. With the rapid advancement in new technology, IMC professionals are constantly looking for new ways to reach their targeted audience.

By 2016 and 2017, IMC practitioners began to notice the lack of ad clutter in the podcasting platform, leading them to flock to this channel to promote their …