Digital Commons Network^™

Tying The Knot: Applications Of Topology To Chemistry, Tarini S. Hardikar

Honors Theses

Chirality (or handedness) is the property that a structure is “different” from its mirror image. Topology can be used to provide a rigorous framework for the notion of chirality. This project examines various types of chirality and discusses tools to detect chirality in graphs and knots. Notable theorems that are discussed in this work include ones that identify chirality using properties of link polynomials (HOMFLY polynomials), rigid vertex graphs, and knot linking numbers. Various other issues of chirality are explored, and some specially unique structures are discussed. This paper is borne out of reading Dr. Erica Flapan’s book, When Topology …

America's National Parks And The Anthropocene: Addressing The Present To Accommodate The Future In Acadia National Park, Sophie A. Swetz

Honors Theses

In 2000, atmospheric chemist, Paul J. Crutzen, and limnologist, Eugene Stoermer, formally proposed the idea of “the Anthropocene,” a new geologic epoch in which humans are the dominant force shaping the Earth. To claim the Anthropocene's existence is to declare that human actions have altered the Earth in such a way that geologic indicators render it a distinct epoch in the stratification of geologic time. This new epoch emerges as a consequence of increased technological development employed to accommodate an anthropocentric human existence. That is, rapid advancements in technology have driven the transformation from a primarily naturally controlled planet to …

Effects Of Mutating Ctra-Binding Sites Within The Pile Promoter Of Caulobacter Crescentus, Sarah Chong

Honors Theses

This project investigated the regulation of pilA by the global transcriptional regulator CtrA in the dimorphic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. The pilA gene encodes the pilin subunits which are polymerized into helical filaments to produce pili, and the gene is directly activated by CtrA such that filaments are produced after cell separation. The pilA promoter harbors three regions that have been shown to bind CtrA (Binding Regions 1, 2, and 3), and multiple CtrA recognition sites are found in these regions, which is unusual for CtrA-dependent promoters. However, none of the binding sites match the CtrA consensus binding sequence. The canonical …

Cytotoxicity Assay Of Self-Assembling Protein-Based Biomaterials, Peyton Vaughan

Honors Theses

Acute inflammation is a natural biological defensive response against infection,irritation, and injury. While inflammation is a natural process, chronic tissue inflammation has been implicated in the development of several different diseases. With the intent of minimizing collateral damage associated with long-term exposure of healthy tissues to anti-inflammatory drugs, the Pedigo laboratory has designed a system for the self-assembly of protein polymers as scaffolds for controlled-release of drugs to affected tissues. This protein polymer comprises two essential components, with the first component being the calcium-dependent protein, calmodulin, and the second being a corresponding binding peptide, M13. Because Calmodulin has a specific, …

Is Major League Baseball Striking Out? In-Game Advertising And Its Effects On America's Pastime, Ashley M. Anderson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the effectiveness of in-game advertisements at Major League Baseball games. Average attendance at Major League Baseball games has been steadily declining for years. Simultaneously, the average length of a professional baseball game has increased significantly. Secondary research has shown that just a few minutes of advertising per game could add up to hours of extra playing time per season. There is ample research available on the evolution and frequency of in-game advertisement, but little has been done to study the actual effectiveness of in-game advertising. Therefore, I conducted primary research in the …

The Evaluation Of Az66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonist, For Its Anti-Convulsive Effects In C57bl/6 Mice, Jamie Stone

Honors Theses

The Evaluation of AZ66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 and Sigma-2 Antagonist, for Anticonvulsive Effects in C57Bl/6 Mice (Under the direction of Lisa Wilson and Dr. Christopher McCurdy) Sigma receptors have become a popular subject for research the past few decades, but there is still much mystery behind these receptors and how they work. Researchers have found that sigma receptor antagonists can attenuate cocaine induced convulsions, however, limited research has been conducted on the effects of these antagonists on convulsions that mimic the types of seizures associated with epilepsy. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate AZ66 (20 …

Aging Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Eye-Tracking And Person-Perception Analyses Of Young And Old Faces, Stephanie M. Ha

Honors Theses

To examine possible mechanisms related to negative attitudes of aging revealed in face processing patterns, young and old participants rated their first impressions (positive or negative) of 100 faces of young and old individuals taken from the CAL/PAL Fate Database (Minear & Park, 2004) while gaze patterns were recorded using eye-tracking methods. In a follow-up study, an independent sample of young participants rated the same 100 faces on competence, attractiveness, and subjective age in order to further assess age-related stereotypes. This study replicated the T-gaze pattern in previous eye-tracking studies (Firestone, Turk, Browne, & Ryan 2007). We also found evidence …

Gender Perception Of The Rationales Behind Vegetarianism, Nicholas Tallant

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A 2-Part Study Examining; Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates Among High-Risk Adults And The Influence Of Education On Knowledge And Awareness Of Hepatitis B And The Use Of Vaccines As A Safe, Preventative Measure Among University Of Ms Students, Ariel Wilson

Honors Theses

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be prevented and controlled through vaccination. However, vaccination among high-risks adults in the U.S. is still low (50%). This poses serious threats for HBV transmission between infected individuals and high-risk individuals. Objective: The specific aims of this research were to (a) explore the prevalence of hepatitis B vaccination uptake from 2011-2014 (b) to examine intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational level factors associated with receiving hepatitis B vaccination among high-risk adults. Methods: Data were analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011-2014 to (1) assess the prevalence of hepatitis B vaccination and …

Towards The Synthesis Of A Polyamine Perylenebisimide Derivative For Intercalation Into Quadruplex Dna, Bobby May

Honors Theses

Perylenebisimide intercalation in G-quadruplex DNA is an area of study that has increasing interest in cancer research. The ability of perylenebisimides to interrupt the structures of the G4 DNA on the end of telomeres has allowed for the observation of how the variable-regions of the perylenebisimide can have differing effects on anticancer properties. The purpose of this experiment was to synthesize a perylenebisimide with the intentions of observing its intercalating properties with G-quadruplex DNA. In order to accomplish this, dibenzylamine was substituted onto chloroacetonitrile through an SN2 reaction to produce 2-(dibenzylamino)acetonitrile. The 2-(dibenzylamino)acetonitrile was then reduced with LAH to yield …

Autoregulation Of The Glial Gene Reversed Polarity In Drosophila Melanogaster, Chase Suiter

Honors Theses

Autoregulation is the process where an encoded protein is able to bind to and positively or negatively regulate its own expression. Autoregulatory loops are crucial for sustained gene expression, and such loops have been demonstrated to be important for development in organisms ranging from Danio rerio to Arabidopsis thaliana and Drosophila melanogaster. The cells of the nervous system arise from progenitor cells that eventually adopt one of two fates: neuronal or glial. This decision is controlled by glial cells missing; however glial cells missing is expressed briefly at the beginning development. The glial gene repo is a gene that is …

Utilizing The Zebrafish Model To Determine Anti-Epileptic Properties Of Mistletoe And Cannabis, Collin Dietrich

Honors Theses

Epilepsy affects around 50 million people in the world, therefore improving treatment efficacy and safety for epileptics is imperative. In this study we sought to screen the effectiveness and safety of cannabis constituents (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol) and Tapinanthus globiferus extracts in treating epilepsy. We used a zebrafish model wherein seizures were induced by treatment with pentylenetetrazol. Our results showed that Tapinanthus globiferus dose-dependently reduced seizure activity, and no toxicities were seen at the concentrations used. In contrast delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol did not significantly reduce seizure activity and some toxicities were seen at the higher concentrations tested. We conclude that extracts …

How To Be A Girl: The Discourse Of Compulsory Heterosexuality, Desire, And Adolescent Female Sexuality In Seventeen And Cosmopolitan Magazines From The Late 20th Century, Danielle Keiser

Honors Theses

This work explores the discourse of adolescent sexuality and desire presented to readers by Seventeen and Cosmopolitan magazines published between 1970 and 1989. The essay draws distinctions between articles and advertisements, pointing to those articles and ads that promote what Adrienne Rich called compulsory heterosexuality and those that encourage a less restrictive kind of femininity. The essay claims that Seventeen, because it targets a younger audience than Cosmopolitan does, promotes a more sexually normative framework of heterosexual relationships, compulsory matrimony, and motherhood for young readers. Cosmopolitan, on the other hand, teaches readers to embrace female sexuality and desire without needing …

Effects Of Dioscin On Dna Methyltransferase 1 Protein Expression In Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines, David Andrew Means

Honors Theses

In previous experiments, the steroidal saponin, dioscin, which was extracted from the roots of the wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), was observed to have potent anti-proliferative effects on the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Dioscin was also able to activate the transcription of tumor suppressor genes GATA3 and CDH1 in these cell lines. We hypothesize that the anti-proliferative effect of dioscin on human breast cancer cells could be mediated through the epigenome. Consequently, in order to explore this hypothesis, we have analyzed the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) protein in these cells. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were …

Spatial Variation Of Bacterial Communities On The Leaves Of A Southern Magnolia Tree, Emily Q. Nguyen

Honors Theses

The leaf surface, or phylloplane, is a dynamic environment for its microbial inhabitants, which can be subjected to many environmental factors. Existing phylloplane studies have focused on differences in bacterial community structure between trees of the same species, in different geographical locations, or between trees of different species. Few studies have examined the spatial distribution of bacterial communities on the leaves of a single tree. In this study, leaf samples from different areas of the canopy were obtained from a single Magnolia grandiflora tree. Samples were taken from the high (3.5-4.0 m above the ground), middle (1.5 m), inner middle …

We The People: An Analysis Of The Supreme Court's Jurisprudence Relating To Constitutional Personhood, Emma Jennings

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the issue of constitutional personhood and its historical lack of clarity and uniformity. I focus on three groups of persons who historically and frequently bring claims of constitutional protection before the Court: aliens, children, and felons. Across these three classes of claimants, case analysis shows that the Court lacks a clear framework for answering questions of constitutional personhood, instead relying on an individualistic approach in their decision-making, rendering a defined understanding of constitutional personhood impossible. I argue that the Court's current methods of decision- making produce inequality and second-class citizenship, and further, …

If She Were A Man: The Role Of Gender In Perceptions Of Candidate Qualifications, Holly Caitlin Grosholz

Honors Theses

My thesis is interested in voter behavior and the role gender plays in their choice of candidates. Specifically, I seek to understand the significance of gender in voters' perceptions of candidates for higher office. First, I analyzed previous academic literature about voter considerations, political ambition, and the reasons for the representation gap in American politics. Then, I completed a qualitative study asking respondents about characteristics of preferred candidates to look for gender cues, and a quantitative study asking respondents to evaluate potential candidates for higher office. Because of the increasing importance of partisanship, I found that contrary to public perception, …

The Progression Of Lyme Disease In The State Of Virginia, Margaret Michel

Honors Theses

Lyme disease has spread in the United States from the northeast to more southern and western parts of the country. It has been shown that the tick which most often carries the Lyme disease pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) in North America, Ixodes scapularis, has also spread to these new areas of concern. In Virginia, the disease has progressed from the eastern shore to the western, more mountainous regions. Through obtaining historical museum specimens of mice from 11 locations in Virginia, we seek to determine whether the Lyme disease causing pathogen, B. burgdorferi, has always been present in …

Differential Equations Models Of Pathogen-Induced Single- And Multi-Organ Tissue Damage, Fiona Lynch

Honors Theses

The rise of antibiotic resistance has created a significant burden on healthcare systems around the world. Antibiotic resistance arises from the increased use of antibiotic drugs and antimicrobial agents, which kill susceptible bacterial strains, but have little effect on strains that have a mutation allowing them to survive antibiotic treatment, defined as “resistant” strains. With no non-resistant bacteria to compete for resources, the resistant bacteria thrives in this environment, continuing to reproduce and infect the host with an infection that does not respond to traditional antibiotic treatment.

A number of strategies have been proposed to tackle the problem of antibiotic …

Biochemical Variation In Caribbean Sponges Of The Genus Aplysina, Sarah L. Criddle

Honors Theses

Sponges are among the simplest multicellular organisms, consisting of groupings of cells with similar functions rather than true tissues. Nonetheless, sponges are ecologically significant in many marine environments, including coral reefs. They are sedentary organisms that feed by filtration from the water column, which contributes to the numerous roles they play on coral reefs, including upkeep of the reef, production of usable energy, and recycling of nutrients. Like all multicellular organisms, sponges are made up of biologically significant macromolecules. These macromolecules provide the energy for the sponge, and their relative concentrations determine how sponges can store and access the energy …

Quercitrin And Afzelin Isolation: Chemical Synthesis Of A Novel Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) Antibiotic Analogue, Taylor Ramsaroop

Honors Theses

The increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is an epidemic where once easily treated infectious illnesses are becoming more difficult to treat, leading to prolonged suffering, exacerbated medical costs, and sometimes death. Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a strain of the Staph Infection causing bacteria that is resistant to penicillin-like beta lactam antibiotics and occurs at a high incidence in several countries in Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region. In a routine screening of plant extracts, an extract of American Sycamore leaves (Plantus occidentalis) was noted to show promising activity against the experimental MRSA strain included in the …

An Analysis Of Stimuli Responsive Biomaterials Using Raman Spectroscopy And Computational Studies, Gretchen Harknett

Honors Theses

This thesis involves the computational and spectroscopic exploration of the linear dendritic block copolymer, poly(L-lactide)-poly(amido-amine), (PLA-PAMAM), under different environmental conditions using Raman spectroscopy, in hopes to utilize it in future effective and cost-efficient drug delivery systems. Janus dendrimers, a material made up of two different dendrimer portions, are currently being studied in great detail, as they possess many attractive features for materials scientists looking to develop ways for drugs to be delivered in more efficient manners than currently available to physicians. The instrumentation used to conduct this thesis is a high resolution Raman spectrometer. Computationally, Gaussian 09 was employed to …

The Effects Of Microstegium Vimineum On The Soil Microbial Community, Holly Kate Raymond

Honors Theses

Invasive species can spread into native ecosystems and become dominant species. The spread of invasive species is one of the largest threats to biodiversity. Microstegium vimineum is an annual C4 grass that is native to various parts of Asia. M. vimineum was introduced to the United States in the early twentieth century and has rapidly spread due to its high seed production. This study examined the effects of M. vimineum invasion on the composition of the soil bacterial community. Soil samples were collected from two woodland sites in northern Mississippi in November 2014 and 2015. The presence of M. vimineum …

Evaluation Of Sigma Ligand Az66 Analgesic Potentiation Of Cannabinoids, Jacqueline Morris

Honors Theses

Sigma receptors have become a popular subject for research the past few decades, but there is still much mystery behind these receptors and how they work. Sigma receptors, like cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors, have effects on the human body including appetite regulation, depression, and analgesia. AZ66 is a highly selective sigma receptor ligand that has antagonistic properties. Sigma receptor antagonists have been shown to potentiate the analgesic effects of opiates; however, there are no known literature reports about the interaction between the sigma receptor system and the endocannabinoid system, including CB1 receptors. The purpose of this study is to evaluate AZ66 …

Hinge Sequence Elements In Epithelial Cadherin Form And Function, Jessica Elizabeth Barnett

Honors Theses

Cadherins play the vital role of mediating cell-cell adhesion in properly functioning tissues of the human body. Malfunction of these adherent cells can lead to drastic consequences like cancer metastasis. Thus, it is imperative to ensure the functionality of the molecular mechanism that drives these adhesive interactions. Of the various types, our studies specifically focused on the structure and function of the 'hinge region' in epithelial cadherin. This 'hinge region', composed of amino acid residues C9, P10, and E11, was of particular interest because it is the site of strand-swapped dimerization. The residues P10 and E11 are conserved within the …

Dynamic Testing Of Bovine Cortical Bone, Kenton Wong

Honors Theses

Bone is the primary structural element of mammalian animals. It plays a critical role in support, strength, and resilience, and has been the subject of many investigations into its material properties. The high strain rate behavior of bone has remained relatively unexplored, however, and its properties under dynamic loads perpendicular to the diaphysis of the bone are somewhat poorly understood. Bone is an anisotropic material and displays different properties depending on its orientation during testing. It is known that bone is weaker under a compressive load in the transverse direction, but the relationship has not been tested at high strain …

Sex And The Law Of Ancient Athens, Laura S. Dona

Honors Theses

This paper will explore the legal implications of social norms and taboos surrounding both biological sex distinctions and sexuality in Ancient Athens. I believe that the legal speeches used in Ancient Athenian court cases reflect a unique gateway into understand these social norms, because these speeches are arguments made in an attempt to appeal to a jury of Athenian citizens. From these arguments, we can infer what would likely be honorable versus condemnable, and from the logical structure of the arguments we can further understand their legal reasoning. From what I have researched on biological sex and sexuality norms of …

Dynamic Cultural Specificities: Mediation Of Culture And Emergent Gay Identity In China, Lynam Brandon

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Hydrophobic Interactions Between Twenty-Three Cb1 Selective Jwh Compounds And An Active-State Cb1 Receptor Model To Discover Key Structural Features Of The Jwh Compounds And Key Protein Residues Of The Cb1 Receptor, Lyncyn Louise Reliquias

Honors Theses

Synthetic cannabinoids, commonly found in Spice, have recently become a popular substitute for marijuana as they have similar effects to THC, the most powerful constituent of marijuana. Additionally, they are increasingly becoming a source of drug abuse as they cannot be detected with normal drug test screenings. This study specifically analyzed a total of twenty-three CB1 selective JWH compounds and their hydrophobic interactions with an active-state CB1 receptor model. The ligands were categorized per their structural similarities, and this study was aimed to find patterns within each structural moiety that would lead to the discovery of key structural features and/or …

Action Understanding Via Mirror Neuron Systems: A Proposed Model For The Science And Treatment Of Stuttering, Madison Jones

Honors Theses

Persistent developmental stuttering is generally considered to be a speech disorder characterized by repetitions, prolongations and postural fixations, and is relatively resistant to therapy. While mainstream stuttering therapy continues to rely on behavioral speech targets, recent research suggests that mirror neuron systems can be activated to temporarily induce natural sounding fluent speech in those who stutter via exposure to second speech signals. Despite the prevalence of speech-motor based stuttering treatments, a unified account of how and why fluency is enhanced through endogenous methods remains elusive. The purpose of these two exploratory studies is to further test the validity of the …