The Utopian Quest: A Visual And Cultural Exploration Of Ideal Lands, Lingyin Luo

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the concept of utopia across different cultures, analyzing the ideal lands in Eastern and Western societies. The author categorizes utopian ideals into two types: Thomas More-style utopias, which aim for social and political perfection, and Arcadian ideals, which prioritize individual inner peace and escape from society. The author compares the ways of entering, the environments, the lifestyles, and the consequences of leaving mentioned in these stories to identify the visual language involved. These visual elements of ideal lands provide a solid foundation for the author's visual thesis, a video game that allows players to build their own …

The Ecology Of Fine-Scale, Tissue-Specific Floral Scent Patterns In An Obligate Brood-Pollination Mutualism., Gwen Melissa Bode

Theses - ALL

Abstract: Interactions between plants and insect pollinators are of critical importance as the majority of flowering plants rely on animals for pollination and insects are the most diverse group of pollinators on Earth. To obtain pollination services plants must attract pollinators by signaling the presence of rewards, and chemosensory cues including floral scent are of particular importance to pollinator attraction. In highly-specialized brood-pollination mutualisms, like the yucca-yucca moth mutualism, the “reward” for pollinators is a brood site and food source for their offspring: fertilized plant ovules. Being able to distinguish among floral parts is critical for yucca moths to successfully …

Macroproblems Require Microsolutions: The Case For Microgrids In The U.S. Energy Infrastructure, David Howie

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper explores the shortcomings of the modern United States Power Grid in the face of climate change and worsening climate conditions, and seeks to explore how alternative styles of power grids could be viable replacements for current designs. The power grid is one of the most fundamental aspects of modern life, without it there would be no reliable energy supply to power devices and machinery. Oftentimes when energy generation is discussed in the United States, it only focuses on the source of generation for the energy, not the transmission of the energy. The lack of complete discussion around this …

To Dig A Hole And Fill It Back Up, Jackson Whetstone

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

Abstract:

The socioeconomical philosophy of the United States is still very much related to the Marxist Labor Theory of Value which states that “the economic value of a good or service is determined by the amount of socially necessary labor required to produce it” (Das Kapital, Marx 1.) This philosophy has penetrated the way that we think about art and object, and in turn positions art as a means of transaction, thus limiting art to a form of glorified currency. This Essay will chronicle my art practice, that have led up to two thesis pieces, Trench and Dig …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Monomeric Peptide Multiagonists For The Mitigation Of Cns-Associated Side Effects In The Treatment Of Type Ii Diabetes And Obesity, Kylie Sloane Chichura

Dissertations - ALL

Current treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity do not reliably achieve long-termweight-loss and up to 50% of patients experience nausea and vomiting. Thus, there is a critical need for obesity medications that provide glycemic control with enhanced weight loss and without sideeffects. We recently reported on the development of EP45, a first in class monomeric peptide drug, which displayed glucoregulation and profound weight loss in rats, and an absence of visceral malaise in shrews, a mammalian model capable of vomiting (unlike rats). By targeting multiple weight-loss and glucoregulatory pathways simultaneously with a single drug, GEP44, we can …

Leveraging The Post-Translational Lipidations To Modulate The Assembly And Phase-Behavior Of Proteins, Md Shahadat Hossain

Dissertations - ALL

Post-translational modification (PTM) of protein polymers is emerging as a powerful bioinspired strategy to create protein-based hybrid materials with molecularly encoded assembly and function for applications in nanobiotechnology and drug delivery systems. Inspired by nature's use of PTMs to control the location and function of proteins, we have leveraged lipidation to synthesize genetically encoded lipidated proteins with controllable hierarchical assembly. We investigated the effect of changing molecular syntax (lipid type, lipidation site, proteins' length and sequence) of lipidated proteins on their self-assembly and phase behavior. The repertoire of canonical lipids in biology is constrained as the lipidation machinery catalyzes the …

Acoustic Behavior, Poaching Risk, And Habitat Use In African Forest Elephants (Loxodonta Cyclotis): Insights From Passive Acoustic Monitoring, Colin Reed Swider

Dissertations - ALL

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a critically endangered and cryptic species that inhabits the rainforests of Central Africa. Forest elephant populations are severely threatened by poaching for the ivory trade, and an improved understanding of forest elephant behavior and habitat use, and of the anthropogenic pressures that threaten their existence, is essential for conservation of the species. However, their remote tropical rainforest habitat poses logistical constraints on research and makes forest elephants very difficult to observe and study visually. Limited data collection methods have also inhibited our ability to understand the determinants of poaching activity that is driving …

Second-Person Surveillance: Politics Of User Implication In Digital Documentaries, Elizabeth Gleesing

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation analyzes digital documentaries that utilize second-person address and roleplay to make users feel implicated in contemporary refugee crises, mass incarceration in the U.S., and state and corporate surveillances. Digital documentaries are seemingly more interactive and participatory than linear film and video documentary as they are comprised of a variety of auditory, visual, and written media, utilize networked technologies, and turn the documentary audience into a documentary user. I draw on scholarship from documentary, game, new media, and surveillance studies to analyze how second-person address in digital documentaries is configured through user positioning and direct address within the works …

Design, Synthesis, And Bioconjugation Of Novel Peptide-Based Drugs To Mitigate Negative Hindbrain Side Effects For The Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes And Obesity, Amber Liles

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis focuses on the design and/or conjugation of peptide-based drugs [oxytocin (OT) or glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1)] for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or obesity with the intent of mitigating common negative side effects caused by their activity in the human hindbrain. Preventing blood brain barrier (BBB) penetrance was achieved through a process termed ‘corrination’: the conjugate modification of a compound, peptide, or protein with a corrin ring containing compound such as vitamin B12 (B12) or biosynthetic derivatives, thereof. Corrination was also used to increase solubility and/or decrease aggregation of peptides with such draw backs in terms …

Designing Lmpa-Based Smart Materials For Soft Robotics Applications, Siavash Sharifi

Dissertations - ALL

This doctoral research, Designing LMPA (Low Melting Point Alloy) Based Smart Materials for Soft Robotics Applications, includes the following topics: (1) Introduction; (2) Robust Bicontinuous Metal-Elastomer Foam Composites with Highly Tunable Mechanical Stiffness; (3) Actively Morphing Drone Wing Design Enabled by Smart Materials for Green Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; (4) Dynamically Tunable Friction via Subsurface Stiffness Modulation; (5) LMPA Wool Sponge Based Smart Materials with Tunable Electrical Conductivity and Tunable Mechanical Stiffness for Soft Robotics; and (6) Contributions and Future Work.Soft robots are developed to interact safely with environments. Smart composites with tunable properties have found use in many soft robotics …

Expanding Accessibility For Guests With Autism-Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Who Visit The Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens In Jacksonville, Fl, Lauren Schermerhorn, Thais Petrocelli

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Problem: Due to public events being commonly characterized by crowded spaces, loud volumes, and unpredictable changes, attractions such as the Jacksonville Zoo can be challenging for those with ASD without proper accommodations (Kimura et al., 2020)

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project was to advocate for updated evidence-based sensory accommodations at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for those with an ASD diagnosis with the intention of creating a more inclusive zoo experience.

Development Of An Immunoblot Assay To Detect Antibodies To Sars-Cov-2 Spike And Nucleocapsid Antigens In Serum Of Covid-19 Patients, Christian Hollis

Honors Theses

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created one of the most world-halting events in recent world history. Its effects have reached every corner of the globe and manifested problems within each country’s healthcare and social systems. During the pandemic, many researchers have searched to develop a more robust understanding of the novel virus’s genetic and structural material. In year three since the emergence of COVID-19, these researchers hope to implement new advancements in testing and detection for the presence of the virus.

This thesis intends to produce evidence for the reliability of COVID-19 antibody tests using immunoblot assay detection. These tests …

Game Design: Competitive Mobile Games, Kalen Wallin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis explores the design process for a competitive multiplayer game mode in “baldorf,” a ball-throwing mobile game developed by Mystic Rhoads Productions. The research aims to enhance the overall gaming experience by introducing a competitive mode that challenges players’ skills and facilitates interaction with others. The research methodology included reviewing the popular competitive mobile games: Marvel Snap, Clash Royale, and Clash of Clans, which boast high download numbers and chart rankings. This analysis helped identify key features and mechanics that contribute to an engaging multiplayer experience. As a result, several designs were proposed, covering the profile, matchmaking, match, and …

Iodinated Non-Ionic Contrast Medium Does Not Inhibit E. Coli Growth In Ex Vivo Inoculated Canine Urine, Maxime G. Derre, Sarah M. Steinbach, Gena K. Hendrix, Meggan Stanton, Larry G. Adams

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of iohexol on standardized quantitative urine culture results in dogs. The authors hypothesized that the presence of iohexol in inoculated urine samples would result in lower bacterial concentrations (CFU/mL) and, therefore, decrease culture sensitivity.

SAMPLE

Urine samples were aseptically collected during cystoscopy from a single client-owned dog untreated with antimicrobials.

PROCEDURES

An experimental controlled study. The urine sample was divided into 38 aliquots (0.5 mL each) that were used as negative controls or inoculated with an equal amount of Escherichia coli (105 CFU/mL). Different volumes (0.1 and 0.5 mL) of contrast or saline were added …

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Plastic Pollution From Environmental Sampling To Surveying: Quality Assurance, Freshwater Contamination, And Popular Opinions, Laura Audrey Thomasina Markley

Dissertations - ALL

Plastic pollution is a global problem impacting every environmental compartment, from the air in Mount Everest to urban freshwater supplies. The scope and magnitude of the plastic problem requires an interdisciplinary approach that addresses human and environmental dimensions. I look to inform circular economy approaches through three phases of research: 1) individual waste generation and perceptions of waste and plastic issues; 2) methods and quality control evaluation for quantification of freshwater microplastics; and 3) temporal and spatial variation in plastic particle dynamics over a 3-year period in an urban lake compared with a rural lake in Central New York. In …

Menu For Home Cooking, Zherong Hu

Theses - ALL

The purpose of this thesis is to chronicle the influences and origins of my work and how they ultimately led to the discovery of my current practice. While my childhood and high school experiences in China were the foundation for my art practice, my undergraduate and graduate school experiences in the United States are what allowed me to search, discover, and explore my roots. I begin the paper by describing who and what influenced me to pursue art as a calling. I then briefly refer to some of my undergraduate work for context. Next, I will address some of the …

Imago River: From Archive To Stream, Daisy Wiley

Theses - ALL

I track the often imperceptible: ideological undercurrents that fade in and out of comprehension, the hidden knotted roots of cultural mythologies, historical specters conjured anew... It can feel nearly impossible to name the narratives and logic embedded in the spaces we inhabit. Mythologies rooted in excess, exclusion, rampant expansion, and extraction are contrived to justify the sacrifice of peoples, cultures, and lands. My studio practice unearths these ideologies through place-specific materials, (counter-) archives, and traced histories.

In this thesis I use the practice of fly fishing to trace the historical ecology of the Onondaga Lake watershed. To support this framing, …

My Space Of Emotional Belonging, Mengru Zhou

Theses - ALL

The purpose of this paper is to articulate how my work as a painter aims to create emotional connections with viewers based on personal memory and the effects of color on human emotions. In reference to key selections of my work, I cite inspirations as well as sources that reveal how color psychology and color selection helps me express emotions more accurately and thus establish emotional connections with audiences through my work. I will also describe additional methods that I use in my work to express human emotions through facial expression and body posture. Ultimately, the purpose of my work …

From Avoidance To Healing: The Portrayal Of Death In Contemporary Children's Literature, Jiayun Xu

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the portrayal of death in children's literature from three different perspectives. Firstly, it explores how authors approached the topic during the Victorian era when death was an everyday reality due to rampant diseases. Secondly, it analyzes how authors depict death in different ways, including involuntary death, the pursuit of the sublime, and the nature of life cycle. Thirdly, it explores how authors address children's psychological states when dealing with death, including reducing pre-death pain, using poetic expression, promoting healing from grief, and associating memory loss with death. Finally, the author creates a children's book that confronts the …

Aging An Ancient Maya Population From Actuncan, Belize Using Dental X-Rays, Kaitlyn Nicole Cash

Honors Theses

My goal is to determine an accurate age at death estimation of an ancient Maya population from the archaeological site of Actuncan, Belize. This was done by measuring the lengths of the coronal pulp cavities in the individuals’ teeth. I used X-Ray images to measure the coronal pulp cavities of the teeth and estimated age using multiple regression formulae for premolars, molars, and incisors to make age estimations. The formulae came from two studies, Ikeda et al. (1985) and Drusini (2008), that form the basis of my research. Ikeda et al. (1985) was the first to use this aging method, …

Investigating Reactivity Of Artificial Copper Peptides With Small Molecules, Allyson Bryant

Honors Theses

The design of artificial enzymes has been a topic of significant interest in the field of biochemistry, as they can provide new opportunities for catalytic processes and drug development. De novo protein design has emerged as a promising approach to create such enzymes, and the study of metalloproteins, particularly copper-binding peptides, has become a focus of this research. This thesis investigates the reactivity of a mutated copper-binding peptide, I5A-3SCC, with oxygen and its implications in the development of artificial enzymes.

The parent peptide, 3SCC, was mutated by replacing Isoleucine residues with smaller Alanine side chains, which was hypothesized to enhance …

A Camera Trap Study Of Scavenger Species On The University Of Mississippi Campus, Lise Larsen

Honors Theses

This is a camera trap study to understand what kind of mammalian scavenger community we have on the University of Mississippi campus and where they are most prominent. Three motion-triggered cameras were used to survey ten buildings on campus over ten weeks. A low number of individuals were caught on camera during this study. There were limitations on this study such as a low number of cameras and a short span of time. More research needs to be done to understand the scavenger community on this campus.

The Biological Activity Of Dual-Responsive Glycopolymers For Intracellular Codelivery Of Antigen And Lipophilic Adjuvant, Micaela Shields

Honors Theses

Subunit vaccines present themselves as an attractive alternative to traditional approaches to vaccines, which utilizes whole organisms to trigger an immune response. While these traditional approaches have proven themselves reliable within the history of vaccinations, they generally deliver subpar robust cellular-mediated immunity and pose many safety risks. Composed of proteins and /or peptides, subunit vaccines are safer and more precise alternatives to traditional approaches. However, the pharmacokinetic properties of the macromolecules that make up these vaccines hinder the subunit vaccine’s level of immunogenicity [d1] Examples of this hindrance include but are not limited to aggregation at the injection site and …

Historical Archaeology At The Chalmers Institute, Mississippi's First University, Antosia Briggs

Honors Theses

This study presents a basic description and analysis of the artifacts collected from the 2015 archaeological excavation conducted in Holly Springs, Mississippi at the Chalmers Institute site. The thesis includes history and background on Holly Springs as a city to orient the reader. This text also includes information regarding the program, Preserve Marshall County, as their work regarding the building and site ties directly into the ability of the student archaeologists being able to excavate in 2015 as well as the future of the building. This study analyzes the artifacts found based on the frameworks of the archaeology of institutional …

Photocatalyzed Hydrogen Evolution Using Nickel-Bound Metallothionein Protein, Windfield Swetman

Honors Theses

The continued burning of fossil fuels is not only a cause of increasing deterioration of the environment but also a financially unsustainable source of energy. Advances in energy production must be investigated to avoid the long-term effects of this current main source of energy. One of the avenues being explored is the use of metalloenzymes to catalyze hydrogen evolution via water splitting that occurs during the reductive half of artificial photosynthesis. Metalloenzyme catalysts with a single Ni(Cys)₄ active site have been previously studied, and this study explores the possibility of increasing hydrogen production by using metalloenzyme catalysts with multiple …

The Biophysics Of Bacterial Collective Motion: Measuring Responses To Mechanical And Genetic Cues, Merrill Einar Asp

Dissertations - ALL

Mechanobiology is an emerging field investigating mechanical signals as a necessary component of cellular and developmental regulation. These mechanical signals play a well-established role in the differentiation of animal cells, whereby cells with identical genes specialize their function and create distinct tissues depending on the physical properties of their environment, such as shear stiffness. These differences arise from the cell’s ability to use those incoming signals to inform which genes it expresses and what molecular machinery it builds and activates. Understanding the various missing factors that cause cells with specific genes to express an emergent phenotype is termed the genotype-to-phenotype …

Manatees And Noise: Individual Exposure And Behavioral Responses To Disturbance, Julia Ribeiro Guimaraes Dombroski

Dissertations - ALL

Underwater noise from human activities can impact the behavior and physiology of aquatic animals, with potential cumulative effects on populations. To accurately estimate the population-level effects of noise disturbance, it is crucial to quantify individual exposure and investigate responses to noise disturbance. This study aims to quantify Florida manatee exposure and the individual variability of responses to anthropogenic noise. Gathering information on how much time individuals dedicate to specific behaviors is crucial to understanding species' ecology and investigating anthropogenic factors' impacts on populations. Therefore, in Chapter 1, I developed a machine-learning model that classifies movement sensor data collected from biologging …

Kinetics Of Hydrogenation Reactions On Supported Platinum And Platinum-Tin Catalysts, Robson Luis Schuarca

Dissertations - ALL

The overarching goal of this research project is to develop insights into the characterization of supported platinum and platinum-tin catalysts, not only from a materials science standpoint but more extensively with respect to their catalytic activity for hydrogenation reactions, employing probe reactions such as carbon monoxide methanation and vapor phase acetone hydrogenation, to help unveil the nature and quantity of active sites in supported mono- and bimetallic systems. Catalyst synthesis plays an important role in this research project, as the focus has been on the development and implementation of a synthesis method capable to afford better control over the displacement …

Development Of A Novel Bistable Dna Sensor For Anti-Hiv Drug Discovery And Re-Engineering Of Recombinant Cyclin T1-Tat Protein With Sumo Fusion In Escherichia Coli, Nan Thuzar Myint

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation focuses on the interaction of proteins and nucleic acids and their applications. It includes two projects: I: Development of a Novel Bistable DNA Sensor for Anti-HIV Drug Discovery and II. Re-engineering of Recombinant Cyclin T1-Tat Protein with SUMO Fusion in Escherichia Coli.I: Development of a Novel Bistable DNA Sensor for Anti-HIV Drug Discovery Screening drug compounds targeting HIV-1 NCp7 provide attractive candidates for new anti-retroviral therapeutics because of the highly conserved nature of the zinc fingers in NCp71 in selecting and packaging RNA in the HIV-1 life cycle. The unique 3-segment, reversible switch for high throughput screening (HTS) …

Drawing As Process: Expansiveness Through Constraint, Ciel Miao

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

This paper explores the concept of drawing as a time-based practice, where the process is the core of the artwork rather than the finished product. I divide my artistic concerns into four chapters, each advancing on the previous one, to discuss my drawing practice, which allows for exploration of time and space across a wide array of media and styles of representation. I embrace impulse and intuition in the mark-making process, letting go of control while prioritizing the form of depicted figures over their image. This paper highlights the importance of my inner contradiction and how the process reflects my …