Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Developing Iron Complexes For Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation, Benjamin Travis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Artificial photosynthesis systems convert solar energy into chemical fuels such as hydrogen gas. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation systems have previously been developed, but reliance on expensive metal catalysts limits the viability of these systems. In order for artificial photosynthesis to be used as a large-scale clean energy solution, it is crucial to discover more active and cost-efficient catalysts.

To this end, several novel iron polypyridyl complexes were synthesized using relatively inexpensive reactants. Electrochemical testing revealed that these complexes are active electrocatalysts for the reduction of protons to generate hydrogen gas. Furthermore, a naphthalene-terminated iron polypyridyl complex was found to be an …

Laurence Sterne: A Different Way Of Approaching The Notion Of Life In The Early Novel, Robert Metaxatos

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis employs the later philosophy of Michel Foucault to think through the unique set of socio-cultural problems that emerged alongside the early novel. I endeavor to explain the development of “biopower” and the concomitant (yet historically grounded) concept of a mass population in order to round off a nettlesome tendency among historicist rise-of-the-novel critics to focus on the creation of a bourgeois individual at this time. To that end, the texts of Anglo-Irish author Laurence Sterne bear out a unique narratorial response to biopower that begins with the ‘body’ of his work: i.e., Shandeism. Signaling the importance of the …

Message Reframing & Covid-19 Safety Precautions, Elise Coberly

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Past research found that the personality aspect Orderliness was more strongly associated with conservatism, while Compassion was more strongly associated with liberalism. The present research aimed to examine whether framing COVID-19 safety precautions (about mask wearing, social distancing, and vaccination) with an Orderliness or Compassion focus would make the message more receptive to liberals and conservatives. We hypothesized that reframing the messages to match with the participants’ personality and ideological leanings would lead to greater support for the message. In our study (N = 679), participants read a COVID-19 safety precaution message with either an Orderliness or Compassion frame …

Welcoming The Game Changer Of Human Society: A Defense Of The Moral Permissibility And Obligations Of Human Genetic Engineering, Yongkang Li

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 2018, a Chinese scientist, Jiankun He, announced the birth of two HIV-resistant babies through his experiment of human genetic engineering. This incidence has soon shocked the entire scientific community and invoked public outrage towards He’s corrupt moral integrity.

However, this event should also act as a harbinger to the human society that the technique of human genetic engineering is rapidly approaching maturity. In that case, how should we respond?

This thesis focuses on the moral issues surrounding human genetic engineering and advertises an accepting moral attitude to this booming technology. This thesis will first discuss the types of human …

The Battle Between Expertise And Misinformation To Influence Public Opinion: A Focus On The Anti-Vaccination Movement, Alexandra Bongiorno

Undergraduate Honors Theses

How do experts and anti-vaccination advocates effectively influence public opinion? This study examines the role of experts and non-experts in influencing public opinion. It uses the anti-vaccination movement as a case study to observe the antagonism between expert opinion and misinformation and how they are perceived by and influence the public. In particular, I examine the relationships between social media, misinformation, and expert opinion and how these relationships impact individuals to form their opinions. Additionally, I measure individual components such as science education background, ideology, and social media use to determine the effects of personal factors on opinion formation. I …

The Role Of Spider Silk In Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Langston Forbes-Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Spider silk neural guidance channels (NGCs) are highly important innovations in the field of regenerative medicine. This paper will discuss the evidence in the literature that supports their function in regenerative medicine and provide a template for future experiments in the field. While many studies within the past 15 years have demonstrated the validity of spider silk as a scaffold for peripheral nerve regeneration, the molecular mechanics that facilitate regeneration are poorly understood. An emphasis on using silk from orb weaving spiders in particular may have caused researchers to overlook other spiders whose silk could prove to have vastly different …

Examining Dual-Task Cognitive Processing From A Task-Set Perspective, Nicholas Surdel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Despite decades of empirical investigation, there remains active debate about the limitations to dual-task processing. The primary aim of the present research was to determine the roles of attentional and response-set components of task-set in dual-task processing. Through three experiments, we explored the relationships between attentional- and response-set switching in the context of a classic dual-task paradigm. Experiment I (N = 68) validated our novel integration of a dual-task task-switching paradigm. Experiment II (N = 64) replicated and extended Experiment I by integrating a single task subsection of the procedure. Finally, Experiment III (N = 23) integrated electroencephalographic measures of …

Cellular And Synaptic Mechanisms That Underlie Eupnea And Sigh Rhythms For Breathing Behavior In Mice, Daniel Scott Borrus

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Breathing is a lifelong activity that involves the coordination of several rhythmic behaviors. This dissertation investigates the neural origins of two of these breathing rhythms: eupnea and sighing. Eupnea, or regular unlabored breathing, occurs on the order of seconds and serves to drive the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the circulatory system and the environment. Sighs, deep breaths that are typically 2-5 times the volume of a eupneic breath, occur on the order of minutes and are critical in maintaining pulmonary function. Understanding how these rhythms are generated on a cellular and synaptic level is an essential step …

Physiological And Transcriptomic Analyses Of Inspiratory Rhythm- And Pattern- Generating Interneurons Of The Prebötzinger Complex In Mice, Prajkta Shashikant Kallurkar

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Breathing is a vital rhythmic behavior essential for life. The preBötzinger complex (preBötC) of the lower brainstem houses a cluster of interneurons that generate the respiratory rhythm in humans and all terrestrial mammals. Neurons of the preBötC produce rhythmic bursts of neural activity that drive inspiration, the only inexorable active phase of the breathing cycle (expiration is normally passive). preBötC interneurons that comprise the core inspiratory rhythm generator are derived from precursors that express the transcription factor developing brain homeobox 1 (Dbx1). Neurons in the preBötC derived from Dbx1-expressing progenitors (hereafter referred to as Dbx1 preBötC neurons) produce rhythmic bursts …