Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Caspases And Cancer: Connections Through Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy, Sarah M. Hethcox

Honors College Theses

While excessive cell death inevitably leads to negative effects, the endurance of damaged cells in the presence of death signals can be equally detrimental to health. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a highly regulated process in which cues from within or from outside a cell can trigger an irreversible sequence of signals that carry out cell destruction known as the apoptotic cascade. A group of enzymes called caspases play a vital role in this cascade with some participating as initiators and others acting as effectors of protein cleavage and intracellular breakdown. Although it is normal for the activity of …

Assessment Of Oxidative Stress In The Livers Of Rats Exposed To 2-Aminoanthracene For Twelve Weeks, John C. Stagg

Honors College Theses

Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects many people, and it’s thought that environmental exposure to certain compounds may increase its proliferation. In this study, we examine the dietary effects of 2-aminoanthracene (2AA), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), in rats, specifically as it relates to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to the imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants in living systems; it has been shown to contribute to type-1 diabetes. To accomplish the study objectives rats were divided into three dietary treatment groups, control (0 mg/kg-2AA), low dose (50 mg/kg-2AA) and high dose (100 mg/kg-2AA). Rats were fed …

Quartic Metamaterials: The Inverse Method, Perturbations, And Bulk Optical Neutrality, Thomas Mulkey

Honors College Theses

A primary goal of photonics is designing material structures that support predetermined electromagnetic field distributions. We have developed an inverse method to determine material parameters for a quartic metamaterial from six desired plane waves. This work inspired us to study how perturbations to the parameters can result in optical neutrality.

Patterns, Symmetries, And Mathematical Structures In The Arts, Sarah C. Deloach

Honors College Theses

Mathematics is a discipline of academia that can be found everywhere in the world around us. Mathematicians and scientists are not the only people who need to be proficient in numbers. Those involved in social sciences and even the arts can benefit from a background in math. In fact, connections between mathematics and various forms of art have been discovered since as early as the fourth century BC. In this thesis we will study such connections and related concepts in mathematics, dances, and music.

Stabilize Chaotic Flows In A Coupled Triple-Loop Thermosyphon System, Haley N. Anderson

Honors College Theses

This study addresses the control of chaotic dynamic systems represented by three coupled Lorenz systems. In application, Lorenz systems are commonly used to describe the one-dimensional motion of fluids in a tube when heated below and cooled above. This system, in particular, reflects the fluid motion in a coupled triple-loop thermosyphon system. The goal is to derive a system of nonlinear differential equations to help us study various flow patterns governed by such a high-dimensional nonlinear model numerically. Once the driving parameter (Rayleigh number) values are identified corresponding to the chaotic regime, a minimal number of proportional controllers are designed …

Group Theory And Particles, Elizabeth V. Hawkins

Honors College Theses

We begin by a brief overview of the notion of groups and Lie groups. We then explain what group representations are and give their main properties. Finally, we show how group representation form a natural framework to understand the Standard Model of physics.

An Algorithmic Approach To Creating Effective Study Groups Using A Smart Phone App, Kelvin J. Rosado-Ayala

Honors College Theses

For many students entering college, meeting new people and studying are a common struggle. Study groups are generally recommended, especially if the groups are comprised of members with complementary personality traits. But the challenge still remains, how do freshmen or transfer students find and form these heterogeneous study groups. In order to help alleviate this issue, an Android application was developed to automatically create study groups for students. Using basic information provided by students upon registration, the algorithm is able to automatically find matching group members. The application was designed using an agile life cycle model over the course of …

Assessment Of Catalytic Function Of Gold Nanorod-Bound Tempo Under Nir Irradiation, Kristi L. St. Clair

Honors College Theses

Gold nanoparticles are of interest to a number of fields due to their size-dependent optical properties, high stability, and large surface area. The combination of these properties allows for a variety of uses including photothermal therapy, drug delivery and catalysis. Gold nanorods (GNR) absorb light of a given wavelength which stimulates the oscillation of electrons on the surface and is known as the surface plasmon resonance effect. The localized heating of rods via irradiation may cause enhanced effectiveness of an attached organic catalyst which allows the oxidation of alcohols to occur at room temperature. Previously, similar catalytic systems required high …

An Area Based Fan Beam Projection Model, Richard E. Steele, Jiehua Zhu

Honors College Theses

Area based projection models for computed tomography mitigate raw data errors by treating X-Rays as beams, whereas traditional line based projection models treat an X-Ray like a line, thus generating significant error. In an existing area based fan beam projection model, a rotation matrix, Q, simulates the rotation of the emitter detector pair to reduce computational load, but this introduces approximations by using an approximated rotation matrix. We eliminate approximations by deriving an exact formula for the entries of Q. Using a rotation of axes and by considering the neighboring cells' contributions to the area, the result has formulations for …

Quantum Chemical Analysis Of Stable Noble Gas Cations For Astrochemical Detection, Carlie M. Novak

Honors College Theses

The search for possible, natural, noble gas molecules has led to quantum chemical, spectroscopic analysis of NeCCH+, ArNH+ ArCCH+, and ArCN+. Each of these systems have been previously shown to be a stable minimum on its respective potential energy surface. However, no spectroscopic data are available for laboratory detection or interstellar observation of these species, and the interstellar medium may be the most likely place, in nature, where these noble gas cations are found. The bent shape of NeCCH+ is confirmed here with a fairly large dipole moment and a bright C -- H stretching frequency at 3101.9 cm^{-1 …}

A Geophysical Investigation Of Stratigraphy And Structure On St. Catherines Island, Georgia, Anne M. Delua

Honors College Theses

Geophysical tools were used to investigate potential structural and stratigraphic pathways of the salt water intrusion that is affecting the surficial aquifer on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a geophysical tool that uses electromagnetic waves to view the subsurface. GPR is used for a variety of applications stratigraphically, biologically, and anthropogenically. GPR electromagnetic waves react to changes in density and composition and type and percentage of pore fluids in sediment and rock. GPR waves also react to interfaces including fractures and faults. GPR waves exhibit attenuation and decreased return signal in materials such as clay. Fresh …

Locomotion And Skeletal Morphology Of Late Cretaceous Mosasaur, Tylosaurus Proriger, Jesse A. Carpenter

Honors College Theses

Mosasaurs (Reptilia: Squamata) are apex marine predators from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian to Maastrichtian) epicontinental seas of North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. From previous studies, it has been suggested that this group trends towards increased rib compactness, lengthening and increased posterior inclination of neural spines of intermediate and terminal caudal vertebrae to support a caudal fluke, and a transition from anguilliform to carangiform locomotion, closer to thunniform in pelagic adapted species. This study examined multiple Tylosaurus specimens using centrum length/width (CL/CW) and width/height (CW/CH) ratios along with neural spine height and angle of posterior inclination to (1) describe the …

Developing Tools For A Precision Measurement Of Newton's Gravitational Constant Using Atom Interferometry, Elizabeth Ashwood

Honors College Theses

We propose a new atom interferometry scheme for making a precision measurement of Newton's Gravitational constant (Big G) using NASA's Cold-Atom Laboratory which is scheduled to be deployed to the International Space Station in 2017. The proposed interferometer consists of splitting a harmonically confined Bose-Einstein condensate into multiple pieces. In a perfect harmonic potential, all of the pieces come to rest at the same time, at which point the harmonic trap is turned off. These initially motionless condensate clouds then accumulate different phases due to the relative velocity they develop caused by the gravitational attraction of a nearby source mass. …

Network Modeling Of Infectious Disease: Transmission, Control And Prevention, Christina M. Chandler

Honors College Theses

Many factors come into play when it comes to the transmission of infectious diseases. In disease control and prevention, it is inevitable to consider the general population and the relationships between individuals as a whole, which calls for advanced mathematical modeling approaches.

We will use the concept of network flow and the modified Ford-Fulkerson algorithm to demonstrate the transmission of infectious diseases over a given period of time. Through our model one can observe what possible measures should be taken or improved upon in the case of an epidemic. We identify key nodes and edges in the resulted network, which …

Photodynamic Cancer Therapy A Study Of The Photochemical Properties Of Meso-Tetra (2,3,4-Trifluorophenyl) Porphyrin And Meso-Tetra (2,3,5,6-Tetrafluorophenyl) Porphyrin, Delanie L. Newberry

Honors College Theses

Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a type of cancer treatment that utilizes photosensitive molecules that absorb photons and use that energy to create cytotoxic molecules. Porphyrins are photosensitive compounds that can be used selectively at the site of cancerous tumors. Their selectivity is due to the fact the porphyrins are generally not toxic in absence of light; in the presence of light, the drug will be activated to produce the cytotoxic molecule, singlet oxygen(1O2 ). 9,10 diphenyl anthracene(DPA) was used to simulate the cancer cells and monitor how effective the porphyrin was in creating 1O2, because DPA reacts with 1O2 form diphenyl …

Helping Ourselves First: Conflict Management Strategies Of Regional International Organizations, Carolynn Nixon

Honors College Theses

With the increase in ethnic conflicts since the end of the Cold War, particularly in Africa, more responsibility for conflict intervention has been placed upon regional international organizations (IOs). In this paper, I examine to what extent organizational structure influences how regional international organizations intervene in times of conflict. I argue that regional international organizations should be biased to intervene in ethnic conflict but that institutional design often constrains these organizations. Although the type of violence is a significant factor in the decision-making process, the structure of the organization makes the greatest difference. I test my expectations in the case …

Regioselective Electrolytic 5,8-Difluorination Of Quinolines, Sean P. Spurlin

Honors College Theses

Over the past decade, synthesis of organofluorine compounds has become a mainstream research focus. The introduction of fluorine uniquely affects the biological properties of organic molecules such as making them more bioavailable, lipophilic and metabolically stable, and possibly increase the strength of a compound’s interactions with a target protein. Approximately 30% of agrochemicals and 20% of pharmaceuticals contain fluorine, including commonly prescribed drugs such as Lipitor, Lexapro and Prozac. This work describes the development of a new methodology to incorporate fluorine into organic compounds. Our new method involves a regioselective electrochemical 5,8-difluorination of quinolines using HF:pyridine as both the reagent …

Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Responses To Different Colors Of Baited Traps, Oluwadamilola Olufunso Oke

Honors College Theses

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are usually the first insects to colonize human remains. By determining the time of colonization, a postmortem interval (PMI), or “time of death”, can be estimated. To develop more accurate PMI estimates, it is important for forensic entomologists to understand the cues that Blow flies use to locate vertebrate remains. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Blow flies use visual cues, in addition to olfactory cues, to locate carrion. Two colors of fly traps, clear and green, were constructed and chicken gizzard used as bait. Three Blow fly species exhibited a significant preference …

Synthesis Of Multifunctional Polyacrylates And A Binding Group To Hemoglobin For The Treatment Of Traumatic Brain Injuries, Marina Michaud

Honors College Theses

Hemoglobin based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) hold promise as an effective emergency treatment of severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In the latest generation of HBOCs, polynitroxyl-pegylated hemoglobin (PNPH), cell-free hemoglobin is modified with TEMPO and PEG which reduce the toxicities associated with earlier generations of HBOCs. In our efforts to optimize the economic and therapeutic impacts of PNPH’s we have synthesized polydimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (poly-DMAEMA) under controlled living conditions via reverse addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The poly-DMAEMA was then successfully functionalized via quaternization of its NMe₂ groups using chloroacetate derivatives of the TEMPO and PEG. This process was quantitative and …

Iodine-Initiated Hydration Of Internal Alkynes, Nicholas J. Shuber, Karelle Aiken

Honors College Theses

The iodine-initiated hydration of internal alkynes is a novel, green, and inexpensive synthetic pathway in comparison with the commonly used transition metal catalyzed reactions. This can be a useful alternative in many fields, academic or industrial. This experimental design has been used successfully on terminal alkynes and is now being extended to internal alkynes. Through systematic probing of the reaction conditions, we have gleaned sufficient information to determine a strong mechanistic hypothesis based on neighboring group participation. Here in, we will report our result with a series of internal, keto alkynes reacted under ambient conditions with iodine in “wet” solvent. …

Preventing Gene Expression Through The Interruption Of Dna Binding, Olivia Perdue

Honors College Theses

The interruption of DNA binding is a gateway to the inhibition of unregulated expression of genes which can possibly lead to illnesses such as cancer and epilepsy. The goal of this research is to produce high affinity DNA binding molecules which could act to displace the binding of natural transcription factor thus reducing the over- or under-expression of various proteins. Literature shows that the interruption of DNA binding can be completed using both organic and inorganic means, such as by means of natural transcription factors like the NF-κB protein or with metal-ligand complexes in order to bind DNA. NF-κB, a …

Exploring The Relationship Of Mbd1 Protein Binding Cpg Sites Of Methylated Dna, Shelby L. Scherer

Honors College Theses

Methylated DNA binding (MBD) proteins control transcriptional regulation by binding methylated DNA at CpG islands to modulate transcriptional activation and silencing of specific genes such as tumor suppressors. The goal is to explore the structure/function relationship between MBD proteins and methylated DNA recognition. By synthesizing the methylated DNA binding region of the MBD1 protein, binding studies test the peptide’s affinity and specificity for methylated DNA. Fluorescence, circular dichroism, and thermal denaturation techniques are utilized to determine the binding affinities and structures of peptides. Studies of peptide mutations can monitor the effectiveness of methylated DNA binding compared to the original peptide. …

Drawing Numbers And Listening To Patterns, Loren Zo Haynes

Honors College Theses

The triangular numbers is a series of number that add the natural numbers. Parabolic shapes emerge when this series is placed on a lattice, or imposed with a limited number of columns that causes the sequence to continue on the next row when it has reached the kth column. We examine these patterns and construct proofs that explain their behavior. We build off of this to see what happens to the patterns when there is not a limited number of columns, and we formulate the graphs as musical patterns on a staff, using each column as a line or space …

Mathematical Models For Infectious Disease Transmission With Stochastic Simulation Of Measles Outbreaks, Valerie Welty

Honors College Theses

As they are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents worldwide, it is of extreme importance to control the spread of infectious diseases. Information gained from mathematical modeling of these events often proves quite useful in establishing policy decisions to accomplish this goal. Human behavior, however, is quite difficult to recreate when using equations with pre-determined results, such as deterministic differential equations often used with epidemic models. Because of this, the focus of the research was to create a simulation of an outbreak, specifically of measles, by using an imaginary population experiencing simulated stochastic events on a discrete …

Web Scraping The Easy Way, Yolande Neil

Honors College Theses

Web scraping refers to a software program that mimics human web surfing behavior by pointing to a website and collecting large amounts of data that would otherwise be difficult for a human to extract. A typical program will extract both unstructured and semi-structured data, as well as images, and convert the data into a structured format. Web scraping is commonly used to facilitate online price comparisons, aggregate contact information, extract online product catalog data, extract economic/demographic/statistical data, and create web mashups, among other uses. Additionally, in the era of big data, semantic analysis, and business intelligence, web scraping is the …

Carinata Fame Production Process And Biofuel Oxidation, Benoit Kindo

Honors College Theses

In this experiment, the contribution of a standard production method for biofuels on their oxidative stability was investigated. Peroxide values were measured at different steps of the production process of Brassica carinata and peanut-based biofuels. The washing and drying steps in this production method showed significant increases in peroxide values for both biofuels and was identified as a major contributor of biofuel oxidation. Further analyses of the physical and thermal properties showed a more pronounced affect in the biofuel from Bassica carinata, and indicated an unusual composition much higher in saturated fatty acids much longer than those found in peanut. …

Black-Scholes Equation And Heat Equation, Charles D. Joyner

Honors College Theses

First, we present and define the Black-Scholes equation which is used to model assets on the stock market. After that, we derive the heat equation that describes how the temperature increases through a homogeneous material. Finally, we detail how the two equations are related. We introduce and relate the Black-Scholes equation and Heat Equation.

The Study Of Nf-Κb Peptide Mimics And How Proteins Bind Dna, Allee M. Murray

Honors College Theses

The protein complex nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is widely considered to be one of the most influential transcription factors when studying cellular functions. Peptide mimics of NF-κB aim to inhibit DNA binding in order to displace the natural transcription factor, therefore inhibiting transcription and translation. In theory, NF-κB is not the problem; the real problem lies in directing the synthesis and expression of harmful proteins. In conjunction with this, the project aims to study NF-κB and its structure and function to determine what criteria are important for the binding of DNA in order to design a peptide that comes …

Tempo-Containing Romp Polymers As A Component For Treatment Of Traumatic Brain Injuries, Cameron H. Feriante

Honors College Theses

During a traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in combination with hemorrhagic shock the brain undergoes anoxic conditions resulting from swelling and blood loss. Traditional intravenous solutions are used to replace blood volume, but are unable to replace the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity. A proposed treatment based on isotonic solutions containing hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOC’s) which were intended to provide readily available oxygen was developed. However, cell-free hemoglobin was shown to have excessive oxidative potential. Polynitroxylated Pegylated Hemoglobin (PNPH) was developed to address this shortcoming. During PNPH synthesis a combination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxidanyl (TEMPO), is bound to the …

Novel Photodynamic Therapy Agents: Biochemical Analysis, Eboni D. Pullen

Honors College Theses

Bioinorganic photochemistry is a rapidly advancing research area in the field of bioinorganic chemistry. This project seeks to build upon the growing field by synthesizing and analyzing new photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. There are three major generations of PDT agents. The first generation consists of chemically modified natural hematoporphyrins, which are not of great interest in the phototherapeutic field due to their low distinguishability between tumor cells and healthy cells, and extended skin photosensitivity in patients. The second generation consists of organic dyes, aromatic hydrocarbons, polypyrolics complexes, and semi-conductors, but is also not of much interest due to the same …