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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Common Core In Tennessee: An Analysis Of Eighth Grade Mathematics Standards, Hayley Little Dec 2016

Common Core In Tennessee: An Analysis Of Eighth Grade Mathematics Standards, Hayley Little

Honors Theses

Since their introduction in 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been a highly controversial topic in educational reform. Though the standards are not a product of the federal government and are not federally mandated, they do represent a push towards national academic standards in America. For states such as Tennessee, educational policies of the past pushed them to lower their academic standards in order to create the illusion of success. Those states are now some of the places that have seen the most change with the adoption of the CCSS. It still remains somewhat unclear, however, which changes …


Assessing The Feasibility Of A One-Pot, Tandem Olefin Metathesis And Isomerization Sequence To Synthesize Conjugated Aromatic Olefins, Ajay D. Makwana Aug 2016

Assessing The Feasibility Of A One-Pot, Tandem Olefin Metathesis And Isomerization Sequence To Synthesize Conjugated Aromatic Olefins, Ajay D. Makwana

Honors Theses

The synthesis of substituted phenylpropene dimers using a one-pot, tandem olefin metathesis and isomerization sequence has been studied. This sequence relies on the facilitated, in-situ conversion of a ruthenium carbene species (Ru=C) to a ruthenium hydride species (Ru-H) upon addition of an inorganic hydride source. Three separate reactions occur within one reaction flask: 1) olefin metathesis of the starting phenylpropene to yield phenylpropene dimer via Ru=C catalyst, 2) conversion of Ru=C to Ru-H via addition of an inorganic hydride source, 3) isomerization of phenylpropene dimer via insertion and β-hydride elimination to yield conjugated product. The focus of the study has …


The Simple Zeros Of The Riemann Zeta-Function, Melissa N. Miller May 2016

The Simple Zeros Of The Riemann Zeta-Function, Melissa N. Miller

Honors Theses

There have been many tables of primes produced since antiquity. In 348 BC Plato studied the divisors of the number 5040. In 1202 Fibonacci gave an example with a list of prime numbers up to 100. By the 1770's a table of number factorizations up to two million was constructed. In 1859 Riemann demonstrated that the key to the deeper understanding of the distribution of prime numbers lies in the study of a certain complex-valued function, called the zeta-function. In 1973 Montgomery used explicit formulas to study the pair correlation of the zeros of the zeta-function and their relationship to …


Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Pufa) Scavenging Affects Phospholipid Profiles And Virulence Phenotypes In Vibrio Cholerae And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Anna Moravec May 2016

Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Pufa) Scavenging Affects Phospholipid Profiles And Virulence Phenotypes In Vibrio Cholerae And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Anna Moravec

Honors Theses

AIM: This research had two primary objectives. First, this study sought to determine whether or not exposing Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) would lead to changes in their respective phospholipid profiles. Secondly, if membrane remodeling occurred, this study sought to determine the impact of membrane modifications on bacterial fitness by evaluating their effect on membrane permeability, biofilm formation, and response to stresses. METHODS: The Bligh and Dyer method was used to extract bacterial lipids, which were subsequently analyzed via thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The effect of fatty acids on bacterial fitness was assessed using stress, biofilm, …


A Fractional Boundary Value Problem, Grant Yost May 2016

A Fractional Boundary Value Problem, Grant Yost

Honors Theses

We consider a fractional boundary value problem with various boundary conditions. This boundary value problem has two components, one fractional derivative of alpha degree with alpha between n-1 and n, and a fractional derivative of beta degree with beta between 0 and n-2. We prove existence and uniqueness of solutions, and show some examples that were found using a MATLAB simulation.


Uncovering Cryptic Diversity Of Desmognathine Salamanders In The Cumberland Plateau Utilizing Molecular Genetic Techniques, Katherine E. Ray May 2016

Uncovering Cryptic Diversity Of Desmognathine Salamanders In The Cumberland Plateau Utilizing Molecular Genetic Techniques, Katherine E. Ray

Honors Theses

Cryptic species are difficult to identify morphologically; therefore, their distributions are often poorly understood. However, species distributions are critical for evaluating biodiversity in ecology and biodiversity. Dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) are an example of species of North American salamanders that have been particularly difficult to classify. Specifically, in the southern Cumberland Plateau, the dusky salamanders’ distributions are unknown. Desmognathus fuscus and D. conanti have been found to the north and south of the southern Cumberland Plateau, respectively. However, they have not been adequately sampled in this region. I studied genetic variation in the mitochondrial gene CytB in Desmognathus salamanders sampled from …


Which Language(S) Are Best (For Web Development), Jackson A. Stone May 2016

Which Language(S) Are Best (For Web Development), Jackson A. Stone

Honors Theses

This thesis is intended to shine light on the complex nature of the online software ecosystem, in the hopes that it may help students who wish to pursue web development determine how to best spend their time researching and learning varying technologies.


Alkaloids In E-Cigarettes: Their Effects On Cell Growth And Gene Regulation, Maxwell H. Marlowe May 2016

Alkaloids In E-Cigarettes: Their Effects On Cell Growth And Gene Regulation, Maxwell H. Marlowe

Honors Theses

E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular in the past decade. They are marketed as smoking cessation aids. These products have not been well regulated or researched with respect to health concerns and safety issues. A number of toxic compounds have been discovered in refill solutions, and the long-term effects of e-cigarette use are still largely unknown. Nicotine is one of the primary alkaloids within e-cigarette refill solutions. Nevertheless, other tobacco alkaloids are present including; cotinine, myosmine and anabasine, even though these compounds are not disclosed on the packaging. This study uses known amounts of tobacco alkaloids, in an in vitro culture …


Determining Methods Of Propagation For The Investigation Of Intraspecific Variability Of Climate Change Responses Of Appalachian Plant Species, Gayle L. Tyree May 2016

Determining Methods Of Propagation For The Investigation Of Intraspecific Variability Of Climate Change Responses Of Appalachian Plant Species, Gayle L. Tyree

Honors Theses

Species range migrations are a well-documented response to climate change (Loarie et al. 2009), with range shifts mainly occurring poleward or to higher elevations (Walther et al. 2002). As range shifts occur, variation in phenotypic traits within plant species across climate gradients could affect their abilities to acclimate or adapt to a changing climate (Hooper et al. 2005, Souza et al. 2011). In 2014 Dr. Jennifer Boyd (BGES) initiated a research project to examine potential intraspecific phenotypic variation within wide-ranging Appalachian plant species of responses to projected future atmospheric CO2 and temperature regimes. As an undergraduate research assistant, I focused …


Measuring Phytophthora Resistance Phenotypes In Segregating Testcross Families Of Hybrid American Chestnut Trees, Anna C. Robinson May 2016

Measuring Phytophthora Resistance Phenotypes In Segregating Testcross Families Of Hybrid American Chestnut Trees, Anna C. Robinson

Honors Theses

Phytophthora root rot (PRR), caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands, is a formidable obstacle to the restoration of Castanea dentata Marsh. commonly known as the American chestnut. Genetic resistance to PRR has been observed in Asian species of chestnut including C. mollissima Blume, and in interspecific hybrids between C. mollissima and C. dentata. We hypothesized that root rot resistance alleles would segregate in a 1:1 ratio within progeny of crosses between PRR resistant F1 hybrids and PRR-susceptible American chestnut trees (first-backcrosses), and that PRR resistance could be successfully passed down to all families of first-backcross hybrids. To test these …


Effects Of Cigarette Butts On Coastal Waters: An Elemental Analysis Of Seawater From St. Simon’S Island, Katherine Adorati May 2016

Effects Of Cigarette Butts On Coastal Waters: An Elemental Analysis Of Seawater From St. Simon’S Island, Katherine Adorati

Honors Theses

Cigarette litter can have detrimental effects on the environment, specifically when taking into account that over 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year. Within seawater, trace elements present in cigarettes may leach into the ocean, having damaging effects on the marine ecosystem. The goal of this research was to investigate if elemental contaminants leached from cigarette litter are significant in samples of seawater collected near St. Simon’s Island at both high and low tides, surrounding a beach party during the Florida/Georgia football game which occurred on November 1, 2014. Samples were collected in the months prior to and during …