Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Tolerance Of Shewanella Woodyi For Electric Potentials And Heavy Metals As Biofilms, Christopher Thomas Mortensen

Honors Theses

Shewanella woodyi is a bioluminescent marine organism that is known to be metal tolerant and modulate the intensity of its luminescence with electrochemical potential. The viability of S. woodyi as a bioreporter for the toxic heavy metal zinc, copper, and silver was analyzed. Biofilms of S. woodyi was grown on marine broth agar plates and then exposed to various concentrations of each metal ion to evaluate biofilm response to the metal ions that were generated from an operating short circuited electrode containing either Zn, Cu, or Ag metal. The ability of the bacteria to tolerate the heavy metals and continue …

Westbound, Genevieve Nicolow

Honors Theses

Westbound is a twenty-five chapter novella that aims to demonstrate ways in which creative writers can use climate fiction to overcome psychological barriers to act on climate change. The narrative follows Cassie, a character loosely based on a relative of its author, living in a future version of the United States that has been ravaged by climate change and its indirect consequences.

In the novella, Cassie and her mother Nia set out on a cross-country road trip as a climate disaster looms. The narrative explores their relationship and that with Cassie’s estranged father, the implications of projected ecological changes under …

School District Boundaries Map, Nick Huffman

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to provide a school district boundary mapping feature to a product sold by Level Data called SDVS, which is a plugin used by districts inside of PowerSchool. Using primarily the features offered by Mapbox, We have implemented a React component that is capable of plotting useful data points related to a student and their school district on a map. The tool is designed to be used primarily by school administrators to determine whether or not a student lives within their district boundaries. The application uses a dataset that is provided by the NCES to …

Stem Teacher Database, Veronica Buss

Honors Theses

The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) Recruitment web application provides access to recruitment information for the Manager of Recruitment and Outreach and those who also use the spreadsheet file with their current data. This database is a functional database for the WMU college of engineering and applied sciences’ recruiters to organize their data on STEM teachers from the feeder high schools of WMU. The app provides an interface for its users to filter and search the data they have compiled to create recruitment mailing reports. The main purpose of this app was to facilitate the retrieval and upkeep …

Adventuring In The Winds: An Exploration Of Water Accessibility, Keystone Species, Environmental Justice, And Forest Fires In The Wind River Range, Rhianna Giron

Honors Theses

This thesis is a braided narrative that incorporates personal experience, ecological research, and poetry to explain some of the impacts of human interaction in wild spaces and of climate change. The specific areas of study in this essay are the Wind River Range, Wyoming and Nebraska. The purpose of this paper is to discuss topics related to water availability and quality, forest fires, keystone species, and social injustices related to people and environments in the Wind River Range. It is important to learn about other places than the ones we are already familiar with as it helps to instill a …

Demographic Impacts Of Climate-Induced Migration And Environmental Shocks And Stressors In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, John Green Iii

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Increasing The Bioavailability Of Poorly Soluble Anti-Cancer Prodrugs Through Encapsulation In Platinum Based Nanocages, Salim Cesar Lutfallah

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Anthropogenic Change On The Distribution Of Marine Megafauna And Their Prey, Baylie Fadool

Honors Theses

Anthropogenic change is impacting the distribution and survival of marine megafauna and their prey. Humans are changing every aspect of the marine environment, with effects reaching as large as changing the composition of marine environments to directly overexploiting species through the fishing industry. The role that marine megafauna play in balancing ecosystems, including as top apex predators, leads to detrimental results in the absences and population declines of these species. Migrations and declines due to threats on marine apex predator species will alter their environments by causing mesopredator release and changes in community structure, which is often associated with reduced …

Optimization Of Cation Exchange Chromatography Purification Of A Small Peptide: An Industrial And Practical Approach, Jamin Willoughby

Honors Theses

Ion exchange chromatography (IEX) is a common chemical separation technique that is used to separate ionizable target molecules from a liquid mixture mobile phase by adsorption of the molecule to a stationary phase. In chromatography, the stationary phase is a porous solid that the target molecule and mobile phase flows through, and is commonly referred to as the resin. Resins are commonly packed into hollow cylindrical columns. The mobile phase is the liquid solvent which flows through the column containing the stationary phase. The target molecule will have an affinity for the resin and adsorb to it, while impurities in …

Cold Sintering Diisopropylamonium Bromide To Form Organic Ceramic Pellets, Darren Armstrong

Honors Theses

Diisopropylamonium bromide is an organic ferroelectric compound. Standard sample preparation methods either require a powder or a single crystal. Certain measurements cannot be done on powders due to equipment limitations, and single crystals are difficult and time consuming to produce and handle. Cold sintering is a relatively new process that allows the creation of ceramics. The original cold sintering process was adapted to work for diisopropylamonium bromide. This allows the creation of ceramics with a large surface area. These pellets can achieve up to 95% of the theoretical maximum density. While the pellets are currently unsuitable for electric testing at …

Utilizing Manganese And Rhenium Sediment Concentrations To Reconstruct Past Interglacial Southern Ocean Circulation Changes, Evan E. Rohde

Honors Theses

The circulation in the Southern Ocean is a component of global nutrient, heat, and carbon cycles. Changes in any of these cycles can dramatically change ocean conditions around the world. Therefore, any changes that occurred to this circulation in the past is of scientific interest. We hypothesize that changes in the glacial cycle of the planet can affect this circulation. Specifically, we hypothesize that the strength of circulation in the Southern Ocean can be reduced by conditions during interglacial, or warm climate, time periods. It is proposed that during the interglacial period of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (425 to …

Applying Deep Learning For Cell Detection In Time-Lapse Microscopic Images, Jay Patel

Honors Theses

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an effective model for studying cellular aging. We can measure the lifespan of yeast cells in two ways: replicative and chronological lifespans. Chronological focuses on the time that a cell can survive. The replicative lifespan (RLS) is the number of cell divisions that a single mother cell can go through before ceases to be dividing. RLS is a measurement of individual cells and is more informative on the aging process than in chronological lifespan. Many genes that influence yeast RLS have been shown to be highly conserved and have a similar effect on aging …

Synthesis Of Alkyl Aryl Ethers Using A Halogen Exchange Coupled To An Ullmann Etherification, Antonio Campedelli

Honors Theses

The Ullmann ether synthesis is a reaction that couples aryl halides to aliphatic alcohols. It works best with aryl iodides because the aryl bromides are much less reactive, and aryl chlorides are even more so. A Finkelstein type halogen exchange reaction has been shown to effectively substitute iodide for bromide on aryl bromides with high yields. The goal of this project is to develop a one pot halogen exchange, Ullmann coupling reaction to allow for aryl bromides to be coupled successfully to aliphatic alcohols. This is feasible because the reaction conditions of the two reactions are so similar. Several condition …

There Must Be Something In The Water: A Comparative Study Of Ground Water Contamination In The U.S.A. And Canada, Kathleen Spooner

Honors Theses

The regions of Nova Scotia and New Hampshire are naturally susceptible to arsenic water contamination due to their geological makeup. These locations are relatively rural, with many of their citizens reporting low incomes and lacking education, the majority of which are unaware of the risk of arsenic poisoning. There is also a high dependency on private wells which are not regulated in terms of water quality under federal law in both countries. Arsenic water pollution is undetectable as it is both odorless and tasteless and potentially very dangerous, and therefore water testing must be performed on wells, which is currently …

Development Of Catalytic Chromia-Based Aerogels, Fiona Fitzgerald

Honors Theses

Over one billion automobiles are in use around the world, the majority of which employ internal combustion engines. Catalytic converters are used to convert the toxic compounds found in car exhaust -- carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons -- to less harmful gases. The typical catalytic converter employs as catalysts expensive raw materials (platinum, palladium and/or rhodium) wash-coated onto an alumina-based ceramic substrate. Aerogel materials have high surface area and thermal stability, properties that make them attractive for catalysis applications. Aerogels made with transition metal oxides are candidates to replace platinum in the catalytic converter. Chromium oxide (chromia) materials …

Groundwater Isotopes Across Scales: Continent-Wide Modeling And Local Field Characterization, Jaclyn Gehring

Honors Theses

Groundwater is one of the world’s most important natural resources. The use of stable water isotopes (𝛿²H and 𝛿¹⁸O) as natural tracers through the water cycle has provided a unique observational technique for characterizing hydrological processes and establishing connections between water distribution systems and their respective environmental sources. Groundwater contains information about the timing and efficiency of recharge, allowing for the use of isotopes to understand the physical hydrology and climatic influences on such processes in places with groundwater isotope measurements. We estimate the seasonal recharge proportion and efficiency at thousands of locations across the U.S., …

Gama-Lactams And The Reformatsky Reaction: New Tricks For Old Chemistry, Dylan Dupont

Honors Theses

DUPONT, DYLAN. An Alternative Synthetic Pathway to γ-Lactam Compounds

Through the Application of Novel Reformatsky-Type Chemistry. Department

of Chemistry, June 2020

ADVISOR: James C. Adrian Jr. Ph.D.

It is the intent of the present report to relate the results of our attempt to elucidate and optimize a novel preparation of γ-lactam compounds. To achieve this end, it is proposed that the use of novel Reformatsky-type chemistry may provide a viable means. Generally, it has herein been validated that employment of α-amino ketones in traditional Reformatsky chemistry will form the traditional Reformatsky ester-adduct, and that this adduct is capable of spontaneously …

Human Facial Emotion Recognition System In A Real-Time, Mobile Setting, Claire Williamson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to implement a human facial emotion recognition system in a real-time, mobile setting. There are many aspects of daily life that can be improved with a system like this, like security, technology and safety.

There were three main design requirements for this project. The first was to get an accuracy rate of 70%, which must remain consistent for people with various distinguishing facial features. The second goal was to have one execution of the system take no longer than half of a second to keep it as close to real time as possible. Lastly, …

Photofading Of Black Dyes In Cotton And Polyester Fibers Resulting From Environmental Exposure To Sunlight, Maggie E. Mahaney

Honors Theses

Color is one of the most important properties analyzed during forensic fiber examinations due to its discriminatory power. Differing colors in fibers are usually sufficient grounds for exclusion, but in cases where a lengthy period has passed between crime commission and evidence recovery, the high probability of environmental degradation having altered the questioned fibers’ properties could lead to false exclusions. Photofading, the loss of color resulting from exposure to light, is a common form of degradation observed in fibers. Although well-known in the dyeing industry, it is not typically factored into forensic fiber examinations. Published photofading research has been limited …

Isolation, Identification, And Investigation Of A Novel Bioactive Furanocoumarin From Leaves Of Amyris Elemifera, Amy K. Bracken

Honors Theses

Plants produce biologically active compounds that humans have utilized for many agricultural applications. Amyris elemifera was investigated due to the known bioactivity of its family, Rutaceae, and its use in medicines in tribes of the Bahamas. Biotage® and TLC guided fractionation of the EtOAc, hexane, and MeOH extracts of the leaves of Amyris elemifera yielded bioactive compounds. Most significantly, a novel furanocoumarin, 8-(3-methylbut-2-enyloxy)-marmesin acetate (1), and its analog 8-(3-methylbut-2-enyloxy)-marmesin (2), were isolated. The structures were identified via NMR and X-ray crystallography techniques; the X-ray crystal structure for 1 was reported for the first time, and the …

Heel Down And Toe-Off Time Measured With Ultrasonic Doppler System And Force Plate Sensor, Sabin Timsina

Honors Theses

Collie Box is a medical device that measures the gait parameters of the person walk- ing in front of it. This device uses the Ultrasonic Doppler system to extract the heel-contact and toe-off times of a person walking within the range of 2-10 meters. These times are used to determine the leg’s swing phase and double stance times. The ultrasonic transducer of 10mm diameter is driven at 40kHz. At the time of the heel-contact and toe-off, foot velocity is zero while the torso part of the human body is still in motion. The wide directivity of 10mm diameter ultrasonic transducer …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Largazole: A Potential Chemotherapeutic Agent, Hannah Lynn Carson

Honors Theses

Histone deacetylase enzymes are known for their inherent activity as epigenetic modifiers. Although, they have become recognized for their role in cancer progression and other diseases. But also, histone deacetylases have other non-histone targets, for example, microtubules, which play important roles in cancer metastasis, apoptosis, and replication. With histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), our research explored HDACi effects on breast cancer cell lines. The overall goal was to understand the potential of largazole, a class one histone deacetylase inhibitor on breast cancer cell lines. The research consisted of two parts: sulforhodamine B (SRB) viability assays under hypoxic and normoxic conditions. The …

Approaches Towards The Synthesis Of Ketamine Metabolites, Ann K. Patrick

Honors Theses

Major Depressive disorder (MDD) plagues society and stands at the forefront of research as MDD affects approximately 16% of the population. Pharmaceutical drugs, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been used for MDD treatment and remain a popular option today. However, current antidepressant treatments have proven to be ineffective in just less than half of the patients. Research continues with the goal to better understand the mechanisms of the pathology of depression and to search for other treatment options. For example, the stress-neurogenesis hypothesis investigates the role of stress and decreased neuroplasticity within MDD.

Supporting the stress-neurogenesis hypothesis, …

The Synthesis Of A Mepeg-Based Hydroxide Conducting Electrolyte And The Optimization Of The Mepeg-Tosylation Reaction, Andrew Ladner

Honors Theses

As society is becoming increasingly aware of the effects of climate change and the ever-looming threat of a fuel shortage, exploring green and renewable alternative energy production, such as fuel cells, is paramount. This project investigates the synthesis of a polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MePEG_n) based polymer as well as the optimization of the MePEG Tosylation reaction. The MePEG explored contains seven polymerized ethoxy groups (MePEG₇). The MePEG₇ polymer was modified by substituting a positively-charged trimethylamine group in the place of the alcohol functional group at the end of the PEG chain. The reason for …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Transition Metal Scorpionate Complexes For Redox Shuttle Applications In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Chase Lance

Honors Theses

Given the rising global energy demands, alternative renewable energy sources are currently being investigated. The most appealing renewable energy source is solar energy, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in particular are an attractive technology. DSSCs have traditionally utilized iodide/triiodide as the redox mediator couple, which exhibits high efficiencies and fast regeneration of the oxidized dye with little recombination. Recently, the use of alternative redox couples based on transition metal complexes has been studied as a promising substitute due to the tunable design of these complexes. In this study, tridentate tris(pyrazolyl)borate and tris(pyrazolyl)methane ligands with first-row transition metals were designed and …

Synthesis Of Polyethylene Glycol - Trifluoromethyl Sulfonamide And Analysis Of Its Ion-Transport Properties, Andrew Groneck

Honors Theses

This project investigates the synthetic pathway to develop a polyethylene glycol – trifluoromethyl sulfonamide compound to be used as an electrolyte in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The inspiration to develop a trifluoromethyl sulfonamide compound tethered to a polyethylene glycol polymer was inspired by the work of David P. Siska and D. F. Shriver in their studies of polysiloxane – trifluoromethyl sulfonamide electrolytes.

In this thesis, I have developed the synthesis of MePEG7-Trifluoromethyl sulfonamide (MePEG7-NHSO2CF3) from monomethylpolyethylene glycol (MePEG7OH). Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unable to complete the depronation and ion-exchange to the Li+ and H+ …

Investigation Of The History Of Fingerprinting, Advancements In The Field, And Development Of Potential Methods That Could Improve The Detection Of Endogenous And Exogenous Drugs In Latent Prints, Kristen Malloy

Honors Theses

When someone thinks of fingerprinting, they are most likely going to picture how a latent print is matched to the fingerprint of a suspect based on ridge pattern analysis. However, there is much more information that can be obtained from a latent print. The work performed in this thesis focuses the detection of exogenous and endogenous drugs in latent prints. The experiments performed analyzed fingerprints from volunteers that were contaminated with one of three common painkillers: acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and ibuprofen. Three different instruments were tested for this purpose: MALDI-MS, ATR-FTIR, and LC-MS. Based on the results gathered, it …

Study Of Pharmaceutical Tablets Using Raman Mapping, Kyle Joseph Pauly

Honors Theses

Covalent bonds are the strongest type of bonds holding molecules together. Based on the pattern of bonding of the molecule, the atoms associated with the bond will vibrate at a specific frequency. Utilizing vibrational spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, these unique vibrational frequencies can be used to detect the presence of analytes over a selected area. Furthermore, the intensities of the vibrational modes can be tracked to comparatively quantify the concentration of analytes at various locations. This is a method of great importance due to its ability to compare pharmaceutical tablets synthesized with different techniques. Here, the presence and concentration …

Crabs From The Cane River Formation Of Northern Louisiana: A Study Of Neozanthopsis Americana And Associated Fauna, Katie Mclain

Honors Theses

Neozanthopsis Americana is a crab from the middle Eocene Claiborne Group that lived along the Gulf of Mexico, and has been documented in Texas and Louisiana. This species was discovered by Rathburn (1928) and was later amended and added to by Schweitzer (2014). The specimens in this paper are found near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and along with their accompanying fossils are used to describe the depositional environment of the locality. Sediments were taken from the site and analyzed under a standard microscope for microfossils, which were collected and further analyzed under scanning electron microscope. In addition to the microfossils, the cuticles …

Synthesis Of Fluorinated Pyrazoles Via Intra- And Intermolecular Cyclization Reactions, Matthew Saucier

Honors Theses

Pyrazole-based pharmaceuticals treat a wide array of diseases and conditions including obesity, diabetes, cancer, microbial and viral infections, pain and inflammation, and many neurological disorders. Syntheses for this biologically significant substrate have been well developed, but current methods to afford fluorinated pyrazoles are limited by variability and selectivity. By 2013, over 25% of all drugs available on the market contained the element fluorine due to its unique characteristics leading to improved target protein binding, bioavailability, and metabolic stability. In order to harness these pharmaceutical benefits of fluorine and overcome its difficulty in handling and stability, we set out to develop …